Today is day two of unfoldingWord’s Church-Centric Bible Translation Forum, a gathering aimed at strengthening global collaboration in Scripture translation. The event brings 100 leaders from 18 countries and 28 language groups to Nairobi. Read about last year’s CCBT Forum here.

“Some of them work in countries that have religious opposition, all the way up to death threats and assassinations,” Dane* with unfoldingWord says.

(Graphic courtesy of unfoldingWord)

Kenya provides the neutral territory needed to facilitate a meeting of this size. Dane says, “We chose Kenya because it’s a very welcoming country, and it seems much easier for many of our global partners to get visas to Kenya than other parts of the world.”

unfoldingWord supports church-planting work among every people group by equipping believers with open-licensed biblical resources and training to translate God’s Word into their heart language.

“If we tried to do all of this translation work ourselves, we would immediately exceed our capacity. That’s why we are equipping a network of church planters and disciple-making ministries across the world with church-centric Bible translation tools, technology, and training,” Dane says.

“That network continues to expand, and as a result, hundreds and hundreds of new languages are being engaged in a formative process for them, individually and for their people.”

Learn more about unfoldingWord’s approach here.

“We’re not alone”: building a global family

The Church-Centric Bible Translation Forum builds upon unfoldingWord’s global church planting network, connecting believers near and far. The four-day meeting is comprehensive, offering education, training, and opportunities for collaboration and networking.

“Almost half of the people coming are new, and so it will be an introduction to how church-centric Bible translation works,” Dane says.

In addition, “They’ll have testimonies, and breakout sessions on overcoming barriers, security, funding, technology, and all of those kinds of things.”

(Graphic courtesy of unfoldingWord)

Believers gain more than practical skills at the forum. “What they tell us is, ‘It’s very difficult what we do, but when we meet brothers and sisters from other parts of the world who do this with us, we realize we’re not alone,’” Dane says.

“When they get to meet each other for the first time, face-to-face, it’s like this family that they didn’t know they had.”

Pray that the Holy Spirit would fill all the presenters and breakout leaders. Pray for the work that God is doing and is about to do through church planters and Bible translators.

Believers in Benin tell unfoldingWord, “We see Muslims giving themselves to Christ, imams giving themselves to Christ, kings giving themselves to Christ. Give us more. We want to keep going.”

Consider partnering with unfoldingWord to support this work. A $45,000 matching grant will double every gift made through December 31.

*Name withheld for security purposes. 

Header and story images courtesy of unfoldingWord. 

Mali’s capital, Bamako, has been without fuel imports since September. Surrounding cities and communities are suffering too, as insurgents use a favorite strategy. 

“They are avoiding direct confrontation by attacking many cities. By imposing a blockade, it is another way to put high pressure on the government or security forces,” says Illia Djadi with Open Doors International. He serves as the senior analyst for freedom of religion and belief in sub-Saharan Africa.

The central Sahel countries of Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger are some of the poorest in the world, Djadi explains. Though their governments are willing to fight, they have little capacity to oppose well-equipped insurgents. They are also the only countries where both an al-Qaeda-linked group and an Islamic State-affiliated group are active.

“That’s why this region —central Sahel — has become now the new epicenter of international jihad, or international terrorism,” Djadi says. “The Islamists are putting a lot of pressure on the countries and the population living there. It is a very fragile context. That’s why the pressure on the Christian minority is also high.”

Whether tied to al-Qaeda or the Islamic State, these insurgents share the same ideology and goal: to establish a caliphate and impose Sharia law. As they gain control, they are scattering the local church. 

“Their primary target is Christians. When they first attacked Mali in 2012, they attacked and destroyed churches. They killed Christians, and many of them fled northern Mali to elsewhere, to become internally displaced, or refugees in neighboring countries,” says Djadi.

Flag of Mali (Stock photo courtesy of Aboodi Vesakaran via Pexels)

They will tell Christians, “This is the deal: convert to Islam, or be killed.” Many believers who have the choice will escape to another region, often arriving empty-handed and having witnessed terrible violence. Christians who can’t escape either lose their lives or live under heavy restrictions and taxation.

Ask God to strengthen believers in Mali with resilience and faithfulness to the end. Pray for global support for Mali’s leaders, that they may be able to fulfill their responsibility to protect their citizens.

