There is no end in sight to their suffering. According to a UN report, an estimated 6.9 million people in Sudan are at risk of gender-based violence. 

Ed Weaver with Spoken Worldwide says their ministry is pivoting to bring the hope of Christ to these women trapped in Sudan’s humanitarian crisis.

“We’re going to, in the first quarter of this year, have a women’s only workshop that will be focusing on how Jesus dealt with women in the New Testament, how he valued them,” he says.

(Photo courtesy of Spoken Worldwide)

“We’re hoping to minister to women in these refugee camps, those that have been traumatized by the war, by displacement, [by] deaths in their families — even just the traveling across the country has been cruel and unusual in terms of how to get into a safe place.”

Spoken Worldwide has led these kinds of workshops in other countries. Weaver says the truths of God’s Word have profoundly affected women in cultures that tend to devalue them. 

“When you begin to show them the value of women in Scripture, they’re going, ‘Wait a minute. So I’ve been looked down upon. I haven’t had educational opportunities. And you’re saying I can be contributing to the kingdom of God? I can be valued as an individual?'” he says.

“This is such an eye-opener for these women. It breaks through some barriers to the gospel that existed in the past.” 

Praise God for bringing His hope into Sudan’s tragedy! Pray that Spoken Worldwide’s upcoming workshops will lead many women to understand there’s a God who loves them more than they can imagine. 

“I’d love for people to be praying for breakthroughs, for women to see that they are valued by God, that they are not looked down upon by God,” Weaver says. 

Header image is a screengrab from VOA’s Number of Refugees Who Fled Sudan for Chad Double in Week. This is a refugee camp in Chad.
(Photo courtesy of Wikimedia Commons)

(Photo courtesy of Ian Kiragu/Unsplash)

Nehemiah with FMI says the statistics paint a grim picture. “According to the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics, cases of violence against women have risen significantly in recent years with 159 reported cases of deaths, with many incidents escalating to femicide.”

Those are just the reported cases. “Activists point out that social attitudes often blame victims, further discouraging women from seeking help,” Nehemiah says. “So we see many unreported cases in society.”

FMI models a biblical approach, elevating and supporting women in Kenya. “Our partners are engaging with our sisters on the ground, and they’re involving them in the ministry.

“We are praying, and we are talking on the different projects where we can engage our sisters to start some small cottage industries where they can grow and they can make a little money.”

Nehemiah adds, “Initially, the Church was unaware or had no idea how to respond to this situation…. But now we can see that the Church is standing and now the Church leaders are raising their voice as well. They have become an echo for the victims.”

Pray for justice and for Kenyan women to know their worth in Christ.

Header photo courtesy of Ethan McArthur/Unsplash.

International (MNN) — “If God loves me, why would he make me a girl?”

This is a question Lisa Pak of Finishing the Task ministry was asked by a young woman.

Photo by Andrey K via Unsplash

“How do you answer that?” Pak asks. “For all the things that I can do… the world is unfair. It is very much still a man’s world.”

Misogyny, sexism, and abuse against women are still prevalent around the globe, and they come in a variety of forms, including:

• Sexual abuse
• Human trafficking
• Lack of female education
• Child marriage
• Female genital mutilation

“The culture has deformed and continues to oppress that identity of God, the image of God, in women—in God’s daughters,” Pak says.

When this is the daily lived experience of a young woman, it makes it hard for her to believe in an all-powerful, all-loving God who sees her.

“Culture has been telling her that she’s less than—less than the boys, less than the older women, less than the cattle depending on the culture…” Pak says. “And now somebody comes with this message that God loves you, but she’s never felt it. And so that to her just does not make sense… ‘If he didn’t have to make me a girl, then why did he?’”

It’s a question being asked by women across the globe in parts of the world where the Gospel either has not reached or hasn’t yet begun to change the culture. According to Pak, when someone faces such intense of pressure from the culture around them, it takes internal strength for them to overcome it.

Photo by Andrey K via Unsplash.

“That’s where I believe the gospel needs to take seed in a people group—especially when the culture is so overwhelming for the girls—and in her individual heart…” Pak explains. “She needs to know that God is love, because that is the only way that you can overcome all the evil voices and the lies of the enemy that tell you that you are a less-than.”

