Today I thought that I would give you a recap of the stories we shared with you this week, just in case you missed something.   We have so much to pray for and rejoice in the Lord over.  Please share this with your friends and family who care about the persecution of Christians around the world.

Monday we shared with you a devotion called He Actually Chooses Affliction, a story coming out of Laos and the persecution happening there, and and Persecution Podcast 103 where we focused on prayer for Laos, Pakistan and Azerbiajan.

Tuesday was Valentines Day so we shared with you a letter from Tom White about Asia Bibi, a little history about Valentines Day in our post Valentinus Beheaded in Rome, and
and about a revival happening in Egypt.

Wednesday we shared some news from Pakistan and a new blasphemy charge for Dildar Youcaf , we asked you to help us write 416 more letters to Gao, who is still in prison and we gave you more information on the blasphemy charges from our friends at Mission Network News, concerning Dildar Youcaf.

Thursday we shared some praise coming out of China because of our Bibles Unbound program, as well as some news about a few priests who were abused and released from prison in South Sudan, and a video report from CBN News about the 200 Christians who died in fire in Honduras.

Thank you for reading our blog and for caring about the needs of Christians worldwide.  I pray the Lord blesses you, as you remember that we are bound with them!

The Voice of the Martyrs recently received several hundred letters from believers in China who were given Bibles through VOM’s Bibles Unbound program.

“Your love and contribution have encouraged many people’s hearts,” wrote a Chinese pastor whose church received 1,050 Bibles. “We believe these Bibles will become a strong power in the church.”

The power of God’s Word has already touched a college student who received a Bible in his language. As an atheist, he had never had the opportunity to read a Bible. “I got a Bible today, so I started to read it,” he wrote. “My heart felt joyful. It is really different from any book I have read before. I heard believers say that it is God’s Word. It really filled my heart and confirmed this belief. God is calling me.”

There is still an urgent need for Bibles both in China and in other countries where VOM’s Bibles Unbound program operates. After one church received Bibles through Bibles Unbound, it decided to work with another church to share the gospel. The congregations worked together, and a revival soon started in the area. However, their supply of Bibles was limited, and they quickly ran out.

“With your selfless devotion and silent work, I believe that China will become a land of God,” wrote one believer after receiving her Bible. “The gospel will be spread all over China. … May we glorify God together!”

To take part in sharing God’s Word with those who desperately long for it, you can help sponsor Bibles through

Sources: VOM Contacts

Yesterday Todd Nettleton, the Director of Media Development for The Voice of the Martyrs, appeared as a guest on In the Market with Janet Parshall to discuss the latest news concerning persecuted Christians around the world.

In their short twenty minute interview, Janet and Todd discussed the horrible persecution happening to Christians in Northern Nigeria and explained that just this year, seventy four people have been killed by the Boko Haram group which is seeking to wipe out all Christians.  Todd suggested that Christians pray for those in Nigeria who are also Christians and ask the Lord for protection and for wisdom to know how to respond to those who are persecuting them.

Todd also gave an update about Gao who was recently found in a prison in China, that is out in the outskirts of China.  He explained that Gao's brother had tried to visit him, only to be denied access and he discussed the prison giving conflicting reasons why he wasn't allowed to see Gao.

Todd also shared a little bit about prison ministry in China and a story about a female Christian prisoner in China who shared that it was a good experience for her.  He explained that often, as a Western Christian, we think things that are often very contrary to the real experiences some Christians have while they are in prison.  He contrasted prison ministry in China, as being something that a pastor may do because he is in prison himself, versus how some here in  America may do prison ministry, but may have never been in prison.  Todd, wanted everyone to understand that persecuted Christians often have more joy than we may expect because they are able to share the Lord Jesus in a place where they might not have had access.

The conversation continued as Janet asked Todd about North Korea in which Todd shared that bibles are being smuggled into North Korea in creative ways, like being attached to balloons.

Todd also shared that the DVD Jesus:He Lived Among Us, has now been translated into the Korean language with both North and South Koreans working on the project.  He explained that usually there is conflict among North and South Koreans, but the making of this project shows unity that Koreans have in Christ.

The conversation ended with discussion concerning Indonesia and how persecution in Indonesia used to be from outside the government, but now has evolved to the government persecuting Christians in this Muslim dominated country.

Please click here to listen to this interview.  You'll be inspired and challenged to pray.

 

The new year brings about many New Year resolutions. Many of you may have a New Year resolution to read through the Bible. I know I make it my goal to read the Bible every day, and I am very blessed because I own a Bible; however, some people in the world aren’t as fortunate as me, and don’t have the blessing of being able to have their own Bible. You and I can help change that by participating in The Voice of the Martyrs’ Bibles Unbound program.

Right now we have just over 24,000 bibles waiting to be sponsored. We have needs in China, Vietnam and Indonesia.

