Missions Catalyst

It’s been a while! We took a three-month sabbatical break not so much to rethink Missions Catalyst as to give ourselves space for other things. Pat started a Master’s degree. Marti focused on rest and renewal.

Now, we’re back and ready to dive back in. No big changes here at present, but we will see how other priorities shake out and always welcome your input. Just shoot Marti an email and share your thoughts. Thanks! 

For this week’s edition, pull up the email, click the links below, or just scroll down.

1. Niger: Missionary Pilot Released After Nine Months in Captivity
2. Peru: A New Generation Growing Up With God’s Word
3. Tajikistan: The Tajik Pastor Who Could Not Be Killed
4. India: The Call to Make Odisha a Church-Free State
5. USA: MedAdvance Unites Healthcare Professionals With Mission Efforts

Source: Mission Network News, August 17, 2026

There is major reason to praise God, as missionary pilot Kevin Rideout has been released after nine months of captivity. U.S. President Donald Trump announced [August 14] that Rideout was in United States custody.

Christian missionary organization SIM, the ministry Rideout worked with, put out a statement welcoming back their friend and brother. This is truly an answer to prayer for Christians around the globe.

Read full story for more background. See also an August 21 statement from Kevin and Krista Rideout (SIM) and an article about the event that addresses concerns and opportunities arising from the withdrawal of foreign workers from this area (Christianity Today).

For more good news, see these stories: from Syria, Baptist pastor released after two weeks in detention, and, from Venezuela, Bishop released after more than five years in prison (both from Christian Solidarity Worldwide).

Source: Wycliffe Bible Translators, August 24, 2026

In the small village of Cabracancha, nestled in the Andes Mountains of Peru, a woman reclined on a hillside as she listened to her son read a children’s book. Friends and family gathered around, relaxing in the shade of their church building after an afternoon meal.

The boy sounded out words in his language, diligently working his way through the story of Noah and the ark. Some of the people, especially those in the older generation, have never been able to read Quechua. It’s a treat to hear a young person read it to them.

The boy’s mother, Viani Estrada, nodded along word by word.

“It used to be that parents would not allow their children to speak Quechua, and they’d force them to speak Spanish even though none of them really spoke Spanish very well. Since the arrival of the Wanca New Testament, they’ve valued Wanca much more and have begun reading it as a family.”

Read the rest of the article, which includes stories from several other countries. So encouraging to hear about people encountering Jesus through the Word of God in their languages.

Source: Back to Jerusalem, August 30, 2026

Daniel was raised to believe Christianity was evil. It was during the years of civil war, following [Tajikistan’s] independence from the Soviet Union, that Daniel learned that his brother-in-law had become a Christian. He contemplated [murdering] his brother-in-law, but the darkness inside Daniel proved to be no match for the light that had begun to shine on his family members. In the years that followed, several other in-laws became Christians. They talked to him about it and explained the gospel.

But Daniel could not accept that Jesus could be more than a prophet. One day as he was walking out in the country by himself, he heard a voice calling his name, three times over. Then the voice said, “Why don’t you want me as your Lord?”

Daniel asked, “Are you Jesus?”

The voice said, “I am Jesus Christ.”

Daniel did not see anybody but asked a question in the hope the voice would answer. “You are a man, why do they call you God?”

For more than half an hour as he walked, he heard the voice of Jesus answer his questions.

It was the beginning of a new life, but also the beginning of much suffering. He began to tell others about Jesus. His wife became a believer a year after him. When his parents heard about this, they were livid. They kicked Daniel and his wife and two small children out of their house in the middle of the night. With no place to go, they decided to go to the small house church to pray.

As they were praying for hours, the pastor came to ask what the problem was. They did not want to tell him, however, because they wanted to hear from God and see how he would take care of them. So, they told the pastor all was well. Later, because they were still praying, the pastor came again and suggested they stay in a little room in the church to get some sleep. This room became their home for the next three years.

It was still war, but God called Daniel to become an evangelist. Everyone knew he was a Christian by now. He lived in the church, along with his family and a group of 15 war orphans the church was taking care of…

Read the full story, which includes some wild stories about God delivering Daniel from those who opposed him, again and again.

See also Stolen Bible led to answered prayer for Muslim, an excerpt from Stephen Barrett’s book about ministry in Central Asia, The Unlikely Missionary. Did you realize it’s been 35 years since the dissolution of the Soviet Union?

Source: International Christian Concern, August 13, 2026

A Hindu religious leader issued a definitive, public call to make a central Indian state [of Odisha] “church-free.” This marks a chilling escalation in the fusion of state authority and radical ideological movements.

The presence of Odisha’s chief minister and the declaration made against Christians alongside RSS functionaries provides a veneer of state-sanctioned legitimacy to a movement that openly targets religious minorities. This collective presence signals that the “church-free” mandate is no longer a peripheral demand.

This is seen as not merely a rhetorical flourish but as a calculated effort to dismantle the operational freedom of Christian institutions by framing their existence as an existential threat to the state.

During the function, several appeals and strategies were announced for the Hindu community of Odisha.

In the “One Rupee and One Hour” Appeal, a mechanism was laid for total social mobilization designed to turn every citizen into a micro-stakeholder in the anti-conversion movement, funding and dedicating time to “Sanatan activities.” Sanatan is a term used to refer to Hinduism.

Christian leaders living in Kandhamal district have taken note of this development and have planned to launch protest movements across the province to voice their anger against this religious radicalism.

Read the full story as well as another from ICC, Concern Grows as Hindu Leaders Call for Nepal to Be Declared a Hindu Nation (again).

