Greg Yoder with ministry Keys for Kids says, “Many of the people who are Muslim within the nation, moderate or not, hate the Taliban. They don’t like that form of Islam.” 

Since retaking control of Afghanistan in 2021, the Taliban has required women to wear full-body veils and have male chaperones. The Taliban’s supreme leader has repeatedly called for complete obedience to his directives as a matter of national and religious obligation. Greg Yoder says he is hearing stories of portions of villages being wiped out for not agreeing with the Taliban’s form of Islam. 

Another path

Image courtesy of Keys for Kids

In a country of public floggings, oppression, and fear, people are looking for a message of hope. 

“But then when they hear about God being a loving God who wants to have a relationship with you — that’s beyond what they ever imagined in their form of Islam. That’s when it starts changing,” Yoder says. 

Keys for Kids distributes solar-powered MP3s called Storytellers that have an audio Bible. God opened the door for them into Afghanistan when a former member of the Taliban came to faith in Christ and started bringing the Storytellers across the border. 

Yoder tells the story of an 11-year-old orphan boy. He learned about Jesus, took the Gospel to his village, and brought his imam to faith. It marked the beginning of a church planted in that village. More than 23 churches have been planted in that one region alone since 2025 thanks to the Storytellers. 

A heavy cost

Yet the risk is high for converts and missionaries.

Image courtesy of Keys for Kids

“If they come to faith in Jesus Christ as a Muslim, that’s death, that’s apostasy,” Yoder says. 

One evangelist was stabbed for sharing Storytellers at a mosque. He survived, and now he wants to return. 

Yoder shares the man’s words: “Now I’m going to go back and tell them, ‘You can’t stab me, because you tried that before and God protected me, so you need to listen to the Gospel.’” 

Pray for Afghanistan

Pray for Keys for Kids’ indigenous partners in the country. They risk their lives every time they share the Good News. In the midst of these dark realities, pray for protection, courage, and wisdom for believers, and ask God that those affected by the Taliban’s persecution would come to know Jesus. You can donate to the Keys for Kids program to be part of what God is doing in Afghanistan. 

“God is at work, and hearts are open in Afghanistan,” Yoder says.

Header image courtesy of Keys for Kids

The talks raise an important question: what do they signal about the potential legitimization of Taliban authorities?

Greg Kelley with Unknown Nations says, “I think every country, with maybe the exception of Russia, is tiptoeing around the Taliban. Russia is really the only one that I’m aware of that has legitimized the Taliban in any kind of a formal way. Everybody else is sort of acknowledging them. They might have interest. Some are reopening embassies and things of that nature.

Taliban fighters patrol Kabul, August 2021.
(Wikimedia Commons: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Taliban_Humvee_in_Kabul,_August_2021_(cropped).png)

“But nobody is in favor of how the Taliban operates. I mean, you’re talking about incredible amounts of human rights violations.”

It’s a disturbing reality for Afghan Christians going back.

“Almost all Christians inside of Afghanistan are what we call MBB – Muslim background believers,” says Kelley. “So they’ve converted from Islam, which, from their perspective and their version of Islam, is total apostasy, which is a capital crime. So I mean, living inside of Afghanistan as a follower of Jesus is maybe the most difficult place in the world to do so.”

Despite the danger, Kelley says ministries are finding ways to equip believers for outreach.

“There’s tremendous opportunities to train Afghans who are in these other countries who are ultimately going to be going back. I mean, Pakistan has pushed [out] hundreds of thousands of Afghans, deported them back. At Unknown Nations, we saw that as a green light opportunity and began doubling down on our strategies of training Afghans.

“We’ve trained over 800 Afghans – Christian leaders who are now missionaries inside of Afghanistan.”

Afghanistan (Photo courtesy of Rahmat Alizada/Unsplash.)

Pray for the Gospel’s spread in Afghanistan. Kelley asks for prayer in the words of Jesus from Matthew 9:38, “Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into His harvest.”

