But inside Iran, there’s another story unfolding.

John Cerniglia, President of SAT-7 USA, says Iranian believers inside and outside the country are still finding ways to share Christ, even in secrecy.

(Photo courtesy of SAT-7)

“We understand, of course, in Iran that we’re talking about the underground Church,” he says. “There are no church buildings in Iran, but we understand there could be as many as a million underground believers. These are people who love Jesus, but who are unable to be public in most cases about their faith. So we hear from them because they watch our satellite television program.”

Through satellite television broadcasts, ministries like SAT-7 reach homes across Iran with Christ’s hope, even when other channels go dark.

Cerniglia says, “Satellite continues to be the only reliable way to get information into the country…. The government can easily block the internet. They can easily shut down phone service. So we’re on a primary and reliable signal to get into the country.”

Viewers in Iran can even call SAT-7 and speak with an Iranian Christian outside the country at the ministry’s call center.

“A couple of months ago, a man called into the program…and he was receiving our content in the Farsi language,” Cerniglia shares. “He was in Iran, and he called into one of our inbound call centers, screaming. I mean, he was irate.”

(Photo courtesy of SAT-7 PARS)

A young Iranian female staffer at SAT-7 answered the call – which Cerniglia explains also introduced a level of cultural imbalance, since the angry caller was an older male.

“He said to her, ‘You’ve destroyed my marriage. You told my wife I shouldn’t be beating her.’”

Despite the man’s anger and the layer of cultural imbalance, the SAT-7 staffer responded with the confidence and grace of the Holy Spirit.

Cerniglia says, “Our young Iranian woman paused and said, ‘Well, sir, what we told your wife is that she was created in the image of God, the Creator of the universe, and that her body is a holy temple to be protected and to be honored.’ And then this young 20-something said, ‘And sir, that’s how we see you. You, too, were created in the image of God.’”

“He was confused by this because this is foreign,” says Cirniglia. “In fact, this began a discipleship journey that our team is on with this gentleman! We hope to lead him to the Lord now that he understands the truth.”

Praise God for the faithful witness of Iranian believers, even from beyond Iran’s borders. Pray that many more Iranians would encounter the truth of Jesus and be transformed.

Find ways to come alongside SAT-7’s ministry at sat7usa.org.

Header photo: Iranians rally in Tbilisi, Georgia, voicing support for the United States and Israel, March 1, 2026 (Photo courtesy of MNN).

In Lesotho, that challenge is familiar. But so is the solution.

(Photo courtesy of Lesotho Flying Pastors, MAF)

Groups like Mission Aviation Fellowship (MAF), Lesotho Flying Doctors, and Lesotho Mountain Discipleship are seeing what’s possible when ministries work in step. Together, they’re meeting both physical and spiritual needs – from emergency medical flights to long-term discipleship and patient care.

So why doesn’t this kind of collaboration happen more often in the ministry world?

MAF Lesotho director and pilot Joe Adams says, “I think one of the challenges that we see is a lack of collaboration and communication…. Sometimes people think, ‘Our way is the best way.'”

That’s where MAF often steps in – not just as a transportation provider, but as a connector.

Adams says, “We’re kind of a hub for the missions community and the people who are doing the kind of work that we support. We can say, ‘Hey, you know what? This is a farming initiative over here, and I just heard from Lesotho Mountain Discipleship that there’s really poor farming practices in this particular village. I wonder if we could connect those people?’ So that’s something that I enjoy doing.”

Pray for those who stay at the Patient House run by MAF’s partner, Lesotho Mountain Discipleship. The house offers patients and their families a place to stay while they receive medical treatment or recover. (Photo, caption courtesy of MAF)

The airplane itself plays a key role.

Adams calls it a “time machine,” shrinking what would be days of travel into hours. Recently, MAF flew a group of rural believers to a two-day expository preaching seminar in the capital, Maseru.

“We were able to bring that group out on a Thursday or a Friday, and then they went back to the field on a Monday,” he says. “It wouldn’t have been even physically possible for them to attend that training if we didn’t have the aircraft.”

That same aviation support also helps doctors reach remote clinics and enables discipleship teams to return again and again to isolated mountain villages – places where consistent Gospel witness is only possible through partnership.

