VOMRadio

Over the last decade, God has allowed VOM Radio the opportunity to bring you into fellowship with persecuted Christians and tell the stories of what God is doing around the world even amid suffering and persecution. This week we’ll look back on some of the most moving moments of the first decade of VOM Radio.

It was September of 2014 when The Voice of the Martyrs began releasing new VOM Radio episodes weekly. The first episode introduced listeners to members of our persecuted family in China. Gina, a gospel worker with YWAM Frontier Missions and Julian, serving wi...

Working together, a Canadian with a vision, a businessman from Tampa, Florida, and tentmaking missionaries in Israel launched a ministry that today is making a gospel impact in more than 140 countries.

Listen this week as Tim Whitehead, Executive director for Galcom International in Canada, tells the story of how Galcom started in 1989 producing solar powered radios that could be locked into specific frequencies where listeners in a given location would hear Christian broadcasts. He’ll also share how Galcom has moved forward as technology advanced in the last 35 years—including helping launch more than 200 radio stations to prov...

Pastor “AZ” saw his church in Kazakhstan grow the fastest during a season of intense Christian persecution. The church began with AZ, his wife and one other believer. Two years later there were 250 believers! AZ knew that reaching Kazakh people required communicating and demonstrating the gospel in their heart language. The church also needs to be ready to assist new believers when persecution comes.

AZ became a believer in 1992, just as the Soviet Union was collapsing. Soon after repenting of sin and believing in Christ for salvation, AZ experienced persecution from his family. His own experiences help him...

How do we start gospel conversations with Hindu or Buddhist friends, neighbors and coworkers? Tim and Dawn have a simple answer: ask questions!

Tim and Dawn serve as gospel workers in South Asia, leading an effort to plant gospel seeds in countries like India, Nepal, Bhutan, Bangladesh and the Maldives—countries where Christian persecution is a common occurrence.

Listen as Tim shares about Buddhism and Hinduism—including how followers of those religions may respond to or resist the message of Christ and the gospel. Tim encourages each of us that the best foundation for sharing the...

Brooks Buser, President of Radius International, says the best missionaries smell like the local people they have gone to serve. They focus not just on learning a language but understanding and living the culture, eating local food and joining in the things that fuel human interaction in that place. Buser says just as Christ came as a human baby into this world, missionaries that last become like those they are trying to reach for the sake of the gospel.

Before leading Radius, Brooks was a missionary kid in Papua New Guinea. As an adult he went back...

The government views Cuba’s people as sheep who will blindly follow rules and restrictions communist leaders force on them.

There is another group the Bible compares to sheep: followers of Jesus. Romans 8:36 says, “For your sake we are being killed all the day long; we are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered.”

This week on VOM Radio we’ll hear from two Cuban Christians, each with different experiences of Christian persecution. David faced persecution as the son of a pastor in Cuba; authorities even demanded that he secretly report to them his father’s ministry a...

Jesus told his followers, “By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another” (John 13:35).

As a leader involved in discipleship in the Middle East, Mamdouh Lawendy sees many Muslims repenting of sin and putting their faith in Christ. Often this is happening through the witness and example of believers around them. Muslims ask questions. They are curious why Christians can serve them when they hate Christians. They want to know how Christians can still show love, even when Muslims persecute them.

Local churches have an influential role...

“You can help persecuted Christians, but they can help you more.”

Richard Wurmbrand, the founder of The Voice of the Martyrs, shared this truth with Steve Cleary and it changed forever his perspective about being in fellowship with our persecuted family. Cleary, founder and president of Revelation Media, was an early staff member at The Voice of the Martyrs, including traveling to churches and other events with Richard and Sabina Wurmbrand.

Today, Steve is following God’s call to develop iBible to share Gods Word in animated video form with people all over the world. The iB...

Ben Barrett and his wife were open to go wherever God wanted them to go. Ultimately, God called them to go on mission to one of the world’s most concentrated areas of lost people – North India and Nepal. It wasn’t always an easy transition, but God instilled a deep love for the people in their heart and a desire to reach them with the gospel.

Ben is VOM’s new Regional Leader for work with persecuted Christians in South Asia. Listen as he shares how the rise of Hindu nationalism and Hindutva ideology have affected the chur...

October 7th, 2023 is one of those dates that will always be remembered.

On that terrible morning, Ben Barrett was working for VOM with persecuted Christians in the Middle East and leading the ministry’s work in Israel, including Gaza and the West Bank. His phone began to light up with messages from both Messianic Jewish believers and Arab Christians—even before the terrible attacks were announced in international news. The messages had a consistent request: “Please pray for us!”

Families and individuals like Pauline Ayyad, a previous guest on VOM Radio, asked for prayer as contact...

Pastor Andrew Brunson, author of the book God’s Hostage, was imprisoned two years for his Christian work in Turkey (now called Türkiye). He says every single day was a battle to overcome fear, grief and anxiety. One who inspired him in these battles was Pastor Richard Wurmbrand, the founder of The Voice of the Martyrs. Brunson explains how Wurmbrand inspired him to dance inside his prison cell before the Lord. He says he didn’t feel joy or happiness, but he set his will to act joyfully, in spite of his feelings.

Brunson was also inspired by...

After serving many years as a gospel worker in Turkey (now called Türkiye), Pastor Andrew Brunson spent two years in Turkish prison. He was accused, among other “crimes,” of helping plot a coup against President Erdogan’s government and being a leader in the CIA. The reality is that Andrew was in Turkey as a missionary and pastor, working to spread the gospel.

Brunson recounts how God was teaching him to stand during dark days of isolation in prison and wondering why God seemed silent in his time of suffering. Listen as he shares how he poured...

Pastor Matthew is a long-time pastor in the communist nation of Vietnam. Since coming to faith in Christ he’s been persecuted by family, neighbors and by police. Matthew came to Christ through the witness of an American missionary mentor. He heard the gospel message, but he also saw the life she lived and the love she showed to the people around her. He couldn’t know, at the time, the high cost he would pay to follow Christ in Vietnam.

“I didn’t know how hard it was to be a Christian in the beginning,” Matthew said, “I c...

“When people are not discipled, they are frail. Their faith is not strong.”

Dr. David Kasali, founder and president of Congo Initiative, is determined to disciple more Christians in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, a place where they are being specifically targeted for persecution by terrorist groups and radical Islamists.

Listen as David tells about recent attacks by the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF), including one where a Christian man was murdered on the spot just for acknowledging his faith in Christ and another where a nearby church was bombed during services. Such attacks are beco...

Seventy percent of Sri Lanka’s people are Buddhists, and Buddhism is given “foremost place” in the nation’s constitution and laws. Officially, there is religious freedom for people of other faiths, including Christians. Yet new believers in Christ often face pressure and persecution from family members or their local community.

Mayukha Perera, managing director of Back to the Bible Sri Lanka, joins VOM Radio this week to share about the challenges facing persecuted Christians in Sri Lanka and about his work sharing the gospel with Buddhists and preparing new Christians to face persecution.

Mayukha encourag...

Pastor Nouh Yattara was born into a nomadic Muslim family. He became a believer through the work of missionaries in his home country of Mali—and through his desire to own a ball-point pen. After living in fear of superstitions, demons and death, Nouh found new life, and an end to fear, in Christ. “I knew if I accepted Jesus that he has the power against all of that,” Pastor Nouh says.

It wasn’t an easy path. Nouh experienced Christian persecution from family members, teachers, kids at school, and his community. In spite of the pressure against...

“By God’s grace, I endured a few years in prison in exchange for an eternity with Him.”

Ebrahim Firouzi, a Christian convert from Islam, spent seven years in prison in Iran. Now he is enjoying eternity with the Lord, experiencing the fulfillment of that promise following his death in February.  

This interview was recorded about four years ago—after Ebrahim’s release from prison while he was serving out two years of “internal exile,” living in a remote area along the border of Iran and Pakistan. We’ve chose to re-air it on VOM Radio to commemor...

Last week Luke and Kate, medical gospel workers who’ve served in Myanmar, shared how God called them to Myanmar to share the hope of Christ. This week, in Part 2 of our conversation, they reveal the loss and devastation their family experienced as they were forced to leave the place God had so clearly called them to.

“It was devastating,” Kate says, “and we still sometimes have to process through that again.” While returning to their village home is not an option right now, Luke and Kate are clear that the Lord has not released them from their call...

Luke and Kate had both felt God’s call to missions. But they were still waiting to know where that call would take them. They went through training. They travelled to serve in different countries. And all the while, they asked God where he wanted to send them long-term. His answer finally arrived after a 12-hour bus ride to a rural village in Myanmar where there were no other foreigners.

Kate and Luke both felt it clearly: “This is it. This is home. This is where I want you.”

God put a deep love for the lo...

Brother Job thought it would be just another day. He was walking to work at a church in North Africa when he was accosted by four men with knives. The terrorists forced him into a vehicle and drove him away.

“It’s my last day on this earth,” Job thought to himself.

Growing up in a Muslim family in North Africa, Job knew there would be persecution when he left Islam to follow Jesus. He came to faith—along with other members of his family—after seeing a satellite TV program where a former Muslim from Moroc...

There are 500,000 evangelical churches in Latin America, but only 6% of Latino congregations are involved in missions. As executive director of COMHINA, and in his previous work with Operation Mobilization Latin America, Brother Julio wants to increase that percentage! He desires to bring about collaboration between churches and missionary organizations to equip and send out Latino missionaries.

Listen for the story of Julio’s own call to missions while living and working in Japan, and how he returned to Brazil and ended up working with and training workers for OM.

Hear also how God eventually called Ju...

A Christian and pastor from Central Asia, Brother Silas constantly interacts with Muslims. He says many are seeking truth and looking for answers to their deepest spiritual questions.

Brother Silas and Tom Houser, executive director for People International, share this week what new Christians in Central Asian nations—including Muslim background believers—experience when they become followers of Jesus. “The moment you make that decision,” says Silas, “you will be oppressed on every side.”

Persecution follows those who come to Christ in Central Asian nations like Türkiye, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan and Azerbaijan. The persecution may come from...

Many Muslims are ready to hear the gospel and experience the love of Jesus Christ. For more than two decades Peter Smith has prayed for the nation of Iran and connected with ministries reaching people and supporting persecuted Christians in the nation he and his wife “adopted.” Seeing the gospel go forth in the Middle East reminds Peter of the good soil that produced 30, 60 and 100-fold harvests in Jesus’ Matthew 13 parable.

Persecution is rising in restricted nations across the Middle East; despite that risk, more Muslims are becoming followers of Christ. Listen as Peter shares the stories of how...

Last week, Brother Kevin shared how he came to Christ and how God gave him a passion to reach the 13 million Hui people in China. For members of this people group, to be Hui is to be Muslim. Those who become Christians are considered traitors, bringing shame to their family.

Hui Christians face social, psychological, and sometimes financial persecution, typically enforced by members of their own family. They may lose their job, be kicked out of the family home, and even renounced as a member of the family.

Kevin came to see the communist authorities...

Within two months of Brother Kevin and his wife beginning gospel work in India, more than a thousand people had come to Christ! The fruit of the gospel was immediate. Local missions leaders asked them to stay on and help disciple these new believers. They saw the opportunity, and the incredible growth of the ministry. But Kevin couldn’t dismiss an urge to visit China before agreeing to stay and minister in India.

It was on that first visit to China that Kevin was asked a question which would change his life and guide his mission efforts go...

“For us, it’s not AWANA, it’s ‘Can we disciple one more child?’”

Gajendra Tamang is the Regional Director of AWANA in South Asia, coming alongside pastors and local churches to help reach and disciple children from many different religious backgrounds.

Gajendra knows first-hand how a life can be changed through a simple invitation to a Christian activity. He came to faith while attending college in India, where a Christian classmate invited Gajendra to come to church with him every Sunday for a year. Finally Gajendra decided to see why his classmate loved going to church. H...

Fidel Castro, leader of Cuba’s communist revolution, died in 2016. But has Castro’s death changed the level of Christian persecution in Cuba? “No difference at all,” Pastor Mateo, a church leader in Cuba, says emphatically.

The Cuban government attempts to restrain the gospel in many ways. Yet despite persecution, the church in Cuba is growing—stretching beyond buildings and homes and gathering on the streets and in open fields to pray and worship and share the gospel. Listen as Pastor Mateo shares the many restrictions Cuba’s communist leaders enforce on pastors, church buildings, ministry efforts and families...

It was four in the morning when Els Woodke answered the phone to hear the words she’d been praying for and waiting on for six-and-a-half years: “Jeff has been recovered!”

The last two weeks we’ve shared the story of Jeffery Woodke, American gospel worker in West Africa captured by Islamists and held hostage for more than six years. Now, Jeff’s wife, Els, shares her side of the story of waiting and wondering and praying through that long ordeal—and how God helped her never to hate Jeff’s captors.

“The moment I heard Jeff was k...

“Hope is the first thing to go” Jeffery Woodke says, speaking about his six-and-a-half years as a hostage held by radical Islamist terror groups. He says he started out, after being kidnapped, praying eight hours a day. But over the years his hopelessness increased and his prayer time faded to twenty minutes daily. Suicidal, he beseeched his persecutors numerous times to take his life, knowing heaven would be much better than his existence as a hostage chained to a tree.

Despite his doubts, God was always with Jeff. He found he couldn’t abandon prayer altogether.

List...

“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 Chris...

David 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...

Last week, Brother Philip, a field minister for The Voice of the Martyrs in West Africa, shared how witnessing stories of trauma from persecuted Christians and addressing their spiritual needs is a gift. He shared the characteristics of resilient individuals who coped well after persecution and how scripture can bring healing to their hearts and minds. This week, you’ll hear how Christians may exhibit more resilience than non-believers, stories of persecuted Christians and how The Voice of the Martyrs empowers pastors in Africa to help persecuted Christians find healing after trauma.

Listen as Philip explains the ne...

This episode will be a little different than most as we have two conversations instead of one. First, we’ll hear from Steve Lisby about a group of pastors and church leaders imprisoned in Nicaragua after being part of a large-scale evangelism effort. Next we’ll hear from Brother Philip, who helps The Voice of the Martyrs provide trauma care for persecuted Christians in Africa.

Steve Lisby is the risk management director with Mountain Gateway, a ministry helping train and send gospel workers. Last year, with the approval of the Nicaraguan government, Mountain Gateway held evangelistic events in m...

Paul Dangtoumda, a part of the global eldership counsel for Youth With a Mission (YWAM) and the leader for YWAM’s work in Nigeria, comes from a family with a history of Christian persecution. In fact, he bears the scar of persecution his parents faced even before he was born. Listen as he shares the amazing testimony of God’s protection over him and his parents—and how their example inspires his ministry even today.

Hear how Paul began working in Nigeria and how today he and YWAM are helping widows—Women of Honor—to persevere in life and f...

Choosing the cross comes with risk.

Carter Gates, The Voice of the Martyrs’ Asia Pacific Regional Leader, says he is always humbled as he observes and fellowships with persecuted Christians who regularly take up their cross joyfully despite that risk. They know walking with Christ is worth the risk.

Listen this week as Carter shares what the church is experiencing in Brunei, China, Laos, and Myanmar, including looking ahead to serving our Christian brothers and sisters in these restricted and hostile nations in 2024.

Brunei is now requiring one hour of Islamic instruction per da...

“Go into all the world and proclaim the gospel to the whole creation.”

Loren Cunningham, with his wife Darlene, founded Youth With a Mission (YWAM) in 1960 with a vision to equip and send young people out all over the world to fulfill this God-given command to go and proclaim. Loren passionately continued God’s work even into his final days on earth, preaching and discipling even with lung cancer. When he died last October, he left an amazing, inspired legacy for YWAM.

Paul Childers, a long time YWAM worker and member of the ministry’s global e...

“I’ve been with you, and I have to leave now, but as I go I am still with you.”

Aaron Miller, Vice President of International Ministry at The Voice of the Martyrs, learned this concept from brothers and sisters in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). They have a word for the concept in their language: tukopamuja. As Aaron and his team sit with persecuted Christians across the world, the stories they hear and prayers they pray together stay with them forever.

As 2024 begins, we pray that the stories of Christian persecution—and the fait...

Join this week as we continue to look back on some of the most moving moments of 2023 on The Voice of the Martyrs Radio:

Join this week in looking back on some of the most moving moments on The Voice of the Martyrs Radio in 2023:

“We are ready and prepared to be imprisoned. We are not afraid of being imprisoned. But we are afraid of losing the fear of the Lord.” —House Church leaders in China

Bob Fu, founder, and president of ChinaAid, is regularly in contact with Christians all over China. He says that, in an era of harsh government restrictions and a complete lack of religious freedom, churches are still being planted and leaders continue to baptize new believers in China.

Author of God’s Double Agent, Bob sheds light China’s new “patriotic education” law instigated earlier this year by X...

As Christian persecution increases across China, Myanmar and other hostile and restricted nations around the world, Christian brothers and sisters are finding new ways to gather for worship, fellowship and Bible study under the radar of police or hostile government authorities.

Dr. Joe Handley, president and CEO of A3, shares just how unique some of these new church meetings are, from pop-up coffee carts to whole congregations working out together in a public park. A3, formerly Asian Access, was established 56 years ago in Japan; today the ministry is training Christian leaders all over the world, including hostile...

For ten years, Shakir heard his Christian friend and his Muslim friend discuss, debate and argue about their different faiths. Shakir tried to ignore their discussion; he didn’t want to get involved. After all those years, Shakir was shocked when his Muslim friend told him that he had become a Christian. Shakir urged him to reconsider and return to Islam—but as his friend shared about the things that led him to follow Christ, Shakir himself began to consider that Jesus might indeed be the Way, the Truth and the Light.

Brother Shakir struggled to grasp the...

Pastor Raymond Koh was forcibly abducted on February 13th, 2017 in a military-style operation that took less than 40 seconds. Almost seven years later, he’s still missing. His car has never been located.

Raymond’s wife, Susanna, has filed a lawsuit to force the Malaysian government and leaders of the police to release all information about what happened, and hopefully hold the kidnappers accountable for their actions.

Listen this week to an interview with Susanna recorded two years after Raymond’s abduction. Hear how she found out her husband was missing, and how the police turned her mi...

Susi Childers has served with Youth With A Mission (YWAM) for more than two decades, using her photography skills to open doors to communicate the love of Christ to people all over the world.

Listen this week as Susi describes the impact of Loren Cunningham, YWAM’s founder who recently graduated to heaven, on her life and on encouraging her to use her gifts more fully to further the gospel. She’ll also share some of the personal qualities that made Loren such an impactful and visionary leader.

Susi will also share highlights from a rece...

Listen as Pastor Joe shares the struggles many new Christians in North Africa face when they believe in Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord. Yet, people in the region are coming to Christ like never before!

Christians in North Africa often pay a huge price for following Christ. They are rejected by family, lose jobs and face other forms of persecution when they tell others of their faith in Jesus. Many of these persecuted Christians don’t know how each day will end. They rely on the Lord for strength and hope, despite their fear.

Li...

“I could’ve lived and worked in that country my whole life and not seen the fruit that we are seeing now.” That fruit was planted in sacrifice.

From the time she was a little girl, Jane wanted to live overseas to spread the gospel. When she met her husband, he had the same missions mindset and a heart for Muslims after he was impacted by 9/11. Jane says her husband enjoyed living in the Middle East, immersing himself in the culture and, most importantly, living his dream of witnessing to people who’d never heard about Jesus.

Li...

Brother Bob has been connected to gospel work in North Africa for more than 20 years. He says government persecution of Christians in the region tends to come in cycles, but pressure and persecution of Christians by their own family members is common.

But even in the midst of family persecution, Christians have a chance to demonstrate the reality of the gospel. “If believers persevere and continue to be a light,” Bob says, “most of the time their family eventually accepts them. And in many cases, others in the family come to know Christ.”

Listen for the stor...

When a radical-Muslim mob of 6000 attacked the Christian colony of Jaranwala in August, Christians could only flee. Some hid in sugarcane fields; others fled the area. The attack lasted the whole day; churches were destroyed and persecuted Christians’ homes were looted and burned.

