Brighter visions beam afar - thanks to your support!
We hope these stories and testimonies about how your prayers and support this year are helping and encouraging our persecuted church family to thrive against the odds will bring some warmth and light as Christmas draws near!
It’s getting colder, and the evenings may be drawing in, but we hope these stories and testimonies about how your prayers and support this year are helping and encouraging our persecuted church family to thrive against the odds will bring some warmth and light as Christmas draws near!
NORTH KOREA: “We thank you for your continuous love and support”
Despite the intense food shortages in North Korea, believers there follow the practice of ‘Holy Rice’, whereby some of the rice they receive is set apart for use in God’s kingdom. This means they are able to help others in their community, which in turn leads to trust and opportunities to share the gospel.
In 2019, you helped provide over 60,000 North Korean Christians with vital relief aid, including emergency food, medicines and clothes. One believer said, “We appreciate your ministry work. You help us to follow the path of Jesus Christ’s cross. We thank for your continuous love and concern. Thank you for taking care of our church believers who are in physical and spiritual needs. We dedicate ourselves again to help the other Christians.”
SEE. CHANGE: “I have found new life”
In March, we launched the See. Change. campaign for Christian women around the world who are doubly vulnerable to persecution. Your response to the stories of women like Esther and Aisha has been incredible – over 12,500 people signed the handmade petition.
Ijanada with her daughter Warasini, whose name means "I never thought I would get back home"
Thanks to you, Open Doors is able to support close to 2,500 women in Nigeria who have been traumatised by violent persecution. This help includes trauma care, practical help for widows and training for church leaders to help them respond to the trauma that persecuted Christians in their community have experienced. Ijanda (pictured above) received trauma care after she managed to escape Boko Haram, who had held her captive for four years. She says, “I found new life here… I learned to forgive those who have offended me and have forgiven those who mocked me, because they don’t know what they are doing.” To you, she says, “I want to say thank you. May God continue to open doors for you. May God continue to grant you wisdom to reach out to many others. I have been touched and I have forgiven.”
SRI LANKA: “The blood of the martyrs are the seeds of the church”
No one could have predicted the awful tragedy that befell Sri Lanka on Easter Sunday this year – but your response to our brothers and sisters in Christ who were affected in the three bomb attacks on their churches was phenomenal. Open Doors now has the means to continue to support believers in Sri Lanka for the foreseeable future, which is a lifeline as families continue to grieve for lost loved ones and begin to pick up the pieces.
Verl (pictured below, right, with his brother Nithan) lost several family members as a result of the attacks, including his 13-year-old son, but his faith continues to burn bright. He says, “They are special people. They were not killed. They were sown. They are like seeds. And the blood of the martyrs are the seeds of the church… God is good. God is great. My foundation is Jesus Christ. I’m zero. Jesus is everything.”
Verl, right, continues to fix his eyes on Jesus despite his grief
BELIEVERS FROM A MUSLIM BACKGROUND: “God gave me wonderful relationships with new people”
Esther* was born into a Muslim family, but chose to follow Christ after she experienced healing through prayer. Esther’s husband abandoned her, her in-laws cut her off, and her own siblings insulted and even assaulted her. Open Doors not only supported Esther through trauma care, but local partners are helping to construct a house for her and her children. Esther says, “Knowing that there are people who love me and are concerned about me is very humbling. Thank you and may God bless you more and more… My children and I will continue trusting in Jesus.”
Thanks to your support, Open Doors is able to provide over 2,200 believers from a Muslim background in closed countries with training to equip them to withstand persecution. We are also able to provide training to 2,300 additional believers to train them to share the gospel and serve their community.
INDIA: “I have been encouraged in so many ways”
In India, courageous believers like Sharda*, a local church leader and schoolteacher, are continuing to serve persecuted Christians despite the danger. Her son was almost killed by Hindu extremists, but your prayers and support made it possible for her to keep going. “This was the most difficult time of my life,” she says, “yet by God’s grace some Open Doors partners encouraged me in so many ways. They stood by us, prayed with us and supported us practically. I am so thankful for their presence; it made a lot of difference.”
Thanks to your support, Open Doors partners are able to provide ongoing practical help to thousands of believers in India who have been persecuted for their faith. This help could include legal assistance, food, medical care, access to a safe house or permanent shelter.
CONTINUE YOUR JOURNEY WITH THE PERSECUTED CHURCH
Thank you so much for all of your prayers and support this year. As you can see, they make such a huge difference in the lives of Christians around the world who continue to be salt and light in some of the most dangerous places to follow Jesus. Ongoing prayers and gifts enable Open Doors to continue to walk alongside our persecuted brothers and sisters for as long as they need us and make a lasting impact on the life and mission of the church for generations to come – if you don’t already, will you consider committing to give and pray regularly? Visit our website www.opendoorsuk.org or call our Inspire team on 01993 460015 to find out more.
*Name changed for security reasons
