After serving as a gospel worker in western China for ten years, Dr. Pam Arlund now serves on the International Leadership Team for All Nations International, training and sending the next generation of missionaries. God called her to the unreached in China through examples of great missionaries like Hudson Taylor and Robert Morrison.
Pam had never left the U.S. before she moved to China. She trusted the Lord would protect her and guide her in building relationships with local people. Like many missionaries, she went through different emotions and difficulties. Yet, her obedience in difficult seasons allowed her to develop a deeper relationship with Jesus.

Listen as Pam shares some of her experience on the field, and how that influenced the way she trains gospel workers today. She will also introduce her new book, Stick Figures Save the World, which explains how simple drawings can help anyone be a witness for Christ.

Pam will also talk about the responsibility of sending missionaries to hard and dangerous places—places where Christian persecution is intense. Finally, Pam shares how we can pray for missionaries we know and encourage them as they persevere in the Lord’s call on their life.

MISSIONS: “I Want to Be Faithful in My Generation”

Muslims around the world are commemorating the holiest month on the Islamic calendar: Ramadan. Muslims fast from sunup to sundown as a way to dedicate themselves to Allah and earn his approval. It is a strategic time for Christians to pray fervently for the Holy Spirit to reveal Jesus and the truth of the gospel during Muslims’ heightened spiritual interest.

Listen as guests explain the significance of Ramadan, then lead in praying for Muslims to encounter Christ during this month. They will also help listeners pray for persecuted Christians serving amongst Muslims. Our guests, who work in Muslim nations and among Muslims, will provide specific ways we can pray during this Ramadan month and especially the “Night of Power.”

Set a reminder to pray each day during this pivotal time for the Holy Spirit to reveal Christ to Muslims during Ramadan--through dreams and visions, a Christian friend, a Bible, gospel broadcast, social media post or in some other way.

Guests leading us in prayer include:

    Susanna Koh, the wife of kidnapped Pastor Raymond Koh, from Malaysia.

    “Soher” from Yemen

    Tom Doyle, Uncharted Ministries

    JoAnn Doyle, Not Forgotten Ministries

    Mehrdad Fatehi, PARS Theological Centre

    “Shawki” from Bahrain

    Lucy, Global Catalytic Ministries

    Amir Bazmjou, Torch Ministries

    Dick Brogden, Live Dead Ministries

    David from Egypt

    Mike Ansari, Heart 4 Iran Ministries

    Hormoz Shariat, Iran Alive Ministries

Ramadan: Pray Constantly for Muslims

With a heart to share the gospel, Kenneth Charles has experienced the different forms of persecution Christians in Pakistan face. Kenneth experienced the reality of being persecuted for Christ even as a young boy. He first learned of The Voice of the Martyrs through Tortured for Christ; the book was translated into Urdu by Kenneth’s brother.

Growing up in a Christian family living in an Islamic context, Kenneth knew persecution would come. When he was a young boy, a peer attacked him with a knife. He still bears the scar.

Kenneth came to know Christ through a miraculous healing; a pastor then helped deepen his understanding of Biblical truth. The very next day, Kenneth was accompanying that pastor in ministry – sharing the gospel in villages around the country.

Now, through God’s Vision Ministries, which he founded, Kenneth is distributing audio Bibles in the Urdu language, conducting street ministry, and giving seminary training to church leaders throughout Pakistan—and even in other nations. Listen as Kenneth discusses the great need for leadership training in Pakistan and equipping believers there to answer questions from their Muslim neighbors—many of whom are curious about Christianity.

PAKISTAN: Sharing Christ from Streets to Seminary

The Bible promises Christians will be persecuted (John 15:18-20; II Timothy 3:12), yet most Christians in the United States and other Western nations have not experienced persecution for their faith. But what if that’s changing? How should Christians in free nations prepare for possible future persecution?

VOM Radio host, Todd Nettleton, shares specific lessons from Christians who have already faced persecution and victoriously endured. Todd will also share how followers of Christ in free nations can put these lessons into practice in our own spiritual walk, starting right now.

Listen also for the blessings found in the midst of suffering for Christ and ways God uses persecution to grow and strengthen His church.

Preparing for Christian Persecution

Helen Berhane, worship leader and former prisoner in Eritrea, joined us last week to share the first part of her story: how she was persecuted for her faith and yet encouraged all believers to count the cost of following Christ. Helen is back this week for the second half of that conversation.

Thankfully, she had access to the Bible while imprisoned, and the Lord revealed new wisdom and understanding of Him to her as she read from Genesis to Revelations 15 times!

Her knowledge of Jesus increased, and the Holy Spirit gave her overwhelming love and forgiveness towards the ones persecuting her. Supernaturally, she knew when people were praying for her while she was in prison. Many letters were sent, from around the world, to encourage her in prison, and even though she was never able to read the letters, she knows they made a difference.