But when collaboration breaks down, Adams says the consequences go deeper than logistics. Disconnection can open the door to pride, competition, and missed opportunities to advance the name of Jesus.

Adams says, “Acknowledging that we’re in a spiritual battle is so important for us who are followers of Jesus. The adversary is a roaring lion seeking someone to devour.

Where ministries choose humility over independence and partnership over preference, the Great Commission moves forward with greater clarity and strength.

Adams asks, “Pray that we’re protected from the adversary and from our own pride, but also that we would abide. That’s how we’re protected from the adversary. When we’re in Christ, we’re unassailable.”

Learn more about MAF’s work in Lesotho!

Header photo courtesy of MAF Lesotho.

Pakistan is number 8 on Open Doors ranking of countries where Christians face the worst persecution. Anthony’s partners also face struggles with finances and rising costs of living, which sometimes make it hard to even put food on the table, as well as pressure to conform to the surrounding culture places not just on them, but on their spouses and children.

Anthony says his “aha” moment came when some of FMI’s US staff spent a couple of days on retreat outside of Pakistan with this team. A large portion of the time was spent interviewing leadership team members individually.

Mob attack in recent years (Photo courtesy of FMI)

“And I remember sitting there thinking, wow, this is so nice, because whenever we visit and we go in country, we have time to talk to all of our team members, of course, but we also have a very busy itinerary to follow, visits to make—and so we’re talking, but it’s also in between events. But for retreat, we had a dedicated time where we could ask, ‘How are you doing? Tell us, what are your challenges? What are you excited about?’ When it comes to missionary care, that’s needed to be able to know where our partners are, emotionally and vision wise, and helps us to see how we can better come alongside them.”

Team members personally reported the individual conversations were positive for them, helping to open discussion on different ideas, future goals, and where they feel the Lord’s leading them. It also gave the ministry leaders a chance to be vulnerable about what they’re truly facing. The ministry’s national director in Pakistan, for example, opened up about his daughter, who faces extreme pressure at her Muslim school, from fellow students and her teacher, to convert to Islam. However, this school may be one of the only opportunities for her to receive an education within the country.

“It’s one thing when a peer says something, pressures you, but when your teacher is coming down on you more than once, that puts a lot of pressure on a student,” notes Anthony. “I don’t know that I would have heard the story of our partner’s daughter’s situation in school if we didn’t have those multiple meetings. He didn’t share that right away.”

Anthony encourages those working in a fast-paced ministry, especially those with people serving around the world, to slow down ask their ministry leaders how they’re doing, what’s on their heart, and what’s burdening them.

“I think it starts personally. Before we ask someone else, it’s helpful to spend some time in prayer for our own reflections with the Lord, personally reviewing, ‘Okay, where am I at? How is my family at?’—talking to our spouse, talking to our families—and let that bleed over into the ministry. We need to care about that for ourselves, to then also care about that for someone else.”

Learn more about FMI’s work at forgottenmissionaries.org.

Header photo courtesy of Aaron Burden on Unsplash .

“People are losing a lot of hope in their countries’ education future, so they tend to give up,” El-Mounayer says. 

SAT-7 staff point kids to Christ while standing in their shoes, as many ministry team members have personal experience with displacement or refugee status. El-Mounayer recalls her own experience growing up in Lebanon:

“I was not a refugee, but I was displaced many times, and all I wanted was for somebody to tell me there is hope.” 

Praise God that the hope of Christ knows no bounds! Please pray that it will reach MENA’s young people before the increasingly radicalized messaging of their cultural environment takes hold. If the Gospel is not preached, El-Mounayer says we lose. 

“We lose this generation that is becoming so confused between the message of extreme hate and the message of extreme love,” she points out. 

Primarily through social media platforms, SAT-7 ministry team members routinely take questions from young people about the love and forgiveness of God. 

“They ask us, ‘Love? God is love?’ They ask us, ‘Forgiveness? We should forgive people who hurt us?’ And we’re very honest when we answer that it’s really not easy – especially in the Middle East when there are many enemies around. But people feel and respect this honesty,” she says. 

After connecting with youth via social messaging apps, the ministry’s next step is to connect them with a viewer support team. 

