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.

Church planters in Muslim-majority Indonesia have their work cut out for them. This is especially true in Aceh Province, located in northern Sumatra. The region is nearly 100% Muslim and has been governed under Sharia law for decades.

But right where it’s hardest to live for Christ is right where one Christian and his family have gone. Brian Dennett with AMG International shares the story of a man we’ll call Dodi.

(Photo courtesy AMG International)

“Dodi is not from Aceh. He’s from a different province, and he was blessed to be born into a Christian family. But prior to really coming to the Lord himself, he ran off to the big city of Jakarta,” Dennett says.

“Through many disappointments and really coming to recognize a profound emptiness in his life, he eventually fully accepted Jesus as his Savior, started going to church, and now has a passion for reaching his people with the gospel — eliminating that same emptiness that he had.”

Through his church, Dodi learned about AMG and a Bible school that they operate in Indonesia. He went through that Bible training and has been sent out along with his wife and family. 

“He chose the Aceh people because of that distinction of being so devoutly Muslim and [having] so few Christians. That became a burning challenge and passion for him,” says Dennett.

Dodi and his wife have dedicated themselves to this mission. “They’re planning and praying to open a house church in every village of the province of Aceh.”

It’s no small task. Aceh has a population of 5 million, Dennett says. Would you pray for more gospel workers like Dodi to go among the Aceh? Then pray about supporting gospel workers like them with AMG. 

Not all church planters in the region come from a Christian background like Dodi. But that can be a strength! “The effectiveness of using Muslim-background, local Christians to reach their own people just cannot be underestimated,” says Dennett. “This works, and when approached with love and humility, many are open to hearing about Jesus.”

Find out the difference your gift can make in AMG’s Church Planting 2025 initiative here. 

Header photo courtesy of AMG International. 

Since 2022, as the Russian army advanced and occupied more Ukrainian territory, children became silent casualties — taken to unfamiliar Russian institutions. An estimated 20,000 Ukrainian children are still missing, believed to be in Russia or Russian-occupied areas. The actual number may be even higher.

The mass abduction of Ukrainian children is a war crime according to International law.

Families are doing everything they can to recover their children, while Ukrainian authorities insist that even orphans taken to Russia remain part of the nation and must be brought home.

Representative photo courtesy of
Evgeniy Alyoshin via Unsplash

Eric Mock from Slavic Gospel Association says: “There are children who desperately miss their parents. Some are told their parents don’t want them or aren’t worthy of them — an awful reality no child should ever have to face.”

Some parents of these children were detained and later released. Others fled while their children were taken. In some occupied areas, families were offered the chance to send their children to summer camps — but not all of them came back.

“It’s difficult to sort through the pieces, but it’s clear that kids have been separated from their families, and there’s an overwhelming need to restore these families. That is a heartbreaking reality of this war,” Mock explained.

Finding and accessing the children inside Russia remains difficult. “There are organizations that are working to get these children home,” Mock added. So far, only 1,399 children have returned, while thousands remain trapped in the reeducation system — where efforts aim to replace their Ukrainian identity with a Russian one and revise their understanding of the war.

Slavic Gospel Association supports churches across Ukraine, where some Christians are actively involved in the search for lost children. Also, through its orphan ministry network, Orphans Reborn, operating in over seven countries, some of the orphans encountered may be from Ukraine.

“A lot of these disconnected children are showing up in orphanages, and we pray that SGA-supported churches who minister to orphans are able to connect with these kids and be there for them,” Mock said.

Be the voice for these children. Many feel helpless and forgotten, and their families struggle to find them.

“We pray for the restoration of these families, and above all, we pray that these children and their parents — wherever they may be — will be connected to a faithful church and get to hear the Gospel at every opportunity,” Mock said.

Header representative photo courtesy of Tadeusz Lakota via Unsplash.

“The prisoners gathered in the courtyard, and they were able to get a copy of a Bible, and they were able to do worship songs,” says Reverend Jason Woolford with Mission Cry.

Mission Cry missionary partner and prison director of a prison in Honduras (Photo courtesy of Mission Cry)

“Our missionaries were able to share the salvation message with them and witness them reading their very own Bible. It was so beautiful. [As] the team was leaving, many inmates shook their hand[s] and thanked them for coming.”

This moment happened because Mission Cry missionary partners had favor with prison officials, which Woolford says is happening not only in South America. 

“We’re seeing it in Africa. We’re seeing it in the Philippines. You name it — we’re seeing where doors of these prisons are starting to open. Wardens who are not even believers [are] allowing us to come in and preach the gospel by giving them the Word of God.” 

If you know Christ, think of how the gospel has transformed your life. God can do the same work in a prisoner’s life and community. 

“When these men or women get out of prison and they come back and their families are able to see that God touched them and did something in their lives, how that will impact generations to come,” Woolford says. 

