Indigenous ministries supported by Christian Aid Mission are on the ground in the regions most affected and are standing by to receive help.

“Many people, like the elderly, children, and lactating mothers are dying silently in their homes due to starvation.” -ministry leader in Uganda

“In arid areas, animals are dying…and people are eating wild seeds because there is no food,” a ministry leader in Kenya said. “Brethren this is urgent! We need your support and prayers that God may enable us to be part of the rescue team with whatever we can provide.”

Please don’t wait. Lives are hanging in the balance. Coming alongside a ministry like Christian Aid Mission will help rescue people’s lives in Jesus’ name. Take action here.

Header image courtesy of Christian Aid Mission.

“The pastor took the risk to evangelize in this area and led 20 people to the Lord,” the leader said. “The village authorities were shocked, and the police came to drive the pastor away – with the threat to arrest him, if he returned.”

The pastor told the ministry leader and others at a conference that he was not frightened by the threats.

“He plans to go back again to follow-up with Bibles and MP3 players,” the leader said. “Please pray for this pastor.”

The spread of the gospel on MP3 players in Laos has been so effective that officials and local people have begun to revile villagers who listen to them. A pastor from an area where Christians have long faced threats of arrest, denial of school for their children and loss of agricultural loans and other government benefits said opposition to the digital audio players has surfaced.

Among the comments from villagers or officials opposed to the MP3 players:

“We will start to fine you if we hear any more of those messages.”
“That machine spreads nonsense and things against traditional belief.”
“Do not ever turn on the MP3 players that spread false lies.”
“It is ridiculous to listen to.”

In the face of such opposition, the pastor said he refused to turn off his MP3 player and ignored the threats.

At a recent training seminar, pastors and church elders sharing about the intense opposition they have faced expressed their thankfulness for the MP3 players, which are loaded with 400 Khmu-language messages.

“They expressed how they are an impactful tool for evangelism and spiritual nourishment,” the leader said.

The gospel is spreading also through other means; at a recent medical outreach to nearly 1,600 patients, more than 200 people put their faith in Christ as Lord and Savior, he said.

Native Christian workers are bringing the love of Christ to people throughout the country in spite of persecution. If you’d like to help equip and encourage them, click here.

As workers began building trust with the Muslim refugee from a country in the Middle East, she told them how she had married at 14 and that her husband had physically abused her, a ministry leader said.

She divorced him, but they were living together again for the sake of the children – though he continued to verbally abuse her, she told the ministry leaders. Workers then learned why she continued to visit, as “she started telling us how much love and peace she felt every time she came to our office,” one of the two leaders said.

“She would often come to our offices and break down,” she said. “She would cry for her bad past life and for all that she was going through with her husband. She would confide in us that she doesn’t trust him at all, and that he was doing things behind her back.”

“She would cry for her bad past life and for all that she was going through with her husband.”

Though a hard-core Muslim, the woman was open to the Christian workers praying for her and indicated that, during their prayers, she had an intense sense of God’s presence. Workers had the opportunity to share verses from the Bible, and she said she sometimes read it along with the Koran.

Believers tend to the urgent physical, legal, medical, emotional, and educational needs of refugees in Europe – all opening numerous opportunities to lead them to Christ.
(Photo, caption courtesy of Christian Aid Mission)

“Sometimes she asks questions about Bible verses, and our social worker has built a close relationship with her and has taken the opportunity to share something more from the Bible,” the leader said.

Workers pray that God will give her a special revelation that will make such a difference that she will not be able to deny Christ, she said.

“We often pray with her,” she said. “She comes not because she needs something but just because she feels the love that we show her. We explain that the love she feels is from God. She comes to visit as if we are her family. We believe that God will use this in a unique way to touch not only her life but also her ex-husband, who seems to have a sketchy line of activities.”

Dreams and Miracles

Workers providing such legal orientation along with humanitarian aid have daily opportunities to share the gospel with refugees.

Besides sharing in individual meetings with people in their offices, they also tell of Christ’s atoning sacrifice in Bible studies and home visits, and they recently started a youth group where both teenagers and elementary school children heard the gospel.

Through Zoom and WhatsApp calls, the leaders continue to disciple refugees who have gone on to other European countries; joining one call was the sister of a ministry leader from Iraq who is being trained as a church planter in Germany.