Brother Johanna joins us this week on VOM Radio to share what led to the uproar in Jaranwala, and the response from other Christians in Pakistan to brothers and sisters affected by the violence. We will also look more broadly at the persecution of Pakistani Christians.

Listen as Johanna explains what the bl...

Ben and Kimberly, gospel workers in South Asia, join VOM Radio again this week to share more about how the Lord is working in remote villages of South Asia. Struck by the boldness of local believers, Ben and Kimberly see the fearlessness persecuted Christians there have in preaching the gospel. The threat of jail doesn’t stop them from preaching; they will preach in jail if necessary.

With the rise of anti-conversion laws in South Asia, in many places it is illegal for people to change their religion or to lead others to change their faith. Yet Ch...

“I didn’t know anything about my faith, but I knew I couldn’t deny Christ.”

A Christian for less than two months, a 15-year-old girl shared this with Ben and Kimberly when she came to their church for discipleship. Her father, one of the most powerful witch doctors in the village, kicked her out of the house and out of their village after she chose to follow Christ.

Ben and Kimberly are gospel workers in South Asia, involved in outreach, pastor training and discipleship of new believers. Listen as they share their testimonies, including how Ben...

Young, married, and with a baby on the way, Cynthia Anderson and her husband set out for Nepal to “take new ground for the gospel,” bringing Jesus to the unreached. But God was already working in Nepal. “We weren’t taking Him there,” Cynthia says, “He was [already] there!”

Today, decades later, Cynthia is a longtime gospel worker in multiple nations and a trainer of pastors, mission agency and other Kingdom-minded leaders in how to multiply disciples and catalyze Jesus movements in their areas. She is a leader in YWAM Frontier Missions.

Listen as Cynthia shares what it...

The nation is called The Islamic Republic of Iran, but a recent study shows less than a third of Iranians still believe in Islam! Iranians are looking elsewhere to find answers to their spiritual questions. Dr. Hormoz Shariat tells us why, sharing from his own experiences ministering to people in Iran, evangelizing and answering their questions. “More and more I see people of Iran say, ‘To have a future for Iran, we have to get rid of Islam,’” Hormoz explains.

Hormoz is the president of Iran Alive Ministries and the author of Iran’s Great Awakening. He has broadc...

Gospel workers in restricted and hostile nations risk their lives to spread the gospel. One worker in the Middle East, Jacob, was kidnapped last month and held by a terrorist group. He was kept blindfolded, not knowing if it was day or night. The group threatened to hang him. Even in captivity, this young newlywed pastor’s heart was to share the good news and help build God’s church by spreading his Word.

Thankfully, Jacob has been rescued from captivity and reunited with his wife and baby. Listen as John Samara, founder and executive director of Anan...

There had been reports of a pending terrorist attack in Kabul, Afghanistan, when Hannelie Groenewald went in work as a medical doctor on November 29, 2014. Hannelie didn’t know that the Taliban attack would target her own home and family.

When she arrived home that evening, a sea of police and military personnel were all around the smoking ruins of her house. Reporters were already there, asking her for comment. She still didn’t know what had happened; that her husband, Werner, and two teen aged children, Jean-Pierre and Rode, had been killed in a Taliban attack on thei...

It’s been two years since the Taliban retook control in Afghanistan. Pressure and persecution against Christians in the country continues to rise. Hannelie Groenewald, a former gospel medical worker there, paid a high price for her faith when her husband and children were martyred in their home in Kabul in 2014.

When the 9/11 attacks happened in New York, Hannelie Groenewald was living a comfortable life in South Africa with her family. Werner, her husband, took a short-term mission trip to Pakistan and Afghanistan and came home with a burden for Afghans to have a relationship with Christ. We...

Isaac Santiago, VOM’s Regional Leader for Latin America, and his team are standing with Christians suffering for their faith in Mexico, Colombia and other nations. They are also reaching out to Christians in Latin America who aren’t currently facing persecution, telling them the stories of heroic faith and inviting them into fellowship with persecuted Christians.

Listen as Isaac shares his excitement for VOM’s Spanish resources. These include tools for pastors to share stories with their congregation and next year will also include The Voice of the Martyrs Radio in Espanol. Last month, people all across...

Ten years ago, there were 3,000 unengaged, unreached people groups around the world--peoples who had never had a witness to share the gospel with them. Today, that number is less than 500 unreached, unengaged people groups. God is moving and His church is growing!

David Bogosian shares this week how Christian Aid Mission, where he is CEO, is training and equipping indigenous gospel workers to go and serve among those remaining unreached peoples. David formerly served as a missionary in the Philippines. He is amazed at the difference of each testimony, how God is uniquely revealing Himself to people...

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 im...

Imagine worshipping the Lord while the walls of your church building are being torn down. It can be hard to fathom what our persecuted brothers and sisters in Christ go through in restricted and hostile nations. How do Christians in free nations understand the Bible’s promise that “all who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted” (2 Tim. 3:12)?

Floyd Brobbel, CEO of VOM Canada and author of Trouble on the Way: Persecution in the Christian Life, explains that persecution is not about the amount of pain inflicted, but about the goal of silenc...

Brother James followed the Lord’s leading to serve in the Middle East. He arrived for what he expected to be one year of service knowing almost nothing about Islam or the culture in which he would be serving. He remembers being startled awake the very first morning by the Muslim call to prayer, wondering who was screaming at 4:30 in the morning!

Soon he would understand that he was serving in a culture where choosing to follow Christ could cost one’s life. He would also come to understand that God’s call would last much longer than o...

On September 11, 2012, Islamist fighters attacked a United States diplomatic compound in Benghazi, Libya. Four Americans were killed in that attack. Just a few months later Ronnie and Anita Smith, a young American couple, moved to Benghazi with their infant son. Their goal was to live out their faith in Christ and have opportunities to introduce Libyan people to Christ.

“We wanted to live our lives out in a place that didn’t know Jesus,” Anita Smith says.

Anita acknowledges that there was fear moving to a dangerous place, especially so soon after a deadly attack on Ame...

Highly restrictive religious laws. Surveillance cameras lurking around every corner. Police knocking on doors and raiding church gatherings. These are a few among the many challenges our persecuted family in China face each week.

Yet despite the communist government’s many attempts to control Christians, the church in China is still growing! Brother Enfu, pastor of an unregistered church, shares on VOM Radio this week the excitement of a growing Body of Christ and the challenges of leading an illegal church congregation.

As communist efforts to control and close down churches have escalated, large church ga...

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi was recently welcomed to the White House by US President Joe Biden. In addition to a State Dinner held in his honor, Modi was given opportunity to address a joint session of Congress. Noticeably absent from American leaders’ public remarks surrounding Modi’s visit: the rapid rise of Christian persecution and other religious freedom violations in India since Modi and his Hindu nationalist party came to power in 2014.

Christians in India face harassment, physical assault and arrest from radical Hindus who believe all Indians should be Hindu. Multiple Indian states have passed anti...

The first time he went to a Christian church, during the time of the Islamic revolution in Iran, Mansour Khajehpour was a teenager. He went only to determine the best way to burn down the church building. But the woman who opened to door was caring and kind—and her Christlike kindness altered the direction of Mansour’s life.

The woman pointed Mansour to a Farsi-speaking pastor. Over the months to come, that pastor answered Mansour’s many questions—but only one question per week—and gave him a Bible. At first, Mansour’s heart was hard, but over tim...

Islamist jihadists are moving southward across the continent of Africa. Their goal: the eradication Christianity. In the Central African Republic (CAR) and Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), a new addition to VOM’s 2023 Global Prayer map, persecuted Christians have been deeply affected. Believers have been forced to flee their villages. Pastors have been killed. Many Christians have lost family members in violent attacks.

Aaron Miller, Vice President of International Ministry for The Voice of the Martyrs, recently visited traumatized believers in multiple African nations.

Aaron was stunned as he witnessed Christians worshipping and praising Go...

Thousands of people—including many who never met her—considered Elisabeth Elliot (1926-2015) as their spiritual mentor. Kathy Reeg was one of those people. Today she is president of the Elisabeth Elliot Foundation, carrying on the legacy of Elisabeth and Jim Elliott.

Despite her fame in the Christian world, Kathy says Elisabeth always gave glory to God. She received thousands of letters from people seeking her advice; she responded to each one, directing each person to the Word of God and onto their knees in prayer.

Kathy first met Elisabeth in the 90s and later got...

Children develop attitudes and opinions about the Bible from an early age. Awana has been discipling children for more than 70 years. Today Awana is active in more than 130 countries—including places where Christian persecution is common—helping 5.6 million children to know Jesus as Savior, belong to a church that supports them and become all that God wants them to be. Steve Cahoon is a leader at Awana. Listen this week as he shares how their discipleship program may look different in India, Pakistan or the Middle East than it looks at an American church. He’ll also discuss the focus...

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...

It’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 th...

As the Taliban retook control of Afghanistan in 2021, many Afghan Christians—especially those widely known to be followers of Christ—had to flee the country. Today, many of those Christians grieve the loss of their homeland, especially as they watch the suffering of their countrymen under Taliban rule. Some desire to return but while they wait are still faithfully reaching Afghans through a variety of digital means.

In Part 2 of our conversation with author John Weaver (Part 1), he calls us to pray God will bless Afghan people—including both persecuted Christians and the governing Taliban—and that God will...

Twenty months into the second Taliban rule of Afghanistan, all Afghans—but especially Afghan Christians—face great challenges. What pressures do our persecuted brothers and sisters face living in Afghanistan today, and how has their life changed under the strict Islamic rule of the Taliban?

Listen as John Weaver, author of Inside Afghanistan, A Flame on the Frontline, and Najiba: A Love Story from Afghanistan (affiliate links), explains what life is like for Muslims and Christians in Afghanistan as they experience economic crisis and lack of assistance from the outside world.

Many of the Taliban figh...

It is illegal to bring a Bible into North Korea, and illegal to possess one inside the country. But VOM continues to find ways to get God’s Word into the hands of North Koreans. Dr. Eric Foley, CEO of VOM Korea in Seoul, says everything changes every day in North Korea, bringing new challenges and requiring new responses to continue bringing the gospel to desperate people in “the hermit kingdom.”

Listen to hear how persecuted Christians in North Korea practice biblical obedience in spite of a brutal regime that demands utter loyalty. How can Christians follow the fi...

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 Jesu...

One 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 wi...

This week we complete our conversation with Richard and Jeanette, an American couple who had served 10 years in China when police came knocking on their apartment door and they knew their gospel service in China was over.

When we left off last week, Richard was being interrogated at a Chinese police station while Jeanette, his wife, prayed and was ministered to by their local church pastor and other Christian friends. Richard’s interrogation continued the next day before police let him return home but warned him not to tell anyone—even his wife—about the questioning. He knew t...

We left off last week as Richard and Jeanette’s apartment was raided by 25 Chinese policemen. The couple knew that their time in China was over after 10 years of ministry, but they didn’t know how long it might be before they were allowed to leave. Listen now as Jeanette recalls exactly what happened when she returned to their apartment to find police searching through their bookshelves and closets and questioning her husband.

Despite the chaos of the raid, Jeanette continued relying on the sovereignty and goodness of God, reminding herself often that He is trustworthy no matt...

Richard and Jeanette had served in China for several years when—around 2018—they began hearing stories of foreign Christians forced to leave the country. “Everyone knows it happens, but no one thinks it’s going to happen to them,” Richard says.

The couple decided to stay in China as long as God kept the door open—even when Covid put the entire country under lockdown. They were prepared to be kicked out; they’d even begun to think about when it would happen instead of if it would happen. The threat gave them a sense of urgency in their minis...

One million to one. One million lost people for every one gospel worker.

When Brother David heard the million-to-one ratio of population to gospel workers in the Arab world, he and his wife knew that was where God needed them to serve in missions.

Today, Muslims in North Africa and the Middle East are more open to asking questions and seeking information about Jesus, the Bible and Christianity—especially through the internet. Brother David leads Operation Mobilization’s North African and Middle Eastern work and emphasizes the need to have more workers reaching Muslims for Chri...

Moving to a new place can be difficult, especially if you don’t know anyone in your new community. Muslims from across the world have moved to America for work or school yet they are often ignored by those around them—even Christians. Fouad Masri, president of the Crescent Project, says our job as believers is not to convert anyone, but to shine the light of Jesus and rely on him to draw our Muslim friends to himself.

Masri is the author of a new book, Sharing Jesus with Muslims: A Step-By-Step Guide (affiliate link). Listen in as h...

How can I share Christ with Muslims when I don’t know more about Islam? What if I can’t answer all their questions? What can I do to overcome my fear of sharing the gospel?

Fouad Masri, founder and president of Crescent Project, answers these questions and more in his new book Sharing Jesus with Muslims: A Step-By-Step Guide (affiliate link). For more than 30 years, Masri has been training Christians how to share Jesus with Muslims. He says Muslims are more open today than ever to hearing the gospel, and many are actively searching for Christian book...

Just before Covid shut down the Peoples Republic of China, Pastor Pan Yongguang and members of his congregation, known today as the Mayflower Church, made the difficult decision to leave their country. After 16 families from the congregation arrived in South Korea in 2019, relatives and other family members still in China faced increasing pressure from the communist government, especially when members of the church went public about the persecution they’d faced and their decision to leave China.

Listen as Pastor Pan shares about his life before he became and believer, how he came to faith in Christ, an...

“As we commit daily to being Christ’s witnesses to a lost world, we must understand that we will be opposed. In fact, the more faithful we are, the more serious the opposition.”

Cole Richards, President of The Voice of the Martyrs, joins VOM Radio this week to talk about helping Christians in free nations, like the United States, discover what it means to follow Christ when it’s unpopular or even costly—something Christians living in restricted nations and hostile areas deal with every day. We’ll also introduce a new resource from The Voice of the Martyrs...

Last week we heard Gary Witherall talk about how God called him and his wife, Bonnie, to evangelize Muslims in the Middle East. In this second part of our conversation, Gary describes the day Christian persecution hit home as his wife, Bonnie, was martyred in the clinic where she served Palestinian refugees in Lebanon.

Gary talks about hearing God’s voice in that time of grief as he sat on the floor; in the next room was the body of his martyred wife. Faced with the choice of bitterness and hatred or forgiveness and love, Gary chose for...

Gary Witherall and his wife, Bonnie, heard God’s call to share the gospel in the Middle East. They answered that call by moving to Lebanon, where they served with Operation Mobilization, building relationships with Lebanese people and Palestinian refugees—until the day Bonnie was martyred in the clinic where she served refugee women.

Listen as Gary shares about how God called them to the Middle East, what their work there was like and how each day of their ministry was unique. Gary also explains how things changed on 9-11, when he and Bonnie witnessed people all aroun...

The electricity was shut off in the homes of new Christians. Their rice fields were taken away. Some were beaten by local authorities—in front of loved ones who witnessed their suffering. Listen as Carter Gates shares about meeting these faithful believers, the first in their village to follow Christ. Carter leads VOM’s work in Asia/Pacific, overseeing VOM project work to help persecuted Christians in countries like China, Vietnam, Laos, Indonesia, Myanmar, and North Korea.

Carter shares about a unique situation in Laos, where a pastor who was martyred last year. It’s unusual for a Chri...

Today Hanna Massad, former pastor of Gaza Baptist Church, assists persecuted Christians and refugees across the Middle East.

He knows what they are facing. He’s had his own first-hand experiences of Christian persecution, living and pastoring a church in a Muslim context. His wife led the Gaza Bible Society during a time when it was bombed twice. Their coworker and friend, Rami Ayyad, was kidnapped and murdered.

In these difficult moments, Hanna and his family had to completely rely on God’s Word. When Gaza police told him they couldn’t protect his family, Hanna...

Pastor Hanna Massad served the Lord in the face of intense Christian persecution. He’s been threatened. The Bible Society where his wife worked was bombed. He buried a martyred coworker. Yet he calls it an honor and a privilege to serve the Lord in such circumstances.

Hanna Massad is the former pastor of Gaza Baptist Church. His wife, Suhad, led the Bible Society in Gaza. He still gets emotional thinking back to the day when Rami Ayyad, who worked for the Bible Society, was kidnapped and later killed. Speaking of his martyred friend, Hanna says, “Rami had...

Brother Harold served 15 years as a gospel worker among Muslims in Central Asia—where persecution of new Christian believers is common. For the past five years he has worked in the US to recruit, train and mobilize more workers into the world’s spiritual harvest fields. Harold reminds us that four out of every ten people around the world have never heard the name of Jesus. What are we, as Christians, doing to shrink that number? Harold reminds us that God’s Word clearly states that followers of Jesus are to be involved in the spreading of the gospel. He cha...

“Tell me the truth! Dead or alive?”

When Susanne Geske heard the answer to that question—that her husband, Tilmann, had been murdered along with two Turkish Christians, Necati Aydin and Uğur Yüksel—she was overwhelmed with shock. The Geskes had been in Turkey (now called Türkiye) for 10 years. It’s a Muslim country, and they knew there was some risk for Christians. But she never thought their family would be affected.

The five murderers—ages 19 and 20—were arrested at the scene of the crime. Turkish media members rushed to Malatya to report on the “mi...

When terrorists invaded the church service and pointed guns at his head, the pastor could have said many things to his congregation. Led by the Holy Spirit, he told them simply, “Be at peace. Soon we will be with Jesus.” Instead of committing murder, the attackers put their guns down and left the church, leaving the pastor and his flock alive and well.

This true story, from persecuted Christians on the Arabian Peninsula, is just one of those you’ll hear this week from Jonathan Ekman, VOM’s Vice President of International Ministry. Join the conversation as Jonathan...

Join this week as we continue to look back on some of the most moving moments of 2022 on The Voice of the Martyrs Radio:

Join this week in looking back on some of the most moving moments on The Voice of the Martyrs Radio in 2022:

The nation of China has been on the front pages of newspapers and the top of newscasts in recent weeks with widespread protests and a significant shift in the “zero covid” policy. But how will these developments—and the recent elevation of President Xi Jinping to what is essentially a permanent presidency—mean for our Christian brothers and sisters?

Bob Fu, founder, and president of China Aid, will explain how Chinese Christians are affected by these things, and how they are responding. In Xi’s first 10 years in power, religious freedom has been under constant assault—including within China...

If there was no spiritual power when believers gather together to worship Christ, then Christians in hostile and restricted nations wouldn’t be attacked. If their worship wasn’t a threat, why would enemies of the gospel try to prevent it?

Jeremy Malkin, who oversees VOM’s international ministry work in west and central Africa, explains that animistic and Muslim communities’ sense that power of Christians gathering together, and they often respond with violence and persecution towards our brothers and sisters in Christ.

Jeremy will share the story of one of our brothers in the Democrat...

Under the brutal control of the Khmer Rouge, Cambodia became known for the killing fields where more than a million people were executed. But today, the country is a field ripe for gospel harvest!

Garth and Caroline Gustafson, who lead the work of Youth With a Mission (YWAM) in Cambodia, see seeds being planted and gospel workers sent out to impact generations to come. From the mid 1960s to early 2000s, Cambodia experienced war and political turmoil, the legacy of which still impacts its people. But God is changing a country that was known for killing to...

What might God do if you made the commitment to pray every day for a specific country? What doors might He open to connect with the people and even walk in the land?

Two decades ago, Peter Smith and his wife were challenged to “adopt a country” and specifically pray every day for God’s Spirit to move in that place. The country God laid on their hearts was the Islamic Republic of Iran, a place where Christian persecution is common and missionaries are banned.

Listen to learn how Peter and his wife began to pray...

Lawrence Tong wakes up each morning excited to pursue this goal: vibrant communities of Jesus followers among the least reached. As the International Director for Operation Mobilization, he oversees the ministry of 5000 gospel workers—including many serving in places where Christians face intense persecution.

Lawrence’s first taste of missions—and of the work of OM—came aboard a ship, docking at different ports to share the gospel and train up local Christians. Witnessing a spiritual fire among the young people on the boat, Lawrence committed two years to serving with OM. That commitment has now grown into mor...

