Batyr is a house church leader who regularly faces persecution as he travels throughout Turkmenistan to train and encourage leaders and their small congregations. He has been followed by police, harassed, and detained several times. Government officials recently held him overnight, and guards prohibited him from answering his phone as his worried wife called repeatedly over several hours. After that incident, Batyr met with another front-line worker and shared his stress and the struggles he faces as a ministry leader with a young family.
Read MoreTuYang, a 32-year-old tribal Christian in Laos, remains firm in his faith despite persecution from his family and village. When his older brother, a police officer, found out that TuYang and his wife had come to faith in Christ in 2021, he became angry and began a campaign of persecution. He encouraged his extended family and the village to cut off TuYang, his wife and their children. Even so, TuYang and his wife have brought nine families to Christ.
Read MoreWhen a group of Christian leaders gathered for fellowship, they realized its necessity and importance. The gathering was facilitated by a local pastor, one of only two full-time pastors in the region, and composed of 13 lay leaders. Front-line workers reported that the gathering highlighted the need for more opportunities to fellowship with other Christian workers in this region of Kenya, which is dominated by Islam. “The gratitude of the teachers … after the fellowship evidenced how they critically needed such fellowships and encouragements regularly,” a front-line worker said.
Read MorePastor Gul was arrested and sentenced to six years in prison for the activity of his Christian faith. His elderly parents, brother and sisters continue to gather for worship with other Christians in their small, rented home, although the constant judgment and scrutiny from the community have created an atmosphere of anxiety and distress for them. They expressed both deep pain and joy that Gul “had been chosen by God to bear his name and bring hope and the gospel to inmates.” In a recent visit, Gul reminded his father of the story of Joseph.
Read MoreChristians in the town of Selibaby fear for their safety after threats made on social media resulted in a mob attack and desecration of a grave. The social media posts called local Christians infidels and apostates and urged action against them. On April 7, an angry mob entered a cemetery where a Christian man had recently been buried, destroyed his tombstone and exhumed his body. They then dragged his body through the streets to a village over 10 miles away to rebury it.
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