Besides sponsoring a Bible through our program, one you can pray for those who are going to receive the Bibles. As you may know, prayer is the number one thing that persecuted Christians request from believers in nations who are not being persecuted for their faith in Christ. When you join the Bibles Unbound program, you get to meet the two most requested needs of the persecuted church—prayer and Bibles.

For only $30 a month you can send five Bibles to the nation of your choice. Visit BiblesUnbound.com to sign up!

Merry Christmas!

We hope that you are experiencing the joy of this season.

In case you haven’t visited www.BiblesUnbound.com recently, we want to update you on some exciting information. Thanks to God’s provision and our Bibles Unbound (BU) partners, we delivered more than 35,000 Bibles in November, including some of the first BU Bibles to reach northwest Nepal. Before Nepalese believers received these Bibles, church members had to hand-write Bible passages before each service, and the copies were then distributed to the congregation.

VOM is grateful to believers like you in the United States who sponsor God’s Word for countries such as Nepal. God is using this unique ministry to spread the gospel throughout restricted nations and provide his Word to believers who have not had ready access to it.

VOM encourages you to continue sponsoring Bibles and serving this critical role in providing God’s Word to people around the world. We praise God for his favor and faithfulness in enabling us to provide Bibles to believers in Nepal and elsewhere, but there are many believers around the world still waiting. To partner with VOM in sending more Bibles, please visit www.biblesunbound.com.

For those in Bonds,

The Bibles Unbound Team

The following is the latest The Voice of the Martyrs update on Bibles Unbound.  Enjoy.

Recently, we received a testimony from India that inspires and encourages us.

Mr. Chita Hansda was raised worshiping idols, and from an early age he became addicted to tobacco and alcohol. When his wife, Sakra, became sick, he took her to the hospital. Doctors diagnosed Sakra with tuberculosis and gave her only two or three months to live. Chita continued to offer rituals to his gods, but he saw no results.

During this difficult time for the Hansda family, a man named Asimo Limma visited his village, sharing the love of Jesus and giving away Bibles. When Asimo shared about the love of Christ and his power to forgive sins and heal all kinds of diseases, Chita told him about his wife’s illness. “First, you must repent of all your sins before Jesus and promise that you will not go back to worship idols,” Asimo told Chita and Sakra. “Secondly, if you believe in Jesus, Jesus can heal your wife, and he will forgive your wrongdoings.”

In the weeks that followed, Sakra recovered from her illness. “[Chita and Sakra] started attending the prayer fellowship,” VOM contacts said. “Both of them confessed their sins to Jesus and committed themselves not to worship idols but only the Lord Jesus Christ. They are now enjoying the joy and peace of Jesus Christ and are also ready for baptism.”

Praise God for this transformation in the Hansda family’s lives. We are grateful to faithful believers like you who send the Word of God to people like the Hansdas who have never heard it before. These are seeds sown in good soil, and God has promised a harvest. We are also thankful for our brothers and sisters inside restricted nations who faithfully gather the names and addresses of people who need to read God’s Word.

Thank you for supporting Bibles Unbound. Check www.biblesunbound.com to stay informed of new operations. Also, please forward this e-mail to Christian friends who care about persecuted believers around the world. Pray that God will provide additional opportunities for us to mail Bibles to people in even more nations in the coming months.

For Those in Bonds,

The Bibles Unbound Team

Dear Friends

In September, VOM began sending an easy-to-read Arabic Bible to people in the Middle East who have not heard God’s word before. Praise God for this great opportunity to provide a Bible that is easy to read and understand! Prior to this Bible version, the Arabic Bible was hard to read and understand for many people.

VOM is thankful for believers like you who sponsor God’s Word in countries such as Egypt, India, Indonesia, Nepal and Colombia. God is using this unique ministry effort to spread the gospel throughout restricted nations.

We continue to see God’s favor and faithfulness to the many persecuted Christians around the world who help us gather names of other people who need Bibles. These names are submitted to Bibles Unbound, where members have the opportunity to sponsor Bibles in the appropriate language for various restricted nations. BU provides an opportunity for believers in the U.S. to stand alongside our persecuted brothers and sisters and create a witness for Jesus Christ in hostile lands.

We encourage you to continue sponsoring New Testaments and playing a part in providing God’s Word to people around the world who do not have access to it. Pray that as VOM prints the easy-to-read Arabic Bible and sends it to people in the Middle East, the Word of God will transform lives.

If you’re not currently sponsoring Bibles through Bibles Unbound, we invite you to join us in this effort. You can sign up to sponsor Bibles at www.biblesunbound.com.


For those in bonds,

The Bibles Unbound Team

  Today, Todd Nettleton, Director of Media Development for The Voice of the Martyrs USA, and a few others, answered the question concerning whether or not we should continue to smuggle bibles into China.