ERITREA: “God is Always Miraculous”

William Cameron Townsend said, "The greatest missionary is the Bible in the mother tongue. It needs no furlough and is never considered a foreigner." But what if the “mother tongue” is no longer easily understood? That can often be the case with the Bible in Israel.

Listen as Brother Victor, the director of Israel Bible Society, shares what God has done through their organisation’s effort to spread God’s Word. It can still be difficult to find complete Hebrew Bibles in Israel, and the majority of the population in Israel cannot easily understand the original Hebrew text, which is now 2700 years old. 

That’s why the Israel Bible Society has created resources to help Hebrew speakers understand the original text with explanations in today’s Hebrew language.

Sharing about Jesus or the Christian faith is often received negatively by Jews in Israel. Many think becoming a Christian means losing, or even betraying, their Jewish identity. But as more people in Israel choose to follow Christ, more Jews are acquainted with their own people who have believed in Christ as Messiah while keeping their Jewish roots.

Bible work in Israel is not without opposition, and Victor will share stories of challenges he and the Bible Society have faced. He will also encourage us to pray for God’s Word to go forth in Israel and for God to open hearts to the gospel and increase a hunger for His Word.

To find out more about our ministry, please visit www.vom.com.au.

ISRAEL: “My Faith in Christ Fulfils My Jewish Identity”

One million to one. One million lost people for every one gospel worker.

When Brother David heard the million-to-one ratio of population to gospel workers in the Arab world, he and his wife knew that was where God needed them to serve in missions.

Today, Muslims in North Africa and the Middle East are more open to asking questions and seeking information about Jesus, the Bible and Christianity—especially through the internet. Brother David leads Operation Mobilization’s North African and Middle Eastern work and emphasizes the need to have more workers reaching Muslims for Christ.

David’s leads OM workers across 20 countries as they reach out to Muslims and disciple new believers. His teams also work to train Muslim background believers to reach, disciple and lead their own people and churches. He knows there will be Christian persecution as the church grows; he’s seen persecution directly on members of his team and his own family. But, from his own experience, he’s also seen how God uses persecution of His followers for His glory and purpose.

David will advise listeners who want to reach out to Muslim friends and coworkers with gospel conversations. He has seen the insecurity many Christians have engaging with Muslims, but encourages us to jump into conversations about faith and beliefs. He says stories from the Bible and our witness to God’s hand in our own experiences are powerful ways to plant gospel seeds with our Muslim friends.

He’ll also help us know how to pray for gospel work in the Middle East and North Africa.

MISSIONS WORKER: “We Will Never Stop Fishing”

Brother Bob has been connected to gospel work in North Africa for more than 20 years. He says government persecution of Christians in the region tends to come in cycles, but pressure and persecution of Christians by their own family members is common.

But even in the midst of family persecution, Christians have a chance to demonstrate the reality of the gospel. “If believers persevere and continue to be a light,” Bob says, “most of the time their family eventually accepts them. And in many cases, others in the family come to know Christ.”

Listen for the story of how a Muslim wife showed great displeasure after her husband accepted Christ—but was eventually won over by the consistent, Christ-like love he showed her.

Local people in North Africa have many fears: bad omens, the fear of spirits, or fear of the future. The absence of fear is one of the marks of Christians in the region and often draws others to learn more about Christ.

After working among Muslims for more than two decades, Bob says Christians who love and listen are more effective in sharing the gospel than those who criticize Islam or start a religious debate. He points to the model of Jesus’ interaction with the woman at the well.

Bob will share how he prepares new believers to spread the truth of Christ, to walk alongside others in their difficulties and to withstand persecution when it comes. Listen as Bob gives practical ways we can be like Christ and tells how our persecuted brothers and sisters are living that out. Bob will also equip us to pray for Christians in North Africa.

NORTH AFRICA: Perfect Love Casts Out Fear

“I could’ve lived and worked in that country my whole life and not seen the fruit that we are seeing now.” That fruit was planted in sacrifice.

From the time she was a little girl, Jane wanted to live overseas to spread the gospel. When she met her husband, he had the same missions mindset and a heart for Muslims after he was impacted by 9/11. Jane says her husband enjoyed living in the Middle East, immersing himself in the culture and, most importantly, living his dream of witnessing to people who’d never heard about Jesus.

Listen as Jane remembers the day her husband was killed, and how she prayed immediately afterwards. “God used His grace to sustain me through that time,” she says. “He really brought me through those initial days.”

Jane will share how they worked to disciple Muslims even before they became believers in Jesus—demonstrating with their lives what it looks like to follow Him. Jane sees how God used their family’s sacrifice to advance His kingdom.

“God used my husband’s death to catapult His plans and purposes for that nation and the people there.”

As ordinary people who loved the Lord and lived out God’s calling for their life, Jane says being obedient and knowing you’re in God’s will is the greatest joy you can experience. She’s had times of wrestling with her loss and asking God why but says one way she works through those times is to focus, with her children, on things they can be thankful for.

