Even with the closures, our legislative work continues. Because of the overwhelming interest in our Nigeria missions and concern for the welfare of persecuted Christians in Nigeria, I began a post card campaign to President Trump. President Trump has already taken some actions to send a message to Nigeria!

The travel ban proclaimed by President Trump, and the addition of Nigeria to the “Special Watch List” of nations that violate religious freedom are both steps forward to confront the Sunni Muslim president of Nigeria who allows the attacks on Christians and actively suppresses the Shia Muslim minority. Still, much harsher action is needed by the American government.

Christmas programs have started in Lebanon … Jordan and Iraq are next / How we did in 2019 - Camp Gilead in Jordan received updated equipment / Diapers for Refugees expanded to include many elderly and special needs adults / Nigerian orphanage farm a success / West Bank programs expand!

The slaughter of Christians continues in Nigeria while Western leaders and Western media say nothing. Most are not even reported in the media in Nigeria. A Bright Spot: The orphanage children harvest corn.

Christians facing more persecution than ever around the world / More attacks on Christians in China, Vietnam, Pakistan and India / The election: Is “freedom of warship” really religious freedom? / Christmas for Refugees programs in the war zone of Syria and Lebanon

There are two times of year when we as Christians stop all else to behold what Jesus did for us. The Christmas for Refugees programs are foremost about the spiritual aspects of the celebration of the coming of Jesus, sending out the message.

Jiret witnessed the murder of his parents on Christmas Eve. / 200 new orphans placed. Some older teen orphans have found work. / Orphanage school graduates have moved to new transition house! / The news cycle … Middle East Christians not important to the media.

Most of the work needed for the new transition house for teenagers aging out of our orphanage has been completed. All are graduating from the orphanage school with government test scores far above those of public-school students!

Program to move newly orphaned children from IDP camps to homes / Orphanage in Jos prospers as we train Christian leaders for Nigeria / Work continues for transition house for orphanage graduates / Full results from Religious Freedom Coalition supporter poll

What happens to the children made orphans in the latest attacks in Plateau State? We cannot absorb 1,000 new orphans into the orphanage we designed and built for a maximum of 160 children.

For the third year in a row the U.S. State Department released its annual Religious Freedom Watchlist, leaving Nigeria off the list. The failure of the State Department to designate Nigeria as a CPC came just after hundreds more Christians were murdered in Nigeria!

Sunni Muslims kill hundred of Christians on Christmas Day. Hundreds left orphaned by the attacks. Nigerian Christians are in danger. The United States will not take action. What can we do to help?

This year, we partnered with the children and volunteers at our Jos orphanage to bring the joy of Christmas to an IDP camp housing many of the survivors of terror attacks. Children were able to enjoy a fresh meal, gifts, and fun activities at this event.

ISRAEL VS. HAMAS: Children of our partners serve in the IDF / 17 Christians killed and many injured when church hit by bomb / Hamas terror and Israel response endanger Christmas programs / Nigeria update on new orphanage building and graduating students

Tens of thousands of Christian refugees can’t go home to Syria. Entire Christian towns no longer exist. The need for the Christmas for Refugees program is declining in Iraq, but the need is ever growing in Nigeria. We will be adding Christmas events in IDP camps this year!

On August 2, 2021 our Christian orphanage in Miango Nigeria was destroyed by Fulani Herdsmen. Two years later, the children reflect on that fateful day and how far they have come through the supporters of the Religious Freedom Coalition.

Our orphanage in Jos, Nigeria is now in its final construction stage as Block B classrooms are being completed. WATCH: Video of volunteers carrying concrete up an unsteady ramp, bucket-by-bucket.

Nasir El-Rufai, the governor of Kaduna State from 2015 to 2023 confessed to the goal of Islamification of Nigeria in a speech to his tribe that has been posted on social media without his permission. Inside is a report on the context of the speech, which was delivered in Hausa, a tribal language of Nigeria.

Ignoring persecution of Christians? The communists who run Vietnam are now the best buddies of our State Department. Secretary of State Blinken headed to Hanoi in April to rub shoulders with this despotic communist government. We signed onto a letter urging the Secretary to address the ongoing persecution of Christians.

As orphans turn 18 where do they go? That has been a compelling question, and now our prayers have been answered. We just can’t turn 18-year-olds with no real job training out onto the streets. They had no families to support them and no source of income while they were in the orphanage.

Right now, one of the classroom buildings at our orphanage is a temporary makeshift facility. It is time to build a concrete building with electrical wiring to allow these children to learn in an environment untouched by Nigerian heat and weather.

