Open Doors New Zealand

Supporters like you enable Open Doors’ local partners to help persecuted believers survive unbelievable hardship.

Pastor Soré’s village in Burkina Faso was attacked three times by Islamic extremists.

The third time, they burnt everything down.

Pastor Soré lost a thriving church, a safe home, and a peaceful community.

He moved his family out—a family of two biological children and 15 additional kids and teenagers. Some were orphans. Others had been entrusted to him by members of his destitute community.

They travelled four days to where they now reside, a barren parcel of land near Ouagadougou, the country’s capital.

Their home is a makeshift shelter of tarpaulin and tree branches.

With limited access to water and nearly 20 mouths to feed, Pastor Soré trusts God for provision.

“The ministry helped me with seeds and fertilisers”, he says of Open Doors. “They also helped us with food, including rice and oil. We wholeheartedly praise God for such blessings and thank the ministry.”

In March this year, three-day persecution preparedness training took place in central China. Around 50 church leaders and workers from the region attended to learn more about persecution—its forms, origins, and ways to respond to it.

Often, believers are ill-prepared for responding to persecution and for enduring its hardships.
There is an urgent need to conduct more persecution preparedness training to equip believers in their biblical response to oppression.

Zicheng*, one of the 50 participants shares, “Learning ways of responding to persecution resonates with me a lot. This is essential to believers. We need to equip ourselves well with His word, so we can take up our spiritual weapons to fight the spiritual battles.”

Prayer for China 🇨🇳
🙏 Ask God to strengthen and encourage church leaders who are pressured and monitored.
🙏 Pray for the training to equip leaders in China to stay resilient in persecution.
🙏 Pray for the trainers to stay spiritually strong and healthy.

This International Day of Prayer for the Persecuted Church, we have an incredible opportunity to stand with persecuted believers all over the world.

On Sunday, 3 November, you are invited to join thousands of Christians in praying for our brothers and sisters facing violence, conflict, ostracism, and grief.

To the persecuted church, your petitions are more precious than gold. They are life.

When you pray, you comfort wives whose husbands are tortured and killed. You stand with pastors whose churches are reduced to rubble. You strengthen families who bolt through the dark to escape death. You help bear up every heart that aches for the loss of a loved one.

Sign up for your FREE prayer resources today, or learn more at bit.ly/4dYonrf 🙏 🔗

Our persecuted brothers and sisters in Sub-Saharan Africa are resilient, courageous, and defiantly committed to spreading the good news of Jesus in their part of the world.

Despite going through the fiercest trials, they stand resolute because Jesus means everything to them. He is worth dying for.

Martine, in Burkina Faso, lost her father to Islamic extremists who surrounded her church congregation after the service was over and shot all the men—including her dad. She says:

“My father used to say while pointing his finger to the ground, ‘If I have to die for the name of Jesus Christ, you can bury me here. And nobody should cry for me then. Because it is for the name of Christ that I accepted death.’”

Despite the borrowing pain many persecuted believers live with, God is making the evil done against them work for good. Their stories of adversity are winning souls for Jesus throughout the world.

As their family in Christ, we are encouraged by their courage to stand with them—to support them in every way possible so they can continue to be salt and light in places where the shadow of death looms irreverently.

Swipe to see the week's "FROM THE FIELD - Seeing Through the Eyes of the Persecuted Church" 💌 🤩

These exquisite images, captured by our global field partners, take our breath away. How incredible to glimpse the beauty of life as it happens.

Last month, the Nicaraguan government cancelled the legal status of 1,500 nonprofit organisations — many of them evangelical religious groups — in a continued effort to quash people and institutions unaligned to the government.

More than 5,000 nonprofit organisations, including church groups, have been shut down in Nicaragua since 2018. The recent sweep of 1,500 civic and religious groups was by far the largest in a single day.

Martha Patricia Molina, a Nicaraguan lawyer who tracks attacks against churches and clergy, believes the decision to eliminate hundreds of evangelical churches reflects a growing effort to silence religious leaders and to close off any independent organisations that are not affiliated with the government.


A report brought out in June by the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom notes: the Nicaraguan government uses a repressive legal framework to persecute Catholic and Protestant communities through arrest, imprisonment, and the seizure of property.

Prayer for Nicaragua 🇳🇮
🙏 For the hearts of government authorities to be softened.
🙏 For church leaders to have the courage and wisdom to minister to the people.
🙏 For the strength of believers amidst persecution.

