More than anything, Easter opens the door for us to know Christ in an intimate and powerful way. The veil of the temple was literally torn in two from the top to the bottom (Matthew 27:51) as Christ was crucified and gave His life as a ransom for ours. God paid the price for our sins and opened the way for each one of us. On Resurrection morning, the open tomb celebrates His desire to make Himself known to each of us and to all people, in all nations throughout each generation.
Following Christ has never been easy and that is possibly more true today than ever. Yet this intimate knowledge is so spectacular and life-changing that those who come to know Him truly treasure their own relationship and the privilege of making Him known to the ends of the earth. “That I may know Him, the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings.” Philippians 3:10
One of my favorite authors, Elisabeth Elliot, comments on the process of knowing Him intimately through His sufferings and ours as we journey into a deeper, purer, and richer life than we ever dreamt possible,
“God does not whisk us at once to Glory. We go on living in a fractured world, suffering in one way or another the effects of sin—sometimes our own, sometimes others’. Yet I have come to understand even suffering, through the transforming power of the Cross, as a gift, for in this broken world, in our sorrow, He gives us Himself.”
And this, dear friends, is why Women in the Window International exists. We want to know Christ and make Him known among the nations, and among each of you who lovingly support us in prayer. Women across the globe desperately need prayer as they continue to experience the horrors of war, poverty, and unbridled evil poured on them in the forms of abuse and derision. Those who know Christ experience an intimate knowledge of both His sufferings and His love. We learn so much from them.
Please pray with us as the following needs have been expressed directly from the women we serve:
- Africa: We have some disturbing news from the eastern part of the country. The ruling solders went to the village and started shooting the innocent people, killing some, including some of our women leaders. Some are still in the bush trying to hide and then leave the country to save their lives. Please join us in prayer for them. As Christians, our hope is in Him who is the Helper in the hard times.Our recent WiW training with these brave African women provided strength in God’s Word, leadership principles, trauma healing, and economic empowerment and is yielding much fruit despite this persecution as these women courageously carry the Good News wherever they go!
- Asia: More than a thousand vulnerable children have been left without help due to the government crackdown on Christian efforts to care for them. In this Hindu nationalist nation, we find at least a third of the world’s poorest of the poor. Yet, this mean-spirited, unnecessary government effort will completely shut down specific efforts to care for them removing, viable means of care and concern. Pray for our upcoming training with women leaders in one of the most difficult regions of Asia. Ask God to open doors that no one can shut and to allow us to speak words of life and hope to those who are experiencing subtle and blatant persecution as Christians and violation of their human rights.
- The Middle East: Terror attacks throughout the region have impacted lives in a multitude of ways, as hundreds of lives and families are impacted through death and wounding. Christians are the target of the most heinous crimes of war, and women are pawns in the hands of the terrorists. Yet, unlike any other time in modern history, Muslims are placing their faith in the One true God as Jesus Christ appears to them in dreams and visions and reveals His love and life to them through Christians. Our ministry team continues to strengthen the lives of these women leaders throughout 2017. With God’s help and your faithful prayers, we will gather together again to learn and grow in Christ’s image and from the principles of leadership and discipleship found in His Word. In this time of persecution, Jesus Christ is actively at work in the ministries we partner with in the Middle East and North Africa.