“This is a forgotten crisis, but it’s a major crisis which has displaced millions in the Sahel and elsewhere,” says Djadi.

“Let’s continue to pray, but let’s continue also to provide support, because they are in need of support. At Open Doors, we are working closely with partner churches locally: how to provide the basics for the Christians living there, how to provide trauma care, and how to provide food for them to feel like they are not alone in these difficult circumstances.”

Header image is a stock photo courtesy of Alfred Dena 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.

“According to local sources, three armed men kidnapped him [Rideout], and since then, we haven’t heard about that more,” says Illia Djadi. He serves with Open Doors International as the Senior Analyst for Freedom of Religion and Belief in Africa. “So far, no group has claimed the kidnapping.”

Portrait of a Songhai chief of a village in southwestern Niger. (Photo courtesy of IMB)

But there are ways to make an educated guess. Niger endures rising unrest and Islamic insurgencies. 

“Niger is part of this group of countries [that are] the most affected by Islamic insurgency active in the Sahel or West African region,” says Djadi, who is himself from Niger.  

“That’s the area [Central Sahel] now all analysts and observers agree has become the new epicenter of jihad or terrorism in sub-Saharan Africa, because that’s the only area where we have al-Qaeda affiliate and Islamic State affiliates operating.” 

Authorities believe that Rideout’s kidnappers took him toward western Niger, “the area where an al-Qaeda affiliate is mainly active,” says Djadi.

The U.S. State Department is aware of these events. In a statement to Fox News, a State Department spokesperson said, “It is a top priority for the Trump Administration to look after the safety of every American, and we are seeing efforts from across the U.S. Government to support the recovery and safe return of this U.S. citizen.”

It’s now the business of Christians to pray. Ask God for a miraculous release but also for endurance and faithful witness for Rideout in unimaginable circumstances. Pray for Niger’s security as well. Rideout is one of at least eight foreign nationals kidnapped there this year. 

“We pray for an urgent and safe release. We pray for his family. We pray for the community of missionary and expat [persons] in Niger,” says Djadi. 

Pray also for strength for the Church in Niger, which is deeply affected by Islamic insurgency.

(Photo courtesy of Alek Burley/Unsplash)

“The church in Niger is a tiny minority. It’s only 1 percent of the population. In the western part of the country, hundreds of Christians have been displaced because the predominantly Christian community in that area has been attacked. They got the warning to convert [to Islam] or to go, so they prefer to go,” says Djadi.

“Continue to pray and to pay attention [to] what is happening in Niger, in central Sahel, and particularly also in sub-Saharan Africa.”

Header image: Close-up of a world map highlighting a section of the Sahel region. (Stock photo courtesy of MART PRODUCTION via Pexels)

One ministry taking that danger seriously is ZimZam Global, a church-planter training organization that approaches children’s discipleship first.

“With the rise of terror groups in Africa, you would realize that the most affected people are children,” says Francis Kataka Kubondo with ZimZam Global. “Wherever there is an attack, definitely the children suffer most.” 

Children’s school attendance and church and family life all come under threat when terrorists strike. Some may be exploited in the worst of ways.

Children are also vulnerable to accepting Islamic State jihadism themselves. Kubondo explains that extremists will sometimes enter communities the same way that Christians do. They might offer humanitarian aid or school sponsorship, gaining influence.

(Photo courtesy of Fatima Yusuf via Unsplash)

“They target areas where people are poor, [they] target area[s] where there is some form of instability, and then they present themselves as a solution,” he says. 

Yet there is a crucial difference: “For Christianity, we are driven by love, as opposed to the Islamists, who are driven by fear.” 

ZimZam Global’s vision is a church for every child. Today, they serve in Africa, Latin America, and South Asia, and their reach is expanding.

“Most [other] church planting trainings focus on adults, but for us, we do it the other way around. We first of all reach out to children, and then through children, the church planter can gain access to family and then through family, now a church can be birthed,” says Kubondo.

The next generations in Africa are on the line, so please pray! Pray that instead of being exposed to Islamic extremism, many more children in Africa will accept Christ, join God’s family and serve His good Kingdom purposes. Pray for more believers to join the work to reach children for Christ in Africa. Pray for resources ZimZam Global needs to carry this mission forward. 