MARTYR’S WIDOW: God Can Use ANYTHING For His Glory

Pastor Hanna Massad served the Lord in the face of intense Christian persecution. He’s been threatened. The Bible Society where his wife worked was bombed. He buried a martyred coworker. Yet he calls it an honor and a privilege to serve the Lord in such circumstances.

Hanna Massad is the former pastor of Gaza Baptist Church. His wife, Suhad, led the Bible Society in Gaza. He still gets emotional thinking back to the day when Rami Ayyad, who worked for the Bible Society, was kidnapped and later killed. Speaking of his martyred friend, Hanna says, “Rami had a wonderful heart, he loved the Lord, and his dedication to the Lord, his family, and the community are wonderful memories, despite the pain and suffering.”

Listen as Hanna shares his own story of coming to faith in Christ, and how he faced pressure—even as a boy—for being identified as a Christian in Gaza. He says Christians in Gaza live “between two fires,” and explains some of the challenges of church ministry in such a setting.

“Our faith will not be tested when everything is going fine.” Hanna explained. God allows us to go through the fire to reflect His love to those who don’t know Him.

GAZA PASTOR: “Our Faith Will Not Be Tested When Everything Is Going Fine”

Today Hanna Massad, former pastor of Gaza Baptist Church, assists persecuted Christians and refugees across the Middle East. 

He knows what they are facing. He’s had his own first-hand experiences of Christian persecution, living and pastoring a church in a Muslim context. His wife led the Gaza Bible Society during a time when it was bombed twice. Their coworker and friend, Rami Ayyad, was kidnapped and murdered. 

In these difficult moments, Hanna and his family had to completely rely on God’s Word. When Gaza police told him they couldn’t protect his family, Hanna thought of Psalm 46:1, “The Lord is my refuge.” He and his family knew God could protect them, even if local authorities could not or would not. 

In the face of threats of further attacks, they decided to leave Gaza, at least temporarily. They planned to be away for a few weeks, long enough that the situation could settle down again. Instead, their departure became long-term. 

While the doors have never re-opened for the Massad family to return permanently to Gaza, that doesn’t mean their ministry in Gaza ceased. Massad, author of the book Pastor From Gaza (affiliate link), continues ministering to Christians in Gaza through the church, online connections, the Bible Society library and regular visits back to his homeland. 

Listen as he shares an update on the current ministry of Pauline Ayyad, Rami’s widow and a recent guest on VOM Oz Radio. He’ll also share what it means to be a true disciple and he’ll challenge every listener to keep our eyes on Jesus.

GAZA PASTOR: Connected Together Through Pain

Listen as Pastor Joe shares the struggles many new Christians in North Africa face when they believe in Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord. Yet, people in the region are coming to Christ like never before!

Christians in North Africa often pay a huge price for following Christ. They are rejected by family, lose jobs and face other forms of persecution when they tell others of their faith in Jesus. Many of these persecuted Christians don’t know how each day will end. They rely on the Lord for strength and hope, despite their fear.

Listen as Pastor Joe shares the story of a young woman in his congregation who was overjoyed to share her new faith with her family. But when she did, she was beaten and thrown into the streets. Her own mother told her, “I would rather know that my daughter became a prostitute than a Christian.”

Pastor Joe encourages listeners to not flee from danger and potentially miss blessings and service that God has planned for us. He reminds us that Jesus came to earth knowing He would suffer. He says that, as a Christian, we should also know that persecution will come.

Hear the story of one young man who encouraged other believers until the final moments of his life. In addition, Joe shares of a married couple who kept their faith a secret from each other—until they ran into each other at a Christian meeting!

Pray God would call believers in North Africa to stay in their communities and serve. Pray Pastor Joe and his family will remain faithful to the Lord and His calling on their lives and for continued protection over their ministry.

NORTH AFRICA PASTOR: Persecution Is Part of Christian Journey

Susi Childers has served with Youth With A Mission (YWAM) for more than two decades, using her photography skills to open doors to communicate the love of Christ to people all over the world.

Listen this week as Susi describes the impact of Loren Cunningham, YWAM’s founder who recently graduated to heaven, on her life and on encouraging her to use her gifts more fully to further the gospel. She’ll also share some of the personal qualities that made Loren such an impactful and visionary leader.

Susi will also share highlights from a recent trip to Nigeria, where she ministered to widows of Christians killed in northern Nigeria by Boko Haram or by Islamist militants from within the Fulani tribe. With more than 223 million people, Nigeria is the most populous country on the African continent. It is also a young country: 70% of the people are under 30. Susi believes that reaching the people of Nigeria with the gospel can be a key to reaching millions more all across the African continent.

A YWAM training school in southern Nigeria is a refuge for widows and orphans, providing them with a place to heal, as well as six months of training and discipleship. Many of the widows desire to go back to northern Nigeria, in spite of the loss they suffered there, to advance the gospel and live out their faith in Christ.