Tragedy in Bethlehem delays start of our Christmas programs / Riots in Jordan force change of location for Christmas programs. / Some Christians living in the birthplace of the Lord are starving / Work continues at new orphanage location as Christmas celebrated

Most of the Christmas for Refugees events in Lebanon and Syria were reinstated. One of the Christmas programs for Syrian refugee children was held in Akkar which is in the far north of Lebanon. About one out of every three people now living in Akkar are Syrian refugees.

Jos Christian Refuge for Children opens fully functional. Praise God! / Graduating orphans need transition homes during 33% unemployment / Former Muslims who accept the Lord need assistance and prayers / Christmas for Refugees programs face first cuts in over a decade

Working on Capitol Hill to stop the killing of Christians in Nigeria / Our orphanage is an Island of mercy in a sea of hatred. / Children begin the move into Jos Christian Refuge for Children / Christmas for Refugees funding lags – Trusting the Lord for success

Temporary orphanage site flooded causing delays in move / Progress report on construction at new orphanage site / Fencing, gate and other security features at orphanage site / Expanding the Christmas for Refugees program in Syria and Nigeria

Full report on July mission trip to Assyrian areas of Iraq / Report on adult diaper programs in poverty ridden Christian villages / Rocket attack by Turkey near village we visited to distribute diapers / New Nigeria orphanage site will be ready for move in by September!

The children at our orphanage in Nigeria created this video to thank us for their new home! It has been almost one year since the Fulani Herdsmen attacked and destroyed the original orphanage location in 2021.

Just a few steps left in the process of securing a new permanent home in Jos for the Nigerian orphans. With more Christians being killed daily, the orphanage has had to turn away children. Even as persecution continues to rise, no efforts are made from the Biden administration.

Safe, permanent site for the orphanage children may have been found / Owner wants outrageous price for current building that needs repair / Diapers for Refugees program continues in Iraq and West Bank / Final results of supporters’ poll ranking our mission programs

We noticed some things needed to change after an audit was done during our visit to the orphanage. We have already made adjustments to the current building, but think we may need to look elsewhere for a permanent home.

Mission Trip to Nigeria planned for March 2020 finally takes place in January 2022. In this first recap I tell about our trip to Benue State to attend the commission of the school building we funded at an IDP camp. We were able to participate and hand out Christ-centered educational materials to the children.

Christmas for Refugees successful despite Covid-19 / The cause of the suffering of Syrian Christian children / Heart for the Persecuted Church – Unification of our programs / Working with the Tiv Tribe in Nigeria to help displaced Christians

Purchase of 15 seat VW Transporter “bus” for use in Jos city / New classrooms under construction at site of rented building / New playground equipment purchased / New school uniforms / Christmas for Refugees financial goals not met. Lebanon in crisis

Thanks to the good-hearted supporters of the Religious Freedom Coalition, 360 Christian children forced from their homes by Sunni Muslim terrorists will be able to receive an education in a safe building out of the rain during rainy season and out of the blistering sun during the summer months.

Orphanage in Miango, Nigeria destroyed, every building burned / Orphans escaped but all personal belongings were burned up / Religious Freedom Coalition rents building in Jos City for orphanage / Mission to Iraq – Team heads to Iraq to reinvigorate diaper program

The Christian orphanage we support in Plateau State, Nigeria was attacked and destroyed by Muslim Fulani Herdsmen during the night of August 2nd, 2021. Please watch this video from the desk of William J. Murray as he explains the current situation and the huge need there is for your help.

Christians in Plateau State, Nigeria are in grave danger as Sunni Muslim Fulani Herdsmen rampage their way through towns and farmland, killing Christians and destroying homes. Our orphanage and farm are in their path. Learn about one Christian orphanage that was miraculously saved during one of these terrible attacks.

I was overjoyed when I learned that President Joe Biden was going to issue an official statement recognizing the Armenian Genocide. Then I read President Biden’s statement. He never even mentioned the word "Christian" and also managed to forgive the killers.

The Religious Freedom Coalition is funding the construction of school buildings at IDP (Internally Displaced Persons) Camps in Nigeria. Many of the Christian families in these camps are there as a result of fleeing Islamist terror and persecution.

In this update from William J. Murray, learn about the different areas the Religious Freedom Coalition is helping the persecuted Christians in Nigeria. These efforts include the continued partnership with an orphanage along with a new venture we have begun which is centered around building school houses for displaced children.

Joe Biden has issued an executive order to undo what he called the "Muslim travel ban" that was established by President Trump to put pressure on areas with increased Sunni Muslim terrorist activities... including Nigeria.

At one event in Lebanon, children were greeted by costumed characters. Then they heard a story as they watched a woman make candy canes. The children were told how the different colors of the candy can represented different aspects of the Gospel story. The children were then given their gifts.

