Mission Network News - Asia

<p>Armenia (MNN) – Armenia recently served as a meeting point for teachers with the <a href="https://www.mnnonline.org/mission_groups/slavic-gospel-association/" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>Slavic Gospel Association</strong></span></a>.</p> <p>Eric Mock with the Slavic Gospel Association says, “Armenia was a central point for us as teachers from SGA-supported schools in Russia, Poland, Moldova, several countries in Central Asia, even as well as Israel, gathered together to mutually encourage each other, to strengthen one another, to teach one another.”</p> <p>Mock says that rather than feeding that competitive spirit that can exist between different schools, the members of the conference were able to learn and grow together. They came together on their common goal of effectively training up more church leaders. SGA helped foster a time of learning and growth as well as solidifying basic Biblical foundations.</p> <h2>Training for Gospel Outreach in Difficult Places</h2> <p>After a week of intensive time in the Word for teachers, a second conference was held specifically focusing on pastors and church leaders in Armenia.</p> <p>Of the 100 men who attended, 20 were pastors in Armenia. This training served not only to refresh their hearts in the Gospel but as an encouragement as they face the many pressures of living in an area often plagued with unrest.</p> <div id="attachment_210124" style="width: 310px" class="wp-caption alignright"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-210124" class="size-medium wp-image-210124" src="https://www.mnnonline.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/1000024571-300x135.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="135" srcset="https://www.mnnonline.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/1000024571-300x135.jpg 300w, https://www.mnnonline.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/1000024571-1024x461.jpg 1024w, https://www.mnnonline.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/1000024571-768x346.jpg 768w, https://www.mnnonline.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/1000024571-1536x692.jpg 1536w, https://www.mnnonline.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/1000024571-2048x922.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px" /><p id="caption-attachment-210124" class="wp-caption-text">(Image courtesy of SGA)</p></div> <p>Mock says, “The tensions are fairly high in Armenia. They have always struggled to try to sort where their future is going to go. You have the war between Azerbaijan and Armenia that is always on the edge of reigniting. You have the pressure from Turkey. Then the southern border of Armenia is Iran. So they are in this sense, surrounded by a sea of those who would not want them here. So there&#8217;s always that tension. Yet in this constantly changing world for them, they are a group of faithful ministers, pastors, missionaries and lay leaders.”</p> <p>This constant onslaught of outside pressures weighs on the Christians as they serve their congregations. So SGA’s goal is to point leaders back to Christ and serve them as they minister to the Church. “We love God&#8217;s Word,” Mock states. “We exalt God&#8217;s word, but we also love the Church. We&#8217;re not beside the Church or in the distance of the Church. We want to serve the Church that God has raised up. Then finally, God has raised up the Church to be His ambassadors of the gospel. So it is these churches that have been here for generations and generations who are faithfully taking the gospel.”</p> <h2>A Call for Prayer</h2> <p>The Church in Armenia can feel distant for Christians in the West. However, the Church must stand together, even across the world. Mock asks that people get involved by praying for leaders in Armenia and other parts of Asia.</p> <div id="attachment_210125" style="width: 310px" class="wp-caption alignleft"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-210125" class="size-medium wp-image-210125" src="https://www.mnnonline.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/1000024598-300x225.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="225" srcset="https://www.mnnonline.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/1000024598-300x225.jpg 300w, https://www.mnnonline.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/1000024598-1024x768.jpg 1024w, https://www.mnnonline.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/1000024598-768x576.jpg 768w, https://www.mnnonline.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/1000024598-1536x1152.jpg 1536w, https://www.mnnonline.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/1000024598.jpg 1600w" sizes="(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px" /><p id="caption-attachment-210125" class="wp-caption-text">(Image courtesy of SGA)</p></div> <p>“Pray that the pastors would stay on task, that they would continue to be focused on the gospel – focused on bringing the gospel to their people. It&#8217;s easy to be overwhelmed with all the events, and some of the pastors express that they&#8217;re fearful that their sons are going to be dispatched back to the front lines and to the border to prepare for possible other hostilities that could come in the future. So there&#8217;s this constant tension. All of these things can serve to wear out pastors and ministry leaders. So ask them to pray, first of all, for the pastors to be focused and resolute in caring for their congregations and advancing the gospel. The second is we would pray for a balance and peace in Armenia.”</p> <p>If you want to discover more stories about what God is doing through SGA or join them financially <a href="https://www.sga.org/" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>click here</strong></span></a>.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><em>Header Image courtesy of SGA.</em></p>

