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 tears of joy. "It is really a privilege to be persecuted," he says.

Pastor Hassan recounted how fellow members of the Body of Christ in Sudan encouraged him in prison with faith that the Lord would release him. His prayer life also grew in prison, as he became a prayer warrior, quoting Bible verses as he prayed with tears. Your faith will be encouraged and you'll be challenged to pray for Sudan, Christians imprisoned for Christ, and their families as you hear Pastor Hassan's amazing testimony this week on VOM Radio.

Hear Part 1 of our conversation here. Pastor Hassan was imprisoned alongside VOM's Africa regional director, Petr Jasek. You can hear Petr's side of the story here. Pastor Hassan's story was also featured in the I Am N virtual event, which you can watch online.

The VOM App for your smartphone or tablet will help you pray daily in 2026 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.

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 months as "one of the best times of my life."

The VOM App for your smartphone or tablet will help you pray daily in 2026 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.

Aaron Miller, Vice President of International Ministry at The Voice of the Martyrs, looks back to recount changes and transitions he saw during 2025 in places like Syria, Turkmenistan, Tanzania, and Saudi Arabia. He also shares stories of sitting down with fellow believers in hostile areas and restricted nations and how VOM's work expanded in countries such as Benin, Indonesia, Morocco, and western Nepal.

"In times of transition," Aaron says, "our staff sees opportunities." VOM's field staff is excited by the chance to reach new places, which allows them to learn the needs of our persecuted brothers and sisters, pray for them specifically and find the best ways VOM can serve.

You'll hear how VOM is facilitating gatherings where pastors and gospel workers meet brothers and sisters doing similar work in other closed countries. These gatherings are opportunities to hear testimonies, pray together and worship the Lord freely with other persecuted Christians.

Listen as Aaron shares sacred sentences written in a letter from an imprisoned pastor thanking VOM for taking care of his wife and children. "I want to thank you for ministering to orphans of living fathers," the pastor wrote, "ministering to widows of living husbands."

Hear how you can pray for the specific needs of persecuted Christians, and request your free copy of VOM's 2026 Global Prayer Guide to help you know how to pray throughout this year for Christians in India, Venezuela, and many more hostile areas and restricted nations.

The VOM App for your smartphone or tablet will help you pray daily in 2026 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.

Last week, we began a look back on some of the most moving moments on The Voice of the Martyrs Radio in 2025. This week, we continue to remember:

• Nathan and his friends were arrested doing street evangelism in the Middle East. He'll share his experience in prison, the power of faithful friends, and how the Lord revealed the day of their release.
• Brother Miguel from Peru will share where his passion for serving persecuted Christians began and how God gave him a hunger to know more, pray, and share their powerful stories with more people through radio and TV.
• Michael & Mona share what it looks like to be a Christian in North Africa, where they are often treated as second-class citizens. Yet Mona says she loves the Muslim people who are victims of a false religion.
• Kevin works among people trapped in fear-based animistic practices in Southeast Asia. He'll share how gospel workers combat that fear with the love of Christ.
• Hana Menghisteab returned to tell how sharing her story for the first time on VOM Radio in 2024 was a breakthrough, helping her acknowledge deep wounds and opening her heart to God's healing touch.
• Dr. Yousaf Sadiq told us about growing up in a Christian family in Pakistan and how God ministered to him through Psalms sung in the Punjabi language.
• Brother Samuel grew up in a Muslim family in Malaysia. He first heard the gospel helping translate the JESUS film. Today, he faces persecution as he tries to change his government-issued ID card to reflect his faith in Christ.
• Susanna Koh, wife of abducted Pastor Raymond Koh, shares how she trusts the Lord despite the unknown, and how God asked her to put feet to her forgiveness.
• Sister Neda grew up as a Muslim in Iran. On the outside she appeared to have it all, yet inside she was broken. Listen to hear how she called out to God and He answered.

After hearing these brief excerpts, you'll want to listen to the entire conversations with each of these guests. Click the links below or listen in the VOM APP.

