If you have a passion for spreading the Gospel, India is one of the most critical mission fields — and now is a key time to support Mission India as they touch kids’ hearts.

(Photo courtesy of Mission India)

Raina Miller with Mission India says, “Giving Tuesday falls during our 10-Day Children’s Bible Club matching challenge, so it’s a great time to take advantage of that…. Every dollar that you give to 10-Day Children’s Bible Clubs is currently being doubled — so $1 is doubled to reach two children with the good news of Jesus!”

India is home to 1.4 billion people, and 96% have never heard the Gospel. Mission India works with local Christian partners for these Children’s Bible Clubs — even as believers face intense persecution.

“India is actually the 11th most dangerous nation in the world for Christians,” Miller explains. “There are people who are ostracized from their communities, they are facing violence, they’re facing intimidation in all different forms for following Christ…. And yet, we’re finding that the more persecution increases, the more the Church grows.”

(Photo courtesy of Mission India)

You can donate to Mission India’s 10-Day Children’s Bible Clubs today at www.missionindia.org/double.

This Giving Tuesday, help make an eternal difference for children in India.

Miller also asks, “Pray that the kids who are reached through the Bible Clubs that are being sponsored during this match would have their hearts changed in a way that pushes them to lead others to Christ as well. [Pray] that it just creates a domino effect where the kids reached through this match then go on to reach entire communities!”

Header photo courtesy of Mission India.

The Supreme Court has issued several petitions for Rajasthan to justify the anti-conversion law’s constitutionality, which allows state officials to seize property and demolish homes based on allegations of forced conversion.

(Photo courtesy of Bibles For The World via Facebook)

John Pudaite, President and CEO of Bibles For The World (BFTW), says it’s part of a broader legal battle as India’s Supreme Court takes a magnifying glass to anti-conversion laws across multiple states.

“They are questioning how this current government — the BJP government — can continue to steamroll across the country and pass these anti-conversion laws, which are nothing but an attack primarily on Christianity,” he says.

This new scrutiny may also cause those who target Indian Christians using anti-conversion laws to think twice.

“As they felt impunity, they would attack the churches and attack the Christians,” says Pudaite. “People are realizing that the laws they thought covered them may not have as much strength…as they had hoped.”

(Photo courtesy of Bibles For The World via Facebook)

Looking ahead, Pudaite urges the global Church to take this critical case, and others like it, before the Lord.

“We need to continue to pray for the Supreme Court and those justices, that they can be impartial in their evaluation of the evidence and of those laws. We can pray that they will not be politically influenced or otherwise influenced.”

Pudaite also encourages believers to keep the Gospel in sight — with hearts to reach their persecutors with the Gospel.

“Especially as we go into this Christmas season, pray that this may be a special time for the Body of Christ to be able to share the Good News of the birth of Jesus Christ…. Pray that the true spirit of Christ in Christmas may be able to shine.”

Header photo: Architecture in Jaipur, Rajasthan, India. (Photo courtesy of Dexter Fernandes/Unsplash)

“Iranian children right now are victims of their wider society and the struggles that their parents face,” says Silk. “There’s a lot of very serious economic hardship in Iran today, and that is affecting the adult population in their mental health. There are a lot of people turning to drugs and alcohol. There’s a lot of joblessness and struggling to put food on the table. So that worry and stress and struggle, of course, is going to permeate the whole household. And children are very helpless in these kinds of situations.”

The weight of these challenges increases for Christian children. In Open Doors’ World Watch List, an annual ranking of the 50 countries where Christians face the most persecution, Iran ranks #9.  According to Silk, Christian Iranians have needed to be even more cautious with their faith since the 12 Day War in June, which started when Israel launched targeted airstrikes in Tehran, dramatically escalating conflict within the Middle East.

“The government is really scrutinizing everything and desperately trying to weed out the Christians, and these children have been very careful at school to toe the line and keep up pretenses that they are sympathetic, at least, to the Muslim faith. So all of that carries its toll.”

And while Iranians are free to acknowledge Christmas as a “festival,” that doesn’t mean Christians are safe to celebrate the meaning behind the day.

“People can still decorate their homes and make a fuss of that time of year,” says Silk, “but as soon as you get into a truly Christian celebration of what happened 2000 years ago, then that’s all going to be kept quiet.”

She notes that Iranian children outside of Iran are mostly refugees, with their own set of challenges: “A lot of the issues they face really affect their sense of well-being, even mental health, depression, anxiety, panic attacks.” However, evangelism efforts are much less dangerous for Iranian refugees than for Christians living within Iran.

