Local authorities arrested and detained several Open Doors partners last week for “illegal religious activity with children.”
In parts of Central Asia, it is illegal to share the gospel with those under the age of 16.
Despite this, the team of missionaries chose to travel to a mountainous region of a secret Central Asian country and deliver gifts for children living in poverty and isolation.
One partner reported: “We distributed 500 Christmas gifts in an area where people never heard about Jesus, and the children never got presents for Christmas and New Year’s. We organised celebration programs in schools – songs, performances, games.
“In one of the schools, officers from local security services came and arrested our team. We were detained in the prison cell for several hours and threatened with imprisonment for ‘illegal religious activity with children’ but thank God after several hours we were released. We just paid the fine.
“We also reached poor families with humanitarian help – grocery packages with flour, oil, pasta and other necessary products. We also shared the gospel with those people. We visited many families, and one of them was the family of a local mullah (Muslim leader). The mullah accepted Jesus and his family members too.
“Pray for him and his family, please. It is so hard and dangerous to convert to Christianity there, especially for a former mullah.
“Pray also for our team. Last year, we visited the region several times, and now we can see results. Many families and many children heard about Jesus. Many converted. We are very grateful to God, and we are already planning the next trip there, and we need prayer support.”
Pray For Central Asia:
- Praise God many people are coming to Jesus. Pray for their safety and perseverance.
- Praise God for the faith of the former mullah and his family. Pray they remain strong in Jesus’ faithful promises.
- Pray for wisdom and security over Open Doors partners planning missionary trips in 2021.
Stay updated with the latest prayer requests from the persecuted church.