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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Protests have been going on for weeks across the nation of Iran. The Islamic government has cut off communication networks and attacked protestors; thousands have been killed. Dr. Mike Ansari, a board member of the World Iranian Christian Alliance and the outgoing CEO of Heart4Iran, joins VOM Radio this week with an update on the current situation in Iran and how persecuted Christians are still demonstrating Christ's light and loving their neighbors even as the entire country is in turmoil.
"Pastors are only asking for prayer for the ministry to continue, and prayer for conversion of [their] persecutors," Brother Vijay says, "No one is asking that the persecution would stop." Brother Vijay, a gospel worker in India, is back to share what it means to follow Christ in India today, and how pastors and believers there take persecution in stride. The government of Prime Minister Narendra Modi sees any Christian gathering as a crusade—an attempt to convert people. Authorities even send spies to monitor Christian gatherings. But spies in church still hear the message; listen for the story of a former spy who is now an ambassador for Jesus Christ. "The most interesting thing is I see the kingdom of God prospering in a situation like this." Vijay says, "The more pressure, the more victories." Listen as Todd Nettleton interviews Brother Vijay on this episode of VOM Radio.
Serving as the Regional Leader for VOM's work in Latin America, Isaac Santiago tells what it's like to be a Christian today in countries like Nicaragua, Venezuela, and Colombia. He has witnessed the shift since 2018 in Nicaragua—listed as a Restricted Nation in VOM's 2026 Global Prayer Guide—through more laws that directly affect the church and severe restrictions and government pressure similar to what Christians face in Communist nations like Cuba and China. To learn more about each of these nations and how you can pray, request your free copy of VOM's 2026 Global Prayer Guide. Also, check out the new Spanish language podcast called VOM Radio: La Voz de los Mártires on Spotify, Amazon Music, Spreaker, and more!
While serving with Open Doors, Brother Wybo created the World Watch List which tracks countries where Christians face the most restrictions and persecution. Now he's led in the creation of a new list which tracks how difficult it is for Christians around the world to access Bibles. The Bible Access List tracks nations where governments attempt to stop Bible distribution, like Afghanistan, and also countries like India where Bibles may be legal but many Christians don't have access because of economic realities, supply issues or other reasons. Wybo hopes that creating a list that includes nations facing both Bible restrictions and Bible shortages will motivate Christians to pray and get involved in helping meet the need.
Pastor Paul and his three gospel coworkers suffered tremendously in police custody. Police threatened them constantly, putting fear in their hearts. They were repeatedly offered freedom if they would only renounce their faith in Jesus Christ. Police put the four Christians in a filthy prison cell that also served as the police station latrine. The Lord opened fellow prisoners' hearts to hear more about his faith as they watched Pastor Paul. Living out 1 Peter 3:15, he made the most of every opportunity to share the hope of Jesus Christ. Paul had two final requests as he cried out to the Lord: to see revival in Uttar Pradesh state, and for the Lord to allow another pastor to be arrested and come and encourage him in prison. Tune in next week to hear the rest of Pastor Paul's story and whether God answered his request.