Refugees receiving aid often ask to know more about Jesus, and workers have ample opportunities to lead them to Christ in Bible studies, home visits, and talks via Zoom.
(Photo, caption courtesy of Christian Aid Mission)

The woman in Iraq, Sara*, had suffered burns similar to what the co-leader in Greece had suffered in his native Syria. He shared about how Christ had helped him and then asked her to put her hand on her burned knee while they prayed for healing.

After prayer, she remained still, then revealed that she had felt something like an electric current from her head to her toes. The leader told her more about Christ and said she would begin to have dreams.

She later told him she’d had two dreams. In one the leader was pulling a rope tied to her to make her jump across the canal to his side; in the second, a woman put the mark of a cross in blood on her forehead.

Sara wanted to tell these dreams to her son, who was in Germany and who – unbeknownst to her – her brother and the ministry leader had led to faith in Christ. The leader encouraged her to share the dream with her son.

“She started sharing with him,” the other leader said. “The son, who is a believer but hadn’t revealed this to any of his family, told the leader, ‘My mother is trying to evangelize me!’”

There are other members of the family in Germany who have put their trust in Christ, the leaders said.

“They are afraid of revealing this one to the other,” one said. “It is going to be awesome when they will come to the knowledge that, beyond their blood relation, they all share faith in Jesus due to the covenant He made with us through His blood!”

Local missionaries in Europe are proclaiming the message of salvation in Christ with refugees who have suffered deep loss. Help workers bring them Gospel hope.

*Name changed for security reasons

Header and story images courtesy of Christian Aid Mission.

After several trips to proclaim Christ to villagers deep in a jungle called El Impenetrable in northern Argentina’s Chaco Province, the tribal evangelist was the only one who had learned how to get to their hamlet, the leader of his native ministry said.

“He was happy and grateful because he was able to travel again on these difficult paths that only he knows,” the leader said.

Returning to the area this summer to share the gospel and bring discipleship materials to a small church plant, the worker first mounted a motorcycle into a canoe to enter the jungle reserve on the Bermejo River. Negotiating river currents in a motorcycle-bearing canoe was risky, the native ministry leader said.

“We give glory to God for the courage of our brother who keeps going, and nothing stops him.”

After disembarking, the worker knew the path would narrow quickly.

“The road can only be traveled by motorcycle,” the leader said. “There is no possibility that a truck can enter, because it is very narrow and dangerous. We give glory to God for the courage of our brother who keeps going, and nothing stops him.”

For 10 hours the worker made his way through thick foliage amid wild animals to reach the destitute tribal people, he said.

“As the name El Impenetrable indicates, the difficulty of traveling is due to its wild and dense vegetation,” the leader said. “It’s a risk; the abundance of cacti, bushes and animals such as jaguars, pumas and vipers are a threat to those who try to walk through it.”

Native ethnic groups in the area eke out a precarious existence, with food scarce, malnutrition widespread and sanitary conditions poor, he said.

“The needs are extreme in every way,” the leader said. “Our missionary knows every route and how to reach the indigenous people of this place to bring the Good News of the gospel and show the love of Christ to this remote area.”

In the course of six months, Gospel workers led more than 100 people to eternal life in Christ. Local missionaries need donations to undertake such Gospel outreaches and follow up with new believers.
(Photo, caption courtesy of Christian Aid Mission)

With hand-made benches placed beneath trees, the congregation gathered to hear God’s Word.

“They worship Christ regardless of whether the heat or the cold hits them,” the leader said. “Without luxuries or modern constructions, our missionary preached the Word of God. Many people, crying and broken, received Christ in their hearts after the message and evangelistic materials were delivered.”

The Lord delivered the worker from all evil and danger, and he was deeply grateful for the opportunity, the leader said.

“We thank God for his life and ministry, his service to God and his commitment,” he said.

Mission Accomplished

The local missionary, whose name is withheld for security reasons, visited several jungle communities on the trip despite forecasts of rain and harsh heat, the leader said.

“After making a journey of several days preaching the gospel in various places and villages of El Impenetrable, he returned to his home very tired,” he said. “He fulfilled his commitment before God. He is grateful to the Lord for allowing him to travel again and preach the gospel, since in the time of the pandemic it was impossible to leave.”

Tribal people have experienced God’s love in various ways thanks to the ministry, including meeting emergency medical needs, offering basic health care, sending those who need greater care to a city hospital and providing medicines. A local official was grateful for these outreaches and has lent his support, the ministry leader said.

