“Because we’re very evangelistic, we also have to be very discipleship-oriented,” says PFC President Greg Von Tobel, “and so that’s what the IBI is all about.”

The International Bible Institute (IBI) was created in 2018 to fill the void for quality discipleship curriculum for prisoners in developing countries. The two-and-a-half-year program consists of three curriculum levels:

1. Basic: Covers principles, doctrines, and theology of the Christian faith, then moves into parables of Jesus, prayer, and the men of the Bible.
2. Intermediate: Teaches inmates how to have a prison ministry in their own prison and how to witness for the cause of Christ with other inmates.
3. Advanced: Trains inmates to plant churches and be spiritual overseers of inmates within the institutions where they live.

As of December 2024, IBI has six schools operating in Ethiopia, Mozambique, Nigeria, and Pakistan —a nd authorities in some of those countries are taking notice of the impact.

“We planted an IBI in one particular southern state of Nigeria, and ran that for a year and a half, and then we planted another IBI in the south-central region, and we’ve had probably three different graduations at each one of these institutions,” says Von Tobel. “And of course, the good news always gets back to the Department of Corrections headquarters, and they are absolutely excited and thrilled about the changes that they’re seeing occur in the lives of inmates at those institutions.”

Now, PFC is hoping to open more IBI programs in regions that are currently suffering from ongoing violence. According to Von Tobel, it costs about $23,000 to run an IBI program for six years in an institution: “That is not a lot of money we’re expending to have people come to know the Lord and get them discipled. So that’s pretty exciting. We just need more resources in order to expand to other institutions.”

The impact of the IBI schools is powerful, bringing what Von Tobel calls a “calming spirit,” which can help the superintendents and overseers better manage their correctional institutions.

“Those officers take notice, and they want more of what we have to offer,” says Von Tobel, later adding, “Some of these Christian brothers that are graduating from our schools are now very confident and, with holy boldness underneath their wings, going and ministering the Word of God to the Muslim population. And we’re seeing Muslims come to know Jesus in a very powerful way, and we’re seeing terrorists who might be arrested coming to know Jesus. And so that’s the beauty of the IBI—that souls are being won, and we’re using the current population to win souls.”

Header photo courtesy of Colin Carey via Unsplash.

As the world watches headlines, Life In Messiah is on the ground. They have their own legacy – they’ve been showing Jesus’ mercy to the Jewish people for over a century. That means they’re in a position to help communities they’ve already poured into for generations.

According to Levi Hazen, Life In Messiah’s current active projects include:

• A soup kitchen in Tel Aviv that serves “those who have been caught up in the world of drug addiction and sex trafficking, so that these folks can not only come inside and get a hot meal, maybe a shower, but of course, they’re going to hear the good news while they’re there.”
• Men’s and women’s rehab centers for those battling addiction. They host daily Bible studies, and “each one of these places is connected to a local congregation where people can continue to hear the gospel and fellowship and meet believers.”
• A recovery house for Russian-speaking men battling addictions to drugs or alcohol. “When people think of the Holy Land, they don’t oftentimes think that those things would be happening, but it absolutely happens, just as it does in every society,” Hazen says.
• Churches led by congregational leaders from Life In Messiah’s staff “leading churches that are full of Jewish people and Gentiles who believe in Yeshua.”
• Media ministries, including the Tov Podcast. “Tov is the Hebrew word for good, and that podcast is focused on yes, sharing the good news, but also biblical teaching concerning God’s heart for Israel and the Jewish people.” Life in Messiah also has a YouTube channel and an evangelistic website.

Life in Messiah has always faced an uphill battle. There is history between the Jewish and Christian communities, and that history is filled with bloodshed. “Things like the Crusades, the “Christ-killer” charge, blood libels, even in recent times, during the Holocaust when the majority of Christians chose to do nothing despite the drastic rise in anti-semitism – our Jewish friends are very much aware of those things,” Hazen says. “So there’s already a further barrier that is present that we don’t see amongst other groups.”

Jewish theology presents an obstacle, too. “There’s a common belief that Jesus is not the Messiah, he’s a man. He’s maybe the God of the Gentiles, but not for you, not for Jewish people. We have to overcome that hurdle as well.”

And of course, the challenges that come with constant conflict are devastating in their own right. But in the middle of cultural, political, religious, and even physical suffering, Life In Messiah is watching God open doors.

