He shares one story of an 18-year-old Sudanese woman who found Christ.

“We have translation ministries in 13 unreached people group languages, and each one is led by a graduate from our school of mission. And so one of the leaders–first believer in his tribe—his sister found his Bible and secretly began to read it and, through several months, on her own, made a decision to follow Christ.”

When the young woman’s family found out, she was beaten, locked in the house without a phone, and told if she did not recant her new faith, she would be disowned by the family and possibly killed. She managed to get out of the house and went to a church pastored by another leader from the same ministry as her brother. From there, a partner ministry, Samaritan’s Purse, was able to get her to safety.

“Our team sat down with her and said, ‘We really want you to think about this decision and the consequences, because it is life and death.’ They were very serious and wanted to make sure she knew what she was doing, and she said, ‘Now that I know God, they can take my life. I will not turn back.’”

She is currently living with female students of the ministry’s school of mission and taking Bible classes.

The ministry John serves continues to see persecution. Indigenous Gospel workers have been shot and had their small businesses destroyed—“And it just goes on after that,” he says. “But in the context of that, there are baptisms in the face of persecution, because the Spirit of God is moving.”

According to John, Muslims who are also fleeing from the war are taking note that it is often Christians who are bringing food and medical help, listening to survivors, and offering hope. In one refugee camp where a Gospel worker was previously shot, a ministry leader and Christian convert has since been elected as the community leader.

“They said, ‘We want you, because you’re fair and because, although they’re different than us, you’ve brought people who have loved us.’ So God is doing amazing things.”

Continue to pray for the safety of Gospel workers in Sudan and for the work the Holy Spirit is doing there.

Header photo by Mohamed Zekry via Pexels

Teenagers Maria, Sidra, Niha, and Elishba are just four of countless girls who have been abducted from their homes and forced to convert to Islam in the past year. Sidra and Niha were both abducted less than a month ago, in March 2026.

The abuse goes beyond kidnapping. Maria was taken in July and forced to marry a 30-year-old Muslim man. She later gave a statement saying she had done so of her own will and was now a follower of Islam. 

Despite the efforts of Maria’s parents in court, a Pakistani high court has ruled that the marriage was valid. Sidra and Neha are very likely on the same path with the same outcome.

Pakistani girl (Photo courtesy of Assad Tanoli via Unsplash)

“While this may appear to be a legal matter on the surface, it reflects such a deeper and painful reality faced by many Christian minority families in Pakistan,” says Nehemiah with FMI. 

He calls the situation “modern-day slavery,” as underage girls are kidnapped and then pressured into conversion to Islam and marriage.

“When I say underage girls, we are not talking about 17 or 18 years old, but we are talking about 12-, 13-, 14-year-old girls,” he says.

This pattern has been going on for years. When Christian or Hindu daughters go missing, their families often encounter police inaction, falsified birth records for their underage daughters, and long legal battles. 

Even if a girl escapes or the marriage ends, says Nehemiah, she may still be in danger from her captors and unable to reunite with her family. That’s because Islamic marriage ceremonies require a profession of faith in Allah. 

“Once someone is recognized as a Muslim, leaving Islam, known as apostasy, is not permitted,” says Nehemiah. “In some strict interpretations [of Islam], the penalty for apostasy can be death. And it’s very, very common in Pakistan.”

Pakistani girl (Photo courtesy of Muhammad Taha Khan via Unsplash)

FMI partners share the hope of Christ in the midst of these realities — trusting that even in suffering God is at work. One partner shared Romans 8:38-39 with Nehemiah, remembering that nothing is able to separate them from the love of God in Christ Jesus the Lord.

“The situation is like walking on thin ice, yet they continue to bring hope, truth, and the message of Christ to those who are searching,” says Nehemiah. 

Pray with believers in Pakistan for protection for their young women.

“Pray for justice and meaningful legal reforms in Pakistan’s legal system, and pray for courage and safety for FMI partners serving on the ground,” says Nehemiah. 

“Pray for healing for victims and their families. And pray that even in the midst of suffering, many will encounter the love and hope found in Jesus Christ.”

Header photo of Pakistani young women is a stock image courtesy of Assad Tanoli via Unsplash.

