Harsh winter weather beginning in early December has brought deep suffering to hundreds of thousands of those displaced by the Israel-Hamas war. Another storm is on the way.

“It’s raining like crazy, and it’s cold, and most of the people are living in tents,” says Fadi Sharaiha with the MENA Leadership Center.

Sharaiha says some people miss the fact that the October 10 Israel-Hamas ceasefire has not ended Gaza’s struggle. Families face the challenge of finding food and good living conditions. Nearly 800,000 displaced people are camping in flood-prone areas, according to the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs.

On top of daily life needs, danger continues from Israeli forces. Palestinian officials say that continued fire from Israel has killed more than 460 people in Gaza since the ceasefire began.

“Hope is a big, big, big word that is missing in Gaza right now. What is the hope for tomorrow?. Again, I’m not only talking about the minority of Christians still hanging on there, but I’m talking about the whole population of Gaza,” says Sharaiha.

“What is missing is hope for all people now. Yes, [they] talk about peace and ‘phase two.’ But if people cannot feel it on the ground, then it doesn’t make any sense.”

(Photo from Gaza Strip courtesy Jaber Jehad Badwan via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0)

In all the complexities and tragedy on all sides of the Israel-Hamas war, prayer is the place to start. Pray for the gospel to penetrate deeper into Gaza. Pray for provision and endurance for those trapped in Gaza. 

“My prayer, my hope, is that something will happen and people can find the right solution for this, and hope will be gained,” says Sharaiha. “My prayer is that the people of [Gaza] will find out that [their] only hope is in Christ, and that this hope will give them hope for the future,” says Sharaiha.

Header photo: Children among the rubble in the Gaza Strip (Photo courtesy of Mohammed Ibrahim via Unsplash).

It is a long-awaited step toward a broader peace deal to the two-year war. But Nuna with Triumphant Mercy Lebanon says candidly, “This peace treaty that is in the Middle East, I’m not so sure it’s going to stand. I think it’s a false peace, but at least it will give us a bit of a relief for a time.”

Significant questions remain about Gaza’s government, Hamas’s disarmament, and Israel’s military presence in Gaza.

In a beautiful “coincidence” only God could have arranged, believers from Lebanon and around the world have gathered today to pray for the Middle East. Months ago, the Beirut House of Prayer planned a 50-hour international assembly for October 9-11.

“We will be praying day and night, with people rotating and praying and worshiping and just asking the will of God for not only this nation, but also the whole Middle East,” says Nuna.

“It’s [a] strategic time for Syria, for Turkey, for Jordan, for Lebanon, for the Palestinians, for Egypt, for all these areas here. We’re coming and pouring our hearts before God, asking for His will and for the knowledge of His glory to be released in these nations.”

Nuna says these Muslim, Jewish, and nominal Christian countries are not seeing the glory of God. Instead, they are seeing “religious politics,” factions, closed borders, people separated, and changes in power such as the fall of the Assad regime in Syria or the decrease of Hezbollah’s power in Lebanon.

(Image courtesy of Triumphant Mercy Lebanon)

“We’re asking God to [open] people’s eyes to see His glory, because it’s a really difficult time,” says Nuna. “So many people are depressed, skeptical, in disbelief, and in hopelessness. So many people are feeling like ‘[It is] better for us to leave.’ So it is strategic to pray at this time.”

Join in praying for eternal things. Learn more about prayer movements in the Middle East and how you can be part of gatherings like the Beirut House of Prayer. Connect with Triumphant Mercy Lebanon, or visit the Beirut House of Prayer on Instagram or YouTube.

“Jesus is coming back, and He’s coming back here. This region is so dear to His heart —whether it is Israel or Lebanon or the whole area, it is dear to His heart,” says Nuna. “If you want to be part of this, and you want to have more news about the Middle East and more direct contact with houses of prayer, contact us.” 

Header photo of Beirut House of Prayer gathering October 9-11, 2025 courtesy of Triumphant Mercy Lebanon.

On April 23, families gathered in Istanbul’s parks to celebrate National Sovereignty and Children’s Day, a beloved public holiday. But at 12:49 p.m., a 6.2 magnitude earthquake struck in the Sea of Marmara, sending physical and emotional shockwaves through the city. Memories of the devastating 2023 earthquakes in Hatay and Antakya fueled panic. Some jumped from windows, fearing buildings would collapse. Others rushed to open areas like parks and squares to wait in fear.

Patrick Anthony from FMI says:

“There are a lot of frightened people right now, and it sounds like the fear is more of what could be coming, more aftershocks, more even possibly a larger earthquake.”

