Along the Way

A former jihadist who had once led attacks against “infidels,” Ahad converted to Christianity from Islam and served as an elder of a growing network of house churches. Committed to boldly spreading the Gospel, he regularly met with other Muslim-back-ground believers to encourage them in their new faith. One night, 14 jihadists kicked down his door. Ahad was killed instantly in the attack, and his wife Fatima was injured. At the scene, the assailants left a letter – a death sentence – listing the names of other Christian leaders.

Following an urgent prayer meeting in which they sought God’s guid-ance, the threatened leaders were able to flee with their families to safety. VOMC helped cover the expenses required for these Christians to safely relocate their families and replace the belongings they had to leave behind. The leaders sent this message:

“More than anything, we covet your prayers. All of our teams have been prepared to spend their lives for Jesus. We have lost 18 people this year and, despite this time of grieving, we are making plans to make His name known in greater ways – even among those who need to be forgiven for this act and given an opportunity to worship our Saviour.”

The artwork shown here was created by a young Afghan woman who hopes and prays that “a day will come when war and bloodshed will end, and peace and freedom will return to the people of [her] country, Afghanistan.” Her painting portrays “the idea that, behind the terror and darkness, there is light and hope.”