With her camera in hand, Susi went to visit and meet the widows and their children. Night after night, she awakened to hear singing and found, in the wee hours of the morning, these women gathered to read the Bible and pray for their persecutors.

“It was a holy place,” Susi said. “God hears the suffering of each individual day and night. He’s challenging us to carry a little piece of His heart.”

Listen as Susi shares how God led her to take donated jewelry with her on this visit to Nigeria, and how God used that jewelry to remind these widows of His abiding love for them.

NIGERIA: Martyrs’ Widows are “Women of Honor”

Pastor Raymond Koh was forcibly abducted on February 13th, 2017 in a military-style operation that took less than 40 seconds. Almost seven years later, he’s still missing. His car has never been located.

Raymond’s wife, Susanna, has filed a lawsuit to force the Malaysian government and leaders of the police to release all information about what happened, and hopefully hold the kidnappers accountable for their actions.

Listen this week to an interview with Susanna recorded two years after Raymond’s abduction. Hear how she found out her husband was missing, and how the police turned her missing person report into an opportunity to interrogate her about the Christian work and gospel outreach she and Raymond were involved in.

Raymond had been threatened before for his faith and gospel work, yet he continued to follow God’s plan for him. Susanna says in the months before the abduction she saw a deepening of Pastor Raymond’s spiritual walk. He memorized large sections of God’s Word, went on long prayer walks and preached the gospel with renewed passion and intensity.

Susanna is very honest as she shares raw emotion, grief and pain. But she also says God’s promises have uplifted her—as have Christian songs. She and her family have even been able to forgive those who kidnapped her husband.

Pray for Susanna and the Koh family as they await the next hearing date in her lawsuit. Pray for wisdom for the judge, and that the truth of who was behind Raymond’s abduction is revealed.

MALAYSIA: God Was Preparing Pastor Before His Abduction

For ten years, Shakir heard his Christian friend and his Muslim friend discuss, debate and argue about their different faiths. Shakir tried to ignore their discussion; he didn’t want to get involved. After all those years, Shakir was shocked when his Muslim friend told him that he had become a Christian. Shakir urged him to reconsider and return to Islam—but as his friend shared about the things that led him to follow Christ, Shakir himself began to consider that Jesus might indeed be the Way, the Truth and the Light.

Brother Shakir struggled to grasp the idea that God would come in flesh, show himself and save from sin. Comparing the principles of Islam against the Bible revealed the character of God to Shakir and the truth of God’s Word. Seeing in the Bible Christ’s personal display of God’s love ultimately led Shakir to follow Christ.

“That day I was saved,” Shakir said, “I was free, and I was really happy and filled with the Holy Spirit.”

Just like Shakir tried to sway his Muslim friend back to Islam, friends and family tried to convince him to renounce his faith. The most difficult pressure came from Shakir’s own mother. Shakir remembers her demanding, “Me or Christ. You have to choose.” Shakir did not deny Jesus.

Today, Shakir knows those he witnesses to and leads to Christ will face trials. New believers are encouraged by hearing the experiences of persecuted Christians like Shakir; their stories prepare young-in-faith Christians to stand up under pressure and persecution.

Shakir also shares how we can pray for the church in North Africa, and for his family and ministry.

NORTH AFRICA: Suffering for Truth is Beautiful

As Christian persecution increases across China, Myanmar and other hostile and restricted nations around the world, Christian brothers and sisters are finding new ways to gather for worship, fellowship and Bible study under the radar of police or hostile government authorities.

Dr. Joe Handley, president and CEO of A3, shares just how unique some of these new church meetings are, from pop-up coffee carts to whole congregations working out together in a public park. A3, formerly Asian Access, was established 56 years ago in Japan; today the ministry is training Christian leaders all over the world, including hostile and restricted nations in Asia, Africa and the Middle East.

One of A3’s current efforts is a training program preparing Christian leaders for persecution. Included are materials from The Voice of the Martyrs and other persecuted church ministries.

Listen as Joe shares more about the church in China, Japan, and Myanmar. He’ll share the story of a young Christian in Myanmar who was imprisoned, tortured and accused of insurrection. Today, this man and his family desire to go back to their people and continue sharing the gospel.

Joe will also equip listeners to pray for the next generation of Christian leaders to be prepared to stand firm in Christ, and to pray for A3 as the ministry grows to meet the current abundance of opportunities to serve.

CHRISTIAN PERSECUTION: Government Pressure Birthing New Ways for Church

“We are ready and prepared to be imprisoned. We are not afraid of being imprisoned. But we are afraid of losing the fear of the Lord.” —House Church leaders in China

Bob Fu, founder, and president of ChinaAid, is regularly in contact with Christians all over China. He says that, in an era of harsh government restrictions and a complete lack of religious freedom, churches are still being planted and leaders continue to baptize new believers in China.

Author of God’s Double Agent, Bob sheds light China’s new “patriotic education” law instigated earlier this year by Xi Jinping and the Communist Party – including its mandate for Chinese living overseas. He will also discuss protests that broke out across Chinese universities early in 2023 as young people displayed their discontent with the government.