“When people are hurting, they tend to be more open to having conversations about things that otherwise they may not have thought about,” Hazen says. “Our staff are reporting more conversations with Jewish people, yes, in Israel, but around the globe – more than we ever have before, because Jewish people are realizing that there’s a lot of evangelicals who truly love them and desire the best for them, desire their safety and protection.”

If you want to support hurting civilians and refugees in Israel, you can contribute to a relief fund right here. Whether you provide financial support or not, please pray. 

“God is faithful, even if we are faithless,” Hazen says.

Header photo courtesy of Unsplash.

India (MNN) — The latest report from the United States Department of State says human trafficking in India spiked at least 25 percent last year. Every hour, four women and girls enter prostitution in India — three of them against their will.

There are a few contributing factors to the dramatic increase in India’s human trafficking tragedy in 2016. Some of the factors include the 2015 earthquake in neighboring Nepal creating unstable situations, and traffickers growing more technologically advanced in their methods and document forgeries. Much of the trafficking that comes to India funnels from Nepal and Bangladesh to the major cities.

Raju Sharma with Christian Aid Mission shares further sobering statistics: “The current rate that we have in India, if this continues, by 2025 one out of every five Indian girl children will be a child prostitute…. Girls aged as young as 10 are trafficked, and mostly because of economic reasons.”

He goes on to explain a value trend in India that contributes to human trafficking. “Because of the belief system, the girls are not considered equal to men. They are more prone to the [trafficking] risk. So in a family, if a girl is born, it’s not considered a joy. It’s like a disgrace; it’s like a burden. The families [who] are poor…if they were hoping for boys and end up with more girls, they would like to get them rid of, because they can’t survive, they can’t feed the family. So these predators who are lurking around in the neighborhood offer them a price, and that’s how the girl gets sold out.”

According to Havocscope, the average price to sell a child into human trafficking in India is $45 USD. To sell a girl child specifically into human trafficking, it only takes $24 USD. Comparatively, if you were to sell a buffalo in India, it would be about $350 USD.

The Church Making a Difference

With human trafficking in India on the rise, this is exactly where the Body of Christ needs to step in — and many within the Church already are.

Christian Aid’s ministry partners work to rehabilitate girls and women who have been rescued from sexual slavery. And even in the midst of deep pain and brokenness, God is moving. “Like recently, they started a small prayer group…. And through the small prayer group, there were about four of these girls who came to Christ. They were healed from brokenness and hurt and abuse and especially anger. They would react very fast and they would get angry, and through that prayer encounter, God delivered them and they were transformed.”

Currently, Sharma says there are about 20 girls who need help to enter their ministry partner’s care center. Please pray that God would protect them, and that they would know they are worthy of love in Christ.

Sharma says Christian Aid also wants to go to the root of the problem that makes children and families more at-risk to trafficking. “Poverty is one of them, but how do we handle poverty? So we are now assisting groups in neighborhoods that we call slums. There, where the children who don’t have access to education, [they] are the ones who are higher at risk.

“We are encouraging groups and assisting them so they would start after-school [programs] or school for these children.”

But it doesn’t stop there. “If a girl child is educated, basically we will educate the entire family. The problem in India is the women who are not educated. We feel if a girl or mother is educated, they will educate the rest of the people in the family.”

Christian Educational Curriculum Donations Needed

These schools often use Christian curriculum and start conversations about the Gospel. But they still need more curriculum materials for these schools educating at-risk kids in India’s slums.

“We are looking at homeschool materials, if people would like to give — A Beka is one of them. This is very expensive and they can’t afford to buy them. If there are families who…have books they are not using for grades one through ten, they could offer that and we could supply that back to starting these schools.”

It’s a very tangible way to give kids in India a real chance at education and opportunities other than the red light districts. Even if you personally don’t have these materials to give, you can share this need with friends and family who may have curriculum to donate!

With A Beka curriculum donations for grammar and math grades one through three, Christian Aid says the used books are fine, but they prefer those that are blank.

A Beka material donations can be mailed to — Christian Aid Mission, Attn: Morgan Wood, 1201 5th Street Extended, Charlottesville, VA 22902

Also, if you’d like to just give financially to this ministry in India, you can mail checks to, Christian Aid Mission, P.O. Box 9037, Charlottesville, VA  22906, using gift code 637CHM-EDU.