Find your place in the story

More Bibles await sponsorship at Mission Cry. 

“The Bible that we give, it’s very strategic. It’s the Mission Cry Bible in Spanish. It’s the New Testament, and it has a discipleship program in the back, and [other study helps]. We produce this Bible and get it in the hands of people around the world absolutely free for $2 a Bible.” 

Visit missioncry.com to partner with their team on their upcoming shipments. Please pray as well!

“You’re making a difference in the lives of people around the world with the Word that is the only thing that doesn’t return void,” Woolford says. 

“Pray for protection over our leadership, our Mission Cry missionaries on the ground and [for] favor — that God would continue to prompt and prick the right hearts at the right time so that we can continue to do what we do by people that partner with us in giving.”

Header photo courtesy of Mission Cry.

“When you’re in the early years with young children as a stay-at-home mom, it can definitely be isolating [and] sometimes not as mentally stimulating as I was used to,” says Arijaan.

Arijaan’s own mother encouraged her to look into becoming a mentor with Crossroads Prison Ministries. It’s a unique ministry opportunity from home where Christian mentors correspond with Crossroads Bible study students in prison through writing letters.

“To take on a ministry that I could do from home and really see the impact and believe in it was so exciting for me!” she shares.

Arijaan Norwood and her family. (Photo courtesy of Arijaan Norwood with Crossroads Prison Ministries)

Now, as a Crossroads mentor, Arijaan not only engages with inmates through Bible study but also sees the spiritual impact on her own family.

Arijaan shares, “My kids see me working on the lesson or writing the letter [and] they’ll ask about what I’m doing. I love sharing with them about God’s heart for those who are in prison and the role that we can play. We pray for them together.

“Another positive impact I would say is on my marriage, kind of unexpectedly. But there are times where my mentee will write something that I’m not sure how to respond to. I’ll bring it up with my husband and we’ll talk it through, and it just brings about deeper conversation than just the day-to-day conversations.”

Through prison mentorship, Arijaan has found a tangible way to connect with the Great Commission and witness God’s movement — both in her life and in the lives of others.

She says, “It’s definitely worth it to invest into the lives of not just those that you see right in front of you, but to gain that eternal perspective as you’re reaching out to all sorts of people that God has a heart for.”

If you or someone you know may be interested in becoming a Bible study mentor with Crossroads, Arijaan encourages, “It’s definitely a step of faith, and it’s easy to think that you don’t have time. I will say that it does take discipline to set aside really just about an hour a week, so it’s not long. But it’s really mentally and spiritually engaging.”

Learn more about becoming a mentor with Crossroads!

Header stock photo courtesy of Sixteen Miles Out/Unsplash.

“I have the honor of being the black sheep in our family. It wasn’t till I was pretty far along in my teenage years that I even realized that,” he says. “So I was one, and I’ve got a lot of friends that are dealing with this as well. It’s a big problem right now — it’s an epidemic.”

(Stock photo courtesy of Steiner Engeland via Unsplash)

Why do kids wander?

Hutchcraft says it’s important to remember that you can be the most godly, Jesus-loving, Jesus-serving mom or dad… and still see your child wandering from their own relationship with Christ.

The number one reason kids become prodigals, Hutchcraft thinks, is that they haven’t made Jesus their own. 

“Even if they were going to Sunday school or church, they never quite got to the point where their heart all belonged to Jesus,” he says. “So it never quite became their own relationship.”

(Check out a resource from Ron Hutchcraft on this topic, “A Jesus of Their Own.“)

Praying parents

During his tumultuous teenage years, Hutchcraft’s parents depended on Scripture and prayer. His dad later told him, “We would go into our room, we would close the door, and we would get on our knees, and we would pray, we would pray, we would pray, remembering that this isn’t the final story [of our son’s life], this was just the chapter.’” 

“I remember knowing they were praying for me then,” Hutchcraft says. Their steady love eventually led him to turn around. 

“I remember my mind kind of being blown, even as a 16-year-old, that, ‘Why are they treating me like this?’ I knew in the back of my mind I wasn’t treating them well, I wasn’t pleasing them. Yet they were still coming back and being patient with me and loving me and praying for me.”

“If that’s who Jesus is,” he thought, “this is something that I want, that I have to dive deeper into.”

Encouragement for parents

If you have a wandering child in your life today, Hutchcraft lifts up Ephesians 4:29 as a key verse.

(Stock photo courtesy of Eye for Ebony via Unsplash.)

“It’s tempting to be angry. It’s tempting to say, ‘What’s wrong with you? I thought you were a Christian. I thought you loved Jesus?’” he says. “But taking the 10-second rule, you [instead] go, ‘The only thing I’m letting come out of my mouth is only what is going to be useful for building them up.’”

