Front-line workers shared how God is moving in Israel, including Gaza and the West Bank, amid the conflict raging throughout the region. One Christian leader said, “Please pray for believers inside of Gaza. As the conflict intensifies, and the possibilities of death increase, there is a growing intentionality to share the gospel with friends and families. We have heard testimonies of those living in shelters because their homes have been damaged and are sharing boldly – and there seems to be an openness.”
Read MoreSince 2020, Pastor Santosh has been harassed and pressured by members of the Hindu nationalist group RSS. His church has been vandalized, he has been threatened and struck, and the group has repeatedly pressured the police to file charges against him for conversion of Hindus. In October 2022, he was jailed for a month without bail. “When a person goes to jail, he breaks,” Santosh said. “I felt broken, too. After coming out of the jail, I was petrified. I did not go any place for months.
Read MoreIn October 2023, the government of the Islamic sultanate of Brunei announced a radical change in education policy to be implemented from Nov. 1. All 2nd to 5th grade students, including Christian children, are required to attend one hour per day of Islamic instruction. This includes practicing Islamic prayers and studying the Quran. This decree from the sultan applies to public and private schools.
Read MoreOn Feb. 13, 2017, a group of men on motorbikes and in SUVs abducted Pastor Raymond Koh. His wife, Susanna, and their children have not heard from him since, though Susanna has continued to seek information from the police and Malaysia’s justice system. Susanna filed a legal case requesting new inquiries into her husband’s disappearance, which she believes was connected to a 2011 confrontation with the Islamic religious police. The judge hearing the case visited the scene of the abduction on Nov. 6 and 7 to learn more about the situation.
Read MoreFive years ago, Bindu and her three children put their faith in Christ, becoming the first Christians in their village. Bindu’s husband, Hari, is strongly Hindu and actively tried to stop them from going to church. On Christmas day 2021, while Bindu and the children were preparing to attend a Christmas celebration, he began to beat them, knocking one of his daughters unconscious and chasing them out of the home. Bindu and her daughters decided to return home, and the persecution and abuse continued. Hari tried many times to open a case for divorce and finally left the village.
Read MoreRadical Islamic groups based in Somalia regularly attack Christians in Kenya who live near the border. Late in the evening of January 2, 2022, al-Shabab terrorists from Somalia broke into a house, pulled out a Kenyan father of four named Joseph and questioned him about his religion. When Joseph boldly declared that he was a Christian, they beheaded him. They then threatened his wife, Grace, and set the home ablaze. On September 26, 2023, terrorists returned to the village and destroyed Grace’s rebuilt home.
Read MoreMore than a million Sudanese refugees have fled to neighboring countries since fighting erupted in Khartoum on April 15, 2023. Egyptian authorities report that nearly 300,000 Sudanese have arrived in Egypt since the fighting began, significantly adding to the more than 4 million Sudanese who had fled there during previous wars seeking safety and improved economic opportunity.
Read MoreFront-line workers report that new believers in a small Gulf nation are under increasing pressure after one of their leaders was deported for his faith. “Most of the local Christians are young in faith and also young in age,” a front-line worker explained. “The community [members] had grown a bit relaxed and weren’t expecting anything like this to happen, so it caught them by surprise.”
Read MoreSam, a pastor in the majority-Hindu northern part of Sri Lanka, was sharing the gospel with a friend who seemed open to learning about Jesus. Without warning, the friend became aggressive and struck Sam in the face. Another time, villagers accosted him and berated him with profanity for his evangelism efforts. Sam remains faithful to his calling and is committed to his goal of sharing the gospel with 200 people this year.
Read MoreHindu radicals disrupted a worship service on Feb. 6, 2022, accusing Pastor Ramesh Verma of breaking anti-conversion laws. Police arrested Ramesh and placed him in jail. For the first 15 days, Ramesh asked God why he allowed this to happen. But when his son brought him a Bible and other prisoners became interested in what it had to say, Ramesh’s perspective changed: he began to minister to his fellow prisoners and lead them to Christ. He and his younger son distributed 60 New Testaments in the prison.
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