Todd Nettleton with The Voice of the Martyrs, USA (VOM) says that in Libya, the Islamic faith makes religion is a common topic.

Because of this, Nettleton says that no matter the career, there are opportunities to have seed-planting conversations.

It’s also important that the unreached in Libya do not see Christianity as a Westernized or foreign thing and recognize that there are Libyans who are Christians.

“In the minds of a lot of people in that part of the world, that’s a pretty mind-blowing concept, that you could be a Libyan and be a follower of Jesus Christ,” Nettleton says.

“Certainly, it’s still an environment where you have to be very careful about overt kinds of gospel activity,” Nettleton says.

According to VOM’s Global Prayer Guide, Christian persecution in Libya primarily comes from friends and family and extremist groups, including the Muslim Brotherhood and the self-proclaimed Islamic State (ISIS).

“From the security standpoint, we do know of some Libyans who are currently in prison for their faith and have been sentenced to various lengths of time in prison,” Nettleton says.

Nettleton says the reason for imprisonment is likely not entirely due to their conversion but because the government saw a growing movement of Christians.

Like Libya, many countries in North Africa do not seem to receive media attention for the religious persecution.

To learn more about Christian persecution in different countries, Nettleton recommends using the Voice of the Martyrs Global Prayer Guide or the VOM app. These resources include information about persecutors, Christian life, and Bible accessibility.

Nettleton says that reading the entries equips people to pray for specific persecuted Christians in specific countries so that they may understand the situations and what they are praying for.

“The first step is to commit to praying, and however you’re equipping yourself or gaining more knowledge to do that, that’s great,” Nettleton says. “Voice of the Martyrs can help you do that, other ministries can help you do that, but it starts when we say, ‘Hey, I understand that I’m connected to these brothers and sisters who are suffering persecution, and I need to pray for them. That is a part of my responsibility as a member of the Body of Christ.’”

Some other strategic places to pray for right now include believers in northern Nigeria, Iran, and Eritrea.

“I always encourage people to pray for Eritrea. I think of seven pastors there who have been in prison there for more than 21 years,” Nettleton says.

Though religious persecution often goes underreported by secular media, it’s important to continue in prayer.

Nettleton hopes that the stories of what is happening in the world capture people’s hearts and make praying for others a regular part of their spiritual walks.

Please pray for Christians in Libya experiencing persecution for their faith that they will continue to show the love of Christ.

Pray that converts will find fellowship and encouragement in one another and that Libyans will witness to their families and friends despite the suffering it causes them.

Pray for Libya (Image courtesy of VOM USA)

In today’s Russia, the Russian Orthodox Church speaks with a powerful voice — one that has grown quieter for the Gospel, yet louder in the realm of politics.

Rev. Mykhailo Brytsyn, Director of the Religious Freedom Initiative for Mission, a Voice of the Martyrs Canada partner, says, “We really have big concern about situation in Russia, because during last couple years, persecution of believers there arise, like in times.”

Many churches have been closed or confiscated. Some of the pastors are arrested for refusing to register their churches, which would give the government full control over what’s preached and believed.

Representative photo of Russian Baptist church, Vsevolozhsk (courtesy of Steven Pavlor via Wikimedia Commons)

“[Russian government] wants to use religion as their leverage for their political system. The regime needs to control everything. The dictatorship rises, controlling every part of life, every part of society. They already use the Russian Orthodox Church just as their tool,” Brytsyn adds.

The Russian Orthodox Church amplifies the state’s voice, using Scripture to justify war and persecution. Those who disagree are shunned.

“Not all Orthodox priests in [the] Russian Orthodox Church are happy about this war, so they say some antiwar statements, and they are expelled from [the] Russian Orthodox Church,” Brytsyn adds, noting that this includes prominent, well-known priests.

Now, unregistered Baptist congregations are becoming targets. Brytsyn explains that unlike registered churches, these independent fellowships fall outside state oversight — something the authorities increasingly view as a problem, especially when absolute loyalty to the war is demanded.

“They’d like to put all churches — Protestant churches and Catholic churches — in the same sphere of their interests. And as far as registered churches are easier to control, they put their attention just on non-registered movements.”

