The Gospel Flourishes Amidst Persecution
When it started, there were fourteen, each of them from a Muslim background and living in their “restricted access” homeland. They were led to Christ by Paul, a foreign missionary living and working among them. Forming one of the only known churches in their country, these “baby Christians” began growing.
Eventually they sought help from MMR to use healthcare strategies to reach their people. For several years, MMR sent numerous volunteer medical teams to meet the many health needs of this country. After a time, the number of believers exceeded 100, in a dozen house churches with those networks extending to 1,000 in about 100 house churches.
Then the persecution began.
First, the government began threatening jail time for any conversion activity. Shortly thereafter, a foreign missionary named Steve* was assassinated by a terrorist group, which claimed outright that they did it because he was a Christian.
The aftermath of these events was devastating. The Church scattered. Believers went into hiding. Some were jailed and tortured. Some disappeared and haven’t been heard from since. Paul* was evacuated under armed guard, sent home to the U.S. The “baby” believers were suddenly on their own.
Eight months passed with no word from them; then one contacted our office via email. We talked with him often, and sent financial support for targeted needs. Together we devised a plan to bring a few of these believers to a neutral location for a week. They would meet with a U.S. team to share their stories, refresh their spirits, and strategize how to continue spreading the Gospel to their people.
Amazing stories of pain and hope came out of that short week. Through it all, one consistent message was heard: “We cannot leave our country. If we choose our families or our safety over Jesus, then the Gospel there is stopped.”
In this issue of Access, you will read their “Profiles.” Names and details are changed to protect our friends.