“The hospital authorities and staff, moved and grateful, thanked God for this, since medicines are scarce, and patients otherwise cannot continue their treatments,” he said. “Let us pray to the Lord for new projects and continuity of the good relationship with local authorities, in order to be well received to continue witnessing for Christ.”

Families in Argentina came to know the love of God when workers provided food through “communal pots.”
(Photo, caption courtesy of Christian Aid Mission)

Tribal workers have also reached non-tribal people. A 49-year-old Argentinian of mainly Spanish descent recently approached the tribal missionary in tears, saying he did not know how to get free of depression. The workers spoke to him about the love of Christ, and the man humbly received Him into his heart.

“This testimony is very important, since in the region where our ethnic missionary serves, it is very difficult for a person who is not an aboriginal person to seek advice from an indigenous person and approach him,” the leader said. “The Holy Spirit worked in the life of this man, opening his heart without distinction of race or color. Double miracle – hallelujah!”

Such dedicated local missionaries are working throughout Argentina. Help them bring Christ’s love to the lost.

Header and story images courtesy of Christian Aid Mission.

Kassim Mahdi* had grown up watching ISIS militants destroy buildings and lives in his hometown, the leader of a native ministry said.

“He saw many of his friends and relatives killed, and he did not believe that God sent His messengers in this way,” the leader said.

Believing only Satan would send people to inflict such harm, Mahdi became an outspoken critic of Islam and was targeted as an infidel who must be killed.

“He did not know anything about Christianity, but this accusation of being an infidel aroused his curiosity to know more about Christ,” the leader said.

“He fled with his family to a camp for the displaced, where he obtained a Bible, got to know the Lord, and surrendered his life to Christ.”

Later obtaining a government position as a teacher, he was assigned to the area where captured ISIS fighters had been relocated. Many of his students were children of the ISIS militants.

Refugees from Iraq rely on local missionaries to keep their families alive with food, blankets, diapers, medicines, school supplies, and more. In some areas, workers also provide aid to nationals impoverished by the pandemic, economic collapse, or war, and poor children and refugees receive Christmas boxes.
(Photo, caption courtesy of Christian Aid Mission)

“The Lord opened many doors for him to deliver the message of the gospel and the love of Christ during classes to these children who grew up amid violence and the ideology of hate,” the leader said. “Some of the kids accepted Christ and are learning Bible verses in secret.”

Local missionaries see Muslims come to faith in Christ through Bible distributions, social media and a mobile medical clinic. Earlier this year, workers with the clinic prayed for a girl who was unable to walk due to a brain injury.

“On our last visit,” the leader said, “she received us at the entrance to the village, walking normally, and was jumping for joy, saying, ‘For many years I have been asking for intercession from false gods and prophets, but when I came to Christ, He alone healed me.’”

Local missionaries are bringing the love of Christ to hurting people throughout Iraq. You can help them in this task through Christian Aid Mission.

*Name changed for security reasons

Header and story images courtesy of Christian Aid Mission.

The leader and some team members had arrived to say farewell, pray for her and, at the parents’ request, baptize her, he said.

“When we entered the house, we found a sick girl who was extremely thin, looked very desperate and was just waiting for death,” the leader said. “She was aware that she had a few days left before she would die and had no hope for healing. Although we didn’t know anything about the medical reports of her illness and what it was, I had a feeling that this could be an evil spirit.”

They also didn’t know anything about her faith. Requesting anointing oil, the leader asked for some private time with the young woman, Anila*. As he spoke to her about salvation in Christ, he said, he realized that for a season she had frequently attended his church, but then stopped.

“When I asked her if she was a believer, she said that she was not sure about it.”

“When I asked her if she was a believer, she said that she was not sure about it,” he said. “So I asked her to pray with me to give her life to Jesus, and that baptism should come after being a believer. Then we prayed, and she gave her life to God.”

The team encouraged her with some Bible verses, including a passage from James’ epistle about how the Lord can heal illness, and they prayed and sang worship songs. He anointed her with oil and prayed for healing.

After 15 minutes, he said, her fever shot up, and she began shaking.

“I felt that something was happening, so I asked the team to turn our prayers from asking for healing to giving thanks to the Lord, because healing was happening,” the leader said. “I asked her to sit up in her bed, but the surprise was that she stood up by herself.”

