Eric Mock, vice president of ministry operations with Slavic Gospel Association, says, “Churches show me just a massive number of phones and tablets that are being charged. One of the greatest connection points for people is to stay connected with their friends and family in different locations, make arrangements to flee when they need to, [and] to find out the news on how things are proceeding.

“I’ve even seen a generator out on the street with at least 10 to 20 utility strips chained together and everyone on the streets stopping to charge their phones so they could stay connected in for an update on what’s happening with the fighting.”

(Photo courtesy of Slavic Gospel Association)

Since Russia invaded Ukraine over a year ago, SGA has been focused on meeting urgent needs with cast iron stoves, blankets, generators, and food. Now, the ministry is transitioning to a long-term ministry mindset to care for Ukrainians as the war drags on.

That’s why SGA is now also sending solar-powered battery systems to Ukrainian church partners.

Mock says, “These are very cost-effective and, given the fact that these are solar-based, many things can happen and they can still continue to have this opportunity to provide resources. They could run out of fuel. The power system in Ukraine is constantly under attack so they could run out of access to industrial electricity or commercial electricity. These survival kits may be exactly what they need.”

The first units have shipped to Poland and will soon be en route to Ukraine. Mock says the solar-powered battery units are also equipped “with digital lighting that can illuminate a sanctuary or even illuminate the grounds outside, whatever is necessary.”

As Ukrainian church partners distribute aid with the support of SGA, they are able to communicate the comfort of Jesus Christ.

(Photo courtesy of Slavic Gospel Association)

“What we’re trying to do is shift our focus to the long-term and look for ways that we can equip these churches to continue to minister to the people’s needs,” Mock says. “But that ministry to their needs is the open door for presenting the Gospel, and hundreds of thousands of people in Ukraine are hearing the Gospel that have never heard it before.”

You can be a significant encouragement with your support and prayers. Ask the Lord to comfort and strengthen Ukrainians and local churches amidst ongoing trauma and hardship.

Click here if you’d like to give to SGA’s Ukraine Crisis Fund.

“Remember those who don’t know where the next meal is going to come from; those who hide in a basement and don’t know if today’s missile or artillery shell will land on their house and it will be their last day.”

Header photo courtesy of Daria Nepriakhina via Unsplash.

Joe Willey with SAT-7 USA says, “Each week, he will be joined by different Afghan guests. They discuss current situations in Afghanistan but look through a biblical lens. And one of the true needs of isolated believers in the Middle East and North Africa is that they don’t have a church community. So a program like this helps connect them.”

In Afghanistan, like in the U.S., many people have access to the internet through computers or cell phones. Facebook is popular and not blocked or restricted like it is in neighboring Iran.

Church4Afghanistan programs are broadcasted in Dari, which is the preferred language of many Afghans. Willey says, “The Persian language is the trunk, and Dari or Farsi are limbs on that trunk. There are similarities, but they are not the same. Dari is the heart language of Afghanistan.”

Pray this program will support the Church in Afghanistan.

Worst place to be born

Afghans continue to endure severe hardship. UNICEF recently designated Afghanistan as the worst place in the world to be born. Willey says, “There’s violence. And there are restrictions on personal freedoms. The Taliban especially places heavy restrictions on women. And truthfully, new Christians are often abandoned by their families, and they can also be in physical danger.”

“It is a difficult place to express your Christian faith.”

Afghanistan has the world’s highest infant mortality rate at 257 deaths per 1,000 live births. About 70 percent of the population lacks clean water. With the Taliban running the country, it’s hard to vaccinate kids against polio or measles. In the past year, 317 schools were attacked across the country.

Header photo courtesy of SAT-7 USA. 

Brian Dennett with AMG International says, “Our hearts just go out to these missionaries. Having served in the field myself, I know how horrifying this is. And we are praying for them and for their safe return.”

Gangs

Gangs continue to hold Haiti hostage, blocking off access to fuel terminals. The gangs want the prime minister to resign, but the fuel shortages are crippling Haitian daily life. Dennett says, “For example, we heard that cell towers throughout the country are slowly shutting down. They’re run by generators.” This makes communication with the outside world more difficult. AMG’s correspondence with its Haitian team has been sporadic.

Dennett says the gangs have always been present, “and really worked through and alongside the government. Now with the collapse of the government (and the president now gone), they’ve been acting in a more independent way, and really preying on the industries there and preying on the middle class and upper class of Haiti and their businesses.”

Gangs have begun threatening businesses with looting unless they pay large sums of money.

How to help

AMG continues to serve in Haiti, providing humanitarian aid and the Gospel. You can support them at amghelp.org.

Pray that the gangs would encounter Jesus’ love and be changed. Pray also for the many Christian ministries working in Haiti. Dennett says, “There is so much need there. And wonderful organizations, like those that were just affected by the kidnapping, are there trying to do good. And alongside that, of course, sharing the Gospel.”

