Faith Without Frontiers

Criminality is Not a Good Career Choice in Finland | Ville Hoikkala

Christian Daily International — Tue, 21 Jul 2026 06:00:00 -0400

Gordon Showell-Rogers interviews Ville, a Finnish Christian attorney with a 20-year solo practice focused on immigration alongside criminal and family law, meeting him at a European gathering on forced displacement. Ville explains how volunteering with Iraqi refugees in the early 1990s led him to study law and build a largely word-of-mouth immigrant clientele, including many Hindus and Muslims, and he describes helping register a Hindu temple and the mutual respect this can foster. He recounts challenges in asylum cases involving converts to Christianity, outlining how he prepares clients and witnesses and noting the complexity of assessing risk in countries like Iran and Iraq; he estimates about 20% of his convert clients are ultimately sent back. Ville shares memorable criminal cases, including a bungled bank robbery and defending a Rwandan genocide suspect, discusses how he processes disturbing testimony, and reflects on threats and domestic violence, including harassment from ex-husbands, sometimes from Christian backgrounds.

00:54 Reconnecting in Europe
01:40 Life as an Attorney
02:31 Refugee Roots and Calling
03:28 Law School in Lapland
05:01 Starting a Solo Practice
06:09 Immigration Law Perks
07:22 Faith and Interfaith Respect
09:41 Word of Mouth Clients
11:05 Courtroom Stories and Crime
14:19 Proving Genuine Conversion
17:02 Culture and Christian Questions
17:46 Church Witness Checks
18:04 Iran Risk Reality
19:57 Iraq Family Persecution
21:02 Who Gets Sent Back
22:46 Wild Criminal Clients
23:26 Rwanda Genocide Case
25:45 Coping With Darkness
29:01 Defending The Unliked
31:08 Rapture House Will
32:30 Church Abuse Warnings
35:18 Closing Reflections

God Designed the Church to Work Together in Mission | Paulo Feniman

Christian Daily International — Tue, 14 Jul 2026 06:00:00 -0400

Paulo Feniman, a Brazilian leader with Africa Inland Mission (AIM), describes his transition from 26 years serving AIM Brazil/South America—20 as executive director focused on mobilizing churches to send missionaries—to becoming AIM International’s collaboration director, building connections with the African church and mission movement. He recounts an early calling to mission and pastoral ministry shaped by local service, later using his marketing/media background in mission communications. Feniman explains COMIBAM as a Latin American mission movement launched with a 1987 São Paulo congress that reframed the region as a “mission force,” leading to major growth, including about 35,000 cross-cultural missionaries (22,000 from Brazil), many among unreached peoples and Muslim contexts. He emphasizes partnership—setting aside “ego and logo”—training through collaboration, perseverance amid economic challenges, and the Great Commission as a privilege for the whole church.

01:29 Meet Paulo Feniman
02:00 AIM Brazil to Global Role
02:52 Called Into Missions
04:29 Leadership Shift and Pandemic
06:38 Passions Mobilization Partnership
08:16 Teenage Calling and Mentors
11:20 Design Career Back to Mission
13:01 COMIBAM Origins and Growth
15:53 Latin America Mission Stats
16:13 Collaboration Principles
18:56 Unity Takes Effort
20:55 Humility In Teamwork
21:52 Training Through Partnerships
23:28 Redefining True Riches
25:02 Called To Connect Others
28:02 Prayer Card Breakthrough
31:27 Latino Missions Perseverance
35:43 Capacity And Heart Check
37:23 Great Commission Invitation
40:05 Final Thanks And Blessing

Lives Full of Questions: Reaching Africa’s Next Generation | Andy Mburu

Christian Daily International — Tue, 07 Jul 2026 06:00:00 -0400

In Nairobi, Gordon interviews Andy Mburu, leader of Litmus Africa, about engaging Africa’s overwhelmingly young population and why many churches struggle to connect with Gen Z, who face countless information sources and often question the Bible’s authority. Andy explains that in shame-honor cultures, questioning can be seen as rebellion, leaving issues like sexuality, gender identity, and whether Christianity is “good news” for Black Africans—amid renewed interest in ancestral practices—largely unaddressed in church. Litmus creates spaces for apologetics and critical thinking, welcoming questions and emphasizing that truth is ultimately a person, Jesus. Andy shares examples, his own journey after his first wife Priscilla died in a traffic accident soon after their wedding, his training at the Oxford Centre for Christian Apologetics, reflections on the Ravi Zacharias scandal, and his hope to equip Kenyan youth as “undercover missionaries,” especially those studying abroad.

