TURKEY — Praise the Lord that our ministry director in Turkey was able to share about Jesus in person recently with six young men. All but one of the men were very interested in what our director had to say and asked to keep learning more about Jesus. We praise the Lord for opening doors to share the good news! Give thanks too that our director was able to extend invitations to many people to attend church for the first time.
BHUTAN — Give thanks that our team in Bhutan was able to produce 135 programs in the Dzongkha language, 131 programs in the Tsangla language, and 12 programs in the Tawang Monpa language. These programs consist of daily devotions and sermons. The team has also been busy hosting leadership and discipleship training seminars. These times of teaching are equipping local churches to develop necessary statements of faith and bylaws.
ALBANIA — Pray as preparations are underway for a devotional writing seminar that will be held in Albania this year. Words of Hope staff members from North America will help to facilitate this time of teaching. The goal is to better equip qualified Albanian pastors and lay leaders to write devotional materials for their own people, gradually easing away from the current format of translating North American devotionals into the Albanian language.
NEPAL — Ramesh is the pastor at one of Words of Hope’s partner church plants in Nepal. He has endured persecution and hatred from people in his village. He recalls the experiences of persecution with tears, but he still takes pride in serving the Lord. He is gifted at writing poetry and singing. Words of Hope is now working to record some of his gospel songs so that they can be shared more widely throughout the country.
INDONESIA — Yatun is a member of the Pemuda listeners community in Indonesia. At a recent meeting, the members discussed times that God had led them through struggles. Yatun shared how she had pursued a degree in nursing at a faraway university, but family members and neighbors discouraged her, saying that she would fail and bring embarrassment on them. She was encouraged by her parents and the Lord to continue her studies, and she has now graduated!
UGANDA — Dauphin was abandoned by her parents in Gulu, Uganda. She was depressed, wondering if they did not care for her anymore. After listening to Words of Hope programs, she saw similarities between her own story and the story of Moses. She is now encouraged that God will work through other people to take care of her, and will even provide for her own children someday.
SOUTH SUDAN — Give thanks that 20 individuals who were forcefully abducted by armed youth in South Sudan have now been returned to authorities. A total of 88 people have now been brought to safety who were victims of these abductions. Arrangements are underway to return the women and children to their families in the coming days. Pray that such crimes would come to an end in South Sudan.
IRAN — Pray for a new set of video programs being produced by our Persian ministry team. The topic of the programs is “Daughters of God’s Kingdom.” Each video tells the story of a woman in the Bible who was used by God. Pray that these programs would be a great encouragement for women in Iran who continue to suffer under an oppressive and unjust regime.
INDIA — Pray for our team members in Bihar who are working on community development and evangelism. Most of the villages in this part of India lack proper access to education and health care. Our team members are serving in this area to share Christian love and Biblical principles. In the past few months, 948 families in Bihar have been helped to obtain education resources, health information, and other basic needs. The unfailing love of God is being made known!
UGANDA — Words of Hope’s producer in the Rukonzo language has started a Bible quiz program for radio. This quiz is helping Ugandan listeners to develop a Bible reading culture and is encouraging Scripture memorization as well. The producer reports that he has received over 250 phone calls in the past few months. Continue to pray for effective ministry that will reach many people for Christ.
ENGLISH — Short Words of Hope programs based on the daily devotional are now being aired on nearly 500 radio stations across North America. Pray for the people who hear these bite-sized moments of hope and truth. Pray that the word of God would speak life into their hearts and renew their minds. Pray also that more people would learn about the ministry of Words of Hope and support the work as they hear about it on the radio.
NIGER — We give thanks with our producer in Niger for a fruitful growing season in the country. With desert taking up much of the land, raising crops can be a struggle. “The rural populations have found enough to eat,” he says, “and have also been able to provide for their small, existential needs.” Pray for all those around the world who do not have enough food to eat every day.