This raises a deeper question: what is Christ’s Church called to be? A community rooted in Scripture, unafraid to call war what it is and peace what it is — faithful to truth and to the Lord, even when that faithfulness brings cost.

Human rights organizations have identified hundreds of prisoners in Russian custody imprisoned for exercising their right to freedom of religion or belief — and their number is growing.

Pray that truth prevails in Russia over the fog of disinformation. Pray also for the integrity of church leaders not to compromise their faith under the State’s control. Pray for Russian Christians to remain faithful to Jesus.

Visit Voice of the Martyrs Canada to learn more. And if you’d like to hear the full conversation with Pastor Brytsyn about the current state of the Russian church, you can listen at this link.

Header photo: Priest in Russia (photo courtesy of Alexey Wineman via Pexels).

The Countries of Particular Concern (CPC) is a list for which the U.S. president is required to annually review the status of religious freedom in every country in the world and designate each country where the government has engaged in or tolerated “particularly severe violations of religious freedom.”

The State Department’s Religious Freedom Report was not updated last year and has yet to be updated in 2025. The latest CPC list from 2023 excludes India; however, the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) includes India on its recommended Countries of Particular Concern (CPC) and Special Watch List (SWL).

With the rise of anti-conversion laws in several Indian states, attacks against Christians have climbed to an average of twice a day. 

Bibles For The World (BFTW) had hoped that the new U.S. administration would revive work on religious freedom issues. It remains their prayer that the U.S. government will bring these human rights issues into focus and deal with this religious persecution and loss of religious freedom.

John Pudaite with BFTW says, “We’re seeing that from some of our partners, where before they were very willing to take large amounts of scripture from us, whether the gospel of John, (or) New Testaments for New Believers, (we’re) starting to see them lowering their orders or requests. Some of them are just saying, ‘We can’t do this right now.’ And that’s that’s pretty shocking, because most of these were pretty bold in their faith and their outreach and evangelism.”

Pudaite said these Christians are on the front lines.

There is an openness to the gospel in India. (Photo courtesy of Bibles for the World)

“We’re just hoping and praying that under the Trump administration this will shift back toward bringing (India) into focus as a country that really needs to live by its constitution, which guarantees religious freedom for all of its citizens,” says Pudaite.

While Christians face religious persecution in the country, there is also new openness to the Gospel. Pudaite says that people see the regime in power is not reaching down to them and considering them.

Instead, “They’re responding to what they see: The love of Christ coming through the Christians there in India,” says Pudaite.

Please pray for the protection of Christians in India. Pray that they will continue to be strong in their faith, outreach, and in their ministries. Pray that as God opens the hearts of Indians to the Gospel, He will guide world leaders to advocate for minorities in India.

(Photo by Naveed Ahmed on Unsplash)

In the bigger picture, Kurds are a stateless people. Millions live across parts of Turkiye, Syria, Iran, and Iraq alone, with many more across Europe. 

“They’ve always longed for their own state, but it has not been allowed by the governments that own those lands,” Samuel* with Redemptive Stories explains. “I think their end goal is to create a state for themselves, to live freely as a people, to not be oppressed as a minority.” 

He continues: “The northern swath of Iraq — which is one of probably the most recognized Kurdish bases, Iraqi Kurdistan — still is not its own state. It’s just basically [a governorate] within the context of Iraq.” 

Politics aside, Samuel says many churches have been planted in the Kurdish-controlled region of Syria, called the Rojava.

“Kurdistan” means “the land of Kurds”. Originally this designated a region of Western Iran. This map extends the concept to cover the greater region with any significant Kurdish population and encompasses parts of Iran, Iraq, Syria, and Turkey.
(Wikimedia Commons)

“During the Syrian crisis in particular, there’s been a huge movement of the gospel among Syrian Kurds,” he said. 

While Iraqi Kurds strongly identify as Muslims, it’s not the same for Syrian Kurds. “That identity of Islam is far less than their identity as Kurds, and so for them to abandon Islam in order to follow Jesus, it’s less of a huge step,” he said. “Many are coming to faith. That’s happening online. It’s happening in person.”