Communist Party leaders continue to sweep their Christian persecution under the rug, categorizing the arrest of pastors and Christians as “illegal business activity” or financial fraud rather than violating religious regulations. As the government continues its tight reign over technology, they have removed Bible apps to eliminate access to God’s Word. In spite of these efforts, ministries including The Voice of the Martyrs continue to deliver Bibles into the hands of Chinese believers.

Listen as Bob shares updates on Pastor Wang Yi, serving a 9-year prison sentence, and Pastor Pan, who recently moved to America with his Mayflower Church congregation. Bob will also share a letter from Pastor John Cao, serving a 7-year sentence in prison, in which he writes, “Please rejoice for me. Jesus has died on the cross for me. It is my utter joy to be imprisoned for my Lord.”

As you pray for Chinese Christians like Pastor Wang Yi, John Cao, and others who are imprisoned, ask the Lord to sustain them through the Holy Spirit. Pray for their persecutors to find hope in Jesus. As they go through intense persecution, pray they would continue to fear the Lord above everything.

CHRISTIANS IN CHINA: Ready to be Imprisoned for Christ

“I’ve been with you, and I have to leave now, but as I go I am still with you.”

Aaron Miller, Vice President of International Ministry at The Voice of the Martyrs, learned this concept from brothers and sisters in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). They have a word for the concept in their language: tukopamuja. As Aaron and his team sit with persecuted Christians across the world, the stories they hear and prayers they pray together stay with them forever.

As 2024 begins, we pray that the stories of Christian persecution—and the faithfulness of Christ’s followers who endure it—will stay with you as you pray for the persecuted church. Changes in the status of Christians and the level of persecution in various nations are reflected in VOM’s 2024 Prayer Guide, and Aaron will bring those to light as he shares stories from his own travel and how his staff continue to serve persecuted Christians despite increased challenges.

Malawi and Mauritania, two countries in Africa have been added as daily persecution is a reality. One for Mauritania includes several men imprisoned for a baptism video released on social media. In India, prime minister Modi has diminished government protection for Christianity and increasing violent acts against Christians have made this region now restricted.

Learn from Aaron how you can pray for VOM’s International Ministry team and for Christians in restricted and hostile nations this year.

UPDATE: After the recording of this interview we learned the Christians arrested in Mauritania had been released. We thank God for this answer to prayer! Please continue to pray for their protection and their peace.

Looking Ahead To 2024: Ministry in the Midst of Trouble

“Go into all the world and proclaim the gospel to the whole creation.”

Loren Cunningham, with his wife Darlene, founded Youth With a Mission (YWAM) in 1960 with a vision to equip and send young people out all over the world to fulfill this God-given command to go and proclaim. Loren passionately continued God’s work even into his final days on earth, preaching and discipling even with lung cancer. When he died last October, he left an amazing, inspired legacy for YWAM.

Paul Childers, a long time YWAM worker and member of the ministry’s global eldership team, returns to VOM Radio this week to share how Loren’s legacy is propelling YWAM forward, especially with an emphasis on providing God’s Word to as many as possible through a Bible translation effort called Oral Mother Tongue. He will share the process to rapidly translate the Bible, through spoken word, into many more languages using the local people to help with the process.

Paul, founder of Word by Heart, shares the amazing work of Oral Mother Tongue and how they translated the entire New Testament for 30 languages in six months! Even local non-Christians are included in this work, excited by the stories they are helping to translate and the effort to maintain their heart languages.

Even a Hindu priest suggested, “The government needs to pay for this translation work! It’s so important to encapsulate our language going forward.” The process also adds credibility to the work in each community as people want to listen to a project to which their family members and friends contributed.

Please also pray for YWAM in this season of transition as they continue Loren’s legacy impacting the world for Christ and his kingdom.

MISSIONS: On Earth as it is In Heaven

Helping Muslims Find and Follow Jesus 

 

Moving to a new place can be difficult, especially if you don’t know anyone in your new community. Muslims from across the world have moved to America for work or school yet they are often ignored by those around them—even Christians. Fouad Masri, president of the Crescent Project, says our job as believers is not to convert anyone, but to shine the light of Jesus and rely on him to draw our Muslim friends to himself. 

 

Masri is the author of a new book, Sharing Jesus with Muslims: A Step-By-Step Guide (affiliate link). Listen in as he talks about conversational apologetics, thought-provoking questions to ask a Muslim friend, and myths still circulating within the Muslim world about the Christian faith. You’ll also hear Fouad’s joy as he shares about his ministry and stories of Muslims coming to Christ. 

 

With over 30 years of sharing the gospel with Muslims, Fouad reminds us we are not called to bring anything new, but to pray for sincere hearts ready to receive the gospel. He emphasizes that we should pray for the leading of the Holy Spirit to help answer Muslims who are seeking spiritual truth, and to ask questions that provoke self-examination.

