Frontiers, 15 May 2023

The easternmost region of Morocco has a multiplicity of cultures and languages but is mostly empty of gospel proclamation.   Hemmed in by the Atlas Mountains in the west and the 800 km border with Algeria, it stretches from the fertile Mediterranean to the Sahara sands.

The major cities like Oujda, as well as smaller towns serve as centres of trade and community for nearby desert dwellers.  Unlawful cross-border commerce continues despite official closure 30 years ago, while political peace with their eastern neighbour remains elusive.

Distinct indigenous dialects are spoken, as well as the common language of Moroccan “Darija” Arabic The economy is dynamic, and as the middle class grows, roughly as many Mercedes as donkeys are used for transport. 

Oujda is a relatively modern city with a reputable university and strong-minded students who fearlessly protest for justice and causes they believe in.   The Empty East is well connected through social media.

The far east of Morocco is largely empty of believers, yet the ground here fertile, with a small, but sturdy body of believers that is growing.   Unfortunately, they cannot reach the whole region and so more workers are needed.

Christian Solidarity Worldwide, 15 May 2023

Over the past five years, President Daniel Ortega has cracked down on all critical voices as he consolidates power.

Religious leaders, especially those the government views as critical of its actions, have been a particular target.  One of them told CSW that even preaching about unity or justice, for example, can be considered criticism of the government and therefore treated as a crime.

Several religious leaders were among the 222 political prisoners removed from prison on 9 February – but stripped of their citizenship and expelled to the United States.

Then on 15 February a further 94 political prisoners, including nine religious leaders, had their citizenship removed; most were already in exile.  Others, like Bishop Ronaldo Alvarez, remain unjustly imprisoned in Nicaragua.

Among those expelled from Nicaragua was Pastor Wilber Alberto Pérez – a Protestant pastor who was falsely convicted of selling illegal drugs.  In reality, he was targeted for promoting the campaign ‘Christmas without political prisoners’ in 2020, and was held for a prolonged period in solitary confinement with no natural light.

Joshua Project, 15 May 2023

One of the nine Munda-Santal tribes, the Agariya have worked with furnaces as iron-smelters for generations.  Much of their more recent history has been greatly influenced by British colonialism.  Today the Agariyas continue to work with metal.  They manufacture agricultural tools such as axes, ploughshares and sickles.  Only ten percent are literate, however that number has increased with more focus on education and beneficial programs.

Hinduism is the official religion of the Agariyas, and Dulha Deo is the family god.  Their religion is often a big part of their lives, and they may not be interested in new ideas and change.

Sending outreach teams to the Agariyas could be a possible way to help them understand the gospel.  Efforts by the church to stop economic exploitation might go a long way towards helping them see the work of Christ’s hands.

Pray that many family leaders from this people group will understand that their people are sinful just like the Israelis, and that they need to seek the Lord for forgiveness.

Pray for a church movement to grow among them and for their spiritual needs to be met and fulfilled.  Pray that they would find people who want to listen and spread God’s word through communities.  Pray education would be elevated among the Agariyas and that children would have access to all they need to thrive in India’s modernizing economy.  Pray they would have their medical and educational needs met.

International Christian Concern, 9 May 2023

Amid the escalating violence currently wracking Sudan, priests in violent hotspots have kept church doors open. They continue to minister and provide shelter despite increased dangers.

“I want to stay until the last minute, I do not want to leave the people here alone,” one missionary priest told Aid to the Church in Need (ACN). “But we face the same problems as the rest of the people.” 

At least 600 people have been killed since the conflict began on April 15, when fighting broke out between military units and the paramilitary Rapid Support. According to the UN, the number of displaced people inside Sudan has more than doubled this past week, now reaching more than 700,000.

Armed fighters also forced their way into the cathedral in Khartoum, and a chapel belonging to a religious congregation was bombed.”  Internationally, people push for dialogue, but there is still shooting.”

Sudan was removed from the U.S. Dept. of State’s list of Countries of Particular Concern (CPC) in December 2019. Advances in religious freedom lasted for only two years, however, until a military coup in October 2021. 

The coup brought back fears of repression and harsh implementation of Islamic law.

Morning Star News, 1 May 2023 (excerpts)

Jeremiah Mwanga, a second-year Christian college student was killed in his room at the school in northern Uganda on April 14 for sharing about Christ with Muslims.  He was 24.

Mwanga was a native of Kapchorwa, eastern Uganda, where the Muslim student at the school charged with killing him also lived.

“Jeremiah complained about messages from one of the students threatening to kill him for misleading Muslims by preaching to them the gospel of Christ as well as converting them to the Christian faith in the school,” a friend of Jeremiah’s told Morning Star News.

The friend said that on April 14 he heard screaming from a room on the school premises at about 10 p.m.  “After 30 minutes I rushed to the scene of incident and found out that it was Jeremiah’s room,” he said. “Inside the room was a pool of blood.”

Mwanga had already been rushed to a medical clinic near the school, he said.  “Reaching the clinic, I was told by the medical personnel that he had been referred to the Regional Hospital, where he was pronounced dead upon arrival,” he said.  “I found him lying in the hospital bed, dead.”

The friend requested he be given Mwanga’s personal effects, including his mobile phone.  “Going through the phone, I found out that the threatening message was from a Muslim student who happened to come from Kapchorwa also,” he said.  “I then took the phone to the school administration who reported the matter to the police.”