"And they said unto me, The remnant that are left of the captivity there in the province are in great affliction and reproach: the wall of Jerusalem also is broken down, and the gates thereof are burned with fire." - Nehemiah 1:3 (KJV)

The story actually starts out pretty simple. Back in 2017, while I was working on my degree at PCC, God placed a shared burden on my heart and the hearts of a few friends and classmates. We just had one small desire: to serve families around the world with truth-based education, especially in places where the Gospel couldn't be freely shared.

The first two years after graduation were a season of real hope. We poured everything into cross-cultural ministry, helping thousands of families build up Christian homeschooling from scratch. Watching that "wall of faith" go up in kids' hearts, and hearing the sound of kids praising God in tiny living-room classrooms across different countries—that was the best reward we could have asked for.

Children in another country learning to sing with a Bible-based video curriculum.

(For the safety of our partners and the families we serve in restricted areas, some identities in these photos have been intentionally obscured.)

But that kind of growth gets noticed. Soon, authorities in certain countries started paying attention. A lot of these places already had incredibly strict bans on faith-based curriculums, or really any publication with biblical content. Those harsh policies didn't start because of us, but they quickly became the weapons used to attack us and tear down the very walls of faith those families had just built.

The storm hit us hard and fast. We had to watch helplessly as door after door slammed shut. Textbooks built on biblical truth couldn't get past customs; anything with words of faith was confiscated at the border. But the part that absolutely broke our hearts was when our closest coworkers and friends lost their freedom entirely, just for trying to get these materials into the hands of children.

We felt completely paralyzed. Those newly built walls felt like they had turned into ruins overnight. "Persecution" wasn't just a word we read about in the news anymore—it was a harsh reality that took away the freedom of people we loved. On the other side of the blockade, kids were waiting for the truth. On our side, our old methods were completely dead, and trying them again was just too dangerous.

One of our curriculum warehouses in other countries in 2020.

"And I arose in the night, I and some few men with me; neither told I any man what my God had put in my heart to do at Jerusalem: neither was there any beast with me, save the beast that I rode upon." - Nehemiah 2:12 (KJV)

Just like the biblical Nehemiah, who wept and prayed when he heard the walls of Jerusalem were destroyed, our team hit our knees during those pitch-black days. We didn't know what else to do but pray. We kept pleading with God: Since this main door is deadlocked, please give us the wisdom to find a narrow, hidden path to rebuild those ruins.

And God did leave a crack of light for us in the dark. After a long season of hitting brick walls, we found a few ideas that might work in theory. The most exciting one? We stumbled upon a "blind spot" in the censorship: building block toys. We were shocked to find out that instruction manuals and story booklets packaged as toy accessories weren't hit by those strict publishing bans.

Little faith-warriors praying for the safe arrival of the curriculum.

That tiny discovery sparked a massive shift in our thinking. If we couldn't walk the heavy textbooks through the front door anymore, could we do it like ants moving house? Could we break the whole truth down into pieces, hide it quietly inside normal toy boxes, and sneak it to the kids bit by bit?

Out of all the paths we looked at, this one was going to be the slowest and the hardest. But we couldn't let go of this incredibly difficult, yet thrilling, idea. We just couldn't stand by and let weeds grow over those destroyed walls. We had to use this entirely new way to rebuild these kids' faith, one brick at a time.

That’s the exact moment the vision for Little Nehemiah was born. It started as just a tiny flicker in the dark, but it gave us a solid place to stand. A simple toy became the ultimate cover for the truth. From the outside, it just looks like a kid playing with blocks on the table. But we know that hidden inside the plastic and the manuals is the Gospel—and no blockade can stop that.

"Then answered I them, and said unto them, The God of heaven, he will prosper us; therefore we his servants will arise and build:" - Nehemiah 2:20 (KJV)

Having the vision was one thing. Actually manufacturing a physical, cross-border toy was a long, painful grind.

2021-2023: Standing in the Ruins.
We started planning with so much passion, but reality hit us like a freight train. Between trying to get books into restricted zones and dealing with the fallout for our imprisoned friends, we were hit with massive fines. The financial weight drained everything we had. We had no resources to launch a physical manufacturing project. But even though we were exhausted and grieving for our friends, we made a choice: we weren't going to walk away from the ruins. We stayed.

2024: Preparing to Rebuild.
Without the resources to immediately launch into physical production, we made a strategic choice: we put our heads down and poured everything we had into pure design. We spent thousands of hours meticulously researching, drafting, and tweaking every single detail. We knew that if these bricks were going to carry the weight of God’s truth, they couldn't just be "okay"—they had to be exceptional. We refused to compromise on quality because we knew that to truly win a child's heart, the experience had to be genuinely captivating.

