FOR THE SAKE OF BELIEVERS
WHY SUPPORT A REGION DEVOID OF PEACE? WHY PROVIDE RESOURCES TO PEOPLE RULED BY OPPRESSIVE GOVERNMENTS? FOR THE SAKE OF BELIEVERS.
3 HURDLES BELIEVERS FACE
In the Middle East and North Africa (MENA), Christians face three major hurdles in their daily lives.
- Fear. Every month 322 Christians are killed for their faith worldwide. That’s one Christian every five minutes. For families, it means constantly fearing exposure and extremism. One family wrote in to SAT-7 to say, “Please pray for protection for my family and I. There are some people after us.”
- Isolation. In some countries, following Christ is illegal so individuals like Arvin cannot openly worship. Arvin gave his heart to Christ 18 months ago, but he lives in Iran, where it is illegal to come to know and follow Christ. “I do not have access to books or people to teach me more about Christianity…I would love to be a real Christian and attend church in a free country, and tell people how God showed himself to me.” Arvin is like so many living in the Middle East and North Africa, alone and hungry for spiritual growth.
- Discrimination. For those who are blessed with the ability to worship and gather at Church, there are another set of challenges. In Egypt, as tolerance of Coptic Christians decreases, Christian communities are at risk. As of 2014, 550 Christian schoolgirls have reportedly faced the threat of being kidnapped and forcibly married. When Egyptian families report the kidnappings to police, very little is done and the perpetrators go unchecked while the girls remain missing. Tolerance toward Christians in areas such as Egypt is deteriorating, leaving entire communities at risk as mobs damage property and children become victims of abuse.
FOR FAMILIES
So why now? Why the Middle East and North Africa? For families whose only safe place is found in watching SAT-7 Bible programs. For individuals facing isolation, whose only means of fellowship and spiritual growth is through SAT-7 programs and apps. And for families facing discrimination from law enforcement and society, who’s only comfort, comes from SAT-7 programs and counseling services. Together, we must all be like the good Samaritan.
“But a Samaritan, as he traveled, came where the [beaten by robbers and half-dead] man was…He went to him and bandaged his wounds…Then he put the man on his own donkey, brought him to an inn and took care of him…Which of the men do you think was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of robbers.” –Luke 10:33-37
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