Anila had been unable to move for six months, but suddenly she was able to stand and move with ease, he said. He asked her what had happened.

“She said she didn’t know, but that she felt there was something that happened in her life,” the leader said. “God healed Anila, and after a few days she was able to go outside her house. She came to church and was completely different; she looked healthy and healed. Now she is in the baptism class. Praise the Lord.”

Community Outreach

Anila’s testimony encouraged church members, the leader said, as it reflected the importance of reaching out to the community in the North African country, undisclosed for security reasons.

Visiting homes and handing out Bibles to people on the streets, local missionaries also helped mobilize church members to spread the gospel, he said. One area they targeted was rife with drug use, drunkenness and crime, including rape.

Amid the pandemic and times of insecurity and fear, a local ministry’s hospital provided a refuge of love, peace and healing. Workers carried out two major medical outreaches, restarted an outpatient clinic and offered dental care one day a week.
(Photo, caption courtesy of Christian Aid Mission)

“They had heard the gospel many times, but as a church, we didn’t give up,” the leader said. “We were continuing to pray and fast to see change. The challenge was big, but we believed the grace of God was bigger and was working more than what we knew.”

When police recently tried to curtail crime by putting more officers in the slum, workers were reminded that the battle for rehabilitation was essentially spiritual.

“It was an opportunity for us to do our efforts to share the gospel, because we knew that this was spiritual war,” the leader said. “For the first time, I then saw a group of youths coming to the church confessing their sins. As a result of sharing the Bible, 11 young people were baptized, and some of them shared their testimonies of how God transformed them.”

Among those finding new life was a drug addict who attended a church service with his wife, received Christ and now testifies how he was set free from the desperate need to feed his habit.

“There are many examples like him and his wife,” the leader said. “Many people are caring about their lives, coming to church and sharing in the youth services and discussing how to turn to God and submit their lives. Most of those who were baptized were young people.”

‘Greatest Moment’

Despite ministering in a Muslim-majority country where opposition to the gospel is deep-rooted, local missionaries also hold open-air evangelistic events, the leader said.

In spite of persecution, workers continued to proclaim the Lord’s salvation in person and through social media; about 300 people showed interest in learning more after each broadcast of the ministry’s church service.
(Photo, caption courtesy of Christian Aid Mission)

At one three-day event, more than 75 people put their faith in Christ, he said. Among them was a woman from a nominally Christian family who had never attended church services; she fell victim to violence, gave in to vice and eventually had children out of wedlock.

She came to the final day of the evangelistic event, the leader said. After hearing the message of eternal life, she thought about going forward to receive Christ but was afraid, she later told him.

“But then she decided and went up to pray,” the leader said. “That night, she gave her life to Jesus as her Savior. When I asked about her first impression at that time, she replied, ‘It was the greatest moment in my life.’ Now she is attending the local church, and she joined in the baptism class to be baptized.”

Workers are sharing the Good News of God’s kingdom throughout North Africa. Help them fulfill Christ’s command to make disciples of all nations.

*Name changed for security reasons

Header and story images courtesy of Christian Aid Mission.

The woman, her husband and their two children initially had fled to Turkey from Iran, where the government oppresses Kurds. Without legal documents of any kind, they had to leave Turkey and arrived at a native ministry’s offices in Greece hurting and exhausted, the ministry leader said.

“They had been walking at night and sleeping during the day, hiding in the mountains,” the leader said. “They were told that if they got arrested, they would be pushed back into Turkey.”

“Her husband said he had to carry her in his arms many times because she had been exhausted during their long journey.”

The children appeared to be about 10 or 11 years old, she said.

“The woman’s feet were swollen because of the walking,” she said. “Her husband while narrating their story broke down and, between sobs, said that he had to carry her in his arms many times because she had been exhausted during their long journey.”

Overcoming the Impossible

The mother had pustules on much of her skin, and her son had them on his back. One of the ministry’s interpreters, a former refugee, said the same infection formed on him when he had spent time in detention in Turkey.

Ministry workers made breakfast for the family, gave them clean clothes, and provided food for them to cook at the house where they would cram into a single, rented room. Workers also managed to find a hospital with an emergency dermatologist, and the mother and son began taking medicines and receiving treatment, the leader said.

For continued medical care, housing and all other services, however, the refugees needed to register for asylum, and they didn’t have the necessary documents from border police to do that. Ministry workers told them their only hope was to seek help at a refugee camp – even though it accepted only registered asylum seekers.

