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Source: Back to Jerusalem, August 2022
“100-plus baptisms in the [mountains] of Bhutan!” came a text from our BTJ partnering team in Asia. For security reasons, details of the baptism cannot be released, but we rejoice with our new brothers and sisters in the Lord.
According to Joshua Project, there are currently 75 different ethnic groups that live in Bhutan and they are 96% unreached. The overwhelming majority of the people groups living in Bhutan are completely unreached, meaning they have never heard the gospel of Jesus Christ and do not have anyone living among them who can share it with them.
Bhutan is a Buddhist nation which also ranks high on the list for the persecution of Christians, meaning that the new believers who were just baptized over the weekend will see the manifestation of Jesus’ promise when he said, “If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first. If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you. Remember what I told you: ‘A servant is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted me, they will persecute you also” (John 15:18-20).
Editor’s note: While Asia is certainly home to more of the unreached than any other continent, did you know there’s a region just a few hours south of the U.S. in Central Mexico, known as the Circle of Silence, that is less than 1% evangelical and home to the largest concentration of unreached people in all of Spanish-speaking Latin America?
Source: International Christian Concern, September 1, 2022
It’s a rare occurrence when a prominent Muslim leader, known as an imam, leaves behind his years of training in the faith for Christ. That was the case for not one but three local imams in Uganda. Tamir, Salomon, and Michael recently converted to Christianity—and are now being hunted down by their former communities.
The Muslim community found out about Tamir’s conversion when he was baptized. He was chased away with his family of four and his house was destroyed. A local pastor is currently taking care of Tamir and his family until they can find a more secure and permanent place to live.
Salomon and his family of five are in hiding after he left his teaching position in a local mosque when he gave his life to Christ. Salomon came across a verse in the Qur’an that states that Muhammad is dead, and those who follow him are also dead. He compared it with John 14:6, which says Christ is the way, the truth, and the life. He trusted Christ for his salvation and was baptized the same day. Currently, his Muslim friends and family are hunting him down to kill him for converting to Christianity.
Michael, another local imam, and his wife were baptized together after converting to Christianity. When the Muslim leaders who had been training him realized his conversion, they began to threaten his family. He is also currently being hunted down by the Muslim elders who invested in him during his training and risks being killed if they find him.
Though these three new converts see the life and salvation found in Christ, they still face earthly death daily. Please join us in praying for the safety of the three ex-imams and their families as they look for a secure place to live and means of earning a livelihood.
See also a testimony from Bangladesh (Open Doors). It tells the story of two two Muslim-background followers of Jesus who were kidnapped and threatened in an effort to get them to return to Islam.
And here’s another from Uganda: Janel’s thought-provoking story about grappling with poverty on her return from that country (Go.Serve.Love).
Source: e3 Partners, via Mission Network News, August 26, 2022
While on a mission trip in the town of Motherwell, South Africa, a group of Christians encountered one of the local healers.
Tony Svendsen tells the story. “We got to share the gospel with her. She was very receptive to everything we said. We were talking about the God of creation, and we were talking about the brokenness of the world. But then the second we said the name Jesus Christ, she immediately stopped us and said, ‘You need to stop, and you need to leave right now.’”
Why this strong reaction? Many people who practice South Africa’s traditional religions have been treated poorly by Christians. Svendsen says, “The exposure that they have to Christianity in that area is from men who decide they want to be a pastor because they like the authority. They like to receive gifts. And we heard quite a few stories of churches that required certain levels of giving.”
The full story has a bit more detail about the context.
In another South Africa story from Mission Network News, read about a ministry providing men to mentor the sons of single mothers.
Source: Asian Access, via Mission Network News, September 2, 022
Joe Handley of Asian Access says dozens of Christian leaders have seen their homes and churches torn down. “I know some people [who] had to completely abandon the town they’re in and go to some nearby city or nearby area, or even into the forest, just to rebuild their lives. Others have spent time in prison for what they’ve done, and eventually get let out. And they go right back to business as usual, starting the church again.”
Laos has a state-sanctioned church, but the government keeps a tight rein on gospel proclamation.
Asian Access works with other ministries, providing aid and even legal help to persecuted Christians. Handley says, “Please pray for these leaders facing this kind of persecution. And pray for those who are incarcerated. Sometimes they can serve terms of six months to five years or more. I’ve had both leaders from the sanctioned church and the underground churches begging us to come and help them with leadership training because they’re facing these things all the time.”
Violence against Christian leaders is also on the rise again in Nigeria; read reports of a clergy-abduction spree (Al Jazeera).
Source: Christian Aid Mission, August 31, 2022
The parents of a young woman on the verge of death asked a ministry leader in North Africa to minister to her, and only after he arrived did he realize that at one time she had often attended his church.
The leader and some team members had arrived to say farewell, pray for her and, at the parents’ request, baptize her, he said.
“When we entered the house, we found a sick girl who was extremely thin, looked very desperate, and was just waiting for death,” the leader said. “She was aware that she had a few days left before she would die and had no hope for healing. Although we didn’t know anything about the medical reports of her illness and what it was, I had a feeling that this could be an evil spirit.”
They also didn’t know anything about her faith. Requesting anointing oil, the leader asked for some private time with the young woman, “Anila.” As he spoke to her about salvation in Christ, he said, he realized that for a season she had frequently attended his church, but then stopped.
“When I asked her if she was a believer, she said that she was not sure about it,” he said. “So I asked her to pray with me to give her life to Jesus, and that baptism should come after being a believer. Then we prayed, and she gave her life to God.”
The team encouraged her with some Bible verses, including a passage from James’ epistle about how the Lord can heal illness, and they prayed and sang worship songs. He anointed her with oil and prayed for healing.
After 15 minutes, he said, her fever shot up and she began shaking.
“I felt that something was happening, so I asked the team to turn our prayers from asking for healing to giving thanks to the Lord, because healing was happening,” the leader said. “I asked her to sit up in her bed, but the surprise was that she stood up by herself.”
Anila had been unable to move for six months, but suddenly she was able to stand and move with ease, he said.
“God healed Anila, and after a few days she was able to go outside her house. She came to church and was completely different; she looked healthy and healed. Now she is in the baptism class. Praise the Lord.”
The full story reports that Anila’s testimony encouraged and reminded church members of the importance of reaching out to the community.
See also the latest edition of Mission Frontiers, which is focused on “healers and preachers.”
Source: Missions Catalyst Events Calendar
After we sent our last edition of Missions Catalyst—featuring mission events planned for September—we discovered a few more virtual or hybrid events that might interest you. Take a look!
September 8, Caring for Missionaries During the Holidays (online). A free webinar from Sixteen:Fifteen with Shepherd’s Staff.
September 16-17, Missions Expo (Capetown, South Africa and online). A free, community-based missions conference; held annually.
September 22, The Importance of Crisis Planning/Training (online). Webinar from Sixteen:Fifteen with Crisis Consulting International.
September 19-22, Mission Information Workers Virtual Conference (online). Eight hours over four days for mission researchers and data specialists, from the Global Community of Mission Information Workers.