As Sharma puts it, “At the end of the day, transformation of hearts is very important. If we do all that goodness, but the heart is not transformed, the society is not transformed. So the groups we assist have a vision to bring Jesus into the picture and Jesus is the one who will transform their lives.”

(Photo by Christian Aid Mission)

China (MNN) — Often it’s those who struggle the most with their sin who have a greater chance of understanding God’s mercy.

Christian Aid Mission supports a drug rehabilitation center in China that is a picture of God using our sin to draw us to Himself.

Amie Cotton of Christian Aid says, “China has a long history of drug use and abuse. Back in the 40s and 50s, there was a lot of opium poppy farming in China.”

She says that there are 7-12 million drug abusers in China– 80% of them being men, and 70% under 35. The most popular drugs are heroin, meth, and ecstasy.

The ministry they assist is called New Birth Garden, located in the Yunnan Province. It is a Christian rehabilitation center that is recognized by both the government and the community as a positive, effective solution to the drug abuse in China.

(Photo by Christian Aid Mission)

“It’s amazing to see what kind of life-changing impact this center is making on drug abusers for years and years,” Cotton says.

Along with addressing addictive behavior, drug users are taught helpful skills that will aid them when they reenter society. This includes farming, acupuncture, and massage.

Students at New Birth Garden participate in Bible study, prayer, and praise and worship gatherings.

“The biggest thing is that their life is changed. We know that true healing and freedom can only come from Christ, and so it’s exciting to see lives changed, I mean, lives restored and families restored,” Cotton says.

For some, whole families accept Christ because of the miraculous change they’ve seen in their loved one.

“Even people on the outside can see the changed lives and the continuous change. It’s not just a change for a while and then they go back to it, which is often the case with drug abuse.”

Cotton says this is a practical way of being the hands and feet of Jesus.

The change is obvious even on governmental levels. It’s because of this that the government allows them to do other outreaches in the community.

Cotton says, “Because of its successful track record, they see individuals restored and re-engaging in society successfully. They see that it works, and so they’re supporting that. They want that for their communities. It’s exciting that this is recognized by the Chinese government.”

One of the biggest needs of the center is financial support. Currently 21 men are enrolled in the program, and there are 14 full-time workers.  But New Birth Garden has to send people away because they cannot afford any more participants. The operation runs for about $10,000 a year.

You can support the center by clicking here. Use gift/CAM code 926GDTC.

If you’re not called to support financially, Cotton shares something you can do right now:

“Most of all we need your prayers, that God would be with these men, that He would give them courage, He would give them strength to go through this program to overcome this temptation and this vice in their life, and that God’s glory would just shine through and make a difference in their lives.”

(Photo by Christian Aid Mission)

(Image courtesy Bright Hope International)

“Establishments of sex trafficking are moving from more traditional locations – such as brothels – to locations that are harder to find, and are also shifting from urban areas to rural areas, where there is less detection,” stated the 2013 Trafficking In Persons (TIP) report.

In its July 2013 report, UNODC states, “With modernization, the commercial sexual exploitation of women and children…has undergone a change. The [red light districts continue] to be prostitution dens but the business has expanded…and has become much more organized by providing services on demand.”

CH Dyer says Bright Hope International’s working on the local level to fight it. Churches they partner with are joining forces with local police.

“They have such good relationships with the police, and the police appreciate the services that these churches are doing,” says Dyer.

He says a working relationship like this has never existed between the Body of Christ and local officials, but its benefits could go beyond the realm of human trafficking.

When persecution arises, as it often does in India, “we now have relationships with those authorities who can help bring protections on Christians, help bring law enforcement in just ways.

“I see great benefits,” Dyer states.

Last month, local police officers took place in human trafficking training from Bright Hope. (Image courtesy Bright Hope International)

It’s the fruit of a seed planted long ago. For the past several years, Dyer says Bright Hope has been trying to “wake people up” to the harsh reality of trafficking — but to no avail.

“Nobody understood it, nobody had even thought about it,” he says. “It wasn’t on any church’s, within our networks, radar.”