As violence descended upon Barnabas, his life was instantly and permanently changed.

One minute he was walking through his farm in northern Nigeria with his brother and sister-in-law. The next, they were running for their lives as bullets cut down the panicked community—people he knew and loved.

“My brother was shot by the militants,” says Barnabas, “and my brother’s wife was also shot and killed.”

Barnabas was chased and violently attacked by an extremist who broke his hand in several places. He escaped with his life, but his home and farm were burnt to ash.

He is one of 16.2 million Christians in Sub-Saharan Africa who have lost everything to violence. Today, Barnabas lives with his family in a camp for Internally Displaced Persons (IDP).

Like him, everyone there is a believer who bears deep scars of unthinkable tragedy. The living conditions are horrific, and food is scarce. But Barnabas refuses to give up on life or God. He refuses to let others give up Him either.

Countries in Sub-Saharan Africa are facing a humanitarian crisis of epic proportions. In parts of Nigeria, where Pastor Barnabas is from, Christians are being hunted down. Violent extremists have killed thousands in his region and left many more homeless.

Of the 34.5 million people estimated to be displaced across Sub-Saharan Africa, nearly half of them are Christian.

What Barnabas can’t understand is why no one is talking about this.

It’s as if he, and others like him, have been shut away in darkness.

But we see them. Do you?

We remember them. Will you?

Find out how to help persecuted believers like Barnabas. 👉 bit.ly/3T1Oq8M

Saturday 24 August 2024 saw one of the deadliest attacks in Burkina Faso this year. Islamic extremists opened fire on civilians and soldiers digging trenches around the town of Barsalogho killing more than 200 people.

This latest attack, claimed by Jama'at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin (JNIM), an affiliate of al-Qaeda, has left the Burkinabe severely traumatised. Many of the deceased were civilians volunteering to help dig trenches.

Open Doors’ spokesperson for Sub-Saharan Africa, Jo Newhouse* strongly condemned the violence: “The immediate and long-term human cost of the violence must not be allowed to continue in this manner. All human beings have the right to protection no matter their faith, ethnicity, or gender.”

The military has also come under fire from the families of those killed as volunteering were helping security forces dig trenches to protect Barsalogho, a town that took on nearly 100,000 displaced Burkinabe from surrounding regions.

Mahamadou Sana, Burkina Faso's security minister, said in a statewide television broadcast: “We will make sure that the enemy knows that we will never again accept such barbarity in our territory. We want to assure the Burkinabe people that we are committed to protecting them and their property and will stand firm.”

* Name changed for security purposes

Pray for Burkina Faso 🇧🇫
🙏 Ask God to comfort the widowed and orphaned with His great love.
🙏 Pray for the government of Burkina Faso to diligently, impartially, and transparently address the violence and its effects.
🙏 Pray for wisdom for the Church in Burkina Faso as they minister to all who have been affected.

Fear, loss, and devastation is reality for millions of persecuted believers in Africa. Violence has robbed them of their homes, their livelihoods, and their loved ones.

Across the vast continent, the Church is rapidly growing but is also under serious threat. It’s estimated that 95% of Christians killed for their faith last year were in Sub-Saharan Africa—the majority in Nigeria.

Violence perpetrated by Islamic extremists is at an all-time high and attacks on Christians are unprecedented. In some countries, going to church can be a death sentence.

As part of the global body of Christ, believers in Sub-Saharan Africa are calling on us to stand with them. To help stop the violence and start the healing.

Will you?

Find out how by visiting bit.ly/3T1Oq8M 🙏🔗

To gain insight into what Jesus means when He speaks the words of John 13:35, we must look to the earlier verses.

Jesus begins the chapter by washing the disciples’ feet, setting a profound example they were (we are) to follow in serving others as He has served them (vs 15-17).

He then speaks to His own betrayal by Judas, one of His disciples (vs 26-30).

It is at this intersection--from a humble place of servitude to the personal pain of being betrayed by someone close to Him--Jesus speaks these words,

“A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another” (vs 34-35).

Of all the things Jesus could have spoken and demonstrated in this intimate moment, He chose the greatest of all: love.

Today, no matter what you are facing--how can you allow the personal love of Jesus transform you into His likeness, helping you to love those around you as He has first loved you?

On Monday, 5 August, Bangladesh’s recently deposed Prime Minister, Sheikh Hasina, resigned after student-led protests turned into a violent demand for change in the country. Sheikh Hasina quickly resigned and fled to India, a country who ruled over Bangladesh for 15 consecutive years.

