9/5/2022   Somalia   (Morning Star News) A Somali pastor of a secret fellowship in Kenya is still recovering from a painful, infected wound after attacks on him, his wife and child for leaving Islam. The 33-year-old pastor was wounded on his hand and shoulders on Aug. 10 when he was attacked by his father-in-law with a thorny stick. His relatives have been pressuring his wife to divorce him and return to Islam, but she has refused. He asks for prayer for the Lord to heal him so he can get out of the hospital. In May, Muslim women beat his wife as she was returning from a market, and their 8-year-old son was beaten by Somali boys. The pastor had married a Kenyan of Somali descent and later met Christian workers who shared the gospel with him. He put his faith in Christ, and a year later his wife also converted. Please pray… Pray that the Lord will completely heal the pastor so he can return home to his family. Pray that he and his family will remain firm in their faith despite the persecution from the wife’s family. Pray that the Lord will protect the pastor and his […]

6/10/2021 Somalia (VOM) Several Christians who were arrested earlier this year have recently seen a positive turn in their case. These Christians are currently in custody in Somaliland, a semi-autonomous area of Somalia. They were originally accused of spreading Christianity. After several days in court, however, the prosecutor charged the Christians with denouncing Islam, which carries a death sentence for Muslims who decide to follow Christ. However, the judge has now decreed that the case will be decided according to international law instead of Sharia, which is more favorable for Christians. Please pray… Praise God for the judge’s fair decision regarding international law. Pray that God works in the judge’s heart to release these brothers and sisters in Christ. Pray that their faith can remain strong while they are in prison. Pray that they can share the love of Christ with other prisoners as well as with prison and court officials.

2/25/2021 Somalia (VOM) Eleven Christians are currently in custody in Somaliland, a semi-autonomous area of Somalia. Five believers were arrested on Jan. 21, including an Ethiopian woman and a couple with their newborn baby. When they were brought to court on Jan. 25, the 11 believers were told they are suspected of spreading Christianity. Six other believers were arrested a few weeks later, and the prosecutor has 45 days to investigate and file charges. Meanwhile, other Christians are trying to flee the country, fearing that the whole house church network has been exposed. Another Somali couple was arrested in Sep. 2020 and deported to Somalia, where they would be at risk from al-Shabaab extremists. Please pray… Pray for the release of those who were arrested, and for the Lord to encourage, strengthen, and comfort them at this time. Pray for the believers who have not been arrested, that they would have wisdom to know what to do. Pray that the Lord will give wisdom to the Somali church leadership so they will know how to respond to this situation.

10/19/2020  Somalia  (VOM) A Somali Christian family is in police custody after being arrested for evangelism in Somaliland, a semi-autonomous region of Somalia. Police released a statement on Oct. 5 stating that they had captured “two individuals who were apostates and evangelists spreading Christianity … [The individuals] should be fully aware that they won’t escape the hand of law enforcement officers and that the spread of Christianity will not be allowed.” As a result of the arrest, other Christians in the region have fled the country in fear, anticipating more arrests. A safe house sponsored by VOM has been overwhelmed with believers seeking temporary refuge. The arrested couple have two children who are in prison with them, including a two-month old baby. Please pray… Pray for all Somali believers at this critical time, that they will be wise but not be overcome by fear. Pray that the Lord will encourage and comfort the family that is in police custody, and protect them from harm. Pray that the Church in Somalia will not be destroyed by the severe government persecution.

7/9/2020  Somalia  (Morning Star News) A Somalian family moved to Nairobi from Somalia in 2019 to escape persecution.There they were severely persecuted also, and then moved 170km north to their present home. Sadly, the 21-year-old daughter, Fozia, her 19-year-old sister, Asha, and her 18-year-old brother, Aden, where attacked by seven Muslims recently. All three were injured, and Fozia, who was unconscious for many hours, was hospitalized for two days. About four months after the family settled in their new home north of Nairobi, local Muslims began harassing the family because they were not worshiping at the mosque. Police arrested two suspects, and the family is now receiving threats demanding the family drop the charges. The family’s oldest son has been attacked two times and almost died. Somalis believe all Somalis are Muslims by birth and that any Somali who becomes a Christian can be charged with apostasy, punishable by death. Please pray… Pray that the Lord will heal Fozia, Asha and Aden. Pray that the police will deal with the attackers properly and not allow the Muslims to retaliate against Fozia and her family. Pray that the Lord will strengthen, protect, and comfort this family that has endured so much persecution over the years.

