This is blind Abhra. He is a hidden Christian.

Dear Friend of the Persecuted Church,

“This is blind Abhra*. He is an underground converted believer. This is his family. He is a street beggar.”

Our co-worker’s short message from a risky country jolted me.

Imagine navigating the crowded streets of a city or dirt trails in a forest. Now imagine getting around if you are blind or paralyzed.

In Abhra’s country, a person with disabilities faces crushing prejudice and life-threatening physical obstacles. They are completely reliant on others to even get a drink of water.

Add on to that being a new Believer. People who convert to Christ can be beaten, kicked out of their family and cast out of their villages. Their communities and families believe they are ‘apostates’ and deserve death because they ‘insulted’ Islam or Buddhism or Hinduism or communism.

Disabled people take a huge risk to embrace the truth of Jesus Christ. They can literally lose everything in this life to gain life in Christ.

Abhra was hit by a bus while he was begging in the street. The bus ran over his leg. All the muscles of his lower leg were messed up. As a poor blind man he was not able to get proper medical treatment.

So he came to Christian Freedom International’s co-worker Abu*.

“Wherever I go, I always try to find disabled people. My passion is to work for disabled people,” Abu told me.

When Abu was 8 years old, he lost his father. His only memories of his father are of seeing him struggle.

“My father was paralyzed on his left side due to a brain hemorrhage (but at that time we believed it was done by demons).”

“That is the reason I have love for disabled people,” he said.

“When I started reading the Bible, I found Jesus Christ loved the disabled and healed them. That ignited a passion for my duty for disabled. Jesus Christ loved the people who are the most needy. I pray to my savior Lord Jesus Christ to help to reach the most needy people with the Gospel.”

Each year Abu organizes a celebration for International White Cane Day, a special day established for people who are blind.

Abu’s network of Christians (who are converts to Christ and some disabled) prepares for weeks. They fill and wrap packages with rice, lentils, mosquito nets, white canes, black eye-glasses, and audio Bibles.

And they spread the word, seeking and inviting the blind and disabled to come for a hot meal and gifts. They host parties in the big city and in hard-to-reach areas – regions where disabled Christians face double-discrimination.

“But when you give a feast, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind, and you will be blessed, because they cannot repay you. For you will be repaid at the resurrection of the just.”

Luke 14:13 – 14

“For your kind information, we reached blind people in rural and backward places. It was an amazing experience,” Abu reported.

“I have been praying for a long time to reach blind and other physically challenged people in the rural area.

“Some of them had never been able to visit other places and people. It means they live all day in a tiny room. It was shocking, but it is reality.”

“Blind people living near the big city have a lot of opportunities. But in the rural areas they have no opportunities.”

“Christian Freedom International has opened a great opportunity for those blind people in the rural area.”

All told, 198 blind and disabled people enjoyed meals and gifts and Bibles. This is twice the number that Abu planned for in the past!

Would you pray for them – and that these gifts would have an eternal impact?

We reached more people – disabled and hidden believers – because Christians like you prayed and gave to Christian Freedom International.

Abu – and all of Christian Freedom International’s ministries – are empowered by God and supported through our prayers and gifts.

Your gifts help with medical care for Christians like Abhra, food, Bibles and Bible training, schools for Christian refugees, shelters and safe houses, and much more.

Thank you for helping Abu and Christian Freedom International to serve persecuted Christians.

For Christ,

Wendy Wright

President

P.S. Would you like to join Abu and Christian Freedom International to serve, as Jesus said, “the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind,” and persecuted Christians?

You can do it without leaving your home. When you pray and give to Christian Freedom International you are helping persecuted Christians – and equipping them to serve others.

(*Names changed.)