With ongoing turmoil in Afghanistan, front-line workers and others face challenges in getting aid into the country. One of the biggest obstacles is that most banks are closed, blocking necessary funds for relief supplies, food and other materials.
Read MoreMomina Namee, 30, grew up in a Muslim family and was pressured to marry a Muslim man while she was young. Soon after they married, they had a son. But three years after their son’s birth, Momina’s husband suddenly fell ill and passed away. Devastated and a single mother, Momina struggled to get by as her husband had been the provider for the family.
Read MoreMessianic believers in Arad, South Israel, have recently become a target for harassment because of their faith in Christ. Their homes have been covered with graffiti, and attackers have spit on them and insulted the name of Jesus when the believers are out in public.
Read MoreMariam was born and raised in Shashamane. She is the eldest of four siblings, and she works to provide for her aging parents through a boutique she started when she was in her mid-twenties. She is a Christian, having placed her faith in Jesus Christ at a young age. Through her witness, her entire family came to Christ as well. Last year, attackers broke into her boutique, looted all the clothes and destroyed the entire property.
Read MoreEmmanuel Dounia lives in an IDP camp in the Central African Republic. He was driven from his home after Seleka rebels attacked his village, burning his home and sexually assaulting his wife in front of him. His sons were killed in cannon fire, and he was also tortured.
Read MoreLydia Ishaya lost her husband in 2015 after Boko Haram shot and killed him. A year later, Lydia was in the market when Boko Haram attacked again, this time bombing the area multiple times.
Read MoreIn recent weeks, militant Fulani Muslims have attacked villages in the Miango area of Plateau state, Nigeria, killing many and displacing thousands. As the violence escalated over the following days, the Islamists destroyed hundreds of homes and churches as well as the villagers’ crops, which were being prepared for harvest, eliminating their food source and livelihoods.
Read MoreNastaran is a mother of two who regularly receives a Christian magazine that contains stories from VOM’s Courageous series. Recently, her brother-in-law visited her home with his family, and her son read the story of Patrick to her nephew while excitedly showing him the magazine.
Read MoreRahila and Ibrahim met in Niger when Ibrahim began attending Rahila’s church. Ibrahim had grown up in a Muslim home, but he heard the gospel while working in Niger, and he started attending church. Ibrahim and Rahila eventually married, and after the birth of four children, they felt called to return to Nigeria where they had two more children.
Read MoreAlimayu grew up in in a Christian home in the northern part of Ethiopia. As a young man, he placed his faith in Christ and became an active member of a local church. He is married with two children, and he runs a small café in Shashemane. In July, youth mobs destroyed Alimayu’s business in riots that targeted the homes and businesses of non-indigenous people and Christians.
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