Across Türkiye, pastors faithfully serve their communities, nurturing believers and guiding churches to maturity. As one congregation grows strong and vibrant, the next step — multiplying into new fellowships — can bring its own challenges. Still, many continue seeking ways to extend the Gospel’s reach to places where it has not yet been heard.

Patrick Anthony from FMI says, “One of the biggest challenges is finding those people in a country with a Christian population that’s so small in percentage.”

Türkiye’s Christian population is less than one percent. Though most Turkish Muslims are cultural rather than devout, the Church often feels isolated. Yet the need for hope and the Gospel remains great — a need made especially clear after the earthquake two years ago.

“Muslims were coming to faith in Christ,” Anthony recalls, “because of the way the Christian community was caring for them in the aftermath, compared to the government.”

Yet with the great need, there are not enough people. Anthony says FMI looks for pastors to work alongside who meet certain criteria:

• deeply rooted in their faith,
• grounded in Scripture,
• experienced in leading the Church,
• genuine in their relationship with Jesus,
• and most importantly, they understand the need for the Church to multiply and reach more people.

Bustling Istanbul Bazaar (Photo courtesy of Ugur Tandogan via Pexels)

Anthony explains that a true church planter is someone who can “raise up a church and mature and disciple a church for the purpose of those people’s spiritual health, and also the multiplication of the church.”

Encouragingly, this work is happening in some areas of Türkiye.

“They [Christian leaders] are in one neighborhood with hundreds of thousands of people, and they’re pastoring the only known evangelical church there. They’re praying and planning to plant another church in a nearby suburb — also with hundreds of thousands of people — and they don’t know of any evangelical churches there,” Anthony says.

Yet one challenge is that many areas remain unreached, and there is a growing need for strategic planning. In addition, Turkish law doesn’t allow the construction of new church buildings; believers must use existing structures or, when that’s not possible, rent office space. This reality highlights the urgent need for prayer!

Please pray for workers to be found, as the harvest is ready! Visit FMI to learn more about their work and the ways you can help.

Abandoned 18th Century Brick Church in Turkiye (photo courtesy of Meriç Tuna via Pexels).

Life’s struggles fade in the light of the Gospel. This is what Belarusian pastors believe as they persevere through obstacles in their ministry!

Eric Mock from Slavic Gospel Association says, “Through compassion ministry over the last eleven years, thousands of people have heard the Gospel, and hundreds have come to faith through this ministry.” Click here to learn more about the compassion ministry.

The obstacles are many — government restrictions, monitoring of sermons and social media, and even arrests of clergy who speak against limits on language or freedoms. Church leaders pray for wisdom as they carefully navigate registration and policy requirements, working hard to maintain peace with their government when possible.

Photo courtesy of Tima Miroshnichenko via Pexels

They persevere by remaining faithful to the Great Commission.

Mock says, “Look behind the curtain and see the faithful believers who, regardless of world events, continue to fulfill the task at hand and declare the Gospel to all people.”

Eric recalls meeting a few pastors from Belarus. He asked them how they respond to these challenges, and one pastor replied,

“That’s between them and God. As for us, we will continue the task before us of declaring the Gospel and making disciples of all people!”

These pastors are less concerned with government policies than with how to carry out the Great Commission in these times. And there are challenges, as many of them serve in two or three churches due to a lack of newly trained pastors.

Slavic Gospel Association supports Belarusian churches and leaders in their growth and humanitarian outreaches. Visit their website to learn more!

Mock adds, “We attempt to provide financial or supplemental support for these men who are out in the villages, because sometimes it’s almost impossible to take care of your family and continue doing ministry.”

Pray for a new generation of pastors to embrace the call and for wisdom as they navigate these sensitive days.

“Let us, in the middle of these chaotic times, preach Christ and Him crucified, so that people would know Christ and make Him known,” Mock encourages.

 

Header photo: Minsk, Belarus (courtesy of Egor Kunovsky via Unsplash)

Iranians love their culture. Their home. Their history. But when they find the highest love – Jesus – and want to share Him with others – they are often forced into an endless move of survival.

Robert Duncan from Middle East Concern says, “Persecution against Christian converts, in particular in Iran, is quite strong. A lot of people respond to that, at least by considering leaving their country.”

This often concerns Christian leaders, evangelists, Bible smugglers – and those less fortunate, caught by weak security or betrayal.

“Often, if the persecution is severe, they don’t have a lot of time to prepare. This means that they don’t have time, for example, to get a visa to a country that they would perhaps choose to go to,” adds Duncan.

