Category: Uncategorized

Pray for three Christian families evicted from their village

In Laos, three Christian families are forced to live in the rice fields after being evicted from their home.

In a rural village in southern Laos, Sayasit* came to Christ.

It came from a miraculous healing that could be explained in no way but God. He became the first Christian in his village, and promised to serve the Lord. With the help of those who led him to Christ, Sayasit began preaching the gospel in his village and in 2021 opened his house for fellowship and church services to 20 converts.

However, the other villagers were opposed to their conversion, and they were consistently told to stop their faith otherwise something bad would happen to them. Despite the threats, they persisted but not until February this year when Sayasit, his wife, his son, and two more families (a total of nine people) were evicted from their homes and forced to live in the rice fields.

The disgruntled village chief and villagers made sure to expel Sayasit and his family first, forcing the house church to close so that the remaining believers would no longer have a place to gather for fellowship and worship. Because of the eviction of their leader, a few believers got scared and decided to give up their faith.

Sayasit and eight more people continue to live in the rice field without electricity and a proper source of water. Despite getting evicted, he opens his farm hut, where they are currently living, to the other believers to continue to meet and worship the Lord.

Open Doors’ local partners are currently looking to provide help for the evicted believers, especially in seeking assistance from the province’s registered church which will represent the believers in the dialogue with the local authorities. (More updates about this will be provided once available.)​​​​​​​

Will you join us in praying?

For the Lord’s provision for the needs of Sayasit, his family, and the other families expelled.

For the Lord to grant their desire to acquire their properties back home.

For wisdom and encouragement for all those who are involved in this incident.

For the other believers to trust God more and stand strong in their faith despite fear.

Name changed for security purposes.

Healing in Iraq comes with tears

At the Centre of Hope in Iraq, the healing process comes with tears.

Men in Iraq don’t cry, don’t show their grief, sadness. That is almost written in stone in the minds of Iraqi men.

But how not to cry in a country where crisis stumbled over crisis in the past decades? Wars, civil war, terrorist attacks, persecution, an economic crisis and all the individual crises Iraqi people went through.

28 year old Jubran is on a mission to help people heal from that trauma, and sometimes that comes with tears. Jubray is the manager of the Pool of Siloam Ecumenical Centre, a centre of hope that welcomes between 350 and 500 people of all ages. 

Through all activities offered there, they want to help the participants to receive healing. The activities can be everything from football to a devotional time, from creative group activities to heart-to-heart conversations. 

Jubran feels called by the Lord for the ministry. In 2014, when ISIS took over the Nineveh Plains region, about 120,000 Christians fled to safer places including Jubran’s city. “Soon we started an initiative to help those people. It started on Facebook, trying to mobilise people to help them. Those people hadn’t anything. So we started bringing to them what we had to help them.” This was the start of Jubran’s ministry, which eventually became the Centre of Hope.

All the workers in the centre are trained before they start working there. The centre receives children, men, women, and teenagers. “We offer many activities, but our main goal is to bring the healing message from the Bible. In all our activities we open the Bible.” Sometimes there are cultural hindrances. “In our culture, especially men are not meant to cry. We try to teach them that it is okay to cry. Even Jesus cried, we show that to them in the Bible. Jesus cried for example when he lost his friend. When He cried, it’s okay that we also express our feelings.”

At Jubran’s Centre of Hope in Iraq,
he encourages men to openly cry
as they heal from trauma.

Jubran says that his staff is not just teaching this, they do it themselves too. “When we say that people should express their feelings, we have to do that in the first place ourselves. We cry with them. We cannot teach something that we do not do ourselves.”

“I see results of our work every single day in the lives of the people. We hope that this will only grow. I see it also in the lives of our staff. They show a great change in their lives since they joined in 2019. They are changed for the better.”

The staff take care of each other, as all hear almost daily the hard stories of the people who come to the center. “We hear so many things. We talk with each other, as those things affect us too. We ourselves need help, we’re like them [the people participating in the activities]. We help them, but we are helped too; it’s a kind of circle. It’s a complicated circle, when I give help to someone, I don’t know from whom I will get help when needed.”