01:33 Meet Andy Mburu
02:01 Swahili Youth Greetings
03:22 Africa Is Young
06:00 Gen Z Worldview Shift
07:25 Questions Seen As Rebellion
10:51 Why Litmus Exists
14:05 Truth Is A Person
15:34 Real Questions Teens Ask
18:59 Faith And African Identity
23:22 Called Into Ministry
24:39 Accident Details
26:02 Was It Gods Will
27:58 Pain Suffering Questions
28:47 Discovering Apologetics
30:44 Training At Oxford
32:39 Ravi Scandal Fallout
35:09 Truth And Coverups
36:52 Comforting Victims
38:37 Grief Ten Years Later
42:24 Hope For Kenyan Youth
44:21 Undercover Missionaries
47:09 Final Thanks Farewell

Born As A Refugee - But I Didn’t Know That Until I Was 9 Years Old | Javad Bakhtiari

Christian Daily International — Tue, 30 Jun 2026 06:00:00 -0400

In an interview, Javad (born in Iran to Afghan parents, later living in Norway, Germany, Afghanistan, and now Austria) describes how his family fled Afghanistan during the Soviet war, and how at age nine he first learned he was a refugee when UNICEF aid was distributed at school, leading him to hide his identity and resent his parents’ choice of Iran. As an adult and Christian, he later understood his father’s decision as a practical move to provide quickly due to shared language and culture. Javad recounts discovering Christianity after watching The Passion of the Christ, being welcomed by churches in Norway and Germany, and then being deported to Afghanistan due to lack of documentation, where he secretly followed Jesus, connected with an underground church, and faced Taliban violence, including the killing of a YWAM teacher and his children. He escaped via Iran–Turkey–Greece and gained asylum in Austria, where he married and serves refugees, emphasizing Jesus as his true identity, the prodigal son’s themes of shame and restoration, and the need for “hamyar” companionship in church, while acknowledging the cost of putting Jesus first, including separation from family.

01:06 Where Is Home
02:05 Family Flees To Iran
02:46 Languages Of Afghanistan
03:51 Finding Out He's A Refugee
05:46 Second Class In Iran
07:30 Faith Reframes His Past
11:05 Dreams For Afghanistan
11:54 First Trip Back
14:02 Discovering Jesus
19:21 Asylum Struggles In Europe
21:39 Deported to Afghanistan
22:07 Secret Faith and Shame
23:01 Underground Church Connections
24:33 Taliban Threat and India Escape
25:49 Back to Europe as Refugee
27:23 Dangerous Border Crossing
29:16 Asylum and New Purpose
31:08 Norwegian Pastor Hospitality
33:53 Prodigal Son Through Honor
37:33 Identity Found in Jesus
39:29 Hamyar Companions for Life
41:55 Cost of Following Christ
42:59 True Belonging Conclusion

How Do We Prevent Suicide Among Your Teenage Friends? | Geordon Rendle

Christian Daily International — Tue, 23 Jun 2026 06:00:00 -0400

Geordon Rendle is a Canadian raised in Colombia whose parents served with Prison Fellowship International and who has lived mostly in Latin America (including Argentina, Venezuela, and Costa Rica) while serving with Youth for Christ (YFC). Rendle describes Venezuela’s danger, diaspora, and natural beauty, then argues YFC’s answer is to reset a generation through integrity/holiness, the fear of God, and giving teenagers agency and mission. He recounts being sent at age 12 to share the gospel with “sicarios” in a Medellín prison, and explains YFC’s juvenile justice work, including being called to sit with youth offenders. Rendle advocates “upstream leadership,” applied listening, and equipping, endorsing, and entrusting youth, sharing examples like an eight-year-old leading a church in prayer and his daughter leading YFC social media. He also discusses five Ironmans, two cerebral aneurysms and surgeries, and his message that there is always hope in Jesus, with an ultimate hope that two billion teenagers know God loves them.