• Brother Nathan, gospel worker with YWAM in the Middle East
• Miguel Angel Angeles, Executive Director of Bethel Radio & TV in Peru
• Michael & Mona, Christian leaders from Egypt working across North Africa
• Brother Kevin serves as a gospel worker and church planter in Asia
• Hana Menghisteab, the daughter of imprisoned Eritrean pastor, Dr. Tecleab Menghisteab, who has been in prison for over twenty years.
• Dr. Yousaf Sadiq grew up in Pakistan and is now a professor at Wheaton College and co-leader of the Lausanne Persecuted Church Initiative.
• Brother Samuel grew up Muslim and now faces persecution in Malaysia for his faith in Christ.
• Susanna Koh, Pastor Raymond Koh's wife, continues to go to court for his release
• Sister Neda, serves persecuted Christians in Iran through Iran Alive Ministries

We thank the Lord for allowing VOM Radio to encourage and challenge listeners all over the world this year. Thank you for listening and praying for our persecuted family in restricted nations and hostile areas around the world during 2025!

We'd love to hear from you! Let us know what conversation in 2025 most inspired your faith or equipped you to pray. You can also give online to support persecuted Christians through the work of The Voice of the Martyrs.

Join us in 2026 for another year of testimonies about what God is doing in and through our persecuted brothers and sisters and hear how you can pray specifically for them throughout the year!

This week, we begin looking back on some of the most moving moments shared on The Voice of the Martyrs Radio in 2025:

•          Hope & Nagy have been called by God to live in some very difficult places. They were serving Him in Libya when civil war broke out; they stayed and thrived under the Lord's protection. Then they heard the Lord call them to a new and equally-challenging land.

•          Jerry Mattix has been banned twice from entering Türkiye, once in 2013 and again earlier this year. Jerry knows God is able to do His work among Turkish people without him in the country.

•          Nathan and Kari were raised differently, yet the Lord called them to Himself, and to missions, together. In South Asia, they are seeing the gospel on fire, not waiting for foreign missionaries but moving forward through the gospel fervor of national Christians.

•          John Samara knows the high cost of serving Christ in a place like Syria. He grew up there and continues to serve persecuted Christians in the Middle East and North Africa through Ananias House.

•          Eric Mock, from Slavic Gospel Association, shares how war between Russia and Ukraine has actually accelerated SGA's ministry as they provide aid and share the gospel with hundreds of thousands of people.

•          Teaching students in the UK and around the world, Dr. Michael Reeves has a passion for strengthening the faith of persecuted Christians in hostile and restricted nations. He served as a missionary on the border of Pakistan and Afghanistan.

•          Ty Scott, leader of VOM's work in east and southern Africa, shares about Christians living in a country that has never been discussed on VOM Radio until this year — Comoros. He also shared how VOM handles Bible distribution in Africa.

•          Author of the book, Inside Afghanistan, John Weaver, shares what it looks like to be a Christian in Afghanistan today. Believers must carefully plant gospel seeds and seek out people of peace.

•          Abraham & Sara minister to Muslim refugees in the Middle East who are open to the gospel. They see the hunger to know Jesus, and the Lord is revealing Himself to these refugees through dreams, visions, and the love of Christ, as seen in the example of Abraham, Sara, and their team.

After hearing these brief excerpts, you'll want to listen to the entire conversations with these guests from 2025. Click on the links below to listen at VOMRADIO.net or listen in the VOM APP.

•          Hope & Nagy, gospel workers to Libya and the Middle East
•          Jerry Mattix, long-time aid ministry worker and pastor in Türkiye
•          Nathan & Kari, gospel workers in South Asia with the International Mission Board (IMB)
•          John Samara, Founder and Executive Director of Ananias House
•          Eric Mock, the Senior Vice President of the Slavic Gospel Association
•          Dr. Michael Reeves, President of Union School of Theology in the United Kingdom
•          Ty Scott, VOM's Regional Leader for East and Southern Africa
•          John Weaver, long-time gospel worker in Afghanistan
•          Abraham & Sara serve refugees at a church in a Middle Eastern country

We thank the Lord for allowing VOM Radio to encourage and challenge listeners all over the world this year. Thank you for faithfully listening and praying for our persecuted family in restricted nations and hostile areas around the world!