“We hear many stories, children that lost both parents, parents who lost sons or daughters, persons who lost brothers or sisters because of bombing or accidents. But also all those who were displaced for a long time. Some struggled with questions like ‘Where is God?’, ‘If he exists, why doesn’t He intervene?’ Some even stopped believing. By using the Bible, we can help them to find answers, to discover why things are happening in our lives.”

Pray

When asked what Christians around the world should pray for him, Jubran answers, “That God will give me and others the power to help. That He will give us the patience and the love, so that we can give love to the people.” He adds, “There are no words that are enough to say how thankful I am to the donors of this centre. Because you help us, we can give help, give healing through the Bible. Thank you!”

 

Learn more

Our work in Iraq

Over the last eight years, Open Doors’ local partners have addressed the stigma on mental health care among the Christian community in Iraq. Now there are three functioning trauma care centres as well as a two-year counselling school for Christians in professions that encounter traumatized people.

Open Doors’ local partners will continue to walk beside the Christian community in Iraq. With your support we enable the local church to be a beacon of hope in this war-torn country. More than 30 caregivers currently take part in the two-year trauma care school. We also organize shorter trauma awareness courses, conferences and retreats for local Christians. The three trauma care centers that were set up with our help are also supported with practical resources.

Centres of Hope

Centres of Hope are active local churches that are supported with a number of hope-giving projects. The exact activities differ from between each Centre of Hope, but they include:

  • Growing ministry towards women, youth and couples, and to strengthen discipleship efforts.
  • Building healthy leaders and create trauma awareness, with members involved in tasks such as teaching and (pastoral) care.
  • Inspiring Christians to find their prophetic voice and speak up about injustice.
  • Building healthy incomes and livelihoods for Christians and reach out with Christ’s love into the community.

Larger programs, such as those for church leaders and the year-long trauma awareness course, are shared between several churches. 

Centres of Hope provide what the Christians need right now: hope and new perspective. They need this to accomplish their dream of becoming a beacon of light in their societies.

There are currently 150 Centres of Hope in Iraq, and 287 more in Syria.

Update: Conflict in Sudan continues

As the conflict in Sudan continues, the danger for God’s people is growing—but there are still signs that Jesus is at work.

As the war in Sudan continues into its fourth month, our field partners are telling us that the situation is devastating—and they’re asking us not to forget our Sudanese family in our prayers.

The fighting has claimed at least 3,000 lives, according to Sudan’s Health Minister Haitham Mohamed Ibrahim, and the U.N. Secretary-General fears Sudan is close to a “full-scale civil war.” The International Organization for Migration (IOM) reports that more than 3.3 million people have been displaced. There is growing concern among international and African humanitarian agencies that there is not enough aid to assist the millions of displaced people—and that what aid is available does not always reach those who need it the most.

Sudan is No. 10 on the 2023 World Watch List, making it an incredibly difficult place to live for followers of Jesus, even in peaceful times. Fikiru*, an Open Doors field partner, tells us that he’s received reports showing that more than 165 churches have closed during the conflict in Sudan, and at least 15 have been destroyed. Churches are also reporting daily human rights violations such as rape, the kidnapping of girls and the looting of property.

“The situation has continued to deteriorate, and the Sudanese people are suffering,” he says. “The war does not look like it will end anytime soon. So far, the cease-fire agreement between the warring parties does not hold long. More concerning to us is that there is no improvement on human rights handling and no willingness to cease hostilities by the two parties.

“Christians in Sudan are especially vulnerable and on the receiving end,” Fikiru confirms. “We ask that churches around the world do not grow tired or forget to pray for the situation in Sudan. We know there are many terrible things happening around the world, but do not forget about your brothers and sisters in Sudan.”

“We ask that churches around the world do not grow tired or forget to pray for the situation in Sudan. We know there are many terrible things happening around the world, but do not forget about your brothers and sisters in Sudan.”

The conflict is between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF), led by chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and the paramilitary group Rapid Support Forces (RSF), led by Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, also known as Hemedti. The two sides worked together to overthrow the former Sudanese dictator, Omar Al-Bashir, in 2019. However, a power struggle developed when plans emerged to bring the RSF under the command of the military.