Malik knew the missionary was a kind man. He felt badly that this kind man was going to hell. Malik, a member of the Fulani tribe and the son of a Quranic scholar, decided he would convince the Christian missionary to become a Muslim, so that he could go to paradise.

The missionary refused to convert and told Malik that there were mistakes in the Quran. Malik set out to prove him wrong. He began to carefully study and compare the Bible with the Quran. He never did convince the missionary to accept Islam. Instead, Malik read...

210 million people in Bhutan, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Bangladesh, and the Maldives have yet to hear who Jesus is. Almost all the major world religions—including Buddhism, Hinduism, and Islam—compete for the hearts and minds of people in these countries. Christian persecution is a regular part of following Christ. Pastors have been martyred for their faith, believers beaten and imprisoned, missionaries expelled, and churches burned or bombed.

Tim and Dawn are gospel workers in the region, helping guide gospel efforts and workers. Listen as they unpack what it looks like to follow Christ in South Asia—and how we...

Only 1.4% of people in Nepal are Christians. Hundreds of thousands of Nepali people live their entire lifetime without ever meeting anyone who follows Jesus. Hundreds of thousands of people in Sri Lanka (1.4% Christian), Bangladesh (0.4%), Bhutan (0.3%) and the Maldives (0.03%) also live and die without ever hearing the gospel message—or even the name of Jesus.

God broke the hearts of Tim and Dawn for the lost people of South Asia—and called them to go and live in the region as ambassadors for Christ. Listen as they share their backgrounds, how that call came and some of the chal...

The anxious mother in India had tried everything. Her son was very sick. It seemed he would soon die. She’d been to the Hindu temples and made offerings to many Hindu gods. Nothing had worked. Her son only became sicker. Then, a traveling salesman suggested that she pray to Jesus. She did—and her son was healed! Amazed and awe-struck, the mother and son hunted down the salesman to find out more about this Jesus who answers prayers. Today, her son is a pastor and evangelist who’s traveled more than 40,000 miles sharing the gospel. God is at work i...

Last week, Brother Max shared his testimony of seeking God through following Islam then, when he met Jesus, finding a peace he’d never experienced before. After finding that peace, Max wanted to tell everyone he knew, but he was not prepared for how his community would react with anger and persecution.

Max found it very natural to talk about Jesus with people who had known him before his salvation. They could see his life was drastically different, and they wanted an explanation. Brother Max was eager to share God’s Word with those who asked. He told...

As a boy in Uzbekistan, Brother Max couldn’t imagine a God that cared about his life or had a plan for him. His biological parents didn’t want him. In his Islamic culture, he felt shame because he was adopted. He was consumed with the idea of getting revenge against his birth parents, who had abandoned him. Every day was dark. He felt hopeless and prayed every night that he would not wake up the next morning.

When the Soviet Union collapsed, radical Muslim missionaries entered Uzbekistan to encourage young people raised under communism to pursue Isla...

Dr. Mike Fullingim felt the specific call to mission service while hearing a sermon from Jeremiah 5:19: “…you shall serve foreigners in a land that is not yours.” But as he looks back, he can see that even as a young boy God was drawing his heart toward missions and people different from him. Twelve years after hearing that sermon, Mike and his family went as missionaries to Papua New Guinea.

Dr. Mike and his wife, Barbara, served eight years on the field, with a break between terms for him to pursue further linguistics education. In 1987, Dr. Mike was fi...

It’s a Bible verse all of us have quoted, one we’ve likely shared with a Christian friend in the midst of a difficult season: “And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.” – Romans 8:28

After her husband Rami, a leader of the Bible Society in Gaza, was murdered, Pauline Ayyad wrestled deeply with this verse. What good would come of her husband being killed? What good could come from raising her two children—and the one about to be born—without their...

People all over the world are searching for the truth. Longing for desires and needs to be fulfilled–not by food or entertainment but in a deeper, more lasting way. Brother Dan and Brother Hayel share God’s Word with Druze people, posting short videos on social media. They don’t know who is going to receive the gospel—or who is going to oppose their work—but they know that some will.

Last week Dan and Hayel shared about the hostility of the Druze community to Christians and the persecution Hayel has faced personally as a Druze-back...

“If you read the Bible, He can change you and God will be with you.”

Brother Hayel learned that truth first-hand when he started reading the Bible. In its pages he knew he’d found the One True God. He couldn’t stop reading God’s Word, and hungrily opened it each day. Having found truth, Hayel couldn’t keep himself from sharing the good news with his fellow Druze—even knowing he would be persecuted for doing so.

Hayel desires to see his people, the Druze, changed by the gospel. This people group includes about 1.5 mill...

Cade Jefferson was called to missions as a young adult. Soon after college, he went to one of the most restricted countries in the world: Afghanistan. Despite difficult images he still carries from that war-torn nation, etched in Cade’s heart are memories of fellowship with believers who welcomed Cade and his wife with warm hospitality.

After leaving Afghanistan, Cade went to North Africa to serve the Lord, service that turned out to be more difficult than he expected. Cade says he was at a very difficult point, mentally and emotionally, when God was merciful to open do...

Muslims in the Middle East are hungry for the gospel! Jerry and Stacy, founders of Love for the Least, say they sometimes repeat the gospel message even after the person they’re witnessing to says they’re ready to accept Christ—just to be sure they understand the decision and the risk of persecution they face.

Last week, in the first part of our conversation with Jerry and Stacy, they shared how God drew them out of the American suburbs to minister in Africa, then called them to Iraq just as the ISIS caliphate was born. This week w...

“Jesus is here already; He’s just waiting for us.”

In 2014, just as ISIS was declaring an Islamic caliphate in Iraq and Syria, God called Jerry and Stacy to go to Iraq. “It was a clear word from the Lord,” Stacy says. Others—including their mission board—told them NOT to go, that it wasn’t safe or smart. But they obeyed God, landing in northern Iraq days later.

Years before, they’d answered God’s call to Tanzania—leaving behind an “American Dream” life to serve in east Africa, where they saw the overwhelming need of the people and lea...

When God called Dr. Leanna Cinquanta to serve as a missionary, she was a young woman fresh out of college. Then God specifically called her to a part of South Asia known as “the graveyard of missionaries.” He led her down a different path from most foreign gospel workers at the time; Leanna lived in a village drinking dirty water, sleeping on a grass mat, subsisting on lentils and rice and contracting the same diseases the local people endure.

As she lived through the hardships of village life, she was able to introduce people to a God grea...

William Cameron Townsend said, "The greatest missionary is the Bible in the mother tongue. It needs no furlough and is never considered a foreigner." But what if the “mother tongue” is no longer easily understood? That can often be the case with the Bible in Israel.

Listen as Brother Victor, the director of Israel Bible Society shares what God has done through their organization’s effort to spread God’s Word. It can still be difficult to find complete Hebrew Bibles in Israel. And the majority of the population in Israel cannot easily understand the original Hebrew text, wh...

Sean Paton enrolled in university to study pastoral ministry. But on the first day of his first class, the professor challenged students to think more broadly, to consider if God was calling them to take His love to people who hadn’t yet heard the name of Christ. Sean left class that day and changed his major to missions—and ever since he’s seen and lived a direct link between pastoral and missionary work.

In recent years Sean has led VOM’s work serving Christians on the continent of Africa. Now he’s transitioning back into a pastoral...

Born and raised in Israel, Dr. Erez Soref knew well many of the places mentioned in the Bible and prominent in the story of the life of Christ. But he didn’t know about Jesus! Traveling outside his country, he met a group of Christians. Through their witness and by reading the New Testament for the first time, Soref was convinced in his heart that Jesus Christ was the Messiah for all–Jews and Gentiles.

Returning to Israel, he was anxious to tell his family and others about his newfound faith. But when he did, he found that...

For almost 20 years, Brother David was a gospel worker in Turkey—until he was deported from the country and told he’d been permanently banned from reentry. His legal appeals to stay—to Turkey’s Constitutional Court and the European Court of Human Rights—have, so far, failed.

In a holding cell, awaiting his final flight out of the country, David’s biggest disappointment was that he didn’t have cell mates with whom he could share Jesus!

David and his family are currently doing gospel work in Muslim neighborhoods and on busy street corners in Germany. Go...

An imam (Muslim leader) in Bangladesh was reading the Quran when he came across the name of a person he didn’t know much about: Isa (Jesus). As a local mosque leader, he felt he should learn more about this person mentioned in the Quran, so he asked around his village for a book about Jesus. He was given a New Testament and began to read—and soon recognized that Isa is far more than a prophet. He’s the Son of God and the only way of salvation! But following Jesus can be dangerous in a place where Christ...

In 2021, as the US prepared to withdraw its military presence from the country, radical Islamist Taliban forces swept across Afghanistan. Many Christians—especially those publicly known to follow Jesus—needed to flee the country or risk immediate execution.

Charmaine Hedding, president of The Shai Fund, has worked to help persecuted believers around the world since 2014. When Christians needed help getting out of Afghanistan, she and a committed team quickly stepped forward to help. They arranged flights, helped Afghan Christians hide and get to the airport, and helped find nations willing to accept them as refugees. They worked arou...

Helen Berhane, worship leader and former prisoner in Eritrea, joined us last week to share the first part of her story: how she was persecuted for her faith and yet encouraged all believers to count the cost of following Christ. Helen is back this week for the second half of that conversation.

Thankfully, she had access to the Bible while imprisoned, and the Lord revealed new wisdom and understanding of Him to her as she read from Genesis to Revelations 15 times!

Her knowledge of Jesus increased, and the Holy Spirit gave her overwhelming love and...

Helen Berhane was tortured then imprisoned in a metal shipping container in the African nation of Eritrea. But in spite of terrible persecution she kept singing praises to God!

In 2002, the Eritrean government banned evangelical churches from holding public worship services – forcing Christians to meet illegally, in secret. Helen and other believers did not stop meeting, and it wasn’t long until she and many other persecuted Christians were imprisoned. Helen had intentionally prepared herself; she was ready to stand firm in her faith for Christ even in the face of the persecution she knew was coming. Ever...

Dr. Pam Arlund, Global Training and Research Leader for All Nations International, joins The Voice of the Martyrs Radio this week to share about John Chau’s mission to North Sentinel Island, where he was killed in 2018. Arlund was part of screening John for mission service and training him to go and serve.

As a teenager, John sensed God calling him to take the gospel to the Sentinelese people. For nine years, he prepared to go to the island, live among the people, learn their language and share...

The Bible promises Christians will be persecuted (John 15:18-20; II Timothy 3:12), yet most Christians in the United States and other Western nations have not experienced persecution for their faith. But what if that’s changing? How should Christians in free nations prepare for possible future persecution?

VOM Radio host, Todd Nettleton, shares specific lessons from Christians who have already faced persecution and victoriously endured. Todd will also share how followers of Christ in free nations can put these lessons into practice in our own spiritual walk, starting right now.

Listen also for the blessings found in...

Benesh grew up in a Muslim home, but over time she began to question many aspects of Islamic teaching. As a teenager, she overheard some women talking about the fact that Christian women—without the oppressive restrictions of Islam—were more free than Muslim women. Benesh was curious to know more about Christianity and the peace and love Jesus offers.

While she was in college, Benesh’s father becam...

As a missionary kid, Brother John was raised by parents focused on bringing glory to God’s Kingdom. His father taught theology in the Bahamas and eventually moved the family to an unreached area –British Guiana – so people there could know that true freedom is only in Jesus. As a grown man, John took his own family to serve among Muslims.

Brother John is now the Vice President of Global Engagement for the International Mission Board, helping send missionaries and plant churches all over the world, with a special focus on unreached peoples and areas.

Listen...

With a heart to share the gospel, Kenneth Charles has experienced the different forms of persecution Christians in Pakistan face. Kenneth experienced the reality of being persecuted for Christ even as a young boy. He first learned of The Voice of the Martyrs through Tortured for Christ; the book was translated into Urdu by Kenneth’s brother.

Growing up in a Christian family living in an Islamic context, Kenneth knew persecution would come. When he was a young boy, a peer attacked him with a knife. He still bears the scar.

Kenneth came to know Ch...

Join as Aaron discusses the situation for church planting in Turkey and the persecution in a place where being Muslim is seen as part of one’s national identity. You’ll also hear about a young husband who was training to be an Imam, qualified to teach the Quran, but has become a devoted follower of Christ...

Joe and Dawn are back on VOM Radio share what the Lord has been doing through their discipleship training and Bible smuggling ministry in the Middle East. They will also share how God opened a new door to ministry among women trapped in prostitution.

Joe and Dawn are involved in Bible delivery to persecuted Christians in Iran. Believers targeted by the Iranian regime face the challenging choice to flee the country or stay, knowing they could be imprisoned for their faith. A Christian sister has recently begun a two-year prison sentence, yet she reported to prison excited...

Muslims around the world are commemorating the holiest month on the Islamic calendar: Ramadan. Muslims fast from sunup to sundown as a way to dedicate themselves to Allah and earn his approval. It is a strategic time for Christians to pray fervently for the Holy Spirit to reveal Jesus and the truth of the gospel during Muslims’ heightened spiritual interest.

Listen as guests explain the significance of Ramadan, then lead in praying for Muslims to encounter Christ during this month. They will also help listeners pray for persecuted Christians serving amongst Muslims. Our guests, who work in Mu...

Pam had never left the U.S. before she moved to China. She trusted the Lord would protect her and guide her in building relationships with local people. Like many missionaries, she went through different emotions and difficulties. Yet, her obedience in difficult seasons allowed her...

Last year the world witnessed thousands of Afghans fleeing their country as the Taliban took control of Afghanistan. This week John Weaver, who lived for years in Afghanistan and speaks daily with people still inside the country, shares what is happening now under the Taliban government—especially with regard to our Christian brothers and sisters.

Although many Afghans fled, many have stayed—including Afghan believers in Jesus. Everyone in Afghanistan is dealing with a disrupted economy, with some losing jobs, and others losing family and friends and all dealing with lack of available resources. Amidst Islamist oppression, ther...

And God is multiplying the reach of His message. During Covid quarantine, Radio Shema used digital platforms like Instagram to reach millions of people, seeing ten times more feedback from listeners and twenty times more responses from people coming to faith!

Soner also shares memories of his three friends, martyred 15 years ago this month in the offices of a...

“I’m proud of being Turkish and, at the same time, I am a follower of Jesus Christ.”

Soner Tufan’s words may not seem remarkable to people in Western nations. But in Turkey, where people consider being Muslim an inherent part of their identity and culture, his words immediately capture attention. Radio Shema, the ministry Soner leads, is broadcasting the gospel message all over Turkey, along with the testimony that a person can be a patriotic Turk and also a follower of Jesus.

His message is being received—by Turks curious about Jesus and by those o...

Tony Benjamin travelled to meet persecuted Christians long before he was the president of a ministry serving such believers. In fact, he wasn’t even an employee when he joined a missions trip to Vietnam. But meeting and ministering alongside persecuted Christians there left a permanent mark on Tony’s life and faith—and today he leads The Voice of the Martyrs Australia.

Tony says more and more Christians in Australia desire to be part of “the fellowship of Christ’s suffering,” and the ministry is growing dramatically each year. He and the staff are finding ways to speak dir...

Carter joined YWAM as a sophomore in coll...

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.

...

Yet, as Silas heard the stories and teachings of Jesus, he found himself attracted by who Jesus is. Through a VHS copy of the Jesus Film in the Turkmen language and the divine opportunity to watch it, Silas committed...

Across the Middle East, Muslims have questions about their faith. But Islamic teaching doesn’t encourage or allow such questions. As a young man in Morocco, Brother Rachid had questions also; he found answers through a Christian radio broadcast and chose to follow Christ.

Today he hosts an Arabic-language TV program airing all over the Middle East. On the first broadcast, he asked Muslims to call in with questions about Islam and Christianity. In the first half hour of the program more than 800 people called with questions!

Listen to hear how Rachid learned to see ou...

Among tribal groups in East Asia, new believers in Christ can be forcibly removed from their homes and villages. Animistic tribesmen desire to please and appease the spirits they worship; those who come to faith in Jesus are seen as angering the spirits. However, those who follow Jesus are part of a new community as brothers and sisters come alongside to encourage one another amidst persecution.

Matt and Linda are working with people from one of these tribes. They’ll explain how the gospel is spreading and what Christian persecution looks like in that setting.

Li...

Fu is the Founder and President of China Aid Association and author of God’s Double Agent. Listen as he shares how the communist government has cracked down on Christians in recent years and how Christians have suffered...

As a young adult, John sensed the call to surrender his life to bring glory to God and reach Tibetan Buddhists in the Himalayan region for Christ. Listen as John shares how he started in full-time ministry among Tibetan people, their culture, and encouraging stories of persecuted Christians in the region.

Tibetan Buddhists’ beliefs often mix traditional Buddhism with existing shamanistic beliefs of the region. In tightly-knit communities, those who come to faith in Jesus face persecution from families and the broader community.

John connects established Tibetan Christians with new believers to share their experiences of...

Come with us to the Middle East as VOM Radio host, Todd Nettleton, and his wife, Char, share stories from a recent visit to persecuted Christians in the region. Listen as they share updates on Iraqi refugees who fled from ISIS more than five years ago and what the Lord is currently doing in the lives of persecuted Christians – even one who has only been a believer one week!

You’ll hear about an Iranian woman who, in just two years as a believer, has planted almost 40 churches! She uses every opportunity to pray for others in Jesu...

Across Africa, the church is undergoing attacks on its members and their meeting places. Yet despite the destruction, our Christian brothers and sisters exhibit an overwhelming joy in Christ.

Sean Paton and Jeremy Malkin continue the conversation from last week on VOM’s efforts to help our persecuted brothers in Burkina Faso, Benin, Sudan, and Mozambique. Listen as Jeremy and Sean share how Christians are responding to the persecution in these regions—and also share encouraging stories of God’s work in Africa during the past year.

Animistic ideology and belief in the spirits of their...

Across Africa, instability and the growing influence of radical Islamist ideology mean more persecution for our Christian brothers and sisters.

Sean Paton and Jeremy Malkin oversee VOM’s efforts to serve persecuted Christians across Africa. Listen as they share updates on how Christians are responding—especially in the Central African Republic and Ethiopia.

Thousands of Christians have been displaced in CAR by a civil war in which Christians have at times found themselves specifically targeted and at other times been caught in the crossfire between different factions. Listen as Jeremy gives an update on their situ...

Join us as we continue to look back on some of the most moving moments on VOM Radio in 2021:

Join in as we begin a look back on some of the amazing testimonies God allowed VOM Radio to share in 2021:

Jonathan Ekman leads The Voice of the Martyrs’ international work, overseeing a team serving persecuted Christians in more than 70 nations around the world.

As we look back on VOM’s international efforts in 2021, listen to hear how God used Covid-19 to facilitate delivery of 50,000 Bibles into an extremely closed nation, how persecution has increased in Africa and how God may use the Taliban to further the gospel advance in Afghanistan.

Jonathan will also talk about what Christmas looks like in hostile and restricted nations, and encourage us with specific ways that we can pray for our...

“I was really thirsty for God, hungry for God, to find who He is,” Pastor Amir Bazmjou says. “That’s why I became very fanatic Muslim.”

Amir was born into a Shia Muslim family in Iran, and he grew into a very devout Muslim seeking to earn Allah’s favor. When Shia Islam couldn’t answer the desires of his heart for a relationship with Allah, he became Sufi, a form of Islamic mysticism.

Then someone gave him a Bible. In spite of a lifetime of conditioning not to believe the Bible, Amir began to read. When Ami...

“Pastor Chitria” has been arrested multiple times for his ministry work in Nepal. He says such treatment is an honor and a privilege!

Pastor Chitria talks about preparing believers to stand strong in the face of Christian persecution. He says new Christians preparing for baptism must answer seven questions, including whether they are willing to lose their family, friends and even their freedom to stand for Christ.

Hindus believe there are more than 330 million gods—yet radical Hindus in Nepal see Jesus as a great threat to their life and culture. Pastor Chitria shares one unique...

