New music video: “I’m Good” by Trip Lee ft. Lecrae

The Voice of the Martyrs USA and Reach Records recently released the song “I’m Good” by Trip Lee. This group effort is intended to raise awareness of the persecuted Christian church. Watch the music video below, and please consider sharing it with others!




For another music video that shares about the persecuted Church, click here.

Executive Director of VOM-USA passes away

Tom White, the Executive Director of our sister mission in the United States, has passed away. Please pray for Tom’s friends and family during this difficult time. Please also pray for all the staff, volunteers, and supporters of VOM-USA as they mourn his loss.

Tom White: (1947-2012) 

It is with great sadness that The Voice of the Martyrs (USA) announces the death of our Executive Director, Tom White.

Tom led The Voice of the Martyrs for more than 20 years, including years of incredible growth in the ministry’s reach to support and work with persecuted Christians and to share their stories with the American Church. Prior to taking leadership of the ministry he worked alongside VOM’s founders, Richard and Sabina Wurmbrand.

All of our hearts are heavy at this loss, and most of all heavy for Ofelia, Tom’s loyal help-mate through years of ministry, including 17 months he spent in a Cuban prison, and for his children and grandchildren.

Additional information, including information about memorials and services, will be made available at the appropriate time.

Three secret believers arrested in Morocco

(Sources: VOM-USA, Mission Network News)

Three Christian men were arrested in a city café on March 1 in Morocco. During the arrest, police apparently gained information about other secret believers in the country. The arrest involved two young men who were meeting with an older believer from another city.

While the two young men were released later that night, the older believer remains in custody. The families of the two young men did not know the men were following Christ. One of them was no longer welcome in his home once his beliefs were discovered.

Many foreign Christians were expelled from Morocco two years ago, and this had a significant impact on the Church as anti-Christian sentiment seems to be growing in the country. Moroccan believers now meet in small groups for fear of persecution. While becoming a Christian in Morocco is not actually illegal, it is forbidden to share the gospel with non-Christians.

Please pray for Morocco:

• Please pray that Moroccan Christians will continue to gather despite the threats of reprisals. 
• Pray that the believer in prison will remain strong in his faith and will be freed. 
• Pray that Moroccan Christians' passion for Christ will be the light that draws others to Jesus (Matthew 5:14-16).

For more information on persecution in Morocco, please click here. To post a prayer of support for Moroccan believers, visit our Persecuted Church Prayer Wall.

Church buildings vandalized in Israel

(Source: VOM-USA)

Anti-Christian graffiti and slurs against Jesus were spray-painted onto a Jerusalem church late last February, reports our sister mission, VOM-USA.

The words "Death to Christianity" were written on the wall of the Baptist Narkis Street Congregation church building along with the words "Price Tag" – a slogan used by Jewish extremists. "Price tag" attacks are occurring all over Israel, and these targeted acts of destruction are meant to suggest that vandalism is the "price" that must be paid by non-Jews for the evacuation and demolition of Jewish settlements. The tires of several cars parked on church property were also slashed.

The vandalism was similar to property damage which occurred two weeks previous on the 11th-century Monastery of the Cross, which is also in west Jerusalem.

When asked to comment on the attack by a local reporter, a VOM contact in the region said, "Jesus told us persecution would happen, and he told us to forgive when it does happen."

Please join us in prayer:

• Pray that the Lord will soften the perpetrators' hearts and lead them to seek forgiveness. 
• Please pray that the Christians affected by these attacks will be patient in affliction (Romans 12:12).

To learn more about anti-Christian sentiments in Israel, click here.

Visa restrictions impede missionaries in Turkey

Missionaries will have to leave Turkey every three months and will be forced to remain outside the country for three months before returning, now that the Turkish government has tightened its visa regulations, reports VOM-USA.

The new policy, which came into effect on February 1, allows 180-day multiple-entry visas, but visitors can only spend 90 days in the country and then must wait another 90 days to re-enter the country. This will significantly hamper the work of foreign missionaries.