The conflict started in the capital city of Khartoum, but has now spread outside of the city. Independent Catholic News reports that violence has spilled over to South Kordofan and Blue Nile states, which has impacted large Christian communities that are already vulnerable.

“There are many Christians still present in the war zones today who do not have any means to flee, who are suffering and we cannot reach them,” Fikiru says. “This is very tough for us; they are part of the Body of Christ.”

But there are glimmers of God at work in the midst of the chaos. Many vulnerable people, such as children, the elderly and people who are disabled and sick are unable to flee. One group of Christians in particular have welcomed these people into their church home, giving them a safe place to hide, food to eat and what little medicine they have.

Another local field contact who has taken up residence with his family at this church shared that one night the children hiding there asked if they could join in the prayers.

“It was pitch black as the neighborhood has had no electricity for months,” our field contact shares. “They all came together and prayed for peace to come to Sudan.”

What a beautiful witness of God’s supernatural peace in the middle of a war zone! Jesus has shown His presence and provision.

“[The Christians] provide water from the well, because in many places, wells have run dry since the war started,” he explains. “They also have a generator that they share for an hour every day so that some of us can charge our phones.

“One of the sisters told me that she believes they were sent as missionaries, not just messengers: ‘That’s why we live with the Sudanese whether they are Christian or not, in joyful times and sorrowful times.’”

And it is indeed a sorrowful time for Sudan’s Christians. Open Doors estimates that Sudan has some 2 million Christians. Amidst the ongoing and already complicated conflict, there are reports that Muslim fundamentalists have joined the fight, further putting Christians at risk.

Fikiru confirms these reports. “Our contacts in the country have indicated that [Islamic extremists] publicly ask citizens to join the Sudanese national army in the fight against RSF,” he says. “Other sources also mention that some of these [militants] or vigilante groups are former members of Al-Bashir’s party and security [apparatus].”

Please pray with us for our sisters and brothers in Sudan:

– Pray for believers trapped in the capital of Khartoum who don’t have access to basic needs. Ask God to provide for them.

– Pray for safety of our sisters in particular, as reports of abduction and sexual violence are on the rise.

– Praise God for the example of these Christians giving shelter. Ask God to make their witness shine so brightly that no one can deny His presence in the midst of chaos.

– Pray for those who are traumatized and anxious. May God’s Spirit bring healing and peace to their hearts and minds.

– And finally, pray for an end to the conflict.

Niger: President Mohamed Bazoum ousted from power in military coup

On July 26, 2023, soldiers in Niger appeared on national television announcing that President Mohamed Bazoum has been removed from power after being detained in the presidential palace as part of a coup. This military takeover marks the ninth coup in the West and Central Africa region in the last decade. 

An Army spokesman, Colonel Amadou Abdramane, declared the West African country’s borders were closed, a nationwide curfew from 22:00 until 05:00 in the morning was declared and all government institutions in the country are suspended. 

“We, the defense and security forces… have decided to put an end to the regime you know. This follows the continuing deterioration of the security situation, and poor economic and social governance,” Col Abdramane read from a statement on the broadcast. 

The Sahel region is gaining the reputation as the “coup belt”. For a summary of the countries that have experienced power grabs, please see the Reuters article here. 

However, according to the BBC Foreign Minister Hassoumi Massoudou has declared himself the head of state and called on all democrats to “make this adventure fail”.

Land-locked Niger, like many of its West African neighbours are experiencing frustrations over the government’s failures to prevent violent attacks on towns and villages from jihadist groups active in the Sahel. West Africa recorded over 1,800 terrorist attacks in the first six months of the year resulting in nearly 4,600 deaths with dire humanitarian consequences AP News reports. 

Following the coup of democratically elected president Mohamed Bazoum, it is unclear what the church in Niger will experience.

From Open Doors workers in the area

“The country is in tension now. There are mixed feelings. There is some kind of mobilization on social media for people to protest against this coup, that is, for those who want the president to come back to power.  Yet there are yet others who support the military,” one field partner in Niger shared. 

