As volunteers with Prisoners for Christ, the Foxleys document the Christian testimonies of United States prison inmates. They do it through a series of interviews that they call Redemption Stories. 

Bryan describes the series this way: “Basically an hour-long run of half music video, half interview with somebody that has a recovery or an incarceration testimony where Jesus has transformed their lives.”

These videos are posted on special digital platforms accessible to many inmates. They are also available on YouTube for anyone else who wants to watch. 

The stories of each person they have interviewed look different, yet Bryan says they all have at least one thing in common: “The thing that transforms their lives is their encounter with Jesus. And boy, does He get it done once they come to the point where they really have a need and they recognize it.”

(Photo courtesy of Prisoners for Christ)

One man named Aaron landed in prison after a long, downward spiral of trouble. But Bryan says that today, “When you talk to Aaron, it’s like rivers of living water. He just loves Jesus. He loves the Word. He’s such a powerful encouragement to look to the Lord and see what He can do in a person’s life.”

Stories like Aaron’s can change other prisoners’ lives, too! Please pray that more digital avenues will open up to reach more inmates with these videos. 

“[Pray for] more open doors to get the content out. That the Lord would take these Redemption Stories, and just spread them,” says Bryan. “We could reach so many more hearts and minds for the Lord through the digital approach.”

Then, would you ask the Lord if prison ministry is something He would call you to? Greg Von Tobel serves as the president of Prisoners for Christ. He says the ministry is looking for the next generation of Christians to step into prison ministry. 

Von Tobel says candidly, “We just need more volunteers to take that I’m going to say ‘bold step of faith’ — but it really isn’t. Once you take that bold step of faith one time, you find out how easy it is the next time, because all of the fear seems to just melt away because of the blessings that come from on high by just being servants.”

Learn more about how Prisoners for Christ can help equip you to serve men or women in prisons.

(Representative stock photo courtesy of Nathan Dumlao via Unsplash)

Header photo is a representative stock photo courtesy of Ron Lach via Pexels. 

“We read verses like ‘I was sick, and you visited me with help, administering care. I was in prison, and you came to see me,’” says Bonnie. “We felt the tug on our hearts to be that kind of person who would visit Jesus in prison.”

“My wife and I met in a Christian band,” says Bryan. “We’ve been doing music our entire married lives. I feel like music’s the channel we kind of live in.”

The Foxleys started performing music evangelism concerts in United States prisons, along with their two sons. They eventually connected with the team at Prisoners for Christ. When COVID-19 happened, it made prisons less accessible. So today, the Foxleys have also developed a digital approach to reach inmates. They upload Christian content to an app called Pando, which many inmates have access to while in prison.

“It’s an exciting time to be involved in prison ministry,” says Bryan. “We’ve got opportunities we never had before.”

(Photo by Michael Maasen on Unsplash)

One special type of video Bryan and Bonnie create is Redemption Stories, a combination of music and testimonies of Jesus transforming people’s lives. But that’s not all.

“We realized they really want music and they want teaching. They want practical help — the incarcerated individuals across the country,” says Bonnie. “So what we’re now doing is sending in some music and coordinating with some other people, kind of putting some scripture meditation videos up where they can use that with their quiet time. We’ve gotten a lot of letters saying what a blessing that’s been.”

Find your place in the story

The need in prison ministry is great. Is God calling you to consider this work? The Foxleys say listening comes first. 

“All we ever do in prison ministry is follow Jesus and He brings the results,” says Bryan. “The encouragement I’d give to anybody that’s even considering prison ministry is, ‘Hear the voice of the Lord and what His heart is for the broken and the lost, and you will be compelled to at least look into it. Then you’ll know if it’s a calling.’”

Greg Von Tobel serves as the president of Prisoners for Christ. He says the ministry is looking for the next generation of Christians to step into prison ministry. 

“We are desperate for young people to come up alongside us and take the leadership baton,” Von Tobel says. “We’ll train them, we’ll equip them, we’ll turn them loose. We’ll give them guidance. We’ll come up when they fall.”

Connect with Prisoners for Christ and learn more about how to begin to reach inmates with the gospel of Jesus.

“I have seen the Lord’s grace poured out on people who know that they need Him,” says Bonnie. “When you go to the broken, that’s where they’re at. You get to witness God’s grace abundantly, and it’s a blessing to see that. You grow closer to the Lord yourself. And in seeing that, you see your own need, but just give it back in praise and glory to God.”

Header photo courtesy of Israel Palacio via Unsplash. 

Kasr El-Dobara Evangelical Church (KDEC), located in Egypt, was founded by Dr. Ibrahim Said in 1949 with a “missions DNA.” Since then, the church has grown into the largest Arab Evangelical congregation, with 12,000 members.