John Pudaite of Bibles For The World (BFTW) says the trend is troubling. “Quite a number of people are being arrested under these laws. Churches are being attacked in the middle of worship, with police in tow. They’ll file false charges or charges of conversion against pastors and some of the worshipers there.”

A Catholic Church in Calangute, Goa. (Photo, caption courtesy of Adriana Rodricks/Unsplash)

The thing is, those charges rarely hold up in court. “They can never prove that the people were gathered…with an intent to convert,” Pudaite explains.

So why push for a tougher law? Pudaite says Maharashtra is looking to change the framing. “They are now trying to position Christian activities not so much in anti-conversion terms but as anti-national. That will be easier, they feel, to prove in court — that this is upsetting the fragile balance…of the Hindu majority in the country.”

Meanwhile, violence against Christians continues to rise. In just the first seven months of 2025, the Religious Liberty Commission of the Evangelical Fellowship of India documented 334 incidents — almost two per day.

“They know they can go in and attack churches,” Pudaite says. “Even recently, they arrested two Catholic nuns from a public train station and charged them with trafficking and anti-conversion laws.

“We are seeing the government of India just using the letter of the law down to the ‘nth’ degree against Christian organizations, just trying to find any little slip up and turning it into a major issue. In the process, the work of some wonderful organizations is being terribly restricted or completely eliminated from India.”

If Maharashtra’s law passes, India’s already tight space for religious minorities could shrink even further. For churches on the ground, the fear is that Sunday mornings will bring not just worship, but a knock on the door.

Pray for believers in India to stand firm under pressure. Ask God to protect church leaders from false accusations and give them wisdom.

You can also support BFTW here as they serve the Church in India and strengthen believers in the face of persecution.

Header photo courtesy of BFTW.

Between 2017 and 2019, the world was shaken by leaked reports of China’s modern reeducation camps, where nearly 3 million ethnic Uyghurs were detained. Since then, global coverage has subsided — but what is happening to them now?

Following international outcry, the Chinese Communist Party appeared to close many internment camps. However, some remain in operation.

Bob Fu, a contact with Voice of the Martyrs Canada, says, “According to one report, there are over sixteen thousand still in the camps.”

Although the official label for these facilities is “vocational education and training,” the reality is far more disturbing. Detainees face forced sinicization — pressured to abandon their faith and adopt Communist ideology. Uyghur culture and language are systematically suppressed. Inmates are forced into labor and punished for minor offenses, such as owning religious books — among them, the Bible.

Persecution of Uyghur Christians

Representative photo courtesy of Cake Cat via Pexels.

Uyghur Christians are a small minority within an already oppressed group. Many came to faith through foreign missionaries. These workers not only shared the gospel but also supported the local economy, composed Uyghur worship songs, and translated several Bible books.

“They were not just doing evangelism, but they were helping the local people. [They] were taking care of the poor, the needy, the children,” says Fu.

These missionaries were deported from Xinjiang, leaving Uyghur believers exposed to double persecution.

First, from the Communist Party — for being both ethnically different and Christian. “Secondly, those Uyghur Christians also face their own people,” Fu explains, referring to Muslim Uyghurs who reject their conversion. Islam is the predominant religion among Uyghurs, and conversion is often viewed as a betrayal of ethnic identity. As a result, converts face discrimination, isolation, and even estrangement from family.

One such believer, Pastor Alimujiang Yimiti, was sentenced to 15 years in prison. His crime?

“In his own home, he was sharing with the American missionary that he was being spied on by the Chinese State Security, and that he was under surveillance,” says Fu. “So this Chinese State Security Agency basically accused him of leaking a state secret — that was the only state secured secret!”

Another believer was released from prison, only to be resentenced to an additional twelve years within days. Voice of the Martyrs Canada brings to light cases like this.

“This is totally lawless and arbitrary, and is nothing but religious persecution in the most cruel way,” adds Fu.

Pray for the freedom of imprisoned Uyghur believers and comfort for those still enduring hardship in the camps.

Header — representative photo: Woman kneeling near a cross (photo courtesy of Jametlene Reskp via Unsplash)

“We’re seeing Muslims encounter dreams and visions of Jesus all over the world. So most years, we will have a big project, and we’ll call people all around our ministries to pray, especially during the night of power, which is when a lot of Muslims will pray to receive a divine dream or vision from Mohammed himself. That’s when we band people together and say, ‘hey, let’s pray that instead of Mohammed, it’s Jesus that shows up in these dreams and brings hope and peace and love to their lives.’”

