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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 to weep tears of joy. “It is really a privilege to be persecuted,” he says. Your faith will be encouraged, and you’ll be challenged to pray for Sudan as you hear Pastor Hassan’s amazing testimony this week on VOM Radio. Hear Part 1 of our conversation here. Pastor Hassan was imprisoned with VOM’s Africa regional director, Petr Jasek. You can hear Petr’s side of the story here.

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.”

Pastor Kumar is a part of the All India Christian Council, helping Christians all over India who face persecution and pressure for living out their faith in Christ. Listen as Kumar talks about how persecution in India is increasing, to the point that every day a Christians is facing persecution somewhere in India. What challenges will a Hindu who chooses to follow Jesus likely face? Kumar will also share about so-called “anti-conversion” laws in India, and how they affect evangelism. He will share his own experience facing persecution and even death threats as he shared the gospel—and how he felt God’s hand in those moments. Finally, Kumar will equip all of us to pray for our brothers and sisters in India.

Pastor John Cao has trained literally thousands of Chinese church leaders, including many who have taken the gospel to other parts of China and even across the border into other nations. In recent years Cao’s ministry has expanded to Myanmar, where he set up schools to minister to poor children from minority tribal groups. But his bold ministry in and out of China has not gone unnoticed by Chinese authorities. Today Pastor John sits in a Chinese prison, sentenced to serve seven years on the charge of “illegal border crossing.” Yet even in prison, he has found reasons to rejoice! Dr. Bob Fu, the founder and president of China Aid Association, will share the story of his friend, Pastor John Cao, as well as update us on the state of the church in China and specific ways that we can pray this week for that nation and our brothers and sisters there. Sign the petition on The White House web site, asking President Trump to intervene on behalf of Pastor John Cao.

This weekend marks the launch of a new video-based curriculum to allow your family, Bible study group or Sunday School class to take an up-close look at the lives and faith of Richard and Sabina Wurmbrand, the founders of The Voice of the Martyrs. Our guests are Cole Richards, President of The Voice of the Martyrs and one of the on-screen speakers in the video series, and John Grooters, the director of the video segments as well as of Tortured For Christ – The Movie and SABINA: Tortured For Christ, the Nazi Years. Listen as they describe which lessons from Richard and Sabina’s lives that most impacted them, and what they hope American Christians will draw out of this six-week study. We’ll also share how you can get a free DVD and digital download of Tortured For Christ – The Movie when you buy the curriculum video DVD and included group leader’s guide. Watch the trailer and purchase WURMBRAND six-week video curriculum. You can also access this content—for free—in the VOM App for your smartphone or tablet. Listen to John Grooters share about the making of Tortured For Christ – The Movie in a previous episode of VOM Radio. Cole Richards is the President of The Voice of the Martyrs (VOM). In addition to leading VOM’s service to persecuted Christians abroad, Cole serves as Publisher and Executive Producer of VOM’s publishing and media initiatives. Cole joined VOM in 2006 after living and ministering in a restricted nation, one of the least-reached in the Middle East, where he, his wife and their children reached out to Muslims and supported persecuted Christians. Cole holds a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering as well as two master’s degrees: one in missiology, with a focus on evangelism in the Muslim world, and one in business administration (MBA) in the context of organizational leadership. Before entering full-time ministry, Cole served as a USAF officer, focusing on the rise of Islamic terrorist groups in the Middle East.

The first time “Kyung-ja” heard about God, it wasn’t from a missionary or on a gospel radio broadcast. She first heard about God from a female North Korean guard who was beating her! Listen this week as our sister from North Korea shares about the suffering she faced in her homeland, suffering that led her to flee her country, but also eventually led her into relationship with Jesus Christ. You’ll gain new understanding of the incredible oppression faced by North Korea’s people under the brutal regime of Kim Jong-un as you hear Kyung-ja’s story. You’ll also be inspired to pray many more North Koreans will find peace in Jesus Christ—peace that can’t be confiscated by their government.

Last week we heard Gary Witherall talk about how God called him and his wife, Bonnie, to serve evangelizing Muslims in the Middle East. In this second part of our conversation, Gary describes the day his wife, Bonnie, was martyred in the clinic where she served Palestinian refugees in Lebanon. Gary talks about hearing God’s voice in that time of grief, and making a conscious choice to forgive his wife’s killers, something he says today is “the greatest gift I’ve ever given anybody.” You’ll also hear about how God has brought fruit from Gary and Bonnie’s sacrifice, and how God is still using Gary today to share His love around the world as he continues to serve with Operation Mobilization. You can learn more about Gary’s story by reading his book, Total Abandon (affiliate link).

Gary Witherall and his wife, Bonnie, heard God’s call to tell people in the Middle East about Jesus. They answered that call by moving to Lebanon, where they served with Operation Mobilization, building relationships with Lebanese people and Palestinian refugees—until the day Bonnie was martyred in the clinic where she served refugee women. Listen as Gary shares about how God called them to the Middle East, what their work there was like and how each day of their ministry was unique. He’ll also share how things changed on 9-11, when Gary and Bonnie saw people all around them celebrating the murder of more than 3,000 Americans. After the attacks, they found their life and ministry more difficult, but they never considered leaving. In fact, it was after 9-11 that Gary and Bonnie determined they would stay and serve the Lord—no matter the cost. “I think we were martyred on that day,” Gary says. You’ll be challenged as Gary asks the question: what do you love so much you’d be willing to die for it? Be sure to join us next week on VOM Radio as Gary tells about the day Bonnie gave her life for Christ. You can learn more about Gary’s story by reading his book, Total Abandon (affiliate link).

There have been significant changes in China this year, changes that greatly affect our Christian brothers and sisters and how they live out their faith. First, new “regulations on religion” took effect, attempting to give China’s communist government more control over church activities. Secondly, term limits were abolished for China’s President, allowing current leader Xi Jinping to lead the country for many more years. Listen this week as Brother Blake and Brother Joel share what these changes mean for churches in China, and how Christians are responding to the changes to continue serving Christ in the face of communist oppression. Blake and Joel will also equip you to pray for China’s Christians during these days of increasing pressure.

Bryson Vogeltanz works with Passion Ministries to call 18-25 year olds to a deeper walk with Christ, and to be involved with the work of God around the world. Listen as he shares how young people at a Passion Conference were challenged to help VOM deliver Scripture Balloons into North Korea, and how they overwhelmingly responded. He’ll also talk about putting on a Passion event inside a predominantly-Muslim country, and how seeing young people answer Christ’s call has inspired his own faith and his pastoral work right here in the United States. Finally, Bryson will challenge each of us to “tell Jesus stories” to those around us in order to draw others to Christ. You can learn more about Passion events and register for Passion 2019 here.