Since early February, the Turkish government has expelled a number of missionaries who held resident permits, and other missionaries who have left the country and have tried to re-enter have been turned away at the border under the new visa regulations.

Please remember Turkey in your prayers.

• Please pray that these new restrictions will only encourage missionaries rather than discourage them as they rest in the knowledge that no man can thwart God's purposes  (Job 42:2). 
• Pray that the gospel will continue to spread and grow in Turkey.

To learn more about the struggles Christians face in Turkey, please click here. 

Imprisoned Iranian pastor suffering ill health

Pray for Pastor Behnam’s healing!

Behnam Irani, an imprisoned 41-year-old pastor from Iran, is unwell with an intestinal disorder and a serious foot injury, reports our sister mission in the United States. There are more than four years left in his sentence.

The husband and father of two was convicted of crimes against national security in January 2011 and was sentenced to one year in prison. After voluntarily surrendering to authorities last spring, he learned that he would be forced to serve five years in connection with a previous conviction.

Behnam's family is very concerned over reports of his ill health as his brother died from intestinal cancer.

For the first few months of his sentence, Behnam was held in solitary confinement in a very small cell, and although he was moved to another cell with other prisoners, the room was so cramped that prisoners were not even able to lie down and had to sit all day and night in the stifling cell.

The pastor is now in a normal cell, but authorities have asked for him to be beaten regularly. His hair has turned white, and there are fears he could lose the use of his foot due to a severe foot injury.

Please remember Behnam Irani!

Pray:

• Please pray that the Divine Healer will restore Behnam to full health. 
• Please pray that he will have the opportunity to share the lifesaving gospel message with his fellow prisoners. 
• Pray that his family will be given peace and strength during his incarceration.

Write:
Let Behnam know that you are praying for him and his family. To compose a letter in his own language, visit PrisonerAlert.com. For our complete letter writing guide and prisoners’ list, click here.

Please note: When writing a letter, never mention the name of the source of your information or the name of any organization such as Voice of the Martyrs or Prisoner Alert. It is not dangerous for a prisoner to receive letters from individuals, but if an organization is mentioned they may be accused of links with “foreign organizations” and receive harsher sentences. Also, please do not state anything negative about their government.

Send your letters to:

Behnam Irani
Ghezel Hesar Prison
Karaj, Albourz State
IRAN

Deadline looms for South Sudanese Christians to evacuate Sudan

These refugees fled their homes due to violence.
Hundreds of thousands of others may also
have to leave Sudan by April 8.
Photo: Assist News

(Sources: ENInews, VOM-USA)

South Sudanese Christians have just a couple of weeks to leave the north or risk mistreatment by the Islamic-majority Sudanese government.

Former citizens, known by the Sudanese government as "southerners," were stripped of nationality after South Sudan's January 2011 vote to secede. They now have until April 8 to leave or establish alien residency, though no residency terms have yet been established.

The ultimatum will impact between 500,000 and 700,000 people who are mainly Christians of southern origin that still live in the north.

Sudan amended its laws after the South's independence to say that Sudanese people automatically lose citizenship when they acquire by right or by other means the citizenship of South Sudan. Sudanese people in the north with any parents, grandparents or great grandparents born in South Sudan or belong to any southern ethnic group are considered South Sudan nationals.

Some church leaders fear increased persecution of Christians in the north or even forced repatriation for those who may want to stay.

Please join us in prayer. 

• Please pray that Christians in Sudan will be guided by the Lord during this difficult time. 
• Pray that the government will cease in its strategy to persecute Christians remaining in the north. 
• Pray that, in all things, Christians in Sudan and South Sudan will remain steadfast in their faith (1 Peter 5:8-10).

For more information on persecution in Sudan, visit the Sudan Country Report.

Li Ying released early from prison in China

Praise God for Li's early release!

(Sources: China Aid Association, VOM-USA)

Journalist and Christian activist Li Ying was released from prison in China on December 25, 2011, almost five years before the end of her 15-year sentence. During her time in prison, she was reportedly forced to work 15 hours a day on products for export. Her visits with her family were also strictly limited, and she was not allowed to have a Bible.