I Found the Truth is a video ministry of Uncharted Ministries started in 2018 where former Muslims share their testimonies of how Jesus changed their lives. According to Josh, when they first launched the series, they didn’t get many views. Now, they’ve had over 800,000 new YouTube subscribers since December 1.

“Muslims are coming to faith in Christ all over the globe, and many of them are seeking. They want to know more. We’re seeing more and more people looking at the videos, digesting them, sharing them, debating in the comment section,” says Josh.

“Our hope and intention was to get these testimonies out to Muslims around the world that are seeking to know more about Jesus.” 

The ministry just finished their fifth season and is working on season six. Some of their projects include a round table series, where four or five former Muslims will walk through different topics related to Islam. They’re also working on a recap of the last six seasons, to look back to see all that the Lord has done. 

Their Uncharted Rewind project, where they’ll have a former Muslim go through all the different episodes and talk about it in real time to the audience, is expected to come out this summer. Those who become believers are also then using the videos as a tool to evangelize to those around them. 

“You can sit there and debate about different history or different parts of Christianity versus Islam, and that’ll just go round and round and round and round,” says Josh. “But many people say, ‘well, you can’t argue with someone’s personal testimony, their personal story.’”

Josh understands the risk many Muslims face in asking questions, seeking answers, and sharing their testimonies. He encourages individuals to put in a fake name and email if necessary for safety when contacting I Found the Truth. 

If you want to stay up to date on I Found the Truth, sign up for their newsletter on their website, ifoundthetruth.com. Their videos can also be found on their YouTube channel here. 

“We’re just praying that this year we see even more Muslims come to faith in Christ. We’re praying that these videos would get out there to folks that have been wandering and searching for years,” says Josh.

*name withheld for security reasons

Header photo courtesy of Uncharted Ministries.

The story of Sanatani: Karma Hi Dharma seems to blame Christians for illiteracy, superstition, and other societal problems in India. John Pudaite with Bibles For the World says, “That premise alone is false, but that is how this whole film develops the story.”

The film was released on February 7 in the main language of India’s Odisha State.

“[Odisha] 15-16 years ago saw some of the most terrible persecution against the Body of Christ. Yet the church has remained strong. Recent statistics show that in Kandhamal District, where a lot of the violence previously was centered, that has now reached 20% Christian,” Pudaite says.

Bibles For The World works in areas where there is restricted access to God’s Word, where copies are scarce or among peoples where Christianity is beginning to take root — such as Nepal, Cambodia, areas of India and other Asian and SE Asian nations.
(Photo, caption courtesy of Bibles For The World)

“They’re strong in their faith and continuing to grow and continuing to share the gospel in that area. So this film coming out [or] being placed in that state, it’s really significant.”

Odisha — like most of India, says Pudaite — has seen an increase of violence and persecution against Christians in recent years. Believers across Odisha feared that the film’s message would stir up attacks against Christians. They petitioned officials to prevent Sanatani’s release but to no avail.

Here’s one example of the film’s messaging: “The conversion scene that is portrayed in this film, the woman is offered money to become a Christian, to join the church. This is the misconception that just pervades across India,” says Pudaite. That is, many people in India don’t understand that Christianity is not about material goods or financial gain; to be a Christian is to have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ.

The film also depicts a Christian leader not standing for education, medical treatment or law enforcement, Pudaite says. “These are complete falsehoods. Christians have been at the forefront of education in India. They’ve been at the forefront of medicine. They have been law-abiding citizens.”

He adds, “I’ve gotten a sense [that Christians] are kind of bracing for the backlash that will come because of this.”

Pray that the people of India realize the truth about Christ and what faith in Him really means. Pray that Christians will stand strong in faith and wisely navigate cultural pressures and dangers. 

“Pray that the truth will show itself forth here in this situation, even though it’s being painted so terribly,” Pudaite says. 

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

It’s a move lamented by Christians around the world. Greg Musselman of Voice of the Martyrs Canada says: “The thing that is so troubling about this is hat India is supposed to have some freedom of religion and conscience, but when you’ve got a radical government – the radical Hindu party the BJP – their desire is to see India become a fully Hindu country. If you’re Indian, you’re Hindu.”