<p>Afghanistan (MNN) &#8212; Government leaders in Afghanistan <span style="text-decoration: underline;"><a href="https://apnews.com/article/afghanistan-taliban-vice-virtue-laws-women-9626c24d8d5450d52d36356ebff20c83" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><b>codified another set of morality laws</b></a></span> last week. They claim they will prevent vice and promote virtue according to Islamic teaching. One rule bans women from speaking in public places.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></p> <p>Amid these sobering realities, Greg Yoder with <span style="text-decoration: underline;"><a href="https://www.mnnonline.org/mission_groups/keys-kids/" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><b>Keys for Kids Ministries</b></a></span> says their solar-powered MP3 players, Storytellers, will soon be available in Pashto. Pashto is one of the most prominent languages spoken in Afghanistan.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></p> <p>Completing the project, which was started last year in partnership with <a href="https://www.mnnonline.org/mission_groups/forgotten-missionaries-international/" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><b><span style="text-decoration: underline;">FMI</span>,</b></a> couldn’t be more timely.</p> <div id="attachment_210032" style="width: 235px" class="wp-caption alignright"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-210032" class="wp-image-210032 size-medium" src="https://www.mnnonline.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/mp3_4-225x300.jpeg" alt="Keys for Kids, children, Pakistan, Storyteller distribution" width="225" height="300" srcset="https://www.mnnonline.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/mp3_4-225x300.jpeg 225w, https://www.mnnonline.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/mp3_4-768x1024.jpeg 768w, https://www.mnnonline.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/mp3_4-1152x1536.jpeg 1152w, https://www.mnnonline.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/mp3_4.jpeg 1500w" sizes="(max-width: 225px) 100vw, 225px" /><p id="caption-attachment-210032" class="wp-caption-text">(Photo of children in Pakistan with Storytellers courtesy of Keys for Kids Ministries)</p></div> <p>“Our partner, FMI, has been working tirelessly to translate Keys for Kids into the Pashto language. The text has been completed. The audio is nearly done, and now we&#8217;re set to purchase the MP3 players so we can begin distributing them into an unreached area of the world,” Yoder says.</p> <p>“What&#8217;s exciting about it is that [among Afghans] there’s such a craving and desire for truth. When the Keys for Kids stories are heard, when Scripture is heard, it can&#8217;t help but change hearts and lives — probably first through men.”<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></p> <p>Men who turn to Christ through Keys for Kids gospel resources might share it with their families.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></p> <p>“I can only imagine that it&#8217;s going to empower young people, especially young women or even older women, as they understand who Jesus is and His love for them specifically,” Yoder says.</p> <blockquote> <p style="text-align: center;"><strong>“There are people coming to faith in Christ. We don&#8217;t know the number. All we know is that it&#8217;s underground and it&#8217;s being kind of kept quiet right now. But according to this person who we have connection with, the desire is strong.”<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></strong></p> </blockquote> <p>You can be part of what God is doing in Afghanistan by praying for the right people to take these audio resources across the border on a mission that could quickly become life-threatening.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></p> <p>“It really needs to be something that&#8217;s grassroots. We&#8217;re praying that God would give wisdom to those who have the desire to share Jesus with those who speak Pashto,” Yoder says.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></p> <p>Your gift of financial support can push this critical ministry forward. <span style="text-decoration: underline;"><a href="https://www.keysforkids.org/Get-Involved/Donate1" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><b>V</b><b>isit this Keys for Kids’ webpage to learn more,</b></a></span><a href="https://www.keysforkids.org/Get-Involved/Donate1" target="_blank" rel="noopener"> </a>and listen to one Keys for Kids sound bite below.</p> <!--[if lt IE 9]><script>document.createElement('audio');</script><![endif]--> <audio class="wp-audio-shortcode" id="audio-0-1" preload="none" style="width: 100%;" controls="controls"><source type="audio/wav" src="https://www.mnnonline.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/Keys-For-Kids-English-AFG.wav?_=1" /><a href="https://www.mnnonline.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/Keys-For-Kids-English-AFG.wav">https://www.mnnonline.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/Keys-For-Kids-English-AFG.wav</a></audio> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><em>Header photo is a representative stock image courtesy of <span style="text-decoration: underline;"><a href="https://pixabay.com/photos/afghanistan-girl-burqa-ceremony-60641/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">ArmyAmber via Pixabay</a></span>.</em></p>

<p>Tajikistan (MNN) &#8212; <span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong><a href="https://joshuaproject.net/countries/TI" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Less than one percent</a></strong></span> of Tajikistan’s population is Christian, and believers are rare in rural districts and villages. Christians can’t gather legally and face persecution if they confess their faith. Women, more so.</p> <p><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong><a href="https://www.mnnonline.org/mission_groups/sat-7/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">SAT-7</a></strong></span>’s Joe Willey says the need for encouragement has never been higher. A new satellite television program is part of a wider strategy to increase support for Tajik Christians in their lives of faith.</p> <p>“We want to make sure – especially for these Christian women in Tajikistan – that they know, understand, and are supported with Scripture. They are supported with programming and that they know their value in the eyes of God, and they can be discipled and supported, even though they are few,” Willey explains.</p> <p>SAT-7’s new program, <span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong><a href="https://www.sat7usa.org/stories/sat-7s-first-program-for-isolated-tajik-christian-women/" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><em>In the World of Women’s Thoughts</em></a></strong></span>, focuses on biblical examples of Christian womanhood. “It is a program that says ‘We’re broadcasting in your language; it&#8217;s specific to you,’” Willey says.</p> <blockquote> <p style="text-align: center;"><strong>“When SAT-7 broadcast in Tajik to Tajik women, it is another endorsement of who they are and who God created them to be.”</strong></p> </blockquote> <p>Interestingly, because Tajik is closely related to Dari, the program will also benefit isolated Afghan women.</p> <p>Panayiotis Keenan, SAT-7 PARS Executive Director, recently stated <span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong><a href="https://www.sat7usa.org/stories/sat-7s-first-program-for-isolated-tajik-christian-women/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">in a press release:</a></strong></span></p> <p style="padding-left: 40px;"><em>“As a Persian-language channel, we serve a diverse audience across Iran, Afghanistan, and Tajikistan. Each country has its distinct culture, history, people, and variety of Persian, and it is crucial to us as a ministry to ensure that our viewers can hear about God’s love in their own heart languages.</em></p> <p style="padding-left: 40px;"><em>“We are delighted to have a growing library of Dari programming for our Afghan viewers, in addition to our firmly established programs for Iranian viewers in Farsi. This year, we are thrilled to add the first Tajik program for women to our repertoire. I pray that Tajik women will be empowered to claim their identity in Christ and confidently stand in faith as they face the challenges of life.”</em></p> <p>Pray for <em>In the World of Women’s Thoughts</em> to be a great support and encouragement to Christian women in the Persian world. Additionally, pray SAT-7 PARS can find new Christian presenters from Tajikistan and Afghanistan who can appear on TV without any security concerns.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><em>Header image depicts the presenters of In the World of Women’s Thoughts. Photo courtesy of SAT-7 USA.</em></p>

