Short-term missions are important to Unknown Nations’ partners, but often the areas that the organization is active in are not conducive to short-term mission trips.

Bangladesh is home to the Bengali Sheikh, one of the largest unreached people groups in the world. 135 million of the country’s 160 million people are still in the zero percentile of Christians.

The Muslim people group is welcoming of Westerners, so when Westerners are in the country, they stand out.

“It causes unnecessary attention to really our partners on the ground, and that’s one of the last things we want to do,” Greg Kelley with Unknown Nations says.

Veiled women hold Treasures, Unknown Nations’ solar-powered audio Bibles.
(Photo courtesy of Unknown Nations)

Going into a place like that with a concentrated population makes it hard to get away.

This means that ministry done within the country is done almost exclusively by Bengali Christians. They are the ones distributing solar-powered audio Bibles and providing relief, as well as training and mobilizing leaders.

“From a cultural standpoint, it’s a superior approach to mobilize the Bengali Christian community to reach that country. I mean, you’re again, you’re in the high 90 percentiles of people inside of Bangladesh that have never heard of Jesus one time,” Kelley says.

The barriers a Westerner has in the country can be detrimental to the progress of the gospel.

Islam is so ingrained in the culture of the country that, in some ways, to be Bengali is to be Muslim. While Christians can be beaten, imprisoned, and killed regularly for their faith, often their persecution comes from within their own families.

“Think of your mother, your father, your brother, your sister, your aunt, your uncle, your grandparents, totally rejecting you because of your decision to follow Jesus. That’s the persecution that takes place in Bangladesh on a daily basis,” Kelley says.

Short-term teams sent into places like Bangladesh act more like vision teams and prayer teams and can be an encouragement.

“We call it the power of presence,” Kelley says. “You’re there, you’re encouraging them, you’re meeting their family, you’re praying over them, and the vision is being seeded inside of you.”

Please pray for these strong Christians in Bangladesh and for their willingness to share the gospel with a society that rejects them for it.

“We say that there are no lukewarm Christians in Bangladesh. When you’re a follower of Jesus, you’re either all in or you’re not at all, because to be lukewarm, you just won’t survive,” Kelley says.

Please pray for the Rohingya people from Myanmar, that God will be with them through their refugee crisis in Bangladesh, pray for these people who have seen disaster, and have come to a new country without Jesus.

Please pray that God will work through the Bengali people and their visitors to reach the unreached with the love and salvation of Jesus Christ.

Header Photo by engin akyurt on Unsplash

]]> https://www.mnnonline.org/news/christians-meet-for-encouragement-as-afghanistan-anniversary-approaches/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=christians-meet-for-encouragement-as-afghanistan-anniversary-approaches Fri, 29 Aug 2025 04:00:47 +0000 https://www.mnnonline.org/?post_type=news&p=216688 Afghanistan (MNN) — Tomorrow marks four years since Afghanistan shifted to Taliban control following the chaotic withdrawal of U.S. troops.

Despite international scrutiny, Islamist rule remains entrenched as the Taliban enforces strict Islamic laws, erases religious freedom, and shows little intent to ease restrictions. Nearly half of Afghanistan’s population — around 23 million people — now require humanitarian aid to survive, with widespread food insecurity, poverty, and insufficient resources.

Nehemiah with FMI says, “Over the last few years, since the Taliban have been in power, the situation has gotten worse in Afghanistan. The situation has fallen apart dramatically.”

FMI receives continual reports from partnering indigenous pastors and Gospel workers in Afghanistan and Pakistan. More about that here.

Believers expected more persecution under Taliban rule, but surprisingly, “Taliban are not going after Christian workers in Afghanistan,” Nehemiah reports.

Instead, “they are hunting down other religious (groups) or sects within Islam. So even Shias are being severely persecuted.”

However, Gospel workers did confirm that women face severe pressure. “Women are restricted from most employment,” Nehemiah says.

“The girls are banned from secondary schools and universities, depriving them of the opportunity to pursue knowledge and a future career. For many families, this has extinguished hope for generational progress.”

Photo is a representative stock image courtesy of ArmyAmber via Pixabay.

Afghan Christians persevere

Though they work in secret, FMI walks in lockstep with Afghan pastors. “We support (workers) financially, and we provide them with Bibles in their language, Pashto and Dari Bibles,” Nehemiah says.

“We collaborate with other missionary organizations and [send our partners] evangelistic tools.”