01:11 Reconnecting With Geordon
02:26 A Global Citizen Story
03:36 Life Across Latin America
04:17 Venezuela Under Chávez
05:23 Why Venezuela Captivates
07:33 Integrity Holiness And Youth
08:24 Agency For Teenagers
09:57 Meeting Marilyn On Mission
11:33 Integris People And Imago Dei
15:08 Medellín Prison Ministry Origins
16:32 Sharing The Gospel At 12
18:47 Juvenile Justice Ministry
20:51 Advocating Teen Leadership
22:02 Kids Leading in Prayer
24:34 Upstream Listening on Suicide
26:35 Passing the Baton Well
30:07 Applied Listening to Leaders
32:30 Equipping and Entrusting Teens
34:59 Scripture Fueled Mission
36:35 Ironman and Body Stewardship
37:26 Aneurysm Scare and Recovery
41:32 Always Hope in Jesus

Life Jacket: A Filmmaker's Journey Into the Refugee Crisis | Faten Alfaraj

Christian Daily International — Tue, 16 Jun 2026 06:00:00 -0400

In this episode, host Gordon Showell-Rogers speaks with Jordanian-Canadian filmmaker Faten Alfaraj, the producer and director of the award-winning documentary Life Jacket. Faten shares her journey from Jordan to Canada — a leap of faith that left her well-established life behind — and how that experience of chosen displacement gave her unexpected empathy for those who had no choice.

She takes us to the island of Lesbos, Greece, where she spent two weeks filming inside the notorious Moria refugee camp, one of the most overcrowded camps on earth. Through conversations with Syrian, Iraqi, and Afghan refugees, she encountered stories of unimaginable loss, extraordinary resilience, and a deep, cross-cultural trust in God as the ultimate "life jacket."

We hear about the film's three-layered title, a woman who witnessed her entire village massacred by ISIS, children who smiled despite trauma, and the missionaries and organisations quietly sharing hope on the ground. Faten also reflects on what fifteen years in Canada have taught her about belonging, identity, and the citizenship that matters most.

There is Hope for Kenya | Bp. Dr. David Oginde

Christian Daily International — Tue, 09 Jun 2026 06:00:00 -0400

What does it take to lead with integrity in a culture where leadership is often viewed as a pathway to power, status, and personal gain?

In this episode, we sit down with Bishop Dr David Oginde—former bishop, leadership scholar, consultant, and now Chairperson of Kenya's Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission.

David shares his remarkable journey from studying architecture to spending decades in student ministry, church leadership, leadership development, and eventually stepping into one of the most challenging public roles in Kenya.

We explore why leadership begins with self-awareness, how identity shapes integrity, and what happens when leaders pursue influence for what they can get rather than what they can give. David also offers practical insights from his leadership training work, including his powerful framework: Know Yourself. Accept Yourself. Appreciate Yourself.

The conversation then turns to corruption, ethics, and public service. David reflects on the realities of combating corruption, the risks involved, and why he still believes transformation is possible.