(Photo courtesy of KDEC)

KDEC’s Pastor Sam emphasizes, “It’s not about the number, actually. It’s about the Kingdom. We are Kingdom-minded, not church-minded.

“We believe that the Church exists for the Great Commission, to continue the message that Jesus Christ started, and help people to get to the knowledge of Jesus Christ. We pass the message of hope for people.”

Out of Egypt’s 118 million people, Pastor Sam says, “At least 20 million are Christians. The majority are Coptic Orthodox — 93%. Five percent are Evangelicals, and the rest are Catholic. So we are a minority among minorities — but thank God that we can reach the multitude!”

KDEC meets people where they are through creative outreach. Pastor Sam says, for example, “We have the largest sports ministry program in the Middle East. We serve around 750,000 per year across Egypt and also in the Middle East. We are using sports to reach people [with] the knowledge of Christ.”

(Photo courtesy of KDEC)

Another outreach draws thousands to music festivals. “We developed a program called Count It Right in partnership with Palau’s organization. We have a festival, and people come from different backgrounds to watch the shows. In each station, we share…the Gospel.”

Whatever the method, Pastor Sam says it all comes down to one goal — telling as many people as possible about Jesus.

“We are using different ‘languages.’ I don’t mean like Arabic and English. I mean languages like sports, music, apologetics, media, [and] social media to grab people’s attention to the message of Christ.”

When asked how Christians can pray, Pastor Sam responds with sincere reverence: “Pray for grace and wisdom as we’re serving the Lord. [Pray] for the Church in Egypt to be in the center of God’s will, and to be brave, and to continue sharing the Good News without fear.”

Learn more about KDEC at their website.

Header photo courtesy of KDEC.

Camille Melki with Heart for Lebanon said the lack of accountability makes the pain worse.

“Here we are, five years later, and we still don’t know what caused it. Why [were] those ammonium nitrate [containers] in 3,000 tons stored at the port of Beirut? What ignited this incident?” he said.

Heart for Lebanon workers help clean up in the aftermath of the 2020 port explosion in Beirut.
(Photo courtesy of Heart for Lebanon)

A full investigation has faced numerous roadblocks and years-long delays from Lebanese officials. It is underway again as of early 2025.

Yet though justice is right to pursue, true hope for Lebanon doesn’t depend on that justice. That’s what Melki’s then 79-year-old mother showed after the explosion. 

When his mother entered her ruined home for the first time, Melki could see she was deeply distressed. She and his father had rebuilt their business seven times during Lebanon’s civil war and their home three times. This was another trial. 

“Then I see Mom walking towards her piano, clean up the debris off her piano and start playing,” Melki said. 

A video of her playing “Auld Lang Syne” in her shattered living room went viral. It led to TV interviews where Melki’s mother shared that her strength and hope come from Christ alone. 

“Five years later, every time my mom walks down the street, somebody want[s] to greet her and ask her to ‘keep playing the piano,’” Melki said. 

Hope is what Heart for Lebanon seeks to bring. In the aftermath of the 2020 port explosion, they rallied volunteers to clear debris and salvage what they could in the ruins. Even people who were refugees were among them. Normally the ones being served by Heart for Lebanon, the refugees were instead the ones helping citizens of Beirut recover. 

“Everything we do, we do it unconditionally. But also we want them to know that what drives us is the love of Jesus Christ that [He] has for every man and woman who is hurting and suffering,” said Melki. 

“So first, pray for us. Second, join us in leading people out of despair into hope in Jesus Christ.”

Learn how you can partner with Heart for Lebanon here. 

Header photo: Port of Beirut after the August 4 explosion. (Photo courtesy of rashid khreiss via Unsplash)

“And all things as they change proclaim

The Lord eternally the same.”¹

China (MNN) – Music blossoming from the ground of God’s Word not only reflects theology, it reinforces and shapes it. Yet in China, the government is swapping out the soil of Scripture for the soil of Sinicization, a national push to blur the lines between religion and Chinese patriotism. 

“It does reflect a trend that we’ve seen for quite some time within China: the struggle of the church to freely express, preach, teach, sing, worship as they see fit according to Scriptures,” says Kurt Rovenstine with Bibles for China. 

According to reports from associations in Beijing, the CCP continues to entwine itself into church leadership and practice, most recently through its guidelines for sacred music. They include the following points, as outlined in an article by China Aid: 

1. the formation of official sacred music teams,
2. the development of an original song library with “Chinese characteristics,”
3. the hosting of concerts with a “Sinicization” theme,
4. the integration of government-controlled sacred music modules into church apps, and
5. the training of core volunteers for Sinicization.

“It’s a sense of some control and direction that is coming from outside the church, which historically has not been a good thing,” Rovenstine says. 

