Officials in Algeria are making it increasingly difficult for missionaries to evangelise or challenge Islam in any capacity. Algeria’s government-issued ordinances and restrictions on non-Muslim organisations attempting to attract Muslims to Christ are enforced with animosity, hefty fines, and the very real possibility of between three and five years in prison. Algeria’s population is 99% Sunni Muslim. The laws against blasphemy, proselytisation, and worship make ministry work extremely difficult and can come at a high price. They criminalise any individual offending the Prophet or belittling the precepts of Islam through writing, artwork, speaking, or other mediums. Laws regulating worship keep Christians confined to approved worship spaces made purposely in places difficult to attend regularly. Pray that church leaders will be strong and wise while enduring hardship, and for opportunities to distribute Bibles throughout the country, especially in the south.

The Anglican Church of South Africa has passed anti-Israel resolutions, including the call on members to observe Nakba (Catastrophe) Day, which effectively means believing that Israel has no right to be a nation. Nakba, the name applied by Palestinians to Israel’s annual Independence Day, is normally marked by protests. The approval by Anglicans of such behaviour is a challenge to God’s promises, as they allow themselves to be used as a mouthpiece of the ‘father of lies’. It also goes against the grain of the growing movement of reconciliation between Jews and Arabs who follow Jesus (most Messianic congregations in Israel are mixed). The apartheid regime was defeated mostly thanks to South Africa’s leading Jews: now clerics are accusing Israel of the same type of discrimination. Meanwhile, English Anglicans recently held a service of repentance in Oxford Cathedral for historic anti-Semitism perpetrated by Christians.

Governments in both Iraq and Lebanon struggle to function and pass legislation. Political parties tied to ethnic and religious groups vie for control. Iran-backed militias hold more power than the military. There are many parallels between Lebanon, Syria, and Iraq because the nation-state borders were drawn around them by colonial nations around a hundred years ago. Ethnic groups thrown together by these borders often find it difficult to make their own voices heard and cooperate. It is an ongoing process that is only successful if there has been a dictator or authoritarian government. There is government corruption. Young Iraqis are dissatisfied and  are opening their eyes to opportunities for truth. South Iraq is seeing a time of harvest among the Shia community.  Even though they face persecution by larger religious groups, they are boldly proclaiming the Gospel repeatedly to all peoples and all backgrounds or ethnic minorities or majorities in their communities. God is doing amazing things in the south.

In the second winter since the Taliban took over and foreign funds were frozen, millions are a step away from famine. Abdul says, ‘Our children keep crying; they can’t sleep. We have no food. So we go to the pharmacy to get them tablets to make them drowsy.’ Ghulam has alprazolam tranquilisers in his tunic - they are used to treat anxiety disorders. Others are giving tablets which treat depression and anxiety. Doctors say that when given to young children who do not get adequate nutrition, these drugs cause liver damage, chronic fatigue, and behaviour disorders. Five tablets cost ten Afghanis, the price of a piece of bread. Ammar had surgery to remove his kidney to repay money borrowed to buy food for his family. ‘I sold my five-year-old daughter for 100,000 Afghanis,’ Nizamuddin says. ‘That's less than half what a kidney goes for.’ He bites his lip, and his eyes well up.