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

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

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

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

(Photo courtesy of Prisoners for Christ)

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

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

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

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

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

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

(Representative stock photo courtesy of Nathan Dumlao via Unsplash)

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

Many Iranians no longer want to live under the current system, hoping for a change in the country. Lily Ricci with Iran Alive Ministries shares a recent story that shows the love people have for their country and faith in God:

Young man (photo courtesy of Arafat uddin Showrab via Unsplash)

“A father who was a believer contacted us and said, ‘I lost my 20-year-old son in the protests, and when I went to get his body, I had to pay for the number of bullets that were used to kill my son. And there were three.’”

In that case, authorities demanded about $6,000 before releasing the body. This is one of many similar cases.

However, when families cannot afford the fee but still want to bury their loved ones, officials pressure them to claim their relative was an Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) soldier. Ricci explains:

“They’re asking people to lie so that they can falsify the number of people who were participating in the protests.”

The grieving father also shared his perspective inspired by faith in Christ: “I’m sharing this with you not as a victim, but as a victor, knowing that even in our losses, God is with us and He will carry us through.”

Representative photo courtesy of
Artin Bakhan via Unsplash

He asks those who hear his story to be a voice for his son and to expose what he sees as evil at work in Iran. Pray for freedom for the Iranian people and for God’s justice. Ricci adds:

“Pray for this demonic force that has been holding Iran in such a tight grip for over 47 years to be lifted, and for the Spirit of God to be released so that true freedom — found only in knowing Christ — would take root in Iran.”

Many ministries are preparing for the day they can openly serve in a free Iran. “Iran Alive Ministries,” says Ricci, “has been preparing a strategy for the plan of return.”

Leaders within the underground church network are already in place. They are discipling believers quietly and building strong foundations of faith. They pray for freedom to step into the open, establishing churches publicly and continuing the discipleship process without fear of house raids, arrests, or government retaliation.

Header representative photo courtesy of Breet Sayles via Pexels.

An intentional testimony can make a huge difference in a listener’s worldview. But for it to be strong, it needs to be free from past mistakes, misconceptions, and false life directions.

Ron Hutchcraft of Hutchcraft Ministries says there are three superpowers that can help.

The first is the power of a new beginning. Some people keep stacking life on top of old experiences, hurts, and mistakes. But trusting Christ’s forgiveness makes a fresh start possible.

“Because of Christ, you can declare that today is chapter one, Volume Two, page one. And that means you take God and His Word: “Forget the former things. Do not dwell on the past,” adds Hutchcraft.

Photo courtesy of Priscilla Du Preez via Unsplash

Second is clearing your identity of false beliefs. If someone’s been mistreated or labeled, it can be hard to make healthy choices. Identity often gets tied to those messages, and it drastically affects a person’s life and direction.

Real freedom comes when you believe what God says about you! Hutchcraft says:

“The only one who has a right to tell you who you are is the God who made you, and He gave you intrinsic worth that no one on Earth gave you — and no one on Earth can take away.”

Lastly is the power of a life-saving mission. God can use what a person is walking through right now to position them as Jesus’ representative in someone else’s life. Hutchcraft adds that the various situations each day brings us are divinely positioning us to help be Jesus for the person He brings us in touch with.

“The things that are happening in my life are to position me to be the personal representative, the face, the voice, the hands of Jesus in this situation. Now you are, you are propelled into your days with a mission that matters forever,” says Hutchcraft.

As Colossians 3:17 reminds us: “Whatever you do — whether you eat or drink — do it all as the representative of the Lord Jesus.”

May this Christmas and beyond, your testimony be empowered by these superpowers!

Visit Hutchcraft Ministries to find more encouragement for your Gospel journey!

Header photo courtesy of Joshua Earle via Unsplash.

As Iran’s economic crisis deepens, authorities have imposed harsh measures that deplete what little savings citizens have left.

Nazanin Baghestani from Heart4Iran recalls a heartbreaking call from one mother. Her son was accused of stealing fifty dollars and fined five thousand dollars for his release.

“This mom was crying, and she said, This is injustice, and where do I get that money from?” adds Baghestani.

These steep fines are one way the government refills its coffers.

An Iranian woman stands at an overlook with a panoramic view of Tehran, Iran (Photo, caption courtesy of IMB CC 4.0)

“Of money, like 80% of all the government finance goes to the nuclear weapon, goes to war against Israel, weapons,” Baghestani explains.

She says less than ten percent of resources reach ordinary citizens. The result is food stortage, shuttered businesses, and failing banks. Since the United Nations reinstated sanctions in October, pressure on the population has only increased.

Yet amid the hardship, stories of hope continue to emerge.

