Mali

Islamists are threatening at least nine Malian churches in an area close to the border with Burkina Faso. “The jihadis showed up on motorcycles on September 25, locked the doors to the churches and demanded each church pay the equivalent of a $1,200 tax to reopen,” said a front-line worker. “The brethren from these churches were also denied the right to harvest their crops unless they pay the demanded amount or they deny Christ.” The front-line worker said people in those communities fear what will happen when the terrorists return because the churches don’t have the money to pay.

In 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.”

Kalifa and his family were all Muslims living in a Muslim village. But then, Kalifa placed his trust in Christ during an evangelistic outreach earlier this year, becoming the first Christian in his village. When others in Kalifa’s Muslim community learned about his newfound faith in Christ, they began to persecute him and his family with verbal insults and physical attacks.

Jacques Coutou is a former pastor who now equips other pastors with God’s Word. Jacques converted a room in his home into a warehouse where he stores the Bibles he helps distribute to pastors throughout Mali.