On December 5, an unidentified man gunned Pastor Kamran Salamat down outside his home. The husband and father of three was leaving to take his daughter to college. He was still injured from a September attack. 

Nehemiah* with FMI says that tragedies like this cast a long shadow over the Christian community in Pakistan.

Person holding a Bible (Stock photo courtesy of Ivan Samkov via Pexels)

“Pastor Kamran was more than a preacher. He was a shepherd who walked closely with his people,” Nehemiah says. “He supported the poor, trained marginalized women in a sewing center, and shared Christ with boldness. His life embodied a sacrificial love. His death is painful, of course, and that reminds us that for many believers in Pakistan, the cost of discipleship is written in blood.”

Nehemiah says that FMI partners, pastors, disciple-makers, and evangelists “continue to serve under constant threat, often feeling as though they are walking on eggshells in neighborhoods where suspicion and hostility is never far away.” 

Christians make up only 1% of Pakistan’s approximately 253 million people. They suffer physical, social, and legal persecution, yet God gives them resilience. 

“I was talking to a member of the congregation of Pastor Kamran. He said that ‘Even in heartbreak, we hold this hope. The enemy can silence a voice, but he cannot stop the message. God is at work in Pakistan, and the light of Christ still breaks through.’”

Pray for comfort and grace over Kamran Salamat’s wife, children, and congregation. Pray for bold gospel witness to spread in Pakistan and change many people’s hearts, including Kamran’s attackers. 

“Please pray for supernatural protection, that God would be [gospel workers’] shield in a land where persecution is rising,” says Nehemiah. “Pray for wisdom, so that they may know when to speak, where to go, and how to shepherd their people safely.”

*Pseudonym

Header photo: A pastor (not Kamran Salamat) in Pakistan (Photo courtesy of FMI).

Pastor Loc Lam from A3 in Vietnam says, according to reports, more than 44,000 homes and around 14,000 acres (6,000 hectares) of crops have been harmed.

“We are connecting with those who are in this crisis, so that we can see how we can supply rice, clothing and accommodation for them,” he says. “We must work with the local [authorities] in order to help the people in the communities.”

Photo taken in Soc Trang, Vietnam (Representative stock photo courtesy of Trung Nhan Tran via Unsplash)

Heavy rainfall after the storm has made flooding and landslides more likely. Those dangers stir up memories of Super Typhoon Yagi from September 2024. That storm claimed the lives of more than 320 people in Vietnam, and hundreds more in Myanmar and other Southeast Asian countries. 

Today, believers in Vietnam are rallying with others to bring relief as the hands and feet of Christ. 

“Many of them lost their houses. There’s no house to stay [in], and no food, no clothing,” says Pastor Loc Lam. “So please pray for them, that we can try our best to supply something that they need for their survival.” 

Pray for open doors to work alongside the government to provide aid. 

“The government [is] trying their best as well, with the NGOs and organizations, even with different religions, to raise fund[s] and support the people in those places,” said the pastor. “Please pray for cooperation among the government and organization[s], even churches and religions, to work together to help the people overcome this type of situation.”

Keep watching and praying for Southeast Asia. The region has another two months of monsoon season to endure. 

Header photo: Typhoon Bualoi approaching northern Vietnam, September 28, 2025 (Photo by MODIS image from Aqua Satellite – EOSDIS Worldview, courtesy of Wikimedia Commons, Public Domain)

“After the war, they realized there are many spies [who] find government secrets and send [them] to Israel,” she says. “They are blaming everyone.”

One watchdog organization reports that journalists have been especially targeted. Baghestani adds Christians and Baha’is to the list. She says the government accuses believers of being “Zionist Christians” spying for Israel. It’s a fast track to prison. 

“More than I would say 70 Christians are in prison currently, awaiting their sentences,” Baghestani says. 

Heart4Iran knows of house churches that have been raided and at least one pastor who was arrested and tortured so severely that he shared names of other believers. 

“Some have just left their homes and cars where they are, and they just fled for their lives,” says Baghestani. “It’s sad, because we have prayed with these friends, with these Christians inside the country. We have discipled them. They are like our [children], and we are responsible for them.”

People’s fear of being monitored has kept them from calling Heart4Iran’s counseling center, which has seen its daily call volume drop.

(Photo courtesy of Heart4Iran)

“Everybody — Christian or non-Christian, the youth, the old — they all live in fear. Fear of arrest, fear of even getting killed on the streets. They come and stab you, and nobody knows why. You’re dead on the street, bleeding, and there is no answer,” Baghestani says. 