Being respectful of your young person is important too, especially when things are going haywire. 

“You might not respect what they’re saying, what they’re doing,” Hutchcraft notes. “But if there is a way for them to know that no matter what, you still love them, that your love for them is unconditional, [then do it,] remembering that we are Christ’s ambassadors — and that’s never more true than with your kids — as if He is making His appeal through us.”

So ask yourself every day, “Am I really representing Jesus to my kids?”

“The enemy loves to accuse us. He is the accuser, and he will want to discourage you,” Hutchcraft says. “Be patient and remember in God’s Word, don’t give up. That’s what Jesus told his disciples: ‘pray and don’t give up.’ Because what? You’re going to see a harvest. It happened in my life, and I think it’s going to happen in your prodigal’s life too.”

Hear more! 

There’s a way to receive more insight and encouragement on this topic from the Hutchcraft brothers. Listen to their March 4, 2025 podcast episode of Go M.A.D. with Doug and Brad, “A Jesus of Their Own Pt. 1: Pursuing the Prodigal.” It’s available wherever you listen to podcasts. Look for part 2 coming later in March! 

Header photo courtesy of Denis Pozdeev via Unsplash.

On the newly released World Watch List, many were watching India in particular to see how it would rank. For the second year in a row, India remains in 11^th place, hovering just outside the top 10.

(Photo courtesy of Mission India)

Regan Miller with Mission India offers some perspective: “The fact that it stayed the same probably just means that the other countries have remained worse, which is tragic, but it doesn’t mean that India is doing a whole lot better.”

For example, “There are a handful of states in India that have what is called anti-conversion laws. The laws vary slightly by state. But in general, they require that if you are going to change religions, you or the person leading you to the other religion gives official notice,” explains Miller.

“If…they find out that you’ve changed religions without giving official notice, then you or the person leading you to a new faith can be fined or given prison time.”

Persecution from Family and Community

Christian persecution in India also takes place on a family and community level. Tribal Christians in Manipur state are still targeted and attacked for their faith.

Miller shares a story that illustrates what often happens when a family member converts to Christianity.

In November, one of Mission India’s adult literacy teachers met a young couple and began sharing the Gospel with them. The man, Bulesh, was raised by his mother in an animist background. But eventually, Bulesh and his wife chose to follow Jesus.

“The very next morning, Bulesh’s mom and two other women from the village chased Bulesh and his family out of their home,” says Miller.

(Photo courtesy of Mission India)

“The couple, thankfully, was able to find refuge at the home of a local Christian. Church members have been supporting them and giving them food and helping meet their daily needs. But what a difficult thing to see that you could have your own mom chase you away the very next day because you received Christ.”

Prayer Resources

So what can you do with the 2025 World Watch List? Pray through it.

Mission India has resources to inform your prayers for India, specifically! Connect at their website here.

Miller says, “You can sign up for the daily prayer prompt, and we will send you a daily email every morning with a really simple prayer with something that you can pray for about a specific person in India who is involved in our ministry.”

Ask God to give persecuted Indian believers wisdom as they navigate challenging circumstances because of their faith. Pray for their ability to offer forgiveness and grace, and to show the love of Christ.

Header photo courtesy of Mission India.

Fouad is a pastor in the North African nation of Morocco, where being a Christian is both unlikely and difficult. 

It’s unlikely per se for several reasons. Morocco is more than 99% Muslim today; there is strong cultural and governmental pressure on people to keep it that way. It’s difficult because although Christians are allowed to practice their faith, they are carefully watched. If someone is accused of “shaking the faith” of a Muslim or of criticizing Islam, they can be punished by a prison sentence and/or fines.

Berber Market in Morocco. (Photo courtesy of Annie Spratt via Unsplash)

To describe the persecution Moroccan Christians go through, Fouad recounts part his family’s story. “The pressures comes from the family first, because they reject us in the beginning. They were all really very tough on our children also, when they said they are Christian,” he says.

“It was very difficult time for the whole family, but we understand in the Word of God that because of our faith, [because] of the Savior, many will reject us, even though some [are] family members.”

More on persecution in Morocco here.

After he began to follow Christ, Fouad became part of a small local congregation. Eventually he served as an elder and then was asked to lead the church. Despite Christians being few in number (less than 0.2% of the population), they see God making His Word known to more and more of their fellow countrymen, just like He did in Fouad’s life. 

One significant way this spread is happening, Fouad says, is through media. 

“Now people can compare and listen. They can research by themselves about the truth and look, you know, for ‘who is the true God?’” he says. “That’s God Himself who let His Word be known. We have seen that, and we praise Him for that. He’s [a] faithful God.” 

Join in prayer for Moroccan believers like Fouad and his church. 