“They try to connect with the people. They try to answer their questions. They try to pray with them. And then at the end, when we feel it’s safe – specifically their safety – we connect them to a local church or underground church,” El-Mounayer says. 

Please pray for much spiritual fruit from SAT-7’s ministry to children. Learn more about their work here. 

“We are on our knees praying because we really believe that it’s not our work at the end,” El-Mounayer says. “It’s the work of the Holy Spirit.” 

Courtesy of Ahmed Akacha via Pexels. Featured image courtesy of Oussama Ben Slama via Pexels.

Header photo: Courtesy of Oussama Ben Slama via Pexels.

It was only one of several meetings that Lebanon’s Chief of Defense General Rodolphe Haykal attended, but it was probably the shortest — five minutes, according to US Senator Lindsey Graham.

Senator Graham says he asked Gen. Haykal whether the militant group Hezbollah is “a terrorist organization.” Gen. Haykal replied, “No, not in the context of Lebanon.” This stands in stark contrast with over two decades of US policy toward Hezbollah. The meeting ended after that point.

Rep. Gregory Meeks (center) held a productive meeting with Gen. Rodolphe Haykal (left) to discuss progress disarming Hezbollah and other non-state militias as well as improving control over Lebanon’s borders. (Photo courtesy of House Foreign Affairs Committee Dems via Wikimedia Commons)

Nuna* with Triumphant Mercy Lebanon says the general’s statement has sparked contention in Lebanon. “Some people, of course, from [the] Hezbollah area are praising this general for his stance. But all the others are just saying that he is bringing the ruin of Lebanon because of that.” 

The issue comes down to disarmament and funding. Last summer, Lebanon’s government pledged to disarm Hezbollah by the end of 2025. The US swiftly authorized $230 million to support Lebanese security forces in this goal. But now, US support may be in question.

After a season of hope for change in Lebanon, the continued uncertainty is crippling many, says Nuna.

“We don’t know if they’re going to take parts of Lebanon and annex it to Syria or annex it to Israel. We don’t know if the US is with us or against us. We’re not sure of the stand of the United Nations. What is the stand of the economic world bank? It’s all intermingled.”

She points to the biblical phrase “deferred hope” in Proverbs 13:12. “It brings sickness to the heart,” she says. “Our job as a ministry is to keep bringing God there. God is sitting on the throne, God has a solution, and God has a plan, and we are not left alone.”

Pray for hope in Christ to guard people in Lebanon against fear. Pray for God’s purposes to be accomplished in this nation.

“I pray that this will happen with no more bloodshed, with no more delays, with no more wars and tensions and hardship,” says Nuna. “It is so hard for people to live — living every day not knowing what’s going to come, living every day knowing that there’s something that is happening behind closed doors [in the governments].”

*Pseudonym

Header photo courtesy of Triumphant Mercy Lebanon. 

Pastors and leaders gathered for a three-day training.

Though these pastors have no biblical training, they are eager to answer the call of the Lord and learn more about serving their congregations.

Greg Yoder with Christian World Outreach says the trainings go back to the Bible, asking, “‘What does the Bible really say?’ and teaching them how to read the Bible and how to present it to the people that they are ministering to.”

Training changes depending on the needs of the groups of leaders that the trainers are working with, as pastors deal with different issues in different areas and churches.

“God has called these people into a ministry and called them as they become Christians. He puts that desire into their hearts to share the gospel to become a pastor, a lay leader, or whatever it might be,” Yoder says.

“They don’t have a lot of resources to be able to get that training that we have available here, but they seek it,” Yoder says. “Anytime they hear about any kind of training, they’re willing to do whatever they can to get that training.”

As Zimbabwean pastors’ needs are met, they are excited and beg for training programs to come back.

“We try to go back to the same areas, (but) sometimes it’s not always available,” Yoder says. “Our time doesn’t always warrant that, but our goal is to keep discipling and keep in touch with those pastors anyway we can. One thing that we do is give them Bibles so they do have a Bible in their language, Shona.”

Please pray for workers to join CWO in the harvest and for continued opportunities for discipleship with these pastors.

