Davy Lloyd was only 23 years old but already had his eyes on eternity. When he and his wife, Natalie, would visit his parents’ home at the mission compound where they all served in Haiti, Davy would often come through the door and say, “I can’t wait to see Jesus!” Little did he know how soon his desire would be fulfilled. Davy and Natalie were killed, along with Haitian coworker Judes Montis, during a gang attack at the mission compound on May 24, 2024. David and Alicia Lloyd, Davy’s parents and longtime missionaries to Haiti, join VOM Radio this week to tell the story of that difficult day—and share how God has sustained and comforted them in the two years since. They take comfort knowing Davy wanted to see Jesus more than anything else. The Lloyds will share the details of what happened during the attack—and how they learned of it from a distance during a trip to the US. They’ll talk about serving in Haiti for 20 years, through ups and downs of stability and security in the country, including the day their young children were kidnapped. For Davy, Haiti was home. Creole was his first language, and he always wanted to be a missionary. Speaking in churches before their mission service, Davy would often say, “Natalie is going to Haiti as a missionary. I’m just going home!” Though only in their early 20s, both Davy and Natalie were willing to pay any price to serve Christ—even preaching the gospel to the gang members who would take their lives. You will hear David and Alicia share honestly about their grief and questions they’ve asked the Lord; they’ll also tell how God comforted and renewed their faith as they walked forward in obedience, even in grief. David and Alicia have written a powerful book, which releases May 5: Strong to the End: The Simple Service and Sudden Sacrifice of the Martyrs in Haiti (affiliate link) tells the story of Davy and Natalie and their mission work in Haiti. The VOM App for your smartphone or tablet will help you pray daily for persecuted Christians in nations like North Korea, China, Iran, and India, 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.
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A Muslim woman was beaten for visiting a church but has now placed her faith in Christ. Isata is from a town where her father is an imam and her brother is a local muezzin (someone who calls Muslims to prayer). Despite being raised in a strict Muslim home, she began to have dreams in which Jesus Christ appeared. After having this dream three times, she decided to visit a church, which angered her husband. He felt she had brought shame upon his family and gathered some Muslim men, who tied her up and beat her.
Read MoreDuring an all-night prayer vigil on Dec. 14, 2025, hundreds of police officers who were mobilized from other counties stormed the Yayang Assembly church in the Wenzhou City area. Police forced out about 100 worshipers, sealed the church and began demolishing the church’s belltower with its cross as well as other parts of the building. Two senior church leaders, Lin Enci and Lin Enzhao, and as many as 20 other members were arrested on charges of organizing a criminal syndicate. The church had refused to comply with previous orders to display the national flag and remove the cross.
Read MoreThe family of a new Christian is enduring unexplained health issues believed to be a demonic attack. Zaynab and her family fled violence in Iraq in 2017, and she became a follower of Christ through the kindness of Christians. (Her story was shared in VOM’s December 2025 magazine.) But her former Sufi community has continually pressured Zaynab to revert. Members of the mystical Sufi community wanted Zaynab’s daughter to marry the son of a Sufi imam. Zaynab and her husband refused, and she believes the Sufis used witchcraft to cause several family members to become physically and emotionally incapacitated to the point of hospitalization.
Read MoreMore than 50 people were killed during an attack on a Christian area in the city of Jos on Palm Sunday in Nigeria. More attacks occurred during Easter weekend. But not every attack on Nigerian Christians makes international news. Listen this week as Matthew Hanson, who leads The Voice of the Martyrs’ work in West and Central Africa, explains how VOM responds to Christian persecution. He’ll explain how VOM helps persecuted Christians meet immediate needs like food, clothing, and shelter; then also serves to assist with longer-term needs for emotional and spiritual healing. “We want to see both [physical and spiritual needs being met], because we want to see the church strengthened,” Matthew says. Through gatherings where persecuted Christians share their stories and encourage one another, believers are equipped and inspired to continue boldly witnessing for Christ. Matthew shares how he and his team assess persecution in Nigeria and how VOM equips pastors to have a biblical understanding of suffering and persecution. Matthew also tells stories from the field, including that of a woman kidnapped and enslaved by Boko Haram, one of six jihadist groups currently attacking Christians in northern Nigeria. She told Matthew, “Each day, Jesus spoke to me and strengthened my faith, and I did not give up.” He’ll also tell about a young man who was passionate to study the Quran. As he studied, questions arose in his mind; he began to ask his teachers. But for a Muslim, asking too many questions can make one seem like an unbeliever, an infidel. The young man was threatened by his father but still committed his life to the Lord. He was forced to flee his village. He has sacrificed his home, his family and his safety. Yet he told Matthew, “Jesus is my Savior. I have no regrets.” Listen to the story of Malik, a Fulani man who left Islam to follow Christ, and pray this week for persecuted brothers and sisters in Nigeria and throughout West and Central Africa. Pray they will be bold witnesses for Jesus—even to their persecutors. The VOM App for your smartphone or tablet will help you pray daily for persecuted Christians in nations like North Korea, China, Iran, and India, 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.
