Yemen (MNN) — The interplay between the U.S. and Iran continues in Yemen, where U.S. airstrikes against Iran-backed Houthi rebels escalated in March. 

Tragically, those who often pay the price in these conflicts are ordinary people. At least 67 people have been killed in U.S. airstrikes, according to casualty numbers released by the Houthis.

Hope is already hard to find in Yemen. The past decade of civil war between the government and Houthis has created one of the worst humanitarian crises today. More than half of the people in Yemen need urgent aid; more than 80% live under the poverty line.

“The people in Yemen are noble people. Their heritage, their history, is so rich — yet they have had the misfortune of dealing with certain crisis over the years, famine and other challenges. So the level of hopelessness, again, has been on the rise,” says Mike Ansari with Heart4Iran.

(Children in Yemen courtesy of Irwan Zahuri via Pexels)

Yet God is building His Church in Yemen. 

“That deep-seated hopelessness results in your heart being more open, and that openness [it] is creating is allowing them to be able to see the light of Jesus,” says Ansari. 

“Within the Middle East, people are having dreams and visions, or somebody is telling them, ‘Look, I had this experience. I had an encounter with Jesus. My life is richer. Would you like to try it?’ That’s how we’re seeing people of Yemen, within certain communities, gravitate more towards Christianity.”

Ansari calls Yemen’s growing underground church “a promising beacon within the Arab world.” They are no strangers to persecution — believers there have reached out to ministries like Heart4Iran; they say they look up to Iran’s underground church in Iran.

Discipleship is a pressing need. In both Iran and Yemen, discipleship “takes place, first of all, through God’s grace, and second of all, through face to face, trusted communication,” says Ansari.

Then, because of lack of physical and community resources, “Many of them (persecuted believers across the world) are resorting to connecting on social media, on following satellite TV programs and/or try[ing] to download Bibles and connect with people outside of these regions that could basically mentor them.”

Find your place in the story

(Photo courtesy of Heart4Iran)

Gospel ministries in Yemen and across the Middle East, North Africa need your support in this work. That’s why Ansari invites you to prayerfully research and partner with one of them. 

“We do have a bit of legwork that we [each] need to do to validate from these ministries and organizations the ones that we feel represent our heart goal,” Ansari says. “But we do need to be more missional in America to understand that God is still on the move.”

He continues, “Jesus is on the move. We need to open up our eyes and see that He’s calling us to partner with Him and go across the world to the different regions, and baptize people in the name of Jesus. That is the Great Commission that every single one of us [was] called to take part in.

“So let us come together, explore amazing opportunities in difficult regions in [the] Middle East, partner with other organizations and spread the gospel.”

You can start by learning more about Heart4Iran here.

Header image is a representative stock photo of a boy in Yemen courtesy of Nazar Alareqe via Pexels.