On December 5, 2013, Ronnie Smith was shot and killed in the Libyan city of Benghazi. In this second half of our interview with Anita Smith, Ronnie’s widow, she talks about the legacy her husband left and the faith she continues to exercise in raising their son without his earthly father around.

Shortly after Ronnie’s death, Anita spoke in media interviews about her love for the Libyan people and about forgiving her husband’s murderers—including interviews in Arabic with Middle East broadcasters.

Anita will share some of the things she wants their son to know abo...

On December 5, 2013, Ronnie Smith was shot and killed in the Libyan city of Benghazi. Within days, Ronnie’s wife, Anita, spoke on national TV in the US about her love for the Libyan people and about forgiving her husband’s murderers. She also did interviews—in Arabic—that were broadcast all over the Middle East.

Listen to Anita Smith share the story—the story of her grief, but also the story of how God was present in those days, and in the years since.

She’ll talk about how God inspired her and Ronnie to pursue overs...

Aaron Miller leads VOM’s work in the Middle East. Recently he spoke in a college chapel, including telling the story of an experience of persecution he endured in India.

Aaron says even though the Bible promises Christians will face persecution, in that moment of suffering as he was punched and kicked he was surprised. But something else happened as well: he experienced God’s presence and grace in a significant and sacred way.

“In a way that I never dreamed of, I had a fellowship with Christ that I did not have before,” he says of...

Join us this week for a podcast concert of prayer on behalf of persecuted Christians around the world in commemoration of the International Day of Prayer for Persecuted Christians (IDOP).

Leaders from among VOM’s international ministry regions will talk about specific prayer needs in their region of the world, then lead in prayer for persecuted brothers and sisters in those regions. Author John Weaver will lead a special time of prayer for Afghanistan and Christians there in light of the upheaval and transition that took place in that nation this year. Former prisoner for Christ Petr Ja...

John Grooters is the director of a new movie portraying the marriage, choice to become Christians and early persecution of VOM's founders, Richard and Sabina Wurmbrand—told through the eyes of Sabina. SABINA: Tortured For Christ, The Nazi Years will screen in more than 800 theaters in the US for three days only – November 8, 9 and 10. Buy tickets here.

Grooters also directed Tortured For Christ – The Movie, which portrayed how the Wurmbrands were persecuted under communists in Romania. SABINA is a prequel to the first film, telling an earlier part of the Wurmbrands’ story, including their persecution—and how they bless...

Jonathan Ekman and Matthew Hanson recently visited persecuted Christians in Central Asia—Christians caught between a growing wave of radical Islam and governments with a communist-style distrust of all religion.

Matthew and Jonathan will share stories from believers they met. Listen to hear “the rest of the story” of one of the chapters in When Faith Is Forbidden (VOM Radio host Todd Nettleton’s book), including how God has built on the legacy of a martyred pastor in Tajikistan.

They’ll also share the story of a woman who faced intense persecution from her own family, ye...

How long was it from the time you heard Jesus died, until you knew that He rose again? What did you feel in that interim? Grief? Loss? Defeat? And what did it mean when you knew that He did rise again?

“Brother Stephen” has worked with Operation Mobilization for many years sharing the gospel among Muslims, including nomadic peoples in the Middle East. He has told the story of Jesus to people who had never heard it before! Listen for the story of how one woman responded to Jesus’ death.

Brother Stephen will share how God ca...

Rashin Soodmand was 13 years old when Iran’s government executed her father, Pastor Hossein Soodmand, and buried him in an unmarked grave in a part of the cemetery reserved for “the cursed.” But killing this faithful pastor didn’t erase his legacy or stop the growth of the church in Iran.

Her father wasn’t the only martyr of the persecuted Iranian church that Rashin knew well. In this second part of our conversation, Rashin shares things she remembers about other martyrs she knew personally: Haik Hovsepian, who preached at her father’s funeral; Mehdi Dibaj, who encouraged h...

Rashin Soodmand was 13 years old when her father, Pastor Hossein Soodmand, was executed in Iran for the crime of apostasy.

Rashin remembers that day as a strange mix of sadness and joy as she, her family and members of their church dealt with the loss of Pastor Soodmand while at the same time celebrating his life and the fact that he had stood boldly in the face of Christian persecution and threats.

Rashin will tell how church leaders encouraged Pastor Hossein to leave Iran and go somewhere safer. He refused; he knew that for him...

Joe Handley leads Asian Access, a ministry to train and equip church leaders—including many working in countries where Christians face persecution for their faith.

Listen as Joe shares the story of an imprisoned Christian in Myanmar who found a way to be a blessing, even from inside prison. Joe will also talk about training up leaders in hostile and restricted nations—and especially helping them learn to abide in and rely on Christ.

Hear how Christians in Sri Lanka reached out to those opposing them, and the way it opened a door for the gosp...

Semse Aydin and her husband, Necati, were expecting a baby. Necati had been arrested for gospel work in Turkey, and now the couple had a decision to make. Would they continue advancing the gospel among their countrymen, in spite of the risk of more persecution? Or would they choose a safer path for their now-growing family? Together, Necati and Semse made the decision: they would continue boldly in their Christian work. The decision led them to Malatya, where Necati was murdered in 2007.

This week we continue our conversation with Semse and Gracia Burnham. Both women are widows...

Gracia Burnham was serving as a missionary in the Philippines with her husband, Martin, when they were taken hostage by a radical Islamist group. Martin was killed in a rescue attempt, leaving Gracia to raise their three children alone. But she was not alone; God has been with her. “I’ve seen God be faithful…He takes special care of the widows,” Gracia says.

Semse Aydin also experienced the loss of a husband when Necati was murdered with two other Christian men in Malatya, Turkey in 2007. The couple had two young children.

Listen this week as these...

Tom and JoAnn Doyle are back to finish our conversation about how Jesus is reaching women across the Middle East—including amazing stories of God’s work in Saudi Arabia, Lebanon, Syria and other nations.

Tom and JoAnn say these Christian women are committed to following Christ no matter what persecution they face, even the risk of their lives. They are also bold witnesses for Christ; often the greatest initial impact their witness has is on their husbands.

The Doyles help American Christians learn to reach out to Muslims through their work with Uncharted Ministries—and th...

“God loves Afghans!”

Author John Weaver lived in Afghanistan, speaks the language and is in daily contact with people still in the country. He’ll give listeners an update on how the Taliban’s takeover is affecting our Christian brothers and sisters and share specific requests to help us pray for our Afghan family members.

John will also tell us how God is working through current events and even among members of the Taliban. One thing we know He is doing is raising up an army of prayer warriors to intercede on behalf of Afghanistan and pray...

Tom and JoAnn Doyle share the stories of Jesus reaching women across the Middle East—amazing stories of God’s work in Saudi Arabia, Lebanon, Syria and other nations.

Their new book, Women Who Risk: Secret Agents for Jesus in the Muslim World, shares exciting stories of Muslim women coming to faith in Christ, then becoming "secret agents" for Christ and His Kingdom—transforming their own lives, their families, friends and even entire nations.

They will share how the Bible's teachings about women are vastly different from the teachings of Islam—and how Muslim women respond...

Dr. Mike Ansari is the President of Heart 4 Iran, which partners with multiple Christian ministries to reach Iranian people with the gospel of Jesus Christ. He’ll explain what the inauguration of Ebrahim Raisi as the new president of Iran means for persecuted Christians and religious freedom.

One of the greatest needs of the church in Iran is Bibles. Mike will tell how VOM is helping meet that need—and thank our listeners for giving to deliver Bibles into Iran. He’ll also talk about the benefits of delivering Bibles in digital form—which are much easier to hide...

A 16-year-old persecuted Christian girl in the Himalayas would crawl to gather with other believers for worship and Bible study. In spite of suffering and persecution, she would not stop sharing the gospel!

That’s just one story you’ll hear this week in the second half of our conversation with Andy Byrd. He’s part of the leadership team of Youth With a Mission in Kona, Hawaii, and also leads The Send, an international event to motivate Christians to share the gospel.

Byrd has spent significant time in the Himalayas—“the roof of the world”—and...

The first time Andy Byrd went on a missions trip, he wasn’t really living a sold-out life for Jesus. But something happened on that trip: the seed of gospel service was planted in his life. After high school, he signed up to train and serve for six months through Youth With a Mission.

That six-month stint has now lasted 23 years as Andy has dedicated his life to spiritual awakening in a generation. Today he serves on the leadership team of YWAM in Kona, Hawaii, and also heads up The Send, an international event to bring about a...

Aaron Miller is just back from visiting persecuted Christians in the Middle East, including one of our Christian brothers who was formerly a Sunni Muslim, then became a Shia Muslim and ultimately found love, hope and truth in Jesus Christ.

Aaron also met the family of a man who gave his life delivering Bibles to Iran. Rather than pull back, the family continues to be involved in secret Bible deliveries—in spite of the risk.

Aaron will discuss Christians displaced in recent years by ISIS, by the situation in Syria and other persecution—and how VOM...

Australian John Short was detained inside North Korea after leaving gospel tracts near a Buddhist temple. He was facing years in prison—but he wasn’t afraid.

“Fear and faith cannot exist within my heart at the same time,” he says.

In this second part of our conversation with Mr. Short, he shares how he prayed—out loud—throughout his captivity, how his captors responded to his faith and how his “letter of confession” and eventual release came about.

He’ll also share how, upon landing back in China, he learned for the first time that hi...

Australian John Short was detained in North Korea. He was repeatedly interrogated. He was forced to write a “confession” of his “crimes,” including the offense of wanting more North Koreans to follow Jesus.

But if God asked him today, Short would happily go back to the "Hermit Kingdom." Short shares with VOM Radio how God strengthened him during his captivity, Scriptures and earthly examples of persecuted Christians that most encouraged him, and how he managed to take a measure of control back from his captors — and even make them nervous.

Mr. Short agreed to only two media...

Floyd Brobbel has been involved in ministry to persecuted Christians since birth! Today he leads the work of VOM – Canada, the ministry founded by his parents 50 years ago.

Listen as Floyd tells the story of his first trip for VOM, and a Christian woman in Ethiopia that permanently changed the way Floyd thinks about Christian persecution and what it means to be part of the Body of Christ.

Floyd will also tell of his experiences as a child and young man with Richard and Sabina Wurmbrand, VOM’s founders who were both imprisoned for their fait...

Christians—especially pastors—are being targeted by an Islamist insurgent group in Northern Mozambique, a group that already pledged allegiance to ISIS. A VOM worker recently visited the area and met with Christians who are among 800,000 displaced people. He heard horrible stories of violence and persecution, but also saw persecuted Christians continuing to serve and advance the gospel in spite of their suffering and loss.

Sean Paton will tell us how the church in Mozambique is responding, as well as give an update to listeners on current persecution in Ethiopia and Uganda. Paton is Africa Regional Director for...

Just a few days before government-mandated “celebrations” of the 100th Anniversary of the Chinese Communist Party, we finish a conversation with Bob Fu, former prisoner for Christ and the founder of China Aid Association. Bob points out the terrible cost of decades of control in China by a philosophy that places zero value on human life.

Bob will talk about the choice some Chinese Christians are making to stay in their country in spite of the constant threat of persecution. He’ll also tell how some Christians are choosing to leave, seeing no future under President Xi Jinpin...

Bob Fu is a former prisoner for Christ and the founder of China Aid Association, serving and sharing the stories of persecuted Christians in China. He says persecution of Christians in communist China is the worst it has been in 40 years—since the days of the Cultural Revolution.

Bob will share a recent case of persecution and the story of how our brother Chen Wensheng—a former mafia leader—thought of ten days in prison as a “spiritual retreat.” Brother Chen went right back to publicly witnessing for Christ the moment he was released.

Pastor Bob says C...

Paul wrote to the Corinthian church that, “a wide door for effective work has opened to me, and there are many adversaries” (I Cor. 16:9). “Brother Aaron” says Paul’s ministry description could have been written about Christians in the restricted nation of Pakistan in 2021.

Listen as Aaron shares how Christian persecution is “like the air” in Pakistan—something that’s always present and almost taken for granted by people there. He’ll also explain how the church prepares believers—especially young people—to be strong in their faith and ready to withstand societal pressure and persecution.

Aaron will also talk a...

“Uncle Monnie” has worked alongside Chinese Christians for decades. He says the pressure and persecution Christians face there today is even worse than during the Cultural Revolution.

Listen as Monnie shares about the changes he’s seen in China and the response of believers he’s trained to face persecution and continue to advance the gospel. Some of those Monnie helped train now serve Jesus in restricted Muslim nations in the Middle East and around the world.

Learn how you can pray for Chinese Christians, and how persecution is teaching Christians from different backgrounds to work and...

Tune in this week for the second half of our conversation with Pastor Tat Stewart, who lived and ministered in Tehran as the Islamic Revolution swept through Iran. Listen to how he was encouraged by his final conversation on Iranian soil before he and his family were expelled from the country. You’ll also hear how God showed him he could have a more far-reaching ministry to Iranians outside the country than he could ever have living inside the Islamic Republic.

“I could not stay away from what God was doing with Iranians,” he says.

Tat al...

“Let’s drive by the American Embassy and see what’s going on…”

It was November 4, 1979 when Tat Stewart said those words to his wife as they drove home from church in Tehran, Iran. Iranian students had overrun the US Embassy that day. They would go on to hold 52 embassy staff members and others hostage for 444 days.

Stewart, his wife and their children moved to Tehran earlier that year, just months after Ayatollah Khomeini arrived back in Iran and the Islamic Revolution took control of the country. Tat went to serve as the pastor of a church f...

“Brother Bennie” is back to talk about persecution of Christians in India, including the story of three close friends recently arrested for their evangelistic work. Hear how God worked during their time in prison—especially once they received a copy of the Bible.

Bennie will talk about recent passage of anti-conversion laws in several Indian states, and how Christians and churches are affected by such laws. He says the India of today is dramatically different from the India he knew as a child, and even from how the nation was five or ten years ago.

In add...

When Susi Childers met a woman who’d had three children killed in an attack in Northern Nigeria, God used the pain of three miscarriages in Susi’s life to open the door for a powerful time of connection and ministry. Listen as Susi shares the story, and offers encouragement to Christians wrestling with suffering, loss or even persecution right now.

Paul and Susi Childers have spent more than two decades working to spread the gospel through Youth With a Mission (YWAM).

They will give advice about blending the responsibilities of marriage and family with the...

Paul and Susi Childers have spent more than two decades working to spread the gospel to the nations at Youth With a Mission (YWAM).

Listen as Susi shares how God called her from a career in photography to go as a missionary—and how He turned her camera into a bridge-building tool for sharing the gospel. “Don’t think because you don’t have a typical ‘Christian’ job that you can’t be used [in missions],” she says.

Susi started out by committing to serve for one year, a commitment that has now been renewed for 24 years! Sh...

“Brother Jeff” served as a long-time gospel worker in South Asia and Indonesia—places with intense Christian persecution. Today he helps lead Assemblies of God World Missions (AGWM).

Listen as he shares about the time he was arrested for his work, how God worked to set him free and how his arrest actually opened a doorway to more (and more secure) ministry opportunities.

He’ll also talk about the challenges he and his wife experienced in their early years of missionary service, and how God’s clear call on their lives became an anchor they could hold...

Brother Alayu was a very young man when he became a follower of Christ. Soon after, he was persecuted for that choice, even facing a communist official who told Alayu to “choose Jesus or my gun.”

Alayu chose Jesus—and he continues to do so. Today, he is a leader with Global Call, a church-planting work in Ethiopia and surrounding nations, where he has seen great hunger for the gospel and a great move of God—in spite of the persecution Christians often face.

Listen as he shares about ministry today in areas dominated by Ethiopia...

Karen Short’s husband, John, was detained inside North Korea, held incommunicado. Yet Karen never felt panicked about what would happen to him. “I simply trusted the Lord,” she says.

John Short, an Australian Christian, was detained in North Korea in 2014 after leaving gospel tracts outside a Buddhist temple while part of a tour. Karen was home in Hong Kong, dealing with media attention, praying for her husband and receiving words of encouragement from all around the world.

Listen in as Karen shares:

Through books and other writing, Pastor Richard Wurmbrand became a voice for persecuted Christians all over the world. This week we’ll meet the woman who shaped and polished so many of Richard’s printed words.

Ellen Oblander served many years as the editor for Richard Wurmbrand, co-founder of The Voice of the Martyrs. She worked on many of his books, as well as on VOM’s free monthly magazine. Over the years Ellen became much more than an editor; she grew into being almost a member of the family.

Listen as she shares the story...

Petr Jasek was imprisoned 445 days in Sudan. He traveled to the country on behalf of The Voice of the Martyrs to meet with and encourage Sudanese Christians. His first cellmates were arrested ISIS fighters—men who hated Christians and quickly began to persecute Petr.

In his lowest moments, God brought to mind names and faces of other persecuted Christians—men and women Petr had met personally during his years serving with VOM. He began to pray for other persecuted believers, and his spirit lifted as his focus changed from his own difficulties to his prayers for other Chri...

Dan Baumann and Pastor Andrew Brunson were arrested in Muslim nations because of their Christian faith. They both experienced depression and even thoughts of suicide in prison, yet testify that God was faithful even in those desperate moments.

Listen as they share the challenges of prison and their thoughts on loving our enemies and how much they don’t miss being in prison.

One of the things that helped Brunson during his time in prison was something Baumann had written in one of his books. He’ll share that story—and then hear how Dan respon...

As a teenager in Cuba, “Maria” encountered the book Tortured For Christ, written by VOM’s founder, Pastor Richard Wurmbrand—when she was told to burn the books before Cuban authorities could find them and arrest her father!

Today, Maria and her husband, “Pedro,” help VOM serve persecuted Christians in Cuba and other Latin American nations. Listen as they share a recent experience when Cuban authorities issued an arrest warrant for Pedro, and how Pedro and Maria experienced the prayers of Christians around the world in that time of pressure and trial.

Listen also to learn how Cu...

This is release week for VOM Radio host Todd Nettleton’s new book: When Faith is Forbidden: 40 Days on the Frontlines with Persecuted Christians, published by Moody Publishers.

In this special bonus episode, VOM Radio listeners can hear a preview of the audiobook version, which will be available soon wherever audiobooks are distributed. Today’s chapter is Day 1: Beyond Our Control.

You can learn more about the book, and order your copy, at www.WhenFaithIsForbidden.com.

Also, be sure to register to be a part of this weekend’s Imprisoned For Christ Virtual Event...

Today is release day for VOM Radio host Todd Nettleton’s new book: When Faith is Forbidden: 40 Days on the Frontlines with Persecuted Christians, published by Moody Publishers.

In this special bonus episode, VOM Radio listeners can hear a preview of the book: the first chapter of the audio book, available soon wherever audiobooks are distributed.

You can learn more about the book, and order your copy, at www.WhenFaithIsForbidden.com.

We’re trading chairs this week on VOM Radio! Todd Nettleton has a new book releasing March 2 from Moody Publishers: When Faith is Forbidden: 40 Days on the Frontlines With Persecuted Christians. So he’s in the guest chair this week, and Janet Parshall—nationally syndicated host of In The Market With Janet Parshall—has graciously agreed to fill in as our VOM Radio host for the week.

Todd’s new book contains 40 of the most powerful and inspiring stories he’s heard in interviews with persecuted Christians over the past 20+ years. He’ll also share a little of how God bro...

“Joe” was in prison in the United States—justly, he says. As a young man his life was filled with drugs and crime. A fellow prisoner gave Joe a Bible, and Joe’s life was transformed as he found forgiveness and surrendered his life to Jesus Christ.

Having seen the power of God’s Word first-hand, Joe committed his life to getting Bibles to as many people as possible. He and his wife, “Dawn,” are now part of a team delivering Bibles into the Islamic Republic of Iran. It’s dangerous work, but Joe and Dawn have counted the cost...

Cheng Jie, whose English name is “Esther,” was the wife of a pastor in China. She and her husband had discussed the idea that he could be arrested and go to prison for his Christian work. They hadn’t believed that she would be targeted by the communist government. But in 2014 she was called to the police station for a “meeting” about the school Esther was running. The meeting with police turned into Esther’s arrest and two years in a Chinese prison.