In this leadership gap, Islamic fundamentalists took their chance to attack, loot, and persecute minority communities all over the country. As a result, thousands of minority communities’ homes have been destroyed, properties grabbed and looted, and many civilians are in hiding. In the last three weeks, most Christians have not left their homes and have limited their movements to avoid persecution.

Open Doors’ local partner in Bangladesh is actively working among the persecuted believers. “We are contacting believers everywhere in the country though we have restriction of movement,” he shares. “We are intentionally and actively contacting our partners, pastors, evangelists, and local sources to inform us if they know or find any family who is persecuted. We are working to reach the persecuted immediately with food and emergency shelter so that they can survive amid this crisis.”

Pray for Bangladesh 🇧🇩

🙏 Pray for all Christians in Bangladesh, for their protection and safety. Though all are not persecuted, they are all vulnerable. Pray that all the Christians will be united and strengthen themselves in such suffering, especially the leaders, they will take initiatives in their respective ministries to guide and lead the believers.

🙏Pray for the persecuted believers who are physically tortured, houses destroyed and damaged, belongings looted, and those who must go into hiding. Ask God to comfort them and help them overcome such suffering and pain.

🙏Pray for God to be kind and merciful to the persecutors and to give them wisdom to know the love of the Lord so they can know salvation through Jesus. Pray they turn to the Lord for forgiveness and mercy.

Hila’s husband was killed because of his faith in Jesus. Now this mother-of-two gets by with help from her community.

But she needs your prayers. Will you pray with us today?

🙏 Lift up Hila to the Lord and ask God to bless, strengthen and comfort her.
🙏 Pray for God’s protection over Hila and her children as the follow Jesus secretly.
🙏 Pray boldly that Afghanistan will be freed from oppressive forces.

Murat*, a house church leader in Central Asia whom Open Doors walks with, shares how God is multiplying the church—an example to church leaders everywhere:⁠
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“From the time we started, more people have been coming in [to our house church]. We don't gather people and say they are a part of our church. No, that's not the goal. ⁠
⁠
“Each year, the goal is to start a local church, find a local leader, and then help them become independent. We make sure they are well-equipped so they would be able to open more churches in their region. ⁠
⁠
“We work in partnership with the newly opened house churches and help them if needed. So, that’s our goal and vision—to multiply churches.”

We are deeply grateful to have partnered with so many amazing churches. A big thank you to all of you for welcoming us over the past few weeks. ⛪ 🙏

If your church is interested in partnering with Open Doors, check our website 👉 bit.ly/3Uvht66 🔗

At the annual celebration of the Church of La Palestina earlier this year, visiting members of Open Doors Colombia and Open Doors Germany heard testimonies of the church’s resilience in a region where indigenous Christians are persecuted for their faith.

In 2001, the mamos (traditional leaders) forcibly expelled Christians from their communities with the help of illegal armed groups. Pastor Abraham and his family fled their home after being threatened.

"The guerrillas came to the community and told us that we had to leave the same day. 'There is enough land here to bury people', they told us. This scared us so much that we had to leave," he shares.

The Church of La Palestina was displaced for five years until 2006, when the agreement between the mamos and the armed groups ceased. Eight years later, Pastor Abraham returned to lead and grow the church.

"In the Church we have said: if we have help, we will evangelise. But if we don't we will do it anyway, because at the end of the day, it is our commitment to God,” he says.

*Names changed for security purposes

Pray for Colombia 🇨🇴
Pray for La Palestina Church, that they continue to spread the gospel in the Sierra.
Pray for indigenous believers to find community after rejection from their own culture and families.
Pray that God brings guerillas and gang members to know Him as their Saviour.

God's Word speaks, guides, moves, and draws us to know more of Jesus. In many places the Bible is banned, buried, and burnt, and sometimes Christians can't access it in print.

In this image, USB pen drives are loaded with the Bible, ready to be given out to church leaders in the Middle East. Praise God that, with your prayers and support, Open Doors’ teams are sharing God's Word with Christians who are Bible-hungry despite the risk and danger they face.

What Scriptures are speaking and guiding you right now? Can you pray those words over our persecuted church family today?

When Hila* was growing up, her family supported her education and allowed her to attend school.

But this opportunity was not guaranteed. In 11th grade, Hila was engaged, and by the age of 18, she was married. Though her new husband’s family was far less supportive of her studying, tribal discussions allowed her to continue studying.