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ASIA PACIFIC: The Value of Knowing Christ

Carter Gates, The Voice of the Martyrs’ Asia Pacific Regional Leader, says he is always humbled as he observes and fellowships with persecuted Christians who regularly take up their cross joyfully despite that risk. They know walking with Christ is worth the risk.

Listen this week as Carter shares what the church is experiencing in Brunei, China, Laos, and Myanmar, including looking ahead to serving our Christian brothers and sisters in these restricted and hostile nations in 2024.

Brunei is now requiring one hour of Islamic instruction per day for children in public and private schools. In China, the Communist Party has intensified efforts to restrict children from attending church. Biblical children’s resources—including Bibles—are needed, and Carter’s team have a passion to inspire the next generation toward gospel boldness.

Carter asked one Chinese brother how he was preparing to faithfully stand strong under Christian persecution. The answer he received was challenging: “When I was little, my mother taught me three preparations,” our Chinese brother responded. “Always be ready to preach. Always be ready to pray. Always be ready for martyrdom.”

One young teenager, who came to faith in Laos through the ministry of a missionary couple, literally had to hide her Bible by burying it in the ground. She would dig it up late at night to read it without her family’s knowledge. Today she has grown in her faith and is involved in church planting.

Pray for our brothers and sisters in Asia Pacific as they experience different forms of persecution for their faith. Pray for Carter and his team as they use creative means to serve our persecuted family in China, Myanmar, Laos, Brunei and other nations in the region.

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Paul Dangtoumda, a part of the global eldership counsel for Youth With a Mission (YWAM) and the leader for YWAM’s work in Nigeria, comes from a family with a history of Christian persecution. In fact, he bears the scar of persecution his parents faced even before he was born. Listen as he shares the amazing testimony of God’s protection over him and his parents—and how their example inspires his ministry even today.

Hear how Paul began working in Nigeria and how today he and YWAM are helping widows—Women of Honor—to persevere in life and faith despite the loss of their husbands. “We had to teach the [women] how to go to the cross,” he says. “Because when they realize that it is God who can save them, then this is the beginning of true counseling.”

Paul will also share about a Bible translation effort called Oral Mother Tongue, an effort that YWAM founder Loren Cunningham focused on in the final days of his earthly life. Listen as Paul describes the process from start to finish—and the reaction of people hearing the Bible in their own language for the first time.

Paul will suggest ways listeners can pray for this translation effort.

NIGERIA: Bearing the Scar of Persecution

This episode will be a little different than most as we have two conversations instead of one. First, we’ll hear from Steve Lisby about a group of pastors and church leaders imprisoned in Nicaragua after being part of a large-scale evangelism effort. Next we’ll hear from Brother Philip, who helps The Voice of the Martyrs provide trauma care for persecuted Christians in Africa.

Steve Lisby is the risk management director with Mountain Gateway, a ministry helping train and send gospel workers. Last year, with the approval of the Nicaraguan government, Mountain Gateway held evangelistic events in multiple locations around the country. More than one million people attended these events, including 300,000 at the final event in the capitol city. After the success of these events, it was a shock when one of the Mountain Gateway national directors was imprisoned in December. Days later, his wife and nine more pastors were taken to prison. Since their arrest they have not been allowed to see their families or have contact with the outside world.

For persecuted Christians and others who have gone through trauma, that trauma can affect all aspects of their life. Brother Philip is a field minister in Africa for The Voice of the Martyrs, specifically focused on training Christian leaders to provide trauma care for Christians who have endured persecution.

Listen as Philip shares how trauma rewires the brains of victims. For persecuted Christians, that affects how they relate to God and experience faith. As a trained trauma-care provider and brother in Christ, Philip believes it’s a gift to listen to the stories of our persecuted brothers and sisters and bear witness to the pain they’ve experienced. It is important to address physical, emotional and mental needs. But the great blessing of VOM’s work is to be able to address spiritual needs for trauma survivors as well. Hear how Philip and his coworkers structure trauma care efforts for persecuted Christians and the benefit of designing this care around the truth of God’s Word.

PERSECUTED CHRISTIANS: Witnessing Their Pain, Caring for Their Trauma

Last week, Brother Philip, a field minister for The Voice of the Martyrs in West Africa, shared how witnessing stories of trauma from persecuted Christians and addressing their spiritual needs is a gift. He shared the characteristics of resilient individuals who coped well after persecution and how scripture can bring healing to their hearts and minds. This week, you’ll hear how Christians may exhibit more resilience than non-believers, stories of persecuted Christians and how The Voice of the Martyrs empowers pastors in Africa to help persecuted Christians find healing after trauma.

Listen as Philip explains the need for believers—in Africa and elsewhere—to have a good theology of suffering to thrive in a broken world where persecution is promised. You’ll also hear how the fruit of the Spirit is central in providing trauma care for persecuted Christians, and the vital role forgiveness plays. “Forgiveness is absolutely indispensable for healing,” Philip says.

