Yimenu was one of the wealthiest merchants of a small town not far from Shashemane, the administrative city of West Arsi Zone in southern Ethiopia. A father of five and elder of his local church, Yimenu, along with his family, was targeted in 2020 by Muslim mobs who destroyed his home and businesses.
Read MoreChristians attending a church service in western Sri Lanka were warned about a demonstration against the church. Per pandemic guidelines, only 15 believers were meeting one August day at the church south of Colombo, Sri Lanka’s capital city. At about 9:20 a.m. as the service was ongoing, the pastor received a call from a member of the police department, who told him there was a demonstration going on and that he should stop the church service in order to maintain the peace
Read MoreReligious affairs authorities told a pastor working in Central Asia that if the Taliban take over, they will kill the pastor. Though church meetings are restricted in the country, this pastor has hosted an enduring house fellowship in his home.
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Prison pastor Imprisoned as a threat to the state, Pastor Kashkumbaev had every reason to feel discouraged. But a pointed question from a Christian brother changed his perspective, leading to a powerful work of God in a Kazakhstani prison. “You will serve 10 years of hard time,” the investigator said solemnly. The elderly pastor would be almost 80 by the time he completed his sentence, and part of it, he learned, would be spent in a psychiatric ward. Pastor Bakhytzhan Kashkumbaev knew that prisoners in the psychiatric ward were routinely drugged, causing them to lose the abilities to even think or move. They would drug him to a point of losing his mind. His heart sank. While he was not afraid to die, he didn’t want his seven grandchildren to see him in that condition. Death didn’t scare him, but losing his mind did. The “Crime” In May 2013, Pastor Kashkumbaev was arrested after being accused of harming the health of a church member at Grace Church, a legally registered church in Kazakhstan. Authorities filed five charges against the pastor, including a charge of inciting religious hatred. Although the church member defended the pastor, saying the charges were unfounded, these
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Infidel, Smuggler, Pastor How an encounter with the Bible transformed a militant Iraqi Kurd into a passionate evangelist. Seventeen-year-old Nemrut devoured books. He was always looking for something new to read, but few books in the Kurdish language were available in his dusty Iraqi town. One day he spotted something new in a local bookstore — a Kurdish translation of the Gospel of Luke. He wasn’t sure what it was, but he was intrigued. When he asked about the book, he was disappointed to learn that the bookstore owner wouldn’t part with it because it was his only copy. Determined to read the book, Nemrut made a deal with the owner to pay a lending fee so he could borrow the book and return it when he was done. He read until 4 a.m. the next morning. “This was the beginning of loving Jesus,” he said. Luke’s Gospel had planted a seed, but Nemrut still had much to learn. While he wasn’t particularly committed to Islam, Nemrut had been born into a Muslim family. Like many Kurds, he held that faith lightly, feeling more loyalty to family and tribe than to religion. Zealous for an independent Kurdish homeland, Nemrut joined
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Joe Handley leads Asian Access, a ministry to train and equip church leaders—including many working in countries where Christians face persecution for their faith. Listen as Joe shares the story of an imprisoned Christian in Myanmar who found a way to be a blessing, even from inside prison. Joe will also talk about training up leaders in hostile and restricted nations—and especially helping them learn to abide in and rely on Christ. Hear how Christians in Sri Lanka reached out to those opposing them, and the way it opened a door for the gospel in a formerly-closed village. And learn how the gospel is advancing in India, in spite of persecution. Don’t forget: the International Day of Prayer for the Persecuted Church, coming up November 7. Get free resources from VOM to help you and your church pray. Never miss an episode of VOM Radio! Subscribe to the podcast.
Read MoreChristians in Afghanistan have been targeted by the Taliban, according to one front-line worker. As the Taliban seeks to cleanse Afghanistan based on their strict interpretation of Islam, they have targeted some believers.
Read MoreBrother Amir was traveling with his wife and a friend when he received a phone call from a member of an Islamist group. The man threatened Amir’s family, telling him that his family is under surveillance and that they spotted his only son attending a Christian church.
Read MoreFor weeks, Dinh Hoc’s family has been harassed for their Christian faith. Recently, when they returned from three days in the mountains, they found their home burned to the ground.
Read MoreSemse Aydin and her husband, Necati, were expecting a baby. Necati had been arrested for gospel work in Turkey, and now the couple had a decision to make. Would they continue advancing the gospel among their countrymen, in spite of the risk of more persecution? Or would they choose a safer path for their now-growing family? Together, Necati and Semse made the decision: they would continue boldly in their Christian work. The decision led them to Malatya, where Necati was murdered in 2007. This week we continue our conversation with Semse and Gracia Burnham. Both women are widows whose husbands were killed serving in front-line ministry work. Both have experienced God’s faithfulness in the years since, and both consider their suffering for Christ an honor. Listen as they discuss their husbands’ legacies and what their ministry looks like today. You can hear in-depth interviews with Gracia and Semse in the VOM Radio Archives. Please continue to pray for them, and their children. Never miss an episode of VOM Radio. Subscribe to the podcast!
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