Unfortunately, this isn’t the start of a trend; it’s a pattern that other states have already set. “Rajasthan is following the lead of the previous 11 states that have gone this direction, and it’s just going to be causing more and more problems with fines, imprisonment, and really what it is is intimidation.”

Both suggested policies could put undue pressure on the local Church. Conversion is rarely something a person expects, and demanding 60 days notice before someone makes a life-changing decision is a nearly impossible task. Arguably, that’s the point.

Then there’s the ban on forced conversions. Local magistrates would be the ones to decide whether a conversion is “forced.” Some officials have already suggested that charitable aid could be seen as a bribe. In other words, if an organization helps someone with their practical needs, the government could label any resulting conversion as a “forced conversion.”

That’s a huge problem for groups like Voice of the Martyrs Canada, which makes practical compassion a cornerstone of their work. “When you go into these situations and you give them food, you give them clothing, and you encourage them, they’re going to see the love of God, and the desire is that we would then share the Gospel with them,” Musselman says. 

“Now, I don’t believe in proselytizing people if there’s any kind of coercion involved – that’s just not the way that Jesus ministered. But we believe in evangelism. We are compelled to share the Gospel.”

All of this puts an intimidating obstacle in the face of the Indian Church, especially young believers. “Somebody comes to know the Lord through the kindness of believers and now they’re facing persecution as a result of that,” Musselman says. “I know many pastors and leaders in India. They’re not being intimidated by this, but it’s the newer believers, those that are young in their faith, especially if they’ve come from Hindu backgrounds.”

And yet despite the anxiety and persecution, God’s presence in India continues to grow. “​​God is working. Many are coming to know the Lord,” Musselman says. “I think the big prayer here would be that the church would not pull back, that they would continue to share the message of God, the message of God’s love through his son Jesus, that they would do it with humility, but they would also do it with boldness.

“We need to be bold. We need to go forward and do what we’re to do, but we’re also to show humility and kindness, and that would be my prayer for our brothers and sisters in India.”

Learn more about the work of Voice of the Martyrs Canada here.

Header photo courtesy of Unsplash.

“We don’t know specifically what the charges are against them. We believe that it is for sharing the gospel,” says Todd Nettleton with The Voice of the Martyrs. 

“The trial had been set for August the 13th [2024]. To our knowledge, the trial has not happened, but there hasn’t been any kind of an announcement of ‘it’s been delayed until X day.’” 

Libya has had two rival governments for the past 10 years. You can imagine how this undermines judicial process and constitutional rights for its 2% Christian population. 

Libya is ranked number 3 on Open Doors’ World Watch List. (More on that here.)

“There’s a couple different options that they could be facing. One [charge could be] for their own leaving Islam, or the other option [could be] for encouraging other people to leave Islam. Frankly, it could be both,” Nettleton says.

(Image courtesy of Voice of the Martyrs)

“[It] would probably not be a charge like ‘evangelism.’ It would probably be a charge like ‘the corrupting the society’ or ‘corrupting the morals of another person.’” 

Nettleton says that under Libya’s penal code, conversion and evangelism can receive the death penalty. 

“I’m very curious to know what’s happening behind the scenes that this trial has been delayed yet again. Maybe there’s pressure from outside to release these people, to not have a trial,” he says.

Find your place in this story with Hebrews 13:3, which calls believers to remember imprisoned and mistreated fellow Christians.

“It would be very easy [for Christians in Libya] to think, ‘I need to be quiet,’ or ‘I need to stop gathering with other believers,’ or even ‘I need to flee the country.’ All of those are sort of logical responses to this,” Nettleton says. 

“But we want to pray against discouragement and against intimidation, for not only the six who are on trial, but for all of our brothers and sisters in Libya during this time.” 

Header photo is a representative stock photo courtesy of Ehsan Habashi/Unsplash.

Lacking in Community

In addition to the stories of persecution, FMI‘s Bruce Allen says many Muslim-background believers face another struggle – connecting with other Christians. One man and his wife from Morocco, a majority-Muslim nation, came to know Christ on a trip in Europe. For years after that trip, their only Christian community was each other and their children.

