“Let brotherly love continue. Do not forget to entertain strangers, for by so doing some have unwittingly entertained angels (Hebrews 13:1-2).”

There have been several dramatic interviews with persecuted Christians which I will never forget. During one interview I learned about an Indonesian evangelist who encountered several boys in a remote area after he ran out of gas. The boys eagerly pushed his disabled vehicle to a gas station while singing a Christian hymn and then abruptly disappeared—leaving him wondering whether they were angelic helpers!

Motorbikes like these are common in Vietnam.

Another remarkable Vietnamese evangelist shared excitedly about God’s specific and dramatic intervention in his ministry work. Vietnam is one of the restricted nations VOM has been working in for many years. In spite of intense restrictions, we are honored to hear miraculous accounts of God guiding His people as they faithfully follow him there.

I interviewed a leader from Vietnam recently who told me an amazing story about boldly traveling into an area that he was not authorized to be in. Every step he took was bathed in prayer as he encountered various checkpoints and obstacles, knowing that he was risking imprisonment for talking about Jesus in this difficult region.

As he prayed on the side of the road, asking God for wisdom about his next step, he was surprised when a man stopped his motorbike and asked him if he needed a ride. He gratefully accepted the man’s offer. Just a few minutes later he was shocked, and more than a little bit worried, when the man drove directly to the local police station. The driver ordered him to wait outside. As the evangelist waited for the next 10 minutes, he prayed and wondered what to do—even though I am sure it felt much longer than 10 minutes at the time!

The evangelist believed God was leading him to patiently wait, and a few minutes later the driver of the motorbike emerged from the police station wearing a police uniform with insignia reflecting an influential rank on his shoulder. He hopped back on the motorbike and the police officer and his nervous passenger eased through several checkpoints with a salute and a wave. They were never even asked for identification!

The police officer eventually dropped the evangelist off near his destination and left. Following this bizarre incident, the evangelist decided that God was asking him to follow up and to try to locate the driver. When it was safer, he returned to the same police station and inquired about the driver. As he described the man, his motorbike and his rank, the local police had no idea who he was talking about—the man simply did not exist!

This Vietnamese evangelist is convinced that he was delivered by an angel on a motorbike—and it’s not the first time he’s experienced angelic intervention!

May God guide us as we faithfully follow him with our eyes open to see and our hearts willing to welcome these types of angelic encounters in our own lives.

YOUR TURN: Have you had what you believe to be angelic encounters in your own ministry or life? Share your story in the comments to this post.

Dr. Jason Peters serves in VOM’s International Ministries department, traveling frequently to meet with our persecuted brothers and sisters around the world. He lived overseas for five years and has ministered in 28 countries as diverse as Cuba, Nepal, Iraq and Indonesia. He and his wife, Kimberly, along with their five children, count it a great honor to serve with the persecuted church.

“…a threefold cord is not quickly broken" (Ecclesiastes 4:12b).

As I meet with Christians who are suffering around the world, I am acutely reminded that our King has shaped us to partner together with others members of His Body.

In fact, at VOM, our belief is that we have family members who are suffering persecution because of their faith and that God has called us to stand with them. That is the heart of VOM's mission.

The international projects that enable us to “stand with them” always involve partnership. We pursue partnerships with indigenous leaders who are already faithfully ministering within their own context and ask them how we can join them in their ministry. We love to meet with these types of bold believers and to help them take the ministry God has gifted them with even further.

Last year, I met one of these faithful sisters in South Asia. This lovely lady has been ministering within her own culture since 1926. Many of those years she served former Muslims who chose to follow Christ—even though it cost them dearly! Nobody knows exactly how old she is (birthdays are not commonly celebrated where she lives), but her colleagues believe she is more than 100 years old. I had a difficult time communicating verbally with her because of her advanced age and the language barrier. But, I couldn’t help but reflect on how exciting it will be one day to sit with her in heaven and hear how God used her to enrich the lives of the countless people that she served. She has made incredible spiritual investments and I want to celebrate the harvest with her!

When we partner together, with all of our feeble individual strands, there is an incredible “Return on Investment” for our King and His Kingdom.

None of us are extraordinary. We are fragile, weak human beings. And we work with normal human beings overseas—there aren’t any supermen out in the field. But, in God’s economy, our weakness is made into strength—for His glory. As we join together on our knees, and as we show up each day ready to serve wherever our King has called us, we experience His power and the fruit of some very meaningful work!

Dr. Jason Peters serves in VOM’s International Ministries department, traveling frequently to meet with our persecuted brothers and sisters around the world. He lived overseas for five years and has ministered in 28 countries as diverse as Cuba, Nepal, Iraq and Indonesia. He and his wife, Kimberly, along with their five children, count it a great honor to serve with the persecuted church.

Two weeks ago, I returned from a remote area in Colombia, where I was honored to meet with a ministry leader, his wife and their remaining five sons. I say “remaining five sons” because one of their sons was recently killed by FARC guerrillas.