At the time of her arrest, Esther’s sons were aged 3 and 1. Listen to her share how...

As a college student in San Francisco, Brother Kevin explored many avenues of spirituality, including pursuing Zen Buddhism and Transcendental Meditation. But an experience of darkness caused him to call out for Jesus, and Christ revealed himself to Kevin as both real and powerful.

Since that day, Kevin has wanted to tell people about Jesus, including Muslims, Hindus and people of other faiths. Today he helps lead YWAM Frontier Missions, sending workers to share the gospel in places where Jesus’ name is completely unknown.

It’s not an easy work. Kevin will share stories of gosp...

“Brother Joshua” is a church leader in Cuba. He says for Christians on the island, persecution is expected. Police regularly call Joshua in for interrogation, and he says every time they call he feels intimidation and fear about what might happen. But he says as the questioning begins he can feel God’s presence and God’s provision of an answer for each question. And as he senses God’s power taking over, he says his fear shrinks and disappears.

Joshua will give an update on the persecution of the church in Cuba, including one church which recently h...

Reed Olson helps VOM to get Bibles and other Christian materials into hostile and restricted nations around the world. Listen to Reed share about God’s call on his life, and his excitement to use every hour, every tool and every possible channel to deliver to every person God’s life-changing Word.

He’ll also share how VOM resources are being translated and delivered freely into hostile and restricted nations around the world—in some cases connecting Christians facing persecution in different countries who pray for and inspire each other. Finally, he’ll update how the church in Latin A...

Martin and Gracia Burnham were serving as missionaries in the Philippines, where Martin was a pilot with New Tribes Mission (now called Ethnos 360). The Burnhams went away for a few days to celebrate their wedding anniversary. Those few days turned into more than a year in the jungle when they were kidnapped and held hostage by radical Muslim terrorists.

Listen this week as Gracia tells how she wrestled with God and even with her own faith during those dark days of captivity. She’ll also share how she experienced the prayers of God’s people, even as Mart...

C. Anderson is a leader in Frontier Missions for YWAM – Youth With a Mission. She’s developed a course based on the principles of II Timothy 2:2 with the aim of developing DMM—Disciple Making Movements.

Anderson was born an MK in Africa, but after traumatic experiences in her youth she decided she would never live anywhere she felt unsafe. Yet God called her to lay down that need for safety to answer His call to missions, and gave her the grace to answer His call.

Listen to learn how DMMs are developing and growing, and how th...

This week we look ahead to VOM’s work serving persecuted Christians in 2021 with VOM’s President, Cole Richards, and Vice President for International Ministry, Jonathan Ekman.

Jonathan will give an update on the two countries added to VOM’s 2021 Global Prayer Map—Burkina Faso and Cameroon—and how persecution of Christians in those nations is increasing, and how VOM is responding to help the church. He’ll also talk about what those changes mean for VOM’s work and workers, and how efforts are already underway to effectively serve Christians in those nations.

You’ll be inspired b...

Join this week as we continue our look back on some of the amazing testimonies God allowed VOM Radio to share this year:

Join in as we begin a look back on some of the amazing testimonies God allowed VOM Radio to share this year:

Sitting in a solitary confinement cell in Iran, Robert Aserian felt God comforting him with these words: “If you are here, it is My plan.” God had prepared him for prison in a unique way: as a pastor he’d counseled many Iranian Christians after they’d suffered imprisonment, so he knew some of the challenge he would face.

Listen as Robert shares the challenges of interrogation, prison and solitary confinement. One way Robert passed the time in solitary confinement was composing and preaching sermons—even though his congregation wasn’t there to hear them. He also tells how ev...

When Robert Aserian first prayed to Jesus, it was an atheist’s prayer: I don’t know if you are real, Jesus, but if You are please show Yourself to me. Jesus answered that prayer, and Robert has been following Him passionately—and encouraging others, including Iranian Muslims, also to follow—ever since. He even taught a class on Christian theology to Islamic clergy members.

Listen to Robert’s story of coming to faith, then experiencing God’s call to ministry. Robert will share about different martyrs of the church in Iran he knew and learned from, and describe...

In the midst of his persecution, Pastor Dmitry “David” Shestakov remembered Christ on the cross, and determined in his heart that if Christ suffered willingly, David also would persevere through his time of suffering.

As a young man, David was a criminal and a drug user. His mother’s desperate prayer to God—even though she was an atheist—led to Shestakov surrendering his life to Christ. Once surrendered, he immediately began to tell others about Jesus. He knew, early on, that such witness would be costly.

Listen to how God used letters written by VOM reader...

2020 has been eventful everywhere! But it has been especially eventful for the people of The Islamic Republic of Iran. But in the midst of great challenges—health, economic, political—God is moving! “Ali” is sharing the gospel inside Iran. Listen as he shares how God is even using the COVID-19 pandemic as a catalyst to spread the gospel and grow the church.

Ali will share how God answered prayers for new strategies for gospel workers to use in the midst of the pandemic and national lockdowns. He’ll also share how Jesus miraculously healed two church leaders hospitaliz...

The phone message was clear: “We know you are there! And we’re going to kill you!”

Todd Lafferty received that phone message as he was preparing to host a meeting of Christian leaders in his home. He had to decide how much risk he was willing to take to continue spreading the gospel.

This week we continue our conversation with Todd about his experience as a missionary in Southeast Asia and his work now helping lead the International Mission Board.

He’ll share a story of God’s work among an unreached people gro...

Todd Lafferty came to Christ as a college football player. It wasn’t long after coming to faith that he sensed God’s call to go and tell others—even others living outside the United States. He and his wife answered that call, serving in the United Kingdom and eventually in Pakistan.

Today Todd helps lead the International Mission Board, equipping and sending missionaries to tell the story of Jesus’ love all over the world, including places where Christians face persecution.

Listen to hear Todd tell about arriving in Pakistan, fighting through the culture shock and temp...

Christians around the globe are praying specifically for persecuted Christians as we commemorate the International Day of Prayer for Persecuted Christians (IDOP). We will honor this special day as we talk about specific ways to pray for persecuted believers and pray together this week on VOM Radio.

Host Todd Nettleton will share a story from Petr Jasek’s time imprisoned in Sudan that shows the real, practical difference our prayers make for those facing persecution for Christ.

And we’ll pray together, led by Christian leaders from around the nation:

In 1999 a new book presented the stories of persecuted Christians in a powerful, memorable way. The book—Jesus Freaks by dc Talk and The Voice of the Martyrs—inspired an entire generation to passionately follow Christ, no matter the cost.

This week a new, updated version of the book releases, including some classic stories from the original edition and powerful new stories written to inspire a new generation to live like a Jesus Freak.

Michael Tait, one of the members of dc Talk (now the lead singer of the Newsboys), and Dan Pitts, co-manager of the...

God is at work in Rohingya refugee camps in Bangladesh! Even amidst the Covid pandemic, the gospel message is advancing among Rohingya people. But it’s not without cost; Rohingya Christians risk intense persecution.

Dave and Pam lead Operation Mobilization’s work in western and central Asia, overseeing gospel workers reaching Muslims in multiple countries. They will share first-hand accounts of the gospel’s advance and the persecution Christ followers endure in their region of the world.

They will also offer advice to Western Christians who want to build a bridge to Muslims living in their...

Dave and Pam lead Operation Mobilization’s work in western and central Asia, overseeing gospel workers reaching Muslims in multiple countries.

Listen as they discuss their call to missions and how God led them to work among Muslims. They will also share how finishing the task of reaching the Muslim world for Christ will require a better understanding of risk—a theology of suffering that allows Christians to victoriously endure persecution.

Dave will challenge us to think Biblically about reaching Muslims, to intentionally see them as people God loves and that Jesus died for, rather than...

Sean Paton leads VOM’s work on the continent of Africa, and he’ll share this week about significant changes in two African Countries: Sudan and Ethiopia.

In Sudan, there are reasons for optimism after the Sovereign Council leading the country revoked the apostasy law, which required the death penalty for anyone who left Islam to follow another faith. Sean will share how Christians in Sudan say, “no one is looking” at the church right now. While that window is open, bold believers are working diligently to advance Christ’s Kingdom.

The treatment of Christians is also ch...

What does your church do to help new believers grow in their faith? Imagine how much more difficult it would be to disciple new Christians if you couldn’t meet together in person, or if they couldn’t admit openly that they were now following Christ for fear of persecution?

“Brother Mark” works with Christians in 22 countries in North Africa and the Middle East, and he will tell us about the persecution faced by Christians in Muslim nations of that region.

We’ll talk about the new reality in Sudan after the overthrow of Omar al Bashir...

“Brother Mark” is active in gospel work in North Africa and the Middle East. Listen as he shares how coronavirus impacted ministry work in those regions—actually increasing interest in the gospel and online contact with curious Muslims.

Brother Mark will talk about his own testimony and share how God called him to reach Muslims for Jesus. He’ll advise listeners on how to respond—not react—to Muslim questions or arguments against the gospel.

Brother Mark will describe the persecution against Christians in the North African nation of Mauritania, and the challenge of discipling new believer...

Al Shabaab is advancing in Northern Mozambique, attacking and killing Christians and others.

Will Hart leads Iris Global, which works to share the gospel in 34 nations around the world. We’ll focus this week on Africa, and especially Mozambique, where radical Islamist terrorists are taking territory and targeting churches and Christians.

Will also shares how God radically saved him and sent him to the nations. He’ll talk about overcoming fear as he and his wife went to minister in the Congo—at the time one of the most dangerous countries in the world. Listen to how...

Dr. Hormoz Shariat, the founder and president of Iran Alive Ministries, and his wife Donnell are back with us this week to finish our conversation about how God called them to share the gospel with 1,000,000 Iranians—a calling that grew out of a family tragedy and great loss.

Hormoz will tell us he’s not a “natural” evangelist—he calls himself a shy nerd—but says God has given him strength and boldness to share the gospel. Listen as he describes getting laid off from his job and voted out by his church as blessings that unlocked the doorway...

Dr. Hormoz Shariat was among thousands of Iranian Muslims marching in the streets of Tehran during the Islamic Revolution in 1979. Today, he’s “The Billy Graham of Iran” with a vision to reach one million Iranians for Jesus Christ. He tried Islam, but says it didn’t work to meet the needs of his heart and life.

Hormoz’s wife, Donnell, was born in America, yet she too was marching in those streets after moving to Iran—and converting to Islam—to marry Hormoz.

Today Hormoz leads Iran Alive Ministries, one of VOM’s partners in spreading the...

Joy Subasiguller has lived in Turkey for 10 years. She’s a pastor’s wife and the mother of three small children. In the eyes of Turkey’s government, she’s also a threat to national security! Her application for continued residency in Turkey has been denied, and Joy faces expulsion from the country.

Joy’s husband, today the pastor of a Turkish church, was born into a Muslim family. Joy will share how he decided to leave Islam and follow Jesus Christ—and the persecution he endured for that decision.

Listen to hear how God called Joy t...

Omid Sabouki serves as the President and CEO of Jubal Band Ministries, helping reach Iranian Muslims with the message that Jesus is the Son of God, and that He loves us.

Omid will tell us this week about the persecution of Christians by Iran’s government, including arrest, imprisonment and even assault at the hands of interrogators. He’ll talk about the importance of getting more Bibles to the church in Iran—a challenge VOM is helping to meet through various Bible delivery methods. He’ll explain how he and other Christian leaders are training church leaders—both insid...

Omid Sabouki grew up in a Muslim household in Iran. Today he is a follower of Christ, and helping reach more Iranian Muslims with the message that Jesus is the Son of God and that He loves us.

Listen to Omid’s story of finding Jesus, including a dream during which a man in white told Omid, “stay on my way.” The next morning, the driver of his taxi gave Omid a package. Inside the package was a complete Bible. That Bible led Omid and his wife to faith in Christ—a decision that would cost him his rela...

Andrew Scott is back to talk about missions right now—including the effects of coronavirus on international gospel workers. He says every follower of Christ is called to be part of spreading Jesus’ glory around the world. Andrew is the President and CEO of Operation Mobilization – USA, and the author of a book, SCATTER: Go Therefore and Take Your Job With You (affiliate link).

Andrew will talk about how world missions is changing—including more missionaries raised up and sent out from developing world nations. He’ll also share how OM is collaborating with other mission orgs—including Th...

Aaron Miller leads VOM’s work in South and Central Asia, including India, where five Christians have been killed in the past two months.

Listen as he shares how coronavirus is affecting VOM’s work, including stories of blessings that have grown out of the COVID-19 pandemic. One pastor said his interrogation was postponed because authorities in his area are focused on the virus, not on the church.

Aaron brings unique expertise on persecution in India. Listen to the stories of some of the recent martyrs, including a teenager who stepped up when his pastor coul...

“Brother Joel” continues the conversation we left off last week about God’s work in China, work which continues in spite of an ongoing wave of Christian persecution and the coronavirus pandemic. Brother Joel helps VOM distribute Bibles in every part of China. He’ll give us an update on current challenges for Bible efforts in China—including Chinese Christians currently in prison simply for providing people—including children—access to God’s Word.

Joel will tell us how new laws in China affected foreign Christian workers, including thousands who found their visas cancelled and were forced to leave China...

In spite of the COVID-19 pandemic in China, the government’s focus on persecuting Christians and closing churches hasn’t faded. In fact, there’s been an increase in persecution in recent months as Chinese Communist Party leaders continue their efforts to control the hearts and minds of the people.

Churches have been closed. Pastors have been arrested. But Chinese Christians are responding with boldness, finding new ways to spread the gospel even amidst pandemic and persecution.

“Brother Joel” helps VOM distribute Bibles in every part of China, and this week he’ll share what’s happening wi...

Americans will celebrate Independence Day on July 4th. And while Americans celebrate freedom and liberty, 600 persecuted Christians in the African nation of Eritrea will spend another weekend in prison—some of them have been in prison more than 15 years!

Dr. Berhane knows what it’s like inside Eritrean prisons. He spent 11 months in prison for his faith in Christ. But, even in prison, he saw God’s hand at work and found opportunities to witness to others—including prisoners about to be executed. Imagine the feeling as prison guards would read the names of prisoners scheduled for executio...

Ed Cannon is the President and CEO of FEBC. For 75 years, FEBC has been using radio to communicate the gospel to the least-reached people on earth. Their radio signals—and internet connections, smartphone apps and social media feeds—reach people speaking 129 languages in 50 countries. Included in those countries are hostile and restricted nations where Christians are persecuted for their faith in Christ.

Ed has travelled the world to meet and support the broadcasters—including a 10-hour stay in jail when police discovered him carrying Christian materials for distribution in a hostile nation. Listen as Ed talks about the wo...

Brother Jeremy, VOM’s deputy regional director for Africa, met Mary Sankagui just days after her husband—a pastor in Central African Republic—was killed for his faith in Christ and his ministry in a Muslim neighborhood. In spite of her loss, the woman Jeremy encountered had a deep sense of joy. Listen to hear Jeremy share the story of Pastor Jean-Paul Sankagui, and give us an update on current persecution in CAR and how the church there is responding and training the next generation of church leaders.

Cole Richards, VOM’s President, joins us first to talk abo...

Covid-19 has hit hard in Syria, yet many are unwilling to acknowledge the illness in their honor-shame culture where getting sick can bring shame on a family. Brother John will update listeners on how the virus is affecting Syria—and how God’s Kingdom is advancing even amidst the pandemic.

Learn what Christian persecution looks like today in Syria, and how Christians there respond. You’ll also hear specific ways to pray for Syrian Christians.

John will share the story of God’s work in one family. Their son was born with a birth defect, and his...

When Petr Jasek spent 445 days in prison in Sudan, Omar al-Bashir was the dictatorial leader of the country. Since Petr’s release, Bashir’s government has been overthrown and Bashir locked inside one of the same prisons where Petr had been held.

But are things really different for Christians in Sudan? Petr will answer that question as he returns to finish the conversation we began last week about his arrest and imprisonment in Sudan.

In prison, Petr felt the Lord’s presence very near as he spent hours every day reading the Bible and praying. What h...

In 2015, Petr Jasek traveled to Khartoum, Sudan, to meet with pastors and other Christians to evaluate how The Voice of the Martyrs—a ministry Petr has served with since 2002—could help and encourage persecuted Sudanese believers.

Petr was arrested at the airport on his way out of the country, charged with espionage and other crimes and sentenced to life in prison before the Czech government negotiated his release.

The story of Petr’s imprisonment—and the ministry God allowed him inside—is told in a brand new book, Imprisoned with ISIS: Faith in the Face of Evil. Y...

Brother Jeremy is VOM’s deputy regional director for Africa, helping oversee all VOM projects to serve persecuted Christians on the African continent.

Jeremy will update us on how Covid-19 is affecting Africa, and how VOM workers continue serving persecuted Christians in spite of the coronavirus. Jeremy will update us on the situation in Nigeria, including the amazing testimony of kidnapped Pastor Lawan Andimi—who turned his “proof of life” video into an opportunity to testify for Christ.

Jeremy will also talk about how Boko Haram has expanded operations into northern Cameroon and other nations and how...

Amidst the coronavirus pandemic, many around the world are dealing with fear and discouragement. Andrew Brunson knows those feelings well.

After serving more than 20 years as gospel workers in Turkey, Pastor Andrew and Norine Brunson were suddenly arrested, accused of plotting with terrorist groups to overthrow the government of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. Norine was subsequently released, but Andrew spent two years in prison.

Listen as they share how God sustained them through this time of intense testing, including the brokenness Andrew felt, and his decision to rejoice—and even dance—as an act of ob...

Amidst the coronavirus pandemic, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Hindu-nationalist government put India on 21-day lockdown. Every Indian is impacted—Christian, Muslim and Hindu, high caste and low caste, rich and poor.

“Brother Bennie” leads Alpha Ministries and he’s in direct contact with gospel workers all over India, as well as Myanmar and Nepal. Listen as he shares what life is like right now for everyone in India, especially Christian brothers and sisters facing both persecution and pandemic.

In spite of government oppression and fear of Covid-19, Indian Christians are reaching out and sharing...

Ebrahim Firouzi, a Christian convert from Islam, has been in and out of prison in Iran since 2011. Last year he completed his most recent prison sentence, but instead of being set free and allowed to go home, Ebrahim has been banished to internal exile in Sarbaz, a city near the border with Pakistan. All of these punishments are a direct result of Ebrahim’s conversion from Islam to follow Jesus and his faithful witness for Christ.

This week, speaking from exile, Ebrahim shares his testimony and gives an update on his life today and God’s faithfulness duri...

Right now, Muslims around the world are fasting during daylight hours in an effort to show their devotion and earn Allah’s favor and approval. It is a strategic time for us, as Christians, to pray for Muslims to come to know Jesus Christ as the Savior and Son of God.

This week on VOM Radio we’ll hear from people working in Muslim nations and among Muslim people. They’ll help us understand what Ramadan means to Muslims and share specific ways Christians can pray.

Finally, our guests will lead in prayer for God’s Holy S...

Steve and Debbie Wolcott have served for decades as missionaries in Africa, seeking to share the gospel and strengthen the church in Congo, Central African Republic, Nigeria, Burkina Faso and other nations.

The Wolcotts are back this week to finish our conversation about sharing the gospel even when it’s risky. They’ve gone to dangerous places to serve the church; listen as they explain how they think about risk-taking and the values that guide their decisions—decisions that have affected not only Steve and Debbie but their children as well.

Perhaps you or people you kn...

Steve and Debbie Wolcott have served for decades as missionaries in Africa, seeking to share the gospel and strengthen the church in Congo, Central African Republic, Nigeria, Burkina Faso and other nations.

The Wolcotts will share how God called them to global mission work. Debbie will talk about her specific ministry helping victims recover from the wounds of trauma using Godly, Biblical principles—and training the church in 22 different languages to spread the healing power of Christ.

Steve will share how God allowed him to illustrate the message of salvation in such a way that, 22 ye...

Burkina Faso is not a country we’ve previously discussed on VOM Radio. But in the past 18 months the country has seen repeated jihadi attacks on churches, pastors and other Christian targets.