It was in her second year of university that a significant change occurred. Her husband was introduced to the Bible, and she could see how its message was changing his behaviour in a positive way.

As she searched and questioned, Hila eventually decided to follow Jesus with him. Together, she and her husband grew in their faith and helped others through discipleship.

But in Afghanistan, that kind of faith is deeply risky. If you are found out to be a Christian, the danger is real. Hila discovered this one day when her husband went on a trip to a village to get some study materials.

He never returned.

“I believe he was sacrificed in the way of Christ,” Hila says. “The support of my fellow believers has been crucial. Now as a mother of two, I continue to face challenges in Afghanistan, where Bible teachings guide our community towards righteousness.”

Hila asks believers around the world to pray for Christians in Afghanistan. “I request prayers for the health of believers to spread the message with vitality, for the safety of believers, for Afghanistan to be free from oppressive forces, and for blessings for the needy and our struggling economy,” she says.

The northern Indian state of Uttar Pradesh has tightened its existing anti-conversion law, adding life imprisonment as a sentence for those convicted of forcibly converting another person.

Fraudulent or illegal conversions are those that are the result of force, marriage, undue influence, coercion, inducement, or any fraudulent means.

An Open Doors’ local partner, Abhay Kumar*, shares that church leaders are scared. “They anticipate fearful times ahead as the new amendments will accelerate and intensify the persecution of the Christian community.

“First-generation Christians will feel the immediate effect as they will be intensely targeted, and house churches and their pastors will be viewed as anti-national.”

*Name changed for security purposes.

Pray for India 🇮🇳
🙏 Ask God to give our Indian brothers and sisters His courage, boldness, and peace despite the uncertainty they face.
🙏 Pray that God brings healing and lasting peace to the Hindu-majority region.
🙏 Pray for those who are unjustly imprisoned, that they will know the true freedom of Christ, being filled with joy of belonging to Him.

Dina*’s story is hard. So many are, for secret believers in Afghanistan—especially anyone who takes the risk to share the gospel. She and her husband took that risk, and he lost his life for it.

In hindsight, the deep roots she put down, as she and her husband studied the Bible and prayed together, have sustained her.

She shared a specific message for you and asks you to pray with her:

“I extend my gratitude to all brothers and sisters in Afghanistan and around the world for their help. I request prayers for believers to experience more power, for those who do not believe in Christ, for an increase in Christians in Afghanistan, and for grace to touch the hearts of the people.”

Swipe to see the week's "FROM THE FIELD - Seeing Through the Eyes of the Persecuted Church" 💌 🤩

These stunning images are taken by field partners we work with across the globe. What a joy it is to share a glimpse of their work with you each week. 🤝

Today, we thank God for each of the 331 people, mostly women and children, who have been rescued from Boko Haram. Among the 331 people is Ihyi Abdul, a Chibok girl, and her three children.

Thank you for joining us in praying for their release. ❤️

“This is the request that we receive from parents and families of those who have been kidnapped over and over: ‘please do not stop praying for us, for our children and our families. Pray that we will be reunited with them again in this life,’” shares Jo Newhouse*, spokesperson for Open Doors’ field work in Sub-Saharan Africa.

Note: It is not clear whether Ihyi Abdul is a Christian or Muslim, however if we go by her name, we assume that she is one of the few Muslim pupils kidnapped during the incident. Nevertheless, we are equally thankful for her safe return.

Pray for Nigeria:
🙏 Pray for the team involved in the rescue efforts, that God will protect them and give them wisdom in their strategies and actions.
🙏 Pray that the remaining hostages and their families will be kept safe and rescued.
🙏 Pray for the families of those who have been kidnapped, that they will not lose hope as they trust God to be reunited with their children.

Right now, it has never been more dangerous to follow Jesus in Afghanistan.

But incredibly, the Church is growing, says our local partner.

Read an amazing story of secret faith on our blog 🔗 bit.ly/3WSG0Dj

The world’s eyes have officially turned to Paris, as the 2024 Summer Olympics take place in the French capital. The best athletes in the world have gathered to show their competitive spirit and demonstrate excellence in their chosen sport. The Games are expected to have a global audience of over 3 billion people.

This year, as you watch, will you pray? We’ve prepared a special prayer guide for all 50 countries.

All over the world, God’s people want to live peaceful lives, proclaiming the truth of the gospel without fear. But for people in many of the countries competing in this year’s Summer Olympics, that’s just not possible.