Li was arrested in April 2001 for her work on an underground Christian magazine. In December 2001, Li was one of 17 South China Church leaders who were convicted of "using a cult to undermine enforcement of the law," five of whom were sentenced to death. Li was one of them, but as a result of the ensuing international outcry a higher court revoked the death sentences in September 2002, citing lack of clarity about certain facts and insufficient evidence. The case was retried in October 2002. Instead of the crime of "using a cult," the five who had been condemned to death were convicted instead of "intentional assault."

China Aid Association founder and president, Bob Fu, spoke with Li on February 10. Li is very grateful for the support she received from around the world. She told Fu that she was aware of the many letters she had received but that authorities never let her see the letters.

Thank the Lord for this wonderful answer to prayer! Ask Him to restore Li physically and emotionally. Pray that she will draw ever closer to Him as she comes to terms with her new life outside prison walls. Pray for the many Christian believers currently in prison for their faith.

To learn more about the persecuted Church in China, please click here. To find out how you can encourage other imprisoned believers in China, visit VOM's letter writing site. For our letter writing guide and complete prisoners' list, click here.

Attack sparks revival in Nigeria

A wounded Nigerian in one of the many attacks by Boko Haram
Photo: Compass Direct News

Increasing violence in Nigeria has only strengthened local Christians' faith, even sparking a revival at the Deeper Life Bible Church in Gombe, where nine Christians were martyred in a January 5 attack (for more information, click here).

According to our sister mission, VOM-USA, many believers rededicated their lives to Christ and others came to faith in Christ for the first time during a funeral service on January 19 for those killed. Weeping and singing while on their knees, a choir led about 500 attendees and 50 pastors in worship. The martyrs' relatives and other dignitaries – including the deputy governor speaking on behalf of the state's governor – spoke about each murdered Christian. The four-hour service then moved on to intercessory prayer for the Church in Nigeria, the nation at large, Muslims in Nigeria, and the Muslim extremist group Boko Haram.

"The leader of the prayers based most of the prayers from the book of Isaiah 61:1–4, among other scriptures, which strengthen and encourage the Church. He encouraged the Church to be more prayerful than complaining," said a VOM worker. "He said the Lord knows how to fight His own battle in His own way, and we should not revenge whatsoever."

Please join us in praying!

• Pray that the Lord will continue to comfort and provide for those mourning.
• Pray that He will sustain the faith of believers in Nigeria during these difficult trials.
• Pray that Christians in Nigeria will receive a crown of beauty, the oil of joy and the garment of praise from the Lord (Isaiah 61:3).

To learn more about persecution in Nigeria, go to the Nigeria Country Report.

Violent guerrilla group impedes evangelism in Colombia

Pray that God’s Word and other Christian
material will reach all the regions of Colombia.

Members of the notorious guerrilla group Fuerzas Armadas Revolucionarias de Colombia (FARC) recently prevented a VOM evangelist, "Rolo," from entering La Macarena region in Colombia with radios, Bibles and Christian books, reports our sister mission, VOM-USA.

The Marxist-Leninist revolutionary guerrilla organization has been a significant contributor to violence and volatility in the region. A VOM worker in the area reported that members of FARC are closing the churches and burning the buses of those attempting to enter the area.

Leftist guerrillas and right-wing paramilitary groups in the country are both acting as lawless gangs raising funds with drug trafficking and ransom kidnapping. Despite the upheaval and political violence, however, the Church is flourishing. While there were about 15,000 evangelical Christians in Colombia in 1933, by last year, they numbered between 3.5 and 5 million with some churches growing 1,000-fold over the last two decades.

Please pray for Colombia.

• Please pray that Rolo's evangelistic efforts will not be thwarted any longer and that Christians in the region will not be impeded in sharing the gospel message. 
• Pray that the Church will continue to thrive despite the efforts to keep it from doing so.