“Our biggest cry in Africa is for God to provide opportunities in His own ways so that we can move up to the northern part of Africa and share the goodness of Christ in those areas,” says Kubondo. “As of now, the engagement is very low.” 

Header photo is a representative stock photo courtesy of Michael Ali via Unsplash. 

“He had that one booklet, and that is what he held onto, our booklet Help From Above,” WMP’s Helen Williams says. “It’s always just God speaking to one heart through the booklets.”

Williams first became acquainted with Charles through email earlier this summer. “He said, ‘I grew up in a village in Kogi State, Nigeria, in the early 1970s,’” she recalls.

“‘I’m presently in the United States, and there are two things on my mind: number one, I want to visit your office before I leave this world. And number two, I will be glad if you can send me a copy of your booklet, Help From Above.’”

In recent weeks, Charles met Williams and dozens of her coworkers during a tour of the Indiana-based WMP plant. “He sat here in my office and said over and over, ‘I’m here to thank you,’” Williams says.

“‘I have wanted all these years to come and thank you. Everybody in our village got your booklet, and it changed my life.’”

Cover art of Help From Above in Hausa, one of Nigeria’s top spoken languages.
(Photo courtesy of World Missionary Press)

Even though southern Nigeria is overwhelmingly Christian, biblical resources are few and far between, making WMP Scripture booklets extremely valuable.

“One (Scripture) booklet can reach a whole village,” Williams says. “One person will get a booklet, and they’ll go back to their village, pass it around, or they’ll get two or three and share them. Everybody gets to read them.”

World Missionary Press produces 10 million Scripture booklets each month, sending material to partners in over 200 countries. Learn more about WMP’s mission here.

“We provide it free of charge, and so not only can the pastors and missionaries do more, but the individual who gets it,” Williams says. “To have the booklet in their hand to read over and over and for the Spirit, then, to do the work – that’s why there’s such a demand.”

Help WMP put life-changing resources in the hands of people like Charles by donating here.

Header and story images courtesy of World Missionary Press. 

“Nigerian Christians are currently suffering in ways that we can’t even fathom [or] understand,” says Jason Taylor, head of Set Free Global, a division of Set Free Ministries.

See our complete coverage of Nigeria here.

Survivors often carry deep trauma, but hope is coming. In partnership with Neil Anderson, Set Free developed “freedom appointments,” a ministry tool that helps believers walk in healing through Christ. More about that here.

In Nigeria, “Denominational church leaders are inviting us to come in and train them so they can train their people and walk their own people through the freedom steps,” Taylor says.

Set Free Global has served East Africa for two decades. This year, they’re breaking new ground in Nigeria.

This month, “We’re completing what I’ll call the ‘first round’ of freedom appointments with seven pastors, and now we’re asking each one to choose a partner, really a disciple of theirs, to also go through the freedom appointment,” Taylor says.

“Once they go through that training, we’ll have two individuals in each church that can start doing freedom appointments with their congregants.”

After establishing the program, Taylor envisions believers taking a new cohort of seven individuals through the freedom appointment process every other month.

Nigeria has the second-largest Christian population in Africa, and the potential impact is enormous. Pray that believers will be empowered to serve Christ boldly, once freed from past traumas. Ask the Lord to bless the work of Set Free Global and its partners, especially Reverend Andaman.

Header image is a representative photo courtesy of TWR. 

Days blurred together, marked only by the shift changes of prison guards. Then, he received Scripture from World Missionary Press.

“This man had a life-changing encounter with the Gospel of Jesus Christ through a booklet he received,” Helen Williams of WMP says.

“It transformed his heart of stone into a heart of flesh and made him alive in Christ.”

After being released from prison two months ago, Emmanuel “shares this message of hope and salvation with the people in his community,” Williams adds.

World Missionary Press sends Scripture booklets and other materials free of charge to Daniel, a local pastor living on the Malawi-Mozambique border. Learn more about WMP’s ministry here.

Filling the gap

Many communities in Malawi and Mozambique still lack access to Scripture in their heart languages. While national languages like Chichewa and Portuguese are common, several local dialects remain underserved. Low literacy, poverty, and limited infrastructure further hinder Bible access.