If Kurdish armed forces integrate with Syria’s new government forces, Syria could see greater stability. But the new government has a track record of persecuting minorities. This could prove to be devastating to Kurds in the region, including Christians.

“If they are forced to lay control back to Damascus, then there [are] deep concerns that persecution will increase —  persecution that could be just ethnic in nature, but then also spiritual persecution,” said Samuel. 

Please pray for God’s peace and mercy in this unfolding situation. Pray for bold gospel witness from Kurdish believers in Christ no matter what happens. 

“Pray for God’s peace in the midst of that, pray that His faithfulness will continue to go forth. Pray for our brothers and sisters that are from a Muslim background [who] are working in that space [in Syria],” said Samuel.

*Pseudonym

Header photo: Sipan Hamo (Sîpan Hemo), general commander of the People’s Defense Units (YPG) and a member of the general command of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF). (Photo courtesy of YPG Press Office – “Nirxandinên endamê fermandariya QSDê Sîpan Hemo li ser Şehîd Nûreddîn Sofî”, YouTube, CC BY 3.0)

“People’s lives will be hanging in the balance because of their belief and wanting to get the Word to northern China,” Woolford says.

Here’s where the action movie plot comes into play.

Woolford says, “We have 15 people coming from the north who have good social scores to be able to travel, [who are] willing to risk their life to smuggle these Bibles back to northern China, to give the Word of God to people who are in desperate need of it.”

Previous shipment from Mission Cry to China. (Photo courtesy of Mission Cry)

Communist rules are strictly enforced in northern China, so Bibles are hard to come by. “Communist China is worried about what the Word of God can do, will do, and is doing.”

Christians pay a high price for following Jesus. Woolford says, “[In] the north, you have real religious persecution, imprisonment, people being starved, [or] losing their life.”

Mission Cry sends used Bibles and Christian books around the world to believers who cannot afford them. For situations like this one, Mission Cry develops specialized Christian resources such as Bibles and Christian books in simplified Chinese.

First and most importantly, pray for this mission to be successful, and “for those that are traveling, that they would be invisible to the police [or] those that might be checking.”

Consider also helping Mission Cry cover the $25,000 needed for shipping and travel costs. Click here to give to Mission Cry.

Header photo courtesy of Zhang Kaiyv/Unsplash.

Eritrea quit the Intergovernmental Authority on Development in Eastern Africa in 2007 over soured relations with Ethiopia. However, things changed five years ago, when the two nations signed a peace deal.

Eritrea rejoining the bloc now is another move towards peace and stability in East Africa. Yet, there’s concern that this allows Eritrea to brush over severe human rights abuses.

(Photo courtesy of David Mark/Pixabay)

Dr. Berhane Ashmelash, director of Release Eritrea, spoke with Greg Musselman at The Voice of the Martyrs Canada about imprisoned Christians and other religious minorities in Eritrea today.

Ashmelash says the Eritrean government denies imprisoning Christians as religious persecution when asked by international entities. But really, world leaders aren’t often asking.

“The Eritrean president knows how to play the international community and sometimes they forget about the prisoners. There are tens of thousands of Eritrean prisoners. We want more pressure but we don’t get that, so that’s really frustrating and very sad.”

Evangelical Christians are especially targeted by the Eritrean government.

“They found it difficult to control the Evangelicals because we don’t have this central authority,” says Ashmelash. “So even when they thought to shut [down] the Church, they thought, ‘If we arrest the top leaders, the Church will disintegrate.’ But it didn’t because our leaders are not like popes. The top authority for Evangelicals is the Scripture, so the Church continues to grow.”

You can raise awareness for jailed Christians in Eritrea by sharing this story!

And pray. Ask God to comfort Eritrean Christians who are still imprisoned for their faith. Pray for wise and just leaders in Eritrea.

Header photo courtesy of Kyle Glenn/Unsplash.

Todd Nettleton with The Voice of the Martyrs USA says the economy of Qatar is powered by immigrant workers. “Many come from Asia and Africa. And many of those are Christians. Most of the talk about the World Cup as it relates to human rights has been about the workers who were hired to build the stadiums, hotels, roads, and everything needed to put on the Cup. And the working conditions were very difficult and bad for those people.”