<p>Türkiye (MNN) &#8212; One city in Türkiye has a single operating church building. Now, that building may be facing closure.</p> <p>Last month, the three congregations that meet in this historic building received an eviction notice from a government official. The notice said the building was structurally unsafe and the congregations would have to move out before August 24.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></p> <p>Turkiye’s history of quakes makes structural integrity an issue everyone is invested in. <strong>However, Bruce Allen with <span style="text-decoration: underline;"><a href="https://www.mnnonline.org/mission_groups/forgotten-missionaries-international/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">FMI</a></span> says the church has gathered evidence that that shouldn’t be a concern with their building.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></strong></p> <p>“They have just had a survey done by the Chamber of Geological Engineers — another government agency — and their foundation is secure. There is no corrosion. There&#8217;s no cracks. Their building is one of the safest in the city,” Allen says.</p> <div id="attachment_209976" style="width: 420px" class="wp-caption alignright"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-209976" class="wp-image-209976" src="https://www.mnnonline.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/Screenshot-2024-08-23-at-9.03.19-AM-300x169.jpg" alt="" width="410" height="230" srcset="https://www.mnnonline.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/Screenshot-2024-08-23-at-9.03.19-AM-300x169.jpg 300w, https://www.mnnonline.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/Screenshot-2024-08-23-at-9.03.19-AM-1024x578.jpg 1024w, https://www.mnnonline.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/Screenshot-2024-08-23-at-9.03.19-AM-768x433.jpg 768w, https://www.mnnonline.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/Screenshot-2024-08-23-at-9.03.19-AM-1536x867.jpg 1536w, https://www.mnnonline.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/Screenshot-2024-08-23-at-9.03.19-AM-2048x1156.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 410px) 100vw, 410px" /><p id="caption-attachment-209976" class="wp-caption-text">Screenshot from an August 2024 interview with the ANKA news agency (Screenshot courtesy of FMI)</p></div> <p><strong>“What is unique about [the church] is that it is the only church building in Türkiye in which three different sects of Christianity all share [the] facility: Syrian Orthodox, Catholic and Protestant.”</strong></p> <p>Allen says all three congregations sense that the eviction notice is <span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong><a href="https://www.meconcern.org/2024/08/23/turkiye-bursa-church-ordered-to-evacuate/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">an attempt to eliminate the Christian presence in the city</a></strong></span>. They received a similar threat of closure in 2016 which was later resolved.</p> <p>The pastor of one of the three congregations, who we’ll call Irik, has petitioned the new governor of the province. He has also publicly called on President Erdogan to intervene. Irik suspects this is also intended to prevent Christians from gathering to celebrate a significant anniversary next year.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></p> <p>“His city was where the Council of Nicaea was held, which was pivotal in Christian history,” Allen says. “[The year] 2025 marks the 1,700th anniversary of that council. So there will be people descending on his city from all over Christendom, all over the world, to mark this anniversary.”<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></p> <blockquote> <p style="text-align: center;"><strong>As this situation unfolds, pray for favor with the government.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>Pastor Irik’s first prayer request is this: “I want this church to be a witnessing church, sharing the gospel until the day Jesus returns.”<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></strong></p> </blockquote> <p>“Obviously he&#8217;s saying, ‘We don&#8217;t want to stop gathering together,’” Allen says. “But what he&#8217;s really saying is, &#8216;We just want to keep being a lighthouse of hope in this city.&#8217;”</p> <p><strong>Pray that the church will trust God regardless of what their government leaders decide. Pray that any meetings they have with officials will bring glory and honor to God.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></strong></p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><em>Header photo of a church in Istanbul, Türkiye is a representative stock photo courtesy of <span style="text-decoration: underline;"><a href="https://unsplash.com/photos/a-brick-building-with-a-cross-on-top-RT7A2IsEmq4" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Igor Sporynin/Unsplash</a></span>.</em></p>

<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">China (MNN) — In today’s increasingly digital age, there’s still nothing like having a Bible you can hold in your hands. It’s not as easy to miss or dismiss as digital resources are. </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;"><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong><a href="https://www.mnnonline.org/mission_groups/bibles-for-china/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Bibles for China</a></strong></span> serves to bring God’s Word into the hands of Chinese believers through every legal means possible. <strong>They have witnessed that when God’s Word is read, understood and accepted, it brings people to the brink of a life-transforming relationship with Jesus. </strong></span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Kurt Rovenstine with <span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong><a href="https://biblesforchina.org" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Bibles for China</a></strong></span> shares one story of life transformation from a recent gathering with Chinese church leaders. &#8220;One of the pastors pulled me aside and said, &#8216;Let me tell you how the Word of God was integral to my faith.'&#8221;</span></p> <div id="attachment_174696" style="width: 310px" class="wp-caption alignright"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-174696" class="size-medium wp-image-174696" src="https://www.mnnonline.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/Bibles-for-china-300x190.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="190" srcset="https://www.mnnonline.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/Bibles-for-china-300x190.jpg 300w, https://www.mnnonline.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/Bibles-for-china-768x486.jpg 768w, https://www.mnnonline.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/Bibles-for-china-1024x647.jpg 1024w, https://www.mnnonline.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/Bibles-for-china.jpg 2018w" sizes="(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px" /><p id="caption-attachment-174696" class="wp-caption-text">(Photo courtesy of Bibles for China)</p></div> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">This man we’ll call Philip lost his mother at a young age. His father worked far from home, leaving him with more freedom as a teenager than was good.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">&#8220;Over the course of time and continued troubles, this young man found himself in a pretty bad way legally,&#8221; Rovenstine says. </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">&#8220;Through a set of miraculous circumstances, he found himself with the New Testament that he felt led by the Holy Spirit to read.&#8221;</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">When Philip read the Bible, he put his faith in Jesus. His story is one of many that encourage Bibles for China in their work.</span></p> <blockquote> <p style="text-align: center;"><strong>&#8220;Here was a pastor who said, &#8216;The presence of a Bible, at the right place, at the right time, brought me to faith and called me to ministry. What you do at Bibles for China is an important work and we need to continue to do that,'&#8221; Rovenstine says.</strong></p> </blockquote> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Pray for the leaders and pastors in China to boldly endure challenges as they spread God’s Word.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">&#8220;To continue to pray for endurance, courage and the presence and peace of God in the midst of all the things the enemy throws our way is an important prayer for all of us for one another,&#8221; Rovenstine says.</span></p> <p><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong><a href="https://biblesforchina.org" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Learn more about Bibles for China&#8217;s mission here. </a></strong></span></p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><em>Header photo courtesy of Bibles for China.</em></p>

