Emmanuel resented his father’s ministry work in Vietnam and the repeated imprisonments it caused. But as he saw God working through him, his own work began to mirror his father’s commitment. Emmanuel has many painful childhood memories. He will never forget the fear he felt every time Vietnamese authorities arrested his father while preaching at a Sunday service or while teaching believers from various tribes at their home. He would sometimes cling to his father’s leg, trying to prevent the police from taking his daddy. And he still remembers the loneliness and abandonment he felt while his father was imprisoned. Emmanuel resented his father’s work, and it didn’t end when his father was out of prison. The resentment resurfaced every time his father was unable to attend a special school event because of his ministry work. Emmanuel often climbed to the top of a coconut tree to cry and vent his frustration toward his father and God in private. Then, at age 11, Emmanuel’s bitterness reached a new level as his father began to serve what became three years in prison. “I got angry with my father,” Emmanuel said. “Sometimes I didn’t even want to visit my father in prison.”
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Listen this week as we share Part 2 (listen to Part 1) of Silas’s story. He will tell of the darkest moments in his life, suffering intense persecution for his Christian faith. Silas and his family continued in obedience to Christ despite threats from the KGB. Silas’s refusal to bow to their agenda angered them. Silas was arrested and tortured in ways that, as a lawyer, he found unbelievable. He says his doubts, shame, and moments of weakness reminded him to lean into God’s power. By remembering the suffering of Christ, Silas was overwhelmed with comfort. As Silas trusted the Lord in his suffering, he saw God working on the hearts of others—including his torturers! The head KGB officer who tortured Silas and his Christian friend later asked Silas’s forgiveness and prayer for his family. He was even welcomed into the home of one of the Christians he’d tortured. Today Silas is involved in ministry through radio/TV broadcasting and various internet platforms to share the gospel in the Turkmen language, knowing how it impacted him to see on film Jesus speaking his own language. Pray for the good news to continue to spread throughout Turkmenistan and to Turkmen people all over the world! Never miss an episode of VOM Radio! Subscribe to the Podcast.
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Betul is a young girl who attends a youth program hosted by front-line workers in Lebanon. She and her brother have lived with their grandmother since their father died and their mother left the children when she remarried.
Read MoreOne Iranian believer has found a creative way to share the gospel with her parents who do not know Christ. Wanting her parents to trust in God, this girl used a VOM-supported Christian magazine to provide opportunities to talk to her parents about Jesus.
Read MoreMilitant Fulani Muslims attacked a village in southern Kaduna state on Jan. 30, killing 11 Christians and burning most of the homes in the village.
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