You’ll hear the story of a pastor in Africa who suffered incredible loss when Islamists attacked his village. The pastor ran from the invading rebels to hide in the church. However, they followed him. When the attack was over, the pastor’s wife, his brother and his two children had all been killed. Yet after attending a trauma care workshop sponsored by VOM, the pastor said: “I have begun to forgive those perpetrators totally.”

Philip and his team train pastors and other Christian leaders to care for persecuted Christians dealing with trauma in their communities. Partnering with pastors in Africa and other parts of the world—people who already understand the culture and know the language—creates greater impact as they share the training further and reach out to more persecuted Christians.

Pray for Philip and his team as they train pastors to care for persecuted Christians. Pray for persecuted church members in restricted nations and hostile areas to hold fast to their faith—even in suffering.

TRAUMA CARE: There’s a Place for Mourning

David Paul fell in love with Muslims as a college student visiting Turkey (now Türkiye) to share the gospel. After getting married, he and his wife thought they’d go where Muslims are — the Middle East. God changed their plans, reminding them that millions of Muslims live in South Asia, yet very few mission workers go there. They knew God was calling them, and without ever visiting, they moved to South Asia more than a decade ago. Their focus is on reaching Urdu speaking Muslims with the gospel message.

Listen as David shares difficulties from those early years of ministry and how we can encourage and pray for missionaries to push forward through their early challenges to reach maximum fruitfulness. Today David’s challenges are different; one is the great need to develop more Muslim background believers (MBBs) to be leaders in the Urdu church.

Listen to David tell stories of Urdu speaking Muslims who have come to faith in Christ and how different understandings of Islam can affect how much Christian persecution believers face for leaving Islam. David is also training Hindu background believers to reach their Muslim neighbors.

“Every time I encourage a believer to go into the face of persecution, I lose a lot of sleep.” David says, “It’s not an easy calling to ask people to do that.” Yet, Davd knows it’s what Jesus would do.

Pray for Urdu speaking believers—especially those facing persecution right now—and for God to raise up Christian leaders and mentors among them.

SOUTH ASIA: “It’s Not an Easy Calling”

When Jeff Woodke said those words, he didn’t know that he would be taken hostage from his home in Niger in 2016. But Woodke, a long-term relief and gospel worker in West Africa, did know there were risks.

Risk wasn’t such a big issue in the early years of the ministry of Jeff and his wife, Els, in Niger with Youth With a Mission (YWAM). They worked in church planting, discipleship, and evangelism among the Wodaabe people. Niger was an open country, with churches throughout. What Christian persecution there was came from family members or neighbors who opposed following Jesus. However, over time the rise of Salafist Islam changed Niger—and increased their risk.

Listen as Jeff recalls the night he was kidnapped and how the image of orange flashes from the guns which killed his guards are seared into his memory.

Naked and bloody, Jeff was forced into the back seat of a truck and driven away, not knowing who his captors were or how long his captivity might last. Over the years, Jeff was transferred into the custody of multiple terror groups, beaten and mistreated. As a Christian who refused to embrace Islam, Jeff was seen as an animal. Some of his guards were only 12 years old.

Yet Jeff says renouncing his faith in Christ and becoming a Muslim to get better treatment was never an option. Jeff shares what helped him during those difficult days and how he knew the Lord was with him. Listen as he tells why forgiveness was key and how he took opportunity daily to express it to his captors.

Please pray for Jeff and Els as they continue to recover from the more than six years of Jeff’s captivity and come back next week as Jeff continues to share more of his experience being a hostage and his eventual release and freedom.

KIDNAPPED GOSPEL WORKER: Forgiveness is the Best Weapon We Have

Last week, Brother Kevin shared how he came to Christ and how God gave him a passion to reach the 13 million Hui people in China. For members of this people group, to be Hui is to be Muslim. Those who become Christians are considered traitors, bringing shame to their family. Hui Christians face social, psychological, and sometimes financial persecution, typically enforced by members of their own family. They may lose their job, be kicked out of the family home, and even renounced as a member of the family. Kevin came to see the communist authorities as ordinary people doing their jobs and providing for their families. He intentionally chose to see police and other authorities as worthy of his respect and compassion. When Xi Jinping ascended to the leadership of the Communist Party and the Chinese nation, things changed. By 2017, most foreigners were having a hard time renewing visas. By 2018, hardly any foreign gospel workers were able to remain in China. Members of Muslim minorities—including the Hui and the Uyghurs—received “reeducation” enforced by the government. Listen as Kevin shares how his family’s ministry in China ended and how tension grew during their final weeks in country as authorities searched for legal reasons to detain or deport Kevin and his family, including a late-night drive to the airport. Choosing to focus on God’s sovereignty allowed Kevin to shepherd his family and others struggling with their forced departure. Gospel outreach to the Hui did not end with foreign missionaries being kicked out of China. Today they are reached through social media gospel outreach and multifaceted church planting by local Han Chinese believers as well as Christians from non-Western countries. Pray for the Lord to continue moving among the Hui through dreams, visions and divine appointments with followers of Christ. Pray for Chinese brothers and sisters to boldly preach the cross and to prepare new Christians for persecution. Richard and Jeannette had a similar experience in China as Kevin’s family, yet Richard found himself detained by the authorities. to their story. Never miss an episode of VOM Radio! . Or you can listen each week—and get daily prayer reminders—in the for your smartphone or tablet. April is Bible month at VOM! Please consider to Christians living in restricted nations and hostile areas.