<p>China (MNN) &#8212; It’s been <span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong><a href="https://chinaaid.org/news/pastor-john-cao-released-from-prison-after-seven-years/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">nearly six months</a></strong></span> since Pastor John Cao walked out of prison after serving his seven-year term in China, and he’s still not free.</p> <p>The Chinese government refuses to give Cao an ID card and passport, which means he cannot return to the United States.</p> <p>“In China, you need an ID card to do anything – to make a doctor’s appointment, to get on a train to go to a different city – you can be arrested if the police ask you for an ID card and you don’t have one,” <span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong><a href="https://www.mnnonline.org/mission_groups/voice-of-the-martyrs-usa/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Voice of the Martyrs USA</a></strong></span>’s Todd Nettleton says.</p> <p>“He would like to get on a plane after seven years in prison and come home and see his wife. However, the Chinese government has refused to issue the documents he needs to reunite with his family,” Nettleton continues.</p> <blockquote> <p style="text-align: center;"><strong>“He was released from prison, but in many ways, he’s still very much a captive.”</strong></p> </blockquote> <p>The government first began targeting Cao <span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong><a href="https://www.uscirf.gov/religious-prisoners-conscience/forb-victims-database/john-cao" target="_blank" rel="noopener">in 2017</a></strong></span>. Officials turned a journey he made regularly for ministry – one they knew about for three years – into a punishable offense.</p> <p>“Even though hundreds of people cross that border every day, back and forth, Pastor John Cao was arrested and sentenced to seven years in prison for illegal border crossing,” Nettleton says.</p> <p>Despite serving his sentence, Cao is under <span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong><a href="https://chinaaid.org/news/pastor-john-caos-diary/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">constant surveillance</a></strong></span> and has been arrested multiple times. “This is a sign of the Chinese government’s hardline stance against Christians,” Nettleton says.</p> <p>“This is someone who served the full seven years, and yet the Chinese government is not satisfied and wants to punish him further.”</p> <p>Ask the Lord to soften officials’ hearts. Pray the government will soon give Cao the documents he needs to return home.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><em>In the header image, Pastor John Cao holds a sign that reads, “I am a Chinese citizen, and I love my country, but I don’t have an ID card” in front of the Furong District Branch of Changsha Public Security Bureau in Hunan Province. (Photo courtesy of Pastor John Cao’s family <a href="https://chinaaid.org/news/pastor-john-caos-diary/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">via China Aid</a>)</em></p>

<p>Bangladesh (MNN) &#8212; Expats and businessmen have <span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong><a href="https://www.news18.com/world/sheikh-hasina-should-return-face-action-bangladesh-braces-for-real-battle-as-scars-of-violence-remain-9021062.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">begun to return</a></strong></span> to Bangladesh, but there is still no guarantee of business as usual. An <span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong><a href="https://www.mnnonline.org/mission_groups/a3/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">A3</a></strong></span> Gospel worker we’ll call Paul* tells MNN, “The situation is a bit unstable right now. Safety and security [are] still not there.”</p> <p>Religious minorities <span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong><a href="https://www.mnnonline.org/news/muslim-fundamentalists-target-christians-in-bangladesh/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">have suffered greatly</a></strong></span> under the recent unrest that drove Bangladesh’s former prime minister to India and brought in a new interim government. BBC News <span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong><a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cx2n8pzk7gzo" target="_blank" rel="noopener">recently proved</a></strong></span> some Muslim-Hindu persecution claims on social media to be false.</p> <p>However, many recent occasions of political or religious violence are all too true.</p> <p>“Political parties who were opposite from the previous government are taking different kinds of opportunities. Anybody from the previous government&#8217;s party, they are being tortured,” Paul says.</p> <blockquote> <p style="text-align: center;"><strong>“Even [everyday citizens,] if their address is from the same district [as] the last Prime Minister, they are also being harassed or tortured.”</strong></p> </blockquote> <p>The instability is affecting Gospel work. A3 recently decided to postpone travel and meetings between Bangladeshi leaders and international cohorts until the situation stabilizes.</p> <p>“[The] police system is still not fully working, so attacks can happen at any time,” Paul says.</p> <p>Ask the Lord to continue protecting believers. Pray that the political situation will stabilize further and that minority fears will decrease.</p> <p>“Some people who are fundamental Islamists stated that [Bangladesh] is their country, and minority people should not be in this country,” Paul says. “Other Muslim people [are] saying, ‘No, no, the minority people should be safe, and [it] is our duty to protect them.’”</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><em><strong>*Pseudonym</strong> </em></p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><em>Header image depicts student protesters in Bangladesh. (Photo courtesy of Rayhan9d/Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0)</em></p>

<p>Malaysia (MNN) &#8212; Under court order, the Malaysian government is expected to release a classified report <span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong><a href="https://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/nation/2024/08/15/court-gives-pastor-kohs-wife-access-to-report-on-his-disappearance/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">this week</a></strong></span> with information about the 2017 forced disappearance of Pastor Raymond Koh.</p> <p>“This has never been seen publicly; it’s never been published before,” Todd Nettleton with <span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong><a href="https://www.mnnonline.org/mission_groups/voice-of-the-martyrs-usa/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Voice of the Martyrs USA</a></strong></span> says.</p> <p>“The judge has ordered the government to turn it over to Susanna and her attorneys, as she is in the process of suing the government and suing, individually, some leadership within the Special Branch of the Malaysian police. They are the ones accused of the forced disappearance of Pastor Raymond Koh.”</p> <div id="attachment_153423" style="width: 310px" class="wp-caption alignright"><a href="https://www.mnnonline.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/kohcouplestarcapture.png"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-153423" class="size-medium wp-image-153423" src="https://www.mnnonline.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/kohcouplestarcapture-300x264.png" alt="" width="300" height="264" srcset="https://www.mnnonline.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/kohcouplestarcapture-300x264.png 300w, https://www.mnnonline.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/kohcouplestarcapture.png 416w" sizes="(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px" /></a><p id="caption-attachment-153423" class="wp-caption-text">(Capture of Raymond Koh and his wife, courtesy TheStar.com)</p></div> <p>Koh’s wife, Susanna, has been pressing for answers since he disappeared in <span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong><a href="https://www.mnnonline.org/news/malaysia-a-kidnapping-religious-pressure-and-sharia/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">February 2017.</a></strong></span></p> <p>“If the abduction hadn’t been accidentally caught on a security camera, it would be as if he fell off the face of the earth,” Nettleton says. “His car has never been found. He has never been seen or heard from since that day.”</p> <p>Susanna began her lawsuit in 2020 after being repeatedly refused answers by officials.</p> <p>“She told me when she went to an attorney and said, ‘Hey, I want to sue the government,’ the attorney asked, ‘Are you serious?! This is the same government that made your husband disappear.’ But she says, ‘Yes, I want to know the truth,’” Nettleton says.</p> <blockquote> <p style="text-align: center;"><strong>“She wants to know what happened to [her] husband. It seems like the government has been covering up from the beginning.”</strong></p> </blockquote> <p>A simple misunderstanding led officials to target Pastor Koh. He was thought to be sharing the Gospel with ethnic Malay people, an unforgivable crime in Malaysia. <span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong><a href="https://www.persecution.com/globalprayerguide/malaysia/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">More about persecution in Malaysia here.</a></strong></span></p> <p>“Subsequently, he (Koh) was mailed a box with bullets inside of it &#8211; not a very subtle way to threaten someone &#8211; and then in 2017, he disappeared,” Nettleton says.</p> <p>Pray that the government will release the full report and that the truth will be revealed. Additionally, “pray for Susanna,” Nettleton requests.</p> <p>“This has been a very long road for her and a very stressful process, so let’s pray that the Lord encourages her and sustains her.”</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><em>Header image depicts the Koh family before Pastor Raymond Koh&#8217;s forced disappearance in 2017. (Photo courtesy of VOM USA)</em></p>

