Mission Network News - Asia

Turkiye (MNN) — We previously shared about a church in Turkiye facing eviction. Government officials said the building is structurally unsafe, but a recent survey by the Chamber of Geological Engineers says it is sound.

Three separate congregations meet in the church building — each from different denominations. FMI ministry partner Pastor Irik leads one of the three congregations.

FMI’s Patrick Anthony, with the latest update, says, “They were given an eviction notice. It was supposed to expire at the end of August. They did…apply for an extension, which was granted to them. They were given a two-week extension.

“In the meantime, they have been appealing to the new governor in their area, and his office has been reviewing the case. So now, they’re sitting and waiting.”

Image is a screenshot from Pastor Irik’s interview with the ANKA news agency. (Screenshot courtesy of FMI)

Christians in Turkiye face numerous challenges, particularly when it comes to practicing their faith openly. The government often imposes restrictions on church activities, and many believers have limited options for places of worship. Pastor Irik’s church is the only operational church building in the city.

Christians also encounter societal pressure as minorities in a predominantly Muslim country. Turkiye is 96% Muslim (mostly Sunni). Only 0.5% of the population claims to follow Jesus Christ.

Yet, this church’s ministry focus has not stopped, and new Turkish believers in the church are declaring faith in Jesus Christ.

“A couple of days ago, they were able to have a baptism service which was very exciting,” says Anthony. “So the church is growing and very excited about God’s work and, at the same time, they’re waiting patiently to see what the authorities say about their gathering spot.”

Anthony says from our Turkish Christian brothers and sisters, “They have specifically asked that we pray for their patience [and] their faith, that it would continue to grow and remain strong in the Lord as they wait.”

Please pray also for the church’s favor with government officials.

“They’re trying to walk faithfully with Christ, no matter what.”

Header photo is a representative stock photo of a church in Istanbul, courtesy of Igor Sporynin/Unsplash.

Nigeria (MNN) — The intense persecution of Christians in northern Nigeria is creeping south, but it’s not stopping believers from embarking on new outreach endeavors.

Helen Williams with World Missionary Press says their primary contact, Pastor Andrew, distributes Scripture resources across five locations. WMP booklets contain Scripture and Bible studies in the local languages.

These resources are versatile and perfect for the creative spirit of Nigerian believers. “When they get the material, they get so excited [and] they see all of these new opportunities,” Williams says.

“They may start out with just one idea or two, but then [they think,] ‘Oh, well, we could use it in this ministry, and we could use it in this.’”

(Photo courtesy of World Missionary Press)

Booklets have gone to children, prisoners, hospital patients, bus travelers, people on the streets, and more. A local leader we’ll call David explains in a recent letter to WMP:

“We were able to send some cartons of Hausa booklets to Gombi in Adamawa State for an evangelistic gathering. Also, we traveled with the English booklets received for our July rural mission outreach. Missionaries from various towns and villages came for the Rural School of Ministry and Mission. They all [received] materials to help with their outreaches, such as market outreach, street evangelism, school outreach, youth camp meetings, soul-winning crusades, hospital evangelism, and a lot more.”

Important Gospel work continues despite encroaching persecution from northern Nigeria.

“[Pastor] Andrew is getting reports of churches being burned and ministries being stopped from doing their work,” Williams says. “It’s not closing things down, but becoming more and more of a risk for many of them.”

Believers are taking every opportunity to reach new people for Christ. Please pray for them and for Pastor Andrew.

“He gets so many requests, and he cannot fill them. We’re having to send him two containers a year instead of one,” Williams says.

Connect with WMP here to learn how you can help cover the costs of printing, shipping, and distribution for this critical work.

Header and story images depict Scripture booklet distribution in Nigeria. (Photos courtesy of World Missionary Press)

Pakistan (MNN) — Pakistan plans to set up internment centers for terror suspects in Balochistan, a turbulent province bordering Afghanistan and Iran.

FMI’s Nehemiah says, “Balochistan is the bleeding wound and burning land of Pakistan.”