Kelley says, “How crazy is this, that the Lord of the harvest would equip Afghans…to go back into Afghanistan? That’s what we’re doing at Unknown Nations – coming alongside these precious men and women, giving them as many solar-powered audio Bibles as we can in their language [so that] there will be revival in Afghanistan.

“There is such a hunger among the Afghan diaspora that is scattered all over the place, and they want to go back into their country and share the good news of Jesus Christ.”

Header photo: EU flags waving in front of the European Commission building in Brussels, Belgium. (Photo, caption courtesy of Marco/Pexels)

The arrests aren’t a surprise under Afghanistan’s de-facto authorities, the Taliban. Many women were subsequently released, the United Nations reports. But what happened after the arrests was unusual. 

On June 9, dozens of people in the city of Herat protested on the streets on behalf of the detained women. 

Local sources say the Taliban responded by shooting at demonstrators, killing at least two and wounding others. 

“The Taliban has a pretty strict and severe hand in punishment,” Floyd Brobbel with Voice of the Martyrs Canada. “So [it] just tells you that if there’s such an unrest that people are willing to take the risk and rise up, there is certainly a deep resentment and unrest within the population.” 

Since returning to power in 2021, the Taliban has severely restricted women’s access to education, jobs, and freedom in society.

Some women in Herat, Afghanistan have had to add surgical masks to conceal their faces, according to a report from Asia News. (Photo courtesy of Mustafa via Unsplash)

“They certainly can’t be wearing makeup and showing their faces in public, and of course, the strict dress code and limited education. These protests were against these laws and regulations that the Taliban have put in place.”

For followers of Christ as well, dangers abound. 

“And yet many of them are finding ways to reach out to their neighbors, reach out to people that they feel that they can trust, people that they have relationships with. So the gospel really goes forward by relationship.” 

Pray for continued resilience for Afghan believers. Those who have converted from Islam are labeled apostates and are liable to be killed if their faith is discovered. 

“I always pray in their case, obscurity, that they would be hidden from the eyes of Taliban authorities and leaders. That they would be able to have influence within their spheres of influence — which may be small,” says Brobbel, “but if each Christian reaches their sphere of influence and disciples them to reach a new sphere, what you see is that the gospel continues to grow at the grassroots level. That’s something that’s very exciting and something that can spread pretty quickly.” 

He adds, “Pray for leaders that would be able to disciple well a new generation of Christians that are coming up.”

Header photo of women and children in Afghanistan is a stock photo courtesy of Wanman Uthmaniyyah via Unsplash.

Contrary to projections that it would end swiftly, the US-Israeli war on Iran is in its fourth month. John Cergnilia with SAT-7 remarks, “To be frank about it, I don’t hear Iranian colleagues talking about this being short-lived.” 

SAT-7 is a satellite TV ministry to the Middle East and North Africa. Its Persian channel (SAT-7 PARS) broadcasts into Iran, Afghanistan, and Tajikistan. 

Cerniglia says that the SAT-7 PARS team has heard stories of horrific injustice from Iranians on the ground. Yet Iranian believers also have a sober grasp of what it means to be a Christian. 

One colleague from Iran told Cerniglia simply this: “Following Christ means sacrifice. It means suffering.” 

Recently, the SAT-7 team has shared content especially for grieving or struggling parents. Children in Iran have been killed in US airstrikes and crackdowns by the Iranian regime. Many today are being recruited for military-like security activities. 

“Even when — this is hard for me to even say — even when a Christian in Iran loses a child, they expect it as a Jesus-follower,” Cerniglia says. “Sacrifice and suffering in that context.”

Some contact SAT-7 PARS Audience Relations Specialists at great personal risk to ask for prayer and share their stories. (Image courtesy SAT-7)

SAT-7 PARS content for parents includes a poignant video compilation of how parents have expressed both grief and resilience in the face of loss. SAT-7 has also broadcast a three-episode series called The Passage. One episode talks about how parents can walk their kids through the emotional pressures of war. 

