“God loves Afghans!” Author John Weaver lived in Afghanistan, speaks the language and is in daily contact with people still in the country. He’ll give listeners an update on how the Taliban’s takeover is affecting our Christian brothers and sisters and share specific requests to help us pray for our Afghan family members. John will also tell us how God is working through current events and even among members of the Taliban. One thing we know He is doing is raising up an army of prayer warriors to intercede on behalf of Afghanistan and pray for the advance of Christ’s kingdom among unreached people there. Here are six ways you can pray for Afghanistan right now. Don’t miss an episode of VOM Radio! Subscribe to the podcast.
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In recent weeks, militant Fulani Muslims have attacked villages in the Miango area of Plateau state, Nigeria, killing many and displacing thousands. As the violence escalated over the following days, the Islamists destroyed hundreds of homes and churches as well as the villagers’ crops, which were being prepared for harvest, eliminating their food source and livelihoods.
Read MoreNastaran is a mother of two who regularly receives a Christian magazine that contains stories from VOM’s Courageous series. Recently, her brother-in-law visited her home with his family, and her son read the story of Patrick to her nephew while excitedly showing him the magazine.
Read MoreRahila and Ibrahim met in Niger when Ibrahim began attending Rahila’s church. Ibrahim had grown up in a Muslim home, but he heard the gospel while working in Niger, and he started attending church. Ibrahim and Rahila eventually married, and after the birth of four children, they felt called to return to Nigeria where they had two more children.
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Hassan’s appearance at a pastor’s conference in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, was his response to what he believed was God’s call for him to focus on persecution. In fact, just months earlier, he had turned down a second term as Secretary-General of the Sudan Church of Christ so he could help prepare churches for persecution at a more grassroots level. During the November 2015 conference in Ethiopia, he told pastors about the increasing persecution his eight congregations were facing in Sudan. Among those in the audience during Hassan’s presentation was Petr Jasek, a Czech national who served as VOM’s Regional Director for Africa at the time. Petr was especially moved by a photograph Hassan showed of a young Christian man who had been injured during a demonstration. Weeks later, Petr traveled to Khartoum to meet the injured man and arrange to help cover his medical expenses. After a four-day visit, Petr prepared to leave the country. That’s when Hassan experienced what he considers one of the greatest blessings of his life. “Petr was arrested at the airport,” Hassan said, “and then, through investigations, they discovered that he had visited me and other people. That is why they arrested me.” The Price
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Fazal’s wife, Shahnaz, smiled as she watched her husband put onhis new shoes, excited to attend church that morning. Christmaswas just a week away, and he looked forward to taking communion that day at Bethel Memorial Methodist Church in Quetta, Pakistan.Shahnaz quietly chided him for running late, then kissed Fazal and theirson goodbye, not realizing it would be the last time she would see herhusband. Fazal and his son arrived at a church packed with people who hadcome to watch the children’s Christmas celebration. But as the congregation lined up to receive the elements of communion, four men wearing suicide vests approached the church. Seeing their intent, security personnel tried to prevent the men from entering, shooting one as he entered the compound. Two of the others fled the scene, but the fourth man managed to push his way through the entrance and detonate his explosives. Fazal’s son was preparing to receive the elements when the explosion occurred, and the woman next to him was injured in the blast. Eleven Christians, including Fazal, were killed in the attack, andmany others were wounded. The self-proclaimed Islamic State (ISIS) laterclaimed credit for the bombing. While composing less than 1 percent of the
Read MoreThe Bible was small and barely holding together, but it effectivelydelivered God’s Word through the preaching of Abram Yac Deng.With only minimal training, he faithfully shepherded his largecongregation near Turalei, Bahr El Ghazal Province in Sudan. He taughtthe church of four hundred Sudanese with the only Bible of the entirecongregation. Although many of the people were illiterate, his desire wasto provide literary classes for men, women, and children. When a Christian ministry brought in hundreds of Bibles, Deng was thrilled that everymember of his congregation would have access to the Scriptures. Four days after receiving the Bibles, radical Islamic raiders invadedthe village. Deng was shot in the head at close range, killing him instantly.The church was torched and many people made it out just in time.Almost one hundred villagers were killed that day, and many people werekidnapped and forced into slavery. The newly delivered Bibles thatbrought them such hope and joy were destroyed in the fire. One of Deng’s favorite verses was Romans 6:23: “For the wages ofsin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus ourLord.” Today, he is reaping that free gift in eternity. By Western standards, the possessions of a Sudanese
Read MoreJames Pino and his wife, Rocio, had already gone to bed for the nightwhen they heard an unexpected knock at the front door. When Pinoopened the door, he was met by two men asking for help with theirmotorcycle. He went outside to help while one of the men stayed by thedoor, where Rocio stood watching her husband. “Is your name Maria?” the man asked her.“No, I am Rocio Pino,” she replied. Suddenly three gunshots shattered the stillness of the night, andwhen Pino turned around he saw his wife fall to the ground. The attackers then jumped on their motorcycle and sped away. Because they lived in one of Colombia’s “red zones,” areas controlledby the Armed Revolutionary Forces of Colombia (FARC), no emergencyservices would respond. The road to their village was heavily mined andguarded by armed FARC guerrillas, so Pino and his daughters were leftto watch Rocio die on their front doorstep. Rocio was known for sharing the Gospel with everyone she met,especially the guerrilla fighters. “All who come here will hear aboutChrist,” she had said. Pino later learned that Rocio’s killers were probably retaliating against her for witnessing to a female guerrilla who hadstopped by their house a few weeks
Read MoreThe day started out like any other school day for teacher Christianah Oluwatoyin Olusase. There was nothing to suggest thatanything out of the ordinary might happen, though as a Christian teacher in predominantly Muslim northern Nigeria, she surelyunderstood the risk to her life that daily hovered. Still, Olusase took herwork seriously and was open about her faith. It was not a secret that shewas a Christian, and this is what eventually led to her death. It was time for an Islamic Religious Knowledge exam at the Government Day Secondary School in Gombe, Nigeria, where Olusase taught.As was her custom during any test, she collected the students’ bags, books, and papers, and set them aside for the girls to pick up after completing their tests. She then handed out the examination papers. Somewhere during this routine activity, one of the girls grew very upset and began spreading the word to the other students that a copy of the Koran—the Islamic holy book—had been in her bag. She supposedly didn’t agree with the way her teacher had handled it, and she accused Olusase of desecrating the Koran by touching it since she was a Christian. The other students in the all-girl class
Read MoreIt was a typical Sunday morning for four-year-old Melissa and hermother, Sandra. They woke up, got dressed for church and joinedthe rest of the congregation for worship and fellowship at AfricaInland Church in Garissa, Kenya. Sandra dropped Melissa off at herSunday School class before joining the adults in the sanctuary. But worship that morning was far from typical. In the middle of theservice, attackers threw grenades into the sanctuary. The panicked congregation ran for the exits amid the chaos and explosions, but they were met with automatic gunfire as they tried to escape the carnage inside the church. Melissa and the other Sunday School students huddled quietlyin their classroom, trying to wait out the attack.When the violence ended, fifteen were dead and more than fiftyothers wounded. Members of the militant Islamic group al-Shababclaimed responsibility for the terrorist attack, one of the worst Kenyahad suffered in years. Kenya’s Christian population has been an al-Shabab target eversince the group began its “holy war” against the enemies of Islam in 2006. The group, whose Arabic name means “the Youth,” was foundedin Somalia before extending its reach into Kenya. Tensions in Kenyaintensified after Kenyan military forces invaded Somalia, leading al-Shabab to vow revenge on
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