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Exclusive Stories from the Mission Field
March 14, 2024
In a prison filled with some of Africa’s most violent criminals, the atmosphere was as unsettled as the air before a thunderstorm. The inmates were restless and unafraid, too hardened by their pasts and hopeless about their futures to care whether they caused any more harm. Here, life was nothing more than a waiting game with every one of the 166 inmates destined for execution. But none of this intimidated the missionaries and their medical outreach team who gathered outside the prison gates one Sunday morning. They were excited at the opportunity to not only treat the sick, but also present the gospel. “It doesn’t matter if men don’t need them anymore because of their wickedness,” the missions team leader said. “We know that the Lord needs them for His kingdom. They must also hear the gospel of life of our Lord Jesus Christ.”
February 29, 2024
Charna’s* father is a priest in a traditional South Asian religion, but as followers of that religion, Charna noticed that her family seemed oppressed by an invisible darkness. “Almost all in the family were possessed by evil spirits and demonic attacks were very severe in the family,” she said. Her father disliked Christians and would frequently perform rituals against the Christian families and ministry workers in their village while at the same time performing rituals seeking peace for his family. His efforts were always in vain. The Christians in the community remained, and Charna’s family seemed to sink into an even deeper spiritual struggle. When someone fell sick, which was often, they sought answers from magicians and spent enormous amounts of money on special offerings and sacrifices.
February 15, 2024
January was cold. Too cold to be crammed into a leaking boat filled with dozens of other terrified refugees desperate to escape Africa and reach Europe’s shores. But Amadou and his two young daughters had no other choice. They couldn’t turn back now; they could only squint toward the horizon and hope for land. The water lapped at their ankles, freezing Amadou’s youngest daughter’s feet. It was a terrifying sign of what would happen to them if the boat sunk. Even worse horrors befell his older daughter, but Amadou was helpless to protect either of his children.
January 11, 2024
A young man in Indonesia who had suffered setbacks throughout his life found himself trying to make a living by performing on the street. Osbert*, 28, told a Christian worker who engaged him in conversation that his wife had recently left him, and that he had no hope for the future, the ministry leader said. The worker shared how Christ cares for him so much that He died on the Cross to take the punishment for all sinners who accept His salvation. “Since the first time he heard the gospel story, he immediately responded positively and then put his faith in Jesus,” the ministry leader said. “It wasn’t long before he accepted baptism.”
December 14, 2023
Invited to a native ministry’s Bible study in Lebanon by a Christian relative, an unbelieving man had arrived intent on criticizing it. The worker leading the meeting in Lebanon asked the visitor to read Psalm 91, but the man was stunned to find himself blinded to the words. “I’m a university graduate, and I can’t read a single word,” he told the group. “Something is preventing me from opening my eyes. What is happening to me?”

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