01:01 Introduction and Background
01:23 From Architecture to Ministry
02:31 Eleven Years with FOCUS
03:01 Becoming a Bishop
03:25 Transition During the Pandemic
04:12 Academic Journey in Leadership
05:18 Life Lessons in Leadership
06:54 Training the Next Generation
08:07 The Catalead Consultancy
08:50 High Impact Leader Program
10:13 Building Leadership Muscles
10:29 Growing Leadership Capital
11:28 Leadership Without a Title
12:39 Changing the Tide in Africa
13:38 Leadership for Impact Not Gain
14:27 Sacrificing Status for Service
16:55 Leadership Crisis in the Church
18:13 Empowering Through Self Confidence
19:01 Biblical Foundation of Leadership
19:40 Know Accept Appreciate Yourself
22:21 Identity and Material Possessions
23:02 Corruption and Self-Worth
24:13 Leading the Anti-Corruption Commission
26:09 From Leadership Studies to Government
27:59 The Appointment Process
29:14 Parliamentary Vetting on Live TV
29:35 Inside the Fight Against Corruption
30:28 Global Corruption Networks
31:28 Dangers of the Role
32:15 Recent Attack on Staff
33:25 Why Take This Risk
34:22 Life with Bodyguards
35:02 Committed Young Investigators
37:43 Hope for Kenya's Future
38:13 Prayer and Divine Intervention
39:39 The Jericho Strategy
40:34 David Facing Goliath
41:00 Closing Prayers and Gratitude

Living With Grief in Everyday Life | Adrian Blenkinsop

Christian Daily International — Tue, 02 Jun 2026 06:00:00 -0400

Gordon interviews Adrian Blenkinsop of Access the Story in Adelaide, which runs the Junction cafe op shop and supports scripture engagement and youth mental health, and also houses Converge Oceania. Adrian describes the “Your Story” nationwide Australian research (439 respondents aged 16–20 connected to Christian contexts) exploring influences shaping young people’s experience of God, highlighting that faith is complex and non-linear. He reports churches help most when they welcome young people, respect their agency, and allow doubts and questions, and harm when they misuse power or act coercively; he shares examples including a same-sex attracted young person welcomed by a small church. Reports are free at convergeoceania.com, with schools and churches applying findings (e.g., longer home groups, mapping relational ecosystems, and eight faith trajectories). Adrian also recounts his daughter Imogen’s death from brain cancer at 13, his anger and lament toward God, grief as waves where joy and sorrow coexist, and his critique of Christians offering simplistic “God’s plan” answers instead of presence and practical support.

00:40 Reconnecting in Goa
01:42 What Access the Story Does
02:33 Junction Cafe Op Shop
03:10 Converge Oceania Overview
03:52 Your Story Research Origins
05:38 Church at Its Best
09:08 Beyond In or Out Faith
10:14 Young People Stepping Away
13:47 Who Was Surveyed
15:20 Negative Influences Power
19:21 Reports Without Prescriptions
20:29 Early Responses in Schools
21:00 Home Groups After Lunch
22:29 Faith Grows Relationally
23:04 Eight Faith Trajectories
24:00 Discipling With Small Teams
25:08 Imogen’s Cancer Story
27:54 Anger Lament and Faith
30:44 Grief and Joy Together
33:43 When Christians Get It Wrong
37:36 Jesus the Alongsider
40:50 Staggering Forward

Children Are the Hope of the Nation | Michelle Tolentino

Christian Daily International — Tue, 26 May 2026 06:00:00 -0400

Michelle Sheba Tolentino explains her middle name’s origin from the biblical Queen of Sheba and discusses her work with vulnerable children through the Global Children’s Forum and as catalyst for the Lausanne Movement’s Children at Risk Issue Network, which since 2010 has emphasized children as co-laborers in God’s mission. She defines “children at risk” as those under 18 exposed to poverty, war, exploitation, child labor, trafficking, and online sexual exploitation, noting a 2015 study that eight in ten Filipino children experienced violence and an IJM estimate of 500,000 children impacted by online sexual exploitation. Tolentino shares growing up in Metro Manila slums amid poverty, abuse, and community drug addiction, and founding Made in Hope in 2011 to support women survivors of sex trafficking and their children through livelihood, leadership, spiritual formation, child support, prevention training, prayer practices, and government partnerships, while advocating for churches to welcome survivors with patience.