“We have groups of women who teach each other the Word of God. These books have made our groups grow spiritually. Sometimes we can be confused about where to share words from because we do not have Bibles, but with the arrival of these books, things will be easier.”
(Photo, caption courtesy of WMP)

Along with encouraging prisoners like Emmanuel, Daniel shares the hope of Christ in remote villages. After each visit, he leaves a Scripture booklet in Chichewa.

Villagers often respond with gratitude.

“We’re very happy for this help, and it came at the right time,” one villager told Daniel, while another added, “I thank God for the books I have received. My life will never be the same again, and it was a very difficult life.”

Most people in these remote areas don’t have access to a Bible in their heart language. That’s why believers like Gloria treasure the WMP booklets, which contain only Scripture.

“I thank God because today I received a wonderful gift,” Gloria says. “This booklet will help me and my family a lot. Thank you so much for reaching out with the Word of God.”

Your gift can help WMP keep materials free for local partners by covering printing and shipping costs. Find giving options here on WMP’s website.

Header and story images courtesy of World Missionary Press. 

Christian communities continue to suffer raids, sexual violence, killings at roadblocks, and kidnappings. Recent victims include two teenagers and a nine-month-old baby.

Jihadist groups like Boko Haram, Islamic State in West Africa Province (ISWAP), and Lakurawa also pose an ongoing threat.

“In the void of ethical leadership, there’s always going to be these bad actors that try to swoop in and gain access to the resources,” Unknown Nations’ Greg Kelley says.

“Then you’ve got the agenda of Islam, which is to take over the entirety of that country.”

Believers aren’t the only ones who suffer. Fulani herdsmen, although Islamist, also attack properties owned by Muslims.

“It’s not like every Muslim in Nigeria is applauding what’s going on. They’re just as dissatisfied and frustrated as the Christians are, but it opens their heart,” Kelley says.

“Their worldview is challenged, and they’re open to the Gospel.”

The Fulani were among Nigeria’s first converts to Islam, and this religious system is central to their identity. Yet hope remains for this people group. “We’re seeing God move in very unique ways,” Kelley says.

“He’s saving people who come from these aggressors and using them as missionaries. There are 300 Fulani leaders that are going to be trained in the next few weeks.”

Ask the Lord to put His words into the mouths of Fulani Gospel workers.

“The most passionate and enthusiastic laborers are coming out of the three largest Muslim people groups,” Kelley says.

“When you’ve come out of that darkness, you understand the significance of it (salvation) way more than someone who came from a majority [Christian] people group.”

Header image is an AI-generated photo depicting Fulani herdsmen created using GenCraft.

UN officials urge global involvement as fighting spreads into previously safe areas, and neither side shows signs of backing down.

“The warring parties appear unrelenting in their resolve to pursue military objectives,” warned Martha Ama Akyaa Pobee, UN Assistant Secretary-General for Africa, in a June 27 address to the UN Security Council.

She noted that advanced weapons like long-range drones are spreading violence into previously stable regions. Earlier, UN official Virginia Gamba warned that resistance forces and their allies are increasingly targeting minority ethnic groups — a potential path to war crimes.

Darrell Templeton with MegaVoice highlights the gravity of the situation: “A lot of the genocide, a lot of the killing that the RSF is doing is very tribal in nature.”

Image courtesy of MegaVoice.

MegaVoice offers both spiritual and practical hope. First, solar-powered audio Bibles provide perspective from God’s Word. “There’s an audio series called ‘Am I My Brother’s Keeper?‘ which is all about reconciliation between the tribes in Sudan and South Sudan,” Templeton says.

“This audio has been used and is continuing to be used to provide a biblical reason for reconciliation among the people groups.”

These devices also have a tangible purpose. The most popular audio Bible model has a built-in light.

“It’s called the Ember because it has a little flashlight on it that’s brighter than a cell phone flashlight. Most of these areas have very limited electricity, and so to have a light that they can use for finishing cooking, to walk around in the dark, this has been a big benefit to our pastors and the leaders there,” Templeton says.

“To have a solar-powered audio Bible that provides not only spiritual light for their lives, but physical light is a big blessing.”

Help send more audio Bibles to Sudan by giving through MegaVoice International.

“Mission Network News has been a big help in making sure people are aware that this crisis has not gone away. The crisis is still very real, and we need to uphold our brothers and sisters in prayer,” Templeton says.

Header image is a stock photo of fighters in South Sudan (Photo by Randy Fath on Unsplash)