Please stand with Iranians in prayer. 

“Pray for protection over civilians — not just Christians, but over all civilians, 80 million people living in the country of Iran. [Pray for] restraint and wisdom among leaders,” says Cerniglia. 

“And of course, [pray] that God would strengthen the churches and believers. The resilience that we hear about the Church, the spiritual maturity of the Church in Iran, is nothing short of stunning.”

Visit SAT-7’s website to receive a prayer list with further requests.

Header photo of home worship courtesy of SAT-7 PARS.

But that is something they deeply desire to have. Greg Yoder with Keys for Kids Ministries says, “Most of these kids are struggling with just having peace.”

He explains, “There have been tremendous amounts of war, rumors of war, terrorist activity in Afghanistan.”

Afghan children (Photo courtesy of KFK)

This instability has driven many people to seek peace for this life and beyond in the prevailing religion. However, often used as a tool within the dominant system, it has largely produced fear and uncertainty about one’s worth and eternity. It has also shaped childhood for many.

So when God opened the door for Keys for Kids Ministries to enter Afghanistan, He also provided people willing to distribute Gospel materials there — including devotionals and solar-powered MP3 players loaded with the Audio Bible and Keys for Kids stories.

“It’s designed to allow them to listen, in a kind of an entertaining way, to the story, but then the story points them back to Scripture,” says Yoder.

Testimonies from local partners

In one case, an 11-year-old Afghan boy was living in an orphanage after his parents were killed in a suicide bombing. While in the orphanage, he was also trying to support his three siblings. But one event change his life forever.

Representative photo: Traditional Afghan Attire in Rural Setting (Photo courtesy of Faruk Tokluoğlu via Pexels)

“He was asked to be a child actor on our storytellers,” says Yoder.

Though the boy knew the Quran by heart, it did not give him peace. But as he learned more through stories about Jesus, he encountered the unconditional love and hope of Christ. He accepted the Gospel and began sharing it with other children in the orphanage. But that’s not all.

“He went back to his own village,” adds Yoder, “and he shared the Gospel with one of the village elders, and he came to faith in Christ!”

Another testimony, Yoder says, is of parents being saved through these materials. When children listen, their families listen too — and they begin to seek the same peace and hope.

Afghan kids play with a kite (Photo courtesy of Farid Ershad via Unsplash)

“Since it’s such a simplistic way of explaining biblical truth, the adults are understanding it. It’s speaking to them!” says Yoder.

So, this impact is being seen not only in the lives of children, but also in their families and communities — which is why many churches are being planted across the nation.

You can help bring the Gospel to more Afghan communities! Support Keys for Kids Ministries, and also pray for the courage and wisdom of those sharing these Gospel tools in Afghanistan. They often risk their health and lives to bring the Gospel to their nation and need your faithful intercession.

Header photo: Afghan kids play with a kite (Photo courtesy of Farid Ershad via Unsplash).

Kabul, Afghanistan (Photo courtesy of Mohammad Husaini via Unsplash)

The roots of the conflict between the two nations stretch back decades. Pakistan accuses its neighbor of harboring the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), a terrorist group that wreaks havoc in Pakistan. But Afghanistan’s Taliban government denies this. 

Yet Pakistan’s concern about terrorism is solidly grounded. In 2025, Pakistan had the highest number of deaths in the world due to terrorism (1,139). See the 2026 briefing from the Institute for Economics & Peace here.

“This is a very complex situation and conflict between Afghanistan and Pakistan, because both sides have very serious concerns,” says Nehemiah with FMI. “Both parties are blaming each other for certain terrorism activities and being more liberal towards the Quran and Islam.” 

Ordinary people have paid the price for the dispute, especially in Afghanistan. The United Nations reports that since February 26, 2026 when Pakistan led airstrikes on TTP camps, the conflict has killed at least 289 civilians in Afghanistan. Last week, a Pakistani strike on a drug rehabilitation center in Kabul, Afghanistan, likely killed and injured hundreds of people. Investigations into that attack are still underway as of this writing. 

