by CFI Field Staff on June 12, 2013
Naghmeh Abedini, the wife of imprisoned paster Saeed Abedini, is asking Christians around the world to stand up for Basic Human Rights in Iran. Recently, she reached out to CFI to help spread her message, below is her email. Saeed is currently being held at Evin prison in Iran.
“My name is Naghmeh Abedini , I am the wife of Saeed Abedini who is an American pastor who has been sentenced to 8 years in Iranian prison (Evin prison). I have been on CNN, Fox News, USA today, BBC Farsi,and… Read more
by CFI Field Staff on May 24, 2013
Students at CFI’s Haui Kalok Bible Institute (HBI) recently took an exam. The exam covered English rules and spelling. The school located in Mae Sot, Thailand, lays along the Burma border. Haui Kalok Bible Institue (HBI) serves as a Bible School for Karen and Karenni young men and women looking to further their faith and strengthen their leadership skills.
CFI President Jim Jacobson has been teaching both English and Bible classes this spring. He has big plans for both HBI and it’s students.
“With God’s grace, I believe the students… Read more
by CFI Field Staff on May 10, 2013
Syrian church leaders have called for a day of prayer for peace to be restored to their country, enabling all Syrians to live in harmony within their own country. Some fear that the Iraq scenario (involving increased levels of sectarian attack and corresponding flight of Christians) could be replicated in Syria. Church leaders have called on Christians not to leave, acknowledging that significant emigration had already occurred.
Fears within Christian communities have increased following the kidnapping of two priests (Michel Kayyal of the Armenian Catholic church and Mahar Mahfouz of… Read more
by CFI Field Staff on May 7, 2013
The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom recently stated: “The flight of Christians out of the region [Middle East] is unprecedented and it’s increasing year by year.” Some experts even believe that in our lifetime: “Christians might disappear altogether from Iraq, Afghanistan, and Egypt.”
CFI President Jim Jacobson, has said, “over 1 million Christians lived in Iraq in 2003, ten years later less than 400,000 can be counted. Christians in the Middle East are under siege.”
Across the Middle East, in countries like Iraq, Egypt, Syria, and elsewhere, attacks on… Read more
by CFI Field Staff on April 30, 2013
Dear Friends,
We currently have 13 students attending our HBI English summer course. I am teaching the class and really loving it. The students are currently learning how to identify the sounds that letters make. Most of the class is from Mae Lae Refugee camp, some from Burma, and others from remote villages in Thailand. All have a desire to learn English and grow in their Christian faith.
I urge you to please pray for our students that God will open their minds and hearts like never before.
If you… Read more
by CFI Field Staff on December 18, 2012
As we find ourselves celebrating another holiday season – a season traditionally filled with friends, family, and good times – CFI encourages you to remember one important word.
Eternity.
This Christmas, as we remember the miraculous birth of Christ, please also remember that the support you give to our persecuted brethren around the world will have an eternal impact on the lives of hundreds, perhaps thousands, of believers who suffer in Christ’s name.
CFI’s many programs – our medical clinics, schools, Bible distribution, and other humanitarian aid – not only… Read more
by CFI Field Staff on September 14, 2012
CFI’s Egyptian co-worker has reported that danger is on the rise for Coptic Christians in Egypt, in the aftermath of the U.S. embassy attack that took place on September 11.
The attack, which was reportedly in retaliation for an anti-Islamic film created by an Israeli-American filmmaker that blasphemed the prophet Mohammed, was carried out this week in conjunction with a similar attack that occurred at the U.S. embassy in Libya. Four people, including Ambassador Chris Stevens and three other American workers, were killed in the bombing attack in Libya.
“This… Read more
by CFI Field Staff on September 6, 2012
Winner Lynn has come a long way this year.
When the young Burma native and former refugee arrived in the United States several years ago to become a member of the Jacobson family, he had no real idea of what awaited him in his new life in America. Now, after having completed his first year as a student at Pensacola Christian College (PCC) in Pensacola, Florida, his vision for the future is as clear — and bright — as ever.
“I have gotten used to everything, and I’m not afraid… Read more
by CFI Field Staff on August 16, 2012
CFI-sponsored children in Orissa, India are doing remarkably well despite daily hardships, according to an encouraging new report. “Praise God, they are okay and doing well in their studies and Bible education,” says Karma, CFI’s contact in Orissa. “This Sunday, one of our CFI kids prayed…and she saw a great vision about CFI’s work and team. We are going to be blessed.”
The children recently participated in a CFI Sports Day, as well as a celebration of India’s Independence Day on August 15, which was marked with games, a picnic,… Read more
by CFI Field Staff on
In 1998, Nazier Akhtar had a dream.
From his home in Pakistan, this faithful Christian man dreamed of a life somewhere else — a vision of life in beautiful Thailand, though he never knew exactly how that vision would come to pass.
Incredibly, that nearly 15-year-old dream has come true for Nazier and his entire family.
Against all odds, this invaluable CFI co-worker and prayer warrior now lives and works among the persecuted in Thailand, and has dedicated his life to becoming a “voice for the voiceless.”
Watch and learn… Read more
by CFI Field Staff on August 13, 2012
Christian Freedom International (CFI), a Michigan-based ministry that supports persecuted Christians around the world, is one of the first selected nonprofit organizations to participate in the Giving Library, an innovative project being launched by the Laura and John Arnold Foundation.
The Library, which has been officially released today, is an online resource for philanthropists that seek detailed information about 501(c)(3) charities and ways to support their causes. To help donors make informed decisions about strategic, charitable giving, the Library features video interviews with key leaders of participating organizations, as well… Read more
by CFI Field Staff on April 30, 2012
The Kawthoolei Karen Baptist Bible School and College (KKBBSC) in Mae La Refugee Camp was tragically destroyed by fire on Saturday, April 28, the Karen News reported. Other buildings including the library, food storage, and teacher’s homes were also destroyed. “All the buildings in the school compound were destroyed by the fire . . . there’s nothing left,” noted a teacher at the Bible school.
It was reported that as many as 1,000 people helped to stop the fire so it would not spread the surrounding houses. Thai police and… Read more
by CFI Field Staff on April 17, 2012
Let’s face it — news travels quickly.
Most of us don’t hesitate to “spread the word” about things we read online or hear about on TV, such as celebrity gossip or the latest NFL trades. But how often do we share with others the critical news about Christian persecution — the kind of persecution that claims the lives of thousands of suffering believers around the world every day?
The fact is, CFI’s ministry relies on people like you to share what you know about the persecuted church with others —… Read more
by CFI Field Staff on March 30, 2012
Joel Shrum, a 29-year-old native of Mount Joy, Pennsylvania, was shot to death on March 18 in Yemen for allegedly attempting to spread Christianity in the Muslim-dominated nation.
Shrum, who had been a teacher at the International Training and Development Center in the central city of Taiz, had been living in Yemen with his wife and two sons since 2010. He was gunned down while driving to work, reportedly by two men dressed in military uniforms that approached his car on motorcycle before opening fire.
Al-Qaida’s Yemen branch has claimed… Read more
by Jim Jacobson on December 30, 2011
In April of this year my family and I moved to Thailand so I could be closer to the projects that we have developed in S.E. Asia over the past decade and a half. It is a short flight to most of our programs in Laos, Thailand, Burma, Pakistan, India, Bangladesh, and Indonesia.
We continue to support hundreds of needy Christians in these nearby countries, and I have been able to more personally coordinate relief aid, visit medical clinics, and oversee orphanages, Bible distribution, educational development, and the training of young Pastors and… Read more