“We are not sure how the current situation will affect the church in Niger, because we don’t know how this new government feels about Western support, especially France.”

During the broadcast the soldiers warned against any foreign intervention. Last year France moved its troops to Niger from Mali after the relationship between authorities fell out of step. Similarly French forces also evacuated from Burkina Faso. 

Our field partner expressed his concern over the future of the Church in Niger: “We also don’t know whether this military junta will be friendly with the church, given that there are many Muslims within the army who are from the Izala Movement (Sunni) and have extremist views. If they are among this new junta, then persecution for the Church may well be on the rise.” 

“This possibility of demonstrations will probably bring a lot of tension to the people because tomorrow is Friday and Muslims will gather for prayer and afterwards they will start the protest against foreign involvement currently present in the country. There is great fear among Christians now, because nobody knows what is going to happen during these protest. They did something like this some years back, which ended up in burning Churches and Christian properties such as shops and houses. Therefore, there is a need for prayer regarding tomorrow’s demonstration”.

Pray

“Please pray for stability in the country because there are a lot of rumours on social media. Also pray for the Church in Niger, and let this new regime favour the Church in Niger.” -An Open Doors field worker

Niger is number 28 on the 2023 World Watch List. It remains to be seen how the coup will affect the church – pray that they will be given strength and courage to endure whatever comes next.

The coup is in part a response to the government’s failure to address rising extremist violence in parts of Sub-Saharan Africa. This jihadist activity is among the more worrying persecution trends in the last few years. Pray that this trend lessens and that the church is kept secure.

Delivering your notes of encouragement to Central Asian Children

Your cards have arrived!

We have been overjoyed to pass on the messages of love and encouragement and the gorgeous drawings from young supporters to the children at the House of Mercy. This was a very special day.

Little eyes stared intently at the Open Doors worker who took the bundle of artwork out of his bag and started to lay them on the carpet. The shrieks of excitement filled the room as they scurried over to get their hands on them and admire all of it up close. They could hardly choose which ones they liked best.

The giggles and smiles all around showed how much it meant to them, that somewhere in the world another child had thought of them. 

Jesus Cares for You!

The children in this Central Asian country couldn’t read the messages as they were in English, so an Open Doors worker translated the letters to them. “Stay strong!” read one of the pictures. “Jesus cares you!” read another. These weren’t just colourful pictures; they were words of encouragement.

Children here need all the support that they can get. Most of them live without their fathers. Their mothers have done whatever they could to survive but life has been hard for them to bear alone.

An Open Doors partner named Evgeny (pseudonym) is working to make a difference in these lives. He initially started the centre for vulnerable women who are battling addictions and poverty. But seeing how children of these women often suffered as well, he has opened its doors to be a haven for them. If not for this centre, they would be out on the streets.

Children here can get a head start in life by getting a good education and being surrounded by people who care for them. What is special about this place is that they get to experience God’s love every day!

“Here we have a family,” said Tania*, the daughter of a woman whose life was transformed through the love and forgiveness she experienced at the centre.

After a day of laughter and new-found closeness, Open Doors workers left the centre knowing that the world had become more connected for these children—that others around the world are praying and care for them.

Did you know? Open Doors currently has two opportunities available to send a card, note, or hand-drawn picture to children in the persecuted church.

Click here to encourage a child today!

write to a persecuted christian

Singing of peace in a former ISIS Shooting range

There is a group of Christians standing on a former ISIS shooting range in Iraq – they are singing a message of hope and peace.

Hallelujah, Hallelujah.

The words are repeated time after time. The three young women are accompanied by violin, flute and daf, the instruments the three men are playing. What other proof do we need that Christianity is alive again in the Iraqi town Qaraqosh? In a church square once used as a shooting range by ISIS fighters, Christians now sing for the glory of God. Where ISIS tried to put an end to Christian faith, Christians are singing again.

Where years ago extremists in their black clothes emptied their guns, now sounds a Christian song. Today six members of the band Melody sing one of their songs on the square of the Immaculate Church which, according to one of them, is the biggest church in the region. They sing against the background of where the bullets once hit the walls. The holes and destruction are still there left as a reminder to future generations of those black pages in Qaraqosh’s history.