CHINA MISSIONS: "Your Ministry Is Over Mixdown"

Within two months of Brother Kevin and his wife beginning gospel work in India, more than a thousand people had come to Christ! The fruit of the gospel was immediate. Local missions leaders asked them to stay on and help disciple these new believers. They saw the opportunity, and the incredible growth of the ministry. But Kevin couldn’t dismiss an urge to visit China before agreeing to stay and minister in India. It was on that first visit to China that Kevin was asked a question which would change his life and guide his mission efforts going forward: “Have you heard of the Hui people?” Kevin and his wife had not heard of the Hui, and they began to ask questions about this mostly-Muslim unreached people group of 13 million people. They were told that, in the area they were passing through, the Hui people had no church, no missionaries, and that there was no church or organization committed to sharing the gospel with them. “That’s when we felt the call.” Kevin says now. Today Kevin and his wife have spent more than a decade living among and serving the Hui people. Listen as Kevin shares his testimony of coming to Christ as a young adult, and about his calling to be a missionary in a restricted nation where Christian persecution is common and fierce. Kevin opens up about some of the struggles they faced as cross cultural gospel workers, and how their clear calling from God kept them in obedience to Him. Be sure to listen next week as Kevin shares more about their work in China and how they experienced a sudden forced ending to that chapter of their ministry. Never miss an episode of VOM Radio! . Or you can listen each week—and get daily reminders to pray for the persecuted church—in the for your smartphone or tablet.

CHINA MISSIONS: Thats When We Felt The Call

Many Muslims are ready to hear the gospel and experience the love of Jesus Christ. For more than two decades Peter Smith has prayed for the nation of Iran and connected with ministries reaching people and supporting persecuted Christians in the nation he and his wife “adopted.” Seeing the gospel go forth in the Middle East reminds Peter of the good soil that produced 30, 60 and 100-fold harvests in Jesus’ Matthew 13 parable. Persecution is rising in restricted nations across the Middle East; despite that risk, more Muslims are becoming followers of Christ. Listen as Peter shares the stories of how God worked in the heart of an Uber driver and a divorced woman. “When you adopt a country,” Peter says, “sooner or later you get to adopt the people.” Peter’s wife also has an international ministry—from their home in the United States. She asks the Lord each day for divine appointments and looks for gospel opportunities at the grocery store, in her neighborhood and wherever else the day takes her. Hear how she’s had gospel conversations with women from 54 different countries. Learn how you can pray specifically for Christians in Iran and across the Middle East as Peter shares what current events mean for Christians there and how to pray for what God is already doing. Go to to see one resource people are using to share the gospel in the Middle East—a resource also available in English. Hear the story of Peter “adopting” the nation of Iran during . Never miss an episode of VOM Radio! . Or you can listen each week—and get daily prayer reminders—in the for your smartphone or tablet.

MIDDLE EAST: Christians Intentional About Sharing Jesus

A Christian and pastor from Central Asia, Brother Silas constantly interacts with Muslims. He says many are seeking truth and looking for answers to their deepest spiritual questions. Brother Silas and Tom Houser, executive director for , share this week what new Christians in Central Asian nations—including Muslim background believers—experience when they become followers of Jesus. “The moment you make that decision,” says Silas, “you will be oppressed on every side.” Persecution follows those who come to Christ in Central Asian nations like Türkiye, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan and Azerbaijan. The persecution may come from different sources: the government, their parents, relatives, neighbors, or the broader community. Persecuted Christians face isolation, broken friendships and being targeted by police or other authorities. Silas shares some of his own experience as a persecuted Christian, and the encouragement he found in knowing other Christians were praying for him and that he was not alone. Organizations like People International and The Voice of the Martyrs, which take time to sit with persecuted Christians and know what they really need, bring encouragement as they share that others around the world—like VOM Radio listeners—are praying for our persecuted brothers and sisters. Hear how we can reach our Muslim neighbors, coworkers, and friends for Christ. Tom will also share more about People International’s mission to be present where there is no church presence and what leaders of the group have learned in more than forty years of ministry. Also hear how social media, broadcasting and other evangelism tools are reaching people in Central Asia. And learn how you can pray for the people of Central Asia to know Christ, and for the persecuted church in these nations. to Silas’ testimony of coming to faith and the persecution he faced as a new Christian. Never miss an episode of VOM Radio! . Or listen each week—and get daily prayer reminders—in the for your smartphone or tablet.

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