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Ten years ago, an indigenous Colombian tribe fled their villages deep in the Amazon when drug traffickers and guerilla groups took over their territory, threatening them with death if they did not leave. In the chaos of the moment, their leader was killed, and the rest of the people attempted to create a new home nearer to a large city. But when—several months ago—three local missionaries from nearby Brazil trekked through the jungle to meet the tribe and assess their living situation, their continued destitution was evident. “They live in canvas tents and have no food,” one of the missionaries said. “It was very sad to see the situation in which they find themselves because it is of total abandonment. Everyone was very hungry.”
As Christmas Eve dawned in Bangladesh, Christians—for a moment—tried to set aside the uncertainty and fear that has plagued the country since the political upheaval of several months prior and turn their attention to honoring the birth of Christ. But in a predominantly Muslim country, believers knew this day didn’t come without its risks. And in one village, Christians would learn that night just how deep the hatred ran against them.
On December 8, a 13-year civil war came to an end when Syrian rebels swept into Damascus and took control of the city, forcing President Bashar al-Assad and his family into exile. The rebels, with ties to jihadist Islam, stunned the world with the speed of their takeover, and as liberated political prisoners poured from jail cells, people celebrated in the streets. As Christians look toward the future under the leadership of Mohammed al-Bashir, Syria’s interim prime minister, they question whether the future will, in fact, be better.
The woman who sat in the back of the church caught the ministry leader’s attention as he preached to the congregation. She was alone, but her head was covered, an indication that she was a strict Muslim. Her eyes were trained on him while he spoke, her stillness seemed to be an indication of how intently she listened to his words. She has come to complain about our presence here, the ministry leader thought. His hunch was rooted in events from the previous week, when a city official not only came to their church to oppose their worship, but he then also declared through every public means available to him—including television and newspapers—that he wanted the group of believers to leave town.
Armed men on motorcycles slowed as they reached the center of the village. This wasn’t their first stop in this particular region of Niger, and it wouldn’t be their last. Their purpose: to demand that any man 15 years or older either convert to Islam or pay a tax.
With her baby in her arms, Samiya (all names have been changed for security) welcomed people into her home for that day’s Bible study. Finally, when the last arrived, they sat together to study the Word of God. “These new believers are very happy to learn and understand the depth and richness of the Bible,” a local ministry leader said. “God continues to make Himself visible and move around this nation in this area.” Just one year prior, this village, located in one of the most remote, unreached parts of Uzbekistan, was as spiritually dry as its desert landscape. It wasn’t until a group of local missionaries began to pray for the people there that things started to change.
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