The short answer is YES!  The reason, we must remember that China is still a restricted nation, and that it is still a communist nation.  Christians in China are still being persecuted.  In fact, all you have to do is visit http://www.chinaaid.org on a frequent basis and you can see how much Christians in China are still suffering.

The good news is that The Voice of the Martyrs is still able to send bibles to China through our Bibles Unbound program.  If you're not familiar with our wonderful program, please visit http://www.biblesunbound.com for more information.

And may I share with you also, how much I have loved participating in the Bibles Unbound program, because when I consider how easy it is for me to receive a bible any time I want, and then consider that a mere donation of 30.00 a month will send 5 New Testaments to someone in a restricted nation, I can't think of a better way to spend the money the Lord has given me.

May the Lord richly bless you as you spread His word to the nations where Christians are longing and thirsting for THE WORD.

Click here to read more about Bibles Unbound, and here to read the full article Smuggle Bibles into China?

If you're on the Voice of the Martyrs email list and are apart of their wonderful Bibles Unbound program, then maybe you've already seen this great news, however, if you're not on the list, let this encourage you to become involved in Bibles Unbound.  You'll love it.

“They Get a New Testament; I Get the Gift of Joy”

June 29, 2010

At VOM we get many testimonies from Bibles Unbound participants. Their stories encourage us as they tell how they’ve been blessed by the persecuted church. Recently, Monica shared how sponsoring New Testaments has blessed her and brought her joy.

Monica had sponsored five New Testaments to China and five to Colombia each month. Then she said God put it in her heart to sponsor 30 New Testaments a month.

“That means that every morning when I wake up I will be greeted with the thought that one more person in the world is receiving one of my New Testaments. When I recall this, I pray for that person. How exhilarating!”

Gospels sponsored by Monica are being sent to Colombia, India, Egypt and North Korea. “Sometimes, during the day the Lord reminds me that another New Testament is being delivered, and I get thrilled all over again. Sometimes it is hard to contain my joy. They get a New Testament; I get the gift of joy.”

We are grateful to faithful believers like Monica who are supporting the mailing of New Testaments monthly, then praying for the safe delivery of God’s Word to people who have never read it before. These are seeds sown in good soil, and God has promised a harvest. We are also thankful for our brothers and sisters inside restricted nations gathering names and addresses of people who need to read God’s Word.

We appreciate you being a part of Bibles Unbound. Check www.BiblesUnbound.com often to see when new operations are added. Also, please forward this e-mail to Christian friends who care about persecuted believers around the world. Pray with us that God will open additional opportunities for VOM to mail New Testaments to even more nations in the coming months.

For Those in Bonds,

The Bibles Unbound Team

Speaking of Bibles Unbound, we have a brand new opportunity for you to help send bibles to India.  Click here to sign up today and tell a friend, your Sunday school class and anyone who will listen. You'll be glad you did.

We are pleased to announce a new addition to our Bibles Unbound family — the country of India. Known as the world’s largest democracy, India may seem an unlikely country to need Bibles. However, this country of more than 1 billion people has the most unreached people groups in the world, according to the U.S. Center of World Mission. Nearly 88 percent of India’s 2,500 people groups are ignorant of the saving grace of the Lord Jesus Christ.

India, in Southern Asia and spanning from Pakistan to Burma, is plagued by religious violence. Christians are attacked an average of three times a week, according to The Voice of the Martyrs contacts. In 2008, the country experienced its worst anti-Christian violence in recent history when Hindu radicals raided Christian villages in Orissa state, killing more than 100 people, burning thousands of homes and displacing more than 70,000 people. But despite this violent persecution, Indian evangelists continually request one item above all others — God’s Word. 

Sakhya Nayak, a 22-year-old mother, is one of the thousands of Christians displaced by the Orissa attacks. Hindu radicals raided Sakhya’s village, killing her grandmother and her father-in-law, Samuel Nayak, a pastor. They burned Sakhya’s home and everything she owned. During the attacks, Sakhya fled to the forest, hiding from the roving band of killers. During that time, she wished for only one thing — a Bible. “When we were in the jungle, only one man had a Bible that we used to read and pray with,” Sakhya said. “When we read the Bible we get strength. The Bible is more precious than gold.” 

The Voice of the Martyrs has heard the request of our persecuted brothers and sisters in India who have painstakingly gathered the names of many in India who have never held a Bible. Together we can spread the light of Christ throughout this unreached nation by sending the Word of God.

India Bibles Unbound operations will be “Virtual Only.” Bibles Unbound will send to India for you, Bibles from a location outside the United States. The exciting news is this process saves money and allows us to provide complete Bibles to India. You can view the names of people who will receive the Bibles you sponsor on your personal Mission Page so you can pray for them. 

Please continue to pray for Sakhya and all the Indian Christians who remain joyous in the Lord despite persecution. Pray for the unreached people groups in India and the evangelists who courageously seek to spread the gospel among them. 

For Those in Bonds,

The Bibles Unbound Team