A chance to start their lives anew seemed impossible. Noticing that the refugee mother was wearing a cross, the ministry leader asked if she was a Christian. When she replied that she had attended a church in Turkey because she was interested in Christianity, the leader asked if they could pray for their legal situation and ask God to resolve it.

“A big smile came to her face, and she said, ‘I would love to – my friend in Turkey used to pray for me, and I have missed this so much,’” the leader said. “So, the social workers and interpreters put their pens down, and we all prayed for her.”

The next day, as the family was discussing with workers how to get to the camp safely, another refugee mother who had received ministry help arrived, and the leader asked her if she could help the Iranian Kurds to settle in her refugee camp.

“Lately we have been going through personal Bible studies with her,” the ministry leader said. “She said, ‘As you have helped me, I will help them.’”

Miraculously, they were admitted to the camp and began living in their own clean and equipped shelter there, the leader said.

“They showed themselves to the camp manager, who started to work on their registration,” the leader said. “A week later, we called them to make sure they were doing well and were safe. The mother responded, “Because of the prayer you did and all of your help, we are doing well. Thank you. We shall come back to see you as soon as possible.’”

A refugee from the Middle East whose mobile phone and legal papers had been stolen suffered psychologically as he ran out of food and money for housing. Local missionaries prepared a food basket for him, assured him that they could provide more later, and arranged for him to obtain mental health care, accommodation, and immigration appointments. Such people fleeing desperate situations show up at local ministries’ care centers in various parts of Europe.
(Photo, caption courtesy of Christian Aid Mission)

Godly Help

Sometimes ministry workers need to help refugees even in police matters.

This summer a young woman from Syria with three children gradually let the local missionaries in Greece know that her Egyptian husband was beating her, and that she didn’t know what to do.

“We explained her rights and what she could do, and to our amazement the next day she was back at the office asking us to help her go to the police,” the leader said.

Workers called police and interpreted for her during questioning. Afterward the woman was present when yet another refugee who had received help from the ministry arrived and asked the leader for prayer – explaining to the Syrian woman that she was Muslim, but that when the ministry workers prayed for her, God answered.

“She started naming all the times that God has answered our prayers,” the leader said. “After we prayed for her, I turned to the Syrian mother and asked if she wanted us to pray for her also. She answered with a big smile on her face, ‘I would love you to.’”

Opportunities to share the gospel are numerous as workers help such refugees with counseling, food and legal orientation.

“It is imperative that we have partners like you in prayer and in support, so that we are able to face volatile situations and needs that cannot be predicted,” the leader wrote to Christian Aid Mission.

You can help native missionaries in Europe bring the love of Christ to traumatized refugees.

Header and story images courtesy of Christian Aid Mission.

Drought-like conditions have led to the lowest wheat harvest since 2011. The severe water shortage is making Syria’s cholera outbreak even worse. Furthermore, the U.N. reports that the number of people needing help to survive winter is up by 30 percent since last year.

Malnourished children in Idlib, Syria.
(Photo courtesy of Ahmed akacha/Pexels)

“There are more urgent priorities regarding the global scope of need, particularly with Ukraine, forcing people’s attention away from Syria. But the reality is they’re in a dire crisis,” Samuel* of Redemptive Stories says.

Like neighboring Lebanon, a series of crises in Syria make survival increasingly difficult. “The only way most families are subsisting right now is because they have relatives, particularly their sons, who have fled to other countries and are now sending money back,” Samuel says.

“We see young men fleeing the country at alarming rates, particularly Christian men, so that they can provide for their families.”

The Body of Christ in Syria is addressing community needs. “Lots of different churches, denominations, and backgrounds are doing amazing work amid this chaos – education programs, children’s activities, micro-enterprises that are helping create income for these families – all of these amazing things,” Samuel says.

“All the time [believers are] working hard to share Jesus’s love and Word.”

Partner with local missionaries in Syria through Christian Aid Mission or support persecuted believers through Voice of the Martyrs USA.

“Find an organization doing work in the region, and give to help your brothers and sisters choosing to stay and to be a light in the midst of this,” Samuel suggests.

Most importantly, pray. Ask the Lord to have mercy on Syria. Pray for pastors and church staff who are exhausted by war and unrest.

“Pray that God would reveal himself to the people, and they would see and experience hope again through Jesus Christ,” Samuel says.