So what can be done to transform the culture and help these young women? Pak believes it starts with how we live.

“I think the first step is your mothers, your daughters, your aunties, your nieces… you start treating them with the respect that you would treat somebody who carries the image of God, as Christ-bearers.”

For those of us who are daughters of Christ, it also starts with recognizing our own dignity—“you need to know how much you are loved, because it’s out of that heart that you’re able to love others.”

Ultimately, it’s going to take God’s people living out the Great Commission and sharing the gospel, in order for God’s love to reach people like the young girl Pak spoke with.

“So many women around the world, they’re not seen. They’re just part of the background, just the white noise, just part of the din of society. That’s not where God has placed his daughters… The Lord has created them in his image, and the dignity has been robbed by the sinfulness and the brokenness of this world.”

“…But God is just, and in those small moments, we can uplift one girl’s head. We can treat them with dignity. We can give them hope, and we can demonstrate confidence as women ourselves, to step up and be humble yet bold, and have that inner fortitude.”

Learn more about the work Finishing the Task is doing here.

Header photo courtesy of Chandan Chaurasia via Unsplash. 

The reality is Palestinian women in Arabic culture are not often celebrated. In fact, women tend to be treated as second-class citizens.

Bethlehem Bible College’s communications officer Amira Farhoud says, “Each house here has a different story. There is a lot of beating, a lot of threatening, [and] a lot of abuse for women and for kids all behind closed doors. We know a few, but there are a lot of stories that are hidden.

“A woman can’t defend herself because your father will tell you that your husband can do whatever he wants with you — beat you, hit you, humiliate you. You’re his now. So yeah, we have this culture.”

At home and in society, Arabic women often hear they are worthless, or at least “worth less” than men. Then they open up social media and are bombarded with messages that if they want to achieve a sense of worth, they have to strive for impossible beauty standards or become a counter-cultural “boss babe.” Neither messages are ultimately fulfilling.

(Photo courtesy of Bethlehem Bible College)

The Gospel’s message to women is entirely different in every way: God has instilled women with inherent dignity, value, and worth as co-heirs to the Kingdom of Heaven.

“Our worth is in Jesus,” Farhoud says. “We know that He loves us. He respects us. He gave us our dignity. He gave us our worth. The Gospel of God makes the whole difference.”

Ultimately, Bethlehem Bible College is educating and uplifting women in the heart of the Gospel. The college even has a women’s ministry that encourages female staff and students with biblical counseling. Today, their aim is to celebrate these women!

“In a society that doesn’t respect women a lot, here at Bethlehem Bible College we are well respected [and] well treated,” Farhoud says.

“We came to say that you are celebrated even if you are an ordinary woman…. The small things that you do are extraordinary, like cooking for your kids, like teaching them, like managing all of that while being a full-time staff or a full-time working mom. You are extraordinary. So that’s the idea of the campaign.”

This International Women’s Day, Farhoud asks, “[Be] praying for us, of course — especially for us as women in our daily life jobs that we do and for our families, for our children, and even for Arabic society.”

(Photo courtesy of Bethlehem Bible College)

Pray for Palestinian women to embrace their worth in Jesus Christ and be beacons of confident faith to their families, friends, and communities.

Click here to learn more about Bethlehem Bible College.

Header photo courtesy of Bethlehem Bible College.

In the current COVID-19 crisis, each hospital is approaching the situation differently. Some say it’s first-come, first-served when it comes to life-sustaining ventilators. Others are directing the most resources towards patients who have the best chance of survival. Still others are taking additional factors into account such as how many children a patient has or the essential nature of a patient’s occupation.

(Photo courtesy of Jonathan Borba via Unsplash)

Such decisions are striking different moral chords, and no one envies the agonizing situations these doctors and other frontline workers never wanted to face.

But it is also making society as a whole examine the broader question: What determines the worth and value of a human life?

Eric Verstraete, president and CEO of Life Matters Worldwide has a few thoughts: “At the end of the day, life comes from God, life starts at conception, and life is valued all the way until natural death. That’s what we believe.