(Image courtesy of FMI)

Allen says eventually the son went to university in Europe and met another Moroccan student who was a Christian. “The son calls mom and dad up in Morocco and said, ‘There are more of us!’ He just met one, and he was so excited about meeting another Moroccan believer. Eventually they got connected through that individual to some other believers.”

After years of feeling alone in their country, this pastor and his family had community. But even with that victory comes unique challenges.

A Changed Identity

In some countries, religion is a state-monitored part of a person’s identity. Conversion is legally difficult or even impossible. Allen says, “If you’re born in Morocco, by constitutional law, you’re Muslim. Well, now I’m not, but I can’t change that national ID card. Now it’s not Morocco, but I know firsthand of people in other Muslim-majority nations where they could not even get married in their country.”

(Image courtesy of FMI)

The religion on a person’s ID card dictates who they can marry, what jobs they can hold, where they live, or what schools their children attend. Additionally, many schools in Muslim-majority nations are religious and lean heavily on learning the Quran.

“A Christian family might say, I don’t want that for my child. So do I even send my kid to school? Now the kid is illiterate, and mom and dad are probably also illiterate because their parents might have made that same choice for them. That means even if FMI came in with printed Bibles, they couldn’t read them. That’s why audio Bibles are so important in many of these oral societies, or where literacy rates among Christians are so low,” Allen says.

Working with Excellence

For other Muslim-background believers, the cost of faith in Christ might be loss of job or even imprisonment.

Allen says that one Christian man he knows in a Muslim-majority country is in prison because he got a promotion at work over Muslim coworkers.

“His own colleagues, who enjoyed working with him (and he was diligent, did his work with excellence which was why he was getting this promotion) … They turned on him. They accused him of blasphemy because they’re like, ‘We can’t let you get elevated in society above us. You’re a Christian, not Muslim.’ As soon as that accusation came, even though he committed no blasphemy, he’s been languishing in prison for about four years now. That’s the cost of following Christ in some countries.”

Counting the Cost and Still Following

Despite the immense personal cost, many in Muslim-majority nations are coming to saving faith in Christ. They know the things they are leaving behind and anticipate their persecution. Yet they still commit their lives to Jesus.

It is difficult or even impossible to get to these brothers and sisters physically to help share in their suffering. However, Christians around the world can lift up the persecuted body of Christ in prayer.

Allen says, “Pray for fellowship. I think of the embers of firewood. If those embers are not close together, they cool down really rapidly. But if you bank them together, that warmth, that glow continues. Pray that they see how they can reflect Jesus in their society, in daily life, at the marketplace, at the café.”

If you would like to learn more about or join the work of FMI, click here.

Header image courtesy of Tep Ro on Pixabay.

But the pushback from India against this designation has been swift and sharp. A spokesperson for the nation’s Ministry of External Affairs referred to the report as “propaganda,” and called USCIRF “a biased organization with a political agenda.” 

So what is going on? Tim Landis with FARMS International says there has been a “ramping up of new anti-conversion laws.” 

India’s population is nearly 80% Hindu, 14% Muslim and 2% Christian. (Source: CIA Factbook) Photo courtesy of Ron Hansen/Unsplash.

Twelve states in India criminalize changing your religion, under certain circumstances. There are also concerns that India’s current government will make all of India a nationalist Hindu state. We’ll see who is in office after the general election results come in June. (More on the ongoing election here.)

For now, incidents of mob violence against Christians are on the rise, and FARMS is feeling it. One of their local partners had to move his family due to threats in their home area. 

“Church, believers, and families were persecuted, false accusations of saying that the businesses were giving people loans and beneficiaries loans to convert to Christianity, which is not the truth. It’s not even how FARMS operates,” Landis says. 

FARMS offers interest-free loans to Christians to help them work their way out of poverty. It doesn’t touch on conversion. Until recently, their work in India has not been under much threat.

“[Our partner] has had very good connections within the government, but that is starting to deteriorate, as the government kind of keeps pressing on these [anti-conversion] laws,” Landis says. 

Pray against the fear Christians are facing of losing their crops, livelihoods or lives to community attacks spurred on by anti-conversion laws.

Learn more here about how you can come alongside Christians around the world with FARMS International.

Header image is a representative stock photo of India courtesy of Akshat Vats/Unsplash.