Sean Paton, VOM’s Africa regional director, explains the increase of persecution in Burkina Faso, including government changes and the rise of groups linked with Al Qaeda, ISIS and other Islamist factions. He’ll describe how VOM monitors persecution and makes the decision to ramp up our work in a particular country to equip and encourage Christians undergoing persecution—some for the first time. He’ll also sh...

VOM’s President, Cole Richards, joins us to talk about communism and how this old philosophy is motivating new persecution of our Christian brothers and sisters. Why is communism so directly opposed to the gospel of Jesus Christ? We’ll look specifically at China and steps President Xi Jinping and his government are taking to bring every aspect of Christian worship and practice under Communist Party control.

Richards will also share how the coronavirus pandemic is affecting VOM’s work, and how Christians can respond in the midst of an international health crisis.

We’ll look at...

What does the recent peace deal between the US government and the Taliban mean for persecuted Christians in Afghanistan? Author John Weaver—who lived many years inside Afghanistan—helps answer that question and helps us pray for Afghanistan and our spiritual family there.

How is the church growing? How are Muslims—even Taliban members—hearing the gospel? What do “church” meetings look like, and how much access do Afghans have to Bibles?

Weaver will introduce Mary, an Afghan gospel worker using the oppressive burqa to cover her evangelism that is reaching Afghan women for Christ.

Weaver...

“Brother Bayram” is back to finish the conversation we began last week. He came to the United States to further his education and start a business. One day a Christian woman gave Bayram a New Testament. He began to read it, the beginning of a path that would lead him to faith in Jesus Christ as Savior and Son of God.

Listen to the stories of people in Turkey Bayram has seen leave Islam behind and embrace Jesus Christ, the Son of God—and the persecution they’ve endured for making that decision. What are the truths that dra...

“Brother Bayram” came to the United States to further his education. He started a business, and one day a Christian woman gave Bayram a New Testament. He began to read it, the beginning of a path that would lead him to faith in Jesus Christ as Savior and Son of God.

It was a costly decision: his devout Muslim wife divorced him and won’t allow him to see their daughter. His brother had Bayram committed to a mental hospital—viewing anyone who would leave Islam as mentally unstable.

It has been a difficult road, but Bayr...

In India, resistance to the gospel and to Christian missionary activity is very organized. Hindu nationalists all over India are watching for evangelism—and they are ready to persecute Christians.

Aaron Miller oversees VOM’s work in South Asia. He’s just met with church leaders from all over India, evaluating the current state of Christian persecution there. He brings us a timely report as President Donald Trump just visited India, where he met with Prime Minister Narendra Modi—whose background is in the Hindu-nationalist RSS movement that is one of the main persecutors of Christians and other re...

Aaron Miller leads VOM’s international work in Latin America, and he just returned from visiting Christians living and ministering in the “red zones” of Colombia—places where paramilitary groups and Marxist guerillas battle for control and brutally persecute Christians.

One of those Aaron met with was Alex, the subject of a VOM video for the International Day of Prayer for the Persecuted Church. Alex was pulled off a bus by FARC guerillas and almost killed. Yet he has forgiven the attackers—and even helped disciple the imprisoned FARC commander who led the bus attack.

Hear why g...

This week marked the three-year anniversary of the disappearance of Pastor Raymond Koh in Malaysia, a military-style operation that took less than 40 seconds and was captured on a nearby security camera.

Three years later, there is still no word on what happened to Pastor Raymond; his car has never been found. The kidnapping wasn’t his first taste of persecution; Pastor Raymond had been mailed a box of bullets as a warning to stop his ministry.

VOM launched an international petition drive calling Malaysia’s government to account for this crime. Add your signature online at w...

“Uncle Monnie” has ministered in more than 150 countries, including many hostile and restricted nations where Christians are persecuted. He serves not as a “father” to persecuted-church pastors, but as an “uncle,” one who comes alongside and encourages, but isn’t the decision-making authority figure.

Uncle Monnie says he quickly realized, in his first overseas ministry experience, that he needed to go as a fellow learner alongside God’s people he was there to serve. He equips pastors to study the Bible for themselves, to not be reliant on a Westerner or an outside organization for their spiritual food. He also pr...

“Brother Amin” is a church leader from Algeria—a place where in recent months the government has forcibly closed numerous church buildings.

Amin says when persecution happens, that’s the time new Christians see the reality of the Body of Christ—the reality that they have a new family, joined together through the blood of Christ. But how do they prepare for persecution? And how do they overcome fear and keep spreading the gospel in spite of hardships?

Amin will share his own story, from being a radical Muslim trying to disprove the Bible to becoming c...

In Part 2 of our conversation, Paul Childers, leader of YWAM’s University of the Nations in Kona, Hawaii is back along with another Paul, the leader of YWAM’s work in Nigeria.

Paul is reaching Muslims—even terrorists—in Nigeria for Christ. He says it is his passion to see people come to know Jesus that overcomes any fear he might have ministering in dangerous places. He will also share about a special ministry to widows whose husbands were killed in persecution.

Childers says that the way to prepare for Christian persecution is to fall in love...

Paul felt God speaking to him, and the message was clear: “Get off this bus. Right now!” Paul obeyed, and his obedience saved his life.

Jesus told His followers to deny themselves, take up their cross and follow Him. God still calls His children to the uncomfortable, and even the dangerous. Paul, who leads the work of Youth With a Mission (YWAM) in Nigeria, shares this week on VOM Radio how God called him to minister in a difficult and dangerous part of Nigeria—a place where Christian persecution is a constant reality. He’ll also share how God...

Bob Fu is founder and president of the China Aid Association, and he’s one of the most knowledgeable people in the world on the Christian persecution in China. He’ll help explain why the Chinese government is cracking down on churches—even registered, “legal” churches— and how it is demanding Christians’ first loyalty be to the Communist Party and President Xi Jinping.

Wang Yi, pastor of Early Rain Covenant Church, was sentenced to nine years in prison by a Chinese court. Listen as Fu describes current oppression of the church in China—and how the church is responding. H...

Jonathan Ekman is VOM’s vice president for international ministry, overseeing VOM’s work to serve and stand with persecuted Christians in the 70+ countries where they are persecuted. This week he’ll help us look ahead to 2020 and equip us to pray for persecuted Christians—and for VOM workers who directly serve them—in the New Year.

Jonathan will talk about persecution response, including specific examples of what VOM’s work looks like and how it is carried out inside hostile and restricted nations. He’ll talk about specific places where the need for VOM’s work is increasing, i...

This week, we’ll finish our two-part look back at some of the amazing stories God allowed VOM Radio to tell in 2019. We’ll share stories of God’s people in restricted nations in Asia, and look at how persecution affects not only the Christian being persecuted directly, but their family members as well.

Hearing small pieces of these episodes will make you want to hear the whole conversation with each of these guests. Here are links to listen online to all the episodes excerpted this week (you can also search for each episode in your favorite podcas...

This week and next on VOM Radio, we’ll look back at some of the amazing stories God has allowed us to tell in 2019. This week we’ll focus especially on stories of God’s work in Muslim nations, places like Iran, Saudi Arabia, Libya, Afghanistan and other Islamic nations where Christians often face persecution.

Hearing small pieces of these conversations will make you want the whole story from each of these guests. Here are links to listen online to all the episodes excerpted this week (you can also search for each episode in your favorite podcast app):<...

VOM this week issued a Special Report about the church in Iran—a timely subject in light of current mass protests all over that nation. This special bonus episode of VOM Radio works hand-in-hand with that special report to help you understand current events in Iran and how they are affecting our Christian brothers and sisters there.

Peter Smith has been praying for and watching events in Iran for more than two decades. He’s made connections with Christian workers inside the country and Persian ministries around the world, giving him a unique understanding of what is happ...

“Sister Nilufar” (not her real name) is ministering in the name of Jesus and sharing the gospel inside the Islamic Republic of Iran—a nation riven by protests and upheaval in recent weeks. It’s also a nation where Christians are persecuted by their government.

Listen as Nilufar tells the story of a young woman, Eldora, who became a follower of Christ—leaving behind a difficult life and becoming a bold witness among members of her family. God revealed the pain in her past and rescued her from a life of depression and addiction.

Eldora immediatel...

Javed and Lowen are working with Operation Mobilization to reach people in Afghanistan with the gospel and disciple new believers to follow Jesus in spite of persecution and violence. Listen as they share how God is working in Afghanistan, in spite of Taliban influence and Christian persecution that often starts with a new believer’s own family.

What are the challenges Afghan believers face? And what are the response of Afghans—both positive and negative—when they encounter the gospel of Jesus Christ?

There is encouraging news as well: the Afghan church is growing, and Muslim...

YouVersion’s Bible App was one of the very first apps available to install on an iPhone. Since launch, the app has been installed on 400 million devices worldwide, giving people all over the world—including nations where Christians are persecuted—free access to God’s Word.

But Brian Russell, the man who leads the YouVersion team, doesn’t have a background as a tech entrepreneur. Instead, his background is ministry, including living and doing gospel work in a closed country.

Listen as Brian talks about his ministry work, how VOM influenced him, and the how the Bible...

Thirty years ago this month the Berlin Wall came down. Within days, communism had fallen in Eastern Europe. This week we’ll hear how these events affected Christians living behind what had been the Iron Curtain, from two eyewitnesses.

Petr Jasek grew up behind the wall as the son of a pastor in Czechoslovakia, and saw the dramatic changes first-hand as fellow Christians celebrated opportunities they’d never imagined under communism. He will talk about those exciting days in his country, and how the legacy of persecution still affects the Czech church today.

Merv Knight is t...

In 2016, missionaries Norine Brunson and her husband, Pastor Andrew Brunson, were arrested in Turkey. Norine was released 12 days later, but Andrew remained in prison for two years. Norine remained in Turkey throughout his imprisonment to support Andrew and fight for his freedom.

Listen as Norine tells VOM Radio how she helped Andrew battle for his faith and freedom as she watched him suffer and as they both missed significant family events in the United States during Andrew’s imprisonment.

Hear Norine describe the lowest point in Andrew’s imprisonment and how she saw God bring good...

Dr. Mary Ho, executive leader of All Nations, is back to continue our discussion of the life and legacy of John Chau, killed one year ago this month attempting to take Jesus’ love to the people of North Sentinel Island. John’s sacrifice has drawn comparisons to Jim Elliott and Nate Saint, and Mary will talk about the qualities they shared, especially a sacrificial, deep love for Jesus.

Mary will tell us more about All Nations, the ministry she leads which sent John to the island, including how they train missionaries and church planters all over the worl...

One year ago this month, John Chau gave his life for Jesus Christ and the gospel on North Sentinel Island, and island in the Bay of Bengal governed by India.

Dr. Mary Ho is the executive leader of All Nations, the mission organization that sent out John Chau and sends gospel workers all over the world, including countries where Christians are persecuted. Listen as she describes the John Chau she knew: unassuming, humble, soft-spoken, and with a clear calling from God to go to the people of North Sentinel Island.

Dr. Ho will also talk...

The world knew Pastor Han Chung-Ryeol as a persecuted Christian pastor and a man who served North Korean refugees crossing into China—in spite of threats and danger.

Dr. Eric Foley, the leader of VOM-Korea, knew Han as coworker and friend. This week Dr. Foley shares personal stories of the courageous pastor murdered by North Korean agents inside China. Pastor Han’s story is the subject of this year’s International Day of Prayer for the Persecuted Church video from VOM.

Just months before Pastor Han’s murder, he visited Dr. Foley and they talked openly a...

Pastor Andrew Brunson, author of a new book called God’s Hostage, was imprisoned in Turkey for two years, and he says every single day was a battle to overcome his fear and grief and anxiety. One of those who inspired him in these battles was Richard Wurmbrand, VOM’s founder. In Part 2 of our interview with Brunson, he explains how Wurmbrand inspired him to dance inside his prison cell. He says he didn’t feel joy or happiness, but he set his will to act joyfully in spite of his feelings.

Brunson was also inspired by anothe...

Pastor Andrew Brunson spent two years in Turkish prisons accused, among other “crimes,” of helping plot a coup against President Erdogan’s government there.

There were very dark days for Brunson, isolated in prison and wondering why God seemed silent in his time of suffering. Listen as he shares how he poured out his frustrations to God, but ultimately chose to lean into God—even if God seemed to remain distant.

Through those dark days, Andrew's wife, Norine served as his pastor and encourager, the only Christian he was allowed contact with. Listen as he tells ho...

Gary Lane has been telling the stories of persecuted Christians for decades. As International News Director and Senior Correspondent for CBN News, he’s gone to meet them—he’s traveled to more than 100 countries—and been drawn not only to tell their stories, but also actively serve and stand with bold believers enduring persecution.

A month after 21 Christians were martyred by ISIS on the beach in Libya, Gary went to Egypt to meet the families of many of those beheaded on the sand. When he met these families—just weeks after their loved ones were killed—he was moved...

Brother Rachid is the host of an Arabic-language television program, answering on-air questions that Muslims have about faith and about Jesus Christ. The first day his program went on the air, Rachid was hoping 10 or 20 Muslims might call in with questions. They received 800 calls in the first half hour!

He knows first-hand the persecution that comes when a Muslim rejects Islam: Rachid’s own family kicked him out when he became a Christian.

Listen as Rachid shares his story of coming to Christ, his family’s rejection and what it meant for him to come into...

This week we’ll meet the pastor of an unregistered church congregation in China. Because of the danger to him for sharing his story, we aren’t sharing his name and you’ll only hear the voice of his translator during the interview.

He’s been detained by police more than 20 times, and he says of course there is fear when police raid his church or come to arrest him. But he’s seen God work through him inside prison cells, including seeing fellow prisoners come to Christ for the first time, and says he’s willing to go back t...

Brother Semeone is a church leader from Ethiopia—a country with a long Christian history, but where persecution can come from different directions, often beginning with members of a new convert’s own family.

Learn some of the history of the church in Ethiopia—including how persecution and hardship have helped the gospel spread. “Persecution,” he says, “has its own way of purifying the church.”

Semeone will also share how the church—within Ethiopia and around the world—steps in to help Ethiopian Christians in times of trouble, and what it means to him to be a part of the e...

Early in 2017, Pastor Raymond Koh was abducted off the streets of Malaysia—a military-style operation that took less than 40 seconds. He hasn’t been seen or heard from since.

Since our first VOM Radio conversation with Raymond’s wife, Susanna (listen here), the Human Rights Commission of Malaysia issued a formal report on Pastor Raymond’s disappearance. Susanna will give us an update on what that report said.

Raymond and Susanna’s daughter, Esther, will tell the story of the day she found out her dad had been taken, and what she misses most since his forced...

“Brother Enfu” is the pastor of an unregistered (illegal) church in China. Every time his church meets, members know police could raid the service and close down their meeting. Other churches in the area have already been closed. Church members have been told to stop attending services, or risk losing their jobs.

How do Christians deal with the constant, oppressive surveillance state that is modern-day China? “Everything is illegal in China,” Enfu says. So how do Christians overcome fear to continue serving Christ in spite of the high cost they may be asked to pay?

Listen a...

Pastor Pierre serves the Lord in Lebanon, including reaching out to refugees who have fled violence and war in Syria to find a safer place to live and raise their families.

Listen as Pierre shares how Muslims have become more open to the gospel in the midst of suffering, and how Christians have sacrificially helped meet needs and share Christ among refugees. He’ll also talk about the persecution Christian converts face, sometimes even at the hands of their own families.

Pastor Pierre will also share the story of a man from Syria who came in...

Most Americans look at the world through a lens of right vs. wrong; a person is either guilty or innocent. But in the Muslim world, most people see the world in terms of honor and shame. Audrey Frank is the author of a new book, Covered Glory: The Face of Honor and Shame in the Muslim World (affiliate link), which explores honor/shame cultures and specific ways Christ speaks to people with that cultural worldview.

Listen to learn how the honor/shame worldview affects every decision many Muslims make, how men and women play different roles in...

“I really shouldn’t be alive,” says Brent Teague. He’s one of a small number of Americans who have survived an Al Qaeda attack. While serving in Niger, he was shot multiple times and left for dead. But as he prepared to say goodbye to life on earth and enter heaven, Brent sensed God telling him that his earthly ministry wasn’t finished yet.

Later, he discovered that God had worked a miracle—before he was even shot—that led police to find him before it was too late. Hear the incredible story of his rescue, and how God ha...

Dr. Mike Ansari leads Heart4Iran, working with different ministries to reach Muslims in Iran with the gospel message, and to strengthen Iranian believers to withstand persecution and continue boldly serving Christ.

Dr. Mike will tell us the story of an Iranian Christian woman currently in prison for distributing Bibles inside Iran—a project supported by VOM—and how she is responding to persecution with boldness and grace, even witnessing for Christ inside the prison.

You’ll also learn how VOM partners with Christians from restricted nations to support and further their vision and ministry, and ab...

Merv Knight has served persecuted Christians for more than 50 years, including co-founding The Voice of the Martyrs Australia and serving for decades as a member of the board of directors for VOM-USA. He worked side-by-side with Pastor Richard and Sabina Wurmbrand, VOM’s founders and former prisoners for Christ in Romania.

Recently Merv spoke to the staff at VOM headquarters on the occasion of his retirement from active service on the ministry’s board. Listen as he shares insights about the Wurmbrand family, the early days of the ministry and some of the persecuted Christians who inspired Merv...

Ron Morse was a teenager when his missionary family was told to leave Burma. But before the family could get out of the country, the borders were closed—for six years!

Listen as Ron describes living in the jungle, making everything the family needed—including cooking pots and blackboards for school—and how God used those difficult years to plant seeds in his life that are still bearing fruit today as he serves the Lord and the people of Southeast Asia through North Burma Christian Mission.

With the story of a snake bite, Ron will challe...

God called John Weaver to Afghanistan as a single man, and he stayed in the country even after 9/11 when the U.S. government encouraged all Americans to leave. John committed his singleness to God, making peace with the fact that he might never get married while living and working in an isolated village in Afghanistan.

It was only weeks after making that commitment that John met Jeanne—an American woman born in Kabul whom God had brought from half a world away to be John’s bride.

Listen to the story of their amazing romance, whic...

What questions would you expect from a Christian suffering in prison for their faith? When Dr. Hormoz Shariat from Iran Alive Ministries received a call from an imprisoned church leader in Iran, he expected hard questions about suffering and why God would allow it.

Instead, the Iranian man simply encouraged Hormoz. Imprisonment, and even torture, were an honor, this brother said, because he was suffering for Christ.

Persecution of Christians in Iran—especially converts from Islam—is different from other places. In most Islamic nations, persecution starts with the convert’s own family. But in Iran...

In the second half of this conversation, Hannelie Groenewald recalls the day her husband and two teen-aged children were killed by the Taliban in Afghanistan.

The names of Werner, Rodé and Jean-Pierre Groenewald will be unveiled on the Martyrs Memorial in Bartlesville, Oklahoma on Saturday, June 29 as a part of the commemoration of Day of the Christian Martyr, 2019.

In this interview, recorded in 2016, Hannelie recalls the Psalm she read over and over again as she waited to hear whether her family members were alive or dead, and the amazement of Afghans at her ability to f...

After the attacks of 9/11, God called Werner and Hannelie Groenewald to go and share Jesus’ love in Afghanistan. Even some of their own family members said, ‘NO! God would never call you to take your children to Afghanistan!’

Inside the country, they served and loved the Afghan people in the name of Jesus. Hannelie, as a doctor, provided medical care. Werner worked in leadership development and humanitarian aid. Their work, and the fact that they served in the name of Jesus, did not go unnoticed by radical Muslims in Afghanistan.

In 2014, a Taliban attack on their...

Ali, a follower of Christ in Iran, and his family have experienced God’s rescue numerous times. First, God rescued Ali’s father from alcoholism. Then Jesus rescued Ali from drug addiction and hopelessness. They began to follow the God Who rescued them. But following Jesus in Iran is costly: persecution came quickly as Ali’s grandfather gave him one week to denounce Christ and return to Islam, or else.

Ali and his parents could never denounce the God Who’d rescued them, though, and they lost their home, their money and their support system.

