Within days of the Feb. 6 earthquake that devastated eastern Turkiye, Turkish Christians rushed from other parts of the country to help. “One church group used their hands to dig people out of the rubble,” a front-line worker said. Others set up emergency kitchens and shelters.
Read MoreGhana is a majority-Christian nation, but animistic beliefs are practiced in some areas. As a boy, Noah was chosen by his father to take over as the family’s shaman, responsible for carrying out occult rituals upon his father’s death. Through the witness of Christian friends, Noah gave his life to Christ.
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Born and raised in a Muslim family, Brother Maksud says it’s a miracle he is now a follower of Jesus Christ. Maksud’s first years of life were under communist rule as his country was part of the Soviet Union, but it became independent, and more Islamic, after the fall of the USSR. As different factions battled for post-Soviet control, civil war broke out, a difficult time for Maksud and all of his countrymen. Yet good news was coming. Listen as Maksud tells how he was impacted by seeing the JESUS Film and hearing Jesus speak Maksud’s own language. He’ll share how a Christian stepped into his family’s life, becoming a faithful friend and sharing stories from the Bible about God. Years later Maksud heard those same stories at a free Taekwondo lesson, another step on his pathway to following Jesus. When Maksud first stepped into a church, he was shocked. It was a completely different atmosphere from anything he’d known. It was full of love; people greeted him by name with hugs. He was floored when believers at the church told him they had been praying for him for more than a year. At age 18, Maksud made the decision to follow Jesus. His younger brother wasn’t far behind. When they shared their Christian faith with their mom, she cried, knowing their family would be shamed and face persecution in their Muslim culture. Maksud’s father was not home when they announced their newfound faith to their mother. When he heard of their decision, he asked both brothers to confirm their decision to follow Jesus. Expecting their father to be angry, both young men said that yes, they had become Christians. Their father’s response shocked them: “Thanks to God. Two years ago, I gave my life to Christ. I didn’t know how to tell you, but I was praying for you guys.” Many people in Central Asia, upon sharing their faith in Christ with family members, face beatings, rejection, and being kicked out of their home. Even though Maksud didn’t experience persecution from inside his home, he knew that he and his brothers would be persecuted by others. Today Maksud is a pastor, and his brother also pastors a church. Listen as he tells how we can pray for his people in Central Asia, including praying that whole families will come to Christ together. 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 new VOM App for your smartphone or tablet.
Read MoreMateo and Elena are church planters in Central Mexico. Their town is in a region known as the “Circle of Silence,” where Christians are routinely opposed by those who follow a syncretistic blend of Catholicism, animism and the occult. The couple has experienced hostility from their community because of their witness for Christ.
Read MoreFour Christian families in one village in the Luang Prabang area of Laos have experienced increasing persecution since placing their faith in Christ in 2021. Village leaders have mocked them, threatened to lock them into their homes, and cut them off from community resources and government aid if they do not renounce Christ.
Read MorePastor Priyantha and his wife, Dinesha, planted a church in Sri Lanka in 2016. They faced severe opposition from Buddhist monks, villagers, government officers and the police.
Read MoreOne night, TK, extremely sick, found himself in his room praying, “I am ill and if you are the one true God then I will commit my life to you.” TK slept through the night and woke up completely healed! From that moment, he was committed to following Christ. His father—a former drug dealer who met Christ in prison for his crimes—encouraged TK to learn more about the one true God. With passion for following Christ after he had experienced God’s power over disease, TK went to Bible school in Thailand. Returning to Laos with Christian materials to help his ministry, TK was arrested at the border and imprisoned for three months before God ordained his release from prison. Today TK serves persecuted Christians inside Laos and holds a leadership position within Laos’s registered church organization. He says at the time of his arrest it was common for Christians in Laos to endure physical suffering for being a Christian—arrests, beatings and other pressure. Today, he says, mental and spiritual pressure for following Christ is more common, including being ostracized by family members, cut off from work or educational opportunities and even being kicked out of your village. Listen as TK shares what our persecuted church family faces in Laos today. TK will also explain how he is serving persecuted brothers and sisters there. Pray for communist authorities in Laos and for wisdom and discernment for TK as he assists persecuted Christians. Never miss an episode of VOM Radio! Subscribe to the podcast. Or you can listen each week—and get daily prayer reminders—in the new VOM App for your smartphone or tablet.
Read MoreIn December 2022, seven Christian families in Chhattisgarh State, India, were twice summoned by the village council and warned to reconvert to Hinduism. Both times, the families refused to turn away from Christ. After the second meeting, villagers visited each family’s home, first taking their household goods and then physically removing the believers from the village, warning them not to return.
Read MoreChristians have been a primary target of Islamists in Burkina Faso since April 2019 when approximately 70 Christians were killed and five churches attacked. In 2022, Islamist activity increased in the southwestern part of the country, resulting in numerous destroyed churches and the murder of several pastors.
Read MoreOn August 15, 2021, the Taliban, a radical Islamist military group, took control of Afghanistan. The impact on the small Afghan Christian community was immediate and severe. “It was just like in Acts, chapter 8: ‘On that day a great persecution broke out against the church and all but the apostles scattered,” said a front-line worker.
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