*Pseudonym

Header image courtesy of Khaled Akacha/Pexels.

The leader of a local ministry said he and co-workers proclaim Christ in cities and towns, but sometimes their commitment to bring God’s kingdom to the unreached takes them to remote villages – walking five to seven hours daily through jungles where there are no roads.

“Sometimes we encounter mosquitoes, snakes or lions, among other animals, and we get sick,” he said.

“Idol worshippers sometimes threaten us, saying that if we don’t leave their village, they will kill us. We have to contend with all of that relying on God, the author and finisher of our faith.”

Winning the lost to Christ in these conditions requires commitment and sacrifice.

“In some places we go, there is nowhere to sleep; we just lie on the dirt floor,” the ministry leader said. “There may be no good, safe drinking water or light. When the battery in the flashlight I carry is finished, there’s nowhere to get additional light at all – there are no shops or stores in the jungle. It is difficult to do missions; pray for God to provide.”

Workers use various means to share the gospel, from radio programs and revival meetings to visiting homes and offering to pray for needs. Team members also win opportunities to be heard by offering to help villagers work their farms.

“I plan a day with them, finding out the hour they usually go to their farms and what are some of the things they do there, and sometimes I take some manpower to work, without asking for a dime,” the leader said. “I also help them with some agricultural seeds free of charge, such as corn, tomato and eggplant, though it is very expensive.”

He and other team members led 270 people to put their faith in Christ over the course of six months, he said. One young woman who accepted Christ had spent much of her life steeped in smoking, drinking and drugs.

Her lifestyle had driven her to living conditions that reminded him of the prodigal son, he said.

“When I shared the gospel with her, I told her the story of the two sons in Luke 15, then I told her, if you will only believe in the Lord Jesus Christ and ask Him to forgive you, He will,” the leader said. “Without hesitation, she immediately accepted the Lord Jesus, and she was baptized and is serving in the church as an usher, doing it with joy.”

Power of the Word

While Liberia has a history of church growth due in large part to the movement in the 1800s to resettle free and former slaves from the United States, followers of traditional ethnic religions still make up the largest religious group by a slight margin, at 42.5 percent of the population, according to the Joshua Project.

Those professing Christianity stand at 40.2 percent, though evangelicals make up just 11.68 percent of the population, according to Joshua Project, which puts Muslim adherents at 13.7 percent.

At one revival meeting, a woman involved in witchcraft confessed that she had tainted the water supply for five years, resulting in the deaths of seven pregnant women. She wept in repentance on the ground for three hours, demonstrating the power of Christ’s name that also softened others to the Gospel. Through Bible studies and one-on-one sharing, Gospel workers led 198 people to faith in Christ.
(Photo, caption courtesy of Christian Aid Mission)

Whatever the method used to proclaim the grace of Christ, local missionaries rely on the inherent power of the gospel and the Holy Spirit to bring people to faith, the leader said.

“Only the words of God can make the difference,” the leader said. “As they come to meetings and hear the words of God, and especially when they begin to see the true love of God being demonstrated before their eyes, they believe and turn their lives over.”

The Holy Spirit continues working in those who trust in Christ, he said.

“As we continue to reach out daily for Christ, some of the bad boys and girls in the communities that were living on drugs, alcohol and stealing, causing trouble all day long, are now becoming good guys,” he said. “But you first need to pray for God to give you the passion.”

Passion must be accompanied by compassion, he added.

“When I begin sharing the gospel tracts and inviting the community dwellers to worship services, some of them will tell me, ‘I want to come to church services, but I don’t have the clothes to wear,’ while others say, ‘I’m hungry,’” he said. “I try to meet some of those immediate needs; soul winners must have compassion.”

Where the gospel has transformed communities, people from nearby villages hear about it, visit and bring the message of the kingdom to their own areas, he said.

“Just as Jesus told His disciples that the harvest is ripe and ready but to pray that the Master of the harvest employ more laborers, so we have been doing just that with commitment and dedication, and as a result, souls were won to Christ,” he said. “It wasn’t easy, but it was worth it.”

Workers are showing such dedication throughout Liberia. Help them bring the light of Christ’s salvation amid great darkness.

Header image courtesy of Christian Aid Mission.

Ahmed* was so heavy-hearted and sullen you could see it on his face the moment you looked at him, according to the leader of the local ministry offering the program.