Pray also that God will supply the needed resources and give safe travels so that people are able to lead these trainings. Pray that congregations will be blessed by the ministry.

To learn more about Christian World Outreach’s work in Zimbabwe and donate to their leadership trainings, click here.

Header Photo Provided by Christian World Outreach

Russia (MNN) — There’s encouraging news to share about a South Korean missionary detained in Russia — and many are calling it an answer to prayer.

Ms. Park Tae-Yeon, 69, has been held by Russian authorities since January 15. Earlier this week, Mission Network News reported on her arrest and an online petition calling for her release. That story was picked up by South Korean media, and quickly reached people who could help.

(Photo courtesy of VOM Korea)

Eric Foley with The Voice of the Martyrs Korea says those headlines mattered.

“We really believe it is [an] answer to prayer. The Voice of the Martyrs Korea has confirmed that Ms. Park met for 40 minutes with a representative from the Korean consulate on the afternoon of February 3.”

Park is also in a better living situation now. “We can confirm that today, Ms. Park was moved from the detention center to house arrest after submitting a pledge not to leave Russia until the end of the investigation,” Foley says.

Park was targeted at the same time as Child Evangelism Fellowship in a months-long investigation by Russian officials. The charges against her remain unchanged, which means the hard work is still ahead.

Foley says the situation highlights a broader pattern.

Russian flag (Photo courtesy of Dimmis Vart/Unsplash)

“This is an example of the increasing restrictions on religious liberty, especially for evangelicals in Russia. So let’s make sure we’re praying for both of those situations — one, the release of Ms. Park, but also that this is really the tip of a very big iceberg.”

The Voice of the Martyrs Korea continues to collect signatures for a petition calling for Park’s immediate release. The ministry will deliver the petition to the Russian embassy shortly after the Lunar New Year.

Access the petition here.

Please pray for Park’s encouragement, protection, and full release. Pray also for Christian ministries in Russia, asking God to guard believers and keep the Gospel moving forward despite growing pressure.

Header photo of Ms. Park Tae-Yeon, courtesy of VOM Korea.

In response, the European Union has pledged €250,000 in relief funds for Kenya’s drought-impacted communities.

One ministry working on the ground is Kenya Hope, which supports Hope Centers in Narok villages. Each Hope Center has a well for clean drinking water and provides meals and other community resources.

Bryan Haley, executive director of Kenya Hope, says, “This area really missed out on all of the rain and water that they rely on for the entire year. So a lot of…the communities that we serve are really dry and in drought right now.”

(Photo courtesy of Kenya Hope)

As the drought drags on, Kenya Hope is pivoting to meet people’s growing needs.

“We’ve increased the water supply that we are providing. Normally, we ask our centers to collect a small fee for water so that they can prepare for ongoing maintenance and things. But we’ve stopped that so that water is free and accessible to everybody,” Haley says.

“We’ve also increased the amount of…meals that we are providing so everyone in the community is still being fed during drought because obviously, without water, that means they can’t sell their livestock. A lot of their sources of income have dried up, literally, because there’s no water. So we want to make sure that people are cared for in the most essential way possible.”

Even as Kenya Hope responds to physical needs, Haley says the ministry’s mission goes deeper.

“The word hope in our Hope Center means so much more than just water. The Gospel is key to that as well…. We want to see the Gospel flourish in every area of life.”

(Photo courtesy of Kenya Hope)

As Kenya Hope meets peoples physical and spiritual needs, your prayers are an encouragement. Haley asks, “Pray for rain. The next rain season isn’t really until March, but we are praying for God to deliver water at any time and to sustain people during the drought.”

You can find ways to support Kenya Hope’s mission at kenyahope.org.

Header photo courtesy of Kenya Hope.

Only 15% of orphans in the region are adopted. About 70% of orphaned children are unadoptable because they still technically have a living parent who is unable to care for them. For the rest who are eligible for adoption, only about half will ultimately find a family.

Eric Mock with SGA says, “So where a lot of people are focusing on adopting these children out, what do you do with the other 85% of these kids?

“Well, what SGA is doing [is] we help the local churches put their loving arms around these children and minister to them with the Gospel of Jesus Christ. So these children with no hope are finding hope.”