We'd love to hear from you! Let us know what conversation in 2025 most inspired your faith or equipped you to pray. You can also give online to support persecuted Christians through the work of The Voice of the Martyrs.

Next week, we'll have Part II of our look back to the most moving moments of 2025 on VOM Radio.

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 5^th, 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 5^th. 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.

Churches in Algeria have been closed by the government. Pastors have been threatened. But ministry continues. Pastor Abraham and Sara are back on VOM Radio this week to continue our conversation about God's work in the Middle East and North Africa—and the Christian persecution that Christ's followers face.

Listen for the story of one pastor who has repeatedly changed his phone number because of constant threats. Yet he remains in his country and continues to share the gospel with Muslims.

They will also offer an update on the situation for Christians in Syria as we near the one-year anniversary of the fall of the Assad regime.

Abraham and Sara will also share how Christians fleeing violence and danger in the region are going as missionaries to their new homelands—sometimes reaching their countrymen even in far-off lands!

You'll be equipped to pray for Christians in Iraq, Syria, Jordan, Lebanon, Algeria and other nations as you listen this week.

The International Day of Prayer for Persecuted Christians (IDOP) is only weeks away. 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.

Hundreds of thousands of people have been displaced from their homes and their countries amidst war and upheaval in the Middle East. Pastor Abraham and Sara are living as representatives of God's love to displaced people in the Middle East. The ministry can be messy and difficult, yet they persist in demonstrating love in practical ways. And they are seeing great fruit for their ministry.

Abraham and Sara will share how one woman—the widow of an imam—had heard all kinds of negative things about Christians. But when she came to the church, she found something very different: people who loved her and helped her. Listen to hear the story of how God answered the woman's prayer within 24 hours, and how a dream led her to commit her life to Jesus.

Leaving Islam behind to follow Jesus comes with a cost, though. Abraham and Sara will also share what Christian persecution looks like in the region, including pressure from families or tribes as well as Islamists or government authorities.

"We are planting seeds," Sara says, "we are the tools for His Kingdom."

Pray for Abraham & Sara's ministry as they serve lost and forgotten people in the Middle East and seek to reveal Christ's love for them.

The International Day of Prayer for Persecuted Christians (IDOP) is only a few weeks away. 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 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.

In Malaysia, every citizen carries an ID card that includes religion; every person is classified as either "Muslim" or "Non-Muslim." The Malaysian constitution promises religious freedom and the right to choose one's religion. So what happens if a citizen changes their faith?

"Brother Samuel" will answer that question this week on VOM Radio. Born into a Muslim family, he came to know that Jesus was the Son of God, then chose to leave Islam behind to follow Christ. At first, he kept his newfound faith quiet, knowing that being publicly identified as a follower of Jesus could bring all kinds of trouble.

But as he grew in faith, he felt convicted about his silence. Jesus had died for him. How could he be unwilling even to acknowledge Christ?

Learning of his conversion, Samuel's family encouraged him to dive more deeply into Islamic training and activities. Wanting to honor his father and his family, Samuel agreed to attend Islamic classes. But instead of bringing him back to Mohammed, the training forced him to become more rooted in Biblical truth and more capable at explaining and defending Christian doctrines.

In 2018, Samuel began the process of applying for a new national ID card, changing his religion from "Muslim" to "non-Muslim." Seven years later, his court case is still dragging on.

While the most famous case of Christian persecution in Malaysia is the abduction of Pastor Raymond Koh, Samuel says there are hundreds of Christians right now in the same situation he's in: trying to get the government to issue them new ID cards that accurately reflect their faith. Please pray this week for Samuel and for other Christians in Malaysia.

Next month is the International Day of Prayer for Persecuted Christians (IDOP). The Voice of the Martyrs has resources to help you and your church pray for persecuted Christians on November 2 and throughout the year, including a new film telling the story of ongoing persecution in Democratic Republic of Congo. Access all VOM's IDOP resources here.

After dozens of churches and Christians' homes in Jaranwala, Pakistan, were attacked, looted and burned by a mob, Christians gathered in and around the ruins of their former church buildings to sing and worship the Lord. The words they sang were directly from Scripture: Psalms of lament; reminders that even in times of suffering we can come to the Lord and trust in His sovereignty.

