Pastor Ishaku’s Story

“My prayer is that if God still has work for me to do, he should keep me alive to do it,” Pastor Ishaku said. “God has always protected me from them, [though] I see [people connected to Boko Haram] every day.”

Ishaku has buried many Christians who were killed by Boko Haram, including another pastor and two men who had children.

One of the men had pursued the extremists after learning that his daughter had been kidnapped. “He chose to go after them,” Ishaku said, “but the terrorists laid ambush. They shot him and murdered him.”

Another man who was killed was kidnapped along with his young daughter. The Islamists ordered him to deny Christ, and when he refused they killed him and then released his daughter.

Ishaku said that Boko Haram acts out of a sense of jihad (struggle), or holy war, against the enemies of Islam, and many Islamists believe anyone who is not a Muslim should be killed.

Despite continual threats and the all-too-common killings, Ishaku carries on. He is committed to planting churches in this region because he sees God at work; he knows that fellowship among believers encourages those suffering from the ongoing attacks.

“May God remove hatred for Muslims from the hearts of pastors, because you cannot pray for someone you hate.”

—Pastor Ishaku

Today, you can stand with front-line workers like Pastor Ishaku and the persecuted Christians he reaches through the $1.8 Million Year-End Challenge. Generous friends have offered a $1.8 Million Challenge Gift in support of The Voice of the Martyrs’ Global Ministry and are challenging friends like you to donate an additional $1.8 million before midnight on Dec. 31.

Your gift will help provide medical care, furnish temporary shelter, supply food, distribute Bibles, meet other unique needs and be a voice for our faithful brothers and sisters around the world … all while helping to multiply the ministry impact!

And when you give before the end of the year, you’ll receive a FREE 2025 VOM Prayer Calendar!