Want to learn more about persecution in Colombia? Watch an interview with Celso, a mission worker in Colombia who was kidnapped but continues to share God’s love, or visit our Colombia Country Report for more information and for additional prayer requests. 

Pastor released from prison in Vietnam

Pastor Y Wo Nie was
released in December 2011!

Y Wo Nie, a Vietnamese pastor who was arrested in August 2004, has been released from prison, reports our sister mission, VOM-USA.

Y Wo Nie was given a nine-year prison sentence for leading a demonstration demanding more religious freedom and the release of property confiscated by the Vietnamese government (for more information, click here). He was released in December 2011. At last report, he had been spending time with his family and was planning to have a medical check-up to assess his health after more than seven years in prison.

While Y Wo Nie was imprisoned, his wife told VOM partners, "I'm worried for my husband but God gives me His comfort that He is always with us though we have to face sickness or hard situations; He will help me to overcome my hard times."

Please join us in prayer!

• Praise the Lord that this pastor has been released! 
• Pray that God will give him complete and lasting healing. 
• Pray that, like Paul, Y Wo Nie's time in prison will result in the advancement of God's kingdom (Philippians 1:12-14). 
• Pray that God will strengthen the faith of this pastor's family and friends.

For more information on the persecuted Church in Vietnam, visit the Vietnam Country Report.

God’s love in Colombia

“The Lord has put in my heart a really big love for the people who do bad things.” – Celso

In this four-minute interview from our sister mission in the US, Celso, a mission worker in Colombia, shares the story of his kidnapping and how he continues to witness about God’s love.

For other videos like this one, check out VOM-USA’s YouTube channel or visit our multimedia site.

Dancing before the Lord in Iran

“Wearing a linen ephod, David was dancing before the LORD with all his might, while he and all Israel were bringing up the ark of the LORD with shouts and the sound of trumpets.” – 2 Samuel 6: 14-15

Our sister mission in the United States recently posted a video of Iranian Christians dancing together while chanting the many names of God.

The faces of these brothers and sisters are pixelated to conceal their identities, as Christians in Iran are continually at risk of facing persecution from government authorities (for more information, click here).



For other videos like this one, check out VOM-USA’s YouTube channel or visit our multimedia site.

Buddhists oust believers from their homes in Nepal

Pray for believers in Nepal who are
facing hardships for the sake of Christ.

Buddhists in Nepal drove a pastor and other believers from their village, accusing the pastor of bringing a foreign religion to the village and promoting teachings against society, reports VOM-USA.

The oppressors accused Christians in the village of using bribery and coercion to convert local residents to Christianity. It is also believed a six-year-old girl was sexually abused by one of the individuals who incited the expulsion.

A VOM worker has helped the victims resettle in another village and also prayed with the family of the girl who was abused.

You can help by praying.

• Pray that the passion these believers have for Christ will be the light that draws others to Jesus (Matthew 5:14-16). 
• Pray for healing for the girl who was abused. 
• Please pray that hostility against Christians in Nepal will cease and that believers will be allowed to live and worship freely. 

For more on persecution in Nepal, visit our Nepal Country Report.

Three Iranian pastors report to prison

Pray that these pastors will be returned to their families soon.
Photo: Assist News Service

Three pastors, who are also husbands and fathers of young children, have been ordered to report to prison in Shiraz, Iran, reports VOM-USA.

Pastor Parviz Khalaj, a husband and father to a 10-year-old son, was convicted of committing crimes against the order and was sentenced to two years in prison.

Pastor William Belyad who was convicted of the same crime, was sentenced to five years in prison and will be taken away from his wife and one-month-old son. William's wife, Nazly, was arrested with him but has not been called to serve a sentence yet.

Pastor Behrouz Sadegh Khandjani, a husband and father to a seven-year-old daughter, was sentenced to one year in prison for the same conviction.

Another pastor, Mehdi Foroutan, was arrested at the same time and has already reported to prison (for more, click here).

Please pray!

• Please pray that these brothers will remain faithful and will be soon returned to their families. 
• Please pray for strength and peace for their wives and children. 
• Praise God that William's wife, Nazly, has not been called to prison. 
• Ask God to be near to those suffering in prison for His name's sake.

