Featured Stories Archive | Page 2 of 4

The Hidden Persecution of Christian Women

Life is hard for women in Iran. For women who convert to Christianity, it’s worse. But even amid danger, women are strengthening each other.

Tears rolled down Sahar’s face as she was driven away from the family home. The pain was overwhelming and she cried out to God – “Why are you allowing this to happen?”

Sahar, a new convert to Christianity, was thrown out of her home when her husband discovered her faith. Separation from her two young children was heart-breaking. But while Sahar’s suffering was devastating, it’s not unusual. Christian women who’ve converted from Islam, both in Iran and around the world, face intense persecution.

Growing up in Iran in a Muslim family, Sahar felt empty. For decades, she searched for God. It was only when her sister-in-law gave her a New Testament Bible that Sahar found peace.

“I read it from cover to cover, and when I closed the book I felt a calmness covering my spirit, soul and life. I was transformed through Christ.”

But in choosing to follow Jesus, Sahar took an enormous risk.

Iran is the eighth most dangerous place in the world to be a Christian, according to the 2023 World Watch List. And women from the Middle East and North Africa, who’ve converted from Islam, are among the most persecuted believers in the world. For women, persecution is hidden, complex and violent… Forced marriage, divorce, rape and physical beatings all happen behind closed doors.

It means millions of women and girls suffer in silence.

Sahar was imprisoned for her faith but today, she lives in Turkey and ministers to other persecuted Christian women. This is only possible with your support. Your gifts and prayers can give courage and confidence to persecuted women. Through discipleship training and trauma care, they can be strengthened and equipped to reach their God-given potential.

Will you see the hidden persecution of Christian women and equip them for change?

Please Pray for Sahar and her family. Ask God to use her as a powerful witness to Christ’s love among other Iranian women.

Discover how persecution impacts women. Read the 2023 Gender Report, available here.

Give a Gift to strengthen persecuted women like Sahar.

$30 could provide three persecuted women with a Bible in her language.
$45 could help a woman or girl receive trauma care so she can heal and realize her God-given identity and worth.
$60 could train four women to withstand persecution with courage and confidence.

Extreme Love

Open Doors workers risk everything to stand with persecuted Christians. But it can only happen with your support.

Rebecca* speeds along a darkened track in illegal transportation, deep in the Chinese countryside. She’s on her way to a secret location to visit her ‘sisters’, a group of North Korean women who’ve fled or been trafficked into China.

The trip is fraught with danger. But for Rebecca, it’s worth it – because the women she’s meeting are risking everything to follow Jesus.

“Others like me have been caught and imprisoned,” says Rebecca. “But it’s a risk I’m willing to take to share the gospel. After all, the women take a far worse risk in coming to hear it.”

Rebecca is one of Open Doors extraordinary workers ministering to Christians who face increasingly extreme and violent persecution. In the top 10 most dangerous places in the world to follow Jesus, believers can be imprisoned, brutally tortured or even killed if their faith is discovered.

Extreme persecution demands extreme love

Today, more Christians are murdered for their faith than at any time in the last 30 years. It’s shocking – but it doesn’t deter the North Korean refugee women. “The ladies have a really miserable life,” says Sister J*, who works alongside Rebecca. “But even though they are suffering and hiding, they are overflowing with joy and hope in Christ.”

For decades, Open Doors has been standing with North Korean believers. Today, your support and prayers are needed more than ever.

As Rebecca arrives at her secret meeting place, there’s a jolt of fear. This gathering is so risky. But extreme persecution demands extreme love – and Rebecca would choose nothing else.

“God compels our love, despite the danger. Being with the women is my greatest joy,” she says. “I would make the journey every time. Even for one.”

Will you stand with Christians risking everything to follow Jesus?

Please Pray

Will you stand with your persecuted family in North Korea through prayer? Pray for God’s protection on workers like Rebecca, courageously supporting persecuted Christians.

Please Give

In places like North Korea, Afghanistan, Iran, Eritrea and Somalia, Christians urgently need practical and spiritual support. Your gift today can supply vital aid, and your prayers will strengthen faith and bring hope.

Children of the persecuted church

Persecution shapes children’s lives – and Christmas is marked by extra danger. But you can give a gift of hope to children this year.

Fifteen-year-old Valentina is home for Christmas. It’s extra special because she hasn’t seen her family for a year.

But this moment of joy will be brief.

Soon, Valentina will travel for 15 hours to the Open Doors Children’s Centre in Colombia, where she lives and goes to school. Why? Because it’s too dangerous for her to stay. Valentina lived in her community with her family: her parents and her siblings, a sister, and a younger brother. However, faced with the persecution they suffered for following Jesus, her parents decided to send her to the Children’s Center because it allows children of persecuted Christians in the country to receive education and spiritual, psychological, and emotional support, as well as being safe from the dangers they face in their communities.

In this part of Colombia, the indigenous Páez community is hostile toward Christians. Girls are at risk of sexual assault, trafficking and forced marriage. Boys are recruited by criminal guerrilla groups. And because Valentina’s father, Francisco, is a church leader – she’s a key target for persecution.

Deciding to Valentina to school

Separation from parents is a cruel tactic of persecution used against Christian children right around the world. In 84% of countries where persecution is most acute, children are likely to be separated from their parents. Sometimes it’s enforced – a child may be taken from their family. Sometimes, it’s the only choice.

“We were told we had no right to education or health care,” said Francisco. “We were desperate. We needed to get our children out.” After talking as a family, Francisco and Luz – Valentina’s mother – decided to ask for help and send their daughter to the Children’s Center.

Although at first, it was difficult to leave the family and the change was radical, Valentina enjoys her time at the Children’s Center: “I was kind of sad because I missed them, but now I don’t want to leave here anymore. I felt that I had no freedom where I lived, and I always wanted to get out of there.”

During the four years she was at the Children’s Center, her life was radically transformed. For her, being there saved her life in many ways: “I don’t know if it would exist if I still lived there, or I’d be lost. Maybe I would have taken the easy ways out, as a quick fix.” Leaving home not only kept her from being recruited by the guerrillas, but it also motivated her walk with Christ and developed artistic skills she didn’t realize she had.

