This week, Marcus Fernandez, VOM's Regional Leader for Central Asia, joins VOM Radio for the first time. He'll share about the fast-growing church in Iran, the North Caucasus—an area never before discussed on VOM Radio—and how persecution is escalating in Pakistan.

Twenty years ago, Marcus witnessed the growth of the church in China, despite a season of intense persecution. He says he sees the same phenomenon today in Iran, where faithful believers are bold in sharing the gospel and distributing God's Word—and where there is intense persecution. He'll share how Iranian Christians are seen as allies to Israel and, when arrested, often charged with espionage, a crime that carries the death penalty.

The North Caucasus is a predominantly Muslim region of Russia. Marcus will share what it is like to be a Christian there. Listen for the story of Marcus meeting a believer in the region and sharing about the work of The Voice of the Martyrs to help persecuted Christians who sacrifice and suffer in order to follow Christ.

"Is there any other option besides that?" the brother asked. "There is no Christian in Dagestan that didn't have to pay a price."

Marcus will share how a Christian leader says he's never seen the level of brutality against Christians in Pakistan that he's seeing now. Marcus will also share how we can pray for persecuted brothers and sisters in Pakistan, Türkiye, Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan, and Afghanistan.

The number of believers needing a Bible in Iran and many other nations is increasing. If you'd like to be part of advancing toward the goal of a Bible for every believer, visit www.vomradio.net/donate.

The VOM App for your smartphone or tablet will help you pray daily for persecuted Christians in nations like North Korea, Nigeria and Bangladesh, 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.

Ten years ago this month, Petr Jasek traveled to Sudan on behalf of The Voice of the Martyrs to meet with and encourage Sudanese Christians. At the airport on his way out of the country, Petr was arrested and later sentenced to life in prison. His first prison cellmates were ISIS fighters—men who hated Christians and quickly began to persecute Petr.

Petr Jasek spent 445 days in Sudanese custody. Listen this week as Petr shares about his first night in a jail cell, how God uniquely prepared him with a dream and how he discovered that his cellmates were radical Muslim ISIS fighters. In prison, Petr felt the Lord's presence very near as—once he received a Bible—he spent hours every day reading the Bible and praying.

In Petr's lowest moments, God brought to his mind the names and faces of other persecuted Christians—men and women Petr had met during his years overseeing VOM's work in Africa. He began to pray for other persecuted believers and his spirit lifted as his focus changed from his own difficulties to praying for other Christians. The story of Petr's imprisonment—and the ministry God allowed him inside—is told in his book, Imprisoned with ISIS: Faith in the Face of Evil.

Days after returning home, Petr sat down with VOM Radio to share his story and thank the thousands of people who prayed for him and his Sudanese co-defendants during his long months in prison. To hear Petr share the entire story of his arrest, imprisonment, and eventual release, go to www.vomradio.net/petr.

This interview was recorded during the VOM National Conference in Bartlesville, OK, where Petr shared how his time in prison and the lessons he learned there still impact him ten years later. To view a video version of Petr's interview, go to VOM's YouTube channel.

The VOM App for your smartphone or tablet will help you pray daily for persecuted Christians in nations like North Korea, Nigeria and Bangladesh, 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.

There are more cell phones in the world than cars, toilets, or people. What if each of those phones could be turned into a Bible? Using their backgrounds in electrical engineering and software development, David and Josiah Palusky have developed technology tools to help Christian workers spread the gospel in places where people are unreached and there is often Christian persecution.

David is the founder and president of Renew Outreach. He will share how the ministry began and tools they've developed to help provide unreached people in remote places with access God's Word. Josiah, Director of Strategic Initiatives at Renew, explains efforts to help persecuted Christians around the world share the gospel using emerging technology.

They will share stories of camels preaching the gospel using LightStream devices, leading an entire family to meet Christ, how AI disguised a Christian brother's voice, and how Christians in restricted nations and hostile areas can revolutionize communities for Jesus.

David also recounts the story of he and his sister hearing Pastor Richard Wurmbrand, the founder of The Voice of the Martyrs, share Richard's story of persecution in Romania at a remote Christian camp in Minnesota. That one sermon deeply impacted the lives of both David and his sister—an impact they still feel almost 40 years later.