Melody was founded when they were living in displacement in Erbil, having been forced to run from their home town in the Nineveh Plain in August 2014. After ISIS had captured the city of Mosul, some 25 kilometres away, they took control of the Nineveh Plain, causing massive displacement of Christians. In the towns and villages, crosses were removed, churches and monasteries damaged and often burned. For over two years the black flags of ISIS waved over the villages and towns in the Nineveh Plain.

The Iraqi worship group "Melody" stands in a former ISIS shooting range

Sam, Farid and Fady started the band in 2017. “We began meeting there and playing,” says Sam, leader of the band. Having nothing to do, having lost everything, music turned out to be “food for the soul,” he says. “Playing music gave us energy, we were able to feel alive again. Doing nothing in Erbil, we tried to revive ourselves through music and revive others as well.”

Back in Qaraqosh, after the liberation and the restoration of houses, they recruited some female singers. “After just making music, we added singing,” the 31-year-old bandleader says. Now they have seven band members.

Hearing them sing at this historical place, where ISIS thought they could end the Christian worship that has been performed here for ages, makes me think of what the prophet Isaiah wrote in chapter 58: “Your people will rebuild the ancient ruins and will raise up the age-old foundations; you will be called Repairer of Broken Walls, Restorer of Streets with Dwellings.” (Isaiah 58:12 NIV)

Sam: “Through this we were able to rise above the destruction and revive our existential necessities of life that were inexistent; through music we were able to restore hope.” In Qaraqosh, not only walls of houses and churches are rebuilt. This group rebuilds hope, rebuilds lives.

One day Melody even went to perform in the city of Mosul, the city where ISIS proclaimed the Caliphate in June 2014. Almost no Christians returned to Mosul after the liberation by the Iraqi army, so they performed for a mainly Muslim audience. When performing for such an audience “we try to rearrange the program but, through our work and our style, we show our faith,” Sam said.

Sam adds, “My dream is that we keep on giving, to continue to work together, to present works that touch people, carrying the word to the people we can impact.”

Hiba: “In our culture, it is problematic for a girl to sing.”

Hiba is one of the singers. The 25-year-old woman is happy that female voices were added. “God gives a gift to every person, and this talent must be used; one must seek how to nurture this talent. That is why I joined.” Her motivation was also linked to being a woman who wanted to break the cultural barriers for women to perform. “In our culture, it’s problematic for a girl to sing. I joined to break this limitation and obstacle that hovers over our lands. It is uncommon for a girl to sing. It is a barrier that is very hard to crack.”

She says she “faced difficulties and opposition at the beginning” with the band. “But we never stopped. On the contrary, despite the negativities and the wrongful gossip, we said that we must go on. The most important thing is to have a purpose, to seek it and continue the journey.”

For Hiba, it is important to know things in life have a purpose. “God gave us a gift. We must invest in this talent, the band allowed every person to discover their God given talent, to stand on stage and sing with a beautiful voice that God has given us.”

What keeps her going too, is the response of the audience. “I see joy and happiness in their eyes, this makes me really happy.” She and Sam refer to one of their first performances. “It was on Mother’s Day. We invited a lot of people to Saint Paul [an activity center belonging to the church]. We brought joy to the audience, we felt the joy, we saw how touched and moved those mothers were.”

Farid: “We will remain in this land”

Farid (27) is a singer and he plays the daf, a frame instrument, in the band. “I want to keep on presenting music that surpasses the noise of war and destruction, wanting to deliver a message to the world. Music in general, is the biggest drive for hope in the future. Music is a language of peace, of love. Surely the audience senses the message we want to deliver. It is grasped by all kinds of audiences. Our message comes from the heart.”

About staying in Iraq, he says: “This land is the land of our forefathers and the land of our children’s future. Our music [makes people] understand that we will remain in this land. We must preserve it, we need to deliver a beautiful picture to the world through music.”

Praise God that songs of worship are being sung in a place where the church was intended to be destroyed.

Pray that such music will spread across the nation of Iraq.

