But that data only counts those registered with the UN. The real number is undoubtedly much higher — and every one of these children, women, and men needs so much more than just food and shelter. 

“They are coming just to find hope in our country, and they fear the future. So we have to give them hope and comfort,” says Marihan with Kasr El-Dobara Evangelical Church (KDEC) in Egypt. “That’s why we are expanding our ministry to reach out to them and give them hope and a future.”

School in Cairo, Egypt (Stock photo courtesy of Primrose Murahwi via Unsplash)

After two years of hard work,  KDEC is ready to open a new education center for around 80 children in the Sinai Peninsula, Egypt. 

“It was a long journey of success and failing and frustration,” Marihan says of the process. “It wasn’t easy at all. Sometimes we were learning new things, because it’s our first time to establish an education center for refugees.”

But God opened the way, bringing both government permission as well as a local partnering church that can legally staff the center.

The center will meet a critical need. For Palestinian refugees in Sinai, for example, Marihan says, “they cannot go anywhere else in the country, and they cannot use the local school.”

Showing the love of Christ to families opens the way to share His message. Please join in praying for the ministry of this new center to dozens of refugee families. Ask God to keep the door open for this way to serve. 

“Pray for protection — protection for the people who serve with us. And even pray for the local church there who will be responsible for the education center,” says Marihan. “Pray for the teachers. Pray for the people who will receive the message.”

Header photo courtesy of KDEC.

On Eagles’ Wings is a division of Hutchcraft Ministries that equips Native American believers to reach their peers for Jesus. The team saw the power of God again and again during their Summer of Hope outreaches this past year.

In one urban Native community, a homicide had taken place just days before their visit. Ron Hutchcraft said local Native believers spoke about the obvious despair at the first night’s gathering. “There was a confusion and a chaotic feel in the audience that usually is not there.”

One team member shared their hope story of how Jesus had changed their life. But then a mysterious bang went off, scattering the crowd. It was followed by a severe thunderstorm that finished the night.

David, the Native host for the On Eagles’ Wings team, told them privately: “There’s a blanket of darkness over this community.  Life here is traumatizing.”  

The On Eagles’ Wings team immediately sent out a request for prayer. 

The darkness did not deter them — it made these Native young people more determined to share the hope and freedom Jesus offers. Then prayer was answered with the darkness kicked out, and hope and victory entering the park! 

People listened to different Native young people speak about Christ. When the invitation came to publicly accept Christ, key men from the community stepped forward.

“In fact, the response was all [men] that night. I don’t remember ever seeing that,” Hutchcraft remarked.

Find your place in the story through continued prayer. It’s been more than a month since the summer outreaches ended, but follow-up ministry plans were already in place with local Native leaders. Pray for discipleship to be effective with new believers.

Pray for the young people whose lives were changed by the summer yet who face tough daily realities back home.

Pray for the applicants to the leadership development program with On Eagles’ Wings. Hutchcraft says, “We’re praying that they will be exactly the people that God wants, and that they will be transformed by this year of intensive discipleship.” (Read about the 2025 graduating class of leaders here!)

2025 team photo (Photo courtesy of Hutchcraft Ministries)

Header photo courtesy of Hutchcraft Ministries. 

The fighting broke out on July 24th after nearly two months of rising border tensions. 

“It goes back to the French colonization of that part of the world, when they (France) gave up [its protectorate of Cambodia] and how they redrew the maps of the two countries,” said Joe Handley, president of A3. “Ever since, there’s been tension between these two sides.”

The ceasefire is a vital step toward peace, but its effects will take time to feel. At least 33 people lost their lives in the clashes. More than 130,000 on each side were displaced, according to Thai military and Cambodian defense sources. 

The threat of war also stirred up concern among A3 friends who remember the 1970s “killing fields” of Cambodia. 

“What I’m hopeful about is the church has oftentimes risen [on] occasions like these to be a source of hope in the midst of very difficult situations,” Handley said. 

For example, a former warlord from Pol Pot’s Khmer Rouge party came to Christ in recent years. 

“His transformation has been miraculous, to the point where he became a lay pastor, and he went through a program that’s downstream from A3 called the School of Discipleship. That gave him training to kind of increase his capacity as a spiritual leader,” said Handley.

(Photo courtesy of Asian Access) School of Discipleship

Handley said this man has started dozens of churches in a region where many Khmer Rouge fled after Pol Pot’s fall. 

“It’s bringing peace to that region,” he said. “That’s the kind of thing that we hope to see happen. People live in fear and dread right now, but when you get people like that [who] are fearless — they have a history, but they come to Christ — it can it can turn around a situation.”