To receive prayer updates, consider signing up for our weekly emailed prayer digest, The Persecution & Prayer Alert. Use the prayer alert in your small group, as a family, or share the stories with your congregation. Sign up today!

Bomber of Christian family in the West Bank deemed fit to stand trial

Yaakov "Jack" Teitel
(Photo: Shin Bet)

An American-born man who bombed the home of a Messianic Jewish family in the West Bank has been declared fit to stand trial, reports our sister mission, VOM-USA.

Yaakov "Jack" Teitel, 39, stands accused of planting a bomb in the home of Pastor David Ortiz in 2008 (for more information, click here). Teitel, who has been dubbed the "Jewish terrorist," is also charged with the murder of two Palestinians and with other serious offenses.

Teitel's lawyers had tried to argue that he was not mentally competent, but a district court judge in Jerusalem ruled that the married father of four is fit for trial.

Teitel emigrated from Florida to Israel in 2000, and in March 2008, Teitel attempted to murder 15-year-old Ami Ortiz, the son of a Messianic Jewish couple in Ariel, by allegedly placing a bomb in a Purim gift basket at the Ortiz's home. The bomb, believed to be intended for Ami's father, exploded when the teenager opened it, and he was severely burned and injured by shrapnel.

The trial is scheduled to begin in several weeks.

Please pray!

• Please pray that Ami will continue to heal and that all the victims of Teitel's violence will be comforted. 
• Pray that authorities will act justly in this case. 
• Pray that Teitel will repent and come to know the Lord Jesus Christ.

Attacks continue in Sudan’s border region

Sudan and South Sudan appear to be on the brink of war as security in the border region continues to deteriorate, reports VOM-USA.

Sudan continues to attack and bomb areas along the border, including areas inside the new sovereign nation of South Sudan. The border region is home to vast natural resources as well as majority-Christian ethnic groups.

"We are following this situation very closely as we plan projects and outreaches to respond to the crisis and encourage the persecuted church in the Nuba Mountain region," wrote a VOM field worker.

In early December, Christian aid organizations serving refugee communities along the border were forced to evacuate their field workers because of intense aerial bombing and shelling by Sudan.

Members of AIM Air, who transport aid to the refugee communities, said the biggest obstacles affecting relief efforts are the bombing, shelling and fighting in Jau and Yidra, communities inside South Sudan. These regions are home to the largest Christian community in South Sudan and Sudan.

More than 300,000 people have been displaced by the conflict, which began on June 6, 2011.

Please pray that God will continue to sustain His people there!

For more on persecution in Sudan, please visit our Sudan Country Report.

Teenagers make a difference

Sandal, a Pakistani teenager, spent more
than a year in prison after she was
accused of blaspheming the Qur’an.
Teenagers DO make a difference.

Our sister mission, VOM-USA, recently posted the following article on their blog. I hope it encourages you to share about the persecuted Church with those around you!

My favorite things about road trips are the surprises along the way, and my most recent trip didn’t let me down. I stopped in Chattanooga, Tenn. and fell in love with the people. One person I met learned of my association with The Voice of the Martyrs, and she enthusiastically told me about what the youth group at her church, Woodland Baptist Church, was doing. As she described it, my excitement grew. Here was a group of youth who are passionate for the persecuted church. 

Fast forward to one week later… 

The crowd watched him – a teenager – walk to the front of the room. He stuck out, an obvious interruption. But he wasn’t alone. Fifty-one other people followed him. 

Standing side by side on the stage, they stopped. “I’m not ashamed,” they said. Single cards hung around their necks. Each teenager carried the name of one of the countries where Christians are persecuted for their faith. Nina Stephenson, a church member who shared her personal testimony of persecution, had already pointed out the desperate need of the persecuted church. 

“Today God is calling us to pray for the persecuted church, for those who know Him and love Him, who are not ashamed to say like the apostle Paul, ‘For I am not ashamed, for it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes,’” Stephenson said. “That declaration of faith could cost them their lives, their freedom, their family, their home or their job. But they stand firm in the Lord Jesus Christ.” 