God mira...

God called Ruth to serve Him in missions in a nation in South Asia. She answered His call, but the government of that country told her she had to leave—and never come back! Listen to how she responded to this persecution, and how God worked to return her to Christian ministry in that country within 30 days!

“Peter” and “Ruth” are spreading the gospel through training people to memorize and share the Scriptures. The process enables new believers to quickly drive deep roots into the Bible and compels them to share gospel stories with those around them. The proces...

“Only Christianity can cut the root of our communism.”

—Kim Il Sung, founder of North Korea

Why is the government of Kim’s grandson, Kim Jong Un, so threatened by the gospel of Jesus Christ? Why do Christians in North Korea face such fierce persecution? Dr. Eric Foley, co-founder and leader of VOM-Korea, answers those questions, and helps us pray for North Korea and VOM’s work to get Bibles and gospel radio broadcasts to people there.

Dr. Foley will talk about the difference made by President Donald Trump’s meeting in Vietnam with Kim, an...

John Grooters spent many months deeply immersed in the story of VOM’s founders, Richard and Sabina Wurmbrand. They lived exemplary Christian lives, even loving and witnessing to their torturers. Their example has deeply challenged Grooters, who directed Tortured For Christ – The Movie, as well as the video segments for the WURMBRAND small-group curriculum.

Listen as Grooters shares the philosophy that drove this project, and the challenges for Christian filmmakers competing with big-budget Hollywood studios. John will share how viewers responded to the film—including a 10-year-old boy who committed his life to Christ after seeing Richard and Sa...

Would you give up your job to keep following Christ? Listen this week to the story of a teacher in Laos presented with that very question, and the choice he made.

The Khmu were once kings and rulers, but today they are seen as nobodies in society and looked down on by the Lao people. But God is reaching the Khmu, and many are leaving behind the worship of spirits and the fear of the witch doctors for the peace that comes through relationship with Christ.

Our guest, Brother Joshua, is part of Khmu Christian...

“Brother Jeff,” from YWAM Frontier Missions, has a reason so many Muslims around the world are coming to know Jesus: prayer. He says Christians have been much more committed in recent years to praying for Muslims to meet Jesus, and God is answering those prayers.

Right now, Ramadan, is an especially strategic time for prayer, and Jeff will equip listeners to pray for Muslims seeking Christ, as well as those who’ve already decided to follow Him, and may be facing challenges and persecution because of their decision.

Jeff will discuss how to prepare believers to fac...

Mariam was abused as a young girl. As a teen, she took 12 pills a day to treat her depression. She was an atheist, believing no god would allow her to suffer so much. The betrayal by her father and abuse by another man left Mariam hating men. Without hope, she tried suicide five times.

But Jesus rescued Mariam! Listen to the amazing story of how she experienced Christ’s presence in an amazing way even as she tried to end her life, and how Jesus completely transformed her. Hear also about Mariam’s ministry today telling Muslims—especi...

In this special episode of VOM Radio we’ll bring listeners an update on Christians in Sri Lanka and how they’re responding to Easter Sunday bombings that killed 250+ people and injured hundreds more. VOM's vice president of international ministry will talk about why the location and the bombers were surprising, and equip listeners with specific prayer requests from Sri Lankan church leaders.

We’ll also discuss the coup in Sudan and possibilities for change there in light of the overthrow of Omar al-Bashir. Sean Paton, VOM’s Africa regional director, will explain the kinds of persecution Sudanese...

Dick Brogden says when Muslims choose to leave Islam behind and follow Jesus Christ, often three things happen along their pathway to Christ: a love encounter, a truth encounter and a power encounter. Listen as Brogden—who’s ministered to Muslims for more than 25 years—shares the story of a power encounter that prepared a couple from Yemen to hear the gospel message and commit their lives to Christ.

He’ll also talk about the role of the American church in standing with Christians facing persecution, and offer advice for those feeling God’s call to missions—he says make...

Dick Brogden has served in the Arab World for 25 years, planting gospel seeds and leading teams to plant churches among unreached people groups. His teams have to be prepared to face opposition and persecution, but also withstand spiritual attacks on their marriages, relationships, parenting or other areas of life.

Listen as Dick talks about God’s missionary call to reach every tribe and tongue and nation, and how that first requires us to abide in Christ. He’ll give advice on developing our spiritual muscles and challenge us to make even our time an offering to Jesus. He’l...

On February 13, 2017 Pastor Raymond Koh was abducted off the streets of Malaysia. Nearby security cameras captured the entire crime. In the two years since, Koh hasn’t been seen or heard from; his car has never been found. It wasn’t Raymond’s first taste of persecution; he’d previously been mailed a box of bullets as a warning to stop his ministry.

Our guest is Susanna Koh, Raymond’s wife, who will talk about how Pastor Raymond continued to minister in spite of the threats and danger. She’ll also describe a spiritual deepening she saw in her husba...

Joel C. Rosenberg is the best-selling author of 13 novels and five nonfiction books and an expert on the politics of the Middle East. Listen as he shares how and why Middle Eastern leaders are reaching out specifically to American Evangelicals, and the opportunities that’s opened for those leaders to hear Biblical truth.

What are important things American Christians should understand about the Middle East, including persecution our brothers and sisters there face? Why is the gospel finding fertile soil, even in the face of radical Islamist groups? Which countries are seeing more people come to Christ…and...

Dr. David Garrison is a long-time missionary who’s worked with Muslims in several countries, and has become a student of God’s work among Muslims around the globe. He is the author of a book about movements of Muslims coming to Christ, A Wind in the House of Islam: How God is Drawing Muslims Around the World to Faith in Jesus Christ.

Listen as Garrison describes what he considers a “movement” of Muslims coming to Christ, and some of the motivations that lead followers of Muhammad to become followers of Jesus—and the pressure and persecution they face...

Brother Hannu leads the VOM-affiliated mission in Finland, inviting Finnish Christians into fellowship with persecuted brothers and sisters all over the world. As a young Christian he was involved in smuggling Bibles into the Soviet Union. Later he would take Bibles and Christian videos into tightly-closed Middle East nations, including Iran and Libya.

Listen to stories from some of his Bible delivery adventures, and more importantly the “holy moment” when God grabbed Hannu’s heart and filled it with love for the Muslim people of the Middle East.

Hannu will also talk about the work of VOM...

John Grooters directed Tortured For Christ – The Movie, a feature-film telling the amazing story of VOM’s founders, Richard and Sabina Wurmbrand. The story has inspired millions of Christians over the past 50 years through Pastor Wurmbrand’s best-selling book, Tortured For Christ.

Listen as John talks about turning this iconic book into a film, including the challenge of portraying Richard’s suffering in an appropriate way. John will also share how God’s hand was on the production, including snowfall and sunshine in Romania that miraculously cooperated with the filming schedule.

Hear how God led John to ju...

Tessie DeVore leads The Lumo Project, which has been called “The Gospels for a Visual Age.” Listen to hear the story of bringing the pages of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John—word-for-word, right from the text—to film in a way that brings the stories to life in a new way. She’ll also share how these films can be easily translated and produced for multiple languages—including the languages of restricted and hostile nations.

Tessie will describe the power of people seeing Jesus on the screen as they hear the words from the Scriptures, and the process of t...

Are there blessings found in being in prison for Christ?

Yonas Haile was a Christian worship leader and filmmaker in the African nation of Eritrea. When his gospel film was released, the Eritrean government was furious; from that day, Yonas was targeted. He says Eritrean Christians are “ready always” to face persecution.

Listen as he tells of the joy that God blessed him with, even in the midst of horrible suffering and prison. Yonas also experienced God’s miraculous power, including walking out of an Eritrean prison just as Peter walked out of prison in the bo...

Is anyone outside the reach of God’s grace? Listen this week to hear stories of radical militants in Nigeria meeting Jesus and committing their lives to His service—even at great cost.

Paul Childers leads The University of the Nations for Youth With a Mission (YWAM). He’s trained Christians all over the world to tell the gospel story of Jesus’ love, and reminds us that Jesus’ gospel “still works” to change peoples’ hearts. YWAM workers are seeing that in Nigeria—literally seeing thousands of former militants now following Christ.

Paul will also tell about finding the...

Nik and Ruth Ripken are back for the second half of our conversation. How do we bear other Christians’ burdens (Gal. 6:2), both those living in hostile and restricted nations, and missionaries that serve in difficult places around the world? Why is it so important, before we offer help, to offer a listening ear to hear the stories on the hearts of the people that we want to minister to?

As veteran missionaries who have served for 35+ years, Nik and Ruth offer advice to American Christians on how we can minister to missionaries home from the field.

...

Nik and Ruth Ripken have served 35+ years as missionaries and conducted extensive interviews with hundreds of persecuted Christians from all parts of the world. They went not as teachers but as students, simply to sit at the feet of persecuted believers and learn from them. The bold believers they met shared amazing lessons about living out faith in Jesus in the midst of hostile enemies, literally sheep among wolves.

What are the qualities that allow faith to thrive in such hard places? How are churches built in nations closed to Christian witness? Are there ways we can...

Fouad Masri founded Crescent Project (www.CrescentProject.org) to train American Christians to share the gospel with Muslims. In 25 years since, the group has trained more than 21,000 Christians to reach out with love to those deceived by Islam. Listen this week as Fouad helps ignite your passion for reaching out, and equips you to enter those conversations with confidence and grace.

Listen as he shares how God implanted the passion in his heart—as a young man in Lebanon—to reach Muslims with the hope of Jesus. What questions are on the hearts of Muslims? How is Jesu...

Rashin Soodmand was 13 years old when her father, Pastor Hossein Soodmand, was executed in Iran for the crime of apostasy. His body was quietly buried in an unmarked grave in a part of the local cemetery reserved for “the cursed.”

Yet only three days later, Rashin wrote a letter to God promising to follow Christ boldly, just as her father had—even if it meant great sacrifices. Today she is living out that promise, including ministering to the church inside Iran.

Her father wasn’t the only martyr of the Iranian church Rashin knew well. In this...

Rashin Soodmand was 13 years old when her father, Pastor Hossein Soodmand, was executed by the Iranian government for the crime of apostasy—leaving Islam to follow another faith. Listen as she shares how her family’s life was changed, but also how proud she is of a father who chose to lay down his life rather than deny Christ.

Listen as she recalls the man her father was, loving his congregation and loving his family, and how people were drawn to his kindness and love.

Rashin will tell how church leaders encouraged Pastor Hossein to take...

Would you like to be on staff, delivering aid and encouragement to persecuted Christians in the 70+ nations where VOM works?

Jonathan Eckman leads a staff of 65 people living in 24 nations who conduct VOM’s international ministry, being the hands and feet on the ground among persecuted Christians all over the world. This week he shares about VOM’s international work, and some of the people from among our persecuted family who have inspired his personal faith walk.

Listen to understand better how VOM’s international ministry happens in the 70+ nations where VOM works, the importance of par...

This week we continue our look back on some of the amazing testimonies God has allowed VOM Radio to share in 2018.

Brother Blake and Brother Joel told us about the state of the church, and the increased persecution, in China and how Chinese Christians wear out their Bibles.

Manfred Mueller challenged the way his fellow Germans—and many Americans—think about refugees, urging us to see a gospel opportunity.

“Sister Sahar” came to the US as a Muslim student from Saudi Arabia. Today she is a follower of Christ, and she shared ways we, as C...

Join us as we look back on some of the amazing testimonies God has allowed VOM Radio to share this year.

Helen Berhane explained the power of worshipping the Lord while locked in a shipping container in Eritrea.

Gary Witherall talked about God’s help to choose forgiveness, and even love, just minutes after Gary’s wife, Bonnie, was martyred in Lebanon.

Brad Phillips shared the story of Morris, a church leader in the Nuba Mountains of Sudan, who forgave the man who attacked his daughter—and even paid the fine to get the yo...

If you’re already in prison for your faith, and facing a possible death penalty, Petr Jasek says you can be even more bold about sharing Jesus. After all…how much worse could your situation get, from an earthly perspective?

Jasek and Pastor Hassan Abduraheem Taour were cell mates in a Sudanese prison, on trial together for alleged espionage against the nation of Sudan, and this week they are together on VOM Radio in a special episode recorded at a VOM Advance Conference.

Listen to how they found JOY even as they were physically suffering and...

Today we conclude China Week on VOM Radio. All week we've looked at the increasing persecution of Christians in China in conjunction with a new VOM Special Report on China.

Today: “Sister Amber” shares her story of being arrested and persecuted at the hands of Chinese officials in Tibet. It’s one of the most impactful conversations we’ve ever shared on VOM Radio.

Sister Amber spent more than a decade in Tibet, providing vocational training to the people and sharing the gospel message of Christ’s love. She felt God's call especially to work among Tibe...

It’s Day 4 of China Week here on VOM Radio as we look at the increasing persecution of Christians in China in conjunction with a new VOM Special Report on China.

Today: Brother Joel is back with us to talk specifically to the state of Bible distribution in China. Listen to hear why Chinese believers need a new copy of the Bible every 3-5 years. He’ll also talk about how he and his family think about the possibility that he might face persecution.

Tomorrow China Week concludes as we hear from “Sister Amber;” one of the m...

It’s Day 3 of China Week here on VOM Radio as we look at the increasing persecution of Christians in China in conjunction with a new VOM Special Report on China.

Today: an interview recorded inside China with one of VOM’s Bible distribution partners, a man who risks three years in prison every time he leaves his home to minister for Christ. Listen as our brother shares about growing up in a family of persecuted Christians, and the story of his very first arrest, and the thoughts on his heart as he went through that testing time...

It’s Day 2 of our special China Week here on VOM Radio as we look into the increasing persecution of Christian brothers and sisters in China.

New laws went into effect in February that greatly affect our Christian brothers and sisters in China and how they are able to live out their faith. Then, in March, term limits were abolished for China’s President, allowing current leader Xi Jinping to lead the country for many more years.

Today Brother Blake and Brother Joel will share what these changes mean for churches in China, and how Chri...

In this special episode Cole Richards, VOM’s President and CEO, shares about a new special report issued by The Voice of the Martyrs about the increased persecution of Christians in the nation of China.

Cole will talk about what has changed in recent months in China and how Christians there are responding by continuing to serve Christ, regardless of what the communist government does or what pressure they face.

We’ll also discuss how this crackdown in China is affecting VOM’s work in the country, and what American Christians can learn from the way ou...

“Brother Fahdi” spent many years doing gospel work all over the Middle East and North Africa, equipping church planters and leaders and helping to reach Muslims with the gospel message of Christ’s love. Listen as he discusses the situation for Christians in Yemen, Algeria and other nations.

What happens when a Muslim in the Middle East comes to faith in Christ? Fahdi will describe the persecution they are likely to face, but says in spite of such persecution God is reaching many hearts.

Fahdi will explain how Muslims think about Shariah Law, the lies they’v...

The gospel worker in Somalia knows that his life is in danger. He’s seen ministry coworkers gunned down by radical Muslims. But he doesn’t fear death, seeing as the Apostle Paul did that “to die is gain.”

This week we’ll hear from “Brother Michael,” who assists VOM to serve alongside persecuted Christians in the Horn of Africa, including that bold evangelist in Somalia and others like him in Ethiopia, Sudan and other nations.

Listen to hear the story of an Imam who came to faith in Christ, then had both his job and his family...

Operation World says the fastest growing church in the world is in the Islamic Republic of Iran. What is driving this incredible revival among Iranian people?

Rev. Dr. Mehrdad Fatehi leads PARS Theological Center, training leaders for the Iranian church in Iran and around the world. He’ll help us look behind the scenes at the phenomenal growth of the church in Iran, and the pressure house churches—and especially church leaders—face right now from the Islamic government. Listen to hear how God intervened to bring an end to one believer’s police interrogation. How does a new Ch...

When this year began, there was talk of war between North Korea and the United States. By June, we watched video of President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un smiling and shaking hands. Big changes!

What does it mean? How are those changes affecting our Christian brothers and sisters in the DPRK? Dr. Eric Foley, the President of VOM-Korea, joins us to offer answers to those questions, and helps us look at news coverage of North Korea not as Americans or Koreans, but as members of the Body of Christ.

Dr. Foley...

George Verwer is the founder of Operation Mobilization; OM has mobilized more than 200,000 people to spread the gospel to the furthest parts of the world. Listen as George shares how he thinks about risk, and his challenge to Christian believers to refocus from comfort and convenience to serving the Lord.

George will share about OM workers he has known who’ve sacrificed everything for Christ, and also how he makes tough leadership decisions—including sending mission workers into dangerous places.

Verwer challenges each of us to be involved in sharing the gospel message and to focu...

What do our brothers and sisters in Central Asia face in walking out their faith in Christ? A hard path filled with loss and persecution—but also a path filled with joy! Aaron Miller oversees VOM’s work there, and he’s just back from meeting with and hearing the testimonies of our persecuted family there about how God’s Kingdom is advancing even in small steps, one conversation or one taxi ride at a time.

Listen to hear specific types of persecution that Christians in Central Asia face, and ways VOM is standing with them—and in some ca...

Brad Phillips shares an update on the current situation for Christians in Sudan, including persecution of Nuba Christians along the border with South Sudan. You’ll be inspired by the story of Morris, who paid the fine demanded from the Muslim who attacked his daughter. Morris saw an opportunity for the gospel instead of taking an opportunity for revenge or anger.

You’ll be challenged as you hear how the gospel is advancing in Sudan in spite of persecution and threats, and equipped to pray for our Sudanese family members as they boldly share the gospel.

Yo...

In the midst of his persecution, Dmitry “David” Shestakov remembered Christ on the cross, and determined in his heart that if Christ suffered willingly, David also would persevere through his time of suffering.

As a young man, David was a criminal and a drug user. His mother’s desperate prayer—even though she was an atheist—led to Shestakov surrendering his life to Christ. Once surrendered, he immediately began to tell others about Jesus. He knew, early on, that such witness would be costly.

Listen to hear how God used letters written by VOM readers on www.Pri...

Joe Handley leads Asian Access, a ministry to train and equip church leaders—including many working in countries where Christians face persecution for their faith.

Listen as Joe shares the process used to train leaders, and the special challenges of raising up leaders prepared to endure and thrive in spite of persecution and hostility. Joe will also talk about how the principles taught translate across cultural boundaries from country to country, equipping leaders to boldly follow Christ and serve His people. Finally, Joe will equip us to pray for these leaders, as well as the ministry of As...

Brother “Ali” says that the current situation in Iran is “chaos.” But he says God is using that chaos as “a perfect storm” to bring more Iranians to faith in Christ.

You’ll be encouraged by stories of how God is reaching Iranian people with His love—a love that can overcome depression, sickness and need, replacing chaos with the peace of God.

Listen as Ali shares the story in the Bible that inspires him to challenge Muslims to go to the mosque more often, and how he sees lives changed dramatically—often in a very short time—af...

“Brother Joel” is back to discuss current persecution in China and how the church there is responding. Joel speaks especially to the current status of Bible distribution in China, and why Chinese Christians need a new Bible every 3-5 years.

Joel will also tell how he and his wife personally think through and plan for the possibility they will receive “the gift of persecution,” and who inspired him to be involved in this sacrificial, dangerous ministry effort. Finally Joel will help us pray for the church in China, and for VOM’s work in that nation.

Listen...

In Part 2 of our interview with Pastor Hassan Abduraheem Taour he shares how his heart remained upbeat, even as the judge pronounced him guilty and sentenced him to 12 years in prison. He’ll talk about how reading the Bible is different inside prison than when you’re free. Hassan says he experienced persecution as a blessing from God—a blessing that brought him to weep tears of joy. “It is really a privilege to be persecuted,” he says.

Your faith will be encouraged, and you’ll be challenged to pray for Sudan as you hear Pastor Hassan’s amazing test...

Pastor Hassan Abduraheem Taour helped train Sudanese pastors to be ready for persecution. He didn’t know that he was also preparing himself for the day he’d be arrested in Sudan, charged with aiding espionage alongside VOM’s Africa regional director, Petr Jasek, and sentenced to 12 years in prison.