Header photo courtesy of gamble34 from Pixabay.

With the recent national takeover by the Taliban militant group, the dangers facing believers have increased significantly. The words of Open Doors’ Field Director for Asia address this growing concern: “Prior to Taliban rule, they already had a very difficult time living out their faith, as they had to keep it secret from their families for fear of being shunned, or worse, killed. Now that the Taliban is in power, their vulnerability increases tenfold.”

Shoaib Ebadi, the Executive Director of Square One World Media, spoke with VOMC’s Greg Musselman about the current situation. This Afghan-Canadian representative further explained that most believers are discovered because their family members report them. These relatives become “the first enemy,” as they believe turning in Christian converts will cause their family members to return to the Islamic faith.

Due to Afghanistan’s current volatile situation, reports from the country vary. The world’s media is presently focusing on the thousands of Afghans pressing in at the Kabul airport in hopes of escaping the country and the tyranny anticipated under Taliban rule. Many foreign Christian workers have also been forced to flee. According to some reports, Afghan church leaders have received letters from the Taliban, stating that their locations and activities are being closely monitored. History demonstrates that the Taliban has no qualms about imposing the death penalty on those who disobey their interpretation of Sharia law.

Andrew Boyd from VOMC’s sister organization, Release International, recently received reports that members of the Taliban have been going door-to-door in search of people who have worked with the previous government, as well as those who profess the Christian faith. The Taliban has also demanded the inspection of cell phones. It has been reported that at least one member of the Hazara community was killed merely for having downloaded a Bible app on their device.

Despite the horrific reports, Shoaib Ebadi – who personally has family members in Afghanistan – describes what he refers to as “good news” for the country’s growing community of believers. Referencing the many foreign Christian workers who have been forced to flee, he states: “The good news is that Afghan Christians are now leading these groups (small house church fellowships). They are meeting in their homes, risking their lives every day…(while) taking God’s Word to the people of Afghanistan. And they are the ones sharing the Good News of Jesus Christ with their neighbors, families, and friends.” To view the full interview with Shoaib, go to this page.

In the midst of these volatile times, pray that God’s presence will be evident in Afghanistan and among Afghan people around the world. As a result, may many of them turn to Christ as their source of hope and salvation. Please also intercede for the many Afghans who are fearing for their lives in this restrictive nation, praying that they will experience the peace of God which surpasses all understanding (Philippians 4:7). May He mightily intervene in this seemingly impossible situation, turning the hearts of the Taliban leaders away from acts of forceful control and brutality to demonstrations of genuine humanitarian concern and justice for all citizens.

The header photo shows Taliban fighters in Kabul. (Photo courtesy of Voice of America, Public Domain)

(Photo courtesy of International Mission Board)

South Asia (MNN) — In poverty-stricken, rural villages in South Asia, everyday life is a challenge. Most villagers are day laborers who struggle to meet their physical needs, and many are illiterate.

In these areas, electronic luxuries like cell phones may seem unexpected. But strangely, they’re quite common. And that’s helpful for Gospel workers Brennan and Veronica Masterson.*

The Mastersons have served in South Asia for 10 years with the goal of sharing Christ and equipping others to do the same. That can be difficult when working with illiterate and oral cultures, so this is where the cell phones come in.

The Mastersons use a variety of electronic resources: a full audio Bible, a New Testament film, 35 Bible stories, Christian doctrine studies, Training for Trainers (T4T), discipleship material, and worship music. They load these resources, some of which are available for download through the International Mission Board, onto microSD cards. They then share the content with local villagers so they can share Christ with others.

“We want to put these resources out there for everyone,” Veronica says, according to an article by the IMB. “It’s not just for pastors. The expectation is for everyone–whether a grandma or a teenager–to be able to do this, to share the gospel and make disciples.”

And that’s exactly what’s happening. One woman, Diya,* labors during the day to provide for her three children, then holds Bible studies in the evening. When she received the microSD card, her ministry began to flourish.

“After getting the SD card, her ministry just boomed,” Veronica says. “She went from 7 groups to 12 to 17. She has started over 30 house churches.”

(Photo courtesy of International Mission Board)

Those numbers don’t appear to be diminishing anytime soon. At the end of 2014, more than half of the country’s population had a cell phone, and that’s expected to rise.

Most villagers own regular, feature phones. Only 1 out of 10 own a smartphone, but that number is also expected to rise by 2020, with predictions of 40% of the country’s population becoming smartphone users.

That’s a powerful opportunity to share the Gospel. And it’s one you can take part in as well. Click here to find some of the same resources used by these Gospel workers, then download them and share them others!

*Names changed

If you’re a Facebook user–which you very likely are, have you ever considered using it to reach people with the Gospel?