People are mourning for Imam Hossein in Hosseinieh Habibi, Khansar (Photo courtesy of Hasan Almasi via Unsplash)

If Iranian believers are arrested for their faith and forced to pay bail, it often costs them their property. Duncan explains, “It impoverishes them, and that means they don’t have a lot of financial resources to leave the country or to set up life anywhere else.”

For a quick escape, most choose visa-free neighbors: Türkiye, Armenia, or Georgia. But new challenges await.

Their first hurdle is legalizing their stay, usually through an asylum claim, proving they had a solid reason to leave. “They also have to demonstrate that it isn’t safe for them to return,” Duncan says, “and that if they were to go back to Iran, they would likely face severe rights violations.”

Authorities demand solid evidence — medical records, audio or video threats, witness statements, or other documented proof of danger. This evidence is often difficult to obtain once outside Iran.

Yet, even with proof, many Christian refugees are still denied. “There used to be many more [accepted cases], but the world is going through an asylum crisis at the moment,” Duncan explains.

And if accepted, life in the system offers little healthcare, education, or work. After a few years, many are released into uncertainty, rotating between those three countries.

“They’re in a situation where they don’t know when it’s going to end, and it can be very wearing,” Duncan says, adding that the pressures often strain relationships and daily survival.

Pray for Iranian believers seeking a safe home! And pray for religious freedom in Iran so believers can thrive without needing to flee.

Middle East Concern — together with Article 18, CSW, and Open Doors International — has published reports highlighting the plight of Iranian Christians seeking International protection in both Georgia and Türkiye. Check out these reports to uncover what’s happening — and see how you can pray and help!

Header photo courtesy of Anthony Nguyen via Pexels.

Imagine knowing the law protects your right to believe — yet leaving your home for a prayer meeting, only to have the gathering itself ransacked by an armed group. This is the reality many Indonesian Christians live in. Yet there is something that helps them continue loving their neighbors and walking forward in faith.

Pastor Yandi (left) strategizes with another pastor for effective gospel outreach across (photo courtesy of FMI)

Indonesian Christians have built a strong biblical mindset that helps them overcome struggles.

Bruce Allen from FMI says, “The Christians are true patriots. They love Indonesia. They’re very patriotic. Then they want to see their nation be introduced to Jesus as their Savior.”

Harmony holds great cultural significance, but religious differences frequently challenge this sense of unity among people. In some areas, Muslim neighbors oppose the building of churches, in others there is a regulation that requires all religions (including Christianity) to follow animistic traditions in worship services.

Christians understand that forgiveness can only be truly achieved by walking in the power of the Holy Spirit. They find solace in the faith of those who came before them. Allen explains, “The Bible is chock full of examples of people who have been oppressed for following the Lord, and yet how they stood firm, resolute.”

Allen says these examples remind believers that, “This is one of the ways we reflect Christ’s love in our communities — by living at peace with others.” These lessons are passed down through sermons and from parents to children.

This faith enables them to start new churches. So far, FMI and local believers plan to plant nine new congregations.

Allen concludes, “So we encourage the church planters, the disciple-makers that we partner with, to make sure that they are grounding the people in the truth of the Scriptures so that they know how to respond again.”

Pray for the courage of the local leaders to guide their congregations in reverence to God and trust in His will. Pray also for the church planters and their partners, that they may navigate the legal and social challenges needed to build houses of worship.

Indonesian holding a flag (photo courtesy of Dio Hasbi Saniskoro via Pexels)

For nearly thirty years of war, Pakistan became a refuge for fleeing Afghans. Now, it’s part of a global wave of forced deportations. Since 2023, nearly 900,000 have been sent back.

“There are about 3 million Afghans living in Pakistan, and this includes both registered refugees and undocumented individuals,” says Nehemiah from FMI.

Photo courtesy of FMI

Many are now scraping together what little they had — homes, businesses — as deportation looms. Even those married to or related to Pakistanis are not safe. Though they were protected from the Taliban, life in Pakistan was never truly easy.

“Pakistan is not a diverse country,” explains Nehemiah, “and Pakistan has a culture of tribalism, where people would like to be around their own community… So Afghans are never welcome into Pakistan.”

Unwanted in Pakistan, they now return to hostility in Afghanistan.

“Taliban and local Afghan people in Afghanistan, they are treating them very badly. There are stories of violence, the stories of bad behavior towards people who are coming from Pakistan, because Afghan community thinks that they are traitors,” says Nehemiah.

There is no basic infrastructure in Afghanistan, and the economy is trembling. “It’s devastating. It’s a meltdown situation in Afghanistan. There is no school for girls in Afghanistan,” says Nehemiah. “Still, there is a beacon of hope in Pakistan that girls are able to go to school or college. But this is not a situation in Afghanistan.”