“We do a lot of that, particularly in Turkey, where we can gather other refugee Iranians who are all living a sort of bleak life at the time,” Silk says. “And so the Christian families can say our holy celebration is coming up. So it’s a great way just to gather a community, and of course, through that, then we get to bless these families, practically and spiritually, sharing truth.”

For all Iranian children—Christian or not, within Iran or in refugee regions—Transform Iran is working to share joy through Operation Christmas Joy, a six-week program where families gather and talk about Jesus and what Christmas means, culminating with a gift for each child that helps meet a practical need.

“We talk a lot about joy and peace and hope at Christmas time,” says Silk. “We thought, well, how do we share the gospel message with children and truly allow it to penetrate their lives so that it does birth joy in their hearts? We want them to be laughing again and dancing again and enjoying community.”

To learn more about partnering with Transform Iran this Christmas, visit their website.

Header photo courtesy of Transform Iran.

Many of the pastors, directors, and workers at the conference work in challenging areas, including northern Nigeria, Sudan, South Sudan, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

For countries in this region, it can be challenging to conduct street work ministry. Working with teams like Every Home for Christ allows World Missionary Press booklets to be distributed in closed areas.

Helen Williams with WMP says that despite persecution, jail time, and loss of family members, the workers keep on going and sharing the written Word of God.

While at the conference, Williams met with a young woman from Namibia whose husband was a WMP contact and national director.

Despite his passing in an accident a few months ago, Williams says, “I was just so blessed by her spirit

The One Africa Conference encouraged partners from several countries. (Image courtesy of WikiImages on Pixabay)

and by her willingness and by her friendship.”

“She was his partner in ministry, and she came up to me and thanked me for our prayers, hugged me, and told me that she’s going to continue the work. She’s going to do the paperwork and keep the office going,” says Williams.

“The ministry will take over and provide another director, but she’s going to stay with the work. We have a container in process and a language project in process, and she’s going to pick it up.”

Williams also met a coordinator from Angola who sent a sudden request a few months ago when the northern part of Angola had opened up for more outreach.

Williams met the contact early in the trip when he approached her and thanked her for the materials WMP sent him.

“This is the Lord’s plan, and we were able to respond. He came to us, and we were able to respond and get it there,” Williams says.

Another blessing was the opportunity to meet with a new coordinator from Zambia. As the previous one had too many other responsibilities, he knew that WMP was looking for another Zambian contact.

“His son and his son’s wife came up to us, and he said, ‘I can do this. I want to do this,’ and they were so excited,” Williams says.

Williams met with them and went through the expectations and logistics process, and says meeting them was the Lord’s time.

Ministry partners were grateful to WMP as they work to provide the Word of God in small booklets.

“It is just a unique piece of literature, and they know that literature in Africa is vital. They have the internet and they have digital and all of this, but the written Word is still well received and needed,” Williams says.

Please pray for those on the ground and praise God for their consistency and faithfulness. Pray for the Word to change villages and cities and to disciple believers.

WMP can print a booklet for $0.06 apiece, so even a small donation can bring the Word to somebody. Please pray over financial and logistical needs to be met as WMP works to fill orders during a transition time.

Photo courtesy of World Missionary Press.

When Mahsa Amini was killed in 2022 for wearing her hijab incorrectly, removing a hijab became a symbolic protest in Iran.

This September, Iran’s President, Masoud Pezeshkian, criticized Iran’s hijab laws, saying, “Human beings have a right to choose.”

Around the same time that Iranian parliament member Mohammad Reza Bahonar said that hijab laws are not enforceable.

Denise Godwin from International Media Ministries says that people in the West are not aware of the different protests because they are seen as quiet. But after the confrontation with Israel this summer, arrests seemed to rise.

In some areas, businesses are being persecuted for selling to women without hijabs. In a culture like this, families may pressure women to wear them, as it could result in repercussions for neighbors.

“I think there are a lot of cultural norms that they’re up against as well in this situation,” Godwin says. “Bravo, them that are trying to take Iran, Persia, back to what it was.”

Before the last 40 years, Iran was a more secular Islamic State. Where in the 1970s people wore western-style clothing, nowadays, not wearing socks is a violation of nudity and chastity laws.

Godwin says, beyond the freedom to choose whether to wear a hijab or not, people need freedom of religion.

“Freedom to choose whether you’re going to be Islamic, even if you were born into an Islamic family. That’s not an option in Islamic countries,” she says.