But, something she shared is that, with the support of Open Doors donors, she was able to undergo surgery for a heart condition that affected her health and put her life at risk. Despite missing her family, Valentina recognizes that this is God’s plan for her life: “Well, I’ve always understood that everything in this life has a purpose…” Of course, she misses her family a lot and that’s why Christmas becomes a time of reunion with loved ones.

Coming home For Christmas

Christmas brings you the peace of mind of seeing your family safe and sound. For Valentina, this is a time to spend time with her loved ones before starting a new school year and heading back to the children’s center. “For me, the best Christmas is when I’m with my family,” she says. Christmas is a time to return to her local church and enjoy worshiping, fasting and praising God together.

Across the world, there’s an urgent and ongoing need to protect and provide for children affected by persecution. Valentina was sent to Open Doors’ Children’s Centre where she’s safe and is being educated. She fears for her family – but has hope for the future. “I’ve always understood that everything in life has a purpose,” says Valentina.

This Christmas, Valentina’s joy will be overshadowed by the danger of being home. Children everywhere face persecution which is harsh and isolating. But your gift of hope can offer safety, schooling, and a future to children of the persecuted church.

Please pray for Valentina, and the many other persecuted children this Christmas

Pray for her future and the future of the next generation. May God keep their hearts and minds on Him, so that they will not be discouraged.
Pray for their families. May God protect them in their community and strengthen their faith amid the struggle they face daily.
May God transform the heart of those who persecute Christians.
Pray for the Open Doors Children’s Centre in Colombia and praise God for the work being done in this place.

Unshakeable Faith

Mehr*, a Christian woman, lies in the street, bloodied and unconscious. Her clothes are torn, her injuries are critical and there are strangulation marks around her neck.

This is a picture of persecution in India. It’s violent, targeted and carefully orchestrated. But beyond the brutality, there’s another story. A story of defiant, courageous, unshakeable faith.

Because, thanks to the support and prayers of the global church, Mehr is recovering and filled with hope for the future. “Jesus is everything to me,” she says.

Intense persecution

Mehr grew up in a Hindu family – so when she chose to follow Jesus, it came at a huge cost. Persecution has been rising in India since 2014 as Hindu extremists attempt to ‘cleanse’ the country of Christian influence. Believers are attacked on all sides. Social media is used to stir up hatred, access to work, healthcare and justice is restricted, and the level of violence is shocking.

Mehr was attacked in the street. “They beat me mercilessly and tried to strangle me with a cloth,” recalls Mehr, with tears in her eyes. She was rushed to hospital – but persecution followed. Attackers bribed the doctors, and Mehr was refused treatment. She felt hopeless and even contemplated suicide. Her world was shaken.

Restored by love

But thanks to people like you, Mehr was not alone. Your generous support paid for Mehr’s medical bills and moved her to a hospital where Christians were welcomed. Open Doors church partners provided groceries and other aid – and support the family even now.

Because of this, Mehr’s faith remains unshaken.

“God sent you as divine helpers. When everything looked dark, your prayers uplifted me,” said Mehr. “Thank you so much. Surely my cup overflows with blessings.”

Believers need you when persecution shakes their world. With your prayers and support, their faith remains unshakeable. Please, will you help India’s Christians remain unshaken in faith by praying and, if you are able, by giving today?

Today, Mehr has extraordinary faith. She speaks of her ‘unexplainable joy in Christ’ and prays her persecutors would experience Jesus. This is the vital impact of your support and prayers. India’s Christians live with the daily threat of persecution – but because of you, their faith remains unshaken.

“God’s plan for my life is big and I will be used for His glory,” said Mehr.

*Name changed to protect her identity

Open Homes, Open Doors

In Central Asia, every time you open your home to someone seeking Jesus, you risk inviting in persecution. Your support keeps the door open to the Gospel – and you are family to isolated believers.

Ruslan* is sitting around a table, in an ordinary family kitchen, with a group of new believers who have converted from Islam. They appear to be quietly drinking tea.

But really, they are worshipping. These secret believers are praising God with all their hearts, filled with love for Jesus and each other.

This is Central Asia**, where Christians face rejection, punishment, violence and even death – and where church leaders like Ruslan risk persecution every time they open their homes.

Waves of persecution

Across this region, Muslims are coming to faith in Christ. But the decision to follow Jesus comes with a high cost. “Persecution is a growing wave,” says Ruslan. “It starts small then builds up.” Ruslan’s home is routinely vandalized and his daughter was attacked.

In one village, Muslim clerics made life impossible for new believers. Converts were told: your children can no longer attend school, your cattle cannot eat the grass of Muslim livestock, and you cannot have water to irrigate your fields. For these families, their very survival is a struggle.

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Every $100 could support a Christian family struggling because of persecution, by providing financial aid for things like medical bills, and training them for work. Make a secure donation here.

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Inviting in

But still, Ruslan, a church leader for 16 years, won’t stop sharing his faith. He opens his home to anyone wanting to explore Christianity and visits isolated believers across the country. Ruslan knows many homes where Jesus is secretly worshipped behind closed doors.

It’s dangerous work – but without this vital support, new believers may become disheartened and lose their faith. In the same way, Ruslan depends on support from people like you. “Thanks to your prayers and support, we are able to survive in this hostile environment,” he said.

“An answer from the Lord.”

For more than a decade, your generous support has strengthened Ruslan’s faith and ministry. “You took the first step to find me,” said Ruslan, “and you helped me personally when I could not afford medical treatment.”

When isolated believers were banished from their community, Open Doors provided life-saving aid, including water, food and tools or training in a new trade.

For Ruslan, you are family sent by God. “What you do is essential,” he said. “You are not ordinary people, but an answer from the Lord.”

Will you help keep the door open to the Gospel in Central Asia? Please pray and consider supporting for the long term. You can make a secure donation here.