2/13/2019  Somalia  (ICC) Somalia is one of the worst persecutors of Christians in the world today. They currently rank as number 3 on the World Watch List of worst persecutors. Over 99 percent of all Somalis are Muslim, and the less than 1 percent of other religions are highly persecuted. They must remain completely underground, and when found, often face harsh punishment. One such case is that of a 41-year-old Somali woman who was sent from her home in Somalia to a refugee camp in Kenya by her husband in 2016. After a year of living there, she came to faith in Christ. When local Somali Muslims found out about her conversion from Islam, they became furious. They began to threaten her and her four children, saying they would kill her if she continued to attend church.She stopped attending the church to protect her family, but did not give up her faith. The pastor started coming to her house to pray with her and her children, all of whom had accepted Christ. Despite not attending church, in January four Somali Muslims broke into her home, beat her, and raped her. As they left, they said that they only left her alive because she was now a single mother, but if she told anyone their names or tried to get them arrested, […]

1/29/2019  Somalia  (ICC) A Christian family just outside Nairobi, Kenya has been facing attack and threats by a local group of Muslims. Hassan has been attacked several times by locals who hate him and his widowed mother for their faith in Christ. Not only has Hassan been beaten on multiple occasions, including an attack on January 19, 2019, but his family has also received constant death threats and bribes to convert back to Islam. His mother said that these attacks have left them in fear. They fled from Somalia after Hassan’s father died, looking for a safe place in Nairobi to lead their lives as new Christians. However, all they have experienced since then is fear from the local Muslim community, including family members. Though Kenya is a majority-Christian nation, it suffers constant attacks from the terrorist group al-Shabaab from Somalia. Local Muslim Background Believers also often suffer at the hands of Muslim Somali communities. Please pray… Pray that Hassan and his family will be strengthened by the Lord in their newfound faith and not turn back to Islam. Pray that the police will make sincere efforts to protect them. Pray that they will be able to connect with strong Christians in […]

3/6/2018  Somalia  (Morning Star News) A pastor started a care center for the orphans three years ago in the Somali capital, Mogadishu, as more children of secret Christians were orphaned. The pastor has taken the children in because they had nowhere else to go, but he lacks resources to take care of them – the Christian orphans are crying for food, he said. The children are grieving deeply and are malnourished. They receive little support from Somalia’s impoverished underground Christian community.Al Shabaab is now hunting down the children in Mogadishu, and the care center has been moved to a safer location. The death penalty for apostasy is part of Islamic law according to mainstream schools of Islamic law, and Al Shabaab and Al Qaeda adhere to the teaching. Somalia is ranked third on Christian support organization Open Doors’ 2018 World Watch List of countries where it is most dangerous to be a Christian. Please pray… Pray for the future of the Somalian underground church, that the Lord will protect the church from being eradicated. Pray for the orphaned children, who will form the future of Somalia’s underground church. Pray that the Lord will provide for the material needs of the children and that they will not lose hope or turn away […]

1/26/18  Somalia  (Xinhua) Somali National Security Forces rescued 35 children who had been kidnapped by the Islamic terrorist group al-Shabaab, after the location of the indoctrination camp and activities were confirmed. The ministry of information said that al-Shabaab has no regard for the welfare of children and they demonstrate their cruelty through kidnapping and forcing them to participate in terrorist activities. The Human Rights Watch (HRW) said that the group has gathered thousands of children for indoctrination in Islamic terrorism. Please pray… Pray for God to reveal the locations of these camps, and for the successful rescue of these children. Pray for protection of the minds and hearts of children recruited and kidnapped by al-Shabaab militants. Pray for Christian families to find God’s comfort despite the difficult circumstances they are in.