00:51 Origin of Sheba
01:55 Global Children’s Forum
02:17 Lausanne Children at Risk
03:45 Defining Vulnerable Children
05:35 Calling and Early Ministry
07:13 Growing Up at Risk
10:34 Violence and Exploitation Stats
12:43 Made in Hope Programs
15:24 Breaking the Cycle for Kids
17:55 Radio Show by Children
20:12 Kids On Corruption
20:52 Called To The Work
22:54 Restoring Voice And Power
24:37 Why Churches Feel Unsafe
26:43 Becoming A Welcoming Church
28:32 Culture Pets And Affluence
29:24 Signs Of Hope And Prevention
31:41 Prayer Practices For Resilience
34:11 Mobilizing Government And Policy
36:32 Lament Perseverance And Emmanuel
39:28 Let The Children Come

Fearlessly Exposing the Deceptions of Islam | Harun Ibrahim

Christian Daily International — Tue, 19 May 2026 06:00:00 -0400

Gordon interviews Harun Ibrahim, founder of Al Hayat Ministries and Al Hayat TV, a 24/7 Christian channel and online ministry using satellite, social media, websites, chat tools, music, worship, apologetics, and Bible teaching to reach unreached people groups in 12 languages, especially within the Muslim world. Harun, born into a secular Muslim family in Jerusalem and fluent in Arabic and Hebrew, describes a period of atheism before encountering Jesus through reading John’s Gospel and praying to accept Christ on March 31, 1985. He contrasts Islamic ritual prayer with conversational Christian prayer and centers his mission on John 14:6. Discussing his book “Sharing Jesus, Shaking Islam,” he explains his aim to expose what he calls Islam’s deception, contrasting Quranic claims about Jesus with New Testament witnesses, recounting opposition, and urging Muslims to read the New Testament and Christians to pray for Muslims.

00:51 Meet Harun Ibrahim
01:08 Al Hayat Mission
01:41 Unreached Languages
04:02 Jerusalem Roots
04:36 Why Shaking Islam
06:00 Secular Muslim Years
08:20 Meeting Jesus
11:17 New Life in Christ
14:15 Prayer Reimagined
17:27 Jesus the Only Way
20:48 I Am Claim Explained
21:48 Islam as Deception
21:55 Quran Versus Gospel
22:57 Witnesses To Crucifixion
24:13 Quran Jesus Debate
25:15 Backlash And Forgiveness
26:30 Shaking Islam Explained
28:50 Hadith On Aisha
29:22 Call To Missions
31:33 Radio To Al Hayat
33:29 Pioneering Media Apologetics
34:26 God Is Love Contrast
36:24 Book And Resources
36:53 Final Message And Prayer

Where is Our Home, in Reality? | Ruslan Zagidulin

Christian Daily International — Tue, 12 May 2026 06:00:00 -0400

Gordon reconnects with Ruslan Zagidulin, a longtime youth leader from Kyrgyzstan, to discuss the relational roots of Converge and its continuation in Next Move, and how cross-cultural relationships shape global youth ministry. Ruslan explains his background in predominantly Muslim Kyrgyzstan, his conversion from atheism after encountering the story of Saul in a children’s Bible, and his decades of work with teenagers amid Central Asian restrictions introduced around 2008–2009, requiring adaptive, locally relevant approaches while recognizing global youth culture. He describes his Lausanne Movement role for an 11-country Eurasia region and clarifies that Lausanne is a friendship-based movement for global evangelism. Now living in Germany, Ruslan shares the family tragedy of losing his son David in a car accident, cultural differences in mourning, and how grief has reshaped his faith, prayer, and sense of home, urging prayer for Central Asian youth to know Christ.