*Name changed to protect his identity

** We can’t tell you the name of the country we are working in for reasons of security

Pastor Andrew: “I Never Thought We’d Worship Again”

After a devastating attack by Boko Haram, one Christian community picks up the pieces and rebuilds to remain a light in Nigeria through the help of your prayer and support.

Pastor Andrew walks the dirt path, just wide enough for two people, toward his church in Guyaku, Nigeria. There are tall grasses on his left, waving in the morning breeze, and there’s a large outcropping of boulders on his right.

Entering the church, the women wear colourful dresses with blooming flowers and bright patterns, their heads wrapped in traditional scarves called geles. The men wear a mix of western clothing and long sokoto shirts that come to the knees.

When worship begins, the church comes alive with clapping, rhythmic African choruses, steel drums and heartfelt dancing. The music thrums and pours out the square windows and into the radiant morning light.

It’s truly a miracle they’re here and worshipping together.

In 2015, the extremist group Boko Haram violently attacked the Christians in Guyaku, killing several believers and burning all but six of their houses. “I lost hope that we would come together to worship God again because our Church was destroyed,” Pastor Andrew shares.

They Came at Night

Pastor Andrew remembers the church treasurer running into his home on the night of the attack, saying, “Boko Haram is attacking Guyaku!” When Pastor Andrew stepped out into the night, there were rows of houses on fire.

“Fire was consuming the entire village,” Pastor Andrew says. “We ran for our lives and went to hide under the mountains.”

As he hid under the mountains with others, Pastor Andrew whispered a specific prayer for his people. “During the time of the attack, my prayer for my members was that God will strengthen their faith,” he says. “And even if they are abducted, they should not deny Christ but hold firmly to their faith.”

Like Pastor Andrew, many Christians hid in caves and waited out the long night, hoping and praying their loved ones survived. And in the morning, everyone cautiously left their hiding places and tried to locate family members.

When they entered Guyaku, the scene was devastating. The heavy smell of smoke rose through the air, and the homes continued to smoulder. Boko Haram had stolen their possessions, and what they couldn’t take, they burned.

“The persecution was so much that I never imagined we would come together again to worship in the church,” Pastor Andrew says. “We lost everything.”

Finding the Strength to Rebuild

Pastor Andrew and the other church leaders tried to encourage the people to trust in the Lord and rebuild their homes and remain in Guyaku, but many of the Christians, now homeless, fled to nearby towns.

However, over time, as the remaining Christians began to repair their walls and resettle, more believers returned.

At one point, Pastor Andrew knew it was time to gather again. “I called the attention of some of the church members, and we brought all our burnt zinc together and some sticks to make a worship place,” he says.

And it was under that make-shift roof of burnt zinc, walls thatched with sticks from the forest and log benches balanced on rocks, that God resurrected the church.

Partnering Together for Hope

As soon as Open Doors heard about the attack, we rushed to help serve the church with emergency relief, food aid, trauma counselling and the support needed to rebuild.

“After the attacks, you were the first to come and help each family with food support. Not only did you give us food, but you also brought trauma healing teachings to us. We organized various groups in our region, and you came down to us to teach us,” Pastor Andrew says.

“We received both spiritual and physical support from you.”

Pastor Andrew’s experience represents the stories of thousands of Christians across Nigeria who risk their lives to call themselves Christians. Today, more Christians are killed for their faith in Nigeria than in any other country in the world. In addition, violent attacks by Boko Haram and other Islamic extremist groups are common in the country’s north, and Middle Belt—and are becoming more common farther south.

For persecuted Christians, the needs are significant across the country. Your prayer and support go towards helping Christian leaders, like Pastor Andrew, pick up the pieces and rebuild after deadly attacks.

Boko Haram’s objective is clear—to wipe out every Christian presence in the region—but God is rebuilding these communities stronger than when they started through your help.

One Church, One Family

“If you had not come here with your support and trainings, I don’t know how the Christians would have been. But God brought [Open Doors] at just the right time.”

“My heart is filled with joy to express my gratitude,” Pastor Andrew adds. “If there were a word greater than thank you, I would have said it. But, because of you, they are living hopeful thinking of the kingdom of heaven.”

Today, they have a new church building, and their congregation is larger than it was even before the attack. What Satan sought to destroy, God multiplied.

After the church service, Pastor Andrew walks down the steps of his new church and back into the Nigerian sun as he greets many of his members. Then, with a broad smile, he shakes hands—holding his Bible close to his side.

When asked if the attack has weakened his resolve or made him fearful of following Jesus and leading his people, Pastor Andrew gives a simple but powerful reply, “Come what may; I won’t turn back because I know there is a reward that awaits me.”

Through your prayer and support, Pastor Andrew and his church members know they’re not alone, and the Body of Christ across the world stands with them. But there are so many more persecuted Christians, just like the Christians of Guyaku, who need prayer, emergency relief, ongoing support and critical trauma care.

You Can Help

Will you prayerfully consider giving a generous gift to help strengthen persecuted Christians in sub-Saharan Africa like Pastor Andrew today?

Interview: God shows his faithfulness to North Korean believers

Brother Simon on supporting North Korean believers

We interviewed Brother Simon*, the coordinator for our ministry among North Korean believers, about the basic situation for Christians in North Korea, the vision of the Church, and the impact of our work. He talks about the impact of the continuing COVID-19 pandemic, the behaviour of Kim Jong-un, and how your support and prayers are enabling our work with North Koreans to continue.

What effects has the COVID-19 pandemic had on North Korea?

In February 2020, the North Korean border was completely closed in an attempt to keep the virus out of the country, and all transportation and movement were prohibited in North Korea. North Korea was already struggling with the UN sanctions, and these strong border controls and travel restrictions made the North Korean economy even worse than ever, stopping trade and goods from being brought into the country. The smuggling routes were also blocked, and a lot of people rely on the goods smuggled in and sold on the black market. Prices of the few goods that were available, such as food and fuel, went up by 300 or 400 percent.

