“This gospel of the Kingdom shall be preached in all the world as a witness unto all nations . . .” (Matthew 24:14).

As field directors, we see a wider swath of the world than we did when working in one country. General global trends have become more evident, and we have seen that, at least with the projects which we supervise, difficulties are increasing. Governments are cracking down on immigration, making it more difficult, if not impossible, for our missionaries to renew their visas.

The regions we serve are labeled as “creative access” because they are not friendly to the work of the gospel. Restrictive laws are in place to try to prevent outside religions, such as Christianity, from converting people.

Over the past six months, all of the missionaries under our supervision have witnessed increased government restrictions in their host countries. In one small country, more than 300 expatriate workers were unable to renew their visas and had to leave the country last year. Things looked bleak for our missionary, who needed to renew her student visa. She sent a plea to our prayer group to pray for her. I believe that our heavenly Father heard our prayers. Quite miraculously, she was granted a new visa.

A few years ago, a missionary family felt called to reach people in another small, very closed country. It was so closed that the only opportunity our missionaries had to reach the people was to work with them from outside the borders of that beautiful but tightly-guarded nation. Because of the country’s restrictions, Christianity is almost non-existent.

This family chose to work in a neighboring open country. Since then, they have lived in a town on the border of their closed target country. They had been praying for a way to live within the closed country and, by their influence, bring the light of truth to this spiritually dark place. They were finally able to take a brief trip as tourists to see the land and noticed that the country needed teachers. The wife interviewed for a job at an elementary school. Asking their friends to pray for them, she was granted an interview. A few weeks later, our prayers were answered, and she was offered a job! They have applied for their visas now and are waiting for government approval to enter.

So when our missionaries’ visas in the open country are not working out, the closed country, which is their target country, seems to have an open window. God is working! Please keep our missionaries in your prayers. They are preparing to enter, and some kinks still need to be ironed out. Thank you. Your prayers make such a difference.

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