Though the occurrence of human trafficking and sexual exploitation has been steadily rising since 2008, so has the awareness and interest in fighting it. Dyer says things “started clicking” about three years ago, and within the past year-and-a-half they’ve built a couple of safe-houses.

“It’s still a growing understanding of how churches can be involved in this,” says Dyer, “and engage in Anti-Human Trafficking Programs, and bring the Gospel message along with it.”

While their first step is rescuing trafficking victims, Dyer says the following components are just as important.

“The rescues get a lot of attention. They’re exciting…it’s arrests and convictions,” he states. “But the restoration and rehabilitation is the long, hard work that has to be done if we’re really going to see these girls thrive.”

Bright Hope takes a holistic approach to the process. Click here to learn more about their Anti-Human Trafficking Program.

“There is a spiritual component, where we want them to receive Christ and understand grace and forgiveness, and the love of Christ,” says Dyer. “But then there’s also the practical side.”

With some foundational components in place, the focus is now shifting to community.

“Right now, we’re working with the local churches in these cities to accept some of these young girls into their church communities,” Dyer explains.

“Honestly, if we can get that stream flowing, we’ll be able to bring more girls out of the brothels because they’ll be in our safe-house for a year, and then into a church.”

Pray for eyes to be opened. Pray for the Body of Christ to welcome rescued girls into their midst.

“We think some could eventually go on to college and other kinds of trade schools, where they can earn a livable wage and care for themselves and their future families,” says Dyer.

“They need a community to do that, and that’s why we’re challenging these indigenous churches (to accept the young girls).”

Pray also for justice to increase concerning this issue. According to data from India’s National Crimes Record Bureau (NCRB), conviction rates in cases of human trafficking are decreasing. In 2012, only 22% of the people trafficking young girls and selling them for sex were convicted.

(Image courtesy Bright Hope)

Maharashtra, which arrested the most sex traffickers between 2010 and 2012, has a conviction rate of 7% — one of the country’s worst. Assam had the lowest rate at 1%.

Bright Hope needs your help to push back the plague of human trafficking in India.

“It can begin with a simple prayer, and that doesn’t cost anyone anything except a little bit of time,” says Dyer. “I would just invite people to pray right now for the 14 girls in one house and the 10 girls in another.”

Pray for their restoration and rehabilitation as these girls find new life in Christ.

“The cost of these safe-houses, and the rehabilitation and restoration aspects, is the costly side of it,” Dyer explains. “We need supporters who are willing to give; could be as little as $30 a month. Or, whatever God would lay on your heart to give.”

Click here to help out. Lastly, you can email Bright Hope if you’d like to serve by ‘going.’

“There’s a few people who might say ‘I want to go’,” Dyer says. “‘I want to be engaged at a level where I’m making a significant difference and I want to give my time, my resources, and my talents to really help this program go forward’.”

During that time, both Donetsk and Kiev were
well-maintained to show off communism's success stories to dignitaries. However, after communism fell, so did the
city. Many people in Donetsk live well
below the poverty line, and unemployment in the region has reached catastrophic
levels.

The economic crisis was compounded by rampant
alcohol and drug abuse which made child neglect and abandonment in the region
skyrocket. The evidence is
everywhere. Grocery store shelves
show that alcohol is readily available, and kiosks line the streets, filled with
similar wares. The resulting family
breakdown accounts for the high number of children in state and private
orphanages.

Russian Ministries School Without Walls (SWW) students
want to counter that hopeless message. They're trying to muster their resources in order to open a second rehab
center for drug addicts and alcoholics.

The SWW training equips future leaders for evangelism and church-planting– the base of Russian
Ministries programs and services. It's
also the largest network of non-formal schools in the former Soviet Union (FSU),
with 1,956 students studying in 65 locations.

Where the
two-year SWW program has finished, local churches have continued instruction. Graduates
create ways for the local church to implement more sacrificial forms of
ministry. They help organize and run evangelistic
camps for children and youth and participate in social projects like special
rehabilitation houses.

Their goal is to see
Donetsk restored to its former glory, but this time, with an eternal perspective.

Thousands of women and children throughout Ghana are held in bondage as trokosi, or wives of the gods, forced to submit to every whim of local priests. Trokosi suffer severe manual labor, sexual exploitation, and starvation under threat of becoming cursed or enduring corporal punishment.