00:54 Reconnecting After Years
01:52 Converge To Next Move
02:35 Why Relationships Matter
03:41 Growing Up In Kyrgyzstan
05:35 Finding Faith In Christ
10:13 Called Into Youth Ministry
11:49 Creative Ministry Under Restrictions
15:48 Global Youth Culture Today
16:37 Eurasia And Lausanne Role
19:22 What Is Lausanne Movement
21:05 Finding Home in Germany
22:17 A Tragic Loss
23:04 Rethinking Faith and Family
24:17 Presence Beyond Separation
28:30 Graveside Coping and Ecclesiastes
31:19 Christ Beyond Death
34:13 Grief Across Cultures
37:12 Simplicity and Spiritual Friends
40:37 Praying for Central Asia
41:51 Final Blessing and Thanks

Criminals, Perpetrators and Victims: A Psychologists Experience | George Karkanis

Christian Daily International — Tue, 05 May 2026 06:00:00 -0400

Gordon interviews George Karkanis, an Athens-based forensic psychologist, psychotherapist, and behavioral analyst, who explains forensic psychology as the study and legal-application of psychology in criminal contexts (offenders, victims, investigations, trials, and reports). George describes transitioning from IT to forensic psychology through counter-trafficking ministry, choosing a role that supports trafficked women without being their therapist, helping them “redefine” men as trustworthy through safe relationships. He discusses psychology as science plus art, emphasizing skillful, adaptive practice beyond rigid protocols, and describes behavior analysis including micro-expressions and communication cues. George shares his special forces paratrooper service and how it built resilience and innovative thinking. He also works with offenders, integrating faith and identity change, and trains Eastern European police and prosecutors on vicarious trauma, proposing four pillars for healing: identity, intimacy, cognition, and emotion.

00:52 Meet George Karkanis
01:04 What Forensic Psychology Is
02:44 From IT to Anti Trafficking
04:48 Serving Trafficked Women Safely
08:19 Psychology Science and Art
13:17 Behavior Analysis Micro Expressions
15:54 Skill Versus Knowledge
18:54 Special Forces Mindset
22:18 Working With Offenders
28:38 Restorative Justice Stories
31:25 Training Law Enforcement
35:55 Healing Vicarious Trauma
36:29 Four Pillars Framework
40:35 Closing Thanks

Confronted by My Mortality: My Life as a Supreme Court Judge | Mike Chibita

Christian Daily International — Tue, 28 Apr 2026 06:00:00 -0400

Ugandan Supreme Court Justice Mike Chibita discusses his roles as a Supreme Court justice since early 2020 and as Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) from 2013–2020, explaining Uganda’s criminal justice system, appeals process, and the Supreme Court’s caseload. He describes learning about victims’ rights during a visit to Adelaide through Advocates International, leading him to create a victims’ rights desk, encourage prosecutors to engage victims beyond evidence, and build partnerships with groups such as Children at Risk Network and Viva International. Chibita contrasts the Supreme Court with the DPP’s extensive constitutional powers, intense media scrutiny, and life-threatening terrorism cases, including the killing of prosecutor Joan Kagezi, and recounts coping through prayer and family support. He reflects on humble beginnings, discipline learned at King’s College Budo, COVID-era court adaptations, observations about mortality, and his books “Loved by the Best” and “Leaders Grieve Last.”

00:48 Meet Justice Chibita
01:00 From Prosecutor to Judge
01:45 What a DPP Does
03:08 Putting Victims First
04:57 Learning in Adelaide
08:33 Partnerships That Help
11:16 Life on the Supreme Court
14:05 COVID Shuts Courts Down
16:39 Time Passing on the Bench
19:03 The Weight of DPP Power
23:25 Prayer Under Pressure
24:55 Assassination Plot Letter
26:11 Family Facing Threats
28:02 Humble Roots to Buddha
31:32 Discipline and Work Ethic
33:19 Writing and Health Scare
37:16 Books and Leaders Grieve
39:54 Faith Reflection and Farewell

Coerced Into Prostitution – but Jesus Heard My Prayers | Ilona Miler

Christian Daily International — Tue, 21 Apr 2026 06:00:00 -0400

In an interview about her book, "A Woman of Many Names: My Journey From Sexual Exploitation to Freedom," Ilona Miler explains that returning to Jesus motivates her to share her past so God can make a triumph from it and give hope to exploited women. She recounts being trafficked by a “lover boy” who isolated and manipulated her into prostitution, her suicidal despair and a providential encounter that kept her alive, being forced to work through pregnancy and giving up her baby for adoption. Decades later, after praying and “putting it in God’s hands,” she found her daughter in 2019 via an online search linked to a restaurant, reuniting with her family and learning she has four great-grandchildren. Miler also describes childhood trauma with a rage-filled grandfather, being stabbed by a client in Marseille, her escape from her pimp, and later ministry with drug-addicted and prostituted women in Hong Kong, Shanghai, and Vienna.