Istanbul street (photo courtesy of Nick Night via Unsplash)

Reports say at least 151 were injured, many from acting in panic. After the chaos, authorities advised citizens to spend the night outside. Some slept in their cars, while others gathered with neighbors in gardens and courtyards. A few returned home, but the fear lingers.

Although this quake caused little structural damage, the anxiety remains. Many wonder if the next one will be worse. But amid the uncertainty, ministries remain active, offering comfort, support, and spiritual stability.

“There are so many people who need to hear the gospel for the first time! And things like this are a reminder that, yes, gospel workers, we must keep praying, keep working. Jesus is coming. And people need to know that,” encourages Anthony.

FMI continues to stand alongside local churches. “We come alongside the indigenous church planters and the indigenous church in places where it’s very difficult for the church to replicate because of persecution, or because of poverty,” says Anthony.

Pray for those in need of shelter and comfort in the aftermath. Many partners and families live in multi-story apartment buildings. After experiencing an earthquake, many are too afraid to return home, uncertain if the structures are safe.

And most importantly, pray that Turkish citizens find a truly firm, unshakable foundation in Christ.

Header photo: Istanbul houses (photo courtesy of Gokhan Polat via Usplash)

Zıpla, Zıpla, Zıplamayan Tayyipçi!
“Jump! Jump! The ones who don’t jump are Tayyip’s supporters!”

Hundreds of thousands of protesters, many of whom are students, have gathered across Turkish cities to protest President Erdoğan’s actions. This time, Erdoğan has sparked outrage by targeting his main rival, Ekrem İmamoğlu.

Ekrem İmamoğlu (Photo is a representative stock image courtesy of Medyascope TV via Wikimedia Commons)

On March 18, Istanbul University announced that it had annulled Ekrem İmamoğlu’s degree, effectively barring him from running in the upcoming presidential election. Although the official excuse was to prevent him from running, the move is widely seen as retaliation due to İmamoğlu being nominated as the presidential candidate for the main opposition party, the Republican People’s Party (CHP), in the 2028 elections. The following day, Erdoğan had İmamoğlu arrested, despite a lack of evidence or a court decision. This was the breaking point, leading to nationwide protests. Over 1,100 people have been arrested so far.

Local believer Emre* shares, “The people that protest are the majority of university students protesting to protect their right to keep their degree, to have an assurance that they will be able to keep their degree after they graduate.”

What sets these protests apart is their nationwide scale. A chart mapping the protests shows demonstrations taking place in nearly every city across Türkiye.

“These recent happenings are scary because the government is using their power to shut down opposition, and that’s not a good sign for the future of politics in Türkiye,” he adds.

Protesters shout “Hak, Hukuk, Adalet!” which means “Rights, Law, Justice!” Their signs read: Adalet yok emir var (“There is no justice, there is order”), Hukuk susar halk bağırır! (“When the law is silent, the people shout!”), and Bu devirde kimse padişah değil (“In this era, no one is a sultan”) — expressing their discontent with the country’s growing oppression of freedoms and the persecution of opposition.

Emre explains, “What protesters are afraid of is future security, because what we see here is the government more and more abusing their power.”

Although Turkish law protects the right to protest, the police have frequently overstepped, using tear gas, rubber bullets, and other forceful methods. The safety of protesters is a growing concern, and prayers for peace and de-escalation are urgently needed.

“Pray that the protests succeed, that justice will be served, and a better Türkiye will come soon,” Emre says.

He also asks for prayers that the protests remain focused on their core goals and that the government does not use the presence of any separatist or terrorist elements to discredit the protesters.

Header image is a representative stock photo courtesy of Faruk Melik ÇEVİK via Unsplash.

*Full name withheld for security.

Never show weakness.

Untangling the cultural chains that bind the heart is no easy task — especially when Islam tightens those knots. David Carlsen from Trans World Radio says that for a long time, Muslim men were overlooked in outreach efforts. Yet in a culture that forces them to hide any weakness, many are left struggling with deep emotional and mental burdens. David explains:

“So, I started to ask this question, what if we could reach the Muslim men? What would that change? And I talked to a lot of people, both media ministries working among Muslim ministries, but also on-ground ministries around the world. And I was so surprised to find that it was very, very limited.”

Another reason this focus is critical is that when women or children come to Christ, these men often respond with hostility, becoming a danger to their own families. But when men embrace biblical values, they protect their families and become agents of change.

Praying man. Photo is a representative stock image courtesy of Ashkan Forouzani via Unsplash.