Read MoreThe Congolese town of Tchabi is rebuilding after suffering a series of attacks from an Islamist group beginning in 2019. Over the course of two years, the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) murdered dozens of residents and took many hostages. By Sept. 2023, government troops had brought some peace to the region, and residents who had fled began returning. Though the ADF was never fully eradicated and continues to operate in the eastern DRC, the town has begun to rebuild, and VOM has been active in providing spiritual care, distributing Bibles and helping residents plant community gardens.
Read MoreIn West Java, Indonesia, Muslim protesters demonstrated against a Christian worship service on Jan. 6, 2026. The group, Ahlus Sunnah Defenders, carried banners, shouted slogans and blasted loudspeakers outside the venue, calling the worship service an effort to convert Muslims and spread “religious activities which deviate from the principal teachings of Islam.” With police protection, the church was allowed to continue its worship service.
Read MoreA Sudanese refugee has been sentenced on false charges as retaliation for placing her faith in Christ. Around 1.5 million Sudanese live as refugees in Egypt, including Christians who have fled persecution. Among these is Maida, who became a Christ follower years ago and fled after her Muslim husband rejected her and took their children away as she feared for her safety. Recently, she learned that she has been tried in absentia in Sudan and sentenced to two years in prison on false accusations that she assaulted her husband.
Read More“What is key is that many of these pastors and leaders have understood the true gospel.” Despite government threats of exile, prison, or death, Pastor Chico, a front-line worker in Nicaragua, says pastors are still preaching the truth of God’s Word—no matter the cost. They know, as the Bible says, that “faith comes by hearing” (Rom. 10:17). The price of their preaching can be high. Listen as Chico shares about a pastor who lost his Nicaraguan citizenship when he left the country to attend a Christian conference, and pastors imprisoned without a trial or any legal process in which to defend themselves. “The main struggle…for people in churches in Nicaragua is that they are afraid to obey the Lord,” Chico says. He encourages us that, as followers of Christ, each of us need to decide who is the Lord in our lives. Nicaragua’s government is actively working to co-opt and control churches. Christians who won’t cooperate are labeled “terrorists.” Listen as Chico explains government efforts to influence and control churches, and why every believer in Nicaragua needs a Bible in their hands. Chico and other Nicaraguan Christians have been inspired by the story of Pastor Richard Wurmbrand and his wife, Sabina, the founders of The Voice of the Martyrs. At a meeting where the communist government of Romania was trying to influence church leaders in the 1940s, Sabina famously challenged Richard to speak out by saying, “I do not wish to have a coward for a husband.” Chico says there are many pastors’ wives in Nicaragua similarly encouraging their husbands to boldly proclaim the gospel despite the danger of Christian persecution. Chico says, “The best testimony we can have as Christians is: Am I really committed to following Jesus as my Lord and Savior?” Hear how you can pray for specific needs of persecuted Christians in the restricted nation of Nicaragua, 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, Iran, Nigeria and many more hostile areas and restricted nations.
Read MoreMany Christians have been displaced in Niger, including farmers from rural areas who need to reach their croplands to harvest their crops but struggle to do so because of ongoing threats. “Christians in Niger face danger and challenges,” said a front-line worker. In western Niger, the violent JNIM Islamist group is very active. Its name is an acronym for the Arabic phrase “The Group Supporting Islam and Muslims” and is an offshoot of al-Qaida.
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