Gambir Bahadur Rai thought Jesus was just one of many gods until a pastor gave him an audio Bible. As Gambir listened to the Gospel of John, his heart was transformed, and he became a follower of Christ. He carries the audio Bible with him everywhere, often playing it aloud where others can hear it as well. Gambir is enthusiastic about sharing the message of Jesus Christ with others in his village.
Read MorePolitical violence has escalated in Bangladesh, resulting in the resignation and flight of Prime Minister Sheik Hasina and at least 95 deaths on a single day (Aug. 4) in the capital city, Dhaka. Front-line workers report increased targeted attacks against Christians as a result. In one case, a church was attacked by an armed crowd that damaged vehicles and tried to set fire to the building early one morning.
Read MoreIn late 2023, unidentified citizens in a nation with a large Muslim population recorded a Christian worship gathering and then posted it online. Several women at the church service were converts to the faith and were worshiping without their Muslim husbands’ knowledge. When news that the women were attending church spread in the community, a mob gathered and threatened the church’s pastor and its members. Though no one was hurt, several families who attended the church are now harshly ostracized.
Read MoreThe Fulani are a nomadic Muslim tribe who live in a vast region where the Sahara Desert meets the African savanna, called the Sahel. The total number of Fulani is unknown but believed to be between 20 and 40 million people. Militant Fulani Muslims have been involved in vicious attacks on Christians in many nations, including Nigeria and Burkina Faso. But some Fulani are turning to Christ, like Sadou in Burkina Faso. Sadou was raised from childhood to make and sell Islamic charms. One day he read a Christian brochure in his native Fulani language and asked a Christian for a Bible.
Read MoreTurkmenistan, a nation with a 94% Muslim population, is a profoundly restricted country in which Christian worship is limited to churches that are part of government-sanctioned denominations. Additionally, the Turkmen government exerts a high level of control on the entire population, especially upon Christians. Despite the governmental and societal restrictions, the gospel is proclaimed regularly in Turkmenistan through media and personal testimonies.
Read MoreThe father of a Christian family in Vietnam was given a life sentence for drug possession. The drugs were found in his home during a random police search that happened less than 24 hours after a specific threat was made to the father that something bad would happen if he and his family did not renounce their faith. Front-line workers request prayer for this man and his family as they face this separation and seek justice.
Read MoreRoughly 12 million Sudanese have fled as a result of the civil war between two Islamist generals that has engulfed the country since April 2023. The displaced people include around 750,000 from predominately Christian tribes who have made a harrowing journey to reach the Nuba Mountains, an autonomous region in the south of the country. But the travel and ongoing fighting have separated families. “When the war broke out, we have many people, even my own daughter, that have been caught on [the other] side of Khartoum,” said Pastor Morris, a longtime church leader located in the Nuba Mountains. “We do not have any communication with her, and we don’t know what she is doing.
Read MoreChristians make up less than 1% of the population of Turkiye, which is 96% Sunni Muslim. When a Turkish Muslim chooses to follow Christ, they are often rejected by their families, a reality experienced by Mustafa and Basak. Mustafa grew up in a radical Islamic family but became a Christian as a teenager. His decision shocked his family, who have been pressuring him to renounce his new faith. Mustafa currently has no place to live, so a local church is housing him in their church building while he looks for work and more permanent housing. Basak was also raised in a devout Islamic home, but after she was invited to a Christian activity at her university and given a Bible, she trusted in Christ.
Read More20-year-old Mamata was the only Christian in her remote rural village. Her husband, Krishna, and other family members were strong Hindus, and they pressured her incessantly to leave the Christian faith. When she became pregnant, her pastor arranged for Mamata and Krishna to stay in a Christian guesthouse near the main district hospital when it came time for her to deliver the baby. During their two-week stay, the proprietors cared for Mamata and showed the love of God to her husband.
Read MoreSix Libyan Christians and two foreigners have been held in jail since an outbreak of religious persecution that occurred in 2022. The men have never been charged with a crime, but they are believed to be held for “being obedient to God’s Word and sharing it with others in the country,” a front-line worker said.
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