Courtesy of Wikimedia commons– http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/82/Facebook_icon.jpg (public domain)

Reach Beyond thinks it’s a great idea and tweeted about it in reference to an article by Joshua Project (read here).

The article, inspired by Laura Krokos, details how to take out an ad that will connect users of Facebook to ministry resources they would never otherwise see. Check it out!

This concept fits Reach Beyond’s Manifesto to reach the unreached which states, in part:

“We refuse to stand idly by as people enter eternity without Christ when we can share the Good News that transforms them through the media they use.

“We will leverage, to the best of our ability, God’s gift of media and medical technology to reveal His eternal wisdom to those who have never heard the name of Jesus.

“We will employ every resource, talent, and ounce of energy God gives us to shine the light of His grace into the darkest recesses of the planet.”

How appropriately that manifesto aligns with the idea of using Facebook as a resource for lost people. And according to extensive research done both in America and Globally, it has great potential.

PEW Research Center reported earlier this year that 57% of adults in America use Facebook, and the half of those that don’t use it live with somebody does. 73% of Americans ages 12-17 are on Facebook.

Each of these Facebook users reaches an incredible amount of “friends.” The networking is huge. For example, users age 18-29 have a median Friend count of 300.

And that’s just in America.

Started in America in 2004 as a way to connect college kids, it only took two years for Facebook to go global. Already in 2011 Huffington Post was reporting that 75% of users lived outside of the United States.

PEW’s research backs this up.

In 2012, they indicated that in many countries, about half of the population used Facebook and other social networking sites. The increase in social-network interest coincides with greater accessibility to cell phones and internet.

What’s even more interesting is that many low-income populations are especially involved with networking, and once they get internet access, they are connected to social media.

And get this: based on a poll of 21 countries in 2012, 14% of users were using social media to discuss religion.

That may not seem like a lot, but some Arab countries were rated for religious use as high as 63%.

As of this year, PEW finds that even in emerging countries, as they gain greater access to internet communication devices, there is a heightened interest in social media. It’s become part of their everyday life.

Countries like Egypt, Russia, the Philippines, and Tunisia have just under 90% of their internet users involved in social networking.

Of 22 emerging and developing countries surveyed by PEW, a median 43% of internet users share religious views on social media sites like Facebook. This is most popular in the Middle East.

This is why linking Facebook to evangelistic resources is such a good idea: it connects ministries with people in need, just like that.

Even in emerging countries where internet usage is low, there are people around who speak their language who are on Facebook and who can pass the word along.

Many ministries, like Reach Beyond, offer resources (like these) that help people understand the Gospel and know who Jesus is. However, there are so many people in need who don’t even know they exist.

Consider following the steps as outlined in the Joshua Project article to make people around the world aware of the resources that ministries like Reach Beyond are offering.

“Out in the most remote village, places where there’s not even modern toilets or running water or sanitation–things we take for granted here, they already have cell phones,” says Bill Bray with Christian Aid Mission.

Bray says Christians are now using “cell phones as a teaching tool, as a broadcasting tool, as an evangelistic tool in India. It’s a frontier for outreach and evangelism.”

Now, a cell phone ministry in Uttar Pradesh, the heart of Hindu northern India, has even led to church planting.

When Esther Dass started taking prayer requests through her cell phone, she had no idea the ripple effect that would come out of it.

It began with a few people calling in and asking for healing or prayer over a specific issue. But then Dass’s ministry started to spread through word-of-mouth. Soon, those calling in for prayer ranged from farmers to villagers and Muslims to Hindus.

After awhile, the work became overwhelming, so Dass recruited some other local women to join her. Together, they started a 24-hour prayer hotline called the Prayer on Phone Ministry.

“It started just in Uttar Pradesh, one state. Now they’ve gotten calls from five states: almost all Dalit peoples–low caste, outcast people, untouchables,” says Bray.

In the Uttar Pradesh district of Bareilly, there was a particular concentration of people calling in for prayer. According to Bray, “They contacted those people and arranged to come to their village and hold a five-day prayer conference.”

Around 30 families went to the prayer conference in Bareilly and listened to a speaker preach over five days on the theme of “Healing and Forgiveness.”

“This is a prayer conference mostly for Hindus, teaching them how to pray and, of course, they lead them to the Lord Jesus. As a result of that, a little church has formed in that village,” Bray states.

Recently, however, Dass and her Prayer on Phone Ministry ran into a road block. Dass says, “Prayer hotline users from various other states have called us asking for us to organize Five Day Prayer Meetings in their villages, but we aren’t able to organize them due to financial shortages.”

It costs around $400-$500 to put on one of these five-day prayer conferences in a village. You can donate to this prayer evangelistic outreach by clicking here and entering "650WCWT" for the donation code.