Afghanistan (MNN) — Desperation grows in Afghanistan. Earlier this week, Taliban leaders announced girls older than 12 could no longer attend school, and international media is off the air.

The Taliban is back to its old ways, including persecution. “The situation here in Afghanistan for the Christians is not good,” says an Afghan Christian named Javid*.

“Believers are in grave danger. They are hunting the preachers and ministers door to door.”

MNN’s sister ministry Prayercast features Afghan believers like Javid on its new podcast called OneVoice. Each week, Afghans share firsthand stories of what’s happening around them.

Listen to Javid’s full episode here.

If increased repression and targeting weren’t enough, hunger is getting worse in Afghanistan. Every day, 95 percent of the population goes without enough food to eat, according to the United Nations.

Death surrounds believers in Afghanistan. “We are counting our days to be with the Lord, anytime. Pray for us,” Javid requests.

Subscribe to OneVoice here, and commit to praying for the Body of Christ in Afghanistan.

“Pray for us to stay strong in our faith, to share our testimony with others; to protect our churches so we can gather; to come forward and encourage each other; to use the blood of martyrs like Steven to spread the Gospel more.”

*Pseudonym

Header image is a representative stock photo courtesy of Sohaib Ghyasi/Unsplash.