Pray for a Christian couple expelled from their home in Central Asia

Please pray for a Christian couple in Central Asia that was expelled from home for their faith.

Sulim* and Adilya* were forced to leave home with their one year old baby in the midst of night because of their Christian belief.

Sulim grew up as Muslim, but three years ago at the age of around 20, he converted. In the church he met Adilya and they married. By the national tradition they live with Sulim’s parents, as Sulim is the only son in the family, he has two sisters too.

Around a year ago, when his son was born, Sulim’s parents discovered that he is a Christian. And the pressure came immediately. The father said that he couldn’t accept their conversion, that he couldn’t bear Sulim’s and his wife’s new faith, that they were disgracing his family in the eyes of relatives and neighbors. Sulim was beaten by his father for the faith many times.

It wasn’t easy, but Sulim and Adilya took Jesus’ commands seriously to “Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you.” They tried their best to show Jesus’ love. They took care of all family members and even started to make repairs in the house at their own expense. For a time, this meant peace. When Sulim started the repairs, his father calmed down. It looked like he tried to forget the fact of Sulim’s conversion.

But when the renovation was finished, the violence began again. It came to a head when Sulim’s father came home drunk at very late night started to beat Sulim and his wife. He then expelled them finally with their baby son in the midst of night.

A church member accepted Sulim in his small house for a week, but that situation isn’t sustainable.  Now, the young family is looking for a new place to live. 

Pray

Will you pray for your persecuted family in Central Asia?

  • Pray that Sulim’s and Adilya’s faith will be strong in the midst of difficulties
  • Pray that God will provide a new place to live for this family
  • Pray for the safety of Sulim, Adilya and their small son
  • Pray that God will soften the hearts of Sulim’s parents.

 

 

*names changed for security reasons

Bibles delivered in Venezuela

Pastors in Venezuela say ‘thank you’ for new study Bibles

Open Doors Founder Brother Andrew believed so much in the power of God’s Word and reading it that he risked imprisonment to smuggle Bibles into dangerous places.

When thousands of believers behind the Iron Curtain (in 1957) asked for Bibles, Andrew brought them. He loved seeing believers’ faces as they held their very own Bible for the first time. Andrew’s love for God’s Word is one of Open Doors’ foundations: We are committed to bringing Bibles to believers no matter what.

Recently, our partners had the opportunity to deliver study Bibles to church leaders in northwest Venezuela where economic collapse and political corruption have created food insecurity. More than 7 million people have left the country since 2015. Church leaders are struggling to sustain themselves and their churches.

 

Although there is religious freedom in the country, the church is not fully free—if churches say things the government does not like, they may be censored and experience discrimination and persecution. Additionally, in rural and/or poorer areas, the large presence of the paramilitaries who control the population makes it difficult for the pastors and leaders to work.

That’s why Open Doors recently provided a workshop focusing on ministry leadership skills. At the end of the workshop, the 138 church leaders in attendance received their own study Bibles and participated in an intensive four-hour orientation to equip and empower them to use Scripture to strengthen their ministries across the region.

And just like those Bible recipients that Brother Andrew encountered, these church leaders were moved by their gift and expressed their gratitude, not just to our team on the ground, but also to you, our supporters. Because of your prayers and gifts, we’re able to bring the Word of God to leaders who are walking out their passion to see the gospel permeate their communities.

“Today we understand that we can be filled with more wisdom with the help of the Holy Spirit and with this material that you are giving us,” said Pastor Luis, who received a study Bible. He added that the Bible will be a great help to strengthen the work he is doing in his church. 

Pray for North Korea in the midst of a food crisis

As North Korea nears the end of its planting season (its chief food source, rice, is planted in late spring and early summer), reports are leaking out about a dire food crisis. The winter cold may be over, but now the country is facing a food shortage as supplies have been exhausted.

In response, and to try to restock food supplies, North Korea has launched a “rural mobilization campaign” in which soldiers and non-farming civilians are “asked” to do agricultural work. In reality, these campaigns are demands and refusal is not allowed under the North Korean regime.