Since then, a limited amount of transportation has been allowed again, and the smuggling routes also became partially available. But still, the North Korean citizens are in a desperate situation. More than half of North Korea’s citizens are only able to eat one meal a day, and that one meal is not normal food, but are substitute foodstuffs.

The situation is so bad that Kim Jong-un’s government officially mentioned the severe food shortages during the party’s annual conference. Kim Jong-un tried to temporarily reduce the hunger of the North Korean citizens by releasing military stockpiles – North Korea usually operates a ‘military first’ policy when distributing resources. But there wasn’t as much food stockpiled as the military had reported, so the food supply to normal people was not provided properly.

What do you make of Kim Jong-un’s recent behaviour, such as apologizing for the food crisis and firing high-level officials?

Kim Jong-un cannot help but admit that the internal economic situation in North Korea is difficult and that the internal food supply situation is serious. Kim Jong-un has absolute power, which means he is fully responsible for that.

Strong opposition and dissatisfaction against Kim Jong-un are mounting among officials from all walks of life in North Korea. This is not official, but unusual things are already happening here and there. Ordinary North Korean citizens are also forced to carry out various orders from the North Korean regime, but their complaints are mounting.

In this situation, there is a possibility that unexpected sudden changes could occur in North Korea. At the same time, the Kim regime has survived for more than 70 years. We should help the North Korean church to be prepared for whatever might happen.

The situation for civilians in North Korea is getting worse.

How has the pandemic affected our work with North Koreans?

When the borders were closed, this made it even more difficult than usual for our North Korean brothers and sisters to come to China and receive supplies and training from our networks, but our work became a little easier again once the border controls were relaxed a little. Our distribution projects, providing food and medicines for North Korean Christians, have been very significant in supporting their survival during this desperate situation in North Korea, and we have increased the amount we are providing.

While the border closing meant that fewer people could leave North Korea, it also meant that people who had left before the pandemic then couldn’t get back into North Korea. In this way, God provided a new opportunity for our workers to contact these North Koreans who were stuck outside of North Korea and to provide them with shelter in our safe houses, practical support, as well as biblical training.

Our field workers in China have faced travel restrictions due to COVID-19 which have been challenging. Once the vaccine became available travel became easier, but then the delta variant has led to greater travel restrictions once again.

Even during such difficult times, God continues to show us His faithfulness.

How many North Koreans do we support?

Via our safe houses and our network in China, we support over 60,000 North Koreans with practical aid such as food, medicines, clothes and Christian materials, and tens of thousands of believers listen to the radio programs that we transmit into North Korea.

What is your vision for the work with North Koreans?

Our vision for 2022 is to expand our work and reach even more North Koreans with practical and spiritual support. We are planning to open more contact points close to the border where we can meet with North Koreans. We are also hoping to find and support more workers who will dedicate themselves to this ministry. Through various secret channels, we strive to serve as God’s faithful servants by maximizing our capacities.

All of this is part of the advancement of God’s Kingdom in Asia. He has revealed to the North Korean Christians that He’s purifying their church. That’s what persecution does: it purifies the faith of the believers. One day, this Communist nightmare will be over and the North Korean followers of Jesus will join their South Korean and Chinese brothers to spread the Gospel throughout Asia, reaching even the darkest places.

Only God knows when this time will come. We know that when North Korea changes, the Church will be under a lot of pressure. A lot of people will search for the truth and the Christians will have to be ready to tell them about the Truth. But there will also be new temptations and traps for Christians. For this reason, I’m already developing materials and training to help them prepare.

Can you tell us about the biblical training we give to North Korean Christians in our safehouses?

The biblical training at the safe houses depends on the level of knowledge of our North Korean visitors. Generally, we focus on basic knowledge of the Bible. If they have been trained before, we train them in leadership so that they may be able to lead the secret North Korean churches when they go back to North Korea.

The daily schedule starts with morning prayer and closes with evening prayer. The North Korean believers study the Bible in the daytime and read various Christian books on their own. The local workers regularly visit the safehouses for prayer meetings, Bible studies and biblical mentoring.

Can you tell us about our work with North Korean women who have been trafficked into China?

Many North Korean women are promised work in China, and they often leave North Korea with the intention of returning with the money they hope to earn. But frequently they are trafficked and sold into marriage with Chinese men, or worse.

Our workers are able to reach out to these women with the love of Jesus, and they run several Bible study groups for these women.

COVID-19 and the associated travel restrictions have caused serious difficulties for this ministry, but our workers continue to serve the sisters, helped by local churches.

Recently, it has been even more difficult to travel the areas where the meetings take place, but we have been able to train a small number of North Korean sisters whose faith has grown enough to start taking care of other sisters. This is a good strategy during this chaotic season. After the travel regulations are lifted, our workers plan to restart visiting our North Korean sisters.

It is still an ongoing task for us to find more female workers to take care of this ministry. We have been looking for the right people.

Can you tell us about the radio ministry?

This is the ministry area that has been able to continue without much difficulty amid the COVID-19 pandemic. We broadcast Christian radio programs into North Korea in the middle of the night, so that believers can listen to them secretly.

These days the programs are aired five times a week. I provide a sermon once a week. Two to three North Koreans participate in each program, and by God’s amazing grace, not one of them has been infected by the virus. We have been given God’s special help for the ministry during this difficult season.

The radio ministry continues to serve those isolated underground believers with the Word of Life. We must continue this ministry to fulfill the spiritual hunger of the underground believers of North Korea.

Is there a message you would like to share with Open Doors supporters who have been praying and giving to help North Korean believers?

Despite the difficulties throughout the coronavirus pandemic, our brothers and sisters around the world are not shaken. They continue to serve not only the underground believers of North Korea but all the persecuted believers of the world. I would like to send great gratitude and respect to all the supporters of Open Doors.

