The eight young Christians chatted excitedly in the back of their van as they headed towards far western Pakistan, near the border with Afghanistan. They had just completed a three-month discipleship course and were setting out on their first ministry trip.
On 29 November 2014, Werner Groenwald and his two children, Jean-Pierre and Rode, were killed by Taliban fighters in Afghanistan.
Protests erupted across Iran following the recent death of a 22-year-old woman in police custody. The Iranian government has responded to the demonstrations with force and brutality.
On Sunday 20 November, a Christian church was attacked by radical Hindu nationalists in Chhattisgarh, India. The mob burst into a newly built church hall in the Koshalnar village during the church’s Sunday service.
There are now believed to be more than 300 Christians imprisoned for their faith in Eritrea. Many are detained indefinitely, without charge and without trial.
Pastor Nahtiya, his son and other church members were walking home through the jungle after worshipping together when they were ambushed by Hindu radicals throwing stones at them.
Officials in Algeria have made it increasingly difficult for missionaries to evangelise or challenge the Islamic faith in any capacity.
Two teachers who were arrested last year for teaching at a church-founded Christian school have had their trial date set for 25 November.
Rami Ayyad, who operated the only Christian bookshop in Gaza City, Palestine, was abducted and brutally murdered by Islamic extremists in 2007.
In early August, the Russian occupation authorities confiscated the building of the Melitopol Christian Church and turned it into a cultural, entertainment, and sports center.