Dr. Yousaf Sadiq, professor at Wheaton College and co-leader of the Lausanne Persecuted Church Initiative, is back on VOM Radio, sharing the story of the Punjabi Psalter: what it is and how it has impacted the church in Pakistan and parts of India for generations.

"I want the world to know this fascinating story and what it means for the church in Pakistan." Yousaf says, "It's such a precious heritage."

Dr. Yousaf will also share about his work to support and include the ministry of persecuted Christians into the work of the Lausanne Movement.

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.

Dr. Yousaf Sadiq was born into a Christian family in Pakistan. He will share how his ancestors came to faith in Christ in India out of Hinduism. While his parents never had the opportunity to go to school and learn to read and write, Yousaf shares how they saw education as a privilege.

His mother worked as a cleaner at a local school so that Yousaf and some of his ten siblings would have an opportunity to be educated. In the evenings, he would help his mother clean the school where he was a student during the day. Despite their deep poverty, Yousaf gratefully recounts how his family's needs were always met.

Today Yousaf is a professor at Wheaton College and co-leader of the Lausanne Persecuted Church Initiative. He remembers how his parents invested time and energy in training their children to walk with the Lord, and how they led by example.

"There was a strong training and guidance by our parents," Yousaf said, "They would wake up early in the morning to pray, showing us that prayer was vital."

Yousaf also shares what it looks like to live in Pakistan as a Christian. There are many pressures within the society, but Yousaf understood at a young age that Christian persecution is part of following Christ.

"I felt not only strengthened but also privileged that this was happening," he says.

Pray for persecuted Christians in Pakistan and be encouraged by the faith our brothers and sisters display. You can learn more about Christian persecution in Pakistan through VOM Radio interviews with Dr. Michael Reeves, "Brother Johanna" and Kenneth Charles.

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.

"We are Christians. [Persecution] can happen any time."

As the pastor of an illegal house church in China, "Brother Enfu" knows the truth of that statement. Listen as he shares why and how he prepares his wife and children for the day he may eventually be arrested and sent to prison.

He will give an update on Christian persecution in China and how believers there are responding faithfully despite increasing government pressure. Enfu will explain how a new law prohibits foreigners in China from talking about their faith—even in private settings. He'll also share how the CCP's persecution strategy has changed, charging pastors and other church leaders with "fraud" or other financial crimes rather than using overtly religious criminal charges.

"Christianity is the narrow way, and the government is warning people about it," Enfu says. Instead of large church events, the gospel is spreading through one-on-one conversations with co-workers or neighbors as Christians share what Jesus has done in their lives.

Brother Enfu encourages pastors and church leaders he trains to stay in China and serve Christians there, rather than leaving China for a more comfortable position in the West. He says that when he hears of a brother or sister imprisoned for their faith, it's an encouragement to him, even as he acknowledges the suffering they are enduring.

Pastor Wang Yi is one of those Chinese pastors who stayed in China and stood firm in his faith. He is currently serving a nine-year prison sentence. Pray Chinese believers will be faithful in their daily life and ministry and pray for government leaders, including President Xi Jinping, to find and follow Christ.

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.

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

Hear stories of people in Türkiye leaving Islam and embracing Jesus Christ—and the persecution they've endured for making that decision. What are the truths that draw them? What are the misunderstandings of the gospel that Christians can address with Muslims? How do new Christians in Türkiye think about revealing to Muslim family members that they now follow Christ?

Bayram will tell the story of a young atheist who, after talking with Bayram for an entire evening, saw Jesus in two dreams. This young man embraced the gospel and became a follower of Jesus. It was a costly decision: as soon as he became a Christian, everyone around him became an enemy.

Listen as Bayram equips us to pray for Türkiye and for our Christian brothers and sisters there. You can connect online with Brother Bayram and his ministry at www.albtci.org.

In the VOM Radio archives, you can hear David Byle tell his story of persecution in Türkiye. You may also be interested in hearing American Pastor Andrew Brunson and his wife, Norine, tell their story of imprisonment and persecution there.

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.