One single mother who couldn’t afford school supplies for her son called the hotline for prayer.

“Two weeks later,” recalls Baghestani, “she called and said, My son’s classmate’s father just came and helped him. He came and gave him the books he needed.”

This act became pivotal in her faith journey. She had believed Jesus was only a prophet, but seeing such a quick answer to prayer changed her heart. “And she said, I always believed in Jesus, but now I believe He is alive — and He really listens,” adds Baghestani.

Kurdistan Province, Iran (photo courtesy of Peyvand Pezeshki via Pexels)

While there are many inspiring stories, fear of government discovery keeps many testimonies hidden.

“I’m sure God is at work in people’s lives and, you know, providing for them here and there,” Baghestani shares. “But unfortunately, we don’t always hear the testimonies because people are afraid to call.”

Pray that the hope of Christ will shine through Iran’s financial despair — in every family and community. Visit Heart4Iran to see how they find ways to encourage Iranians despite the crisis.

Header photo: Man in Mazandaran Province, Iran (photo courtesy of Lumière Rezaie via Unsplash).

The wave of systematic kidnappings in Haiti reveals an ongoing power struggle for gang domination.

Kate Michel from 4VEH, a ministry partner of Trans World Radio, says, “It’s a power struggle to gain control of neighborhoods, to gain control of influencing people. And unfortunately, it’s the Haitian people who are paying the price.”

Yet, there is hope!

Radio (Photo courtesy of Pixabay via Pexels)

Kate Michel shares a moving testimony. A pastor from Cap-Haitien was kidnapped by a gang a few years ago.

“The kidnappers had forced him to put on headphones and blasted the radio into them, assuming it would distract and disturb him. But the radio was tuned to our radio station, 4VEH,” she says.

It was the same station he listened to every day, so the kidnappers unknowingly filled his captivity with encouragement and comfort! After his release, he shared the story with the 4VEH audience.

Another testimony tells of a gang member, trained mercenary, who was stopped from committing murder by a dream from God. Michel recounts, “This guy was on a mission to kill someone, but God stopped him. He ended up at 4VEH and gave his life to the Lord.”

“The gangs may be beyond the reach of the rule of law, but they are not beyond the reach of the Gospel!” Michel says.

These stories show that God is still working in Haiti — and that your prayers matter.

“We believe that in this time of real suffering, God is going to work through it, strengthen people, and bring a harvest,” she adds.

The way the Haitian church is responding is by going to the Lord in prayer. “It’s something that we see Haitians doing anyway — desperately praying for daily survival, protection, and blessing from the Lord, given the spiritual context they’re in as well,” says Michel. When there’s an attack on believers, it draws people to prayer and worship.

Pray for those recently kidnapped from the orphanage near Port-au-Prince — and for the salvation of gang members. Visit 4VEH to read more of their testimonies!

Header photo courtesy of Maxim Hopman via Unsplash.

“He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds.” Psalm 147:3

Photo courtesy of Slavic Gospel Association (SGA)

Divorce, abuse, war, and abandonment have shaped how these teenagers in Ukraine perceive life. Yet, when invited to church summer camps, they could finally breathe in hope.

Eric Mock from Slavic Gospel Association says:

“They were angry, confused, and now they walk away with hope, because they were judging God by their circumstances, not by His Word, not by His promises. And then secondly, in their circumstances, they had seen no love.”

This project brought together 160 young people for worship, rest, healing, and spiritual growth. A team of speakers — pastors, missionaries, coaches, and counselors — poured into the youth every day, helping shape their worldview spiritually and walking with them through the hard realities of life.

• Aneliya, came to camp after her father went to the front lines and her mother abandoned the family; she prayed to receive Jesus and left with renewed hope.
• Kateryna, from a violent home, called camp her “new birth” and found people she could trust.
• Maksym, who had never opened a Bible, repented on his own and began eagerly following God.
• Violeta, rescued from abuse, prayed publicly for the first time and left deeply grateful.
• Olena, abandoned by her parents, arrived unwilling but left with new friends and hope.
• Samuel, whose early trauma turned his hair gray, repented and found the friends he had long missed.

And more!

Photo courtesy of Slavic Gospel Association (SGA)

“Through the faithful believers ministering to them, they saw love,” says Mock — and believed in Jesus!

The realities of life can cloud and confuse a one-week camp memory. Mock says the work continues throughout the year through local churches: “That’s why God has raised up the church to minister to these kids. Some are orphans, whom the churches are ministering to and supporting through the SGA Orphans Reborn program, and some come from impoverished families.”

Though the camps are ending, the team is already planning what’s next, including a Christmas outreach. To understand the need behind these outreaches to children in times of war, click here.