As the underground believers and leaders of North Korean churches struggle to survive each day, they are encouraged by the prayers and gifts from the supporters. All the devotion, sacrifice, and faith of the numerous supporters will be answered by God thirty times, sixty times, and a hundred times over, with fruits that will be ripe in the North Korean mission field. As all of you strived to help the weakest part of the body of Christ during the most difficult time, I believe all you brothers and sisters of the world will be blessed as Jesus says, “Well done, my good and trustworthy servant!”

*Name changed for security reasons

Fleeing for her life

Open Doors recently spoke to one of our frontline partners about a secret Afghan believer who had to run for her life after the departure of the international troops. He shared her heartbreaking story:

Zabi* is an Afghan refugee who had to flee Afghanistan after the Taliban take over. She’s single, still quite young and well-educated. She was active in the area of human rights and therefore a target for the Taliban. They may know that she’s a Christian already because five years ago they killed her father for his faith after they had tortured him for several months. Only two years ago, her brother also disappeared. Like Zabi, he was a believer. We don’t know if she has other siblings, but Zabi’s mother is still alive. She’s not a believer.

Zabi is in desperate need. The country where she stays doesn’t help her and may even expel her back to Afghanistan, where her life would be in grave danger. When the international forces left, Zabi was among the people they should have taken. However, she was left behind and she had to run for her life.

God led our frontline partners to her. They are now in regular contact with Zabi. We have encouraged her, prayed with her, given her food. We pay the rent of her apartment and have given her some money so that she is currently safe and able to survive. We’ll continue to help her, although we don’t know what her future will hold for her.

Will she flee to a third country, build a life there and work for the human rights of the Afghan people from another country? Will she go into hiding in the country where she is now? Will she go back at the risk of being martyred, just like her father and brother? Only God knows how Zabi’s story will end.

It’s hard to imagine all Zabi has been through. Understandably, she has great fears for the future – but thanks to people like you, Open Doors partners can support her with emergency food, shelter and prayer. So many other vulnerable believers around the world need the same urgent help.

Open Doors has launched a year of prayer for Afghanistan and we are starting with a special 30 days of prayer. Download your guide here.

Christmas without Dad

Although she spends Christmas without her dad, eleven-year-old Rafif is learning more about the saviour that her father died for.

Christmas is a time of gathering with family and celebrating the birth of Jesus. But because of the courageous faith in that same Jesus, Christians all over the world have empty seats at their Christmas tables. One of those empty seats is in the house of Rafif (11) from Iraq. Her father was killed in a violent attack on Christians, leaving Rafif to grow up experiencing Christmas without her dad. Christian education classes, supported by Open Doors through a local partner, help Rafif stay strong through the storms of persecution.

Reindeer ears, a glitter dress, and a big smile: Rafif is 100% ready for Christmas. Rafif shows us the house where she lives with her mother and her grandparents. She stands on her toes to add the peak ornament to the Christmas tree and points us to the jolly Christmas ornaments that are everywhere: “Christmas is always lovely,” says Rafif: “you giggle, you laugh and most importantly you spend time with the people who you love.”

Due to persecution, there is one empty chair in Rafif’s house. Every year, she spends Christmas without her dad. Rafif kneels next to a nativity scene situated in a paper Mache cave. There is hay, puppets representing Joseph and Mary and, of course, baby Jesus in his manger. “My father made this,” Rafif says while carefully adjusting some figures in the scene. “I never knew him, but by setting up this nativity scene each year, I feel he’s there with Christmas a little bit.”

Eleven years ago, when Rafif was still in her mother’s womb, Raddif went out for what seemed to be a normal day of work in his shop near the University of Mosul. It was not. And Raddif saw it quicker than anyone else: explosives ready to detonate near the arrival place of the buses that carried Christian students from the surrounding village to the University, the only one in the region at the time.

“When he saw the bomb, he ran towards the bus and shouted and waved at them.” Rafif tells us “He told them, don’t move or we will all be dead.” The bus drivers listened to Raddif: they all stopped. Because of Raddif’s heroic action, only one of the targeted young Christians died. But he paid with his life: Rafif’s father died before ever seeing his daughter.

Centre of Hope

On another day, we join Rafif at her church, colourfully decorated for Christmas. Parents are dropping off their children and some are staying to chat with each other for a little bit, while the children run to their friends immediately. For Rafif these moments can be painful. “I miss my dad. Especially when I hear my friends talk and say ‘my dad did this with me, my dad brought me that,’” she explains. “I have asked God: ‘Why did You take my father away? Why did You do this?’”

While most children still have their father, none of the children running around here today is a stranger to persecution. At their young age, the children here are between 8 and 12 years old, all share horrifying memories of the Islamic extremists of IS overtaking the Nineveh Plain in 2014.

While for some the memory might be as mild as ‘just’ seeing their church change into a refugee camp overnight, others will still have nightmares about men taking even the few coins from their pockets after already having to leave everything behind. Many children never returned to the house they fled from. Rafif, for instance, comes from Mosul, a place still deemed too unsafe for Christians to return.

For the tens of thousands of Christian children in Iraq, it is essential to build a relationship with the Saviour born in a manger starting from an early age, because persecution was in the past, but it is also in the present and might fire up again in more extreme ways in the future. That is why Open Doors invests in these children with the help of local partners and churches. This Christian education class is one of the ways in which the children are encouraged to grow in their relationship with the Lord and stand strong through the storm.

The headteacher, Moshriq, leads the 20 teachers who educate the children in this Centre of Hope. “We divided the children into age groups. We tell them stories, but we also do activities so that they feel like they are part of the story. If we don’t support these children spiritually, they will not be able to overcome the pain and suffering that they encounter.”

“It is important for the children to feel at home in the church and make the stories their own,” Moshriq says. “We start eight weeks before Christmas, sending them daily online lessons about the story and the meaning of Christmas. We also continue our weekly meetings. We then help the children to tell the story of Christmas in their own words, or through a little play. On Christmas day, they then contribute to the service.”

The lessons help Rafif reflect on what happened with her father. “There are stories in the Bible where people save the lives of other people,” says Rafif. Then she jumps up in excitement: “When I hear those stories I think, ‘Hey, that is my dad! He also died to save the lives of others, just like the special people in the Bible.’” The Bible has become more and more familiar for Rafif due to the classes: “You know, whenever I feel like I am not in the right place, I read the Bible. That gives me confidence that I am in the right place.”