<p>Bangladesh (MNN) &#8212; Student protestors <span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong><a href="https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/cases-mount-bangladesh-will-decide-seeking-hasinas-extradition-adviser-says-2024-08-15/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">seek justice</a></strong></span> while Bangladesh’s interim government struggles to maintain order.</p> <p>Police officers <span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong><a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2024/08/15/world/asia/bangladesh-protest-violence.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">refuse to return</a></strong></span> to work. Many vanished from their posts after facing mob violence for their role in hundreds of protester deaths.</p> <p>“It’s (Bangladesh is) ruled by the mob right now. When you have hundreds of people gathering, who will step in the way of that?” <span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong><a href="https://www.mnnonline.org/mission_groups/farms-international/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">FARMS International</a></strong></span>’s Scott Clifton says.</p> <p>“The military hasn’t been able to maintain order. The police force hasn’t been able to maintain order. It’s affecting anybody who’s [in] a minority group.”</p> <div id="attachment_209853" style="width: 310px" class="wp-caption alignright"><a href="https://www.mnnonline.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/Rangpur_12_Aug_2024_Hindu_Protest_20.jpg"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-209853" class="size-medium wp-image-209853" src="https://www.mnnonline.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/Rangpur_12_Aug_2024_Hindu_Protest_20-300x225.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="225" srcset="https://www.mnnonline.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/Rangpur_12_Aug_2024_Hindu_Protest_20-300x225.jpg 300w, https://www.mnnonline.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/Rangpur_12_Aug_2024_Hindu_Protest_20-1024x768.jpg 1024w, https://www.mnnonline.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/Rangpur_12_Aug_2024_Hindu_Protest_20-768x576.jpg 768w, https://www.mnnonline.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/Rangpur_12_Aug_2024_Hindu_Protest_20.jpg 1280w" sizes="(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px" /></a><p id="caption-attachment-209853" class="wp-caption-text">Hindus protest the mistreatment of religious minorities in Bangladesh on August 12, 2024.<br />(Wikimedia Commons)</p></div> <p>FARMS’ primary contact in Bangladesh says gangs are setting minorities’ houses on fire, and people are dying in the chaos. He tells Clifton, “Our days of terror are not over yet.”</p> <p>“The first step for our contacts in the country is survival,” Clifton says. “They’re praying, they’re taking it moment by moment. Once there is stability, there will be an assessment of the damage and a plan made about how to move forward.”</p> <p>So far, this believer has <span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong><a href="https://www.mnnonline.org/news/muslim-fundamentalists-target-christians-in-bangladesh/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">lost $30,000 worth</a></strong></span> of inventory designated to support ministry projects. “Although FARMS is focused on long-term development, part of that long-term development might be re-establishing businesses that can continue to support people locally,” Clifton notes.</p> <p><em><strong>The most important thing YOU can do is pray.</strong></em> “Our action item is to pray, to appeal to God on behalf of all the believers in Bangladesh,” Clifton says.</p> <blockquote> <p style="text-align: center;"><strong>“[Pray] that He would protect them, that ministry would continue, that He would even use the hardships to soften many people’s hearts and open them to the Gospel.”</strong></p> </blockquote> <p>Pray also for a peaceful resolution to the current unrest and end the economic “bleeding.” “The economic situation in Bangladesh has been really bad. Now, with everything shut down, it’s [even worse,]” Clifton says.</p> <p>“You have many people [living] below the poverty line, depending on day laborers’ wages to provide for that week’s food. Everything is closed, so people can’t find work, and there is a lot of economic stress. Once [the situation] stabilizes and people can earn an income to support their family and put food on the table, that will go a long way towards stability in the country.”</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><em>Header image depicts a public celebration following the forced ouster of former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on August 5, 2024. (Wikimedia Commons)</em></p>

<p>Bangladesh (MNN) &#8212; Violence against religious minorities in Bangladesh <span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong><a href="https://www.indiatvnews.com/news/world/bangladesh-violence-continues-hindu-family-s-house-razed-to-ground-in-thakurgaon-district-2024-08-14-946961" target="_blank" rel="noopener">continues unabated.</a></strong></span></p> <p><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong><a href="https://www.mnnonline.org/mission_groups/wycliffe-associates/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Wycliffe Associates</a></strong></span>’ Tony Tophoney says former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina left a power vacuum when she fled to India <span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong><a href="https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2024/8/5/timeline-sheikh-hasinas-reign-ends-after-15-years" target="_blank" rel="noopener">last week</a></strong></span>. Minorities are paying the price of lax governmental control.</p> <p>“The police stepped back and kind of ‘circled the wagons’ [and] the people left out on the fringes of the society are the minority [groups] like Hindus, Buddhists, and Christians,” Tophoney says.</p> <blockquote> <p style="text-align: center;"><strong>“The opposition party has been waiting for a moment like this. They were burning down Christian churches and Hindu temples, beating the believers in their homes.”</strong></p> </blockquote> <p>The unrest is directly affecting Wycliffe Associates’ partners. “All Bible translation work in Bangladesh has ceased due to the conflict because most of the Christians are hiding in colonies now,” Tophoney says.</p> <div id="attachment_209853" style="width: 310px" class="wp-caption alignright"><a href="https://www.mnnonline.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/Rangpur_12_Aug_2024_Hindu_Protest_20.jpg"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-209853" class="size-medium wp-image-209853" src="https://www.mnnonline.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/Rangpur_12_Aug_2024_Hindu_Protest_20-300x225.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="225" srcset="https://www.mnnonline.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/Rangpur_12_Aug_2024_Hindu_Protest_20-300x225.jpg 300w, https://www.mnnonline.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/Rangpur_12_Aug_2024_Hindu_Protest_20-1024x768.jpg 1024w, https://www.mnnonline.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/Rangpur_12_Aug_2024_Hindu_Protest_20-768x576.jpg 768w, https://www.mnnonline.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/Rangpur_12_Aug_2024_Hindu_Protest_20.jpg 1280w" sizes="(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px" /></a><p id="caption-attachment-209853" class="wp-caption-text">Hindus protest the mistreatment of religious minorities in Bangladesh on August 12, 2024.<br />(Wikimedia Commons)</p></div> <p>“With the violence <span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong><a href="https://www.mnnonline.org/news/muslim-fundamentalists-target-christians-in-bangladesh/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">ramping up</a></strong></span> and the uncertainty of the political situation, those colonies are being threatened and attacked by the opposition party.”</p> <p>Many believers have fled to makeshift refugee camps on the border with India, hoping to escape across the border to safety. However, “the Indian authorities are guarding their border and stopping them from going any further,” Tophoney says.</p> <p>“They’re stuck in that situation and don’t have any food because the agitators have made it impossible for those groups to access food.”</p> <p>Ask the Lord to intervene and help as only He can. “We’d love to have your prayers,” Tophoney says.</p> <p>“We need them desperately for South Asia and Bangladesh in general, that the Lord will protect the believers and protect the small light that burns for Christ. It is a fragile light, but it has been burning brightly.”</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><em>Header image depicts student protestors on July 11, 2024. Students launched the &#8220;Bangla Blockade&#8221; following a one-point demand for scrapping all illogical and discriminatory quotas in public service through the enactment of a law and keeping a minimum quota for marginalized citizens in line with the constitution. (<a href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:3.Bangladesh_quota_reform_movement_2024.jpg" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Wikimedia Commons</a>) </em></p>

