Updates on persecuted women: Why your support matters

In March, we brought you the stories of Ariana* and Beatriz*, two women who have sacrificed so much to serve Jesus in some of the toughest places. 

Through the support and prayers of believers, Open Doors has been able to come alongside women like Ariana and Beatriz; a partnership can make all the difference. 
 

Beatriz update

Beatriz was called as a missionary to the “Circle of Silence” in Mexico (number 30 on the Open Doors World Watch List of the most dangerous places to serve Jesus). Beatriz served as salt and light, working closely with women. Open Doors worked with local partners to help her with financial support and persecution preparedness training.  

But after a period of fruitful ministry, God called Beatriz to something different.

For months, God had stirred the same conviction in Beatriz and her husband’s hearts: it was time to leave.

“At first, I didn’t want to,” she recalled. “I kept thinking about the women in the group. How are we going to leave them here alone?”

The couple had served as missionaries for nearly six and a half years. Deep relationships had taken root. Leaving felt almost impossible.

Yet they sensed God leading them into a new season. What they didn’t realize was that the seeds planted through years of tears were already beginning to grow.
 

Forming ‘Timothys’

Before leaving, Beatriz and her husband spent months intentionally equipping Irene* and Emiliano*—a young missionary couple—to step into leadership.

“We started delegating little by little,” Beatriz explains. “First the preaching, then the Bible studies, then the women’s groups. We wanted the women to begin seeing them as the leaders.”

Today, Irene and Emiliano fully lead the ministry in the Circle. The two couples meet in person every month and a half and regularly communicate.

“God allowed us to build a beautiful friendship through serving Him,” Beatriz said. “We see them as our spiritual children—our Timothys.”
 

Faith that remains

Persecution continues. But so do the gatherings, the prayers and the growth.

Some women are now preparing for baptism—a quiet but significant step. In their communities, baptism is not just a ceremony. It is a public declaration that carries a real cost.

“Their faith is firm,” Beatriz says, “but there is still fear of rejection.”

Still, they move forward.

One breakthrough came early this year. A woman named Rachel saw her husband begin attending marriage meetings with Irene and Emiliano—his first steps toward the Gospel.
“That is a huge victory,” Beatriz says.

The ministry among children also continues despite overwhelming challenges: poverty, drug abuse, crime and spiritual darkness.

“Humanly speaking, these children have no future,” says Victoria Vélez, an Open Doors team member in the country.

And yet, Irene and Emiliano, together with volunteers like Carmen, show up week after week—teaching, sharing and carrying light into that darkness.

“I know they cry, they get tired, they feel discouraged,” Beatriz admits. “But they keep going. Humanly speaking, we could never do this. It’s the Holy Spirit.”

During their time with Beatriz, Emiliano and Irene took part in the “Standing Strong Through the Storm” trainings. Now they are multiplying those lessons among new believers in the Circle, teaching them to remain steadfast despite pressure.

“Psychological support and biblical knowledge will continue to be deeply needed, so we thank God for the ‘Standing Strong Through the Storm’ manual,” Emiliano says.
 

Answered prayers

During a recent trip through the region, one prayer request came up again and again: more missionaries to share the burden.

Weeks later, the answer arrived. A young Christian couple moved into the area and connected—through Beatriz—with Irene and Emiliano.
 

“For missionaries here, loneliness is one of the hardest things. Sometimes they feel like they are not enough."

Beatriz

That's why this new friendship felt like far more than just a coincidence.
 

Beatriz today

Beatriz and her family no longer live in the village. After much prayer, they relocated to another city, where her husband now serves in pastoral leadership.

The transition was not easy. Open Doors walked alongside them spiritually, emotionally and financially.

“It has been very meaningful for us as a family,” Beatriz said, “and for the women in the Circle.”

She is still healing from the wounds caused by persecution left behind. She recalls how frightened she felt when a stranger in their new hometown simply asked whether she was a Christian.

Even so, she believes God is in control—of her life, her family and the sisters she left behind in the Circle.

Like Paul, she and her husband have learned to trust God through every transition.

“He will take care of each one of us wherever He wants us to be.”
 

A future beyond silence

Beatriz still carries the Circle of Silence in her heart.

“The older generations are still very closed to the Gospel,” she said. “But young people are opening their hearts. I think that in twenty years, these villages will tell a different story.”

At the beginning of her journey, God gave her a promise. She still holds onto Psalm 126: “Those who go out weeping, carrying seed to sow, will return with songs of joy, carrying sheaves with them.”

“Maybe we will not be the ones who gather the harvest,” Beatriz says. “But others will. That is the promise—every seed planted will bear fruit in its time.”

And so, in the Circle of Silence, they continue to sow.
 

Ariana update

Ariana became a Christian in Afghanistan (number 11 on the World Watch List). 

Ariana’s family was in danger from the Taliban, even though they had escaped to a neighboring country. Her brother discovered she had become a Christian and he threatened to kill them. The ever-present threat of deportation meant that at any time they could be returned to Afghanistan and be killed or her daughters taken from them and married off against their will.

The pressure of living under such conditions is extremely stressful. Like many Christians in similar situations around the world, when Ariana and her family were presented with an opportunity to leave their current home and move to a safe country, they took it. 

While relieved that her family is no longer in danger, she leaves behind the women she has supported for so long, passing on that work to other women who have come to faith in Jesus.

An Open Doors spokesperson says, “When you have refugee status, you've lost your identity and personhood by fleeing your home country, but in the country you've fled to, you're a stranger. So the question becomes: ‘Who are you?’”

But Ariana has been able to serve others, even as she lives in difficult conditions. She’s been able to come alongside other refugee women who are facing similar difficulties.  
 

The work continues

Unfortunately, the situation in Afghanistan continues to be extremely difficult for believers, forcing many other women like Ariana to flee to other countries. 

Afghan women refugees continue to be supported through our partner projects. This involves meeting with them regularly to offer friendship and practical and spiritual support. They provide vocational training and the tools to enable them to earn a living.

Yaldo* grew up in an ordinary Afghan family, where a woman’s role is to be a housewife and to bear children. She fled Afghanistan with her five children after her husband was killed. Her greatest need is to feel that she is not alone—that there are people nearby who are ready to help. Our Open Doors partners came alongside her to give her support and show her that she is loved.
 

“We prayed for them, and they all believed and became part of the Afghan church."

Open Doors partner

Our partners also provided Farzona* with a sewing machine and everything she needs for sewing clothes and souvenirs. For the first time she was able to earn her own money, rather than waiting for her husband to decide to give her money. Through this support and kindness, our partners were able to build a friendship with Farzona and plant seeds of hope.

Women leaders like Ariana come alongside Afghan refugee women who have difficulty in the midst of overwhelming tragedy. One mother recently buried her eldest daughter, who was 18, and her youngest (the fifth child) is disabled. She despaired for her and her family’s lives; they had nothing to eat. But our partner was able to offer hope: “We prayed for them, and they all believed and became part of the Afghan church.”
 

Partnership that matters

Christian women around the world face unique challenges because of their faith—but continue to follow Jesus despite the cost. 

And because of the support and prayers of generous donors, women like Beatriz and Ariana are able to live out their faith and be a blessing to those around them. Their stories show that God continues to use His people to provide hope where everything seems hopeless. 

That partnership is critical for persecuted believers. Will you consider coming alongside the most persecuted, helping them to bring the light of Christ into the darkest places? 

*Names changed for security reasons