More than 365 million Christians face high levels of persecution and discrimination because they believe in Jesus Christ. For women and girls in particular, persecution is complex, violent, and hidden. Despite these circumstances, the TWR Women of Hope ministry helps women worldwide by bringing them hope and healing in Jesus.
On Sunday, November 3, 2024, Christians around the world were invited to participate in the annual International Day of Prayer for the Persecuted Church. This year’s theme, Remember Her, focused on “the suffering bride of Christ around the world and specifically the way persecution impacts women and girls who often silently endure great hardship for the name of Christ.” According to the International Day of Prayer video, more than 365 million Christians face high levels of persecution and discrimination because they believe in Jesus Christ. For women and girls in particular, persecution is complex, violent, and hidden. It is often experienced within the private sphere, frequently behind closed doors. Many of these women, rejected by their families because of their faith, feel unseen and isolated.
However, our sisters in Christ are never truly alone. As Hagar reminds us in the book of Genesis, we have a God who sees us and cares for us. Pregnant and having been rejected by a harsh, jealous mistress, Hagar fled into the desert. However the Lord went to her reassuring her that He had not forgotten her and her unborn son. In spite of her difficult circumstances she made this beautiful confession: “You are a God of seeing…Truly here I have seen Him who looks after me” (Genesis 16:13, ESV).
The TWR Women of Hope ministry also helps women around the world who need this reminder, with the goal of bringing them hope and healing in Jesus Christ. Their mission is to educate, encourage and equip women to learn, pray, listen, grow and give through media and small group interaction. The Women of Hope programme is available in over 70 languages, in more than 55 countries around the world.
In some of these countries persecution is a very real threat. Uzbekistan, for example, is listed as number 25 on the Open Doors World Watch List of countries where Christians face the most extreme persecution. A listener of the Women of Hope programme here shares:
“I give media players mostly to people who have recently come to faith in Christ and cannot yet attend church. Praise God, the Gospel is spreading and more people are coming to know Christ. Through your radio ministry, people are learning more about Christ and believers in Christ are growing spiritually.”
A pastor in Kazakhstan, number 47 on the World Watch List, reports, “I see the Lord working through these media players, bringing truth and hope into the lives of those who previously did not have the opportunity to hear God’s Word. Each testimony strengthens my conviction that this ministry is important and necessary.” Even a 90-year-old Kazakh woman, after listening to the Women of Hope programme, discovered that she could still be useful for the Kingdom of God.
As a team member with TWR Women of Hope in Central Asia puts it: “These programmes touch women of all generations, young as well as old, and are inspiring.”
Please pray for Christian women around the world who suffer persecution. Please also pray alongside us for the TWR Women of Hope ministry in countries such as Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan, Tajikistan and Jordan, where listeners may face persecution for putting their faith in Jesus Christ.
