“The Lord is my Shepherd, I shall not want…”
Talking to the local believers who serve with Every Home in MENACA, one wonders if there is anyone more keenly aware of the presence and faithfulness of God.
Our offices in this region are united by a shared experience of persecution and an environment shaped by strict restrictions on ministry and the heavy influence of Islam. Those hostile to the message of Christ have succeeded in creating a land blanketed by fear. One of our leaders in a Creative Access nation recently shared, “From the beginning [of my ministry], because I am human, I am afraid, especially about what will happen to my family. But I know God is with me.”
Through miraculous transformations, providential meetings, comfort amid trails, and supernatural protection, Jesus reminds believers serving in MENACA of his love. He has not abandoned them. And no human authority can keep him from the hearts that cry out for his love.
Location: Central Asia, CREAC 14
Our team writes: “Outreaches with literature were very blessed the whole month. When we put a brochure at the door of one house, a police car stopped nearby. We were very scared at that moment. The policeman asked us what we were distributing. We didn’t have the opportunity to run away. So, we gave him a brochure and said: ‘You can read it yourself.’ The police officer took the brochure. We left the place without incident. It was a real miracle.”
“He makes me lie down in green pastures and leads me beside quiet waters.”
Location: Middle East, CREAC 14
One day, during outreach, our team met a fisherman. They began to tell him about God’s miracles and shared the story of Peter, a fisherman Jesus called to follow him.
The fisherman listened with great interest and then shared his story.
A few days before, he had been out fishing at sea when his boat began to malfunction. The fisherman said he prayed with all his heart: “O God [if you] exist, take me out of this sea safely and I will follow you.”
Now, God had brought a team of believers to tell him about Jesus, the God who does exist and rescues fishermen. This fisherman received Jesus as his Savior at that very moment.
“He restores my soul.”
Location: Middle East, CREAC 31
Mohamad* is a young man from a Muslim background who lived for many years with doubts and questions about what he had been taught to believe. He saw corruption, chaos, fear, and insecurity all around him. What kind of god would allow a world this dark and chaotic to exist? Mohamad began to fear this god, who either seemed to want humanity to suffer or to simply not care that evil people prospered. Secretly, he rebelled against the ideas of god he inherited. Later, our team says, he realized that his doubt “was the Holy Spirit knocking on the doors of his heart and mind, telling him of a different God that he had not experienced.”
When Mohamad connected with our Every Home team he discovered the incredible truth that God loves him unconditionally and does not demand perfection or works to please him. Our team shares that after meeting the true God, Mohamad, “surrendered his life to the Lord Jesus and has remained steadfast in faith despite harassment.”
“He leads me in the path of righteousness…”
Location: Cyprus
Cyprus is a multicultural country with large refugee and immigrant populations from all over the world. Our Every Home team reflects this diversity, being composed of believers who speak several languages. In this story, our team shares how God sent the right believer, who speaks the right language, to a man who needed to hear the Good News.
Our team writes: “It was a sunny Saturday, and we had been walking down the street, talking with people and leaving Greek and English literature in mailboxes. A Latvian man, Bratislav, asked us about the literature he had received, and Balazc, our team Russian-speaker, started to proclaim the gospel, encouraging him to put his trust in the Lord Jesus.”
Bratislav considered himself a good Catholic, because that was the tradition he had grown up in, but he didn’t feel he had a personal faith. He struggled to grasp the idea that salvation is a free gift of God.
He kept asking about good works. Didn’t he have to do something?
“After a long conversation with him, he agreed to join our Bible study to learn more,” says our team. “He came to the Bible study as a seeker of the truth. It wasn’t easy on him to give up on the idea of being saved through good works… He was so interested in knowing more about Jesus and his salvation, and about faith in general. Bratislav now is attending our weekly Bible study, and he’s reading the Bible daily. God is working in his heart tremendously.”
“In the valley of the shadow of death, you are with me…”
Location: Central Asia, CREAC 32
This was the end.
Yusuf* steadied himself by placing a hand on the back of the chair and looked up at the rope dangling from the ceiling.
His whole body felt heavy, as if his financial troubles were physically pressing down on him. Alcohol used to provide some relief, lighten the load, but even that didn’t help any more. There was no way out. He was being crushed.
With an effort, Yusuf heaved himself up to stand on the chair. He stood there a moment.
He wouldn’t be able to say later what, or who, made him do it. But suddenly, even the weight of his shirt was too much for him. As he began to tug his shirt off, he felt something hard in the pocket.
Yusuf removed a small card. Vaguely, he remembered someone giving him the card on the street a day or two before. He began to read. The card turned out to be printed with a Christian prayer of repentance.
At that moment, Yusuf’s mother burst into the room and screamed, realizing what her son was about to do. She wrapped her arms around him, holding him tightly.
A prayer on a card saved Yusuf’s life.
Believers serving in MENACA (Middle East, North Africa, Central Asia), walk daily through the valley of the shadow of death. They face the threat of persecution to reach countries wracked by war and unrest and, at great personal risk, minister to people like Yusuf, who are sunk deep into despair. The people of this region are seeking desperately for Jesus, and he is working powerfully.
“Surely goodness and mercy will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.”
–Psalm 23
Through the faithful presence and courageous love of his people, Jesus is drawing near to the people of MENACA. He is miraculously transforming hearts and lives through his Word and positioning believers at just the right place and just the right time.
And you are part of this incredible story!
Your gift equips believers on the ground with the tools, resources, and materials they need to serve boldly in one of the most challenging regions on earth. Because of your generosity, they go out from their homes and offices to reach their people.
One of our leaders in a Restricted Nation shares: “I have come to understand during my ministry that I don’t see miracles in the office or my armchair. I see them in the field, and you are part of that.”
Be part of the miracle today!
*To protect the identity of individuals involved in these stories, some details have been edited and names have been changed.
