In March 2013, 17 Muslim Background Believer women assembled in Dhaka, Bangladesh for a three-day discipleship program, Open Doors USA reports. This Open Doors-supported training encourages them to grow in their relationship with Jesus Christ by reading, studying and applying the Bible. "It is our desire and prayer that each participant will grow spiritually and gain the confidence to make disciples," said a local Open Doors worker. "But before they make disciples, they need to be disciples first. They need to understand God's Word." Most of the women become followers of Christ through their husbands' conversion. Although a number of them have been believers for some time, many learn and practice basic Christian disciplines only during the Open Doors discipleship training. "This program has helped them distinguish between 'believer' and 'disciple,'" the Open Doors worker explains. "The women now know how to meditate on the Word of God, and how to make room for the work of the Holy Spirit in their lives." Christian women in Bangladesh are persecuted not only for their gender, but all the more for turning their backs on Islam.