“For protection for the church and also for the church be unified, for the new believers to grow in Christ, and to share the message of the gospel with their families and with the whole people of Morocco,” he says. 

“We pray also for the internship that we hold in this church and also for discipleship in other churches, that the Lord [will] prepare workers and prepare servants for His Word in the whole country.”

Header photo of Morocco courtesy of Fouad. 

“Worldwide, there’s about 70 million Deaf people. That’s about one out of every 200 people,” says Rob Myers with DOOR International. He says 90% of Deaf children are born to hearing parents. “Many Deaf people, when they get around the holidays, expect to spend a lot of time around hearing people.”

It’s not always easy. Communication and cultural barriers can leave a Deaf person isolated and unengaged in what’s supposed to be a welcoming family environment.

If that’s an experience you don’t want to repeat, here are six tips to love and engage with Deaf family and friends this holiday. The first one is simple.

If you haven’t already, start learning sign language. 

“Learning language is the beginning of really building a relationship with someone,” Myers says. He recommends an app called Lingvano to give you a jumpstart on American Sign Language. 

Make the best use of technology.

Ask questions ahead of time so you can plan for what tech might serve you best.

“It’s good to ask the Deaf person if reading is a preferred way that that they can take in information,” Myers says.

English is, after all, a second language to a Deaf person! If they are comfortable with reading, make sure that when the TV goes on, so do the captions. Then, during group conversations, consider setting up a device with a speech-to-text app and placing it in the middle of the room where it can easily be seen.  

Consider the room.

Watch out for Christmas candlelight ambiance! 

“Deaf people are really visual, and so it’s actually important for a room to be well lit,” Myers explains. “[A dim room] makes it really challenging for a Deaf person to even communicate, because it’s difficult to see sometimes.” 

When it’s time for a family game, choose visual games like charades.

Games based on sounds or words may be impossible for a Deaf person to really enjoy. Create that environment where everyone can engage in the fun.

Consider hiring an interpreter.

“If it’s a big family gathering and you have one, maybe several Deaf people there, you may want to think about hiring a sign language interpreter,” Myers says. 

“That interpreter will be a bridge and help facilitate communication — and that interpreter is not just for the Deaf people. [He or she is] for the hearing people too, because Deaf people have a lot of wisdom and a lot of great stories and things that they would love to communicate.”  

If any Scripture is going to be shared, find sign language Bible translation too.

“One of the things that is really valuable to us at DOOR is to see Scripture available for Deaf people,” Myers explains. “Download and have ready some sign language Scripture, so someone who uses [in this case] ASL can engage in that Scripture in the same way that people are listening to it in English.” 

Portions of Scripture are available at doorinternational.org. Myers says another place you can go for Scriptures is deafmissions.com.

Ask God which of these tips could help you love and serve your family best, as you seek to represent Him this Christmas.

“[These] are just some ways that you can really help engage Deaf people as part of family activities in general,” Myers says, “but really specifically ensuring that any opportunity that the family takes to talk about faith, their relationship with God, what it means to follow Jesus, that Deaf people have the same access to that.”

Connect with DOOR for more tips and resources!

Header photo is a representative stock photo courtesy of Annie Spratt via Unsplash.

Soni and Raj, a young couple, experienced this firsthand when their toddler fell seriously ill. Desperate for help, they turned to a local witch doctor. Mission India’s Regan Miller shares their story.

“The recommendations they were given by the witch doctors were just bizarre, and things that as a parent you would never want to do to your child,” Miller says.

Raj, Soni, and their son. (Photo courtesy of Mission India)

“But she [Soni] didn’t know what else to do. She was just at a loss, and so she followed the witch doctor’s instructions. Of course, nothing worked. The child stayed sick.”

Their desperation grew, but everything changed when a local Christian reached out to them and pointed them to Jesus.

This story has a beautiful ending, and you can watch it in Mission India’s new video release!

Miller says, “We’re just really excited to share [this story] because it shows the power of Jesus and how much it overcomes the traditional customs that so many are following in India.”

For couples like Soni and Raj, learning about Jesus is life-changing. Miller emphasizes, “When you partner with Mission India, you are bringing the Good News of salvation to people that otherwise might not have the opportunity to hear it. They’re just living in spiritual darkness otherwise, like this family was…. Often, they’re worshiping these gods out of fear.

Raj and Soni. (Photo courtesy of Mission India)

“When they come to know that Jesus is the God who loves them and who actually sacrificed himself for them, rather than asking for sacrifices in return, they’re mind blown, and it completely changes their lives from the inside out.”

Mission India’s Biggest Ever Matching Challenge is running until the end of the December. Every dollar donated to their 10-Day Children’s Bible Clubs will be doubled, up to $1 million. Click here to learn more and give!

Header photo of Raj, Soni, and their son. (Photo courtesy of Mission India)