Author: MC

Greetings, readers!

Ramadan and Lent both started this week. You may be on a few mailing lists for content related to either, or both; I know my inbox is overflowing. Here are a few items that may interest you.

• Worldviews coincide: What happens when Lent and Ramadan overlap? (Mission Network News)
• Read Ramadan and Lent: Nine Points to Consider, on ways Ramadan observances reflect early church teachings on Lent (Zwemer Center for Muslim Studies).
• Understanding Your Muslim Neighbor: Ramadan has great suggestions for meaningful engagement during this season (Lausanne Movement).
• What do Muslims get from Ramadan? lists five things Muslims hope to gain through this observance and links to a downloadable one-page prayer guide (Shane Bennett).

Read on for stories from around the world about divine intervention and ongoing conflicts. May they equip and inspire you to pray.

Grace and peace,
Marti

Source: Every Home for Christ, February 3, 2026

It was all going according to plan, from Pastor Melvin Mora’s perspective.

Churches from all over the community of Ujarras de Cariblanco had gathered to carry Christ to their neighbors in homes and public spaces. It was a perfect Saturday for outreach, too. Bright, warm sun filled the park where Melvin and his team were chatting with people as they passed, praying, and giving away Bibles and gospel literature.

But Melvin’s attention was drawn, over and over, to a man sitting by himself on a bench a little distance away.

He sat beside the man and began to share about God’s love, mercy, and the forgiveness we can have through Jesus.

Almost as soon as Melvin began speaking, the man on the bench burst into tears. Melvin leaned in to hear the man’s words through his weeping.

“I have a knife with me right now,” he said. “I was planning to kill someone today.”

Read the full story to hear what God did in this situation. Spoiler: nobody died. Praise God for bringing new life, instead.

Check out these prayer maps from Every Home for Christ. “Can you imagine a world where every single living soul feels and knows they are loved by God? Just think of the power of that universal love—flowing everywhere, through everyone, pulverizing pain, suffering, conflict, hate, loneliness, and leaving joy, togetherness, and harmony in its wake. Now, do more than think of it—pray on it.”

Source: The Christian Post, February 15, 2026

Some years ago, in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, a Christian boarded a crowded bus. He carried a forbidden package: Bibles God called him to deliver into Vietnam’s remote interior, spiritual food for fellow believers who had little to no access to Scripture.

He knew the risk if his secret was discovered. The box of Bibles could cost him his freedom. He could be tortured. But he also knew the unstoppable power of God’s Word to change lives. He knew he must answer God’s call. Before the bus departed, he prayed quietly, asking for protection and strength to do what God had called him to.

God answered his prayer in an unexpected way.

Moments before departure, a police captain boarded the bus, his crisp uniform exuding authority. The captain walked down the century aisle, then chose the seat right next to the Bible smuggler.

The officer settled into the seat and quickly fell into a deep sleep. But before drifting off, he took off his police captain’s hat and set it squarely on top of the box of Bibles.

Over the next 12 hours, the bus passed through multiple police checkpoints. Officers boarded at every one, demanding passengers’ ID and inspecting their luggage and belongings. At every checkpoint, police saw the captain sleeping soundly and decided not to risk his wrath by waking him. They noticed his hat on the box of Bibles, and assumed that box didn’t need to be searched. With his slumbering police escort, the bold Christian and his box of Bibles arrived safely.

“I’ve heard stories of an unaccompanied donkey delivering Bibles across the Syrian border, Iranian police who thumbed through Bibles but somehow only saw blank pages, and airport security officers miraculously distracted from their X-ray screens as suitcases of Bibles inched along the conveyor belt,” [says Todd Nettleton of Voice of the Martyrs, who shared this story].

The article also addresses scripture access in Vietnam and other places today and what we can do to help.

Source: Forum 18, February 6, 2026

Officials have not responded to questions [about] why Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has repeatedly called for the removal of the head of the Armenian Church, Catholicos Karekin, despite the constitutionally guaranteed autonomy of religious organizations.

A bishop Karekin defrocked for backing Pashinyan’s calls challenged his dismissal in court. When the Church ignored his court-ordered reinstatement, the Investigative Committee launched a criminal investigation into six bishops and a priest, banning them from leaving Armenia.

The government has liquidated the state and church-funded Shoghakat television channel and ended the Church-run military chaplaincy.

The Church had criticized Pashinyan’s handling of the 2020 Karabakh war with neighboring Azerbaijan and its aftermath. Catholicos Karekin called on the Prime Minister to resign and for a government of national accord to be formed.

Read the full story. It’s a long one; apparently this conflict has been going on for years.

See also Britain “monitoring the situation” with Armenian Church (Christian Today).

Source: Morning Star News, January 29, 2026

As police looked on, a Hindu nationalist mob in India subjected a pastor to dehumanizing brutality, damaging his hearing and trying to force him to worship a Hindu deity, sources said.

