Every minute you spend in prayer for secret believers matters. Please pray for courageous Christians Elmahdi* in Morocco and Hila* in Afghanistan.
MEET ELMAHDI
Name: Elmahdi
Status: Divorcee, barred from seeing children, secret believer
Country: Morocco, 24th in the World Watch List
As a young man, Elmahdi was intrigued by the extraordinary life of Christ. His quest for truth led him to explore Christianity online, and Elmahdi was drawn to faith and baptised. But what would his wife, a strict Muslim, think? Fearing the worst, Elmahdi kept his new faith secret.
But Elmahdi couldn’t keep making up excuses to attend church. His wife became suspicious, searched her husband’s phone, and discovered his conversion. She presented him with an ultimatum: revert to Islam or divorce.
It was a desperate choice, but Elmahdi couldn’t turn his back on Jesus. Today, he’s divorced. He hasn’t seen his beloved children since 2022. And in his hardest moments, he’s tormented by thoughts of reverting to Islam to be reunited with his son and two daughters.
Please pray urgently that Elmahdi will remain strong in his faith.
- Ask God to reunite Elmahdi and his children, just as He has done for other secret believers.
- Pray for comfort and peace for Elmahdi in his darkest days.
- Pray that Elmahdi grows in his faith in Jesus.
MEET HILA
Name: Hila
Status: Widow, single parent, educated, secret believer
Country: Afghanistan, 10th in the World Watch List
Hila’s childhood was unusual. Her parents allowed her to go to school, even though most girls stayed at home. Hila was clever – and even after marrying at the age of 18, she carried on studying at university.
But things changed in Hila’s second year at university. “My husband introduced me to the Bible after watching a TV program,” she said. “We delved into the Bible, finding guidance and inspiration.”
The couple gave their lives to Jesus and even found other Christians to walk with. But one day, Hila’s husband went to another village to buy Bible study books and never returned.
“He was sacrificed in the way of Christ,” said Hila. Now, this mother-of-two gets by with help from her community – but she needs your prayers.
Pray for Hila:
- 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.