“The facility served some of the most vulnerable individuals in society,” says Nehemiah. “Its destruction highlights the severe humanitarian cost of this conflict.” 

Ministry continues under pressure

For gospel workers in both Afghanistan and Pakistan, Nehemiah says security risks have increased, but so too has the spiritual openness of those they serve.

Pakistan (Photo courtesy of FMI)

“Many are more willing than ever to listen, ask questions, and seek truth beyond what they have known,” Nehemiah says. “This is such a defining moment for the ministry, especially in Afghanistan, because recently we have done a distribution of Pashto and Dari audio Bibles in Afghanistan.”

He says FMI hears incredible stories of people coming to faith. 

“These people [have been] in a war situation for over four decades,” he says. “They want to have a peace and hope in their life. This is the best time to tell them that Jesus is the Prince of Peace, and they can find hope only in one person, and His name is Isa al-Masih, Jesus Christ.”

Still, Nehemiah says FMI’s partners are “sitting on gunpowder.”

“I am grateful for our partners who work in such hostile conditions,” he says. “Their faithfulness, their willingness, their stewardship… It’s remarkable.”

Prayer changes the story

Pray for de-escalation and peace between Pakistan and Afghanistan.

“Pray for wisdom and courage for ministry workers as they navigate complex situations,” says Nehemiah. “Pray for healing and comfort for families affected by violence on both sides. Pray that many would encounter the hope, love, and peace of Christ in the midst of this suffering.”

He adds that there has been a recent encouraging answer to prayer. 

“We were praying to have something ongoing, or a very serious effort to have a church planting training or sessions in Afghanistan.”

Nehemiah explains that many believers there have never been to a Bible college (or other highly organized group) where they can learn about God’s Word and strategies for spreading the gospel.

“By the grace of God, we are able to start church-planting training and a group of people in Afghanistan. We have been praying for the situation for many, many years, especially in this war-torn society, especially [during the] last three weeks or month [of war],” he says. 

Header photo is a stock image from Afghanistan, courtesy of Rahmat Alizada via Unsplash.

Iraq (Photo courtesy of Jonathan Ramalho via Unsplash)

On February 28, 2026 the United States and Israel attacked Iran. Since then, Iran has fired retaliatory strikes against Israel and against US assets in at least eight other countries: Bahrain, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates.

“We forget that people are dying right now and people are being killed and life is disrupted,” says Fadi Sharaiha with the MENA Leadership Center.

Each man, woman, and child killed in strikes since February 28 was made in God’s image. They are not numbers.

“In the Gulf now, it’s a war zone. It’s not only, by the way, the US bases, but also Iran is bombing even civilian entities and facilities,” says Sharaiha. “As a Middle-Eastern evangelical Christian, I really grieve the violence happening in the region. War brings suffering to ordinary people on every side.”

Kuwait (Photo courtesy of Frans Van Heerden via Pexels)

Sharaiha recognizes the polarizing effect of much of today’s media. Yet being polarized isn’t the role Christians are supposed to fill. 

“[One,] we remind ourselves that God is sitting on the throne,” he says. “Two, people are people, and they have faces. And the third thing, please remember that our role as a church is really to pray for the situation and ask God to interfere in a way that is amazing, that He would use whatever is happening to His glory, for the kingdom, and for expanding the gospel.”

Pray — and pray personally

Peace across the region, wisdom for leaders, and the spread of the gospel are places to start. Prayer for Iran’s future is also critical, as it is in a historic moment that could go many different directions. 

“If the regime is collapsing in Iran, my prayer is that if it is happening, that we will have Plan B, because what we don’t want to have is Iraq or Afghanistan,” says Sharaiha.

