Believers in hostile and restricted nations must often pray and worship in secret. They risk their freedom, their physical and emotional well-being, and even their lives for sharing the gospel message with others in their families and those around them. They trust the words of Jesus when He said, “For where two or three are gathered together in My name, I am there in the midst of them” (Matthew 18:20).

Government persecution of Christians living in China is on the rise, but “we won’t lose heart,” said Bob Fu, founder of ChinaAid.

Church leaders in Syria are calling for intercessory prayer as the Geneva II Conference begins on Jan. 22 in Switzerland. Representatives from both the government of President Bashar al-Assad and the Western-backed political opposition are scheduled to meet for the first time in three years. Their goal is to find a peaceful way to end the conflict that has claimed the lives of more than 130,000 people and left millions more displaced.

On Dec. 2, Rasoul Abdollahi, a Christian convert from Islam, was moved to Ward 350 of Evin prison in Iran. While it is unclear whether he was held elsewhere immediately before this or whether he was at home on temporary bail, he is now in Evin serving a three-year sentence for “collusion against the government and evangelism.”

“Chinh” and “Anh” are a young couple with three small children. The family is just one of 140 families living in a Hmong village in rural Vietnam. In 2012, none in the village were Christians though some of Chinh’s Christians relatives from a nearby village hadshared the gospel with his family. Even though he had heard about Jesus many times, Chinh never accepted him.

Late on Sept. 23, I received an unsettling text message from a friend in Kenya. He wrote: “The al-Shabaab have attacked at Nairobi’s Westgate Mall and they are killing innocent people. I request you to pray for Kenya and me.”