Ethiopian couple Iaka and Liya offer a wonderful example of how God has used SIM’s Faithful Witness initiative in amazing ways.
They are part of the Faithful Witness team serving the Fulani people in Nigeria. The Fulani are the largest nomadic people group in the world and have had a very complicated and adversarial relationship with Christians historically.
Iaka, Liya, and their family have been serving in this community for three years. They were sent by the East Africa Sending Office in Ethiopia and have since developed trusting relationships with local Fulani village leaders, established a women’s ministry through Ethiopian coffee ceremonies, and have even distributed audio Bibles.
SIM’s East Africa Sending Office Director, Seble, recently shared how unexpected cultural and ethnic ties between Ethiopian and Fulani people have created new opportunities for relationships.
[It’s] interesting [because] they look like Ethiopians.” Seble explained, “The gatekeepers of some Fulani communities permitted them to have visits, sit with them, share about their country, and about their beliefs. So, the colour of their skin opened the door to share the gospel! It’s amazing — God uses anything!”
Through global partnerships and the strategic selection of both the communities we serve and the workers we send, Faithful Witness seeks to overcome barriers to the gospel. Those barriers include extreme persecution, legal restrictions, geographic isolation, and of course, spiritual opposition. The beauty of partnership with the global Church is access to strategic, multi-ethnic, and multi-skilled teams equipped to carry out the work of the Lord. Faithful Witness has workers representing over 20 nationalities, pioneering work in hard-to-reach places. Each of these workers is uniquely called and intentionally positioned to be a catalyst for the gospel where they serve.
In another part of Africa, Faithful Witness workers have been granted pastoral visas to minister to African diaspora students. This allows them to work openly under a banner of faith in an otherwise closed context.
Across the world in South Asia, Faithful Witness established a team with creative access through professions in the IT business. Or nearby, in Central Asia, our team is developing a business training centre to teach vocational and language skills to local residents.
God is faithfully using the unique passions, skills, and backgrounds of His people to establish ministries in unreached places. Evidence of His faithfulness can be seen at every turn, as stories of healing, baptisms, community engagement, reconciliation, and spiritual growth emerge from the Middle East, North Africa, Central and South Asia, and beyond. While the work is often slow and marked by resistance, we are witnessing how God is using the Faithful Witness Initiative as a catalyst—helping to spearhead SIM’s mission in places where gospel access does not yet exist.
Pray with Us:
- For open hearts and deepening relationships among the Fulani. Ask God to continue using Iaka, Liya, and their family to build trust with Fulani leaders and communities, and that these relationships would lead many to hear and respond to the gospel.
- For protection, perseverance, and fruit for workers in hard-to-reach places. Intercede for workers serving in difficult and resistant contexts, and ask God to sustain them spiritually, protect them physically, and bring lasting fruit.
- For creative access and gospel opportunities across closed regions. Ask God to continue opening doors—through visas, professions, and cultural connections—so that these teams can share Christ where gospel access is limited or restricted.