Recognizing this reality, Carlsen created “Men of Courage“, a program shaped by research among field workers around the world, addressing the real needs of Muslim men. He says: “The vision for this is bringing a fresh perspective on life and eternity. We really want to bring hope and help to the Muslim men. If they become Christians, praise God! We want to, you know, go that direction, but already, from the start, we want to help them do better in their own lives and grow society, of course, with biblical values underneath.”

In search of a program that works not only in theory but in practice, Carlsen embarked on a journey for answers. He spoke with many active missionaries in different countries and compiled a list of 25 core topics. “I’ve checked with a lot of people, and they said these are pretty much general for Muslim men around the world,” he says.

However, the program is flexible for each culture where missionaries serve. Carlsen says: “So it is very interesting to work with all these different people and see how they are shaping the concept differently, depending on their own cultures, which is amazing.”

The initiative includes short social media pieces, a drama series, and a talk show. It’s now available in Indonesian, French, Turkish, and Albanian, with more languages coming.

Pray that the outwardly tough focus group of Muslim men will open their hearts to the genuineness of their feelings and be open to the transformative healing of Christ. Also, pray for the workers preparing this program for their nations — that they would consider all necessary cultural sensitivities to be effective and strategic.

Click here to learn more about the work of TWR, and here to learn more about the “Men of Courage” program.

Header photo is a representative stock photo courtesy of Alexander Kirov, via Unsplash.

“The Turkish Government wants to wipe out Christianity and its history,” Greg Musselman with The Voice of the Martyrs Canada says.

“They see Christianity and the spreading of the Gospel as a national security situation.”

The Turkish government drove nine foreign Christian leaders out of the country in recent years because they were sharing the Gospel.

“The Secret Service report in Turkiye said these leaders were violating the security of the country,” Musselman says.

Although believers took legal action to refute that decision, Türkiye’s highest court just ruled that the government’s expulsion does not violate religious freedom.

(Photo courtesy VOM-AU)

“One of the knocks against Turkey has been their violation of human rights. So, this is pretty interesting that they would do something this public because that pushes them away from being accepted in the EU,” Musselman says.

Six of the court’s 13 judges disagreed with the majority opinion. “Those six are thinking, ‘No, if we set this precedent, it will be very dangerous for our country,’” Musselman says.

Believers can now appeal to the European Court of Human Rights.

“That will put Turkey on the defensive, so it’s, again, a situation that we’re watching very closely,” Musselman says. “It will be interesting to see how the international community responds to that.”

Pray for strength and endurance for believers in Türkiye. Connect with VOM Canada here to learn how you can help persecuted Christians.

Header image is a representative stock photo courtesy of Spyros Papaspyropoulos/Flickr.

Alenka Stephenson with TWR says most of their equipment in the city of Antakya miraculously survived the quakes and they were back on the air within a few weeks.

“Even up to today, throughout the whole year, they were able to air 24/7 Christian programs, Christian music, Bible verses and (able to be) just addressing the needs of people in shock.”

A year later, people in Türkiye are far from recovering. Stephenson says people are searching for answers about God. “This is what we’re trying to do, to address those topics that we see that people are interested in,” she says. 

For example, TWR has a special program in Syria that began when the Syrian civil war started. 

“This was the program (on which) we were able to include some of the topics for after (the) earthquake and (to) help them deal with with trauma,” Stephenson says. 

A listener to Hope for Syria contacted TWR with this message: “I can’t even express how much Hope for Syria has meant to me. It’s like a lifeline in the midst of all the chaos. I found strength in my faith that I never knew existed. Thank you for being that Guiding Light in our darkness.” 

Photo of construction works in Hatay Province, Türkiye courtesy of Wikimedia Commons.

It’s just one radio program of many that God is using to beam hope to people in desperate circumstances around the world. 

In Turkiye, Stephenson says Christians recently went out to distribute practical supplies such as basic foods and also to let people know how they could tune in to TWR programs. 

“It’s a huge testimony because Christians were the one who stayed in the long run. A lot of times, humanitarian aid comes very quickly (when something) happens at the beginning, and then it’s easy to kind of fade out,” says Stephenson. 

“(They) actually keep coming back and helping out. Regardless of the religious background, they help everybody.”

TWR is in Türkiye to stay, to share the hope of Christ with people who listen and who reach out in response to their programs. Here’s how you can help. 

“Our teams need prayer, especially to absorb all the pain that people pour out to them, and they counsel them and they interact with them. So that’s a first one. And of course financially,” Stephenson says. 

TWR has special project funds set up for Turkey and Syria, available on their website. 

Header image is a representative stock photo courtesy of Stranger Things via Pexels. 