Pray for more people like this former warlord to come to faith in Christ!

National director of A3 Cambodia, Meng Aun Hour, said, “Please pray for protection and [for a] stop [to] the fighting.”

Pray also for provision and gospel witness for the Thai and Cambodian people affected by the conflict. Pray that the ceasefire will be upheld.

Header photo is a representative stock image courtesy of Camille via Unsplash.

Dr. Hormoz Shariat serves with Iran Alive Ministries and is himself an Iranian Muslim-turned-Christian.

“Just think of it. There is no church in Iran. No mature Christians — [or] very few mature Christians in Iran,” he says. “Pastors? None. So just think of Iran as a family full of children, spiritual children.

“They’re coming to Christ by thousands every month, but they’re children. They need parents, they need teaching, and they’re hungry. A healthy child is hungry.”

Discipleship is a key focus of Iran Alive Ministries. 

“[We] not only evangelize — which we see amazing results [from]. We just passed 105,000 registered salvations,” Dr Shariat says. “But we [also] try to teach them, connect them to the Word of God, help them to walk with God and obey God.” 

Iran Alive has 5,000 students registered in their online school. But the current team can only mentor a fraction of them!

“These are good problems to have. Many are coming to Christ,” Dr. Shariat says. “Evangelism is easy in Iran, but we need to work together to disciple that nation.” 

He points to a ticking time bomb. 

“I wish I could show you the curve of evangelism. We have been on satellite channels since 2001, after 9/11. We have kept the numbers, and when you see the curve, you see the exponential growth of number of salvations the last few years,” Dr. Shariat says.

“Urgency. That’s my point. Iran is open. But don’t think that’s going to last forever. The Iranian government may come down and things may change. [The] spiritual atmosphere of Iran could change within a few weeks or in a few months.”

Tehran, Iran (Representative stock photo courtesy of Zahra Amiri via Unsplash)

He reminds us of Jesus’s words in John 9:4,“We must work the works of him who sent me while it is day; night is coming, when no one can work.”

“I want to say it’s urgent that we join together to transform Iran, because Iran can be the first Islamic nation that turns to Christ — and I’m serious about it. It is possible if we work together.”

Find your place in the stories God is working out with Iran Alive Ministries.

Header photo of Sistani students in Sistan and Baluchestan Province, Iran (Representative stock photo courtesy of Mohammad Moslehi via Unsplash).

“I love this airstrip. It’s called Apahapsali,” he says. 

Intrigued by the name, Fagerlie asked the local Yali people what it meant in their heart language.

“They said, ‘Apah’ means ‘human’ and ‘hapsali’ means ‘where we remove their skin,’” he recounts. 

Matching the candor of their answer, he posed another question: what was the backstory of this airstrip? They pointed across the valley and gestured. 

“You know, we used to do a lot of night raids to that village. We’d capture people alive, we’d bring them back here, we’d skin them, and we’d eat them.” 

It’s a hair raising account, yet Fagerlie relays it without a hint of alarm in his voice. That’s because something happened between the head hunting history and Fagerlie’s entrance to the village. That something was the Gospel. 

When missionaries first introduced this tribe to Jesus Christ and His Word in the 1950s, they were met with opposition that ended with two of them dead. But as the Yali began to receive the Word, a magnificent transformation rippled throughout the community. Cannibalism was turned on its head, as the Yali began to hunt fellow souls for redemption. 

By the time Fagerlie met this tribe in 2018, they were able to give an update on some of the structural outcomes that accompanied spiritual change. 

“They said, ‘This place that we used to skin and eat them, now it’s the air strip. And our celebration hut is now the church. And that place across the valley that we used to go and raid, our sons and daughters now marry their sons and daughters.’” 

The transformation of the Yali people is a reminder that when God’s Word goes out, it does not return void. 

“It changes them personally, it changes them culturally, it changes the way they view themselves, their neighbors, and the world,” Fagerlie says. 

MAF pilots are integral in carrying the Gospel across challenging terrain. Throughout mountainous jungles in Papua, for example, villages are isolated from each other because of the physical features of the island. It can take days to walk from one community to another, Fagerlie says. 

“An MAF airplane can get them there in 15 or 20 minutes. And not only can we get them there quicker, we can bring in their family, food, building supplies,” he says. 

So please pray for MAF pilots, their passengers, and the villages they serve. Pray for safe flights, open ministry doors, and receptivity of Papuan people to the Gospel. This tribe is an example of impact. 

“In a generation, it has changed them from cannibals to Christians,” Fagerlie points out.

Please pray that Yali believers would continue to grow in their faith and in the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ. 

