In December 2023, Mauritanian authorities arrested a group of around 15 Christians after a video of them participating in a baptism was posted online. All of the arrested Christians were former Muslims. Mauritania is dominated by Islamist leadership, and conversion from Islam is illegal. “At first, no lawyer would defend them,” said a front-line worker. “The officials tried to get them to apologize on social media for spreading the gospel, to agree to never promote Christianity, and to return to Islam,” he added.
Read MoreSome local Christian leaders in Lebanon have reported an inspiring work of God even as many in the country are struggling amid economic hardship and political instability. “You’re aware of the many crises Lebanon is facing,” said one pastor. “In the past year alone, we have endured unemployment and underemployment, a dysfunctional government, hyperinflation, and war along our southern border.” Then he added, “And yet we are seeing one of the greatest gospel movements in the country’s history.
Read MoreOn Sunday, January 28, two masked gunmen entered a Catholic church in Istanbul during a service and randomly shot and killed a 52-year-old man. The self-proclaimed Islamic State (ISIS) claimed responsibility. Turkish police quickly arrested two suspects with ties to ISIS and later arrested 25 more after raiding numerous locations. Afterwards, police contacted a pastor of a rapidly growing church in another part of Turkiye and told him that his name was on an ISIS hit list.
Read MoreFarid placed his trust in Christ six years ago, but with no church to attend, he had not been growing in his faith. While riding in an elevator, a Christian woman gave him a magazine and said, “This is a gift for you.” Farid was startled and wondered if it was a special kind of advertising campaign. But after the woman left, he read it. “I came upon a page that really touched my heart,” he said. “On that page, they interviewed believers who shared their stories of faith.
Read MoreRoughly 2.5 million Malawians are part of the Muslim Yao people group. According to front-line workers, God has been moving significantly among the Yao people in the last two decades. But in recent years, Yao Christians have experienced severe pressure. “They are beaten and cast out of their communities,” said a front-line worker. “When others find out they are Christian, they have 24 hours to leave the village, and then they will put a fatwa on their life,” he added.
Read MoreBishwas Thapa, a 10-year-old boy who has been regularly attending a children’s fellowship for the last year, received a children’s Bible during a distribution event. His mother, Kamala, was attracted by the colorful pictures and began to read the Bible herself. Through this Bible, both Bishwas and Kamala came to know Jesus Christ as their Savior.
Read MoreThe West African nation of Benin is the birthplace of voodoo. Every year on January 10, the country celebrates National Voodoo Day, which includes occultic ceremonies attended by political leaders seeking favor from voodoo shamans. “Voodoo is its name in Benin, but these types of demonic groups can be found throughout West Africa,” a front-line worker said. These groups are sometimes called “secret societies” and have names like the Poro and Bundu in Sierra Leone and the Ogboni in Togo. Members of these groups regularly attack and persecute Christians whom they see as a threat to their dominance.
Read MoreKhamKeo placed his trust in Christ after he was healed from gallbladder disease. Eventually, the change in his life caused his wife and children to place their trust in Christ as well. The family began to experience opposition from neighbors and coworkers who noticed that they did not participate in the worship of local spirits. KhamKeo bought land some distance from the village and built a hut there, but the villagers were still unhappy with his family, so they moved again.
Read MoreWhile 80 Christians gathered on Feb. 19, 2023, to worship, a mob of Hindu extremists broke into the church and demanded proof that they had permission to be there. When the mob began to attack Pastor Zahir, his son, Ashok, defended him and also became a target. The two men were kicked, punched and beaten with a microphone stand until they were both bleeding and unconscious. Other members of the congregation were also injured as the mob ransacked the church while shouting Hindu slogans. When the police arrived, they took Zahir into custody and questioned him but refused to accept his criminal complaint against the attackers.
Read MoreIn Mali, Bibles are scarce and difficult to obtain outside of the capital, especially in minority languages. Front-line workers have been partnering with VOM for several years to get Bibles of various languages and types, including children’s illustrated Bibles and audio Bibles, into the hands of Christians scattered across the vast nation. During one recent distribution, 50 full Bambara-language Bibles and 50 Boomu Bibles were distributed along with 250 New Testaments. A brother named Matthew received his with joy, saying, “I am glad to have the Bible in my mother tongue. It will do good for my family.”
Read More