Turn on the news and you'll see upheaval in every corner of the world, including attacks on our Christian brothers and sisters. But Cole Richards, Executive Vice President at The Voice of the Martyrs, reminds us that in the midst of this earthly suffering God is producing eternal fruit every single day.
For the first few days after Bob Fu was arrested for his Christian work in China, his prayers were pretty simple: "Lord, get me out of here!" He even prayed that God would punish his interrogators for persecuting God's children! But as days passed, Bob saw that God had a ministry for him in prison, and his prayers changed. Instead of praying only to be released, he asked God to use him while he was in prison. And God answered his prayer.
As a young man, Dale Rhoton was invited to join a prayer meeting to ask God to move across the nations. The young man that invited him was George Verwer; later the two would help send thousands of young people into gospel work around the world through Operation Mobilization (OM), the ministry they founded
For Christians in China, persecution is just "part of the package" for those who follow Christ. Dory, part of VOM's newsletter staff, just returned from China, where she met Christians who face arrest and imprisonment for following Jesus Christ. In fact, one of her meetings with a pastor had to be cancelled because the pastor was arrested before she could meet him
"Lance" is a gospel worker in the nation of Turkey, a nation where 99.8% of the almost-80-million people are Muslims. This week on VOM Radio, Lance shares some of the challenges he faced in moving to a Muslim nation, building relationships and reaching out with the gospel.
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.
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.
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.
In one of the most-listened-to episodes of VOM Radio in 2016, Australian John Short shares the story of his detention 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 called him today, Short would happily go back.
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!
"God, where are You working in aviation that I can participate?" Throughout his life, Steve Russell, CEO and President of Jungle Aviation and Relay Service (better known as JAARS) has asked the Lord what He had in store next. That pattern continued when he earned his pilot's license; he wondered how the Lord would use that new skill to open doors for Kingdom impact. Little did he know God would use it to move him toward leadership in a global missions effort! Listen as Todd Nettleton interviews Steve Russell on this episode of VOM Radio.
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.