Violence has risen in the border region since the Afghan Taliban came to power three years ago. Attacks numbered over 650 last year, with 23 percent occurring in Balochistan.

“These attacks cause the loss of innocent lives, widespread destruction of infrastructure, and severe disruption of daily life,” Nehemiah says.

The internment center decision follows a series of attacks that killed 74 people in Balochistan in late August. Gunmen shot at least 23 people after pulling them from their vehicles and identifying them as Punjabi citizens.

“The group’s ability to orchestrate such a complex attack raises significant concerns about the effectiveness of Pakistani intelligence,” Nehemiah says.

“These attacks across multiple locations point to meticulous planning and substantial resources.”

Gospel work continues despite the latest uptick in risk.

“Believers and the ministry partners FMI has are doing a remarkable job. Even in this difficult situation, recently, FMI distributed 50 (Bible) stories translated into their language,” Nehemiah says.

Now that you know, how will you respond? Connect with FMI here for tangible ways to help. Most importantly, pray. “Please pray for the church planters in Balochistan; ask God to give them strength, courage, and wisdom as they lead their congregation through challenging times,” Nehemiah requests.

“Pray that they would be filled with the Holy Spirit, preaching the Gospel boldly, and offering hope and encouragement to those in need.”

Header image is a representative stock photo of the Pakistan flag. (Photo courtesy of Pixabay)

Bangladesh (MNN) — Bangladesh will soon begin extraditing former prime minister Sheikh Hasina from neighboring India to face charges related to mass killings.

More than a thousand people were killed and hundreds injured during a crackdown on student-led protests against Hasina’s government in July and August. Religious minorities quickly became a target. More about that here.

“When the government collapsed, the police pulled back from their areas, and the streets were like the Wild West,” FMI’s Patrick Anthony says.

Things have since calmed in the streets of Dhaka, Bangladesh’s capital, but violence continues in remote communities. Anthony says, “Hindus and Christians are feeling very vulnerable right now. People see these minorities as cooperatives to the former government.”

(Photo courtesy of FMI)

Although the population of Muslim-majority Bangladesh is only eight percent Hindu and less than one percent Christian, these small percentages don’t offer protection. Attackers recently targeted a Hindu family living near one of FMI’s national leaders.

“A group of 10 attacked their house and raped the wife and mother, which ended up putting her in the hospital,” Anthony says. “There’s a great pressure to ‘hunker down’ and do what you can to protect your family. At the same time, there is tremendous (Gospel) opportunity.”

FMI supports national leaders and church planters in Bangladesh. Learn how you can come alongside their work here. Ask the Lord to supernaturally protect believers and other targeted minorities.

“They’re scared. They’re feeling very vulnerable. Pastor Rajeeb [has] been robbed a couple of times, and he said it would not take much for people to do it again,” Anthony says.

“We’re praying that the Lord’s protection when there is no police would be a testimony to the reality of the God that Christians are following: Jesus Christ.”

Pray for the banking system to resume normal operations and for the police to increase patrols in vulnerable areas. Pray the interim government holds elections on schedule and can establish a permanent government.

“The caretaker government is supposed to hold elections within 90 days to put a permanent government in place. [Our partner] has heard talk that this caretaker government may want to hold power for a number of years,” Anthony says.

“He said if they try to do that, he anticipates the situation in Bangladesh getting worse.”

Header image depicts student protestors in Bangladesh. Students launched the “Bangla Blockade” following a one-point demand for scrapping all illogical and discriminatory quotas in public service through enactment of a law and keeping a minimum quota for marginalized citizens in line with the constitution. (Wikimedia Commons)

Pakistan (MNN) — Torrential rains in Pakistan trigger displacement and suffering in the same areas devastated by monsoon floods in 2022.

Every year, “It’s not a matter of if, but when the monsoons come in,” Unknown Nations CEO Greg Kelley says. “The devastations vary, but this year, it’s been on a dramatic level.”

(Photo courtesy of Unknown Nations)

Some villages remain cut off by snake-infested floodwaters and are only accessible by boat. In one district, farmers lost 80 percent of their cotton crops – a primary source of income – and the floodwaters killed hundreds of animals.