Find your place in the story through prayer. Visit Slavic Gospel Association to learn more!

“One of the greatest prayer requests is that we wish that every child that hears the Gospel, the seeds of the Gospel would take roots in their heart, and they would grow up to be those adults that desire to follow the Lord,” urges Mock.

Header photo: summer camp (photo courtesy of SGA)

During Jesus’s time on earth, His disciples experienced a striking revelation — they had met the Promised Savior. Their faith and passion led to generations of disciples who carried the same truth. However, for Muslims, Jesus’s true identity remains a source of confusion. While the Quran acknowledges Him as a prophet, it also states that He will judge the world in the end, creating a contradiction that still leaves a question: Who is He really?

Missionaries in the Middle East are at the forefront of spiritual struggles, committed to uncovering Christ’s true nature for Muslims and other unreached groups.

People look around in a colorful market in Pakistan (Photo courtesy of Umar Farooq via Unsplash)

Steven* spent many years serving Muslims in Pakistan and has learned how difficult it is to uncover the identity of their Savior. Jesus’s direct instructions are key to unraveling the mystery of Christ. Steven says, “Luke 10 is really clear about what Jesus wanted His disciples to go and do, and how they would begin to meet people in new places that didn’t have the gospel yet.”

On one occasion, their teammate entered a village where he met a sick 8-month-old baby. He asked if he could pray for the baby, and the family agreed. The next day, when he returned, the baby was healed.

“And the family said, ‘You healed our baby. How did you do that? Can we pay you money? Can we worship you?’ And he said, ‘Absolutely not! This is what Jesus can do. Jesus is the protector of your baby. Jesus is the healer of all!’ And they said, ‘Tell us more about Jesus.’”

He proceeded to share stories from the New Testament, helping them understand that Jesus is not just a good teacher or a prophet they’ve heard about. He is the one true God. Through stories of Jesus’s power to calm storms, heal the sick, raise the dead, and feed 5,000 people, they began to see Jesus in a new light.

“Our goal is to take them from a misunderstanding of who Jesus is to a correct and full understanding of who He is. And in that process, we are making disciples. Because we are not giving them the answers directly — we are searching the Scriptures with them,” Steven says.

By going through these stories, the Muslim understanding of Jesus is transformed. They start to hope for the future Jesus promises. They testify that the Quran taught them about hate, war, and selfishness, but Jesus taught love, kindness, peace, and caring for others. When the Holy Spirit teaches them from the Word of God, they discover who Jesus is. That is far more powerful than anything they could be told!

“In the end, they choose to become disciples of Jesus — students who learn from Him. They decide to follow Him with all their heart, mind, soul, and strength. When that happens, they are true disciples of Jesus, and they begin to make more disciples. This is exactly what He told us to do,” says Steven.

Pray for wisdom and patience for missionaries in the Middle East. Pray that they may be guided by the true passion for the Gospel. May their hearts be filled with strength as they share the truth of Christ. Pray that seekers in the region are led to the true understanding of who Jesus is and are transformed by His love and grace.

*Full names withheld for security.

Header photo courtesy of Arafat uddin Showrab via Unsplash.

Raina Miller with Mission India says, “His parents were fighting at home all the time. His dad was really busy with work, and his mom was busy performing rituals to their gods because she was very superstitious. His parents had differing belief systems and it caused a lot of arguments between them.”

A friend had invited Akil to the 10-Day Bible Club run by Mission India. What started as a simple invitation turned into something life-changing.

“He was just surrounded by love and joy like he hadn’t experienced before — and stability that he definitely didn’t have at home,” says Miller. “As he was at the Bible Club each day, he felt relaxed in a way that he didn’t feel at home.”

Akil played games with other kids, sang songs, and most importantly, heard about Jesus for the first time.

Miller says, “He noticed that the Bible stories he was hearing contradicted what his parents believed, but he believed in them, and he believed in Jesus. He was moved and received Jesus as his Savior!”

Akil, a boy who first learned about Jesus at a 10-Day Children’s Bible Club. (Photo courtesy of Mission India)

Akil returned home transformed and he began sharing the Bible stories he learned with his family. His mother, moved by the change in her son, left behind her superstitious practices. By God’s grace, there is more peace now in Akil’s home.

While Akil’s parents haven’t yet made decisions to follow Jesus, they are open and curious — and continuing to explore the Gospel because of their son’s testimony.

Miller says stories like Akil’s aren’t uncommon. “We see kids all the time leading others to Christ…. Kids come to a Bible Club for the first day and love it so much that they want to bring their brothers and sisters and friends the next day. So the impact just grows from there.”