Ten Afghan leaders gathered recently with FMI for updates and fellowship. “It was a wonderful time,” Nehemiah says.

“We spent a few days together, and we [reviewed] the situation, what happened previously, and they named this conference, [the ‘Reemergence] of Ministry in Afghanistan,” he continues.

“They are re-emerging in Afghanistan, and we have very, very high hopes. We believe that God is going to do a lot of miracles, spiritual miracles.”

Keep Afghanistan in your prayers. “I would request our listeners to please pray for the Taliban that they find hope and salvation in Jesus Christ, because the only solution for Afghanistan is in Jesus Christ,” Nehemiah says.

“Pray for the leadership of [FMI’s] Afghan team and the people who work there, that they can lead their pastors and the ministry in a very positive way.”

Help Afghan Christians through FMI here.

Header image depicts Afghan Christians who escaped to Pakistan with help from FMI in 2021. (Photo courtesy of FMI)

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).

Rob Myers with DOOR International shares the good news that this kind of generational multiplication happens among the Deaf around the world. 

(Graphic courtesy DOOR International)

In 2000, a leader Myers calls Sanji came to know the Lord through the ministry of Deaf missionaries who came to India. 

“Sanji began to share the gospel with his local community. Another person came to faith and Sanji began to disciple him. Then that person ended up moving to a different part of India. As he shared his faith with a number of people, another brother came to know the Lord,” Myers tells us. 

Four or five “generations” down this line, a leader Myers calls Matthew felt the Lord leading him to travel beyond his community. 

“He moved to another country in South Asia, where there at the time were only about 20 believers out of a population of maybe 300,000 Deaf people. He, alongside another brother, began to share the gospel in this new community, and more leaders came to faith,” Myers says. 

Praise God for how He is moving among Deaf communities worldwide! 

Myers says that DOOR hopes to see local churches not only established and strengthened by disciple-making, but also carrying on a vision for disciple-making and church-planting beyond their region. 

“What you’ll often see as the outgrowth of this kind of thing is that disciples becoming missionaries into new communities,” Myers says, adding that there are Deaf missionaries from Kenya now serving in Mozambique, South Sudan and Angola. 

(Photo courtesy DOOR International via Facebook)

DOOR is beginning to plan what they call “outposts” in strategic areas of the world. 

“One of the things we recognize is that there are still major regions of the world where Deaf communities are cut off from the gospel,” says Myers.

These outposts would be launching points into key areas where the gospel isn’t present yet. Missionaries would enter the region to share the gospel and raise up indigenous leaders — “with the hope not just that the gospel would come to those specific Deaf communities,” Myers says, “but that through them sending missionaries out, it would flood into the surrounding communities.”

Would you come alongside DOOR in prayer for these bold, missional efforts by the Deaf to the Deaf? Visit doorinternational.org and find their monthly prayer calendar as well as learn about Deaf leaders who you could specifically partner with. 

Finally, would you share this story with someone today? 

“This might be the first time that you’re hearing about Deaf ministry and others may not be aware of it at all. So it would be a great opportunity for you to spread the word and let others know that they can be praying, that they can be supporting the work that God’s doing in these Deaf communities,” Myers says. 

Header photo is a representative photo courtesy of Dikaseva/Unsplash. 

“When we talk about the mission field that is Iran, we are talking about a rapidly increasing harvest. Iranians are interested,” Transform Iran’s Lana Silk says.

“They want to hear the Gospel, but an immediate need becomes, ‘Do we have enough people who can lead the hundreds and thousands who are coming to the Lord?’”

New believers need strong leaders because “there are so many things that need to be completely relearned by someone who comes from a Muslim background,” Silk continues.

“You need people who can walk with them and teach them, ‘God is not like who you thought Allah was. No, God is not angry with you. He’s not waiting to judge you. He loves you. He wants to hear your voice.’”

Transform Iran is committed to developing leaders that will change Iran and the surrounding region. More about that here.

The ministry uses one-on-one counseling and mentoring, intensive live training seminars, and a host of digital and printed media to support and equip leaders as they grow in Christ.

Your help makes it all possible. Find ways to support Transform Iran’s work here.

Make sure you add Iran to your daily prayer list, too. “Prayer is the most important, isn’t it? If we don’t do it (our work) through the power of anointing of the Holy Spirit, then we’re doing it in human strength, and then we’re in trouble,” Silk says.