00:46 Why Share the Story
02:24 The Blessing and Family Hope
03:09 Searching for Her Daughter
04:04 A Prayer Answered in Vienna
05:57 Found Through the Restaurant
07:27 Returning to Spain in Victory
08:49 The Loverboy Trap Explained
09:45 Isolation and Manipulation
13:22 Suicidal Despair and a Stranger’s Hope
14:28 Pregnancy Alone and God’s Provision
16:30 Reunited With Children and Faith
17:48 Childhood Wounds and Grandfather’s Rage
21:09 Grandfather Dies Freedom
22:09 Money Friends And Hippies
23:05 Stabbed By Client
25:14 Hospital Shame And Mercy
27:35 Escape Plan And Germany
29:51 No One Chooses Prostitution
32:15 Return To Jesus
35:14 Serving Women Worldwide
36:36 Lives Changed By Ministry
38:45 Real Name Real Freedom

As a Teenager, I Was Discipled by the Persecuted Church | Carla

Christian Daily International — Tue, 14 Apr 2026 06:00:00 -0400

Carla is a British–Caribbean follower of Jesus who has spent the last six years in Beirut helping churches in the Middle East and North Africa walk with young people under pressure. She shares about growing up as a mixed‑race pastor’s kid in a mostly white English town, the intense expectation to be “perfect,” and how a mission trip to Kenya and reading the entire Bible at 16 transformed her from a double‑life teenager into someone deeply shaped by Scripture and the stories of the persecuted church.

That sense of call eventually took her to Bible college, then into serving persecuted Christians, and finally to Lebanon—alongside her husband Steve, who chose to share her calling even when it meant leaving an Oxford academic path. Carla explains what persecution looks like specifically for teenagers whose faith and ethnicity make them minorities, drawing on the book of Daniel and her work helping churches become the safest place for young people to return without shame.

She also describes life in Lebanon through revolution, economic collapse, the Beirut port blast, and the aftershocks of October 7 and the Gaza war, including the psychological warfare of sonic booms and the horrific “pager” explosions of 2024. Through it all, Carla’s love for Lebanon and its ancient Christian communities has deepened, as she continues to help young believers build resilient faith in one of the world’s most fragile contexts.

00:46 – Meeting Carla in Lebanon
01:46 – Growing up mixed‑race and a pastor’s kid
03:46 – Wrestling with church and finding faith
08:46 – Teenagers, smartphones, and anxiety
11:59 – Called to stand in vulnerable places
15:59 – Theology, Bible college, and unexpected detours
17:59 – Praying for the Middle East and a new job
18:59 – Meeting Steve and the call to Lebanon
20:59 – Engagement, marriage, and the big move
22:59 – Shared callings and marriage in the Middle East
23:59 – Building resilient young believers under pressure
25:59 – Daniel, empire, and identity
28:59 – Minority life in MENA education and culture
29:59 – Making church the safest place for youth
30:59 – Crises in Lebanon: revolution, collapse, and COVID
34:59 – Psychological warfare and sonic booms
31:59 – Surviving the Beirut explosion
32:59 – Economic collapse and the cost of staying
33:59 – October 7, Gaza, and Lebanon on edge
38:59 – Pager attacks and a week of horror
41:59 – Evacuation, waiting, and returning again

I Thought I Was in the World to Be Abused (and Discarded) | Palmira De Sa

Christian Daily International — Tue, 07 Apr 2026 06:00:00 -0400

In this episode of Faith without Frontiers, we meet Palmira de Sá from Angola, a survivor of childhood sexual abuse, domestic violence, and racism who now walks alongside other survivors with the hope of Christ. She shares how God protected her as a child, met her in a Muslim-majority country with no church, and led her through a costly journey of forgiveness that even astonished a psychiatrist. Palmira also exposes systemic failures in Angola’s police, courts, and churches—where half of reported child sexual abuse cases happen in church contexts—and explains why silence, bad theology, and cultural patriarchy keep victims unprotected. Today she leads “Prince and Princess,” an association serving survivors and training church leaders, and is partnering with Angola’s First Lady to confront abuse as a national and ecclesial crisis.

