Fadi Sharaiha with the MENA Leadership Center says their team is prayerfully building a network with Pakistani Christians. 

“We’re working with them to provide a good and needed training program that is especially made for the Pakistani Christian leaders. We are in the process of building such a program in cooperation with the different ministries in Pakistan.”

(Photo courtesy of MENA Leadership Center)

They’ve recognized their target: the next generation. Emerging leaders need mentorship in matters such as spiritual leadership, organizational management, and more. 

“We are looking at some type of mentorship training program, rather than just training,” Sharaiha says.

He strives to explain the challenges the Pakistani church is going through with wisdom but also with truth.

“I’m not an expert in Pakistan, but from my own experience and my own observations, even from speaking with different leaders over there, I would say one of the things that they are facing is [a] leadership crisis,” he says. He also says there’s a need among the churches for greater biblical theological training.

He adds, “But also I’ve seen some ministries that are on fire for Christ, on fire to pray and to search and listen to the Lord. Beautiful, beautiful people.”

Find your place in the story! Ask God to guide every step in the MENA Leadership Center’s beginning partnerships in Pakistan. Pray also for gospel zeal in the Pakistani church as they endure persecution. 

“Please pray for discernment and wisdom how to approach those opportunities. [It’s] very important that we are with the right people. Pray for the church to be more empowered — we don’t need to be empowered by people, but empowered by the Lord, and empowered by themselves as well.” 

Header photo courtesy of Abdul Rehman via Unsplash. 

Brian Dennett with AMG International says their longtime partners expect these heavy rains and floods each year — they have known devastating rainy seasons before. But one field leader shared that 2024 has left deep marks. 

“To hear him say that this was shocking and severe and that they couldn’t believe the damage was very troubling to us,” Dennett says. 

“We have a very large network [in India], and so we have a team responding. They have reached out to us for help. Many have lost their homes, all of their belongings. Without the ability to move around, many have not been able to work now, so resources are very scarce.”

(Photo courtesy of AMG International via Facebook)

Monsoon season in India usually runs from June to September. The end may be in sight, but devastation and risk of waterborne illness are present realities. 

“That’s why we are in urgent need of resources for clean drinking water, for food, for temporary shelter and for the medications to treat all of those diseases,” Dennett says. 

“We have medical clinics there, so we are able to respond to that, but we are definitely lacking resources at the moment.”

AMG is seeking to raise $20,000 for resources for flood survivors. Pray for effective ministry, and consider if you can give to their South Asia flood relief fund.

“This is such a tangible way for us to show the love of God to people who are lost,” Dennett says. 

“Our team has given us a very detailed plan on how they would like to go about reaching over 1,000 families in the coming days and weeks. We would just find it a joy to be able to provide for that.”

Header photo of flood-affected area along Kachua river at Chargula, Karimganj, Assam, June 2024 courtesy of KEmel49 via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0.

Among those “some” is FMI, which strives to empower indigenous church planters around the world. Today is an exciting season of growth for them as they build partnerships with church planters in three new countries: Malawi, Saudi Arabia, and Morocco.

“We do work in predominantly Muslim-dominated countries [and] cultures,” says FMI’s Patrick Anthony.

“However, if we take one step back, our mission is to work in places [where] it’s difficult for the church to grow and expand because of persecution and or poverty. A lot of times that is in a Muslim context. But not always.”

In Morocco and Saudi Arabia, FMI is still in the networking phase. Anthony says this takes time. For example, when believers in Malawi reached out to FMI to ask for training, several years of conversations followed. Only recently was FMI able to host the first training conference with a network of pastors, which was received with great joy.

FMI empowers indigenous church planters around the world. (Photo courtesy of FMI)

“In a ministry like FMI, trust between leaders is essential, because you’re dealing with people in very hard situations. A lot of them are dealing with some level of persecution,” Anthony says. “They need to trust you and, and vice versa.”

Once that trust is established, the pace can abruptly switch from conversation to dynamic action. 

“They [church planters] have such a heart for their country. They want the necessary support, whether it’s training or whatever it might be. They want ministry to happen. So once they trust you, they want to be off and running,” says Anthony.

Pray for wisdom for FMI as they connect with believers in these new countries — especially Saudi Arabia. 

“How we try to expand into new countries wherever we go — in particular in places like Saudi Arabia — is [by] trying to follow prior contacts,” Anthony says. 