For years now, Every Child Ministries has been responding to the vast need for abolitionists in Ghana. ECM has helped in the efforts to free thousands of women and children from slavery.

"Many times the women can't even put into words what it feels like for them to be free, to actually be able to live life," saya ECM's Hannah Howard.

The work cannot stop at freedom, however. Several obstacles stand in the way.

Many trokosi have been in bondage their entire lives and often don't know even basic skills to help them live on their own.

"A lot of times they don't know how to even handle money, or many of them don't know how to read or write," notes Howard. ECM helps them with basic and vocational skills so they can acquire a trade. Once they have a trade, they are often successful, especially after a lifetime of learning hard work.

Another significant hurdle for these women to overcome is the emotional effects a life of servitude has had on their souls. Howard, a counselor in the rehabilitation process for liberated trokosi, says women often have difficulty opening up to ECM staff.

"They haven't experienced much love in their lives," explains Howard. "For the most part, these women have experienced rejection, hurt, betrayal, and they haven't really experienced love at all.

"Building relationships is part of showing that we love them, that we care for them, and that their lives are important to us. Along the way, they start opening up as they see that we are genuine and we really do love and care about them."

As trust is built, hearts open up to the Gospel as well. Howard says despite the lives they've lived in bondage to idol shrines and priests, the trokosi are able to understand the Gospel better as a result of their difficult pasts.

"It's actually a wonderful way to describe the love of Christ. We are all bound by our sins, we are all dead, and we are all hopeless without Christ. They have experienced that in their physical lives."

Many trokosi have been changed by the power of the Gospel as a result of ECM's ministry, but perhaps none more radically than the "Old Woman" who came to faith during Thanksgiving 2010. Listen to a three-minute clip of Howard telling the amazing transformation tale here.

ECM is helping to solve the second-leading crime in the world as they pull people out of human trafficking and into the light of freedom. Physical and spiritual bondage released, these women are able to live as God intended and multiply the kingdom with their testimonies.

You can be the next one to help free a trokosi slave. Click here to learn more.

Since then, ECM has continued to help these women whose
lives are in desperate need of restoration and rehabilitation.

Sharon Aldrich of ECM says they have just finished a three-week
rehabilitation program where they worked with seven of the freed women. ECM created a personalized plan for each woman's future, held
Bible studies twice a day, and taught them
how to sew. "We also helped them find
a more viable way of making a living, which involved
training them to develop a home business and possibly get a micro-credit
loan."

During the program, Lorella Rouster, co-founder of ECM, spent
an hour each day teaching the women various aspects of running their own
businesses–including basic math skills.

ECM hopes to offer the next step of rehabilitation
to any of the freed women who are interested. This will include more
information about starting a business and learning more skill sets.

Though training, personal attention, and Bible studies are
helping freed women take steps toward a life of wholeness, the process is slow. "It's
difficult for them to go back into the community and feel a part of everyone
because they have been set apart for something they know is wrong,"
Aldrich said.

However, ECM is speaking into their lives and showing them
they are loved and valued by Christ and His followers. For the women who turned
their lives over to Christ, their faith is growing and deepening. Aldrich said
they get excited just to hear Bible stories.

"It's encouraging to see them take the
next step of their growth. They enjoy being in Church, and they enjoy
hearing Bible stories. It was very exciting for me to be able to tell them
about Moses and the way that his mother sent him down the river. They smiled
and clapped just to hear that story,"
Aldrich said.

As for their former priest, "There is a local Christian man who is going to him every week and having prayer and Bible study
with him. And we pray for him," said Aldrich. ECM is keeping in contact
with him and is amazed by his strength as he refuses to return to his idols. "He
simply found the courage to do what many idol worshippers would like to
do," Aldrich said.

These 55 freed slaves, however, are not the end of ECM's quest to
liberate sex slaves. Though this was a slow process–taking five years for
these individuals to finally be free, ECM is already contacting and forming relationships with other
shrines, hoping to free even more slaves.

Pray for ECM as they continue their work in Ghana. Pray for
these freed women to find acceptance in their communities as they try to piece
their lives back together. Pray that they will find redemption and the unconditional
acceptance of Christ. Pray for the priest to remain strong in his faith and for
his fellow priests to turn to Christ through his example.

Support ECM and the work they are doing with trokosi and
vulnerable women and children across Africa at their Web site.