As other countries also vie for human rights Godwin says, “I think it’s an incredible time in the world as we know it, to see these things changing almost daily before our eyes, and pray for powers of darkness to be thrown down, that that truth will have an opportunity, that Jesus Christ and the salvation of God can even have a chance to get into a lot of these places in the world.”

The work of IMM is a tool for this and is sending the message of God around the world before missionaries or people can. As they supply people with education and exposure, Godwin says it’s important to get the Christian message out. If believers don’t send messages out, others will.

IMM has finished filming their series Esther: Queen of Hope in Farsi. IMM had received requests for the project before, and they see now that the timing of the message is strategic.

Esther, Queen of the Persians, once represented her nation in need, just as Iran is in need today.

IMM creates a new series about the story of Esther. Photo Provided by IMM.

In Esther’s day, women could take on roles like judges and landowners.

King Cyrus was the first of the Persian Empire to implement religious freedom. He essentially said, “We’re not going to obliterate and relocate everybody. As long as you are an obedient citizen, pay your taxes, and don’t cause trouble, you can continue with your God and your religion,” Godwin says.

“That’s what makes the Esther story so remarkable, because it wasn’t in the DNA of the Persian Empire to obliterate a bunch of people for no particular reason, [when] they were not in an uprising,” Godwin says.

Godwin says that when Haman tried to punish the Jewish people, Esther didn’t just save her own people. She saved all the Persians from this controlling law.

These stories seem to resonate more as history repeats itself.

“I’m meeting people from outside the country who have mostly escaped due to political or religious persecution,” Godwin says. “These people all say that the regime is not Iran, it is not Iranians, it doesn’t represent them, and that they do look forward to a time when there can be friendship and peace between Israel and Iran.”

IMM is also working to make children’s programs, creating opportunities to instill biblical and critical thinking.

When people leave the Islamic faith, they often turn to atheism first, but struggle with giving up on the concept of God. When they meet Jesus, it becomes a huge revelation.

Please pray for the opportunities these people have through the media. Pray for people on the ground who are evangelizing despite the risk of persecution. As tension continues between Israel and Iran, pray for the people in these countries who want peace.

Pray that people in Iran will receive human rights and an end to persecution, and that people will hear about salvation and know the truth of Jesus Christ. Pray for peace in this region and for the Middle East to change in ways that reflect Jesus Christ.

Header Image by mostafa meraji from Pixabay

“It’s pretty rough at the moment; military movement is pretty serious,” says FMI’s Nehemiah, adding that “challenging” developments require him to change ministry plans frequently as new obstacles arise.

Islamabad (Photo courtesy Pixabay)

An attacker targeted a busy court building in Islamabad yesterday, killing 12 and wounding dozens. A breakaway faction of the Pakistani Taliban initially claimed responsibility for the Islamabad bombing, though later denied it.

Terror linked to Taliban rule

The explosion came less than a day after militants attacked a military college in northwestern Pakistan. Nehemiah says Taliban rule in neighboring Afghanistan provides the perfect cover for attacks like these.

“The government or administration of the Taliban in Afghanistan has very little experience managing peace or building infrastructure. As a result, their rule has created an environment where extremist groups can regroup,” Nehemiah explains.

“This includes the Pakistani Taliban [or TTP], who frequently cross the border to carry out attacks inside Pakistan and then retreat into Afghanistan for refuge.”

Because militants receive shelter and resources in Afghanistan, Nehemiah says, “Pakistan continues to suffer from terrorist attacks targeting security forces, civilians, churches, Christians, or even the Shia (Muslim) minority.”

Moreover, “sustainable peace will require more than negotiation or ceasefire agreements,” he adds. “It demands a transformation of mindset and structure. The Taliban must go beyond their military identity and learn the principles of peace, building, governance, and coexistence.”

Crackdown slows ministry but not the Gospel

Volatility makes ministry work challenging as extra security measures hinder movement. Despite restrictions, Christians continue to bring the hope of Jesus to those in need. Pray for stability in Pakistan so Gospel work can flourish.

(Photo Courtesy FMI Pakistan)

“Pray for transformation in the hearts of extremists and political leaders, that the Prince of Peace will reign in the hearts of men,” Nehemiah requests.

“We believe that Jesus is the only hope for [the Taliban].”

In partnership with Keys for Kids, FMI continues work on audio recordings of Scripture and daily devotional content on MP3 devices in the Dari language. Pray for the resilience of FMI partners and the vocalists involved in the Dari recording project.

