Open Doors Women - Regional Focus - Asia

Photo credit Open Doors, illustrative only.

Region/country information:

The Church in Central Asia experiences many challenges and risks – many Christian women have to live out their faith in secret and lack spiritual maturity. When they share their faith, it can cost them their jobs and even their relationships with their families. Women are also vulnerable to being kicked out of their family, face abuse or neglect and they live in a culture where women don’t often have the skills or opportunities to support themselves. Open Doors provides skills training and micro-loans to equip women to support themselves and find new opportunities to share the gospel.

Open Doors also invests in lots of discipleship training for women, focusing on things like fellowship, mutual encouragement and how to share your faith. A pastor’s wife, who spent three years in prison where she became a Christian, shared that she wanted to start ministering to women in prisons but she didn’t know how to start. “Now I have an idea how to minister to women,” she said, after attending the training.

Photo credit Open Doors, illustrative only.

Testimony:

Mia (pseudonym) took an Open Doors business course in Central Asia and felt a call from God to open her own hair salon. Through being equipped with the skills to support herself and share her faith, God is using her in amazing ways!

Q: Can you tell us about how the Open Doors business course caused you to recognise your

calling?

A: I had been working in hair salons for a while and had always thought of starting my own, but I didn’t know where to start. But the Open Doors training courses gave me all the tools that I needed!

I learned how to manage books and other important things about running a business. And I realised that the time was now for me to start my business. So I prayed and told God I would use my business as a ministry.

Q: How do you minister through your business?

A: I share the gospel with everyone who comes in here! It isn’t always the safest thing to do, but I rely on God’s guidance. And people continue to come to my salon and tell their friends about me, so I have been growing my client base.

Q: Do you have any stories of people accepting Christ?

A: Yes! A Uyger (an ethnic minority in Central Asia) girl came to my salon and I shared the gospel with her. She thought about it for a few days and then decided she wanted to accept Christ! But in the Uyger culture, to be Uyger is to be Muslim. When her family found out that she was a Christian, they kicked her out. She had no job and nowhere to live. So I hired her and now she cuts hair with me.

Q: So not only did you spread the gospel, but you took care of a fellow believer who was

persecuted for her faith?

A: We all go through difficult times in our faith. The church has been there for me during difficult times in my life. We must stand together!

Prayer Points:

Thank God that Open Doors can help many women, who have lost their jobs because of being Christians, with micro credit loans so that they can start their own businesses.
Pray for women to be bold and take up opportunities to share their faith with other women.
Pray that women in Central Asia are treated with respect and humanity in their society and family.
Pray for Christian women who regularly receive beatings from their husband because of their faith.