Pastor Mathieu Tchando, along with 13 others, was leaving a Christian conference in Nigeria on November 1, 2024 when a large truck hit their minibus. The group was outside of Lagos when the truck hit three vehicles. One person was killed at the accident site, and three others were seriously injured. Pastor Tchando suffered a brain injury that left him comatose; another minister was hospitalized with broken ribs, and doctors were concerned about internal bleeding; and the third was in stable condition.
Read MoreGia and her husband, Dai, have been believers for 15 years. Because they chose biblical names for their children, getting birth certificates for them was difficult. Their daughter, Ruth, was diagnosed with a condition that has affected her neurological and physical development. There is a fund intended for children with Ruth’s condition, and the family was called to a government office to receive these funds. After waiting there all day, however, they were presented with an ultimatum: Change Ruth’s name and renounce their faith or leave without the funding.
Read MoreIshaq is active in evangelism and Bible distribution in the Arab nation where he was born, but his future there is tenuous. Ishaq was permitted to be in the country while his Eritrean father, who had lived and worked there for decades, maintained his official work status. But when Ishaq’s father died during the coronavirus pandemic, Ishaq’s residency visa expired, and he has been unable to renew it. Ishaq has not been arrested for his unofficial status but has been stopped by police numerous times. “If he were to be deported to Eritrea, where he has never lived, it could be very dangerous for him,” said a front-line worker.
Read MoreA Christian youth conference scheduled in Bhutan was disrupted when authorities raided the location and demanded that organizers show permits, which did not exist because Christian events are not allowed by the Buddhist government. Authorities then summoned the organizers for interrogation. The raid caused organizers of other youth events to change their plans as they wait to see the consequences.
Read MoreIn recent years, militant Fulani Muslims have attacked and killed numbers of Christians, but some have also become followers of Christ. Fulani converts are often rejected by their families and struggle to find supportive communities. A ministry in Burkina Faso is helping Fulani Christian converts by providing a safe place where they can grow in their walk with the Lord and meet other Fulani followers of Christ. In a four-month period, the center hosted Saturday vacation Bible schools which 675 children attended.
Read MoreA Tajik follower of Christ named Nurbol is requesting prayer after his wife suddenly abandoned him. She took their two young children and most of their possessions and fled while Nurbol was away. Both Nurbol and his wife grew up as Muslims, but Nurbol came to faith in Christ recently. A front-line worker says he has been very bold in sharing Christ with others and was fired from his job for his faith. His wife seemed interested in Christianity, but after she left him, she said, “You reject Jesus, and I will come back. But if you don’t, I won’t.” He responded, “I am not leaving Christ.”
Read MoreThang has been a follower of Christ for more than 35 years. His extended family rejected him when they learned of his conversion, and he spent almost 10 years in prison suffering forced labor, poor rations and regular beatings for his ongoing testimony about Christ. Thang is regularly harassed, and he has been blacklisted by the government.
Read MoreAlimata’s husband, Yacouba, was the assistant pastor at a church in Kounla. On August 25, 2024, Islamic terrorists came to their house looking for Christian men. They forced Yacouba and another man, bound and blindfolded, into the church at gunpoint. As militants hunted more Christians, Alimata and other women fled with their children. As they ran, they heard gunshots. “I knew that they had killed my husband,” Alimata said. While hiding, a woman named Fadima also heard the gunshots that killed her husband and 27 more men inside the church. “Please pray for me as I am in trauma,” she said.
Read MoreOn November 3, 2024, shortly after worship services and during the Sunday school hour at an Istanbul church, someone rang the bell. A member opened the door, and two unknown men asked to come inside. She told them it was not possible at the moment. Local police officers who were guarding the church then intervened and took the men away. The pastor had previously faced death threats, prompting police to watch the church.
Read MoreAshok and his wife, Nila, have spent 25 years reaching out to the small and isolated community of Himachal Pradesh, India, which is overwhelmingly Hindu. Pastor Pravin, who was among the first Christians in this area, leads a rural church there. This church faces the daily challenge of reaching villages that are ruled by chiefs associated with Hindu nationalist groups, which oppose any kind of Christian activities in the village. Through personal evangelism and Bible study, however, they are seeing hearts change.
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