“We were about to start distribution in Afghanistan,” Nehemiah says, but rising tensions between the Pakistani government and the Taliban in Afghanistan have made cross-border travel nearly impossible. More about that here.

“Right now, we have the devices in Pakistan, but we are not able to ship [them] into Afghanistan. We have partners who always carry these devices with them into Afghanistan [but] they’re not able to do it.”

Learn how you can support FMI’s work in Pakistan here.

Header image depicts a busy street in Pakistan. Photo courtesy of FMI. 

Aimed at preventing renewed border clashes, discussions orchestrated in Qatar led to a brief pause in fighting. However, negotiations collapsed during the second round of talks last week.

“This ongoing conflict between Pakistan and Taliban highlights the deep complexity of achieving peace in this region,” FMI’s Nehemiah says.

“While there have been repeated calls for a ceasefire and reconciliation, the reality on the ground makes it extremely difficult to sustain peace.”

Afghanistan’s acting foreign minister blames Pakistan for the collapse, saying Islamabad’s demands were “not reasonable or feasible.” Meanwhile, Nehemiah points to the Taliban’s diplomatic naiveté.

Taliban fighters patrol Kabul, August 2021.
(Wikimedia Commons)

“Their entire framework of power and survival depends on conflict and control through fear, not cooperation or civic administration,” he says.

“After taking control of Afghanistan, the Taliban has struggled to transition from insurgency to governance.”

Faith amid conflict

FMI supports indigenous church planters in both countries, helping believers carry the Gospel to those who need it most. The ministry also operates a safe house in Afghanistan and provides discipleship training. Learn more here.

Right now, however, “Our partners, who have dual citizenship, are not able to travel inside [or] outside; they are just trapped,” Nehemiah says.

The Taliban’s brutal regime creates a hunger for the Gospel in Afghanistan. Pray that believers will have supernatural boldness to share the hope of Christ.

One pastor recently watched The JESUS Film with his tribal chief, FMI shared in a recent newsletter. Another pastor hands out 10 Bibles every day – an act which could get him killed if he were discovered – but he feels he’s not doing enough to meet the demand.

Subscribe to FMI’s prayer newsletter here.

Prayers for the faithful

Now that you know, how will you respond? “Please pray for financial, spiritual, and emotional resources for our partners,” Nehemiah requests.

“Ask God to provide for their needs and sustain their families as they serve faithfully under hardship.”

Pray that the Lord will surround FMI partners and their families with His divine protection as they serve in areas affected by violence, terrorism, and political unrest.

“When I was talking to our partner in Afghanistan, he quoted from Psalm 91:4, saying, ‘He will cover you with His feathers and under His wings you will find refuge. His faithfulness will be your shield and rampart,” Nehemiah says.

“This is what he’s telling his partners on the ground as he’s leading a very small congregation in Afghanistan.”

Header image is a representative photo depicting a Taliban fighter in Afghanistan. Photo courtesy of Global Catalytic Minitsries. 

In cultures where their worth is often dismissed, women are discovering a new identity — one rooted in God’s love, dignity, and purpose.

Elizabeth Lawrence, a Gospel worker, says, “The Middle East and North Africa is actually the region in the world with the widest gender gaps anywhere on the planet.” It’s also a place marked by deep violence against women.

Photo courtesy of Mohamed Zarandah vua Pexels

Yet when Jesus reveals Himself, everything changes!

“Jesus comes, and He brings value, love, and transformation. Women who meet Christ in this space are unstoppable for Jesus. They fall in love with Him and begin to tell others about Him,” Lawrence explains.

One woman shared that after accepting Christ, her husband lashed out in anger.

“She said, You know what? It doesn’t matter, because I know for the first time in my life that I’m seen, I’m valued and I’m loved, and I can handle that,” recalls Lawrence.

Seen as a lower class, women are often overlooked in their Gospel work.

“Well, because, you know, they’re just women. So who’s going to notice them? They often go unobserved and don’t get much attention when they move about — and that gives them greater freedom to go and share Jesus with others,” explains Lawrence.

Yet they quietly share the Good News through daily life — whether in their chores, conversations, or small businesses that connect them with others.

(Photo by M.T ElGassier on Unsplash)

Christ’s love restores what society has broken. When women discover that their Creator sees them as worthy, an entirely new world opens before them — one where they belong and are valued.