Millions of Children Are Persecuted

Rafif knows that Iraq is not the only place where children are persecuted for their faith. All over the world millions of children miss their parents, face violence or are discriminated against for their faith. With a wisdom that is unusual for children her age, Rafif says, “Every one of those kids should have a Christian education class like I do. They need to know their roots and they need to know what the truth is, what the reason is they suffer.” Then she continues, speaking from her heart about her own experience: “The most important thing I have learned in Christian education class is that God is always there for me, He never leaves me.”

Then it is time for teacher Moshriq to gather the children who find a place and grab their music sheets, perfectly socially distancing in the pews. In all the darkness of this country filled with persecution, the children have found their spark: Jesus who came to this earth and still is with us.

Nearly killed for Jesus – but closer to him than ever.

My daughter.

That was all that Sara* could think about just before she fainted in the street on the dreadful day she was attacked. Her daughter was home alone, and what would she do if her mother would never return? But while her attacker kept insulting her, “Dirty Christian, die!” her eyes became blurry and everything went black.

It’s a miracle that Sara is sitting in front of us today. Her daughter, whom she was so worried about, sits next to her; together they giggle and make jokes. It’s hard to believe that not so long ago Sara was in the emergency room of the hospital and the doctors were close to giving up on her. She brought printed pictures of her wounds. It’s difficult to look at: large, deep cuts, drowned in blood. But for Sara, these pictures have become part of her testimony: God saved her from death.

Sara shares that in the days before the attack she had felt a strange worry inside of her. Something was about to happen she told her daughter, but she wasn’t quite sure what. Still, she didn’t feel scared going into the street to buy groceries. The street she had to be in was busy and brightly lit. Not wearing a veil, she was clearly recognizable as a Christian woman, but that had never been a problem before.

Like she often did when she was out, Sara was repeatedly praying the Lord’s prayer in her head walking towards the shop. Then suddenly she felt a sharp object hitting her body. ‘Dirty Christian, die!’ she heard a man shouting while her legs started trembling. “I didn’t feel pain at first,” Sara tells us. “I must have been in shock. I felt a lot of blood was coming out of my body and I just started dabbing it with my scarf, but it was too much.”

Sara later heard what happened next from the people that witnessed the attack. While Sara fainted, the attacker, dressed in the typical white clothes of Islamic extremist Salafists, continued threatening her. While a crowd had gathered by now, he didn’t feel the need to flee. Maybe he knew that what he did wouldn’t have big consequences. “The attacker hasn’t been held accountable for his actions,” says Sara. “This worries me because this time it was me, but what if next time it is my daughter?”

Sara’s story isn’t unique.

Each year men and women in Egypt are attacked for their faith by extremists. Sometimes the attacks are so serious that the victims nearly die. And at least once a year a victim actually passes away. While the Egyptian authorities strongly disapprove of this persecution, many extremists still get away with their deeds: they are declared mentally ill and released or are protected by allies working in the police force that simply don’t investigate the case.

As for Sara and her daughter, they still avoid the street the attack happened on. They might be more afraid, but they are certainly not bitter. Sara isn’t angry at the attacker. She forgave him and prays for him regularly: “I hope that God will touch his heart,” she says with a smile.

The main change in her life since the attack? Her relationship with the Lord. Sara’s face lights up when she talks about Jesus. It’s difficult to explain for her what it is exactly that changed, but she has felt like Jesus has been with her the whole process. “It’s a feeling of inner peace, an inner love,” she says. She is now rejoicing in what she has in Christ each day. “If someone is willing to kill me for my faith, my God must be powerful,” she says.

*Pseudonym used for security reasons.

Son of a Sheikh becomes a Child of God

Where would your hope lie if you lost your home? Or your family, relatives and entire community? If you were rejected by your siblings? Called names by your parents and even threatened to be killed by your closest friends?

Anwar’s answer is “I have hope in Jesus”.

Anwar, 25, is a young man from the suburbs of Syria, where he lived in a simple community of around 700 people. His community was all from Alawite background, a branch of Islam. Their leader is the Sheikh, a very strict and extreme follower of the Alawite traditions whose duties include officiating prayers, funerals, marriages and religious judgment. Anwar is the Sheikh’s son.

Growing up in a the sheikh’s family has made Anwar very well known in the village. “My childhood memories are very annoying to me, I was excluded and didn’t have many friends, I would spend hours on my phone, but I was also very religious, I would pray with my dad and imitate his moves”.

“When I turned 15, I started asking my dad serious questions about the Alawite religion. I was very curious about who Allah really was, does he love me? And what should I do to please him? Unfortunately, my father wouldn’t answer me, he would tell me ‘You’ll know more when you grow up.’”

Anwar was always told he needed to wait. Wait for a certain age, wait till he would memorize a certain prayer, wait till he follows a certain rule, until waiting was no longer an answer for him.

The Alawite faith is very secretive, Anwar explains that it is even not allowed for women to learn the secrets of that religion, only the men who go through series of training, and of a certain age. At one point, he started watching documentaries about religions. “I was sure that Christianity is a lie and I was convinced that it is a wrong faith because to us Christians are deluded, they worship a human not a God, they are infidels.”

Anwar is taught by his parents and community that he shouldn’t be friends with a Christian. “I wasn’t supposed to let any Christian enter my life, they were said to have a way of convincing people to join their false religion, but as I grew up and went to college, I met a Christian girl.” Anwar mocked this girl when she told him about the gospel, how Jesus died and was risen from the dead to save humankind. “I didn’t believe a word she said, especially when she told me that He is alive now and I can ask him myself.”