And please pray for the others still waiting to hear the Good News: that even now, the Holy Spirit would be moving in their hearts to ready them for His life-giving Word.

Village in Papua, courtesy of Becky Fagerlie, MAF.

Header image courtesy of MAF. 

Shania came to faith in Jesus out of a Muslim background. Her husband, Shino, accepted Christ a few years later after much prayer.

When they first began sharing their faith with fellow Somalis online, they kept their identities secret. They were met with distrust and suspicion. There were questions about whether they were Westerners pretending to be Somalis.

Eventually, Shino and Shania decided to go public. They shared their real names and faces and even their contact information. “That,” Shania said in a recent conversation with The Voice of the Martyrs USA, “shook [the] whole Somali nation.”

Over 98% of Somalis follow Islam. (Representative stock photo courtesy of Mohamed Abukar via Unsplash)

Their story was covered by major news outlets. “All the imams, they sat down, and they said, ‘What [can we] do?’” Shania explained. “They give us (Shino and Shania) a fatwa. They said, ‘Anyone who see them, either kill them or find where they are from.’”

Though Shino and Shania have had to move frequently for safety, they are still sharing the gospel through Somali Christian TV. The fruit of their ministry has been profound, but so has the opposition, Shania says.  “Millions of Somalis have seen what the Lord is doing. Many of them come to faith, but many of them are threatening us, and they are after us.” 

Even so, this couple celebrates how God is changing peoples’ hearts and lives across Somalia and across the Somali diaspora.

“Many of them, when they come to faith, they will say, ‘I used to hate you. I was the person who [was] threatening you. Please forgive me,’” Shania says. One woman in the U.S. told them, “I used to hate you every day, and now I pray for you every day.”

There’s so much to pray for. Pray for the gospel to spread and deepen among Somalis! Shino explained no aboveground church can exist in the nation, and small underground churches are always in danger of discovery and violence.

“If you are Somali, and they know that you are Christian, they will persecute you. They are scattered everywhere, and they are isolated,” he said. “The whole nation needs to know Jesus. Please pray for those who are already believers in Somalia that the Lord’s Spirit [will] equip them and make them bold.” 

Then, pray for much fruit as Shino and Shania reach and disciple Somalians for Christ. Lack of access to Scripture, biblical teaching or fellowship makes growing in faith a slow process for believers in Somalis. Yet God is moving and building His Church! 

Listen to one of two conversations with Shino and Shania on VOM Radio here to hear more of their story. 

Header image is a representative stock photo courtesy of Khalid Abdalla via Unsplash.

Great stories have a way of pulling us in. That same power of storytelling is now being used to share the greatest story ever told: the Gospel. And Jesus Film Project is taking it to the next level.

Geoff Peters with Jesus Film Project says, since the ministry’s inception in 1979 with the original JESUS film, “We have seen that one piece of media be used in every country across now over 2,100 languages to bring people to know who Jesus is.”

The ministry has seen film transcend cultural and linguistic barriers, reaching people where they are with the message of Christ.

With new and improving technologies today, the medium of film can go even further in connecting with people’s hearts.

“If we look back to our historical reference points of what has contributed to the Gospel getting out there into the world, you can go all the way back to the story of Jesus being told because of the existence of the Roman roads,” Peters explains. “Then fast forward 1,400-1,500 years to the Gutenberg Press now allowing the written Word to be available to everybody in their own hand to have it and read.”

Now, Peters believes we are at another pivotal moment in missions history.

Jesus unveiled in new animated “JESUS (2025). Photo credit of JesusFilm.org

The Jesus Film Project’s latest work, JESUS (2025), represents a groundbreaking step forward. This animated reimagining of the original JESUS film will use cutting-edge technology to reach audiences with the Gospel.

“Through this film, we’ll actually be able to allow people to immerse themselves through virtual reality technology, augmented reality technologies, and ultimately creating an animated telling of the Gospels in the three-dimensional environment that will allow people to step in — not just watch it as a film, but actually be able to immerse themselves in scenes and moments of the Gospel narrative in a way never before possible,” Peters explains.

Ultimately, using the medium of film, all about pointing people to Jesus Christ beyond the screen and encouraging them to follow Him in their everyday lives.

“We are a people, even today more than ever, who are seeking to find ourselves in God’s story — even if we don’t understand that it’s God’s story we’re trying to find ourselves in the middle of,” Peters says. “A film like this can help reawaken people to the larger narrative that they’ve been a part of throughout their entire lives, whether they’ve been aware of it or not.”

Peters encourages, “If anyone wants to go to Jesus.film, they can go on and find ways of staying connected [and] continuing to pray for the project.”