Yet hope remains. “Despite the challenges, God is at work,” Jennifer Murff with the MENA Leadership Center says.

MLC’s team sees this work first-hand. “Our mission is to bridge leadership gaps and build the capacity of Christian leaders throughout the Middle East, Turkey, Pakistan, and North Africa to expand the Gospel and accelerate what God’s doing,” Murff says.

Society in the MENA region presents incredible challenges for Christian leaders. These challenges include leading under political Islam, humanitarian crises, and insufficient resources.

MLC courses identify these struggles for leaders and leverage them as Gospel opportunities. Learn more here.

“We work with existing organizations throughout the MENA to plan and lead more strategically,” Murff says.

“We do not do leadership training; we train existing high-impact leaders already doing the hard stuff.”

Click here to partner with MLC and help Christian leaders transform their communities for Jesus. Believers in places like Iran or Syria cannot access MLC courses without your help.

“We train Muslim background believers, so they have the tools to navigate turmoil successfully,” Murff says.

Pray that a new MLC initiative equipping Christian women leaders will be successful.

“We’re seeing women, more than ever, rise to the surface to meet the needs of the Church on an organizational level,” Murff says.

Header image courtesy of MENA Leadership Center.

(Photo courtesy of Heart4Iran)

This summer, Türkiye’s new interior minister began increasingly deporting non-Turkish people to curry favor with voters before the March elections. Detainments and forced deportations are rising as year-end approaches:

According to statistics from the interior minister, since mid-June, 112,000 undocumented foreigners have been detained, of which 48,000 have been deported. Lawyers and activists consulted for this article stress that among the detained are asylum-seeking individuals, people who are in the process of renewing their residency permits and even those whose documentation is in order.

“After COVID, they [began] sending Iranian Christians back to Iran,” says Pastor Amir Javadzadeh, an Iranian Christian leader who partners with Heart4Iran.

“[Now,] after the recent [revolution] about Women. Life. Freedom., they are doing even more [deportations.]”

Believers immediately encounter persecution when they return to Iran. Authorities “keep them in prison” without access to lawyers or human rights advocates, Javadzadeh says.

“The Iranian government [says,] ‘If we interview you on TV and you say you’re a fool, or you’re stupid [because] you became Christian, we can give the better life to you.’ Praise the Lord, none of the Christians did these things.”

Heart4Iran is a network of ministries furthering the Great Commission in Iran and beyond. Learn how you can help Iranian Christians in Türkiye here.

Ask the Lord to meet the daily needs of His people. “Iranian people in Turkey are suffering so many things,” Javadzadeh says.

“Everything [has become] very, very expensive. Some people [are] freezing [or] they have nothing to eat.”

Pray He will provide a safe haven for believers. “Iranian [Christians] run away from Iran and go to Turkey, and they have no other place to go,” Javadzadeh says.

“They are selling everything they have to be free to worship, but even in Turkey, they are not safe anymore.”

Header image is a representative stock photo courtesy of Meg Jerrard/Unsplash.

The Turkish government expects to have 40,000 new homes built for quake survivors by the end of the month – still 280,000 short of the final goal.

The road to rebuild for quake-stricken communities in Turkiye will be long. But the Church continues to stay, offering physical and spiritual support.

FMI’s Pastor Izzet says, “Specifically, the Church during this time has really shown in terms of its efforts to help people and its activities that it’s done to help people. Especially churches within the earthquake zone have been great at witnessing and sharing their faith.”

Hard-frame shelters for quake survivors in Turkiye. (Photo courtesy of FMI)

After the earthquake, FMI-supported churches in Turkiye built emergency shelters for survivors. Today, believers are still helping families get into longer-term hard-frame shelters.

Izzet says, “The earthquake really seriously affected Turkiye in a great way. There’s still a lot of people, a lot of victims from the earthquake that just are deeply affected by that.”

In the rubble, FMI is seeing Turkish Muslims find lasting hope in Jesus!

“Physical materials, food, and other things like that seems like it’s fairly effectively being [provided]. But the emotional support, the spiritual support, the only person that can solve those issues and help the kids and the people is the Lord Himself.”

Please continue to pray for the people of Turkiye as they grieve and heal from the earthquake’s devastation.

“We can pray that the seed that has been sown would actually produce fruit and crop. There’s a lot of people who died. But out of that, may we see spiritual revival and lots of resurrection, as it were, that comes from that,” says Izzet.

“May this painful incident that happened in Turkiye be a doorway for people to come to know Christ.”

Click here to support FMI’s ministry in Turkiye.

Header photo courtesy of FMI.