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Muslim in Africa Journeys from Poisoning to Pastor

December 31, 2020

Yacouba Sanou had helped his father, a Muslim traditional healer, in black magic as far back as he could remember. Knowledge of spell-casting and other occultic practices formed part of his armor and arsenal as a young man active in politics, but it left him defenseless against a poison attack by a political opponent.

Muslim Witchdoctor Freed from Occult

April 11, 2019

Mamadou was a shaman in West Africa who made amulets and charms inscribed with verses of the Koran for people trying to ward off illness and evil forces. In the peculiar blend of Islam and tribal animism practiced in some parts of Burkina Faso, a shaman can make a decent living as a traditional “healer” providing trinkets and incantations attributed with power to keep malicious spirits and other beings at bay.

Gospel Challenges in Liberia Deep and Daunting

August 18, 2022

A native ministry leader in Liberia and team members at times walk five to seven hours daily through jungles to bring the gospel to the lost. They must rely on God to protect them against wild beasts or hostile followers of tribal religion. “Idol worshippers sometimes threaten us, saying that if we don’t leave their village, they will kill us,” he said.

Unaccompanied Refugee Youths Lost in Europe

August 11, 2022

Seeking to reunite with his brother in London, a 16-year-old Bedouin shepherd boy from the Middle East was growing frustrated with questions local missionaries were posing to him. The boy started crying when they asked him to sign an application form for asylum. “He had never gone to school and didn’t know how to read or write,” one of the leaders of the ministry said. “He started crying when our interpreter explained to him what a signature meant.”

Wonders Break Gospel Barriers in the Middle East

August 4, 2022

In a country in the Middle East, a young Muslim man recently passed by a local ministry’s church site and picked up a New Testament from the stack outside. “He took it home, secretly read from it and hid it, because he feared what his family might do to him,” the ministry leader said. The 22-year-old Muslim had no idea his older brother was also secretly exploring Christianity.

Healing – and Death – Move Parents in Africa toward Christ

July 28, 2022

A young mother in Africa had gone to a series of traditional healers, each with their fetishes and incantations to tribal gods, in a desperate quest to heal her son. He was 3 years old and had never been able to walk. She heard about a meeting at a nearby community where villagers studied the Bible. In her sub-Saharan country unidentified due to local opposition to the gospel, both the healing and the deaths of children recently moved parents to seek Christ.

Suicidal Mother in North Africa Fights Spiritual Battle

July 21, 2022

Heba was rescued before she could end her life, condemning the 32-year-old mother in northern Africa to continue in a misery whose sources she did not fully understand. An affair with a younger man blunted the pain at times but soon compounded it, further toxifying problems with her husband. “I was living a miserable life filled with sadness, failure and problems,” she said.

Alert Workers in Mexico Note Suicidal Signs in Boy

July 14, 2022

An 11-year-old boy in Mexico had trouble socializing, and his father was addicted to drugs, so local missionaries seeking to help him had persuaded his mother to let him live at their educational center living quarters. Workers noticed some alarming drawings in his notebook. The sketches made it clear the boy was suicidal.

Syrian Army Officer Finds Christ as Refugee in Iraq

July 7, 2022

A refugee from Syria told local missionaries in Iraq that he had dreamt of a group of Christians visiting his house and telling him pleasant things that he could not now recall. He said he was a Muslim officer in the Syrian army who had fled when enemy soldiers occupied his home. “I remember when I woke up, I had a wonderful peace and joy that I had never experienced before,” he told them. “Can you visit us at home?”

Syrian Refugee Widow Learns to Overcome Affliction

June 30, 2022

A Syrian widow with several children had endured affliction before and after arriving as a refugee in Jordan. Islamic State (ISIS) invaders in Syria had seized her oldest son and, fearing they might take her other children, she and her husband had fled in 2013. Some of her children were able to help her husband in odd jobs he might find on the streets – until he was diagnosed with cancer.

Prayer Helps Transform a Killer and a Town in Kenya

June 23, 2022

A series of murders of children and young women prompted a three-day prayer event in a town in western Kenya. Church members and community leaders were praying for safety when a young man burst in and confessed to raping and killing six young women. The local missionaries and other leaders prayed for deliverance and salvation as the man’s anguished cries drew more people to the meeting tent – including some bent on lynching him and burning his body.

Christians in Laos Remain Steadfast – and Pay the Price

June 16, 2022

Accompanied by police and soldiers, a district official in Laos told Christians in a tribal village that those who refused to renounce Christ would be imprisoned. He was angry that they had refused to heed a prior warning to quit worshiping Christ. “Christianity is a western religion – it cannot be practiced in our country,” he told them. “I will give you one more chance to renounce Christ. If anyone still wants to believe in God, then just raise your hand.”

Indonesian Swaps Gun and Dagger for Peace of Christ

June 9, 2022

A shaman in Indonesia had quit his life as a robber and drug seller five years ago, but he still had no peace. Deeply troubled, he invited a worker and others from the ministry to his house to talk with him and his family about Christ. When the local missionaries showed up, they found 40 people at the house.

Refugee Tortured in Iraq Fulfills Father’s Wish

June 2, 2022

A young man in Iraq, Sami, and his father were descended from multiple generations of historic Christians, but during occupation by Islamist militants they had been forcibly converted to Islam. Such converts have trouble showing loyalty to a new caliphate, often refusing to join the fight to establish and expand it. Both men were subjected to torture; Sami told native missionaries in Europe that his father died trying to save him from the militants.

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Muslim in Africa Journeys from Poisoning to Pastor

Muslim Witchdoctor Freed from Occult

Gospel Challenges in Liberia Deep and Daunting

Unaccompanied Refugee Youths Lost in Europe

Wonders Break Gospel Barriers in the Middle East

Healing – and Death – Move Parents in Africa toward Christ

Suicidal Mother in North Africa Fights Spiritual Battle

Alert Workers in Mexico Note Suicidal Signs in Boy

Syrian Army Officer Finds Christ as Refugee in Iraq

Syrian Refugee Widow Learns to Overcome Affliction

Prayer Helps Transform a Killer and a Town in Kenya

Christians in Laos Remain Steadfast – and Pay the Price

Indonesian Swaps Gun and Dagger for Peace of Christ

Refugee Tortured in Iraq Fulfills Father’s Wish

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