“Whether we’re old or we’re young, we all are made completely in the image of God. That’s where we gain our value — not from our skills or from our abilities. Are those skills and abilities that people have, are they coveted at different times in our history and different times in our world? Absolutely. But that does not make someone more or less valuable.”

In the midst of a pandemic, what does it mean for believers to be the Church and affirm the value of life at this time?

“I saw one meme the other day that says, ‘The churches aren’t empty. The Church has just been deployed,’” Verstraete says. “I loved that statement because, yes, we can’t be meeting together but I think…true intentionality works within the Church to be able to build those relationships so that people don’t have to live in fear.”

Ultimately, this is a rare opportunity for the Church to reach out and show people their value in Christ.

“We can be reaching out to the people…who we know are the more vulnerable people. If someone needs them to go and get some groceries for them and just leave it on their front doorstep so that they can have what they need, that’s important; reaching out through video chats or even just cards or phone calls.”

Verstraete knows from experience how important it is at this time to be intentional with relationships. “My mom is in a senior living facility that’s basically on lockdown and I know that we try to video call with her a couple of times a week if we can. She loves that. So I think it’s trying to stay as connected as we possibly can to show people how important they are in our lives.

“I think this intentionality that we’re forced to have right now will make the congregational gatherings…much sweeter because of the roots that are being developed from this forced intentionality that we are having right now as the Body of Christ.”

Please pray for people who are solitary shut-ins to still feel connected and loved. Ask the Lord to be near families and friends who have a loved one in the hospital. Pray for people to turn to Jesus in this crisis.

Verstraete also asks, “Pray for those who are on the front lines. We pray for the doctors and the nurses who are on the front lines right now because this is an army that’s getting tired right now. So we can be praying for them.”

Click here to learn more about Life Matters Worldwide.

Header photo courtesy of Marcelo Leal via Unsplash.

John* with India Partners says this goes to show the low view of women that still permeates parts of Indian society today.

“This is true both of men and women. It’s not just of men itself. Most women see the other woman as in an inferior position and not able to recognize her rights as a human being.”

(Photo courtesy of India Partners)

This low view of women affects how women’s roles are carried out in Indian culture, including marriages.

“In these rural districts, when a woman gets married, she will go to her husband’s village. Part of the ritual is she is never supposed to look in her in-laws’ eyes. If you see these women, you will see that their pallu from their saree, the loose end of the saree is pulled down over her face so she does not accidentally look into their eyes. So this woman — whether it’s your wife or your daughter-in-law or whomever — a woman takes this very relegated and low role in society.”

Even recently, while not a bride burning case, a 20-year-old woman in Uttar Pradesh was set on fire by two male neighbors who attempted to sexually assault her. The woman’s father reported the situation twice to the police, but no action was taken.

Afterward, the men came back to the field where the woman worked, doused her with kerosene, and lit her on fire as revenge. The woman suffered severe burns and was hospitalized. Her attackers were arrested and three policemen suspended for negligence.

John explains that bride burning is a type of assault on women motivated mostly by greed and money.

“Horrible things like this happen, and many times they happen because of dowry deaths. Before marriage, the families will agree upon a dowry that the bride’s family generally will pay to the groom’s family…. After marriage, the groom’s family sees the leverage of threatening the girl and asking for more money. So they will begin threats, they will begin beatings, and the rule of thumb is something like the more money you want, the more you need to beat her.”

The beatings a woman suffers at the hands of the groom’s family can escalate quickly as they demand more money. Dousing the woman with flammable liquid and setting her on fire is an ultimate show of intimidation. It’s not uncommon for these tactics to lead to the woman’s death.

John says rural districts like Uttar Pradesh tend to see more bride burning cases “because you’re less likely to get prosecuted there. But the harassment happens everywhere. In the harassment of women, your caste doesn’t make any difference. How much education you have doesn’t make any difference.”

India Partners’ work includes equipping women with skill sets they can use to earn income. By doing so, the organization empowers Indian women in their marriages, gives them hope, and makes bride burnings less likely.

(Photo courtesy of India Partners)

“If a woman is earning something, then it takes away that thought of ‘we can get more money.’ Because she is earning something, you don’t have the benefit of beating her. If you beat her, then she can’t earn any more.”