So we need to pray! 🙏

Join us over the next week and a half as we lift up our persecuted family. As you watch the Games and cheer on the competitors, take time in each event or in each day to intentionally pray for Christians who share your faith but not your freedom. 👉

51 ways to pray for Christians during the Summer Olympics The Olympics is also a powerful opportunity to pray. Here are 51 ways to pray as you watch this year’s Summer Olympics:

Paul extols the Church in Ephesians 6:18 to, “pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people.”

Be encouraged today that your prayers sustain our persecuted family and make a vital difference to them.

“The persecuted church feels a sense of assurance and security knowing that there are people who pray for them and are fully aware of their situation,” says Priya Sharma*, an Open Doors local partner in India. “They don’t feel alone. They have felt God’s care through the help of our partners and supporters. And God is there for them, He is mindful of their situation, and He sends help to His people. And that the body of Christ is unified, as one part of the body suffers, the other suffers too. Our help may be a drop in the ocean, but it makes a lot of difference for the persecuted church.”

Please pray today for persecuted Christians around the world to be given strength, protection, and encouragement.

Nothing about our freedom as Christians is deserved. 💝

Christ paid the ultimate price for our freedom from sin, shame, and death (Romans 6:23, 1 John 2:2, 1 Peter 2:24). As Christians who have the freedom to love and worship Jesus with little consequence, it is up to us to strengthen our suffering brothers and sisters who make up the rest of the body of Christ.

We use our freedom is to serve those who do not have it--strengthening the Church and glorifying Christ so that He can draw all unto Himself.

Today, the world’s eyes will turn to Paris as the 2024 Summer Olympics—officially the “Games of the # # Olympiad”—take place in the French capital.

The best athletes in the world will gather to show their competitive spirit and demonstrate excellence in their chosen sport. For Christians, it's also a chance for us to pray.

All 50 countries on the World Watch List 2024 are competing in this year's games—and a team of refugees too— so as you watch them, why not pray?

Check out our link 🔗 in bio to see the full list of prayer points for the World Watch List countries competing. 🙏

Chinese local officials have sent an ominous warning to North Korean refugees in their area, stating that China’s stance against them remains unchanged. “China doesn’t view them as refugees who need to be protected under the Human Rights Declaration but as illegal immigrants who can be repatriated,” says Open Doors’ coordinator for North Korea ministry, Simon Lee*.

“The interrogators will ask if you have seen a Bible, if you’ve been to church, or if you have met with any missionaries. If you answer ‘yes’ to any of these questions, they will try to find if you’ve become a Christian. The more mature of a Christian you are, the heavier the punishment. In a worst-case scenario, you’ll be sent to a labour camp for political prisoners with no chance to be released.”

Lee confirms that tensions are growing in China among refugees. “There have been waves of arrests and repatriations. Others have been warned. Especially women who are married to Chinese men are told to keep a low profile and don’t cause any ‘social unrest.’ They are often sold into marriage, and though life is hard for them, it’s often better than the lives they led in North Korea. Also, they may be able to help their families.”

*Name changed for security purposes.

Pray for North Korea 🇰🇵
🙏 Pray for refugees who are still trapped in China and separated from their families. Ask God to keep them safe and give them peace.
🙏 Pray for refugees who have been repatriated back to North Korea and are in prison or a labour camp. Ask God to strengthen their entire being.
🙏 Pray for the political leaders of North Korea and China. Ask God to remove the scales from their eyes and to bring them to repentance. Pray that they come to know Jesus as their Lord and Saviour.

Praise to the God of all comfort! ❤️‍🩹

How wonderful to be comforted by the Father of compassion. He comforts us in our troubles, but the good news doesn’t end there! The purpose of our comfort extends beyond ourselves so that, as His disciples, we can comfort others in their trouble.

How true this is when we support our persecuted brothers and sisters. As the body of Christ, we share abundantly in His sufferings; how much more does our comfort abound through Christ!

It is He Who holds us all together. We are His body. And from the comfort we’ve received from Him, we can strengthen the faith of secret believers who risk everything to know Jesus.

“I chose the path of Christ,” says Khada.

Today, Khada is trusting you with her secret because she needs your help.

She needs support to survive. She needs prayer. She needs to know she’s not alone.

As a widow, with no agency to find employment, Khada can’t survive without practical support. As a secret believer, she depends on the love and prayers of the global Church to keep her faith strong. It’s up to us to help our isolated brothers and sisters.

Today, you can strengthen secret believers in Afghanistan and around the world by giving Bibles, discipleship training and practical help.