In the first eight months following the Taliban’s takeover of Afghanistan last year, Abdullah and his family moved three times to stay ahead of those who would persecute and even kill them because they are followers of Isa al Masih, Jesus the Messiah. Despite the risks, Abdullah chose to stay in the country, where he continues to carefully share Isa with others.
Another Afghan believer, Roohullah, had to flee his homeland last year because he was widely known to have left Islam to follow Christ and he knew the Taliban would target him. Today, he is a refugee in another Muslim country where he could still be targeted for his faith. Leaving Afghanistan didn’t end Roohullah’s ministry; it just relocated it. In his new location, he has found fertile soil in which to plant gospel seeds among fellow Afghan refugees, and he is even proclaiming the truth of Christ among Muslims in his host country.
The Voice of the Martyrs just published a special report on our Afghan brothers and sisters — both those who stayed in the country and those forced to flee by the Taliban takeover. I want to encourage you to read the report and to pray regularly for our Afghan Christian family members like Abdullah and Roohullah. Pray for the advance of Christ’s kingdom in Afghanistan and among Afghans in other places.
I’ll never forget a pastor from a restricted nation telling me that when we pray for his country, we are working right alongside Christians in that country. Let’s be faithful to work alongside our Afghan brothers and sisters through prayer.