For example, John explains, “By learning tailoring, a woman is able to take that skill and apply it in her own family and be able to stitch their clothes and be able to take care of them. But she is also able to tailor and stitch clothes for other families and earn that income. By having that income in the family, it raises her status within the family.”

However, he adds, “Not every marriage is like this. Not all people are like this. You know, 8,000 [annual bride burning cases] is a huge number, but in the size of the country it is, it’s a smaller number. Just as a comparison, far more people die of handgun violence here in the United States than die of bride burning [in India].”

You can play a part in raising the value of women in India and giving them deeper hope. Click here to support a woman starting a business with the help of India Partners! Or you can sponsor a sewing machine here that will enable a woman to earn a living.

*Name changed for security purposes.

Header photo courtesy of unsplash.

On a national scale, this means limits on things like gold, currency, steel, and the automotive industry. But what does it mean on an individual level? To find out, we asked David of Heart4Iran.

“Systematically [the sanctions] are being ratcheted up, and… with the initial announcement that happened 90 days ago, this announcement, and the one that’s coming, we see the economy really being shaken,” he says.

“The currency in Iran is losing value, so it’s harder for trade to occur. We see that the economic sanctions and banking sanctions and things like that also make it harder for trade to occur.”

According to David, these sanctions impact the entire nation and the individuals who make it up. They can’t travel, buy basic items, or access food and goods they need. Currency is losing its value, and the more intense the sanctions get, the more people on the ground are suffering.

Iranians regularly call into Heart4Iran’s call center to talk about how difficult everyday life has become.

“There are a lot of protests that are happening on a regular basis right now, and we’re seeing that markets are closing and things like that. People are just not able to access the goods they need.”

According to David, “The Irani regime is ultimately to blame for what’s happening in the country, and the people of Iran can see that, and they’re the ones that ultimately suffer because of it.”

People are calling for a change, and David thinks this might lead to just that. It’s just proving to be a difficult journey.

“All the indicators are pointing to the US government trying to force a regime change in that country, and when that happens, there’s a lot of upheaval. People get caught up in that, and they suffer for it.”

Pray for a speedy solution that gives people open and legal access to Christ and satisfies all parties.

“We want to see a peaceful resolution to this, we want to see a long-term solution come where people have freedom in the country and people are able to worship Christ, because right now they don’t have that freedom.”

Photo courtesy of Heart4Iran

But what can Christians do to help the people of Iran from afar? Heart4Iran’s Mohabat TV has some suggestions.

“Even though the average American doesn’t have contact with a person inside of Iran, our ministry does. We’re continuing to do ministry through satellite TV, and we’re continuing to receive phone calls.”

Through social media communication, digital interaction, television programming, chat setups, and phone conversations, they’re engaging with people on the ground on a daily basis. If you want to help, consider starting by supporting Mohabat TV.

“Supporting the ministry of Heart4Iran and supporting other satellite and broadcast ministries that are having an impact in Iran is a critical thing at this time letting people know that there’s hope out there and there’s a solution, that Jesus is the answer to the pain that they’re feeling.”

Christ can be a source of hope and peace for the people of Iran, and people are discovering that on a scale that David says Iran has never seen before.

“People are seeing satellite TV, people are hearing the Gospel for the first time, people are gaining access to Bibles, and through that ministry effort, people are coming to Christ.

“Things might be going wrong or we see this as a negative situation, but on the underside, God is working and people are coming to Christ, so be encouraged that He is there and He is present in the midst of all of this.”

Header photo courtesy of Pixabay

Njuguna runs a ministry called En-Gedi in Kenya where she lives. En-Gedi is a ministry partner of Set Free Ministries. The name means “place of refuge” and that’s exactly what this ministry is.

You see, in many parts of Africa, great stigma surrounds people with disabilities. So strong is the superstition that children born with disabilities are likely to be hidden away or even left for dead soon after they’re born. Many of these children end up in the cities where they live out their days begging, if they’re lucky.

(Image capture courtesy of Calvin College via YouTube)

Njuguna worked in development for many years where she had a steady job helping the poor. But one group of people they weren’t focusing on were those who had disabilities. So God began to burden her heart.

