In the country of Niger, Christians—especially new converts—can be subjected to persecution.
One of our producers explains: “The challenge is keeping up with listeners who want to accept Jesus as their Savior.”
A listener recently confided: “You know, I am convinced that Jesus alone is the Savior, but I am afraid of the reaction of my own parents. They can kill me if they learn that I have become a Christian.”
Sadly, this listener is not over-reacting, and he is not the only one in such a difficult situation. Many who convert to Christianity in Niger do so secretly, not even telling those closest to them. Words of Hope is forming a network of pastors and evangelists throughout the country to help and encourage converts who find themselves alone in their faith.
“Insecurity limits a lot of things in our area,” our producer continues. “This makes it difficult to visit listeners. Some new converts are followed only by telephone.”
To help broaden the appeal of the programming in this Muslim majority country, some of the recent Words of Hope programs have focused on the lives of the Old Testament prophets, who are of particular interest to Muslims. Starting with the prophets, the programs then work forward to introduce listeners to the person and work of Jesus Christ.
Words of Hope’s SD card program is also beneficial in these harsh conditions, as people can listen privately to the gospel. “Many people are fearful of listening to Christian broadcasts in public because jihadists infiltrate populations even in urban areas,” our producer continues. “Memory cards can also accompany some in their flight from threats from their families.”
In the midst of these very real dangers, the Words of Hope Niger team urges reliance on God. “We need to devote times of fasting and prayer in order to ask the Lord for courage and protection to continue proclaiming the good news.”