“[In Saudi Arabia] it’s going to be more conversations over tea, more network sharing. The first big goal for us is trying to identify potential leaders, people that could oversee a network of church planters in a country.”

Pray that FMI will effectively help church planters share the gospel and strengthen other believers. (More on FMI’s work here.) Pray also that young Christians will stay in these nations even when it’s hard. Church leaders in Morocco are seeing many of the next generation leave and not return. 

“Pray for job opportunities. Pray for [young] people to be willing to stay in their country or return to their country after university,” Anthony says. 

Header photo of the Hisma Desert in Saudi Arabia is a representative stock photo courtesy of NEOM/Unsplash.

“We don’t have rice on on the shelf of any supermarket or stores. Everybody’s doing stockpiling, and we cannot buy rice,” says Takeshi Takazawa with A3.

(Photo of Typhoon Shanshan’s path August-September 2024 courtesy of Supportstorm via Wikimedia Commons.)

The panic buying isn’t simply a response to one storm. In August alone, Japan endured effects of typhoons Maria, Ampil and Shanshan, as well as a 7.1-magnitude earthquake followed by warnings of a possible megaquake. Although the warning has since been lifted, authorities say the risk of a massive earthquake still exists. 

In the face of these dangers, Takazawa says people in Japan are asking, “Who takes care of me?” He says they have been noticing a decrease of help coming from the government after disasters — most recently the January 2024 quakes in Noto. 

“They (the people of Noto) continue to struggle because [the] government didn’t do [aid] the same way we had in [the disasters that happened in the] northeast and Kumamoto and other places,” says Takazawa.

“People are getting little bit more nervous about, ‘How can we take care of ourselves?’ Sixty-five percent of our food [comes] from outside [the country], and if delivery and import stops, we can be starved to death.”

Local churches have stepped into part of this gap. Takazawa says churches have been able to build networks to respond to crises such as the 2004 Niigata quake, the “triple disaster” in Fukushima in 2011, and the 2016 Kumamoto quake.

“[In] each [of these] cases, local communities saw Christian churches actually [stay] and continue to support and pray, both physically and emotionally and ultimately spiritually. That testimony has been going forth, and that’s great,” Takazawa says.

(Photo courtesy of A3)

You can be part of this story through your prayers.

“Pray for our people so that we don’t have to go through major suffering through these disasters,” says Takazawa. “But at the same time, pray for our souls so that we don’t rely on the stockpile [of resources], but ultimately God who takes care of us and loves us.”

A3 serves in Japan and other nations to encourage and equip leaders to serve their people even better in the name of Christ. Learn more about their ministry here. 

Header photo of Typhoon Shanshan August 31, 2024 courtesy of MODIS Land Rapid Response Team, NASA GSFC via Wikimedia Commons. This image was catalogued by Goddard Space Flight Center of the United States National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) under Photo ID: 2024-08-31., Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=152018243.

The land that is now Pakistan was once part of The Indus Valley civilization, one of the oldest civilizations in global history. Pakistan has a special connection to Christianity, too; the apostle Thomas is thought to have brought Christianity to the area and helped lay the foundations of the global Church.

To this day, there are some 2.6 million Christians in Pakistan. That’s a strong Church presence, but Pakistan is a mix of many cultures, languages, and religions. Tailoring discipleship material and leadership techniques to a country with so much diverse history is no small task.

Pakistan needs Christian leadership. That’s where the MENA Leadership Center hopes to step in. According to the Center’s Fadi Sharaiha, the Center is heading to Pakistan “to do a vision trip, to get to know the partners on the ground, the churches and the needs that they have. By the end of this year, we are hoping to have a program [in place].”

The goal is to have a comprehensive network of Christian leaders by 2025. Those leaders can disciple one another into a brighter Church in Pakistan.

Admittedly, that takes funding – and right now, the Center doesn’t have that funding. Still, they feel that God is calling to reap the harvest God has sown in Pakistan for millennia.

“That’s why we did attend some kind of roundtable discussions around Pakistan with the Pakistani leaders last year,” Sharaiha says. “We felt that the Holy Spirit was urging us to do something in Pakistan.”

It’s not just that Pakistan is ripe with Christian history. Tragically, the modern situation in Pakistan also demands the Church’s attention.

“I’ve heard that there is something called the brick factory in Pakistan. The brick factory is, in [other words], slavery. More than half of the people working this brick factory are Christians.”