With the war raging in Syria, Anwar faced many difficulties. He was postponing his mandatory military service using his student alibi, but at that time he was failing his classes and risking being expelled from college. His health, both physically and mentally, was deteriorating; he had severe stomach pains and was suffering from loneliness as he was living alone in the family’s second house in the main district. “I went through deep depression, and above all, the Christian girl kept talking to me about Jesus which made the pressure even higher. At that point I believed that Allah hated me, and I hated him for allowing all this to happen to me, I wanted to end my life.” Anwar looked for a way out of his miserable life, he thought he had no future, no hope.

But God had another plan for him.

“My friend said ‘If you want to end your life then you have nothing to lose, why not try to talk to Jesus and see what he has to tell you?’ so I thought to myself, if it doesn’t work then I can still kill myself, so why not try this? She taught me how to pray and I went into my room and I remember thinking that I was a crazy person for talking to myself. At first nothing changed but after a while I became addicted to knowing Jesus. I started watching videos, listening to worship songs and sermons, I completely forgot about suicide. One day I was talking to Him and I remember I started crying, I poured my heart out to Him, and suddenly I wasn’t alone anymore, I have a friend, Jesus.”

Anwar started reading the gospel of John. God was talking to him through the Bible, spiritual songs, and sermons. “I fell in love with Jesus, He is my best friend, I don’t talk to my family, I just talk to Him about everything.”

His newfound faith gave him such joy, but it was coupled with fear of his family finding out the truth about his conversion. “If they found out the truth I would be in danger, I could be killed, kicked out of the house, deprived of my inheritance and disowned”. Anwar couldn’t utter the word ‘Jesus’ in front of them. He rememberd the storeis he had heard about people who converted and got slaughtered, attacked or imprisoned. “I remember when my friend took me to the church for the first time in the city, I didn’t hear the sermon nor the songs, I was preoccupied by the fear of someone recognizing me and telling my family.”

Eventually word got out that Anwar was attending a church. As the son of a Shiekh, the news spread like wildfire, reaching his parents. “I heard that my mother had a nervous breakdown, and I called my siblings but they didn’t pick up, I called everyone and no one answered, after few hours my sister called and she was crying, she said ‘Don’t ever come back here, my mother is in the hospital because of you, you are no longer my brother’ wasn’t your faith enough for you, you have no honour’ and she hung up on me.”

Anwar’s family kicked him out of the house he was living in. He came to the city and had no place to go. He contacted his friend who connected him with the local church, which partners with Open Doors. Open Doors was able to help Anwar rent the room he lives in currently. Anwar then began the process of finding a job to help him live on his own.

Anwar’s friend works at the Open Doors Centre of Hope in Syria. She shared his case with the management and he was employed at the Centre where he teaches English to grades 5-8. “They helped me in my hardest conditions, this was a new hope for me, a new start and new opportunity for the future”.

Anwar favourite part is to talk to children about Jesus, they pray together at the beginning of every day. “The Centre of Hope gave me a new beginning in my life, after my old family became like strangers to me. I had nothing to belong to, I was alone. Now I’ve met a new family in the church…we laugh together, we share our thoughts and time with each other. If it wasn’t for the centre I don’t know what I would do, I think I would be homeless, hungry and alone.”

“Jesus is everything to me, when I had no one, He was with me, my brother, my companion, my best friend. I talk to him all the time, I rely on him, Jesus truly saved my life. When I wanted to kill myself, He pulled me back and gave me hope for the future, when things go wrong, I escape to Jesus. I know He has a good plan for my life…I don’t want to live a second without Jesus, and I say to all the people who are going through the same circumstances ‘Have courage and trust the Lord because it’s worth it, it’s really worth everything.”

Anwar continues to pray for his family and friends, that they will experience the freedom and purpose he found in following Jesus.

“If Not for God we would have been dead.”

‘If not for God we would have been dead’ – God’s protection and your support help Vinita survive persecution

“It is written in God’s Word, ‘When you follow me, people will persecute you,'” says Vinita*, a Christian from a Hindu background from India. Her life shows that this is true. Vinita and her young family have faced discrimination, threats, and violent attacks by Hindu extremists from their community since they decided to follow Jesus. Their persecutors say that they are following a ‘foreign god.’

But reading about persecution in John 15 doesn’t scare Vinita. She says, “From these verses we gain the strength and assurance that God is with us.” Your prayers and support have shown Vinita that she is not alone or forgotten, and you are helping her stay strong in the face of every challenge.

Vinita is in her mid-20s. She runs a small shop in her home, and her husband works in a factory. They have a baby girl, who is a year old.

Vinita came to faith through a friend from a previous job. “Initially I did not believe, but every day at lunch time she shared the gospel. Then slowly I started to grow in the Lord.”

Finding faith in Jesus made a big difference to Vinita’s life. “Before coming to the Lord I had lot of troubles and all kind of difficulties,” she says. “When I came to the Lord, I had a peace of mind that nobody else offered.”

At first, her husband wasn’t so sure about his new faith. So she prayed for him – and her prayers were answered. “He also accepted Christ and got baptized.” Her sister Isha* also came to faith after seeing the change in Vinita’s life.

She wanted to share the peace she had found in Christ with even more people, but not everyone was happy about this. “I tried to share the gospel to many, but they did not listen. They spoke badly to me saying, ‘You are worshipping a foreign God instead of our god and goddesses.’

“Our neighbor caused a lot of troubles for us. They created a mess in front of our gate by throwing garbage. They looked for reasons to fight and to create a rift between us.

“Still, we did not take any notice and ignored them. I never gave up – my job was to share the Word of God.”

‘Armed with rods’

But one day, the attacks on Vinita and her family became more extreme.

“My sister was returning back from work when my neighbors started a fight with her. She tried to escape, but they started to beat her. I went to rescue her and they hit me too.”

Not only did her neighbours physically attack Vinita and Isha – they then went to the police and accused Vinita and Isha of attacking them.

“When we went to the police station, the police did not help us because the attackers had already bribed them with money, and they are well acquainted with influential people.”

Their injuries weren’t serious, but Vinita and Isha were shaken by this attack, and worried about the false case that had been filed against them. They called their pastor, and he came with his daughter and his wife, Preetha*, to pray with them.