One of our preparation designs in 2024 - Noah's Ark
Our team poured a lot of effort into researching the exact biblical dimensions and historical evidence, working hard to recreate the Ark as faithfully to Scripture as possible. This might be one of our official releases!

2025: Laying the First Brick.
In His own timing, God made a way. With the resources we finally gathered, we had the chance to bring our very first set to life. Out of all our designs, we picked The Full Armor of God. Over the years, we’ve seen so many kids in restricted areas facing real persecution, yet holding onto this fierce, brave faith in God. They are like little warriors wearing the full armor, and their courage kept us going in the dark. We wanted to pass that spiritual grit along through these bricks, helping kids in other families put on the armor of truth, too.

2026: Official Launch.
Carrying the scars of the last few years, the memory of those who paid the price, and the unbelievable grace that got us here, this project—built out of the ruins—is finally live.

"And I said unto the nobles, and to the rulers, and to the rest of the people, The work is great and large, and we are separated upon the wall, one far from another. In what place therefore ye hear the sound of the trumpet, resort ye thither unto us: our God shall fight for us." - Nehemiah 4:19-20 (KJV)

Today, these bricks—designed during our hardest days to bypass physical blockades—have finally crossed the ocean to reach you. But as we put them into the hands of kids living in the free world, it hit us: every parent is fighting the exact same battle for their child's heart.

Kids worshiping in a small family church school.

(For the safety of our partners and the families we serve in restricted areas, some identities in these photos have been intentionally obscured.)

Over there, the things trying to destroy faith are harsh laws and iron bars. But right here in our own living rooms, there's a different, invisible barrier that’s just as deadly—the constant noise of screens, short videos, and a secular culture fighting for their attention. Families here have the freedom to open a Bible whenever they want, but our kids' focus and love for the Lord are quietly being fractured and pulled away by all the noise.

That’s why we wanted to take the abstract teachings of the Bible and turn them into something kids can physically hold and build. It’s not just a sneaky way to bypass distant bans anymore; it’s a bridge to connect your heart to your child's. We want passing down the faith to feel less like a lecture and more like a joy-filled afternoon laughing together on the living room floor or table.

This is exactly why we decided to launch Little Nehemiah publicly to the world. We want to rally more resources and more people to this fight. While these bricks bring joy and growth to families living in freedom, every bit of support they generate fuels our ability to break through the blockades. It funds our work to get the truth to people living under intense pressure who would otherwise never hear the Gospel.

To keep this global ministry moving, our team is now scattered all over the world—the US, Canada, Singapore, and beyond. We aren't just a corporate team. We are frontline church school teachers, writers and translators of faith-based curriculums, dads raising a houseful of kids, and missionaries serving out in remote places. Even as we continue to dedicate ourselves to numerous other established educational missions, we have been continuously nurturing Little Nehemiah. Though it has only just begun compared to our other ministries, we hold a deep conviction that in God's perfect timing, it will rise to fulfill the unique mission it was destined for.

Our on-field team member translating Christian curriculum into other languages.

(For the safety of our partners and the families we serve in restricted areas, some identities in these photos have been intentionally obscured.)

Working across oceans and time zones, we’re all still fighting for the exact same vision. We want to see this grow. As we release new sets and content, we'll lean into our global team to launch in more languages and partner with more ministries around the world. We're praying these bricks get into the hands of as many kids as possible, guiding them step-by-step to Build, Believe, and Become, until the seeds of truth are planted in every corner of the earth.

"Be not ye afraid of them: remember the Lord, which is great and terrible, and fight for your brethren, your sons, and your daughters, your wives, and your houses." - Nehemiah 4:14 (KJV)

When I look at Little Nehemiah today, I don't just see a toy brand. I see a quiet, relentless movement to rebuild the wall. What started as a mission to reach kids in restricted areas has grown into a deep desire to help kids everywhere—right in their own living rooms—fall genuinely in love with God's Word.

If reading this stirs something in your heart, please reach out. We are always looking for like-minded parents, educators, and ministry partners to join our team. We can't do this alone.

We warmly invite you and your family to join this global Army of Builders. The world may try to build all sorts of walls to block the truth or distract our children, but brick by brick, hand by hand, an unbreakable wall of truth will be built within their hearts.

Our deepest prayer is that the same sound of children praising God—the sound that started this entire journey—will one day echo from every corner of the earth.

A Co-Worker from the Little Nehemiah Team.