<p>Vietnam (MNN) &#8212; Mystery surrounds the whereabouts of 11 Christian men in Vietnam.</p> <p>“The believers should have been released from prison by now as their sentences have expired. They should be at home, but they&#8217;re not,” says Greg Musselman with <span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong><a href="https://www.mnnonline.org/mission_groups/voice-of-the-martyrs-canada/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Voice of the Martyrs Canada.</a></strong></span></p> <p>Six Protestant believers and five Catholics all began their prison terms at different times between 2011 and 2016. <span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong><a href="https://www.vomcanada.com/vn-2024-07-11.htm" target="_blank" rel="noopener">All of the missing Christians</a></strong></span> belonged to unregistered churches, and most believers were charged with “undermining national unity.”</p> <p>“A lot of persecution is going on in some of the more remote places [where] access to lawyers and courts and things like that are not what it would be in the cities. It&#8217;s very, very difficult to get any information; they&#8217;re just stonewalled,” Musselman says.</p> <p>“Can you imagine the families, their community, their friends, not knowing where they are? Are they alive? Have they been killed?” he continues.</p> <blockquote> <p style="text-align: center;"><strong>“We continue to pray that they&#8217;ll be soon reunited with their families, but right now, it&#8217;s a total mystery.”</strong></p> </blockquote> <div id="attachment_209836" style="width: 391px" class="wp-caption alignright"><a href="https://www.mnnonline.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/VCM_vietnam-prison.jpg"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-209836" class="wp-image-209836" src="https://www.mnnonline.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/VCM_vietnam-prison-300x158.jpg" alt="" width="381" height="200" srcset="https://www.mnnonline.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/VCM_vietnam-prison-300x158.jpg 300w, https://www.mnnonline.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/VCM_vietnam-prison-1024x538.jpg 1024w, https://www.mnnonline.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/VCM_vietnam-prison-768x403.jpg 768w, https://www.mnnonline.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/VCM_vietnam-prison.jpg 1200w" sizes="(max-width: 381px) 100vw, 381px" /></a><p id="caption-attachment-209836" class="wp-caption-text">A prison in Vietnam.<br />(Photo courtesy of VOM Canada)</p></div> <p>Even though Christianity is legal in Vietnam, the Communist government often views believers with suspicion. <span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong><a href="https://www.vomcanada.com/vietnam.htm" target="_blank" rel="noopener">More about that here.</a></strong></span></p> <p>“They do see [Christians] as somewhat enemies of the state, if you want to use that terminology,” Musselman says. “[Believers are] not going along with the communist ideology, so that concerns the government.”</p> <p>Pray for the safe return of all 11 missing Christians. Ask the Lord to surround family members with His peace and comfort.</p> <p>“Continue to pray for these 11 missing prisoners. These are brothers and sisters in Christ; we need to lift them up,” Musselman says.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><em>Header image is a representative stock photo depicting everyday life in rural Vietnam. (Photo courtesy of <a href="https://www.pexels.com/photo/people-traveling-using-boat-1660996/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Tomáš Malík/Pexels</a>)</em></p>