The latest squeeze on Chinese believers has the team at Bibles for China asking, “Is the Bible enough?” Rovenstine answers with a resounding yes.

“The Bible is central to the practice of faith,” he says. 

It is on this unchanging rock that believers can stand against the swells of political and cultural tides. For the CCP, that’s the rub. 

“Sacred music is sacred not because it is from a particular culture or from the Middle East or from great writers of the West,” Rovenstine says. “It’s sacred because it expresses the truth of Scripture.”

In terms of religious freedom, the news is concerning for brothers and sisters in China. 

“But in another sense, it affirms the work we do as being very, very important: that we’re able to distribute unaltered, unchanged, unfiltered Scriptures to people who will have the opportunity to read it,” says Rovenstine. 

After all, music is an easier target than Scripture. 

“You start with a song or two, and you add a cultural or patriotic element to it – a Chinese value alongside a Christian value – and people go, ‘Well that’s not so bad,’” he says. 

Please pray for Christian leaders facing attacks on the music of their faith. 

Pray that Chinese Christians would have Gospel-focused clarity and discernment as they prayerfully consider how to incorporate music into their worship services. 

Pray that they would stand on the firm foundation of Scriptural truth when faced with pressure to deviate from God’s Word. 

And consider singing over them words from the modern hymn “Christ is Mine Forevermore,” by CityAlight: 

Mine are days here as a stranger
Pilgrim on a narrow way
One with Christ I will encounter
Harm and hatred for His Name

But mine is armor for this battle
Strong enough to last the war
And He has said He will deliver
Safely to the golden shore

And mine are keys to Zion city
Where beside the King I’ll walk
For there my heart has found its treasure;
Christ is mine forevermore

¹Charles Wesley (2014). “Wesley’s Hymns and the Methodist Sunday-School Hymn-Book”, p.237, Ravenio Books

Featured image courtesy of Huynh Van via Pexels; article image courtesy of Zack Smith via Unsplash

Last November we shared a story of a surprise encounter between Mission Cry and a music ministry. They discovered they could partner to bring the gospel to Liberia through two very different means: books and musical instruments. That story left off with a Mission Cry shipping container packed full of these resources, waiting to be sponsored and shipped.

Photo of Liberia shipment distribution courtesy of Mission Cry.

Jason Woolford with Mission Cry shares the good news that the container has arrived safely with no delays in port. 

“Now, not only do people have medical equipment, not only do they have musical instruments, but they have the only thing that doesn’t return void, and that is the word of God,” Woolford says.

You can watch the video of kids and families receiving the musical instruments by clicking here: “Thank You Mission Cry.” Woolford says distribution of the Mission Cry Bibles and books has already started to churches, prisons, and Bible schools.

Pray for protection for the Mission Cry team, their families, and on-the-ground partners. Their work spreading God’s Word comes under direct spiritual warfare. 

“The very real devil hates what we’re doing. We’re sending the Word of God, God Himself through the Bible, to people around the world who could have never got one or afforded it,” Woolford says.

In some places around the world, distributing Bibles can cost a person their life, their business, their safety. (Read one story from Pakistan last year.)

Finally, consider partnering with Mission Cry in this critical work. Woolford shares that they have three containers ready to go, fully packed. All they need are sponsors to send them overseas. 

“We can send a container filled with half a million dollars’ worth of free Bibles and Christian books for $11,000,” Woolford says. 

Click to learn how you can prayerfully partner with Mission Cry to equip the Church around the world. 

Header photo of Liberia shipment distribution courtesy of Mission Cry.

Thank You Mission Cry

Now, Transform Iran’s programming is growing. The new station Persian Worship Radio will broadcast 24/7 worship music. According to Lana Silk, “This is totally focused on worshiping our Lord and bringing the sounds of Iran, with all the right instruments, genres, or languages, and blasting out worship[…] right across the country. We know how powerful worship is in preparing the way for people to receive the Word, so we’re very excited to be able to offer this to Iranians up and down the country.”

Radio provides a unique avenue through which Transform Iran can offer hope and camaraderie. “Radio is extremely powerful because it is completely indiscriminate in terms of geographical location, education, literacy, or status in society,” Silk says. “Everyone has radio.”

And everyone has music. Music carries the characteristics and values of the culture that creates it, and Iran’s music is no different. “Iranians are extremely expressive and extremely connected with music and story in their cultures. So when you come in with their sounds, and that kind of music, and then suddenly that music is not Islamic, and it is Christian and it’s lifting the name of Jesus, it breaks down even more walls. It [creates] a heart connection with the Word of God.”

As this new project goes forward, Transform Iran needs your prayer. Pray for the safety of the team compiling music for the program or sourcing original pieces from local Iranians. Pray for their peace as they take on what could be a stressful new project. Pray for wisdom as they plan for the station’s future.

