In September 2008, one day before 19-year-old Kyung Jae Kim planned to escape from North Korea, security forces raided his home and arrested him. The raid was part of an operation to gather Christians who had been carrying the gospel secretly into North Korea for many years.
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In 1997, Warren and Donna Pett sold their 96-year-old family farm in Mukwonago, Wisconsin, after sensing God’s call to the mission field. In 2002, they moved to serve in Uganda’s Yumbe district, one of Uganda’s poorest districts and the only majority-Muslim district in the country. Warren and Donna provided agricultural training and spiritual discipleship at the Evangelical School of Technology in Aringa (ESTA). On March 18, 2004, ESTA was attacked by masked men with guns. Warren and Donna, along with a Ugandan student, were killed. Ezra and Saul Pett are the sons of Warren and Donna. Listen this week as they share on The Voice of the Martyrs Radio about their parents’ ministry and how Saul and Ezra wrestled with God and their own faith after their parents’ murder. “My faith basically evaporated,” says Saul. “This event devastated me.” But in the years since, God has gently and faithfully ministered to Saul and Ezra. He has comforted them in their loss and helped them address the anger they felt at their parents’ death. Today, they see His plan to produce eternal fruit, even when we may not understand what He is doing. Listen as Saul and Ezra talk about renewing their faith, accepting God’s plan and even going to minister in the very place in Uganda where their parents were killed—and seeing the legacy Warren and Donna left even in their short time of missionary service. You can give online to support the Pett’s ongoing work in Uganda here. You can read the story of Warren and Donna, from The Voice of the Martyrs free monthly magazine, here. June 29 marks Day of the Christian Martyr, when Christians around the world honor a persecuted Christian who laid down their life for the cause of Christ. This year’s video and other resources from VOM focus on the story of Abdiwelli Ahmed, an ethnic Somali former Muslim gunned down in northern Kenya in 2013. Watch a video about Abdiwelli’s faith and ministry and access all the resources for this year’s Day of the Christian Martyr to bless your church, small group or family with his inspiring example. Never miss an episode of VOM Radio! Subscribe to the podcast. Or you can listen each week—and get daily reminders to pray for persecuted Christians—in the VOM App for your smartphone or tablet.
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In the late 1990s, a Wisconsin couple left their farm and family behind to share the love of Christ in Africa. Years later, their loved ones are left with grief and lingering questions about how and why the couple were killed at the Christian training center where they served. In 1997, Warren and Donna Pett sold their 96-year-old family farm and 110 Holstein cows in Mukwonago, Wisconsin, after sensing God’s call to the mission field. They said goodbye to their children, a grandchild, their parents and other relatives who lived near the farm, then boarded a plane to go serve strangers in a faraway land. The couple, both in their early 40s, had made the decision to enter the mission field a few years earlier, following a missions conference at their church. They felt God nudging them to use their decades of farming experience to teach agriculture to African youth and share the gospel along the way. The decision didn’t surprise their children, Marita Verhalen, Saul Pett and Ezra Pett. They have fond memories of their mother reading her Bible and praying each morning on the couch, and their father’s faith is also part of their family heritage. Warren often
Read MoreIn April 2020, 13 churches in southern Burkina Faso were attacked and severely damaged or destroyed by followers of traditional religions. Many of the communities, including the village of Obire, have been planning to rebuild. On February 27, 2023, armed bandits attacked Obire again, killing three people.
Read MoreThe Indian state of Manipur is experiencing mass protests and fighting among indigenous tribal groups and ethnic Meiteis. The government is considering granting Meitei people the same government benefits as the tribal groups, which has led to widespread demonstrations and fighting.
Read MoreOn Feb. 13, 2023, village authorities gathered a group of 21 Christians from a minority tribal group in Laos, detaining them at the district meeting hall. The head of the village called them traitors for believing in a religion that does not belong to their ancestors and demanded they renounce their faith in Christ.
Read MoreIt’s been more than a month since fighting broke out in the capital city of Sudan. Christians and non-Christians alike are dealing with extreme hardship, difficulty, and terror as the battle between two warring Islamist factions continues. For our Christian brothers and sisters in Sudan, war has made life even more difficult than usual as they try to survive the fighting, find food and shelter and still face persecution for their faith in Christ. Brad Phillips, founder and president of Persecution Project Foundation (PPF), began working in Sudan in 1997 and has partnered with The Voice of the Martyrs to serve Sudanese Christians since 2002. Listen as he explains the current fighting and tells how our Christian family members are being affected. Brad and the PPF team are daily hearing stories of tremendous loss in the church, yet also stories of heroism as persecuted Christians risk their lives to serve others in this season of upheaval and need. Others are trying to flee major cities for the Nuba Mountains—which previously was a site of great persecution and repeated bombings by the Sudanese military. Listen as Brad shares how to pray for persecuted Christians in Sudan, and invite a Christian friend to pray with you for followers of Jesus caught in the crossfire there. Never miss an episode of VOM Radio! Subscribe to the podcast. Or you can listen each week—and get daily reminders to pray for persecuted Christians—in the VOM App for your smartphone or tablet.
Read MoreOn Feb. 13, 2017, Pastor Raymond Koh was abducted off the streets of Malaysia. In 2019, Malaysia’s Human Rights Commission issued a report blaming the abduction on the “Special Branch” of Malaysia’s police. No one has since been held accountable, and Pastor Koh’s whereabouts and condition remain unknown.
Read MoreIn the kingdom of Bhutan, where Buddhism is regarded as the only acceptable religion, Christians are often refused citizenship cards and other official documents needed for employment, education and most necessities. Pastor Deki and her son, Ratno, have been denied citizenship cards because of their Christian work.
Read MoreThough Ethiopia is a majority-Christian nation, many Ethiopians lack access to Bibles in their native languages. VOM is working with front-line ministers to give Bibles to every Ethiopian Christian, including Bibles in native languages such as Amharic, Omoro and Tigrinya.
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