In most disaster zones, Kelley says, “They don’t have access to clean water, so we need to get water, food provision, temporary shelter” to flood-affected areas.

Charity organization Save the Children says more than 150 kids have lost their lives since the start of monsoon season in July. That’s over half of all the deaths recorded so far. Another 200 children have been injured.

Believers walk alongside struggling families with the compassion of Christ. “Whether I am hostile to the Gospel or I’ve been a follower of Jesus my whole life, I care about the well-being of my children,” Kelley says.

“When my child is suffering, and they want to care for that child and love that child unconditionally, it does something to the heart.”

Support Unknown Nations’ efforts to provide help for today and hope for tomorrow here.

“That act of love does an amazing thing. It takes these people who are hostile to the Gospel and opens their hearts up so that we can deposit the Good News of Jesus Christ,” Kelley says.

Header and story images courtesy of Unknown Nations.

Afghanistan (MNN) — A growing number of religious scholars in Afghanistan are openly challenging the Taliban’s restrictions on female education. Even some clerics working for the government have opposed the ban.

Meanwhile, Afghan women sing to protest new Taliban decrees seeking to erase women from wider society. The “vice and virtue” laws, approved two weeks ago, are the Taliban’s first formal declaration since taking power in 2021.

As more voices join the resistance to Taliban rule, some practices carry on just the same. For example, persecution remains at an all-time high.

Veiled women hold Treasures, the solar-powered audio Bibles distributed by Unknown Nations.
(Photo courtesy of Unknown Nations)

Unknown Nations’ Greg Kelley says Afghan partners recently shared the following report:

“A couple of underground workers reached this village, and they had a lot of fruit; people were responding to the Gospel. The Taliban heard about it, they went to that village, and every man, woman, and child was executed. There [are] atrocities like that happening daily inside of Afghanistan.”

The good news? “There was one survivor who we connected with, and now he’s being equipped and trained [as a Gospel worker to Afghanistan,]” Kelley says.

Unknown Nations partners with believers in a neighboring country to help Afghan refugees become missionaries to their homeland.

“At that training center, we pour into Afghans who are being multiplied, and their target is to reach Afghanistan with the Gospel,” Kelley says.

“Every Afghan [understands] the depth of despair within Afghanistan. They also understand there’s only one solution, and that is the hope of the Gospel.”

Contact Unknown Nations here to learn how you can help train Afghan Gospel workers.

“Pray that the Lord of the harvest would send forth the laborers [who are] willing to die, thrive, and multiply into Afghanistan,” Kelley requests.

“Before Jesus told us to go, Jesus gave us the action word – to pray. He said, ‘Pray to the Lord of the harvest to send forth laborers.’ In places like Afghanistan, Iran, and that whole corridor of the world, we need more laborers.”

Header image is a representative stock photo depicting a scene in mountainous Afghanistan. (Photo courtesy of Joel Heard/Unsplash)

Japan (MNN) — Typhoon Shanshan struck south-western Japan on Thursday last week, then lessened to a tropical storm over the weekend. Since then, it has lingered over Honshu island, dumping rain, disrupting public transportation and prolonging anxieties across the nation. 

“We don’t have rice on on the shelf of any supermarket or stores. Everybody’s doing stockpiling, and we cannot buy rice,” says Takeshi Takazawa with A3.

(Photo of Typhoon Shanshan’s path August-September 2024 courtesy of Supportstorm via Wikimedia Commons.)

The panic buying isn’t simply a response to one storm. In August alone, Japan endured effects of typhoons Maria, Ampil and Shanshan, as well as a 7.1-magnitude earthquake followed by warnings of a possible megaquake. Although the warning has since been lifted, authorities say the risk of a massive earthquake still exists. 

In the face of these dangers, Takazawa says people in Japan are asking, “Who takes care of me?” He says they have been noticing a decrease of help coming from the government after disasters — most recently the January 2024 quakes in Noto. 

“They (the people of Noto) continue to struggle because [the] government didn’t do [aid] the same way we had in [the disasters that happened in the] northeast and Kumamoto and other places,” says Takazawa.

