Ton, 18, and Tan, 16, are teenage sisters who became Christians and have been harassed repeatedly for this decision. Recently, their mother said that she will sell her daughters to any men who make an offer. Their older sister has also begun trying to bribe them into a life of prostitution with offers of phones and jewelry. The mother pressures the girls to prostitute themselves and regularly mocks their faith.
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Pastor Mele was detained in Laos after police found copies of God’s Word. Now, police attend his church services every week, looking for reasons to detain him or close the church. “As a human,” he says, “I have fear. But I trust the Lord to protect me and guide me.” Pastor Mele became a Christian in 2003 when a school friend shared the gospel with him and his classmates. Everyone ignored his Christian friend but Mele, trying to escape constant spiritual oppression, prayed and accepted Christ. From that day on, the spirits no longer tormented him. Mele immediately felt a burden to share the gospel with others. Within two months his bold witness brought Christian persecution. Teachers ordered him to renounce his newfound faith in the “foreign religion” of Christianity or lose all opportunities for further education. Their threat didn’t discourage Mele but actually it encouraged him! He had read in the Bible that all Christians will face persecution for their faith (2 Timothy 3:12), and he was encouraged to know that what the Bible says is true. Mele says he was never tempted to renounce his faith. “I was so focused on my soul, my salvation, because I need to be with the Lord. Nothing is solid or permanent in this world…but my salvation in Christ, that’s what is firm and solid.” Mele was accepted to Bible college and there he met his wife. Mele went on to be an associate pastor at his home church and began to evangelize other villages. As his ministry expanded, God gave Mele a heart to share the love of Christ with everyone, not just his own tribal people. His ministry hasn’t been easy, and the pressure against him is constant. Listen as Mele shares about a time when three police officers sat right next to him as he was getting ready to preach. Pray for Pastor Mele’s safety as he continues to be active in ministry and pray for 14 new churches that they may faithfully endure persecution, and for Christians facing pressure and trials in Southeast Asia. Never miss an episode of VOM Radio! Subscribe to the podcast or listen on the new VOM App for your smartphone or tablet.
Read MoreNyok has taught for 14 years, serving the last six years as director of her village’s elementary school. A jealous coworker cursed Nyok, and she began to experience pain. When she prayed to accept Christ, the pain disappeared. Word spread at school that she was a Christian, and Nyok was warned by her administrators, the district education director and the Ministry of Education that, because her job is a government position, she could not follow a “western” religion. Nyok shared her testimony and refused to renounce her faith in Christ.
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 MoreWhen Kham, a Khmu believer in Laos, planned a thanksgiving celebration for the new year, community elders confronted him and gave him an ultimatum: They forbade him from worshiping the Christian God and demanded that he cancel the celebration.
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 MoreWhen Ya put her trust in Christ in 2019, her husband and his parents abused and rejected her, believing she would bring down the anger of the spirits. After Ya’s husband divorced her. sending her and their three children away, she turned to her parents for help.
Read MoreWhen Kam was told in January 2023 by a police officer to stop following Christ and evangelizing, he boldly responded that he would not stop believing in Christ, no matter what happened, and that nothing could stop the work of God.
Read MoreIn 2019, 80 people in 13 Christian families lived in Jai’s village in Laos. As one of the village leaders, Jai knew that these Christians were facing persecution from village authorities and the police. But Jai’s parents were believers and urged him to consider Christianity.
Read MoreOn April 4, 2022, Lerm and his wife, Dow, accepted Christ and started to attend church. A few months later, Dow’s father, who was the head of a nearby village in their province in northern Laos, found out and demanded that they renounce Christ.
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