Please pray for encouragement and biblical focus for the Jesus Film Project teams as they finish work on JESUS (2025). Ask God to use these new tools to advance His Kingdom.

Header photo: Scene from new animated film highlights the Scripture passage “On Earth as it is in Heaven”. (Photo courtesy of Jesusfilm.org)

(Photo courtesy of Ian Kiragu/Unsplash)

Nehemiah with FMI says the statistics paint a grim picture. “According to the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics, cases of violence against women have risen significantly in recent years with 159 reported cases of deaths, with many incidents escalating to femicide.”

Those are just the reported cases. “Activists point out that social attitudes often blame victims, further discouraging women from seeking help,” Nehemiah says. “So we see many unreported cases in society.”

FMI models a biblical approach, elevating and supporting women in Kenya. “Our partners are engaging with our sisters on the ground, and they’re involving them in the ministry.

“We are praying, and we are talking on the different projects where we can engage our sisters to start some small cottage industries where they can grow and they can make a little money.”

Nehemiah adds, “Initially, the Church was unaware or had no idea how to respond to this situation…. But now we can see that the Church is standing and now the Church leaders are raising their voice as well. They have become an echo for the victims.”

Pray for justice and for Kenyan women to know their worth in Christ.

Header photo courtesy of Ethan McArthur/Unsplash.

“There’s a different vibe in a lot of families right now because of world events, because of things we’ve been through,” says Brad Hutchcraft with Hutchcraft Ministries. “You’ve got people talking about what you should and shouldn’t do with family over the holidays, whether you even should or shouldn’t be with them.” 

But if you’re a follower of Christ, those aren’t the voices to listen to. You have a different calling: represent Jesus. 

As ambassadors of Christ, Hutchcraft points out one big temptation to avoid at family gatherings: “People view it as ‘This is my one chance to make my point, to make my case for whatever it may be, for my political viewpoint, for my lifestyle.’ 

“What I really want people to see the holidays as is a time to build a bridge to year-round, ongoing communication with people.

“It doesn’t have to be saying, ‘I am going in here with an agenda,’ but just going in there and saying, ‘Hey, how can I be the hands and feet for Jesus in my family?’” 

It might not be easy. Hutchcraft says there’s no sugar-coating that some of us are going into very challenging family environments. Here are five pointers Hutchcraft and his brother, Doug, shared in a recent podcast episode: 

Go M.A.D. podcast (Photo courtesy of Hutchcraft Ministries)

• “Prepare your heart beforehand.
• “Look for opportunities to affirm and encourage [your family], even if it’s with someone you disagree with on a lot of things.
• “Be a good listener and really hear what others are saying.
• “Respond with gentleness and respect, whatever the topics are that come up (1 Peter 3:15).
• “Be a safe person. Create a loving atmosphere where people feel comfortable about opening up to you.”

There’s more! Check out the full, candid conversation between the Hutchcraft brothers at their podcast, Go M.A.D. (make a difference). To read about it instead, click here.

“Our desire is to help encourage people to [address the question], ‘How can you be a bridge builder and bring peace to your family during this holiday season?’” Hutchcraft says. 

“There’s a lot more that we share [in the podcast episode], and we would love to be a help to people who are looking for some hope this holiday season.”

Header photo is a representative stock image courtesy of Toa Heftiba via Unsplash.

Christians wonder how the new administration will respond to their presence in the Muslim majority nation of more than 280 million. They hope for greater favor than in the past.

Juserdi Purba with A3 explains that there are different levels of persecution Indonesian believers go through.

(Representative stock photo courtesy of John Ragai on Flickr: https://goo.gl/HVMTRr.)

“Commonly, we face opposition from non-believers because they believe that we are in the wrong way. So they try to convince us (to convert),” Purba says.

Another level he identifies is physical persecution. However, it’s important to note that Indonesia is composed of more than 17,500 islands. The degree of social, legal and physical persecution a Christian might endure varies from one family, community or region to another.

No matter the circumstance, Purba says the church’s first move needs to be Christ-like love, godly living and a relationship-building approach to Muslim neighbors. He says in many cases, people have actually asked why Christians aren’t responding with hate to the pressure or mistreatment they suffer.

“That is the door open for us to say what we do, because we have love in Jesus, and we want to show to them that Jesus also love them,” Purba says.

Join Indonesian believers in praying for deeper godliness and a winsome witness to God’s love.

“We have prayer meeting[s], and we hope that one day the door is open for us to to preach the good news,” Purba says.

“[But] I think this is the first [step]: we display Christ, [a] good example, good life. We show love to them.”

Header photo of an Indonesian Bible is a representative stock photo courtesy of Yosi Prihantoro via Unsplash.