“People are getting little bit more nervous about, ‘How can we take care of ourselves?’ Sixty-five percent of our food [comes] from outside [the country], and if delivery and import stops, we can be starved to death.”

Local churches have stepped into part of this gap. Takazawa says churches have been able to build networks to respond to crises such as the 2004 Niigata quake, the “triple disaster” in Fukushima in 2011, and the 2016 Kumamoto quake.

“[In] each [of these] cases, local communities saw Christian churches actually [stay] and continue to support and pray, both physically and emotionally and ultimately spiritually. That testimony has been going forth, and that’s great,” Takazawa says.

(Photo courtesy of A3)

You can be part of this story through your prayers.

“Pray for our people so that we don’t have to go through major suffering through these disasters,” says Takazawa. “But at the same time, pray for our souls so that we don’t rely on the stockpile [of resources], but ultimately God who takes care of us and loves us.”

A3 serves in Japan and other nations to encourage and equip leaders to serve their people even better in the name of Christ. Learn more about their ministry here. 

Header photo of Typhoon Shanshan August 31, 2024 courtesy of MODIS Land Rapid Response Team, NASA GSFC via Wikimedia Commons. This image was catalogued by Goddard Space Flight Center of the United States National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) under Photo ID: 2024-08-31., Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=152018243.

Armenia (MNN) – Armenia recently served as a meeting point for teachers with the Slavic Gospel Association.

Eric Mock with the Slavic Gospel Association says, “Armenia was a central point for us as teachers from SGA-supported schools in Russia, Poland, Moldova, several countries in Central Asia, even as well as Israel, gathered together to mutually encourage each other, to strengthen one another, to teach one another.”

Mock says that rather than feeding that competitive spirit that can exist between different schools, the members of the conference were able to learn and grow together. They came together on their common goal of effectively training up more church leaders. SGA helped foster a time of learning and growth as well as solidifying basic Biblical foundations.

After a week of intensive time in the Word for teachers, a second conference was held specifically focusing on pastors and church leaders in Armenia.

Of the 100 men who attended, 20 were pastors in Armenia. This training served not only to refresh their hearts in the Gospel but as an encouragement as they face the many pressures of living in an area often plagued with unrest.

(Image courtesy of SGA)

Mock says, “The tensions are fairly high in Armenia. They have always struggled to try to sort where their future is going to go. You have the war between Azerbaijan and Armenia that is always on the edge of reigniting. You have the pressure from Turkey. Then the southern border of Armenia is Iran. So they are in this sense, surrounded by a sea of those who would not want them here. So there’s always that tension. Yet in this constantly changing world for them, they are a group of faithful ministers, pastors, missionaries and lay leaders.”

This constant onslaught of outside pressures weighs on the Christians as they serve their congregations. So SGA’s goal is to point leaders back to Christ and serve them as they minister to the Church. “We love God’s Word,” Mock states. “We exalt God’s word, but we also love the Church. We’re not beside the Church or in the distance of the Church. We want to serve the Church that God has raised up. Then finally, God has raised up the Church to be His ambassadors of the gospel. So it is these churches that have been here for generations and generations who are faithfully taking the gospel.”

The Church in Armenia can feel distant for Christians in the West. However, the Church must stand together, even across the world. Mock asks that people get involved by praying for leaders in Armenia and other parts of Asia.

(Image courtesy of SGA)

“Pray that the pastors would stay on task, that they would continue to be focused on the gospel – focused on bringing the gospel to their people. It’s easy to be overwhelmed with all the events, and some of the pastors express that they’re fearful that their sons are going to be dispatched back to the front lines and to the border to prepare for possible other hostilities that could come in the future. So there’s this constant tension. All of these things can serve to wear out pastors and ministry leaders. So ask them to pray, first of all, for the pastors to be focused and resolute in caring for their congregations and advancing the gospel. The second is we would pray for a balance and peace in Armenia.”

If you want to discover more stories about what God is doing through SGA or join them financially click here.

Header Image courtesy of SGA.