Iran (Photo courtesy of Zahra Amiri via Unsplash)

Iraq and Afghanistan are both neighbors of Iran. They have experienced decades of instability, with deeply complex combinations of terrorism, power vacuums, US military involvement, and other factors.

As you pray, Sharaiha urges you to have a real person’s face in mind. This will likely require an adventure. If you don’t already know people from Middle Eastern nations, go out into your community and try to find them — perhaps a local franchise or community center will give you this chance. 

“Get to know them, so that you will have a face next to the [country] name, next to that number,” says Sharaiha.

If all else fails, look up stories, prayer videos, or data from ministries such as Open Doors International, Prayercast, and Joshua Project.

Lebanon (Photo courtesy of Nathan McBride via Unsplash)

Finally, please also pray for discernment for the MENA Leadership Center as they navigate the developing conflict. Last week, the ministry offered an online training on Coaching for Success. Sharaiha says fifty people attended “from all countries in the MENA that are being affected right now.” This showed him that the training was meeting a real need, even in a time of open hostilities. 

Learn more here about the MENA Leadership Center and the role it plays for the Church across the MENA region.

Header image in Iran is a stock photo courtesy of Saba Ardani via Unsplash.

The fighting follows Pakistan’s controversial airstrikes on Afghan territory over the weekend. 

Nehemiah with FMI explains the bigger picture of those strikes: “Pakistan is blaming Afghanistan that terrorists are using their soil to attack Pakistan,” he says. However, Afghanistan’s Taliban administration denies this, saying that Pakistan’s own failures are to blame for its security crises.

Wherever the blame lies, a real problem remains. A series of deadly suicide bombings has shaken Pakistan this month. The worst was the February 6 attack on an Islamabad mosque, which killed at least 32 people and injured 170 more. 

“It was described as the deadliest attack in Islamabad in more than a decade, and the deadliest nationwide since the January 2023 Peshawar mosque bombing,” says Nehemiah. 

Pakistan says its weekend airstrikes targeted suspected hideouts for two terrorist groups: the Pakistani Taliban (Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan, or TTP), and Islamic State of Khorasan Province (ISKP). Islamabad has blamed Afghanistan for not taking action against groups like these. However, Kabul says Pakistan’s weekend strikes did not kill 70-80 militant fighters; instead, they say Pakistan hit civilian buildings and killed or injured dozens, including women and children.

More instability for believers to face

Pakistan and Afghanistan share culture, food, and language, says Nehemiah. But their good relationship has deteriorated since the Taliban took over Afghanistan in 2021. Since then, Pakistan has dealt with rising militancy concerns. In 2025 alone, there were 2,425 incidents, according to data from Armed Conflict Location & Event Data (ACLED).

A gospel worker in Pakistan (Photo courtesy of FMI)

“This escalating tension deeply affects our ministry in both countries,” says Nehemiah. He says FMI partners face travel limitations, communication disruption, and security concerns during times like these. It makes discipleship and outreach even more complex. Stand with these gospel workers in prayer. 

“Pray for boldness and wisdom, that believers would minister with discernment, courage, and sensitivity in such an unpredictable environment,” says Nehemiah. “Pray for gospel opportunities that even in the midst of this situation, instability, God would use suffering to draw many to Himself and strengthen His church.”

Learn more here about FMI’s work of supporting local, indigenous missionaries across the world.

Header photo: Stock photo courtesy of Amar Preciado via Pexels. 

The opening of the Lord’s Prayer — “Our Father in heaven” — can sound revolutionary to many people, especially in religions where God isn’t seen as personal or close. Nehemiah with FMI says this message carries vital meaning for people in Afghanistan.

He shares the story of Maqbool.

An example of a house in eastern Afghanistan, Nuristan Province (Photo courtesy of Mustafa via Unsplash)

His father was martyred in Afghanistan for the faith in Christ. Later, extremists burned Maqbool’s home and all his possessions. Instead of breaking him, the tragedy taught Maqbool to rely on God as his Father.