As a woman begins to live out her faith, her family notices the difference. The transformation she experiences often becomes the spark that leads her husband and children to follow Christ as well.

“Women are really the gateway to the families,” Lawrence says, “because they begin to disciple their children into the love of Christ, and often their husbands see the transformation.”

Pray that women across MENA will know the worth Jesus gives — and that through them, entire families will experience His transforming love!

Header photo courtesy of Navid Sohrabi via Unsplash.

Mike* with Global Catalytic Ministries says there’s a massive movement of God happening in Myanmar. But, “it’s hard to share these types of stories because the persecution is so high.”

Myanmar’s civil war has killed over 75,000 people and displaced more than 3 million since 2021, according to UN estimates. Although last week the military junta signed a ceasefire with the Ta’ang National Liberation Army — a key rebel group in the north — the nationwide chaos has no real end in sight.

GCM lost contact with dozens of believers after a devastating 7.7-magnitude quake struck Myanmar in March. Dozens more recently lost their lives at the hands of the military. 

In that loss, Mike still says, “There’s so much more to these people. [It’s] one of the largest movements on earth that no one knows about. Under the nose of such hatred and evil, God is moving and moving in such a powerful way. This is what He does all over the world.”

Recently, disciple-makers gained a new tool for spreading the Good News: a comic book version of GCM’s “Creation to Christ” story series.

“The way that we make disciples is we build relationships with individuals, and then we share stories,” Mike says. “We are discipling them in understanding God’s character without them even knowing it from the beginning.”

He says that in other contexts, such as the Middle East, visual aids are frowned upon. But this comic, created by a former Buddhist-turned-Christian, is more than welcome in Myanmar.

(Stock photo courtesy of Pixabay)

“Even the visual aid of it — because a lot of them don’t read or write — the visual aid of it is making just a profound impact. We have images of them discipling monks and monk children,” Mike says.

Find your place in the story

Please pray for the gospel to reach more people, and for wisdom and protection for Burmese believers in danger.

“[Pray for] blindness to the enemy, [and] infiltration at the highest level with the gospel of Jesus so that the [junta] government falls and the transformation happens at the highest level,” says Mike. 

Finally, please consider helping to recoup the printing costs of the comic book. In response to the March 28 earthquake, GCM invested above and beyond the funds they raised for relief and aid. One of those expenditures was for printing the comic books. 

“We knew that the desperation that they were feeling, these are the ingredients where the gospel just spreads like wildfire,” says Mike. 

Support ministry in Myanmar with GCM with a gift of any amount. 

Header image is a stock photo courtesy of Kosygin Leishangthem via Pexels.

“The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective.” — James 5:16

Over 310 million Christians globally face severe persecution. Todd Nettleton from The Voice of the Martyrs USA says this day of united prayer deeply matters to those suffering for their faith: “Every time we ask, ‘Hey, how can we help you?’ the first thing they say is, ‘Pray for us.’”

World from space (photo courtesy of NASA via Unsplash)

Across the globe, churches will gather to lift up the persecuted believers.

“They are lifting up our brothers and sisters and our Christian family in hostile and restricted nations. They [persecuted Christians] know they’re being prayed for, and it is an encouragement to them,” added Nettleton.

Each year, the International Day of Prayer highlights a specific nation or situation to help believers intercede more personally and fervently.

This year’s focus is on the Democratic Republic of the Congo, where believers face relentless violence from armed groups.

“There are over a hundred armed rebel groups active in DRC. Many of them are motivated by Islamist ideology that says Christians are the enemy. [They say] ‘We want to create a caliphate.’ And so the level of violence of some of these attacks is just mind-blowing,” shares Nettleton.

These brutal attacks leave Congolese communities grieving and struggling to heal. Yet the story of God’s presence and restoration shines through.

Photo courtesy of VOM USA

The VOM USA promotional video focuses on how God is helping persecuted Christians recover from trauma.

“He is using Christians to come alongside our brothers and sisters in DRC, to listen to them, pray with them, and affirm them. Help them realize that even in suffering — even in violent suffering — God is still present, and God still has a plan,” adds Nettleton.

Free digital resources are available on the Voice of the Martyrs USA website for churches and Bible studies. Pray for persecuted Christians around the world — and remember the Congolese believers.

“It is a prayer for faithfulness in the face of persecution, in the face of suffering,” adds Nettleton.

Join this year’s global intercession for persecuted believers! Visit Voice of the Martyrs USA
to access resources.

Header photo: Prayer slide from downloadable materials, courtesy of VOM USA.