“When Mahsa Amini [protests] started, all the youth [rose up]. But now the youth are quiet. Where are they? They’re scared. They’re afraid.”

She says Iranians are placing notes and stickers in public places as signs of protest rather than taking to the streets themselves.

Let these accounts lead your prayers for the Iranian church.

“The Lord is good. The Lord is faithful. The Lord can protect them in the midst of all the persecution,” Baghestani says. 

Then, share this story. Visit Heart4Iran’s website to learn more about the Church in Iran.

“When we educate one another [about] what’s going on, when we bring awareness, we will be able to pray better for our people inside the country,” Baghestani says. 

“As much as we feel we are safe and there is no persecution, at these end times, persecution is spreading. If there is persecution in Iran, it will ooze out, and it will affect Christians all over the world.” 

Header image is a stock photo from Tehran, Iran courtesy of Seyed Amir Mohammad Tabatabaee.

It was the deadliest attack in Israel’s capital in years.

(Photo courtesy of Mike Labrum/Unsplash)

Against the backdrop of war, the nation has seen an increase in attacks targeting civilians. Pastor Israel Pochtar with Beit Hallel Congregation says that amid tragedy, Israeli Christians are offering the comfort of Christ.

“The Gospel is the only hope for Israel,” he says.

Beit Hallel Congregation is committed to advancing the Gospel in tangible ways — and with a sense of urgency.

In a few months, the church will open its new Evangelism and Discipleship Center in Ashdod, about an hour from Jerusalem.

“We have more and more people getting saved, coming to the Lord, and discovering Jesus,” says Pochtar. “But the building we use is built in a way that, besides a weekend service, we cannot do different activities.

“This new Evangelism and Discipleship facility allows us to reach out to people and, when they come to us, share the Gospel…and also discipleship. We needed a venue for Bible school, for trainings — for leadership training, for pastors’ training, for youth.”

Beit Hallel Congregation’s new Evangelism and Discipleship Center in Ashdod. (Screenshot courtesy of Beit Hallel Congregation)

Pochtar asks, “Pray for our team, to encourage and build us up. Pray for more leaders and evangelists.”

As Beit Hallel Congregation commissions the new Evangelism and Discipleship Center, pray that God will use it to grow His Kingdom.

Pray for Israel to know the peace and hope of Christ.

Header photo: Jerusalem, Israel. (Photo courtesy of Dariusz Kanclerz/Unsplash)

Syria’s government says it thwarted a recent bombing attempt on a Catholic church. According to a report, the would-be attackers were on their way to Mar Elias Maronite Church in the city of Tartus. When security forces apprehended the men, they found an explosive device, a black flag and papers with written threats.

“They don’t say exactly when [they stopped the attack]. They don’t say a lot about the people who were captured, other than the fact that they identify them as loyalist[s] to former President Bashir al-Assad,” said Todd Nettleton with The Voice of the Martyrs, USA. 

Even with those unanswered questions, the government report is an answer to prayer for protection for Syria’s Christians. The nation’s bigger picture remains grim. Christian, Druze and Alawite minorities have endured multiple attacks in recent months.

“When you see the attack in June, you see the pastor from a Druze background that was killed in late July, then you hear of another attack on a church that apparently was prevented, [you see the pattern of danger],” said Nettleton. 

“If you are a Christian in Syria right now, you are understandably nervous. Because while the government has said all the right things about protecting religious minorities, it is not clear that they are committed to [making] that a reality.” 

But even traditional Christian communities (such as Catholic or Orthodox) have it better in Syria than Muslim-background believers.

“When the government is talking about Christians in Syria, they are talking about those traditional Christian communities. They are not in any way talking about Muslim converts to Christianity,” said Nettleton. “Those people, in the eyes of the government, do not have protection. They don’t even talk about protecting them.” 

Praise God for answering prayers for protection for the Catholic church in Tartus. Ask Him for continued protection. 

Pray for Syria’s government to be held accountable to uphold religious freedom. “We need to pray for strong leaders who will do that as they interact with the Syrian government,” said Nettleton.

A minaret and a church steeple side-by-side in Syria. (Photo courtesy of Ali Wassouf/Unsplash)

Header photo courtesy of Linus Schütz via Pixabay.

Myanmar has experienced four years of brutal civil war since a 2021 coup. Then on March 28, 2025, a 7.7-magnitude earthquake struck the country’s center. Today, unexpected severe flooding and crop loss have marked the start of the monsoon season, especially in the Sagaing Region and Kachin State.