Afghanistan (MNN) — Government leaders in Afghanistan codified another set of morality laws last week. They claim they will prevent vice and promote virtue according to Islamic teaching. One rule bans women from speaking in public places. 

Amid these sobering realities, Greg Yoder with Keys for Kids Ministries says their solar-powered MP3 players, Storytellers, will soon be available in Pashto. Pashto is one of the most prominent languages spoken in Afghanistan. 

Completing the project, which was started last year in partnership with FMI, couldn’t be more timely.

(Photo of children in Pakistan with Storytellers courtesy of Keys for Kids Ministries)

“Our partner, FMI, has been working tirelessly to translate Keys for Kids into the Pashto language. The text has been completed. The audio is nearly done, and now we’re set to purchase the MP3 players so we can begin distributing them into an unreached area of the world,” Yoder says.

“What’s exciting about it is that [among Afghans] there’s such a craving and desire for truth. When the Keys for Kids stories are heard, when Scripture is heard, it can’t help but change hearts and lives — probably first through men.” 

Men who turn to Christ through Keys for Kids gospel resources might share it with their families. 

“I can only imagine that it’s going to empower young people, especially young women or even older women, as they understand who Jesus is and His love for them specifically,” Yoder says.

“There are people coming to faith in Christ. We don’t know the number. All we know is that it’s underground and it’s being kind of kept quiet right now. But according to this person who we have connection with, the desire is strong.” 

You can be part of what God is doing in Afghanistan by praying for the right people to take these audio resources across the border on a mission that could quickly become life-threatening. 

“It really needs to be something that’s grassroots. We’re praying that God would give wisdom to those who have the desire to share Jesus with those who speak Pashto,” Yoder says. 

Your gift of financial support can push this critical ministry forward. Visit this Keys for Kids’ webpage to learn more, and listen to one Keys for Kids sound bite below.

Header photo is a representative stock image courtesy of ArmyAmber via Pixabay.

Myanmar (MNN) — Earlier this month, Myanmar’s ruling military junta lost a key base in the city of Lashio in Shan State to rebel forces. The rebel alliance is largely made up of ethnic and religious minorities standing against the State Administration Council, which has used brutal tactics against civilians since seizing power in 2021. 

A man we’ll call Peter serves with A3 in Myanmar. “They’re losing a lot of men, and they’re losing a lot of land too, and mostly in Christian areas.” 

Peter says churches in the war zones are getting hit hard but non-believers are seeing Christ’s love contradict the propaganda they’ve heard about Christians.

Protest in Myanmar against Military Coup 14-Feb-2021. (Wikimedia Commons)

“The juntas, their teachings are like, ‘They will just kill you straight away. These Christians are ruthless, they’re barbarians,'” Peter says. “But when these non-believers want to fight back, they run into the jungles, [and] it was a whole different story how these Christians welcomed them with open arms, giving them food, support, help.” 

The future is unsure, but Peter says gospel ministry is spreading for now. Churches give shelter and medical care to refugees. Pray for them.  

“We want to end this war fast, like really fast. We need support internationally, we need support for ammunitions,” Peter says. “We didn’t ask for this war — the junta bought this war to us.”

He prays every day for the airstrikes from the military junta to stop. 

“If it’s ground forces, we can fight. We win a lot of battles, and we can still take on artilleries. But the planes, the air assaults, those are very bad,” Peter says. 

“When [the military is] retreating or they’re losing, the planes don’t come to us (the rebel forces). Mostly they just go into villages or cities and bomb hospitals, bomb kindergartens, bomb schools. So then our [forces] would retreat, help the people — and on the way they will ambush us again. That’s the tactics that they were using.”

Pray for strong faith among Christians fighting in the rebel forces.

“I have friends who lost their faith because dealing with this war, [the] things that we had to do, the things that we’ve seen. It’s, it’s just ugly,” Peter says. “Some of them start questioning, ‘Where is God? Why is He letting this happen?’”

Click here to learn more about A3’s mission to equip indigenous leaders around the globe.

Photo of Lashio City in Myanmar courtesy of Wikimedia Commons.