Anna and her children gratefully holding life-sustaining food

In the Nick of Time

Will persecuted believers survive in a foreign land?

Dear Friend,

With shaky hands Anna, a widow, reached out to take the gift while her 4 children, unsuspecting of how that gift would save their lives, noisily played in the dusty, grassless yard.

Anna is just one of many women from her tribe who have been widowed as a result of civil war and persecution inside Myanmar (a.k.a., Burma). She comes from a people who’ve embraced Christianity for generations, making them a small minority in that Buddhist nation, and have been tormented for decades by a ruthless regime that doesn’t tolerate those it cannot fully control. Many men—both husbands and fathers—have died fighting for their freedom. Anna and her children managed to flee across the jungle-blanketed border into Thailand before her village was incinerated, but now faces new challenges in her fight to keep her children safe and fed in a foreign land.

That’s where Anna met Jonah, a fellow persecuted refugee-turned-pastor, and his wife Esther. This couple leads a small, vibrant church among the refugee community. Many families have found hope through their incredible outreach, and those who have been orphaned have found a new family among the believers there. Part of Jonah’s ministry is to demonstrate Jesus’ love for the “least of these” by providing much-needed food to believers who have little or no opportunity to grow their own food or earn an income. He can perform this life-sustaining ministry thanks to provision sent from the Persecuted Christians Fund.

Anna had no words to properly express her gratitude that day. In her hands she now held enough food to ensure survival for her family. Jonah gave a reassuring smile as he handed her the gift, telling her that God loved her deeply and cared about her story. And now with the food they need, the children can continue to play.

The rice, cooking oil and other food supplies Jonah delivered to persecuted believers like Anna that day

On behalf of Anna and her children, thank you for your gifts to the Persecuted Christians Fund. As you give, you join those like Jonah and Esther in their mission of hope to those who have experienced brutal persecution.

With a grateful heart,

Ben Croft
Director, Persecuted Christians Fund