“I fell in love with people in the streets and I fell in love in a way that we are supporting so many poor people, but we don’t do anything for the disabled people who live in the streets. And I started reaching out to them on my own free time, to find out why they live in the streets. Like, why are they homeless? What happened to them that they became homeless?” She says.

“And I made friends with them and they gave me their stories.”

She learned that many of these people had been brought to the city by neighbors or siblings who wanted to release them from the isolation they were growing up in at home. But even still, Njuguna realized God wanted more for these people than having to beg on the streets. She knew someone was supposed to step in and help.

“And I decided it was me that God was calling. So that love for people who many just passed through on the roadside was God’s love and He wanted me to do that, and so I told him ‘God I… have accepted to be your channel of love to these unloved people.’”

While Njuguna’s colleagues were concerned that she was leaving her job, and possibly her only way to support herself, she stepped out in faith and God has used her obedience mightily.

“[God] has a special place in His heart for these children who are unwanted, and right now, my testimony is these children were not allowed to be members of the family, previously. They lived either behind their home or tethered in a dark corner, or even in the bush. And God has provided a beautiful, beautiful home for them.”

This beautiful home is En-Gedi, the name of the place in Israel where David hid from King Saul.

“En-Gedi is a place of refuge and a place of refuge because in many countries in Africa (I would say it’s more than in my country Kenya because I have extensively traveled within Africa) that if parents have a child with disability they refer that is a curse or is a bad omen or is something not right,” Njuguna explains.

(Image capture courtesy of Calvin College via YouTube)

But at En-Gedi, children are not only well cared for, but they learn that they are valuable, they are loved, and that they belong to God just as much as anyone else.

“I knew that I was going to rescue children from unloving parents, children who are unwanted, and that’s why I called it a place of refuge. So, my work is rescuing children who are abused, neglected, isolated, and some of these children would be left in the bush so that they either die of natural causes or they’re eaten by wild animals. Others will be tethered behind their parents houses. They don’t allow them to be part of the family.”

It’s been four years since En-Gedi opened, and Njuguna says they’ve seen God at work every step of the way.

“We got full in our little house in about a year and a half, and so many children waiting to be rescued, and my working endlessly with those parents so that I give them hope that [some time in] the future, I will help you raise your children.”

So with the need still so great, the team began praying for God to guide them, and they began planning for growth. And God answered in an affirming way.

“God opened doors and gave us resources to buy land. And then, I made a five-year plan for raising close to half a million American dollars to build a facility that would accommodate many more children. And I prayed over that and I told God to walk with me.

(Image courtesy of En-Gedi)

“And my five-year plan was shortened by God to two years. So, God gave us about half a million dollars in two years. And we got a facility that we just completed, end of last year.”

Now, En-Gedi has the capacity to house more than 30 children as well as short-term and long-term volunteers.

Njuguna says she doesn’t consider this a miracle. She says it is just how God works—in mighty ways. And for her, it’s evidence that she heard Him correctly when He called her into this ministry.

“So providing for us, even within a shorter time than expected is affirming that He owns all the resources and that He called me and He knew that He would provide for me if only I answered His call. And that’s what I did.”

To learn how to walk with En-Gedi financially, click here.

Stayed tuned to learn how En-Gedi is also challenging the local attitude towards people with disabilities.

Ali grew up in a Muslim home. Despite his faith in Islam for most of his life, Ali had some big questions that kept him awake at night. He was looking for spiritual truth. In college, he met some followers of Jesus who first introduced him to the Gospel. But, Ali’s big questions remained.

He says, “I always felt insignificant. And I just wanted to know that I was not an accident. I was not just a chance or, you know, a man and woman thing that they did together and then I kind of was put on the earth. That was one of the [questions]. And I just wanted to know, ‘Who am I? Who am I to you? Am I significant?”

For some time, Ali did not receive any answers to these deep questions. In fact, he gave up, choosing to remain within the religion of Islam because he wasn’t sure where else to go. But then, a Christian friend invited him to a prayer meeting. Ali agreed to go, asking God to reveal Himself and answer some of the deep questions he had harbored for so long.

Photo courtesy of Frontiers USA.

And God certainly did answer. Ali’s friends prayed over him, and God spoke.