With 356 million children under the age of 15, India holds one of the greatest opportunities to reach the next generation for Jesus.

This Easter, Mission India is inviting believers to get involved in a simple but powerful way.

Through April 21, donations to the 10-Day Children’s Bible Clubs are being matched dollar for dollar, up to $350,000. That means every $1 sends two children like Akil to a Bible Club where they’ll hear about Jesus — and potentially change their families from the inside out.

“I don’t know what better Easter gift you could give than introducing a child to Jesus,” says Miller.

Donate to Mission India’s Easter Matching Challenge!

Header photo courtesy of Mission India.

“We’re seeing Muslims encounter dreams and visions of Jesus all over the world. So most years, we will have a big project, and we’ll call people all around our ministries to pray, especially during the night of power, which is when a lot of Muslims will pray to receive a divine dream or vision from Mohammed himself. That’s when we band people together and say, ‘hey, let’s pray that instead of Mohammed, it’s Jesus that shows up in these dreams and brings hope and peace and love to their lives.’”

I Found the Truth is a video ministry of Uncharted Ministries started in 2018 where former Muslims share their testimonies of how Jesus changed their lives. According to Josh, when they first launched the series, they didn’t get many views. Now, they’ve had over 800,000 new YouTube subscribers since December 1.

“Muslims are coming to faith in Christ all over the globe, and many of them are seeking. They want to know more. We’re seeing more and more people looking at the videos, digesting them, sharing them, debating in the comment section,” says Josh.

“Our hope and intention was to get these testimonies out to Muslims around the world that are seeking to know more about Jesus.” 

The ministry just finished their fifth season and is working on season six. Some of their projects include a round table series, where four or five former Muslims will walk through different topics related to Islam. They’re also working on a recap of the last six seasons, to look back to see all that the Lord has done. 

Their Uncharted Rewind project, where they’ll have a former Muslim go through all the different episodes and talk about it in real time to the audience, is expected to come out this summer. Those who become believers are also then using the videos as a tool to evangelize to those around them. 

“You can sit there and debate about different history or different parts of Christianity versus Islam, and that’ll just go round and round and round and round,” says Josh. “But many people say, ‘well, you can’t argue with someone’s personal testimony, their personal story.’”

Josh understands the risk many Muslims face in asking questions, seeking answers, and sharing their testimonies. He encourages individuals to put in a fake name and email if necessary for safety when contacting I Found the Truth. 

If you want to stay up to date on I Found the Truth, sign up for their newsletter on their website, ifoundthetruth.com. Their videos can also be found on their YouTube channel here. 

“We’re just praying that this year we see even more Muslims come to faith in Christ. We’re praying that these videos would get out there to folks that have been wandering and searching for years,” says Josh.

*name withheld for security reasons

Header photo courtesy of Uncharted Ministries.

“What is it to be a witness for Christ? It’s to tell how His story changed your story, and could change their story forever,” says Ron Hutchcraft with Hutchcraft Ministries.

You have more to tell than simply how you met Jesus: “That would be like somebody asking you, ‘What is marriage like?’ and all you did was tell them about the wedding,” says Hutchcraft. 

He says to think about who Jesus has been to you in your day to day. God has given you not one but many stories of who He is and what He has done in your life.

“We are all different from the time we first came to Christ. We are less of some things, we are more of other things. And therein is our story. It is good to write it up,” Hutchcraft says.

(Graphic courtesy Ron Hutchcraft Ministries)

“You are living proof of a living Savior in some way. You are living proof that an angry person could change, that a selfish person could change, that a control freak could change. Or maybe you’re living proof that a depressed person can actually find joy.” 

Ask the Holy Spirit to show you the stories He’s given you. Write them down and pray for a chance to share them with someone who needs the same hope you have. 

“If I’m talking to a dad, I’ve got my ‘dad hope story’ of what difference Jesus has made with me as a dad,” Hutchcraft says. “If I’m talking to someone who’s lost a loved one, then I’ve got a ‘grieving hope story’ of the difference Jesus made in the greatest loss of my life.” 

Hutchcraft says people can argue with what you believe, but they can’t hear your “hope story” and respond “That didn’t happen to you.” Your story is indisputable. 

“The best way for you to share Jesus is to tell your story of your life, what life would be or has been without Him, and then to tell that what happened on that middle cross, what happened at that empty tomb, is what you discovered that has changed your life forever,” says Hutchcraft.

“That’s our job, to report what we have seen and heard and experienced with Jesus.”

Who knows how God will use your story? The results are in His hands. Buckle up for the ride!

Header photo is a representative stock photo courtesy of Priscilla Du Preez via Unsplash.