There were no large Christmas for Refugees events this year with hundreds of children celebrating the birth of our Lord except in Syria and Nigeria. The events may have been toned down, but they were still about Jesus. Instead of games and song, children received special gifts.

Increase in number of children to participate in Christmas for Refugees / Program changes include package of Christian books and workbooks / Matching gift challenge not yet met – Our walk is by faith not sight / Turkey – our NATO ally – commits atrocities and persecutes Christians

We pledged to help feed 60 Christian families in Lebanon after the explosion in Beirut earlier this year. Many of these families are refugees fleeing persecution in Syria. Having passed our goal, we can feed even more families with your help!

Each of us will remember exactly where we were and what we were doing at the moment we heard about the Islamic Jihad attack against our nation on September 11th. On that fateful day I was on my way to Washington, DC to participate in the Sudan Peace Act press conference to be held at the Rayburn House Office Building at 10:00 a.m. that morning.

Watch this video from RFC President, William J. Murray, as he speaks about what the 2020 Christmas for Refugees events will look like in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic

In several Muslim countries Christians are in prison and often facing death after being falsely accused of blasphemy toward Islam. Often this is done to steal property or as some personal revenge. Here are a few of the stories from Pakistan.

Fulani Herdsmen leader says: “Nigeria belongs to the Fulani” / Nigerian orphanage farm doing well, but Christians murdered nearby / U. S. government agency complains about arrest of Nigerian … atheist! / Will Covid-19 affect our Christmas for Refugees program?

Legislative work continues in Washington, DC – Persecution in Vietnam / Christians suppressed in Vietnam / Iraq refusing recognition of evangelicals / Female genital mutilation in Sudan (Maybe) Can it be stopped elsewhere? / Destruction at only Christian bookstore in Amman, Jordan

Many of the meetings I attended in person in Washington, DC are now held by Zoom. One of the most important is the International Religious Freedom Roundtable chaired by Ambassador Sam Brownback. I made a presentation to stop the attacks on Christians in Nigeria.

The coronavirus was introduced to the Bethlehem area by Christians on a pilgrimage from South Korea. The situation in the West Bank comes just as we had begun a diaper program at a nursing home for very elderly Christians who are in need of constant medical aid.

The Religious Freedom Coalition signed a petition addressed to U.S. Ambassador Kelly Craft, urging her to bring the wrongful imprisonment of Pastor Wang Yi to the attention of the United Nations. Read the official letter here.

William J. Murray reports from Qaraqosh, Iraq… an area that was destroyed by the Islamic State because of the Christian presence in the town. Watch this video to see how our Christmas for Refugees events help encourage Christians in areas like this!

Just in October, more than 250 Iraqis have died in protests aimed at forcing the entire government to resign. So far most of the protests have been in Baghdad and the southern parts of Iraq and not in the areas where we serve in the north. What does this mean for Christmas for Refugees events?

Just a few short months ago we invested just $7,000 to rent about five acres of land and buy seed, fertilizers and hand tools for the orphanage children to start their own farm. But the farm is a lot more than the food it is producing. The orphaned children are learning farming skills and reliance on themselves rather than on charity.

"I have seen the Christian civilization of the “West Bank” collapse and be replaced by those who hate Christians and work to steal what is left of their land. No matter what, we must continue the Christmas program in the “West Bank” which includes Bethlehem."

Our farm for orphanage in Nigeria preparing to yield first crop / No longer just plain gruel for children at the orphanage – We supply protein / Our forum with Boko Haram survivor a success in Washington / What was the real impact of the Ministerial to Advance Religious Freedom?

The Religious Freedom Coalition held an event during the multi-day Ministerial to Advance Religious Freedom in Washington, D.C. The feature speaker at our event, Ike, is a sole survivor of a Boko Haram attack in Nigeria.

The generous supporters of the Religious Freedom Coalition have sent sufficient funds to also allow us to purchase protein for every child in the orphanage for three meals a day for the rest of the year! The growing farm keeps the children fed and allows them to learn farming as they take on self responsibility.

A few weeks ago, I received distressing news about a day care center in Beit Sahour, a Christian area inside the Bethlehem “governate.” The day care, with 117 children age four and under, had only one of seven rooms with a working air conditioner.

Last year I visited the orphanage we support in Nigeria for Easter, and an Easter program was presented in the chapel while I was there. This year, during Easter week a powerful rain and wind storm completely destroyed the roof of the chapel.

I received a proposal from the camp director to help rent two hectares of land and obtain supplies for a small farm for the older children to plant and grow some of their own food. A farm of this size cannot feed the 87 children that are currently in the orphanage. But the farm will do more than supply some of the needed food.