Guest: Palmira de Sá, co-founder of Prince and Princess Association, Angola

This episode contains detailed descriptions of child sexual abuse, domestic violence, racism, and suicide ideation. Listener discretion is advised.

00:48 Meet Palmera
01:00 A Name Like a Train
02:16 Childhood and Family Split
02:42 Poisoned Food and No Justice
05:33 Abuse While Mom Worked Away
06:46 Trying to Tell and Punished
09:29 Teen Crisis and Coping
10:43 Healing in Algeria
11:22 Learning to Forgive
14:39 Psychiatrist and Faith
16:13 Racism and Assault Abroad
22:34 Back to Angola and Speaking Out
24:03 Police and Church Failures
28:37 Working for Change
31:35 Report Abuse Legally
32:02 First Lady Workshop Plans
32:37 Shocking Church Statistics
34:45 Televised Case Sparks Action
35:49 Dream And Unexpected Ally
37:02 Avoiding Compassion Fatigue
39:41 Why Churches Stay Silent
42:42 Tragedy After Reconciliation
45:00 Abuse Across Africa
47:16 Jesus And Culture Change
51:02 Ezekiel 16 Healing Identity
55:43 Hopeful Closing Encouragement

"They Stole Our Home: Transformed by War" | Valentyn & Luba Syniy

Christian Daily International — Wed, 18 Mar 2026 14:07:28 -0400

What does it mean to lose your home — not just the walls and roof, but the place where you belong, where you are known, and where you meet with God? In this deeply moving conversation, Valentyn and Luba Syniy of the Tavriysky Christian Institute (TCI) in Ukraine share their firsthand experience of war, displacement, and faith.

Valentyn, a theologian and seminary president, was born and raised in Kherson — a city that once had 350,000 residents and now has fewer than 60,000. When Russia occupied Kherson, he made the painful decision to evacuate the entire seminary — students, professors, and all — first to western Ukraine and then to Kyiv. Meanwhile, his elderly parents and his father, a pastor, stayed behind through nine months of brutal occupation.

In this interview, Valentyn and Luba open up about:
• The Russian military using TCI’s 15-acre campus as a military base and looting their library
• The emotional wound of a Russian evangelical volunteer who stole Valentyn’s Bible and used it to teach soldiers at night
• Losing staff and students to war — including a chaplain killed by a mine and a soldier killed by a drone
• The deep theological meaning of “home” — as family, city, church, and nation
• New Ukrainian churches planted across Europe by refugees
• TCI’s new master’s programs in Chaplaincy and Peace Building
• Why true reconciliation between Russia and Ukraine requires repentance first
• Valentyn’s upcoming book in English: Serving God Under Siege: How War Transformed a Ukrainian Community (releasing October 2025)

Guest: Valentyn and Luba Syniy, Tavriysky Christian Institute (TCI), Ukraine
Book: Serving God Under Siege: How War Transformed a Ukrainian Community by Valentyn Syniy
• Ukrainian/Russian title: The Man Whose Home Was Stolen
• English release: October 2025 | Publisher: Eerdmans Publishing

00:45 Meeting the Syniys
01:15 Book Title and Theme
02:05 Leaving Kherson
04:25 Family Split and Parents Stay
07:33 What Home Means
11:22 Seminary Under Occupation
14:26 Economic and Emotional Toll
15:28 Betrayal and Grief Stories
22:57 Rebuilding and New Programs
24:45 Church Growth in Diaspora
27:37 Chaplaincy and Peacebuilding
31:50 Reconciliation and Repentance
34:43 Serving God Under Siege
39:02 Closing Thanks