Today, the Lord has put on their hearts to further the Great Commission among the deaf community, one of the least-reached groups in the world. Using Visual Vernacular to tell the Bible story from creation to Christ, Renew is hearing of new believers and baptisms among the deaf community weekly!

The VOM App for your smartphone or tablet will help you pray daily for persecuted Christians in nations like North Korea, Nigeria and Bangladesh, 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.

In 2018, Huldah's husband was martyred for his Christian witness. Family and friends urged Huldah to leave the village, to retreat to a safer location. She refused, and seven years later she is still living and serving the Lord in the same village. "My God is great, and He will take care of me," she says.

Listen as Huldah shares how God has cared for her since her husband's death, often using members of Christ's body to serve and support her in times of need.

She'll also talk about the process of forgiveness. Huldah still sees the people who killed her husband, yet she doesn't hold a grudge in her heart but instead has forgiven them.

Hear what Huldah's ministry looks like today in the village, and how she lives out Matthew 25:40's call to serve the Lord by caring for the least of these. Huldah will also encourage widows and those who feel like, because of age or a loss they've experienced, they can no longer be used by the Lord—sharing the very truths with which the Lord has encouraged her.

To read more of Huldah's story, get your free copy of Hearts of Fire 2. You'll be inspired by Huldah's story, along with those of other women who stood boldly for Christ in the face of Christian persecution.

The VOM App for your smartphone or tablet will help you pray daily for persecuted Christians in nations like India, China and Iran throughout the year, 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.

Over the last fifteen years living and ministering in South Asia, Brian, a leader with Operation Mobilization, has witnessed numerous changes. One aspect that hasn't changed is openness to the gospel.

Brian will explain where Christian persecution usually begins and how it can feature a mix of family, community, and/or the government coming against the church and against new followers of Jesus. Emphasizing that God is the one who changes hearts and minds, Brian shares how, when we read the New Testament, we see that God is sovereign even over the persecution He allows His children to endure.

"[Christian persecution] causes believers to grow in their faith." Brian says, "I think it's a real witness that this faith is so much bigger than what is happening to me in this world."

OM's mission is to grow the church and mobilize followers of Christ to go and make disciples, teaching them to obey everything the Lord has commanded. Brian will share specific stories of how Christians in Bhutan, India, the Maldives, Nepal and Sri Lanka are being mobilized to spread the gospel where they are and take Jesus into new communities where there aren't any churches.

One story you will hear is that of a young girl, only 6 or 7 years old, who so passionately shared Jesus with her classmates that her teacher said, "Why don't you share this message with the entire school?" You'll also hear about a witch doctor who saw his son healed after praying for healing in the name of Christ.

Discover how you can get involved in missions—whatever stage of life you're in—and what Brian considers the most vital qualities for those who desire to serve and reach out among unreached people groups or in foreign nations. Pray for persecuted Christians in South Asia to run the race with boldness and increased fervor for the Lord.

The VOM App for your smartphone or tablet will help you pray daily for persecuted Christians in nations like India, China and Iran throughout the year, 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.

In India, carrying a Bible to a meeting—or even offering a Hindu tea and cookies—could be construed as illegally "enticing" that Hindu to change his or her religion. Under anti-conversion laws currently enacted by 12 of India's states, such "enticement" can result in a long prison sentence. And once charges are filed against a pastor or other Christian, there is no presumption of innocence; it is up to the accused to prove their innocence.

Sister "Joti," a human rights lawyer in India, has worked on numerous religious freedom cases. She will tell listeners about 80 pastors currently in prison, accused of "forcible conversion."

Listen as Joti shares how the courts have tried to navigate the seeming opposites of a constitutional promise of the freedom to practice and propagate one's religion and state laws that require a person to notify the government, in advance, of their conversion. She'll also tell how she and her coworkers are advising pastors and churches to document interactions with Hindus and even record their sermons in order to create an evidence trail against possible future legal challenges.