Human rights advocates have also criticized Qatar for its harsh treatment of women and LGBT people. Women in Qatar cannot leave the house without a male escort. To marry, work in a government job, or access healthcare, they first need male permission. LGBT people have often been arrested without cause and assaulted by police.

Religious persecution

Nettleton says Christians have a similar target on their backs.  “Qatari citizens are predominantly Sunni Muslim. They are expected to remain Sunni Muslim until they die. Outreach to them is closely watched and is forbidden. Anyone who is a Qatari Christian must be very secretive about that.”

“There are places where foreign Christians can worship in Qatar. But they cannot evangelize.”

The danger comes from the government but also from their own families. Ask God to give them boldness as they share Jesus’ story.

Pray also that they have access to Bibles, whether in paper or digital form. Nettleton says, “The Voice of the Martyrs is also working with Qatari Christians, especially converts who face persecution, maybe being kicked out of their families. So you can respond practically through ministries like The Voice of the Martyrs.”

The header photo shows a scene from the World Cup in Qatar before a match between Korea and Uraguay. (Photo courtesy of Korea.net / Korean Culture and Information Service [Photographer name], CC BY-SA 2.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0>, via Wikimedia Commons) 

The SAT-7 KIDS show Why is That? was created to address trauma, both from a psychological perspective and through the story of Jesus. Joe Willey says, “It’s a new 13-part series. Each episode begins with a drama featuring a problem or a traumatic event and how it affects children. The children, after the drama, will then go and see Geddo, who is a grandfather character.”

“He helps them process really what they’ve seen and experienced, using games and activities to explain biblical truth.”

Geddo shares that no matter what the kids have experienced, God is always with them. The show also teaches kids that what happened is not their fault, especially since many have been blamed for their trauma.

Parents

The show deals with sexual abuse, religious persecution, and the trauma of extreme poverty.

Since adults principally cause childhood trauma, SAT-7 wanted parents to be able to watch as well. Willey says, “Trauma impacts your relationships with others, and it impacts your relationship with God. So trauma cannot be hidden in darkness. It needs to be brought into the light. Even if it’s a children’s program, it does show adults that God does amazing things when we bring difficulties and trauma into the light.”

Childhood trauma doesn’t just happen in the Middle East and North Africa. Pray kids around the world would encounter Jesus’ love.

Why is That? is currently in production and will be broadcast on SAT-7 KIDS starting in January 2023.

The header photo shows Gedda with the kids. (Photo courtesy of SAT-7 USA)

The safe haven is located in a rural area of a country friendlier to Christians. But this country borders more hostile countries, and ones that need Bible translation work. Neu can’t specify the countries for security reasons.

The strength of these Christians

Neu talks about the strength of the Church in these regions. “These folks are very strong in their faith. They have a different level of understanding and commitment to Jesus’s commandments: love God, and love others. I mean, these guys are literally sacrificing as Christ sacrificially gave of Himself to make it possible for all of us to have saving faith and be a part of His family. These guys are experiencing the power of God’s word and in ways like Peter and the other apostles did.”

These believers risk imprisonment and torture for the sake of Jesus. Ask God to strengthen them and turn the hearts of their oppressors away from violence.

(Header photo courtesy of Couleur from Pixabay)

Greg Kelley of World Mission says, “It’s basically a call to warfare against people that are propagating and sharing the Gospel in Mauritania. There’s a number of key Christian leaders that we’re working with whose names are on this list. And it’s just a green light to take them out. Obviously, we need to pray for God to protect them because these are the key people that are leading the Church of Jesus Christ and advancing the Gospel in these places.”

Christians in Mauritania

The church in Mauritania is a small one. Kelley says almost the entire population is considered unreached by the Gospel. People who leave Islam to follow Jesus often face persecution from their own families. Read a prayer request about religious freedom in the June 22 entry here.

World Mission supplies these believers with solar-powered audio Bibles in Arabic and French. Kelley says, “What we’ve seen is over 30 house churches developed just in the last year. It’s amazing when we think about a country like Mauritania. The power of the Word of God to transform hearts is very much at work.”

Pray these Christian leaders will be safe, and that Jesus will transform Mauritania into a land of peace.

Header image courtesy of David Peterson from Pixabay.