Poverty, slavery, and persecution are all very real obstacles to the Church in Pakistan. As The MENA Leadership Center seeks to bring light into these dark corners via culturally informed and scripturally sound leaders.

“Pray for the Church of Pakistan. Pray for wisdom and discernment while choosing the right partners on the ground in Pakistan, while working with the leaders, and while identifying the learning needs that need to happen in Pakistan.”

If you want to support MENA Leadership Center’s efforts in Pakistan, you can do so right here.

“I really hope and pray that whatever we do is going to be for the glory of God in and for the church in Pakistan. The church needs this. Christians need this and Pakistan needs this.”

Header photo courtesy of 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

Kurt Rovenstine with Bibles for China says they are funding and distributing a special resource for kids, printed by a ministry partner. It’s the Egermeier Children’s Bible in Mandarin.

“We’re excited about that aspect of the diaspora ministry and praying hard that God used it to reach some children that know nothing of the gospel, know nothing of the work of Christ and what He’s done to bring them into relationship with Him,” Rovenstine says.

Photo courtesy of Bibles for China

These Bibles are meant to reach the whole family. BFC hopes to have them printed and ready to distribute by mid-summer through their existing network of partners in Canada and the U. S.

“Ironically, (this network is) some of the house church pastors that have left China who are now just jumping right back into it,” Rovenstine says. 

For now, North America will be the primary focus of this outreach. Rovenstine says they want the books to be given with care as intentional evangelistic tools. 

“We want it to be, ‘Here’s a piece of literature that will help transform your life.’ We’re working on those connections and looking for those connections,” he says. 

That said, if you live or work among the Chinese diaspora in North America, Bibles for China would love to talk with you. Connect with them at biblesforchina.org/contact.

Finally, join in praying that Mandarin-speaking children who receive these Bibles will be open to the gospel of truth. Pray that North American Christians who encounter the Chinese diaspora will show them the love of Jesus. 

Header photo is a representative stock image courtesy of Sue Zeng/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.

 

Foley says North Korean Christians asked for more Bibles this year than any year since VOM Korea started 20 years ago. Though the South Korean government stopped all balloon launches into North Korea, including Bibles, VOM Korea was able to distribute the scriptures in other ways.

For instance, hand-to-hand distribution doubled in 2020. Foley says, “God isn’t tied to only one particular distribution method. And certainly, the demand for Bibles is never restricted by what governments do or don’t do.”Read more about the balloon launching situation here and here.

Children line up in front of a propaganda mural in Pyongyang, North Korea. (Photo by Thomas Evans on Unsplash)

VOM Korea consists of an underground network of Christians in North Korea and surrounding countries. It’s a complex system and it takes a while, but it’s effective. Foley says, “When you’re patient, and you take a multi-year approach, there are many different ways that you can move Bibles in an underground network. So we’re planning now not just for what we’re doing this year, but (should the Lord tarry in His return) we’re really looking ahead to the next five to ten years.”

Still launching

Currently, Foley faces charges for launching Bibles into North Korea via balloon. Despite the success of hand-to-hand transportation, VOM Korea continues to launch balloons during seasons of favorable wind.

Foley explains the continued need for balloons. “Balloon launching is still the most cost-effective way to get large numbers of Bibles into the southern portion of North Korea, which is where the greatest concentration of population is. And also, it is where the more affluent, higher-level people in the political environment are.”

Pray these smuggled Bibles will get into the hands of North Korean Christians. And pray Jesus will bless and strengthen His North Korean people.

The header photo shows Pyongyang, North Korea from above. (Photo by Thomas Evans on Unsplash)

In fact, these sanctions could leave to much-needed reassessment.

Earning Your Way Out of Starvation

North Korea has traditionally kept a very small list of what organizations can bring aid into the country, especially when it comes to Christians. Fida International, a Finnish aid provider, was near the top of that list, and their retraction will have repercussions on many North Korean aid organization.

But Voice of the Martyrs Korea has been discouraging Fida from cooperating with the North Korean government for years so far. Why?

“Because of the fact that it gives the North Korean government legitimacy as being the representative of the people of North Korea.”

“When food aid is provided through the North Korean government, there are restrictions on who that food is provided to.” Foley says. “Food aid is provided to people who are considered loyal and useful to the North Korean government. All North Korean citizens have a classification… it’s a rating, almost a matrix of their of how their loyalty and usefulness to the government is rated.”