Joti knows her work could put her in danger, yet boldly continues in what God has called her to do. "The work impacts real lives and real people," she says. "I am here to serve, for as long as I can."

Pray for Christians in India to be bold in showing love to their neighbors, and for lawyers like Joti on the frontlines serving persecuted Christians in the court.

The VOM App for your smartphone or tablet will help you pray daily for persecuted Christians throughout the year, 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.

On November 5th, a judge in Malaysia will deliver a verdict in the case of Susanna Koh vs. the Malaysian government and members of the police believed to be involved in the abduction of her husband, Pastor Raymond Koh. Raymond disappeared off the streets of Malaysia in 2017; he hasn't been seen or heard from since, and his car has never been found. Susanna and her children shared their story at The Voice of the Martyrs' National Conference in September. They are asking Christians around the world to pray ahead of this important court verdict.

Susanna shared how she sees, in hindsight, that God was preparing Raymond ahead of his abduction. He was memorizing large sections of Scripture, taking long prayer walks, and even driving around Malaysia to pray for God's Spirit to move in different areas.

After he was abducted, Susanna went to the police station to file a missing person's report. Instead of asking questions designed to locate Pastor Raymond, police interrogated Susanna. They demanded information about her husband's ministry activities and accused him of evangelizing ethnic Malay people.

In the days since the abduction, God has used Christian music, prayer, and Scripture to encourage her, even though there were times she was angry with the police who repeatedly interrogated her. One day, she was convicted of her anger and unforgiveness towards the police; she repented for her sin. Susanna will share how the Lord led her to go the extra mile to demonstrate forgiveness for her husband's persecutors.

Susanna and her family filed a civil case against the Malaysian government and the police in 2020. Listen as she shares how she sought the Lord ahead of filing the case and how the Lord confirmed her decision to move forward.

Not knowing what happened to Pastor Raymond has been hard for Susanna and her family, freezing their grief. "The unknown is a struggle," Susanna said, "but we will go into the court with an attitude of victory, because Jesus has already won through His blood on the cross." She also takes joy in knowing that Raymond's story of faithfulness has gone around the world and encouraged many Christians.

You'll also hear from Raymond and Susanna's children, Esther, Jonathan, and Elizabeth, as they share their struggles and share memories of their father.

You can watch a special video podcast of this interview at www.vom.org/koh. Pray for the verdict coming up on November 5th. Pray for the judge. Pray that there will be justice and the truth will be revealed.

The VOM App for your smartphone or tablet will help you pray daily for persecuted Christians throughout the year, 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.

"I just want the Bible. How much does it cost?"

First, the young Druze woman tried to access and read her own religion's holy book. But she wasn't allowed to read it. Then she tried to find a Quran. Finally, she came to a church and asked to purchase a Bible, worried she wouldn't have enough money to pay for it. The pastor told her that God's Word is priceless, but that he would give it to her without cost. Shocked, she took the Bible and began to read, eventually giving her life to Jesus.

Brother Michael, a gospel worker in the Middle East, will share more of this young woman's powerful story and the Christian persecution she faced from her family while standing firm in Christ. In spite of persecution, even locked in a room, she continued to share the gospel.

Learn what it's like to live as a Christian in the Middle East, and what believers face after leaving Muslim or Druze backgrounds to follow Christ. As believers engage in conversations with family and friends, they carefully plant spiritual seeds while testing their listeners' hearts to see if they are ready to go deeper.

Brother Michael also shares how he trains and leads discipleship through Discovery Bible Study groups, which are multiplying as new believers share their personal testimonies with family and friends. One group started with nine believers, but today has multiplied into more than twenty groups with 150 believers!

Hear how you can pray specifically for Brother Michael and our persecuted Christian family in the Middle East.

The International Day of Prayer for Persecuted Christians (IDOP) is next Sunday! The Voice of the Martyrs offers resources to help you and your church pray for persecuted Christians on November 2–and throughout the year. Be sure to watch the new short film telling the story of ongoing Christian persecution in Democratic Republic of Congo—and how God is bringing healing to Christians who've suffered attacks and trauma. Access all the IDOP resources here.