Afghanistan
I think the desperate situation in Afghanistan will remain, unfortunately. They have an economic crisis, and funds are not coming into the country. This financial crisis will allow the government to enforce more restrictions on freedom, rights, and religion because no other entities have a strong hand to control the country. It’s already as bad as it can get with a mob that doesn’t know how to run the country. No national income exists, and all the country’s assets are frozen worldwide. Afghanistan is not a country that has natural resources or oil or anything. It has created a desperate situation for all Afghans. The case for many Christians is primarily unknown because it’s illegal to be a Christian, so all worship occurs underground. We continue to work in the country, support those who have either chosen or been forced to stay, and help others escape to safe havens. It’s a big mess.
Turkey
Turkey is taking advantage of the international climate at all levels. Their persecution is outward, not inward. They spread persecution in Libya, Syria, Iraq, and all neighboring countries. They monopolize terrorist groups and harass Christians in Iran. Turkey stays a big player in this game—and its influence goes beyond its border. Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and his cronies are more emboldened than ever to persecute Christians.
Where do you see hope?
I do not see immediate but more long-term hope. There tends to be this global malaise as people are discouraged. As believers, however, despite what’s happening in this world, we have an eternal hope in Jesus Christ. It is hard to see any light coming soon for persecuted Christians. Persecution will never go away; it is a Biblical promise.
The immediate relief that we do, where we come in and help persecution survivors after an attack, will always be our core ministry work.
I see great hope in our long-term sustenance initiatives. ICC implements programs that empower Christians and improve their socioeconomic status through job training and entrepreneurship. We help Christians stand up for themselves and improve their situations.
For ICC, we see great promise and results through programs such as Generation Transformation, which helps young adults and families rise above the harassment as they gain new job skills and start small businesses.
Investing in children (through ICC’s Hope House in the Middle East) and young adults (through ICC’s Generation Transformation) gives me hope to educate kids with the hope of becoming a doctor or engineer. It’s an incredible investment that will have a ripple effect on families and the Christian community.
The ICC Communal Farms initiative in Nigeria, where we launch sustainable farms, offers immediate relief for Christian communities. But we are looking at what we can do to widen the community rebuild and turn it into something bigger—to invest in women and kids, literacy programs, and look at the situation from multiple angles where we are investing in communities at all levels.
This article originally appeared here.