And pray for God to use this radio station to produce good fruit. “God is in this. We know the power of worship, we know the power of the Gospel, and as long as we are communicating that to the people of Iran, then the rest of the work is the Holy Spirit, and He’s so good at engaging the people Himself.”

Support Transform Iran directly right here.

Header photo courtesy of Unsplash.

At a recent pastors’ gathering, Mission Cry’s president, Rev. Jason Woolford, met a pastor’s wife who teaches music to students in Liberia over Zoom. She was trying to send new instruments to them, but the plans kept falling through.

It just so happened that Mission Cry was preparing a shipping container full of Bibles and Christian books to be sent to a seminary in Liberia.

(Photo courtesy Mission Cry)

“Well, you know, Liberia is a pretty big country,” Woolford said to her. He was amazed when they discovered that the two ministries are just miles away from each other.

To the glory of God, Mission Cry’s container now has several pallets of brand-new cellos and violins. It is scheduled to ship in late November. 

“Talk about the Lord ordering the footsteps of the righteous,” says Woolford. “[Us] being at this event, sitting in front of these pastors, all so God could get the Word and these musical instruments to our brothers and sisters in Monrovia. That’s so great.”

You can play a part in this God-story by supporting Mission Cry here. It costs $11,000 to send containers like this one that are packed full of Bibles and Christian books worth that amount many times over.

“[Donations] would help the ministry as we do things in faith and trust God to prompt and prick the right hearts at the right time to make a difference in people’s lives in sending these containers,” says Woolford.

Also, join in praying that there would be no delays or extra fees from officials once the container arrives in port.

“In 70 years of ministry, it’s only happened to us twice. So I know it’s because God’s people are praying for the security and the distribution of it.”

Click here to read about Mission Cry’s recent ministry in Liberia.

 

 

Header photo courtesy of Mission Cry.

 

The prices of food, energy, and other goods have skyrocketed. Iran faces heavy U.S. sanctions over its nuclear programs, adding to the economic woes.

Iranian Christians

Iranian Christians risk severe persecution, often unable to meet together openly.

Gilbert Hovsepian, whose father was kidnapped and murdered in Iran in 1994, has started writing songs specifically for the Iranian church. Rev. Haik Hovsepian Mehr was the President of the Council of Protestant Churches in Iran. Five years later, the family fled Iran.

Joe Willey talks about the SAT-7 PARS show Songwriting with Gilbert. “Gilbert and his guests collaborate both musically and lyrically. One may be on guitar while another writes lyrics and Gilbert joins on a keyboard. It’s really fascinating to look at the collaborative process.”

The musicians share one goal: writing worship songs in Farsi, the heart language of Iranian Christians. Willey says, “They do not want to translate the songs of others into that language. They are trying to build a catalog of songs from Iranians, for the Iranian Church.”

Guests on the show

Gilbert hosts other Iranian musicians on the show, most of whom are refugees. One suffered beatings from his father-in-law over becoming a Christian. Another left a life of sorcery to follow Jesus. Willey says, “So the songs were born out of hardship and trouble. But the songs are also a fantastic reminder to worship Christ regardless of the circumstances.”

Read more about this program and even see a clip from the show here.

Pray these songs will strengthen isolated Christians in Iran. And pray their love for Jesus will be a witness to the entire country.

Header photo courtesy of SAT-7 USA. 

“Gladly? We [in the West] don’t understand that, I’m sorry. I don’t understand that.”

He met with several pastors and even had to be protected by a large security force during the event. Christians in this country risk severe persecution for their faith. Ladd says, “One guy began sharing with me what was going on in his life. I asked him if he faced any persecution. He said, “No, no, I live in an easy village, an easy community. I face hardly any persecution. I’ve only been arrested twice this year.”

Ladd watched these believers sing with utter joy in their hearts, despite their circumstances. Shortly before the group departed for the States, Ladd was invited to visit an underground church. He says, “We drove down an alleyway. We had to open the door, get out, and get inside as fast as possible.”

Inside, the Christians began to sing. Ladd says, “I’m a Mississippi State football fan. I’ve sat in a stadium full of cowbells. They pale in comparison to the volume that was in that room.”

Benefits of e3 Partner’s mission trips

He says going on trips like this challenges Western Christians to focus on Jesus. “We sometimes get confused. We think the answer is found on Capitol Hill. It’s not. The answer to everything we face is found on Calvary’s hill. Period. We need to make sure as the American Church we’re not teaching Gospel plus something. It’s not Gospel plus the government or Gospel plus politics. It’s just the Gospel.”

Ladd says joining a trip like this also allows Christians to encourage their persecuted brothers and sisters. Many live very isolated lives, cut off from any community.

Learn about future trips from e3 Partners here.

Header photo courtesy of derMolf on Pixabay.