This year, as noted by DailyNK, more and more people are refusing to participate in the mobilization campaign. The agricultural work is usually very difficult, involving long hours of hard labour, often on an empty stomach. Farms are experiencing a labour shortage, and, as DailyNK reports, many people have tried to avoid the work despite North Korean authorities’ response of setting up checkpoints to catch people avoiding the mobilization.

A North Korean woman cuts grass for food

Many North Koreans take the risk, however. They are too hungry and don’t receive rations through either the farms or their own neighborhood units. Every North Korean citizen is placed in a neighborhood unit, which is responsible for monitoring its members, for disseminating propaganda and distributing food coupons.

A new report from the BBC makes it clear how dire the current situation is in North Korea. One woman in Pyongyang went to check on her neighbours, she told the BBC. “We knocked on their door to give them water, but nobody answered,” Ji Yeon said. Her neighbors had starved to death at home.

The same BBC report notes that the borders have remained closed since 2020, due to COVID restrictions. This has led to tightening restrictions for people trying to cross to China, where they can hope to gain access to lifesaving food and other aid.

In the meantime, food prices have skyrocketed. A kilogram of rice now costs more than 5,000 North Korean won, which is the equivalent of about $6. A kilo of corn costs around $3. When you consider that the average salary for a North Korean is only 5,000-10,000 won per month, you begin to see how devastating the current crisis is. It’s incredibly difficult to survive on such meager rations.

The North Korean government has announced that it is importing more rice from other countries, but many people do not benefit from this. “Because of the lack of food in North Korea, the government has been importing large quantities of food from China,” says Brother Simon Lee (pseudonym), the Open Doors coordinator for our North Korea ministry. “According to up-to-date news from North Korean believers, the imported food was distributed primarily to the high-ranking government officials, then to the soldiers. Only a very small amount was released in the market for the ordinary people. This is why hunger is continuous throughout the country.”

For Christians in North Korea, this reality adds to the painful experience of being hunted for following Jesus. North Korea, Number 1 on the 2023 World Watch List, is the most difficult place in the world to be a Christian; to be caught as a Christian is to risk arrest, imprisonment and even immediate execution. Adding to the daily pressure of food insecurity and mobilization orders, and life becomes difficult to bear.

Open Doors supports North Korean Christians through our secret networks in China. Christians who are able to get through the borders, even during increased restrictions, are able to find food aid and help. Our safe houses can aid a little less than 100 people at a time, but thanks to your support, we’re able to help people as they come and go—including those who return to North Korea where they continue to live as salt and light for Jesus.

Obviously, this level of help is only the minimum in the face of such a significant food crisis. But Brother Simon tells us that God still finds a way to show His mercy and grace through His people in North Korea.

“There are inspiring stories told to us that [North Korean] believers are helping their neighbours—sharing food, medicine and other resources they own, even though the food is not enough for even themselves,” Brother Simon says. “Secret believers are practicing God’s love behind the scenes and thanking us for the help and prayer. All the glory to God who is feeding His children in this terrible time of starvation and poverty!”

Brother Simon also asks us to stand with North Korean Christians in prayer. “Underground church believers are requesting lots of prayer, that they can endure this difficult time,” he says. “Please pray for them and our ministry.”

Here are some specific ways our field has asked you to pray:

Please pray for North Korean Christians. Pray for their physical well-being, that God will provide for them and that He will supernaturally heal the sick.

Pray for protection for this underground church, so that the evil one cannot attack them.

Pray for their spiritual well-being. Pray that God will grow their faith so that they can persevere.

Pray for a Church Leader forced into exile

After five years in prison, a 42 year old church leader in Iran thought that his sentence had come to an end. He was wrong.

Saheb’s ministry as a Christian church leader in Iran painted a target on his back. Iran is the number 8 country on the 2023 World Watch List, and following Jesus comes with significant risk. For Saheb, it meant being sentenced to five years of imprisonment – away from his wife Marjan and his daughter Marta. 

Eventually, Saheb secured bail and was pardoned. He thought his sentence had come to end, and on June 25 he traveled to the capital city of Tehran to finalize his bail documents. There, the authorities informed him that he had criminal activity remaining on his file that had gone unpunished – specifically “spreading propaganda against the regime”. 