There were difficult days in prison, yet Pastor Hassan experienced the joy of the Lord—joy so powerful it brought tears to his eyes. It is because of that joy, and because of the ministry God gave him in prison, that Pastor Hassan looks back on those long mon...

Pastor Kumar is a part of the All India Christian Council, helping Christians all over India who face persecution and pressure for living out their faith in Christ. Listen as Kumar talks about how persecution in India is increasing, to the point that every day a Christians is facing persecution somewhere in India. What challenges will a Hindu who chooses to follow Jesus likely face?

Kumar will also share about so-called “anti-conversion” laws in India, and how they affect evangelism. He will share his own experience facing persecution and even death threats as he shared the gospel—and ho...

Pastor John Cao has trained literally thousands of Chinese church leaders, including many who have taken the gospel to other parts of China and even across the border into other nations. In recent years Cao’s ministry has expanded to Myanmar, where he set up schools to minister to poor children from minority tribal groups. But his bold ministry in and out of China has not gone unnoticed by Chinese authorities. Today Pastor John sits in a Chinese prison, sentenced to serve seven years on the charge of “illegal border crossing.” Yet even in prison, he has found reasons to rej...

This weekend marks the launch of a new video-based curriculum to allow your family, Bible study group or Sunday School class to take an up-close look at the lives and faith of Richard and Sabina Wurmbrand, the founders of The Voice of the Martyrs.

Our guests are Cole Richards, President of The Voice of the Martyrs and one of the on-screen speakers in the video series, and John Grooters, the director of the video segments as well as of Tortured For Christ – The Movie and SABINA: Tortured For Christ, the Nazi Years.

Listen as they des...

Over the weekend of June 23-24, hundreds of Christians were killed and thousands displaced in attacks by jihadis from among the Fulani people in the Middle Belt of Nigeria. Listen as Brother Sean, VOM’s Africa regional director, shares an update from Christians recovering from those attacks and reports how VOM is directly helping more than 5,000 affected Christians.

Sean will provide some context for the ongoing violence in Nigeria, where more than 6,000 people—mostly Christians—have been killed in violent attacks this year. Sean will also report good news: God is at work among the Fulani people! Just i...

The first time “Kyung-ja” heard about God, it wasn’t from a missionary or on a gospel radio broadcast. She first heard about God from a female North Korean guard who was beating her!

Listen this week as our sister from North Korea shares about the suffering she faced in her homeland, suffering that led her to flee her country, but also eventually led her into relationship with Jesus Christ.

You’ll gain new understanding of the incredible oppression faced by North Korea’s people under the brutal regime of Kim Jong-un as you hear Kyung-ja’s...

Last week we heard Gary Witherall talk about how God called him and his wife, Bonnie, to serve evangelizing Muslims in the Middle East. In this second part of our conversation, Gary describes the day his wife, Bonnie, was martyred in the clinic where she served Palestinian refugees in Lebanon. Gary talks about hearing God’s voice in that time of grief, and making a conscious choice to forgive his wife’s killers, something he says today is “the greatest gift I’ve ever given anybody.” You’ll also hear about how God has brought fruit from Gary and Bonnie’s sac...

Gary Witherall and his wife, Bonnie, heard God’s call to tell people in the Middle East about Jesus. They answered that call by moving to Lebanon, where they served with Operation Mobilization, building relationships with Lebanese people and Palestinian refugees—until the day Bonnie was martyred in the clinic where she served refugee women.

Listen as Gary shares about how God called them to the Middle East, what their work there was like and how each day of their ministry was unique. He’ll also share how things changed on 9-11, when Gary and Bonnie saw people...

There have been significant changes in China this year, changes that greatly affect our Christian brothers and sisters and how they live out their faith. First, new “regulations on religion” took effect, attempting to give China’s communist government more control over church activities. Secondly, term limits were abolished for China’s President, allowing current leader Xi Jinping to lead the country for many more years.

Listen this week as Brother Blake and Brother Joel share what these changes mean for churches in China, and how Christians are responding to the changes to continue serving Christ in the face...

Bryson Vogeltanz works with Passion Ministries to call 18-25 year olds to a deeper walk with Christ, and to be involved with the work of God around the world. Listen as he shares how young people at a Passion Conference were challenged to help VOM deliver Scripture Balloons into North Korea, and how they overwhelmingly responded.

He’ll also talk about putting on a Passion event inside a predominantly-Muslim country, and how seeing young people answer Christ’s call has inspired his own faith and his pastoral work right here in the United States.

Finally, Brys...

Ben Foley is the president of Serve Now, a ministry empowering churches and Christian leaders in many different countries to serve the Lord and to reach out with the Bible in one hand and a cup of cold water in the other.

Listen in as Ben shares about the work of Serve Now, and how God very specifically guided him into the ministry. He'll also share the first prayer request of Christians under threat of persecution in countries where Serve Now works, and it's not the one you're likely expecting.

Ben will also share how...

Al Fadi is a former Wahabbi Muslim from Saudi Arabia. He says when he tells Saudi friends that he’s now a Christian, they say, “That’s impossible!” They don’t believe a Saudi Muslim would ever leave their religion to follow another faith.

But Al Fadi did leave Islam behind when he encountered followers of Christ during university studies in the United States. Listen as Al Fadi shares how his heart was changed as he met and watched true followers of Christ. “If their holy book is corrupted,” he asked himself, “how is it that the followers of tha...

Rebecca George is the principal writer for VOM’s new book: WURMBRAND: Tortured For Christ the Complete Story. Listen this week as she shares how she went about researching the lives of Richard and Sabina Wurmbrand, the founders of The Voice of the Martyrs. Rebecca will tell us what her writing process is like, and why she felt the need to start the story by telling about the Wurmbrand’s life before Christ—to show the difference that Christ made. She’ll talk about wrestling with how many details of the Wurmbrands’ terrible suffering to include, and how her own walk wi...

This weekend marks Father’s Day, and our guest is Phil Nettleton, long-time missionary and father of VOM Radio host, Todd Nettleton. Listen as Phil shares about how God called him into missionary service, about the challenges missionaries face on the field and specific ways that you can pray for missionaries that you know or that your church is sending. He’ll also share how God makes each place a Christian serves and each season of ministry a “favorite.” Phil will talk about learning the power of going into a different culture as a learner instead of an expert. Finally...

Sam Brownback serves as the United States Ambassador at Large for International Religious Freedom, leading the State Department’s efforts to promote religious freedom and the protection of religious minorities around the world.

Listen this week as he shares about how religious freedom serves as a foundation for many other freedoms, and which countries he sees moving the wrong direction on the issue. He’ll also share how his own faith motivates his work, and stories of both success and failure in his decades of work on behalf of persecuted religious minorities.

Finally, Ambassador Brownback shar...

Manfred Mueller leads Hilfsaktion Martyrerkirche (HMK), The Voice of the Martyrs’ sister mission in Germany. Listen as he shares about the early days of HMK’s work in Germany, including the rejection of the message of Richard Wurmbrand when he first came out from behind the Iron Curtain.

Manfred also recalls his own childhood, when his parents and grandparents were involved in delivering Bibles into communist nations. Manfred will also share inspiring stories from persecuted Christians he has met during his years of service at HMK and how those stories are impacting the way he lives out his...

Dan Baumann was living in Central Asia when he and a friend decided to make a Christmas-break visit to Iran. They experienced the warm welcome of the Persian people and culture, right up to the point where they tried to cross the border and exit the country. Passports were confiscated, and Dan found himself in a jail cell, interrogated harshly and beaten regularly.

Dan experienced the depth of depression in prison, even making a plan to “escape” a long prison sentence by taking his own life. But God was still there, and Dan found Him to be fait...

John Grooters is the director of a new movie portraying the story of VOM's founders, Richard and Sabina Wurmbrand, the story told by Richard in his best-selling book, Tortured For Christ.

Listen this week as John talks about turning this iconic book into a film, including the challenge of portraying Richard’s suffering in an appropriate way. John will also share how God’s hand was on the production, including snowfall and sunshine in Romania that miraculously cooperated with the filming schedule and how He led John to just the right song for the film—a song writte...

Join us this week as we get to know Cole Richards, who has served more than a decade with The Voice of the Martyrs and in January, 2018, stepped into the role as President and CEO of the organization.

Cole will share about how God called him to missions work and share about some of the persecuted Christians he’s met who have inspired his own faith walk, and how VOM plays a unique role within the wider missions community.

Cole will also give listeners an early look at some of the exciting opportunities VOM will pu...

For years, Helen Berhane read Scriptures about forgiving our enemies and praying for those who persecute us. But during long months as a prisoner in Eritrea—including long stretches locked in a metal shipping container—Helen got to see those Scriptures come to life in her own spirit and actions.

In this second half of our conversation, she shares how she found that in the fires of intense persecution she was able to forgive and even love her persecutors. She’ll also share what it meant to know that other Christians around the world were praying for her an...

Helen Berhane was a well-known worship leader and gospel singer in the churches of Eritrea when the government outlawed evangelical churches. In one week these churches went from meeting openly in large public services to being underground, meeting in homes and hiding from police.

In the midst of that crackdown, Helen was arrested, beaten and put in prison. Listen as Helen shares how she prepared her heart, ahead of time, for the days when she would face persecution.

She’ll talk about the Scriptures she drew strength from, and how she was able to keep si...

This week we begin a look back at some of the most memorable moments on VOM Radio in 2017. Hear Petr Jasek share how, after he was arrested in Sudan and put into a prison cell, he realized God had been preparing him for that moment, and had even shown him the prison cell door in a dream.

Brother David will share how when police showed up to arrest him in Turkey, he was excited that God must have big plans for ministry in store.

Dr. Andrew says when he was arrested, he was terrified. Being...

Cuban pastors go to church each week knowing government spies are planted among their congregation, people wanting to collect evidence to get the pastor arrested. It’s just one of many ways the Cuban government brings constant pressure against the church.

Listen in as Jonathan Ekman, VOM’s Vice President for International Ministry, shares stories from a recent visit to Cuba and the believers he met there and how they inspired his faith.

Believers in Cuba willingly pay a high price for following Christ and building His church—a price that extends to their children as wel...

Brother Jack and Brother Sean just returned from Northern Nigeria, an area where it’s very dangerous to be a Christian; an area where radical Islamic group Boko Haram is active.

“You can’t be a pastor, you can’t be a believer, without Boko Haram knowing who you are in these areas,” says Jack. Christians in the area have seen their homes and churches targeted, while Muslim homes even right next door aren’t bothered in Boko Haram attacks.

Jack and Sean will also share about persecution by Fulani Muslims in Nigeria, and how that persecu...

When “Brother David” told his Tibetan Buddhist family that he had left Buddhism and was following Jesus Christ, they kicked him out of the family. They wouldn’t even let him take his suitcase with him!

But God provided for David, not only to survive but to attend Bible school and become a bold evangelist and church leader. Listen as David shares his story, and how God has allowed him to minister over the years, including sending a Bible to the Dalai Lama.

Hear how he is training evangelists to work all over South Asia and di...

“Brother David” was born into a Tibetan Buddhist family. He was even chosen for special training by the Dalai Lama.

Yet even as he learned more about Buddhism, he was filled with darkness and says he was a man who “never had peace.” But he saw something different—light—in his roommate, a man he didn’t know at that time was a Christian. David asked him why he was different.

Before that conversation, David had never heard the word Christian, and had no idea who Jesus was. Invited to a Christian meeting, David committed to following J...

Just weeks after coming to faith in Christ, Pastor Pierre read Richard Wurmbrand’s book, Tortured for Christ. The book helped him understand, even as a young Christian, that following Christ “is not a cheap path.”

Today, Pierre is a pastor and church leader in Lebanon, a nation facing the challenge of caring for two million refugees from neighboring Syria.

Listen as Pastor Pierre shares about his own walk of faith, why he and his wife chose to name their daughter after a martyr, and how Christians in Lebanon are responding to the flood of Muslim...

“Aaron” is living and ministering among Muslims in North Africa. As he has lived and worked among his Muslim friends, many of whom are very religious, God has challenged Aaron to be sure that what he is pointing these Muslims toward is Jesus Christ, and not just a culture or a new list of rules different from the rules they are following under Islam.

Those who answer the call to follow Jesus are often ostracized by their families and unable to find work, yet they willingly sacrifice to follow the Savior they’ve met. Listen to Aaron challe...

The Bible distribution team in Pakistan was robbed at gunpoint. A team member was hit with a rifle butt. Their money was stolen, along with their phones and everything else of value. But later, the bandits were arrested and taken to court, facing years in prison. Bible team members were asked to testify, and what they said in open court shocked the judge, the lawyers and the entire courtroom. Listen to VOM Radio this week to hear that story from Faisal and Carrie, who are part of Grace Bible Church of Pakistan.

Pakistan is 98% Muslim, but Faisal...

Patrick Klein has carried Bibles into hostile and restricted nations all over the world. He’s been warned many times to STOP. But he continues, answering the call of God and leading teams taking the Word of God into some of the world’s hardest-to-reach places.

Patrick is the founder and president of Vision Beyond Borders, and he’ll inspire you to think about how you value your own Bible as he shares how Christians in hostile and restricted nations treasure the Word of God, sometimes risking their lives to own or keep a copy.

Patric...

“Dr. Andrew” returns this week to share more about what God is doing in the Middle East, including the openness of Muslims to talk about faith and hear the gospel. He’ll also share the consequences that come to those who leave Islam and follow Christ—including a first-hand story of a wealthy man who gave up everything, including his daughter, to follow Jesus. Dr. Andrew will also update us on the effect on Christians of the upheaval and war in Yemen, and ways we can pray for them. He’ll advise listeners on practical ways to start talking to Muslims...

As a young man, Dmitry “David” Shestakov was a criminal and a drug user. His mother—an atheist—had tried everything to get her son’s attention and turn his life around. In desperation, she went to church and prayed, “God, if You exist, save my son!” God answered her prayer, and after Jesus saved him David committed to tell others the Good News that had transformed his heart.

God showed David early on that his service would be costly, and it was. He was arrested for his Christian work and sentenced to long years in prison. “Why me?” he aske...

From the first days after his arrest in Sudan, Petr Jasek repeatedly said, “God is the One who holds the key to my cell.”

Jasek, a Czech citizen, is VOM’s Africa regional director and he was just released after 14 months in prison in Sudan. In this third and final part of our conversation with Petr, he shares about how he stopped praying to be released from prison and simply focused on fulfilling the Lord’s purpose for him inside prison walls.

Listen as Petr shares what it was like to hear the judge announce that he...

This week we continue looking back on some of the most impactful testimonies shared with us this year on VOM Radio. We’ll hear how God reached into the home of the police chief in a Southeast Asian village—even as the police chief was fighting against the gospel.

We’ll hear from former prisoner Bob Fu what it means to a prisoner when he or she knows that Christians are praying for them. Listen to learn how God used VOM to help save the life of an evangelist in Bangladesh after he was brutally attacked. Samuel will te...

In the second half of our conversation, Hannelie Groenewald recalls the day her husband and two teen-aged children were killed by the Taliban in Afghanistan.

She tells us which Psalm she read over and over again as she waited to hear whether her family was alive or dead, and the amazement of Afghans at her ability to forgive the Taliban murderers. Hannelie shares hard-earned truth with listeners who may be struggling to forgive someone who has wronged them, and talks about her future and God’s faithfulness as she is finding her footing after the loss of he...

Bob Fu is a former prisoner for Christ in China. He is also the founder and president of the China Aid Association and one of the most knowledgeable and widely-heard voices speaking out on behalf of persecuted Christians in China. This week Bob will share with us about an ongoing crackdown against Christians and churches in China, a crackdown that includes Christians in prison, church buildings destroyed and even Christian children prevented from pursuing their education. But Bob will share good news, too: in the midst of that persecution, God is at work. One fruit of the current campaign...

What does it mean for Christians in prison to get letters from Christians around the world? It means that they are part of a family, and they are not forgotten.

In Part 2 of our interview with Maryam Rostampour and Marziyeh Amirizadeh they share more of the story of how God used them inside Iran's notorious Evin Prison, where they spent 259 days.

Listen as they share the heartbreak of seeing children born in prison and later taken from their mothers. Maryam and Marziyeh share how their treatment in prison changed when letters from around the world...

Maryam Rostampour and Marziyeh Amirizadeh were bold evangelists in Iran, sharing their faith and distributing Bibles in that Islamic nation. Their evangelism work caught the attention of the authorities, and the two women ended up in Iran’s notorious Evin Prison, where they spent 259 days.

But even in prison, Maryam and Marziyeh saw God’s hand at work, providing for them and allowing them to be witnesses for Him.

“We experienced in prison how we should trust God and how we should trust His plans,” Maryam says. Listen as they share how they began their ministry...

The last two weeks on VOM Radio we’ve heard from John Short, the Australian Christian detained in North Korea in 2014 after leaving gospel tracts outside a Buddhist temple. This week we hear another side of the story, from John’s wife, Karen, who was at home in Hong Kong dealing with the media, praying for her husband and receiving encouragement from all over the world.

Listen in as Karen shares:

Australian John Short was detained inside North Korea after leaving gospel tracts near a Buddhist temple. He was facing years in prison—but he wasn’t afraid.

“Fear and faith cannot exist within my heart at the same time,” he says.

In this second part of our conversation with Mr. Short, he shares how he prayed—out loud—throughout his captivity, how his captors responded to his faith and how his “letter of confession” and eventual release came about.

He’ll also share how, upon landing back in China, he learned for the first time that hi...

Australian John Short was taken prisoner in North Korea. He was repeatedly interrogated. He was forced to write a “confession” of his “crimes,” including the offense of wanting more North Koreans to follow Jesus.

But if God asked him today, Short would happily go back to "the hermit kingdom." Short shares with VOM Radio how God strengthened him during his captivity, the Scriptures and earthly examples that most encouraged him, and how he managed to take a measure of control back from his captors — and even make them nervous.

Mr. Short agreed to only two media inte...

Merv Knight read Richard Wurmbrand’s book, Tortured for Christ, and it changed the path of his entire life. Merv helped found VOM-Australia and worked side by side with Richard and Sabina Wurmbrand for decades. This week he gives us an inside look, with stories of what it was like to minister alongside Richard and Sabina but also what kind of people they were behind the scenes and the deep love for Christ that allowed them to endure persecution while still holding firmly to their faith. Merv will also share the stories of some of the persecuted Christians that ha...

Jesus told his disciples to “Go into all the world.” He didn’t say it would be easy.

Verne and Denny Johnson have experienced the joy of seeing people come to Christ while serving as missionaries in Ivory Coast. But they’ve also experienced dark days.

They watched their children almost die from malaria. War forced them to evacuate their home and leave the people they loved. But God even used those dark times to bring blessings into their lives, and to open the door for further ministry.

Listen as Verne and Denny share th...

Padina was ready to kill herself on live TV to earn Allah's favor and prove the God of the Christians was powerless. Instead, she met Jesus Christ and saw Him heal her mother from sickness. She became passionate to introduce her countrymen to the Savior.

Today she leads a house church network inside Iran, including training church leaders to be ready to face arrest, harassment and persecution. She'll tell us how they prepare to face persecution, and describe ways VOM is helping and strengthening the church in Iran today.

Finally, we'll talk about specific ways...

Martin and Gracia Burnham were serving as missionaries in the Philippines when they went away for a few days together to celebrate their anniversary. Those few days turned into a year in the jungle when they were kidnapped by radical Muslim terrorists. Listen to this exclusive VOM Radio interview as Gracia tells how she wrestled with God and even with her own faith during those dark days of captivity, and how she experienced the prayers of God’s people, even as Martin was killed during a rescue attempt. Gracia bears witness to God’s faithfulness to the Burnhams and thei...

Maryam Rostampour and Marziyeh Amirizadeh knew they were putting their lives on the line. They knew it when they handed out New Testaments, and they knew it when they shared the message of Jesus with their countrymen.

Their bold witness for Christ would cost them: they spent 259 days in Iran’s notorious Evin Prison. But even in prison God had a plan as He opened the doors for incredible ministry among their fellow prisoners.

Listen to their incredible story.