The teenagers led the congregation in worship, singing “O Church Arise.” Afterward, the astonishment of the audience was apparent. Some clapped. Others cried. The apparent passion, the sudden awareness of what is happening to Christians around the world caused a tremendous reaction. 

Are you inspired? 

Share the message of the persecuted church with everyone. The youth in your life – specifically teenagers, who often are stereotyped as indifferent and lazy – can, do incredible things. For the persecuted church, they can pray and write letters. They can also tap into resources you might not have. They can tell their friends at school or work. With grandparents, mentors and parents who constantly boast of their teenagers’ more recent activity, youth can reach more expansive social circles. These young adults have no limitations. Through their creative presentation, the youth at Woodland Baptist Church not only spread awareness within their congregation, they probably opened the eyes of people they will never meet. 

Now, it is your turn to follow their example. (2 Timothy 1:7-12)

There are many ways that you can get involved in serving and sharing about the persecuted Church. Get started by visiting our website, or check out VOM’s youth and young adult initiative!

Yubelina’s persevering faith

Yubelina was badly injured during an attack on her Christian village in Indonesia. As she ran from her attackers, she spilled a kerosene lamp that ignited and burned her face. That was in 2001.

During the past 10 years, our sister mission VOM-USA has walked alongside Yubelina. They paid travel costs from her remote village to the island of Java, where she received high quality care, and arranged for her to have plastic surgery.

Yubelina still bears the scars of her ordeal, not only on her face but also in her heart. Her husband left her, and she supports her two children by working on her brother's farm.

Every time a stranger gasps or recoils at her face, every time her daughter comes home in tears because someone called her mother a monster, Yubelina's suffering is renewed.

Yubelina's two older children, Vivi, 17, and Vandi, 15, study at a boarding school an hour and a half away. Her youngest child, 13-year-old Febi, is still at home with her. Since becoming more committed to her faith in 1999, Yubelina has prayed that her children will grow strong in the Lord.

As Yubelina and her two daughters sifted through more than 1,200 cards, letters, drawings and small gifts from VOM readers, she was overwhelmed by the love shown by her Christian family. "After the incident where I was burned and when my husband left, there was so much misery and suffering. But I received blessings from the Lord. I believe God has a plan for me."

In Philippians 4:17, the Apostle Paul says the church at Philippi receives fruit for helping him in his distress. As we see Christian persecution increasing around the world, we rejoice in the vital fruit that we receive through Yubelina's persevering faith.

Watch this two-minute video clip to hear Yubelina thank Christians around the world for their gifts and prayers. 



Please ask the Lord to bless Yubelina and her daughters. Pray that they will grow stronger in their faith and their trust in God. Pray that Yubelina’s testimony will encourage other Christians to look to Jesus in all things. To add a prayer for Yubelina on our Persecuted Church Prayer Wall, click here.

The January edition of The Voice of the Martyrs newsletter will share testimonies of other believers in Indonesia who are standing firm in their faith amid persecution. Be sure to sign up for your free subscription today.

Authorities order church to close in Algeria

On October 17, Algerian authorities ordered the closure of a church in the country's second largest city because the church did not have a registration certificate, according to VOM-USA.

The 90-member House of Hope church in Oran runs several ministries in the Ain-Turck neighbourhood, including a Bible school, a media studio, a safe house, and a network of evangelists.

When church representatives visited the state office to inquire about necessary documentation, no one could tell them what was required for church registration. After further inquiries, the minister of the interior told church representatives that he did not know who ordered the church to close.

"It looks like an attempt from the authorities to test the church's reaction," said a VOM worker. "In Algeria, nothing is guaranteed, so we trust our Lord and move boldly."

At last report, House of Hope is continuing its services.

Please pray for favour from the authorities as well as wisdom and perseverance for the church's leaders!

For more information on the persecuted Church in Algeria, please visit our Algeria Country Report.