FMI has a unique ministry among Afghans in both Pakistan and Afghanistan. When refugees fled to Pakistan, FMI provided safe houses and cared for dozens of families. They also helped plant over a dozen churches in Afghanistan, where returnees can now reconnect with small congregations. Click here to learn more about what they do!

“Support the cause to expand the Kingdom, Lord’s Kingdom. In this — one of the darkest, spiritually darkest places on Earth — like Afghanistan and the border areas of Asia and Pakistan, people can pray for Afghan returnees as they face immense challenges, economic hardship, emotional trauma, and struggle to rebuild their lives in a homeland that feels unfamiliar to them now,” says Nehemiah.

Header photo courtesy of FMI.

Though well-meaning, their actions violated South Korean ordinances banning balloon and sea-based launches to the North, ordinances aimed at reducing tensions. These types of efforts have long been common, but the group appears to have acted without consulting local organizations experienced in such work. (For previous MNN coverage, click here, and here, and here) 

North Korean flags (Photo courtesy of Micha Brandli via Unsplash)

Eric Foley from Voice of the Martyrs Korea explains, “One of the challenges that we see with people, groups doing work (trying to help those) inside North Korea is that they often don’t think about the Christians that are inside North Korea, to begin with.”

Their unsanctioned effort has drawn scrutiny and may prompt tighter restrictions, making it harder for South Korea-based groups who conduct similar work more responsibly and effectively. Most of these groups have found rice bottles ineffective, often failing to reach North Korea.

It’s a reaction, instead of a response.  Foley says such efforts wrongly assume no gospel outreach exists. Yet, “More people are reading the Bible inside North Korea today than any other time in history.” As of 2020, up to eight percent had encountered Scripture, compared to none in 2000.  

Still, the cost is steep. “There are an estimated 30,000 North Koreans in prison for their faith,” says Foley.

He urges global intercession, both before God and, where possible, before their government. When Christians become aware of the extreme pressures faced by North Korean believers, they must become a voice for them.  Share their stories; raise awareness, advocate on their behalf, pray that their faith holds true. Most importantly, pray for more gospel opportunities and for the boldness of local believers.

“Listen to the people who are in a country. Listen to how they tackle the problem, how they ask for partnership, how they believe that those things can best be done,” he adds.  Visit Voice of the Martyrs Korea to learn how you can help.

Header photo: Children line up in front of a mural in Pyongyang, North Korea (courtesy of Thomas Evans via Unsplash)

“The traditional means of translation that we’ve employed for decades has reached its limit in accomplishing the goal of having Bibles in all the world languages,” John* with unfoldingWord says.

“Most of the ones remaining are smaller language groups, and they’re in difficult-to-reach circumstances.”

unfoldingWord comes alongside church planting networks to begin Church-Centric Bible Translation. More about that here.

“The strategy here is to equip the local church to produce translations that no one else would be able to do anytime soon,” John says.

There are over 7,000 languages spoken in the world. Around 3,589 have little to no Scripture.
(Photo, caption courtesy of unfoldingWord)

The result is indigenous Bible translation, not unfoldingWord projects. Communities welcome the Scripture their members worked on; it wasn’t handed to them by an outside group.

“The (global) Church itself has gotten far ahead of Bible translation,” John says.

“As we go into these places and fully equip, invest, and teach them everything they need to know, their own energy and passion for having it in their mother tongue takes over.”

Sign up for a free prayer calendar on unfoldingWord’s profile page.

John says, “Difficult geographical circumstances in some of these locations are combined with heavy spiritual opposition, so prayer is of utmost importance as we try to progress in these areas.”

*Pseudonym

Header and story images courtesy of unfoldingWord. 

Once an Indonesian comes to Christ, their passion to share the Gospel is hard to quench. Brian Dennett from AMG International says, “They’ve come to Christ, and they have a burden for their own people!”

Indonesia has the largest Muslim population in the world. Its many tribes and ethnic groups differ in culture and religion, yet all share one deep need: Jesus.

“We have targeted twelve different people groups, tribes that have had literally no exposure to the Gospel, and we’ve done that in partnership with our local church network there,” Dennett says.

Indonesian family playing chess (representative photo courtesy of Daniel Lee via Pexels)

In a country where Christians are a minority and often lack experience or guidance, a young believer can easily grow discouraged. To meet this need for solid, confident leadership, AMG runs a Bible training center — preparing pastors and church planters to go out in a responsible and safe way.

The strategy begins with identifying a local believer who has received a clear calling. Then, the ministry comes alongside to support and equip them.

“God has clearly called [local believers] to reach their own people. They already know the context. They already know their people.”