In other words, when aid efforts work through the government, the North Korean regime gets to pick and choose who eats and who doesn’t. It doesn’t matter if someone is starving; if they haven’t done enough to endorse the government, no food will reach their table.

(Photo courtesy of Voice of the Martyrs Korea)

“When we see North Koreans starving, it’s not because there is a lack of food, it’s because the North Korean government has made a conscious decision not to feed people that it considers to be disloyal or not useful,” Foley says. “Our strongest encouragement for Christian organizations has been ‘Don’t provide aid to the North Korean government that only reinforces their classification That says to be a human being means that you’re loyal and useful to government.’”

Another Route

The good news for organizations like Fida is that there are already networks in place that can support North Koreans who are actually starving.

“It’s important to note that 80% of North Korean defectors in South Korea have regular monthly contact with their relatives inside of North Korea,” Foley says. “Monthly contact doesn’t mean just they’re writing a letter home, it means that they’re sending money and they’re sending other resources. In fact, the reason why North Korean defectors leave North Korea in the first place is not because they’re seeking more political freedom or freedom of choice; it’s because they’re trying to support their families.”

Foley argues that historically, governments aren’t usually the most efficient providers of aid. Instead, the Church has proven an effective and expansive network, and that’s true here, too.

“[There are] 34,000 North Korean defectors in South Korea and literally hundreds of thousands of North Korean defectors, refugees, and workers in China, Russia, Mongolia, Southeast Asia,” Foley says. “It’s not even a hypothetical situation. There are organizations providing all kinds of aid from medicines to food to financial resources inside of North Korea by bypassing the North Korean government.”

These other avenues aren’t just a different option; they’re a more effective route.

(Photo courtesy of Voice of the Martyrs Korea)

“Even if people were to say ‘Ah, if we provide aid directly through other channels like churches, North Korean defector Christian groups and things like that, that only a smaller amount of aid can be provided,’ our contention would be that the amount of aid provided is still much greater than reaching the common people than that provided by the North Korean government.”

Talking Sanctions

So are US sanctions a good or bad thing? At the very least, Foley thinks they’re starting an important conversation.

“Sanctions have made it so that aid organizations have to comply with certain standards that weren’t in place before,” he explains. “They were created because the aid that was being provided wasn’t reaching the people who needed it the most.”

Foley says politics and exaggeration can confuse the conversation and keep aid groups from being as most effective.

“We should be very careful when we hear the stories on the news that say there is a massive food shortage in North Korea,” he explains. “Experts of many different political backgrounds agree that those statements are really more propaganda-driven than true. The truth is that there are natural ebbs and flows in food production in North Korea, and overall, the situation is not nearly as severe as it is often portrayed in the media.”

“As a result of that, instead of being in crisis mode, where we say, ‘Let’s do anything we can to help any way we can,’ we’re at a point where we need to make good decisions, informed decisions, and the best people who can guide us in those decisions are North Koreans themselves who have created networks to be able to reach their family members and other ordinary North Korean people who have been excluded categorically from the North Korean government’s food distribution.”

What the Church Can Do

So where do believers enter the conversation? North Korea regularly tops the World Watch List of countries where persecution against Christians is toughest. In other words, Christians are often counted low when it comes to loyalty and thus are less likely to be fed by the government.

(Photo courtesy of Voice of the Martyrs Korea)

It’s also worth noting that many of the avenues into North Korea have been set up by Christians, which means Bibles and other Christian resources can reach believers still in North Korea.

Pray for wisdom for aid organizations deciding how to move forward.

“Right now we’re at a pivotal point in the decision-making process of how Christians are going to engage with North Korea, and the sanctions, wherever people stand on the political issue, are forcing churches to re-examine how they’ll participate,” Foley says.

Your prayer can make all the difference as the Church decides how to proceed.

“First of all, let’s pray for God to open our eyes to his network and to provide aid to his people his way, rather than doing it the way that governments provide. Second of all, let’s pray that God will continue to strengthen these networks.”

At the end of the day, what sounds like an aid crisis could actually be an opportunity for reevaluation.

“I’m reminded in the Bible… of when a battle was about to take place and a servant said, ‘Wow, we, we seem to be badly outnumbered.’ But the prophet could say, ‘Lord, open his eyes’ and he could see then that the Lord’s people actually exceeded by far the number of the soldiers of the enemy”

“I like to think that the same thing is true here.”

Header photo courtesy of Voice of the Martyrs Korea.