“Let’s pray for those who come to know Jesus — that they are grounded in the Word, that they grow as disciples; pray that they’re fruitful. Pray that leaders are raised up [who] can look after this growing church.”

Header image courtesy of Transform Iran.

Behdin and Sanaz are perfect examples. “Their story is a story of fruitfulness right from the beginning,” Transform Iran’s Lana Silk says.

Nine years ago, the Iranian couple was on vacation in Türkiye. “One of our evangelists shared the Gospel with this couple, and right there on the street, they gave their lives to the Lord,” Silk says.

“They came alive with Jesus in their hearts; they began sharing the Gospel with their friends [and] relatives. Whole families started turning to Jesus as their Lord and Savior.”

Behdin and Sanaz immediately put their faith into action. “In the first year, they opened their home for meetings,” Silk says.

“The church grew quickly and has grown ever since.”

Behdin, Sanaz, and their miracle son
(Photo, caption courtesy of Transform Iran)

These believers soon encountered “fruitfulness” in other arenas, too. Silk says, “Sanaz had major issues with infertility for many years. [Then,] they conceived on the same day they committed their lives to Jesus!”

Read Behdin and Sanaz’s full story here.

Transform Iran needs your help to train 100 more leaders like Behdin and Sanaz. See how and why Transform Iran began training leaders.

“Jesus said Himself, ‘The harvest is great, but the workers are few,’” Silk says.

“There’s so much we need to do in making sure people who come to know Jesus learn what it looks like to follow Him.”

Even $20 can make a difference. Help Transform Iran disciple and equip 100 leaders here.

Most importantly, pray. “Let’s keep praying that this incredible moment in history with Iran continues while we gather in the harvest,” Silk suggests.

“Pray for many more to be saved, to encounter Jesus in their dreams. Pray that leaders are raised up [who] can look after this growing church.”

In the header image, Iranian Christians baptize a new believer. (Photo courtesy of Transform Iran)

President of Global Advance Jonathan Shibley says, "God's Spirit is really on the move in this region and has sovereignly brought together pastors and church planters, apostolic leaders, that have a vision of bringing the Gospel to literally tens of thousands of unreached villages."

The northern state of Uttar Pradesh (UP) is one of the most unreached areas in India. Of the state's 180 million people, less than 2% are followers of Christ. UP is dominated by Hindus and is part of what some missionaries call the "Hindu Heartland."

In a region of UP near the Ganges River, Global Advance helps indigenous leaders grow deeper in their faith. They come alongside local church leaders with training and discipleship tools, but they credit the leaders' passion for Gospel growth in the community.

"Over 350,000 new believers, 97,000 new people baptized and 13,500 house churches planted in the last four years alone," says Shibley. "It's really one of the most amazing things I've seen in my 15 years of doing missions.

"[This movement] came from indigenous leaders. They've got a plan and a strategy: they're really, as they take the Gospel, trying to meet people's needs on a very practical level."

According to Shibley, the leaders call their strategy "2020," and its goal is simply to share the Gospel with as many people as possible by the year 2020. Shibley says the plan isn't one of extravagant or extraordinary measures.

"We're talking about just very simple gatherings of people to hear the Gospel presented in a clear way that they can understand," he explains, "to be loved, and then hopefully to be nurtured and discipled in the faith, and that being multiplied throughout the region."

One of the tools Global Advance found to be most helpful to indigenous leaders is something called a "Life Book."

It's a "52-week series of lessons that indigenous leaders can use for their own spiritual growth and biblical understanding, but [it's] also something they can replicate and teach others," says Shibley.

Can you help indigenous leaders bring the Gospel to more people? Click here.

While continuing to support leaders' spiritual growth in northern India, Global Advance is also hoping to help in physical ways.

"Practically and socially speaking, we're looking at microeconomics solutions," Shibley says. "They need things that can help them produce income for a living."

Global Advance is partnering with groups who specialize in the area of microenterprise to come up with a solution, Shibley adds.

Meanwhile, as the Body of Christ continues to grow in this Gospel-needy area of Uttar Pradesh, significant risk remains.

"There has been steady persecution in that region of pastors and churches," says Shibley. "Several weeks ago…during a Sunday service, someone came and attacked the service and went up to the front and beat the pastor."

Ask God to protect His people from their enemies in the northern states of India.

"We know through history [that] as there's been persecution, the advance of the Gospel continues to intensify," says Shibley.

"Pray for unity, pray for protection, pray for wisdom, and pray for the grace of God."