Believers build relationships with those who are open to Gospel and form study groups. “One planter team that we have over the last six months has established a regular ministry with nine family groups, and among these five have confessed their faith in Jesus, and are meeting regularly in a home church,” Dennett says.

Miracles often accompany this work.

One woman, suffering from severe vision loss, was prayed for several times by a local church planter and his wife. But everything changed one day. Dennett shares: “After sharing the Word of God and praying this one time, her vision was completely restored!” She confessed her faith in Jesus, the one who healed her, and believed in Him with all her heart.

“She told [about her healing] to everybody around her! And so for her, for her family, this miraculous act not only confirmed the Gospel, but also opened the door for a lot of further ministry in their community and in their region,” Dennett says.

Pray that AMG International will continue to reach Indonesia’s unreached communities through holistic training for pastors and strategic church planting — led by the Holy Spirit.

Header photo: Fishing boats in Banten, Indonesia (courtesy of Tom Fis via Pexels).

On April 23, families gathered in Istanbul’s parks to celebrate National Sovereignty and Children’s Day, a beloved public holiday. But at 12:49 p.m., a 6.2 magnitude earthquake struck in the Sea of Marmara, sending physical and emotional shockwaves through the city. Memories of the devastating 2023 earthquakes in Hatay and Antakya fueled panic. Some jumped from windows, fearing buildings would collapse. Others rushed to open areas like parks and squares to wait in fear.

Patrick Anthony from FMI says:

“There are a lot of frightened people right now, and it sounds like the fear is more of what could be coming, more aftershocks, more even possibly a larger earthquake.”

Istanbul street (photo courtesy of Nick Night via Unsplash)

Reports say at least 151 were injured, many from acting in panic. After the chaos, authorities advised citizens to spend the night outside. Some slept in their cars, while others gathered with neighbors in gardens and courtyards. A few returned home, but the fear lingers.

Although this quake caused little structural damage, the anxiety remains. Many wonder if the next one will be worse. But amid the uncertainty, ministries remain active, offering comfort, support, and spiritual stability.

“There are so many people who need to hear the gospel for the first time! And things like this are a reminder that, yes, gospel workers, we must keep praying, keep working. Jesus is coming. And people need to know that,” encourages Anthony.

FMI continues to stand alongside local churches. “We come alongside the indigenous church planters and the indigenous church in places where it’s very difficult for the church to replicate because of persecution, or because of poverty,” says Anthony.

Pray for those in need of shelter and comfort in the aftermath. Many partners and families live in multi-story apartment buildings. After experiencing an earthquake, many are too afraid to return home, uncertain if the structures are safe.

And most importantly, pray that Turkish citizens find a truly firm, unshakable foundation in Christ.

Header photo: Istanbul houses (photo courtesy of Gokhan Polat via Usplash)

(Photo courtesy of Forgotten Missionaries International)

FMI’s Bruce Allen explains that the trip is necessary to see how indigenous church and organization partners are holding up.

“FMI is unique in that we are not a sending organization. We don’t raise up Christians from the pews of our churches here in the West and send them to live in another country. We’re an empowerment organization…. So we are identifying and mobilizing the Christian leaders who are indigenous to their own country.”

The number of advantages to having local church leaders as partners goes on and on, but they’re all centered on the fact that the people are already acclimated. They are fluent in the areas language. They’ve grown up in and adapted to the culture, and they have significant relationships in the community.

But, they still need supplies and training. That’s where FMI comes in.

With help from donors, FMI is able to provide almost everything partners need. But, in order to stay true to donors and make sure the best work is being done, FMI visits partners at least once a year.

“We need to go in physically and make sure that the work that we are telling donors is being done, that yes, it is. We want to go in and encourage the church planters, to pray with them, to let them know that they are not forgotten, that they are being remembered.”

At the annual executive board meetings, partners from across the nation are able to gather, network, and come up with new techniques of outreach. Church leaders can get ideas from each other, share their testimonies and how God has worked in their church.

With trainings from FMI, the church has become stronger, but not quite unified. That’s why FMI is revolutionizing societies by introducing a new tactic of outreach: training sessions for pastor’s wives and women in the church.

(Photo courtesy of Forgotten Missionaries International)

“The plight of women gets overlooked,” Allen says. “And if you’re a Christian woman, it’s even worse. Women tend to be invisible segments of their population. So to have seminars that are designed specifically for the enrichment of women is a real treat.”

FMI has hope that women will bring new inspiration and ministry to communities.

“If we can equip the stronger female believers in the congregation to disciple other women in the churches, that will tremendously help the church mature.”

As FMI’s influence continues to spread, they want to scout out new partnerships during this trip in three countries unreached by FMI.

Be praying that God will bring the right partners along and will use FMI as an encouragement to connect the global church.