<p>Bangladesh (MNN) &#8212; Restoring law and order <span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong><a href="https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/bangladesh-former-pm-hasina-will-return-country-when-elections-are-called-her-2024-08-09/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">is a priority</a></strong></span> for Bangladesh’s new caretaker government following last week’s ouster of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.</p> <p><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong><a href="https://www.ndtv.com/world-news/attack-on-hindus-minorities-grave-concern-bangladesh-new-interim-government-6315216" target="_blank" rel="noopener">On Sunday</a></strong></span>, officials said they were working to resolve attacks on Hindus and other religious minorities.</p> <div id="attachment_209787" style="width: 310px" class="wp-caption alignright"><a href="https://www.mnnonline.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/The_victory_celebration_of_Bangladeshi_students_one_point_movement.jpg"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-209787" class="size-medium wp-image-209787" src="https://www.mnnonline.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/The_victory_celebration_of_Bangladeshi_students_one_point_movement-300x203.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="203" srcset="https://www.mnnonline.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/The_victory_celebration_of_Bangladeshi_students_one_point_movement-300x203.jpg 300w, https://www.mnnonline.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/The_victory_celebration_of_Bangladeshi_students_one_point_movement-1024x691.jpg 1024w, https://www.mnnonline.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/The_victory_celebration_of_Bangladeshi_students_one_point_movement-768x518.jpg 768w, https://www.mnnonline.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/The_victory_celebration_of_Bangladeshi_students_one_point_movement-600x403.jpg 600w, https://www.mnnonline.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/The_victory_celebration_of_Bangladeshi_students_one_point_movement-400x269.jpg 400w, https://www.mnnonline.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/The_victory_celebration_of_Bangladeshi_students_one_point_movement.jpg 1280w" sizes="(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px" /></a><p id="caption-attachment-209787" class="wp-caption-text">Victory march by protesters after the resignation of Sheikh Hasina.<br />(Wikimedia Commons)</p></div> <p>Hasina <span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong><a href="https://www.mnnonline.org/news/bangladesh-protestors-target-minorities-after-prime-minister-flees/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">fled to India</a></strong></span> after weeks of student-led protests descended into violence. Scott Clifton with <span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong><a href="https://www.mnnonline.org/mission_groups/farms-international/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">FARMS International</a></strong></span> says the government collapse paved the way for chaos.</p> <p>“It provided an opportunity for Muslim fundamentalists to reign the land,” Clifton says. “There’s general lawlessness; these fundamentalists have free reign, and they’ve targeted minority groups, so Hindus have been targeted. Christians have been targeted as well.”</p> <p>Hundreds of radical Muslims raided the property of FARMS’ primary contact in Bangladesh and took his employees hostage. Inventory losses totaled roughly $30,000.</p> <p>“Our contact had his businesses completely looted,” Clifton says.</p> <blockquote> <p style="text-align: center;"><strong>“Stolen livestock, stolen fish from fish ponds – that was money to support orphans and ministry efforts.”</strong></p> </blockquote> <p>FARMS’ contact tells Clifton he’s hopeful that interim PM Muhammad Yunus will restore security so believers can emerge from hiding.</p> <p>“They’re fearful for their lives. They’re sheltered at home; they’ve locked every gate,” Clifton says.</p> <p>“They limit communication because they’re not sure what’s monitored or not, and they’re just living in fear, praying moment by moment for protection.”</p> <p><em><strong>No matter what comes next, FARMS’ contact and his family are trusting in God’s faithful presence.</strong> </em>Ask the Lord to deliver these believers from the hand of their enemy.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><em>Header image depicts protestors in Bangladesh on August 2, 2024. (<a href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Protest_in_Bangladesh_24.jpg" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Wikimedia Commons</a>)</em></p>

<p>Pakistan (MNN) &#8212; To follow Christ in Muslim-majority Pakistan is to know hardship. Bruce* with <span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong><a href="https://www.mnnonline.org/mission_groups/uncharted-ministries/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Uncharted Ministries</a></strong></span> says Christians struggle in nearly every life category.</p> <p>“They are unable to get good jobs; they’re impoverished. Many of them are illiterate or very uneducated. They’re just a lower class.”</p> <p>Emergencies often leave believers in debt because there are no social “safety nets” in Pakistan, such as feeding programs or government healthcare. Brickyard owners offer to pay off the debt but demand manual labor in return.</p> <p>“We had no idea of the epic levels of slavery and suffering of Christians in Pakistan,” Bruce says.</p> <blockquote> <p style="text-align: center;"><strong>“There are 20,000 brickyards that enslave up to 2 million Christians.”</strong></p> </blockquote> <p>This slavery ensnares multiple generations. “Through high interest rates and fraudulent bookkeeping, they never get out of debt,” Bruce says.</p> <p>“You have grandchildren paying off the debts of their grandparents; it’s intergenerational slavery.”</p> <div id="attachment_209748" style="width: 310px" class="wp-caption alignright"><a href="https://www.mnnonline.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/pexels-kartik-307184443-16468065.jpg"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-209748" class="size-medium wp-image-209748" src="https://www.mnnonline.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/pexels-kartik-307184443-16468065-300x200.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="200" srcset="https://www.mnnonline.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/pexels-kartik-307184443-16468065-300x200.jpg 300w, https://www.mnnonline.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/pexels-kartik-307184443-16468065-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https://www.mnnonline.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/pexels-kartik-307184443-16468065-768x512.jpg 768w, https://www.mnnonline.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/pexels-kartik-307184443-16468065-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://www.mnnonline.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/pexels-kartik-307184443-16468065.jpg 1920w" sizes="(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px" /></a><p id="caption-attachment-209748" class="wp-caption-text">Representative photo of a man working in a brickyard.<br />(Photo courtesy of Kartik/Pexels)</p></div> <p>Uncharted Ministries partners with local believers to rescue Christian families from brickyard slavery.</p> <p>“We’re paying a financial debt so they are set free, and it’s such a correlation to what Christ has done for us &#8211; paying our debt of sin that we’re set free,” Bruce says.</p> <p>They’ve rescued 21 families since beginning the program. “We just rescued a family recently – a husband and wife and six children – and the debt that kept them enslaved was $250,” Bruce says.</p> <p>“That was low; typically, the average [debt] is somewhere between $700 to $1,000.”</p> <p>Learning to run a small business helps these families avoid falling back into slavery. <span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong><a href="https://unchartedministries.com/2022/06/08/free-at-last/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Learn how you can partner with Uncharted Ministries in the process.</a></strong></span></p> <p>Pray the rescued believers will grow in their faith as they study God’s Word with Uncharted partners.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><em><strong>*Name withheld for security purposes.</strong> </em></p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><em>Header image depicts the Christian family recently rescued from brickyard slavery; faces blurred for security purposes. They are pictured in front of their new living arrangement with relatives. (Photo courtesy of Uncharted Ministries)</em></p>