A pastor from Myanmar connected to A3 explains that heavy rains began in the north instead of the typical south. “The problem is that internet connection and information [get] quite restricted — or, it’s hard to get the updated information,” he notes. 

Recovery efforts have been derailed by the ongoing conflict between the military junta and various opposition groups. The pastor says the military junta’s most recent ceasefire is merely lip service, meant to gain favor with the international community.

Photo of Myanmar’s flag is a representative stock photo courtesy of Gu Bra via Pexels.

“[The] military [is] still bombing, even the earthquake-hit area,” he says. “Still bombing!” 

He says international aid groups have observed aid ending up in the military’s hands rather than going to people in true need, leading to caution in sending aid.

“[When] something happened, [a] natural disaster or something happened, we are helping one another. This is what we are doing. But as far as I know, there is no international aid agency trying to help the flood victims currently,” the pastor says.

One A3 alumnus he was able to contact is trapped in a flooded area. But he had good news to share even in the challenging circumstances. 

“He told me that the Myanmar people, they are responding [to] the gospel very positively in this kind of situation,” says the pastor. 

By “positive,” he means that they are glad to hear about Jesus, not that they have accepted Him. So please pray that these people will take the next step and put their faith entirely in Christ. 

The pastor also asks that you pray for God to intervene “in His way” to end the military junta’s rule, “so that the Church as well as the people will rise up and advance the Kingdom of God.”

The header image is a representative stock photo courtesy of Lil Artsy via Pexels.

The negotiations are set against a backdrop of heightened tensions. Israel recently stopped supplying electricity to Gaza in an effort to put pressure on Hamas. The Israeli delegation hopes to secure the release of the 59 hostages still left in Gaza.

Hamas parade (Photo by Fars Media Corporation, CC BY 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=134754919)

Pastor Tes Kahasi with Beit Hallel Congregation in Ashdod says Israelis have differing views on where to go from here.

“There are some groups, especially on the left wing, they say that we have to release the hostages with any price. And there is the other group, the right wing especially, they say no, we can’t pay the whole price. Because with this terrorist group, if we pay them the whole price, if we give them everything that they want, we are just pushing them to do the same thing next time. That means kidnapping other people, kidnapping other kids.”

It’s a stark risk, underscored by the still-fresh memory of the returned bodies of the two youngest October 7th hostages, Ariel and Kfir Bibas. Forensic evidence revealed they were brutally murdered “in cold blood” by their terrorist kidnappers.

Amidst these challenges and fears, believers in Israel are pointing people to a greater hope.

“People are hearing the national TV, the news, and everything — and they are frustrated,” says Kahasi. “They are full of fear…. When we are trying to solve the problem of this country, laying on politicians and different kinds of secular personalities, we couldn’t find hope. We couldn’t find peace.

“But we are preaching the Gospel of Christ, and we are preaching this Gospel in our church. So we say to the congregation every time that the hope of this nation is Yeshua.”

Please pray for godly wisdom, peace, and trust in Christ.

Learn more about Beit Hallel Congregation here!

Header photo of Doha, Qatar. (Photo courtesy of Radoslaw Prekurat/Unsplash)

That’s why the Arab Baptist Theological Seminary has been offering theological training and leadership formation among the Arab church for more than 60 years. Hundreds of men and women have graduated from ABTS, located in Beirut, Lebanon.

Loulwa Maalouf with ABTS explains the front-row seat they have on God’s work in their students’ lives. 

“We see that the journey began long before they came to ABTS. Many of them came from non-Christian backgrounds. They did not grow up going to church, but they share their stories, and we can notice how God was working in their lives, guiding them even though they didn’t recognize it,” Maalouf says. 

“At some point [in their life story], something happens — something significant, maybe a difficulty, maybe they face a crisis. We know that true hope is only found in Christ. So, many of them find Christ — or He finds them.”

She says each of their students has entered ministry of some kind. They soon realize there’s a lot they don’t know yet. 

“They learn about the seminary, and then they join ABTS to be better equipped for the ministry that they’re already doing,” Maalouf says. “We only accept students who are in ministry.” 

One man named Valentin was a former atheist turned pastor in Syria. An online certificate program with ABTS allowed him to learn remotely without having to leave his congregation. 