Nehemiah says, “Today, he introduces other fatherless children and families to the same Heavenly Father he has come to know.”

One such story includes Sami, an 11-year-old orphaned by the Taliban and sold into slavery. He worked more than 20 hours a day, barely bringing home enough food to feed his siblings. When Maqbool met him, he knew the Gospel had to be practical.

“When Maqbool learned of Sami’s situation,” Nehemiah adds, “he did not just speak about Jesus, he lived the Gospel. Moved by compassion, Maqbool paid the ransom to free Sami from bondage!”

The act stunned the local tribal chief, who asked who this Jesus is. Maqbool replied, “Jesus is the one true God. He teaches me to love, to serve, and to care for people like Sami. And he does not call us to war or violence, but to peace and joy. He is the reason I am here.”

Touched, the chief allowed Maqbool to teach the community about Christ. The village even hosted a movie night to watch the Jesus film.

Representative photo: Traditional Afghan Attire in Rural Setting (Photo courtesy of Faruk Tokluoğlu via Pexels)

“About 70 men, women, and children gathered to watch, hearing in their own language the story of the Redeemer — the One who frees people from both physical and spiritual bondage,” Nehemiah says.

Find your place in the story. Continue Maqbool’s work through prayerful intercession for Sami, other fatherless boys, the tribal chief, and the people in the village. Pray they would grow in the love of their Heavenly Father.

The work in Afghanistan is challenging. A recent attack on Lala Zeeshan is a reminder that evangelists often pay a high price to bring the Gospel to their people. You can help by supporting FMI’s work — including practical needs like transportation:

“Help them with buying transportation — motorbikes, four wheels, whatever they can do,” Nehemiah says. “This is a great opportunity to help our brothers who work in very, very hostile conditions.”

Header representative photo of an Afghan boy (Photo courtesy of Sayed Rashid Khan via Pexels).

“Gospel has no boundaries, and Gospel is limitless to any country,” says Nehemiah from FMI. And testimonies coming from Afghanistan show that God is on the move. Yet, the Gospel work often comes with a price.

One of those testimonies comes from Lala Zeeshan, a Muslim-background believer who was baptized two years ago. Since then, he has faithfully served alongside the FMI team, helping distribute audio Bibles across Afghanistan so people can hear Scripture in a format that fits the realities of life under pressure and limited access.

Representative photo of Badakhshan, Afghanistan (courtesy of Joel Heard via Unsplash)

That kind of ministry carries risk. When Lala Zeeshan came to Christ, people from his former religious community attacked him.

“His arm and one of his ribs were broken due to persecution by members of a former faith community, Islam, and there was a Muslim extremist who wanted to kill him. Even then he chose to publicly declare his faith in Jesus,” explains Nehemiah.

Despite those threats, he continued serving — until a recent attack.

“During the current Audio Bible distribution campaign in Afghanistan, Lala Zeeshan was brutally attacked by extremists because of his involvement in sharing God’s word,” says Nehemiah.

According to FMI, the assault left him with multiple stab wounds to the lower abdomen and serious injuries. With limited medical facilities available locally, he was given initial emergency care and then transported out of the country for further treatment. By God’s grace, he survived the attack and reached a place where he could receive more comprehensive help.

“This attack is a sobering reminder of the very real cost many believers faced for following Jesus Christ and making His Word known,” adds Nehemiah.

Nehemiah says this situation needs focused prayer from the global Church — not only for Lala Zeeshan’s physical recovery, but also for protection and perseverance for believers serving under constant threat. He says:

“It’s an urgent prayer request for our listeners, please [pray for the] complete healing of Lala Zeeshan’s body and protection from infection or complications.”

Pray for the endurance of Afghan believers as they share God’s love with their communities, and for open hearts as Scripture reaches new areas through audio Bible distribution.

Visit FMI to support their work in Afghanistan.

Header photo: Street scene in Kabul, Afghanistan ( courtesy of Farid Ershad via Unsplash)