<p>Pakistan (MNN) &#8212; Torrential monsoon rains have killed 38 people <span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong><a href="https://www.arabnews.com/node/2562871/pakistan" target="_blank" rel="noopener">in the last two days</a></strong></span> in northwestern Pakistan. <span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong><a href="https://www.mnnonline.org/mission_groups/forgotten-missionaries-international/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">FMI</a></strong></span>’s Bruce Allen says, “The Pakistani Meteorological Society [is] expecting heavy rainfall to continue, so it’s just going to be compounded in the days ahead.”</p> <p>The latest deluge follows record-breaking rainfall <span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong><a href="https://news.az/news/at-least-35-killed-as-flash-floods-hit-northern-pakistan" target="_blank" rel="noopener">last week</a></strong></span>, leading to historic flooding in Lahore and other cities of the Punjab province. Some areas saw <span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong><a href="https://www.dw.com/en/pakistan-lahore-records-heaviest-rainfall-in-years/a-69829897" target="_blank" rel="noopener">14 inches of rain</a></strong></span> in three hours.</p> <div id="attachment_209702" style="width: 404px" class="wp-caption alignright"><a href="https://www.mnnonline.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/FMI_pak-flooding2.jpg"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-209702" class="wp-image-209702" src="https://www.mnnonline.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/FMI_pak-flooding2-300x152.jpg" alt="" width="394" height="200" srcset="https://www.mnnonline.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/FMI_pak-flooding2-300x152.jpg 300w, https://www.mnnonline.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/FMI_pak-flooding2-768x390.jpg 768w, https://www.mnnonline.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/FMI_pak-flooding2.jpg 828w" sizes="(max-width: 394px) 100vw, 394px" /></a><p id="caption-attachment-209702" class="wp-caption-text">(Photo courtesy of FMI)</p></div> <p>“We have several church planting partners in that area, and they have been impacted,” Allen says. “Our national director in Pakistan sent me videos [and] photos; you could tell he was very distressed and weary. He had a flooded first floor, and the floor above was also affected due to all the rains.”</p> <p>The director, his wife, and three children weren’t the only ones affected. The 20 orphans in their care also lost shelter and provisions when flooding destroyed the director’s home.</p> <p>“They’ve adopted so many orphans because, in that Muslim-majority society, orphan care is not a priority,” Allen says.</p> <blockquote> <p style="text-align: center;"><strong>“That displaced family of [nearly] two dozen people now [is] encountering a very difficult time. We’re looking to raise a few thousand dollars to help.”</strong></p> </blockquote> <p><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong><a href="https://forgottenmissionaries.org/donate/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Consider partnering with FMI here</a></strong></span> to send help and hope in Jesus’ name. Ask the Lord to strengthen believers as they spend long days reaching out to people in need.</p> <p>Allen says that “because it’s a crisis, people are more open” to Gospel conversations. “They’re frantic, so spiritually, they have questions—Does God care for me? Why does He allow these things?” he states.</p> <p>“Pray for our partners as they deal with these impacted communities [and try] to get food to people. The whole city is just devastated, so there will be a lot of deprivation in the days ahead.”</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><em>Header and story images courtesy of FMI.</em></p>

<p>India (MNN) — Among the tea and cardamom estates of southern India, heavy rains caused sudden <a href="https://www.cbsnews.com/news/india-landslides-deaths-kerala-monsoon-rains-floods/" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline;">floods and landslides</span></strong></a> early Tuesday morning, sweeping away whole families.</p> <p><strong>At least 158 people died, and many are still missing. It’s the worst flooding Kerala state has seen in six years.</strong></p> <div id="attachment_209664" style="width: 310px" class="wp-caption alignright"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-209664" class="size-medium wp-image-209664" src="https://www.mnnonline.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/Flooding-2024_6-300x225.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="225" srcset="https://www.mnnonline.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/Flooding-2024_6-300x225.jpg 300w, https://www.mnnonline.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/Flooding-2024_6-1024x768.jpg 1024w, https://www.mnnonline.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/Flooding-2024_6-768x576.jpg 768w, https://www.mnnonline.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/Flooding-2024_6.jpg 1280w" sizes="(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px" /><p id="caption-attachment-209664" class="wp-caption-text">Flooding in India&#8217;s Kerala state, July 2024. (Photo courtesy of Mission India)</p></div> <p>India is in the thick of monsoon season, and other parts of the country are feeling the impact of surging rains. The capital New Delhi also saw massive flooding last month.</p> <blockquote> <p style="text-align: left;"><strong>Regan Miller with <a href="https://www.mnnonline.org/mission_groups/mission-india/" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><span style="text-decoration: underline;">Mission India</span></a> explains, &#8220;In India, everybody lives in such tight quarters. People live in homes that are on top of each other and attached to each other and side-by-side and the neighborhoods are so crowded that when something like this happens, it affects hundreds of thousands of people.</strong></p> </blockquote> <p>&#8220;There’s really a great need for prayer right now, and there’s also great opportunity to share the hope of Christ when people are struggling.&#8221;</p> <p>Mission India works with local believers across India to run Children’s Bible Clubs and share that eternal hope with kids and their parents.</p> <p>Families at one Bible Club in a flood-affected area have been impacted. &#8220;All of these parents of the kids have not been able to go to work, and they’re already in a really poor area. So that’s been difficult to hear about as well,&#8221; says Miller.</p> <div id="attachment_209626" style="width: 310px" class="wp-caption alignleft"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-209626" class="size-medium wp-image-209626" src="https://www.mnnonline.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/449456052_915312240622499_9117211895272232064_n-300x300.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="300" srcset="https://www.mnnonline.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/449456052_915312240622499_9117211895272232064_n-300x300.jpg 300w, https://www.mnnonline.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/449456052_915312240622499_9117211895272232064_n-1024x1024.jpg 1024w, https://www.mnnonline.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/449456052_915312240622499_9117211895272232064_n-150x150.jpg 150w, https://www.mnnonline.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/449456052_915312240622499_9117211895272232064_n-768x768.jpg 768w, https://www.mnnonline.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/449456052_915312240622499_9117211895272232064_n-180x180.jpg 180w, https://www.mnnonline.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/449456052_915312240622499_9117211895272232064_n-1536x1536.jpg 1536w, https://www.mnnonline.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/449456052_915312240622499_9117211895272232064_n-100x100.jpg 100w, https://www.mnnonline.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/449456052_915312240622499_9117211895272232064_n-500x500.jpg 500w, https://www.mnnonline.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/449456052_915312240622499_9117211895272232064_n-350x350.jpg 350w, https://www.mnnonline.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/449456052_915312240622499_9117211895272232064_n-1000x1000.jpg 1000w, https://www.mnnonline.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/449456052_915312240622499_9117211895272232064_n.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px" /><p id="caption-attachment-209626" class="wp-caption-text">Children&#8217;s Bible Club (Photo courtesy of Mission India)</p></div> <p>Please pray for Indian families out of work due to the flooding that they will find support through the local Church.</p> <p><strong>Miller says, &#8220;We are asking for prayers that our church planters will be able to get back to the field [and] that communities would find hope in the Good News as they rebuild homes, rebuild roads and all the things that have been damaged in the flooding.&#8221;</strong></p> <p>Also, ask God to comfort the grieving communities in Kerala state.</p> <p>Learn more about <a href="https://missionindia.org/" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline;">Mission India&#8217;s ministry programs.</span></strong></a></p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><em>Header photo of the flooding in India&#8217;s Kerala state, courtesy of Mission India.</em></p>