Orphans Reborn in Russia (Photo courtesy of SGA)

Orphans Reborn partners with local churches to walk alongside orphaned and vulnerable children with the love of Christ. That presence becomes critical as children approach adulthood.

Without guidance, Mock says many young people leaving orphanages face devastating outcomes.

“A lot of the young girls end up in prostitution. A lot of the young men end up selling drugs, or they’re in destructive behavior,” Mock says. “So these churches are the ones locally who will not only minister to the kids, but bring them into the family of God, the family of the local church.”

That long-term investment was on display during a recent Christmas outreach in Russia.

An Orphans Reborn coordinator named Olga had spent years visiting an orphanage serving about 45 children. When that orphanage closed, God opened another ministry door at an orphanage for children with special needs. It was the first time believers had ever been allowed on the premises.

More than 130 children attended the Christmas celebration. A puppet theater presented a Christmas message, followed by a brief talk about the birth of Christ. Each child and staff member also received a gift.

Mock says, “To these kids, it’s more than what they get. It’s the fact that they aren’t forgotten, that they get something, and they know that someone is thinking about them. So through Orphans Reborn, they get the gift of family, the gift of the Gospel, the gift of Christmas.”

Orphans Reborn in Russia (Photo courtesy of SGA)

Orphanage administrators expressed gratitude and invited Olga to come back at the end of January!

Across the region, SGA supports ministry to orphaned children in more than 285 orphanages and Christian family homes in seven countries, including Russia, Ukraine, Belarus, Moldova, Poland, Kazakhstan, and parts of Central Asia.

“So more than 17,000 children that don’t have the love of a family experience the love of the family of God and the hope of the Gospel,” says Mock. “This opens amazing doors.”

It just costs $60 to reach one orphan with SGA Orphans Reborn for the year. Click here to support Orphans Reborn with SGA.

Header photo: Orphans Reborn in Russia (Photo courtesy of SGA)

Pastor Ilya Butolin, worship pastor with Beit Hallel Congregation in Ashdod, says the issue does not center on outreach activities, but on whether the congregation may use the property for regular church functions. He describes how authorities have framed their objections.

Beit Hallel Congregation’s new building in Ashdod. (Screenshot courtesy of Beit Hallel Congregation)

“We have a building that we purchased, and they are trying to say that we can’t use this building because we cannot share the Gospel in Israel, like we cannot be missionaries in Israel. So they’re trying to prevent it in any way possible,” says Butolin.

“We’ve [had] physical persecution. They used to come to our building and shout in front of our doors. But now it’s more official. I would call it persecution with suits.”

According to Open Doors USA’s World Watch List 2024 Israel Full Country Dossier, the influence of ultra-Orthodox Jewish ministers nearly led to the passage of a bill in January 2023 that would punish Christian evangelism with prison time. Ultimately, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu blocked the bill. Even so, Messianic Jews in Israel continue to encounter legal and cultural challenges in ministry.

Israel flag (Photo courtesy of Oleg Vakhromov/Unsplash)

Despite these pressures, Butolin says his commitment to Israel and to prayer for the country remains strong.

“It’s important for us as Christians to stand and support Israel, even [though] there is persecution in Israel. There will be always. The Christians were persecuted all over the world. But the great part is that there [are] salvations in Israel.”

He adds that a believer’s hope is not rooted in political systems or governing authorities, but in God’s sovereignty.

“We’re never going to get satisfied. But it’s important to separate that, and that there is still God’s will. The fact that there is an Israeli government, it’s God’s will. So I don’t care if they’re left or right, I will pray for them — same like I’m praying for my enemies. I’m praying for the Muslim brothers to come to Christ because I want them to be saved, same as I want the Jews to be saved.”

As Beit Hallel Congregation approaches an upcoming court date, Butolin is asking believers to pray that “God will give us also wisdom — what to say, what to speak.

“We can stand not only for Beit Hallel Congregation, but this court will be really important for the Body of Christ in Israel because we’re representing not only our congregation, but also the Messianic Jews in Israel.”

Learn more about Beit Hallel Congregation’s ministry at beithallel-israel.org.

Header photo: The coastline of Ashdod, Israel. (Photo courtesy of Lio Voo/Pexels)