About 15 minutes into his January 4 worship service, about 40 people led by members of the Bajarang Dal, [the] youth wing of the Hindu extremist Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP), along with cow vigilantes, barged into the house. The self-proclaimed cow vigilantes often take the law into their own hands to protect cows that Hindus consider sacred.

The mob called Pastor Naik out of the house, but when he took time to do so, “they came inside, took me by my collar and dragged me out and immediately started to beat me,” he said.

The full story says they made him walk on thorns, tied him to a Hindu temple, forced him to chant Hindu slogans, and tried to make him drink water mixed with cow dung. He said surviving the ordeal was a miracle, as he was certain he would be killed. The mob later indicated they were upset that he was converting Hindus to Christianity.

Source: Crosswalk, February 16, 2026

An unexpected “outpouring” of worship and spiritual renewal at Southeastern University has extended for days beyond its scheduled conclusion, captivating students with an “unstoppable hunger” for spiritual connection.

An annual worship event at a Christian university in Florida that was scheduled to end February 11 was still going five days later, with students singing, repenting, and testifying to God’s goodness in what the school has dubbed an “outpouring.”

Southeastern University in Lakeland, Florida held its annual “SEU Conference” at Lakeland’s Victory Church—but students on the final day did not follow the itinerary. The schedule went off script at the conclusion of author and speaker Jennie Allen’s teaching on Wednesday morning.

“There was a moment in the midst of the conference when the atmosphere shifted,” SEU President Kent Ingle told AG News. “All of a sudden, the raw responses of students sparked an outpouring of spiritual and emotional healing.”

Allen wrote on her Instagram page that day: “Classes cancelled. Worship. Prayer. Baptisms. Repentance. But honestly—it’s just God is here, and we don’t want to leave!”

Read full story or its primary source, SEU Experiences outpouring (AG News) and an update on the school’s website. Sounds like it’s back to class on Monday. Let’s pray for God’s continuing work at SEU and beyond.

You might also be interested in a report from New Zealand about breakthroughs in youth ministry there (Christian Daily International).

1. Israel: First Modern Hebrew Translation of the Old Testament
2. Papua New Guinea: The Notsi Waited 39 Years for the New Testament
3. Japan: Deaflympics Provides Unique Opportunity for Global Outreach
4. Somalia: Family Has to Flee After Embracing Christ
5. Chad: The Christian Soldier Who Chose Love Over Legacy
6. USA: 200 Respond to the Gospel at a Roofer’s Convention

Read or share the email edition or scroll down for more. Thanks for sharing!

Source: United Bible Society, January 29, 2026

A historic milestone has been reached in Israel with the completion of the first-ever Modern Hebrew translation of the Old Testament (the Tanakh), led by the Bible Society in Israel (BSI). This project is already reshaping how people across the country encounter the Bible. For many Israelis, the updated translation provides unprecedented clarity, allowing them to read ancient Scripture in a language that resonates with their daily lives.

The release comes at a critical time. After two years of war following the October 2023 conflict, many citizens are searching for comfort, stability, and renewed hope. Simultaneously, the Ministry of Education has introduced a nationwide program making Hebrew Scripture study a core requirement in all government schools, significantly increasing demand for accessible biblical resources.

Read the full story and discover “why Modern Hebrew matters.”

Source: Seed Company, February 4, 2026

Off the eastern coast of Papua New Guinea’s main island lies New Ireland, where the Notsi call home. They’re gardeners, farmers, and fishermen, dependent on the land and rain. Just 2,000 people speak their language, and before the 1980s, the Bible hadn’t reached them yet.

The gospel had, though, because of missionaries who came in the 1800s. Since then, islanders with English Bibles have struggled to sort out what it means to follow Jesus in light of the supernatural powers they grew up believing in.

So what does it mean now for the Notsi people to have the New Testament in their language? Don’t take my word for it. Take theirs.

Read full story with pictures or watch video, also below.

As you may remember, Papua New Guinea is now recognized as a Christian country falling a change to its constitution last year (Premier Christian News).

Source: International Mission Board, January 22, 2026

Tokyo was a whirlwind of colors, sounds and—most importantly—signs. For two weeks in November, the Deaflympics met in the capital city of Japan, where the International Mission Board had more than 50 workers and volunteers sharing the gospel during the worldwide event for Deaf athletes.

IMB teams engaged more than 1,500 people at different venues, which led to 492 gospel conversations. Missionaries reported 13 people made professions of faith in Christ, and 245 people showed interest but were not ready to follow Jesus.

The full story states that many of those who attended “had never seen the gospel in their native sign language” and includes a few short videos. 

The Deaf are often left behind by ministries serving their ethnic or geographic communities, but focused efforts make a difference. Read Four Ways Bible Study Looks Different in Deaf Communities (DOOR International via Mission Network News).

No doubt IMB teams are already on the ground in Italy for the 2026 Winter Olympics outreach; pray for them and others seeking to share Jesus with people from many nations at the Winter Olympic and Paralympic Games.