Armed terrorists, often connected to the self-proclaimed Islamic State (ISIS), have ravaged parts of Niger, particularly in the west near its borders with Mali and Burkina Faso. Much of the country’s small Christian population has been displaced in the violence: “Many have seen their parents or family members shot and killed,” a front-line worker said. Additionally, after Niger’s president was overthrown by military officers in a July 2023 coup, the Islamic Council of Niger has been pushing to change the country from a secular democracy into an Islamic republic governed by sharia law.
Read MoreDarya was depressed and scared. Her much older husband had suddenly died of a stroke, and her 8-year-old son had become angry and violent. “I consulted with different psychologists about my son’s behavior, but nothing improved,” Darya said. “Once in the middle of the night my son came into my room with a knife in his hand. I was so afraid that I didn’t sleep at all that night, and I just kept trying to calm my son down.” The next day she told a friend what had happened. That friend was a Christian who prayed for her and gave her an illustrated Action Bible to give to her son. When Darya went home, she started to read the Gospels.
Read MoreNarmith, a new Christian in a discipleship program in Bhutan, has been growing in her faith and has had many opportunities to practice sharing her testimony and the gospel with others. Recently, she met two women with severe hearing impairments. She spent the entire afternoon with them, explaining through improvised hand signs how much Jesus loves them before praying for them. One woman was moved to tears after the prayer and conversation.
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“It’s better to be dead than taken hostage.” When Jeff Woodke said those words, he didn’t know that he would be taken hostage from his home in Niger in 2016. But Woodke, a long-term relief and gospel worker in West Africa, did know there were risks. Risk wasn’t such a big issue in the early years of the ministry of Jeff and his wife, Els, in Niger with Youth With a Mission (YWAM). They worked in church planting, discipleship, and evangelism among the Wodaabe people. Niger was an open country, with churches throughout. What Christian persecution there was came from family members or neighbors who opposed following Jesus. However, over time the rise of Salafist Islam changed Niger—and increased their risk. Listen as Jeff recalls the night he was kidnapped and how the image of orange flashes from the guns which killed his guards are seared into his memory. Naked and bloody, Jeff was forced into the back seat of a truck and driven away, not knowing who his captors were or how long his captivity might last. Over the years, Jeff was transferred into the custody of multiple terror groups, beaten and mistreated. As a Christian who refused to embrace Islam, Jeff was seen as an animal. Some of his guards were only 12 years old. Yet Jeff says renouncing his faith in Christ and becoming a Muslim to get better treatment was never an option. Jeff shares what helped him during those difficult days and how he knew the Lord was with him. Listen as he tells why forgiveness was key and how he took opportunity daily to express it to his captors. Please pray for Jeff and Els as they continue to recover from the more than six years of Jeff’s captivity and come back next week as Jeff continues to share more of his experience being a hostage and his eventual release and freedom. Register now to join VOM Radio host, Todd Nettleton, at the I-Am-N Virtual Event on March 8. You may also want to talk to your pastor or church leaders about hosting this inspiring event at your church. More details and free registration at www.IamNevent.com Never miss an episode of VOM Radio! Subscribe to the podcast. Or you can listen each week—and get daily prayer reminders—in the VOM App for your smartphone or tablet.
Read MoreIn August 2023, district police officials summoned the Houy Khoun village chief and all local Christians to a meeting where they outlined steps that would be taken against Christians to halt the spread of their faith. Authorities threatened to demolish the pastor’s home (which also serves as a house church), enforced restrictions that do not allow new members to join the church, and warned them against evangelizing in the village or elsewhere in the district. The Christians boldly challenged the right of the police to close or damage the church.
Read MoreFeliciana’s husband pastored a church in a town in Oaxaca, Mexico, until he was killed in 2014 for his bold witness for Christ. After her husband’s murder, Feliciana struggled to provide for her family, and her two children became seriously ill. With VOM’s help, she has been able to continue the work of leading the church in her town, and her children are healthy and thriving.
Read MoreKhalida, her two sons and a daughter placed their trust in Christ years ago after having dreams about him. When Muslim extremists in their community heard about their conversion, they attacked the family and tried to kill them. The family barely survived. The enraged Muslims then formed a mob that attacked and burned several churches that were helping Khalida’s family.
Read MoreDavid Paul fell in love with Muslims as a college student visiting Turkey (now Türkiye) to share the gospel. After getting married, he and his wife thought they’d go where Muslims are — the Middle East. God changed their plans, reminding them that millions of Muslims live in South Asia, yet very few mission workers go there. They knew God was calling them, and without ever visiting, they moved to South Asia more than a decade ago. Their focus is on reaching Urdu speaking Muslims with the gospel message. Listen as David shares difficulties from those early years of ministry and how we can encourage and pray for missionaries to push forward through their early challenges to reach maximum fruitfulness. Today David’s challenges are different; one is the great need to develop more Muslim background believers (MBBs) to be leaders in the Urdu church. Listen to David tell stories of Urdu speaking Muslims who have come to faith in Christ and how different understandings of Islam can affect how much Christian persecution believers face for leaving Islam. David is also training Hindu background believers to reach their Muslim neighbors. “Every time I encourage a believer to go into the face of persecution, I lose a lot of sleep.” David says, “It’s not an easy calling to ask people to do that.” Yet, Davd knows it’s what Jesus would do. Pray for Urdu speaking believers—especially those facing persecution right now—and for God to raise up Christian leaders and mentors among them. Register now to join VOM Radio host, Todd Nettleton, and be a part of the I-Am-N Virtual Event, coming up March 8. You may also want to talk to your pastor or other church leaders about hosting this powerful event at your church. More details and free registration at www.IamNevent.com Never miss an episode of VOM Radio! Subscribe to the podcast. Or you can listen each week—and get daily prayer reminders—in the VOM App for your smartphone or tablet.
Read MorePastor Vinod was killed in 2021, leaving behind his wife, Sunita, and 13-year-old daughter, Stuti. They have struggled emotionally and financially with their loss while living with Hindu family members who refuse to help them. Front-line workers have helped them get counseling, which has given them tools to express and process their emotions and begin to regain some joy.
Read MoreKhaled’s Lebanese Muslim family was displeased when he decided to become a follower of Christ. After learning about his newfound faith, they attacked him and locked him in a room away from his wife, attempting to force him to return to Islam. But Khaled escaped and eventually reunited with his wife. She was also not supportive of his conversion and only allowed him to return if he paid the full cost of their housing and living expenses without any financial assistance from her. He found a new job, is paying the expenses, and is trying to demonstrate God’s love to his wife.
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