He was intensely introverted. When he first came to the vocational training at the suggestion of a friend who had benefitted from it, Ahmed never spoke to anyone. In time he began to ask the trainers about their talk of God, His will, and His love for all people, the ministry leader said.

During a time set aside for a spiritual message at the training one night, Ahmed heard preaching on forgiveness that led to him revealing that he was carrying a weapon. The local missionary delivering the message had said, “God forgave your many sins, you have to forgive those who wronged you,” and Ahmed felt the Lord was speaking directly to him, the ministry leader said.

“The young man got rid of the heaviness in his heart, and it was replaced with joy.”

“He prayed, repented, cried and told his sad story,” the leader said. “He said, ‘I was carrying a weapon with me to kill my uncle after finishing the training and returning to my village. My uncle had hit my brother in the eyes until he bled, then locked him up to prevent him from going to the doctor. My brother lost his two eyes, and I was going to take revenge upon my uncle.’”

In a country where the slightest whiff of disloyalty to Islam can bring swift persecution, local workers take great care to avoid attracting attention as they quietly form new disciples.
(Photo, caption courtesy of Christian Aid Mission)

The Lord had brought him to the ministry’s vocational training so he could learn about and feel His forgiveness, Ahmed said.

“I was supposed to die, but Jesus Christ died instead of me on the cross,” he said. “So, I decided to forgive my uncle as Jesus forgave me. Thanks to God and the ministry.”

Ahmed learned haircutting and opened a barbershop in the village, the leader said.

“The young man got rid of the heaviness in his heart, and it was replaced with joy,” he said.

New Life

In Ahmed’s country, undisclosed for security reasons, women and girls are commonly demeaned and abused.

Lower-income parents often withdraw daughters from school at puberty to reduce contact with males, and when they reach adulthood, low literacy rates and discrimination make obtaining work difficult, trapping many women in abusive relationships. As many as 86 percent of married women in the country may face abuse by their husbands, and half of young women reported physical violence against them by either their brothers or fathers, according to local media.

Local ministries offer physical and psychological healing to such women, as well as vocational training, all in Christ’s name. One young woman, Rihab*, was so withdrawn when her impoverished family placed her at a local ministry’s women’s shelter that she spoke to no other residents.

The only child of an addicted father and an illiterate mother who sold trinkets at the train station, Rihab had been raped by a relative, the ministry leader said.

“The girl was traumatized; she didn’t know how to say anything about what happened to her,” the leader said. “She felt she couldn’t overcome her situation. She was so introverted, she couldn’t adapt to the girls in the shelter.”

Local missionaries making disciples through home visits, gospel events and other evangelistic outreaches need donations to undertake such ministry throughout the region. They request prayer for healing for people suffering from COVID-19.
(Photo, caption courtesy of Christian Aid Mission)

With Christ-based counseling that emphasizes biblical precepts such as how much the Lord values all humanity, both men and women, Rihab began to recover as she learned crochet and other handcrafts to sell, the leader said.

“The shelter empowered her to integrate and be involved in the community and gave her self-confidence to know and rely on her own capabilities,” he said. “She became a role model for her colleagues and started to teach them handcrafts. Her life changed, and she is now in her last stage in the rehabilitation program.”

Rihab was saving up her income to buy a camera and a motorcycle, and she is planning to learn martial arts to defend herself against sexual or other assaults, he said.

“She is brave now and can confront her family and the man who raped her, while she is still working on developing herself,” the leader said. “She hopes to continue her education, as she had stopped when this happened to her.”

Eternal Life

Serving the poor with an ethos of ministering to the human being as a whole, local missionaries have seen how people touched by the love of God open their hearts to the gospel – as have others after witnessing new Christians’ transformed lives, the leader said.

“We’ve been able to see other people coming to faith because they have seen the change in their relatives and neighbors – relationships have been restored between spouses, and parents dealing respectfully with their children, listening and encouraging them.”

Workers recently visited the home of a man who had drifted away from the traditional church of his upbringing.

“I was living away from church and from God, and in the home visits the ministry workers read the Bible and prayed with me, and God touched my heart and life,” he said.

“After suffering from sin and addiction, God has set me free from the sin, and now I attend the church regularly.”

The love of God is transforming lives throughout North Africa through local missionaries. Help equip and encourage them through Christian Aid Mission.

*Names changed for security reasons

Header and story images courtesy of Christian Aid Mission.