“God is really using him, like many others in Syria and around the Arab world,” Maalouf says. “[God is] using ABTS and our partners to come alongside him (Valentin) to help better train and equip him to continue serving God effectively.”

ABTS is more than a seminary program. The staff keep in touch with students like Valentin even after graduation. “We always check our graduates’ stories, check their prayer requests, see how we can help support them as much as we can,” Maalouf explains. 

Catch the vision for raising leaders alongside ABTS here. Pray for God’s abundant blessing on the staff, instructors and men and women currently enrolled in its undergraduate and graduate programs. 

Header image courtesy of Arab Baptist Theological Seminary.

The ICC’s move underscores international scrutiny on Israel’s military, which faces the complexities of fighting a terrorist organization that embeds itself among civilians.

Sasson Pochtar, left (Photo courtesy of Sasson Pochtar with Beit Hallel Congregation)

As the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) navigate the challenges of war, the stories of individual soldiers offer a unique perspective.

Sasson Pochtar is a youth pastor at Beit Hallel Congregation and serves in Israel’s military. As a Messianic Jew in the IDF, Pochtar says, “We’re fighting against terror, and we’re fighting spiritual warfare as well.”

Pochtar describes how his faith has opened surprising opportunities for the Gospel even amidst the conflict. He wears an Icthus patch — the Christian symbol of a fish — on his IDF uniform.

“From day one, people were asking many questions. They see that I’m kind of different than others, especially on social media. My social media is so open about my life, and they were like, ‘Are you a pastor? You’re a Jewish guy. How does that work? How can you be a pastor?’

“So, I said, ‘Yeah, well, I’m a Jew [and] I believe in Jesus, that He’s the Messiah, He’s the Christ, and He’s the Savior of the world.’ And from that, it just developed many, many different talks.”

Pochtar asks fellow believers to pray for the Israeli people. Your prayers have an impact and are an encouragement to Israeli believers representing Christ. “I’m always saying to my friends, ‘By the way, I just had a talk with friends in the States or in Europe, and they are praying for you.’ They’re like, ‘Oh, what do you mean?'”

(Photo courtesy of Beit Hallel Congregation)

Please also pray for Gospel opportunities across Israel.

“We just need more prayers for wisdom and for love — love, love and love. This is the biggest thing that I think we need to pray is to love,” says Pochtar. “I came to a point that I had many questions about that, but I really realized that I don’t hate my enemy. I’m actually blessing my enemy.”

Learn more about Beit Hallel Congregation’s ministry in Israel.

Header photo of Israel flag. (Photo courtesy of Stanislav Vdovin/Unsplash)

That mixed message might be the result of two sides of the Church: registered and unregistered. Only some congregations are officially recognized by the Chinese government. Erik Burklin, CEO of China Partner, has a close relationship with this registered Church in China.

“They have what they call a relative freedom,” he says. “They don’t have all the freedoms that we enjoy, but many of the pastors in the registered church tell us and remind us, ‘Hey, we’re thankful for what God has given us. It’s not like it used to be under Mao Zedong.’”

Not long ago, it was illegal to hold or practice most religions in China. While the government does maintain oversight over most religious organizations and gatherings, they still allow worship according to each person’s own personal beliefs. This not only allows gathering for congregational worship, but teaching and training in seminaries and Bible schools.

“Of course, there are still examples where pastors get arrested or warned or fined, and usually what I’ve learned when that happens is those are the individuals that maybe are a little bit more outspoken against the regime,” Burklin says. “The consequences of that are very dire. By far the majority of the pastors don’t get into politics.”

One pastor challenged authorities when officials began to remove crosses from church buildings. His efforts earned him a six-month prison sentence from which he has now been released. In other words, “as soon as you speak out against the regime, against the system, that’s when you get into trouble. That’s been my experience.”

The strategy most congregations employ is to focus on the Gospel. “They just share the Lord, share the gospel, and minister to their congregations. Usually, those are the churches that operate quite normally and quite freely in China,” Burklin says. “

If you just stay true to the preaching of the Word and minister to the people, most likely you’ll be fine as a Christian leader and as a church.”

Burklin reports that when it comes to the registered and unregistered Church in China, one thing is true of both; they’re growing.

“It’s really exciting when you meet with these brothers and sisters in China – they just really focus number one on Scripture. They preach the word, they memorize it, they pray it, and then they just love Jesus. Their love for Jesus is so overwhelming that it spills over to their neighbors and to their family members.”

If you want to support China Partner directly, you can do so with the link right here.

Header photo courtesy of Unsplash.