In July, International Christian Concern released the 2026 Global Persecution Index, a 124-page report that includes analysis of current trends and profiles of India, Nepal, and 20 other countries.

Source: International Mission Board, August 20, 2026

More than 300 healthcare professionals, students, church leaders, missionaries, and volunteers gathered at Idlewild Baptist Church in Lutz, Florida, August 13-15 for MedAdvance 2026, a conference designed to help believers use their medical skills and professional expertise to advance the gospel around the world.

From plenary sessions led by International Mission Board leaders to practical workshops covering various topics of healthcare missions and cross-cultural ministries, the three-day event challenged attendees to see medicine not simply as a profession, but as a platform for Christian compassion while addressing global lostness.

IMB President Paul Chitwood reminded attendees that they are part of a much larger effort. “Today we speak on behalf of more than 3,500 adults and 3,000 children in [IMB] missionary families, scattered across continents, in over 80 countries,” he said. “Those families rely on us to keep the line of communication open, the prayer support strong, and the financial backing steady.”

Read the full story.

Interested in medical missions? The Christian Medical and Dental Associations have several upcoming conferences and events. Watch for our mission events calendar in a separate email.

See also 30,000 Afghans Now Have Access to Healthcare (Global Christian Relief). We praise God for raising up healthcare workers to serve in the places with the greatest need.

Source: International Mission Board, August 20, 2026

More than 300 healthcare professionals, students, church leaders, missionaries, and volunteers gathered at Idlewild Baptist Church in Lutz, Florida, August 13-15 for MedAdvance 2026, a conference designed to help believers use their medical skills and professional expertise to advance the gospel around the world.

From plenary sessions led by International Mission Board leaders to practical workshops covering various topics of healthcare missions and cross-cultural ministries, the three-day event challenged attendees to see medicine not simply as a profession, but as a platform for Christian compassion while addressing global lostness.

IMB President Paul Chitwood reminded attendees that they are part of a much larger effort. “Today we speak on behalf of more than 3,500 adults and 3,000 children in [IMB] missionary families, scattered across continents, in over 80 countries,” he said. “Those families rely on us to keep the line of communication open, the prayer support strong, and the financial backing steady.”

Read the full story.

Interested in medical missions? The Christian Medical and Dental Associations have several upcoming conferences and events. Watch for our mission events calendar in a separate email.

See also 30,000 Afghans Now Have Access to Healthcare (Global Christian Relief). We praise God for raising up healthcare workers to serve in the places with the greatest need.

1. Editor’s Note: Songs, Psalms, and Putting Bad News in Perspective
2. International Day for the Unreached Is This Sunday
3. World: Nearing the Finish Line of the Great Commission
4. Iran: Please Pray for Christian Denied Medical Treatment in Prison
5. Egypt: Legal Standing Given to 191 More Churches
6. Mediterranean: A Deadly Crisis as Migrant Deaths Reach New High

Read or share the email edition.

Greetings!

I must confess that this week’s sleuthing for news briefs started out badly. I read a story that made me walk away from my keyboard and not want to go back. It was bad news. Very sad. I’ll be joining Marti for a three-month sabbatical, and until this week, I didn’t think I needed one. Maybe I do. Pray for Kalegeya Faruku and his family, who harmed him.

I’m tired of wading through so much bad news. God showed me he knows what I’m feeling, and he provided a song I’d never heard. Not Afraid of Bad News came across my feed at just the right time (see below). Are you sick of bad news? Afraid? Be encouraged. God is in control!

I’ll be reading the Psalms on my sabbatical. They always help with perspective. And I am starting a master’s degree in theology through Regent University! I appreciate your prayers. See you in August!

Pat Noble

Sources: Various

It is not too late to make your plan to raise awareness of the unreached. A Third of Us has lots of free resources in English, French, Portuguese, and Spanish (though registration is required to access them).

And why just stick with one day? Download the Joshua Project Calendar and pray for a different people group each day all year. Or check out their new interactive prayer map.

Need some inspiration? Watch the music videos for Facing a Task Unfinished (Keith and Kristyn Getty) and I Then Shall Live (Gaither Vocal Band). The last verse that begins “The Bread of Life…” always gets me thinking about the unreached.

Source: God Reports, May 6, 2026

In a recent interview, author and mission leader Doug Cobb expressed renewed confidence that this generation is getting close to completing the Great Commission—the task Jesus gave us before he ascended to heaven.

Cobb, managing partner of The Finishing Fund, told God Reports there has been no change in his core convictions since the release of his earlier book, And Then the End Will Come. In fact, his new book, The Sprint to the Finish: The Global Push to Complete the Great Commission in This Generation, takes a much deeper look at what he calls the “three finish lines” of the Great Commission: every nation (ethnos/people group), every language, and every place.

“We’re nearing the end of the Great Commission race,” Cobb said, “and that will open the door, in my judgment, to the return of Christ.”

While the pace has slowed because the remaining groups are the most difficult to reach, breakthroughs continue to occur.

The most challenging part of the finish line remains “every place”—having a viable gospel witness in every village, neighborhood, and community on earth. A new collaboration called the Achieve Alliance (an acronym for “A Church in Every Village Everywhere”) is now working to map and reach every habitation on the planet.

Read the full story.

This may be a good spot to fold in a few more music videos on this topic. Thanks to friend and subscriber Charlotte D. for pointing us to a short video on Frontier People Groups that explains the concept in terms kids can understand (available in four languages) and another, new but more traditional song that may stir your passion to see more come to know Jesus.

Finally, here’s one from Create International and GlobalCAST Resources, and is evidently part of a collection of mission mobilization songs. Maybe there’s a place you can use them?