“He said that ‘You are my son. I planned you before you were in your mother’s womb. And I had you and I have you now. You are significant. You are special. And I love you so much. I sent my Son to die for you. I know the struggles that you are going through. And I know the pain that you are going through. Don’t worry, just trust me. I will make everything ok for you.’”

This is just one of the many stories of transformation that Frontiers has encountered in their work to reach the Muslim world for Christ. And they’re continuing their work so more stories like this can happen.

You can join God in what He’s doing in the Muslim world at frontiersusa.org.

FARMS identifies needy communities around the world and, through the local Church, sets up a microloan program. A committee distributes microloans to Christians according to their need in order that they can establish or improve a sustainable income-generating project. When these Christians pay back the interest-free loans, they agree to tithe back to their local church from the profits they make. This, in turn, strengthens the outreach ability of the church into the local community.

In time, these microloan programs address both physical and spiritual poverty.

Strength of Faith

Over the years, Joe Richter of FARMS International has been challenged by the attitude and response of Christians involved in their program who have faced such destitute circumstances.

“I think it’s so general, what I see with FARMS, that people in very difficult situations, because they know somebody cares about them and someone has provided for this loan for their family, there’s a real thankfulness and a real joy in the life they have in Jesus. And it radiates… from them and has really impacted my life personally.”

He reminds us how the Scripture speaks to the situation of the poor. The Bible says that the poor are rich in faith (James 2:5), and that they are heirs of the Kingdom (Matthew 5:3). In other words, God has designed our earthly circumstances to teach us more about our need for Him.

(Photo courtesy of FARMS International)

Richter says, “Sometimes I think in the West, we have everything we need. And we’re not looking for something to help us, and we can take care of ourselves.

“And we sometimes lack that miraculous element in someone’s life that lives in a little village in a remote area, and all of the sudden they hear about a program that’s Christian-based that can help Christians come out of poverty and give them a chance to come out of the cycle of poverty.”

And typically, these people know exactly who is behind the aid they’re receiving.

“They always are giving thanks back to God—not to FARMS International, not to myself personally. They always recognize it as the hand of God and that God sees them even though they live in a remote area of the world and that’s how this miracle came into their place, and to their village, and to their church.”

But Richter says their response is something the rest of the Body of Christ needs to pay attention to.

“We face difficult situations in a different way, but we can learn from people in the Body of Christ that are poor and we can learn a lot that they can radiate with real joy because they know where they came from and they know where they’re going and they’re very thankful—even in the face of great persecution and sometimes life-threatening persecution. They respond with an amazing faith and joy that I sometimes don’t see in our own culture.”

Why Should We Care?

One of the ways we can deepen our understanding of our dependence on God and adopt that same attitude of faith and joy is to get involved with helping those in need. And this is something God has already called the Body of Christ to do.

“There are so many Scriptures in the Bible relating to the poor and what should be our response to the poor. And we think of different ones in Deuteronomy and other places where it says, ‘Don’t harden your heart when a poor man comes to you.’ And that’s something that we always need to keep up in front of us as Christians here.”

He explains that in the West, Christians have the incredible ability to make a real impact on the global Church.

“We need to think that way– that we really are the rich man. We really are the one that has the means to help the poor.”

As Paul says in 1 Corinthians, if one part of the Body suffers, we all suffer. He calls believers to be conscious of what’s happening with the Church, globally. And Richter believes when we have the means to help out, we should be convicted to do something.

(Photo courtesy of FARMS International).

“It will produce tremendous results in our own spiritual lives and in the lives of the Church around the world,” he says.

Consider walking alongside a ministry like FARMS who is already on the ground doing tremendous work by God’s calling. You can start just by letting others know about this ministry:

“I would always appreciate that people share about the ministry of FARMS. You know, we’re not a large organization but we do impact a lot of people with the gifts that are given. And we do need more and more supporters in the days ahead and we have new opportunities like in Mizoram and Ecuador and we’re looking at starting two other programs in the Philippines.

“But we need to have a larger family of supporters and prayer warriors for the ministry of FARMS. And we’re looking forward to that happening in the years ahead and we keep going and doing what God has called this ministry to do.”

For other ways to partner, click here.