VOMRadio

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.

In this insightful conversation, Marcus Fernandez, the Regional Leader for The Voice of the Martyrs in Central Asia, sheds light on the challenges faced by Christians in Iran, Pakistan, and the North Caucasus. He compares the rapid growth of Iran's underground church to that of China, emphasizing its boldness despite severe persecution. Marcus discusses alarming arrests linked to espionage charges and highlights the escalating brutality in Pakistan, especially against younger Christians. He passionately calls for prayers and support for these resilient believers.

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.