Saheb received 50 lashes on the spot while Marjan was waiting for him outside.

Following the flogging, he was sentenced to two years of exile from his hometown. He was given only days to report to his exile location.

Saheb has chosen to leave his wife and their 16 year old daughter in their hometown so that they do not suffer the punishment with him. 

A photo of an Iranian couple, representative of Saheb and Marjan

Pray

Please be in prayer for Saheb, Marjan, and Marta. Pray that God will give them patience and peace during this difficult time and that they might be miraculously reunited soon. 

Pray also for all the Christians in exile in Iran. They must endure separation from loved ones, live under social pressure and try hard to find a job in a difficult economy.

Pray that the Iranian government will stop the criminalization of Christian converts and other religious adherents who are not recognized by the state. Pray for more cooperation from the international community and more pressure from global human rights organizations around the world to help put an end to the injustice and violence taking place.

*representative image used

Healing Wounds of Persecution

Mary’s abduction by Fulani extremists threatened to ruin her life and destroy her faith. But your prayers rescued this young Nigerian woman and her family.

 Warning: Mary’s story contains content that some may find distressing.

 For 54 days, Mary* was held captive by extremist Fulani militants. She was sexually abused, repeatedly. Mocked for her faith. Forced to cook for her captors while she had only animal food to eat.

The ordeal, deep in the forests of northwest Nigeria, had one purpose: to destroy this 20-year-old woman’s faith in Jesus and destabilize her Christian community. It’s a tactic employed by Islamic extremists across Sub-Saharan Africa, who are becoming increasingly violent, brutal and murderous in their persecution of believers.

“We were in the Sunday service when we heard a gunshot,” recalls Mary. “Everybody started running, running, running. Some were falling down. They attack Christians because we worship Jesus and they want us out of this land.”

In the chaos and killing, Mary heard her sister calling – and went back. It was a mistake. Mary and three other women were captured by the militants. “They said if we didn’t go with them, they’d kill us,” she said.

What happened over the coming weeks changed Mary forever. But amid the fear, pain and humiliation, Mary held onto her faith. She even had the courage to share the gospel with her captors. “If you give your life to Jesus, he will forgive you and you can stop all these things you are doing,” Mary told them.

Somehow, Mary’s family raised the money to pay the ransom for her release. They borrowed more than they could ever repay – which, in Nigeria’s honor culture, brought shame they could not shake off.

But despite her freedom, Mary still suffered. “The pain wasn’t over. Every night, I dreamed of what happened to me. I couldn’t be around people. I laughed, but not in my heart. I didn’t have peace.”

That’s when your support, through Open Doors, made a difference. Mary was invited to our trauma care center, where she received trauma counseling and rediscovered her identity in Christ. Open Doors partners are also helping to buy essentials for the family and fund Mary’s education, since there was no money for school after paying the ransom. Your gifts and prayers strengthened Mary and fought back against violent persecution.

Sadly, Mary’s earthly story came to an end shortly afterwards as a result of complications from her surgery. But both Mary and her family wanted her story to be heard, as many of these stories remain hidden. Our vision is that no one faces persecution and trauma alone.

In her final interview with Open Doors, Mary said, “I thank God for the peace he brings to my life. And I thank him for using people like you to help me.”

*name changed for security reasons.

YOUR YEAR-END GIFT IS MORE IMPORTANT THAN EVER.

Persecution is growing, and so are the needs of persecuted believers. More Christians need Bibles, discipleship, trauma counselling, and relief aid as they face violence, displacement, and loss. 

The Canada Post strikes slowed the arrival of gifts during this critical time of year. Will you help?

Your support will empower persecuted believers through Bibles, training, relief aid, trauma counselling, and more. 

Give a Year-end gift

Your year-end gift is more important than ever.

Persecution is growing, and so are the needs of persecuted believers. More Christians need Bibles, discipleship, trauma counselling, and relief aid as they face violence, displacement, and loss. 

The Canada Post strikes slowed the arrival of gifts during this critical time of year. Will you help?

Your support will empower persecuted believers through Bibles, training, relief aid, trauma counselling, and more. 

Give a year-end gift