But when the Hindu extremists from Vinita’s community heard that a pastor had come to Vinita’s house, they decided to come and finish what they had started.

“Eight or nine men from the neighborhood barged into the house. They were armed with rods in their hands.

“For almost 30 mins they were hitting us and breaking things. They were running after me and beating me. They were stamping us with their legs.

“While they were beating me, I was holding my 6-month-old daughter in my arms. They snatched her and threw her down.

“I felt that today we would not be spared.

“My life was saved as I rushed into my neighbour’s house. They were shouting, ‘Bring her out!’ But God protected me and my life was spared. If not for God we would have been dead.”

‘We could not receive treatment’

Somehow, everyone survived the brutal attack. Most amazingly of all, Vinita’s baby girl escaped with just a few scratches on her legs.

But Vinita and the others were more seriously hurt. “My head was injured, and I have deep injuries near my hip and on my shoulders. My sister sustained serious head injuries. My pastor’s daughter was also hurt on her hands and legs. They hit our pastor’s wife.”

It was the pastor’s wife, Preetha*, who was in the most critical condition. When one of the men went to hit her with a metal rod, she lifted her hand to protect her head from the blow. She was knocked unconscious, and her hand was almost cut in half. She also had a broken leg and other internal injuries.

“Somehow, I took everyone and together we went to the hospital,” Vinita says.

“When we were admitted to the hospital we could not receive treatment, because there was pressure from the attackers.”

The extremists had already tried to kill them with fists and rods – and now they were preventing the Christians from receiving life-saving treatment.

“The pastor’s wife was very serious. I prayed for God’s quick healing upon her. I prayed, ‘Father, you alone show your power and heal us.'”

God answered Vinita’s prayers – but perhaps not in the way she expected. “Partners from Open Doors came forward to help us. They took us to another hospital and got us treated and paid our hospital expenses.”

It was your prayers and support that made this possible – and it saved Preetha’s life. “If the partners did not help, my pastor’s wife would have died.”

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‘This gave me hope’

Your prayers and support are helping Open Doors local partners to continue to support Vinita after the attack on her family.

“When I went back home, I saw that they had broken all the items (in my shop). I felt dejected. I was not able to understand how I would move forward and run the shop.

“By the grace of God, partners from Open Doors gave me new items for my shop. This gave me hope that I can run my shop and earn. So I want to thank them.”

Your support is also providing legal support, to help fight the false case brought against Vinita and Isha, and to lodge a case against their attackers. “Pray that we may win the case,” Vinita asks.

On top of the persecution they have faced, Vinita and her family are also facing the challenges of the covid-19 pandemic. Your support is helping them to survive this crisis as well. “When quarantine started my husband’s and my work came to a stand still. We faced hardship as we had no money and no groceries. I used to pray, ‘O Lord, please bless us so that we can afford some food for survival.’ I also prayed for those brothers and sisters who would be suffering like us during the lockdown.

“God took care of our needs. Partners from Open Doors helped us with our daily grocery needs.”

Vinita doesn’t know what the future holds. Covid-19 may continue to affect the family’s income, and they still face threats from their community. “Even now they threaten us and say, ‘We will not let you stay here.’ They say they will drive us out of the place and makes us beg.”

But your support and prayers will enable Open Doors local partners to continue to provide Vinita and her family with the help and encouragement they need. Our local partners are also working with Vinita and her family to see if there is a safer place where they can live. She says, “To those people who have helped me, I would like to thank them for the help.”

Persecution in India

The attack on Vinita was not an isolated one. While Open Doors local partners hoped that the COVID-19 lockdowns would lead to fewer attacks on Christians, this sadly was not the case – hundreds of believers were physically attacked because of their faith last year in India. Vinita is just one of many believers who have faced violence because of their faith in Jesus.

Alongside violent attacks, many more Christians in India also experience discrimination – and this can be just as deadly. Thousands of believers were denied government food aid during the covid-19 lockdowns because of their faith, and would have starved to death without help from Open Doors local partners. Not only was Preetha, the wife of Vinita’s pastor, almost beaten death – medical professionals in a government hospital also refused to treat her, and would have let her die, simply because she is a Christian.

Pastor Samuel*, an Open Doors local partner, says, “This is something very common in India. When (the Christians) are brought to the hospital, mostly the hospital deny the medical help to those people. And the police take a lot of time in registering their cases. These people suffer a lot.”

This is why your prayers and support are so vital. You are helping to provide life-saving support, such as paying for private medical treatment for those who are attacked, and bringing vital food aid to those denied government aid. And you are providing legal training and support, so that Christians in India can seek justice when they face discrimination and violence.

Pastor Samuel says, “My dear brothers and sisters, we are all able to do what we are doing only because you are praying, because you are supporting. Thank you so much for all your prayers, all your support, everything you are doing for the persecuted church.”

‘I learn to forgive my enemies’

After everything that Vinita has been through, including having her baby girl snatched from her arms, it would be understandable if she felt hatred towards her persecutors. But she says, “When Jesus left this world, He said, ‘Father, these people do not know what they are doing. Forgive them.’ From this verse, I learn to forgive my enemies. And I pray that the attackers have a change of heart.”

When asked if she has ever thought of leaving her faith so that the persecution will end, she says, “I have never thought we will leave God, because God safeguarded us and helped us. I will never leave the Lord.”

If she met others who were going through persecution, she says she would tell them, “Hardships come when we follow God, but God helps and brings us out from difficulties. If we leave God, our situation will only get worse. Remain in Christ Jesus who sustains us and He will bless you.

“We have peace only in Christ Jesus, so do not leave Him. Peace in Christ is found nowhere else.”

Please pray for Vinita and her family. She says, “Pray for my daughter and my whole family that we may be safe. We live in fear that they might do something to us. Pray, as they still threaten us, that the threats will stop.

“Pray for us to be strong in faith, to be fearless.

“I am also thankful to God for blessing us immensely. Even in our difficult situation our Father has helped us.”