Many of the believers we meet in Libya are not planning to stay there. They are leaving behind pressure, loss, or instability, and they’re hoping to find a way forward. Instead, they often encounter new forms of hardship that meet them the moment they arrive.
Again and again, we meet people whose faith has been tested in ways most of us will never experience. Yet even in those places, we see a faith that holds firm.
Anjorin is one of those believers.
A Faith Formed Long Before the Trial
Anjorin grew up in Nigeria in a family that did not deeply practice their faith. After losing his father at a young age, his upbringing shifted, and he no longer felt the stability that his father provided. He became uncertain about what to believe and who to worship.
That began to change when he visited a local Christian church. There, he encountered teaching that challenged him personally and called him to a commitment to Jesus. Soon, he gave his life to Christ and was baptized, stepping into a faith that would shape the rest of his life.
Over time, he became deeply involved in church. He served in leadership, helped lead the youth, worked in the choir, and took on technical responsibilities. He completed discipleship training, was ordained into ministry, and even released a gospel album.
His life was rooted in service. His identity was grounded in Christ.
When he later reflected on that transformation, he described the difference clearly. Before, his faith had been casual and undefined. After, he knew Christ as Savior—the One who redeems and gives eternal life.
That foundation would be tested in ways he could not have anticipated.
Leaving Home to Survive
When Anjorin’s clothing business was robbed, his primary source of income was stripped away. With limited options, he made the decision many others have made: to leave and search for opportunity elsewhere.
He eventually arrived in Libya, hoping to find work and rebuild what had been lost. For a time, he found employment as a steamroller operator. But even there, his faith became a point of tension. After identifying himself as a Christian, he was dismissed from his job.
Work became unstable. Like many refugees in Libya, he continued searching for ways to survive in a system that offered little protection.
Then, one night, everything changed.
Arrested in the Night
Militias broke into the house where Anjorin was living, targeting minorities. They took money and property, then arrested him and his housemates without cause. He was taken to prison in the city.
Inside the prison, the conditions were severe. Prisoners were forced into hard labor, removing electrical cables from the ground with no tools and carrying out physically demanding tasks.
At one point, Anjorin was asked a direct question: “Are you a Christian or a Muslim?”
When he answered truthfully, the response was immediate. A militiaman began beating him with a pipe. The violence did not stop there. It continued back in the cell, and it became a pattern of abuse that marked his time in prison.
Beaten, Broken, and Still Leading
Despite the conditions, Anjorin began to gather other believers inside the prison. He became the leader of a Christian fellowship among the inmates, teaching about Jesus and praying with those who were willing to listen. Even some Muslim inmates would sit in and hear the message of Christ.
This did not go unnoticed.
As punishment, the head of the prison subjected him to extreme physical abuse. He was placed in a stress position and beaten so severely that he was unable to walk properly for three months.
Even with those injuries, he was forced into the hardest labor available. He dug deep holes without proper tools, carried heavy blocks up multiple stories on his head, demolished structures without safety equipment, and loaded heavy materials under constant pressure. Beatings were frequent and often without cause.
He was repeatedly told to stop praying and to stop organizing fellowship. He refused.
Scripture reminds us, “The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it” (John 1:5). In that prison, surrounded by violence and suffering, that truth was being lived out in real time. Anjorin continued to pray. He continued to teach. He continued to lead. And in that prison, something unexpected began to happen.
A Fellowship That Could Not Be Stopped
Inside the prison, God was at work. Men who had lost hope began to find strength again. Some who had once walked with Christ returned to their faith. Others heard the gospel for the first time and responded.
Anjorin witnessed God bring healing, renewed strength, and spiritual transformation among the inmates. What was meant to silence him became a place where the message of Christ continued to spread.
When Anjorin called other believers to fast and to pray for deliverance, his hope was that the beatings would cease. Then, after five months in prison, Anjorin and his fellow inmates were released without charge. Suddenly, they were free.
Free, But Still Struggling to Survive
When we met Anjorin after his release, he was no longer in prison, but his situation was still fragile.
He found work as a safety officer and welder, but he has not been paid for three months. He lives on the company’s compound with other workers, sharing space with people from several different countries. The company provides only one meal a day, and his basic needs are largely met through the generosity of others around him.
He has no ability to rent his own place. He is also carrying debt from money that had been entrusted to him and stolen during the militia raid.
Right now, his needs are immediate and practical: stable housing; consistent provision for daily living; and basic household items.
Our team is walking with him in this season, helping bring stability where there has been constant disruption. This is the first step: creating a foundation where he can regain independence, dignity, and a sense of stable life.
Looking Ahead: A Calling Shaped by Suffering
As we spend time with Anjorin, it becomes clear that his story does not end with survival. He carries a desire that has grown out of what he experienced.
He wants to help those coming out of prison and walk with them: helping meet their physical needs, strengthening their faith, and guiding them toward stability. He has seen firsthand what happens in those places, and he wants to be part of what God does in the lives of others who walk that same path.
For now, that future begins with what is in front of him. And we are committed to walking with him as he takes each step forward.
Join the Prayer Network
Believers like Anjorin covet your prayers. Having witnessed the power of prayer firsthand, he knows that heaven shifts when believers pray.
When you join our Prayer Network, you stand with them. You bring their needs before the Lord and become part of the support that sustains them through seasons like this.