Rich Griffith, Chief Development Officer for Global Action, served as a pastor and played seven seasons in the NFL before the Lord led him to serve pastors and Christian leaders around the world, including many in restricted nations and hostile areas. Rich has had many exciting career highlights, but his favorite is watching these Christian leaders complete their training.

"To me, the most incredible thing I've experienced is a graduation." Rich says, "The tears in their eyes… because they felt a calling of God."

Rich shares his joy at being able to provide tools and knowledge to new pastors in places like India and Cuba and will share more about the curriculum and how the training is tailored to impact each individual culture. The church in these nations is growing, but there is a great need for more pastors to shepherd that growing flock.

You'll also hear how Rich sensed God's call to work for Global Action and how the Lord challenged him on a trip to Cuba, where he saw how persecuted Christians trust the Lord despite their circumstances. One book that God used to challenge Rich was I Am N, a book about persecuted Christians facing Islamic extremists that was produced by The Voice of the Martyrs.

Pray for the Lord to raise up more shepherds who will lead Christ's sheep, especially in restricted nations and hostile areas.

The VOM App for your smartphone or tablet will help you pray daily for persecuted Christians in nations like North Korea, Nigeria, China, and Iran, as well as provide free access to e-books, audiobooks, video content, and feature films. Download the VOM App for your iOS or Android device today.

As a Fulani herdsman, the young man burned churches, threatened Christian farmers and even killed Christians in the middle of the night. But his life changed when he saw how a Christian woman responded to his threats of murder. Today he is a follower of Christ who has experienced Christian persecution as his own family tried to kill him.

Listen as Brother Philip, a field minister for VOM in Africa, tells about meeting this young man and shares stories of other Fulani followers of Jesus. "They know the cost, and they've considered the cost and chosen to follow Jesus," Philip says.

Philip will also share more about the power of being physically present with our persecuted brothers and sisters in Christ and the encouragement it offers them as VOM staff and partners provide wholistic care for both physical and spiritual needs.

Philip continues to be inspired by the growth and faith of persecuted Christians who choose Christ despite the suffering they must endure. You'll hear how VOM provides persecuted brothers and sisters opportunities to start a small business in order to provide for themselves and their families and continue the ministry God has called them to.

Hear how you can pray for persecuted Christian brothers and sisters in places like Nigeria, Burkina Faso, and around the world. You can also listen on VOM Radio to Brother Malik's testimony of becoming a Fulani follower of Christ. You can also give online to support projects like helping displaced pastors raise chickens to support their families.

The VOM App for your smartphone or tablet will help you pray daily for persecuted Christians in nations like North Korea, China, and Iran, as well as provide free access to e-books, audiobooks, video content, and feature films. Download the VOM App for your iOS or Android device today.

Last October, Pastor Wang Lin, one of the leaders in Zion Church in China, was arrested and imprisoned under false charges of "fraud" and "illegal business practices." Sarah Su (Su Ziming in Chinese), wife of Pastor Wang, recounts the day her husband was arrested and the Christian persecution they faced even before he was imprisoned.

Sarah will share about her husband's role in Zion Church's leadership and in training other leaders, how the church continues to reach many people despite persecution from the Chinese Communist Party, and recent updates about Pastor Wang's condition in prison.

"The moment I married Wang Lin, I have decided to face all this together," Sarah says. "I knew that his mission was to train and disciple more Christians in China…I knew something like [this] would happen one day."

You'll hear from Sarah how she continues to face this persecution with courage, faithfully enduring times of worry and loneliness. She will share how she and her husband both are committed to serve the Lord—no matter the cost.

Zion Church made international headlines during President Trump's visit to Xi Jinping in Beijing in May and with the release of Zion senior pastor Ezra Jin from prison during America's July 4 celebrations. Sarah thanks God for Jin's release, and says the case against Zion Church continues, with eight church leaders remaining in prison. She asks that we pray for their release, the dismissal of charges, for their physical and spiritual health, and for her and her children, along with family members of the other persecuted Christians from Zion Church.

Visit Prisoner Alert to write an encouraging letter to Pastor Wang Lin, and letters to other Christians imprisoned for their faith in Iran, Eritrea, and China.