Ipolite Kimono attended a VOM-sponsored training in 2021 to learn strategies for helping those who have experienced trauma. Rebels attacked Ipolite’s church in 2014 and assassinated his wife, two children, and brother along with many others.
Read MoreChristians in the village of Obiri seek to rebuild their church after it was destroyed in a recent attack. Religious extremists tore down the church walls, ruined a generator and sound equipment and burned 400 Bibles.
Read MoreAfter visits to hospitals and a witchdoctor failed to heal Phan from his ongoing illness, his wife, Yun, decided to bring him to her Christian relatives. When Phan and Yun heard the gospel and Phan soon experienced healing, the couple decided to put their trust in Jesus Christ.
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Melissa was just four years old when she lost her mother. On July 1, 2012, she went to church with her mother in Garissa, Kenya, as usual. Melissa went to Sunday school while her mother, Sandra, joined in worship with other members of the Africa Inland Church. But the service ended abruptly when gunmen burst into the sanctuary and opened fire on worshipers. Melissa huddled with the other children in Sunday school as worshipers ran from the building. Later, after other parents had collected their children, Sandra’s best friend picked up Melissa and told her that her mother was in the hospital. The next day she was told that her mother had died. The attack, carried out by members of the militant Muslim group al-Shabab, had killed 14 believers and injured 58. Twelve children were orphaned that day, and The Voice of the Martyrs has helped support them since the attack. Melissa is being cared for by her elderly grandparents. Like many in the area, they are subsistence farmers in a drought-prone region where crops are undependable. The support from VOM will help ensure that Melissa is able to attend school and that she and her family will always be
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Join in as we begin a look back on some of the amazing testimonies God allowed VOM Radio to share in 2021: C. Anderson from YWAM shares how she overcame fear to serve the Lord around the world. Brother Joshua from Cuba says he’s afraid every time he encounters Cuban police or authorities—but trusts God will give him the words to say. Maria says she told God that if He was calling her to dangerous work in restricted nations, He needed to take away her fear—and God answered her prayer! Alayu from Ethiopia was given a choice: “choose Jesus or my gun.” He explained to his persecutor that he’d already made that choice: he chose Jesus. Brother Joe was almost overcome by a spirit of fear when he was told a spy had infiltrated his Bible smuggling network. Listen to how he prayed—and the Biblical example that inspired him to overcome. Paul and Suzy Childers serve together in ministry with YWAM. Listen to how they consistently send each other out into difficulties and danger, trusting each other into the Lord’s care. Cheng Jie and her husband—a Chinese pastor—had talked about what would happen if he was arrested. But they weren’t prepared for her to be the one who went to jail. Both Gracia and Semse lost their husbands to persecution attacks. They shared how they have been able to bear that loss—and how it affected their children. We’ll also share a brief excerpt from the audio version of VOM Radio host Todd Nettleton’s book, When Faith if Forbidden. After hearing these brief interview excerpts, you’ll want to go back and listen to the entire conversations. You can search for VOM Radio on your favorite podcast app, or listen online at the links below. C. Anderson Brother Joshua Maria from Cuba Alayu from Ethiopia Joe and Dawn: “We didn’t come here to be safe.” Paul and Suzy Childers: Part 1 and Part 2 Cheng Jie Gracia and Semse: Part 1 and Part 2 When Faith is Forbidden audio book: Departure Day and Day 1 Never miss an episode of VOM Radio! Subscribe wherever you listen to podcasts. Also: share a link to VOM Radio with a Christian friend who will also be blessed by these testimonies.
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Many of the attack victims being cared for at a Christian-run rehabilitation hospital in Gboko, Benue state, Nigeria, cannot hide their wounds. Casts and crutches clearly identify which limbs have been hacked at — or cut off — by a Muslim extremist’s machete. But the wounds that 25-year-old Solomon Samaila received in a December 2013 attack on his village in Taraba state, Nigeria, are less apparent. He has to show you. After quietly and patiently sharing his story of the attack, he takes off his T-shirt and turns toward the wall. The scars and blistering on his back show that he has suffered severe burns. The burns are the price Solomon paid for refusing to deny Jesus as Lord. It’s a price he humbly accepts. “Christ, Himself, suffered,” he said. “The salvation that I have in Christ was not free, but paid with a price to save me. So I equally feel I am prepared to suffer in persecution for the salvation I have in Christ. I won’t turn back.” Attacked by Neighbors The attack on Solomon’s village wasn’t carried out by Boko Haram insurgents from the north or by Muslim Fulani herdsmen, who also attack Christian villages. It was
Read MoreAaron and Khalil Hassan are two brothers who fled to Lebanon after the self-proclaimed Islamic State (ISIS) chased them from their apricot farm in 2013. While in Lebanon, the brothers heard the gospel and placed their faith in Christ. When they returned to Syria, they found their farms pillaged; ISIS had chopped down all the apricot trees and used them for firewood.
Read MoreMany members of the Yao people group have come to faith in Christ over the past 18 months, leading to a rise in Islamist attacks on Christians in the region. “Tensions have reached a new level over the last part of this year,” a front-line worker shared. “Christian converts from Islam are being physically attacked and hunted.”
Read MoreChurch leaders in Uganda have received reports that violent extremists are planning attacks on churches, some even using explosives in the shape of Bibles to carry out their attacks.
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Habila Adamu and his family were awakened by the sound of someone pounding on the front door of their simple home in northern Nigeria. It was 11 p.m., well past the hour for a neighborly visit, so the only reason for someone to be at the door was an emergency or, worse, an attack on their village. The pounding on the door was followed by the sound of men yelling for Habila to come out with his family. Habila rushed to get dressed. When he entered the front room with his wife, Vivian, and their young son close behind, he faced intruders wearing robes and masks. One was armed with an AK-47. Habila said a short prayer to the Lord. After announcing that they were there to do the work of Allah, the men began to question Habila. They asked him his name, his profession, whether he was a policeman or in the military, and whether he was a Christian or Muslim. “I am a Christian,” he replied. Vivian was terrified, knowing the men were members of Boko Haram. The intruders told Habila that they were giving him the opportunity to live — and live a better life — if
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