Colombia has experienced intense conflict for more than 40 years. It’s a very dangerous place to live and serve God. In fact, after American missionary Chet Bitterman was martyred on March 7th, 1981, after 48 days of captivity, many foreign mission agencies left Colombia because it was considered too dangerous.

Today, there are many indigenous pastors and missionaries who face risks every day because of this ongoing conflict. The leader I met with was warned by local guerrillas that he needed to give up some of his sons to support their cause. Of course, as a Christian, he refused. How could he let his sons join a group of terrorists who were running drugs, enforcing their ideology with violence and promoting other ungodly activities?

One night, the guerrillas assassinated one of his sons. They also tried to kill another of his sons, but this young boy was able to escape into the jungle while they shot at him.

One of the most remarkable aspects of their story is that the son who ran away hid in the jungle for four days. Think about that. Running into the jungle alone as a young boy, with only the clothes on your back, and hiding for four days! I can only imagine what type of emotional trauma he endured during those four long days and nights.

Meanwhile, the leader and his wife believed that the FARC had killed the older son and kidnapped the younger one. They buried their older son two days later, while their younger son was still hiding in the jungle. He missed his own brother’s funeral. A couple of days later, after everything quieted down, the father went to look for the son and, by God’s grace, found him hiding in the jungle.

Three months later, after additional threats, the father was sent a letter by the FARC ordering him to report to a specific location, at a specific time, a few days later. He was warned that this was when they would kill him so he packed up his family and escaped to another town. 

As I prayed with this family, I was humbled as I realized how much they had given up to stand strong for Jesus and how they were continuing to “fight the good fight” in a new location. It was an amazing testimony of hope following tragedy and of God’s sustaining peace.

Today they have moved to a new area, where VOM is supporting them as they plant a church there. Please remember this dear family as they continue to mourn the loss of their son, their support system, and their home. Pray that God will enable them to continue to stand strong for him in their new location.

Your Turn: How would you respond to threats against your children because of your gospel work?

Dr. Jason Peters serves in VOM’s International Ministries department, traveling frequently to meet with our persecuted brothers and sisters around the world. He lived overseas for five years and has ministered in 28 countries as diverse as Cuba, Nepal, Iraq and Indonesia. He and his wife, Kimberly, along with their five children, count it a great honor to serve with the persecuted church.

As we meet with our family members around the world, we often celebrate with them as they share miraculous accounts of God’s direct intervention in their lives. A specialized team of four women from VOM just returned from two weeks in Nigeria. These women offered listening ears, hours of prayer and profound words of encouragement to a dozen widows of Christian martyrs.

During one of their sessions, a widowed sister shared that one year after her husband’s death, she was seriously contemplating abandoning her faith. She had three young children at the time and life was extremely difficult for her. Every day was a long struggle to provide for her family and to try to guide them spiritually. Then a friend came to visit, bringing with her a ray of hope in the midst of this widow’s darkness.

During their time together, her friend turned to Revelation 6, and read, “When He opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of those who had been slain for the word of God and for the testimony which they held. And they cried with a loud voice, saying, “How long, O Lord, holy and true, until You judge and avenge our blood on those who dwell on the earth?” Then a white robe was given to each of them; and it was said to them that they should rest a little while longer, until both the number of their fellow servants and their brethren, who would be killed as they were, was completed” (Rev.  6:9-11).

These words pierced this widow’s heart like a dart. She felt a strong confirmation that her husband did not die in vain and that he was now part of a communion of martyrs sheltered under the altar of Almighty God.

It is a deep honor and a gift to be able to serve as one of many “voices” for the sisters and brothers we serve. We learn more from their example each day. We can’t leave any of our family members behind. And, in the process of serving them, we are able to draw strength from their victories, and to learn from their examples. Please pray that God will help us, and the family members that we serve, to keep our eyes fixed on the distant horizon, knowing that God is with us and that we too will find “rest” at His altar.

Dr. Jason Peters serves in VOM’s International Ministries department, traveling frequently to meet with our persecuted brothers and sisters around the world. He lived overseas for five years and has ministered in 28 countries as diverse as Cuba, Nepal, Iraq and Indonesia. He and his wife, Kimberly, along with their five children, count it a great honor to serve with the persecuted church. Dr. Peters will be one of the speakers at VOM's regional conference in Colorado Springs, CO on April 6.

"But the mercy of the Lord is from everlasting to everlasting on those who fear Him, and His righteousness to children's children" (Psalm 103:17).

I recently interviewed a strong leader from Vietnam, Pastor Dong. "You can be an international mission worker without ever leaving your knees," he said. "When you pray in America, you are working in Vietnam."

This reality was experienced in a profound way by one of our VOM support staff recently. Our International Ministries team includes many field leaders, and each region is supported by Regional Coordinators. These administrative professionals communicate regularly with our field leaders. Most of their conversations are via e-mail, and they occasionally talk on the telephone or as part of a video teleconference. The RC's role is to help manage projects, to review documentation and to enhance the overall communication between the field and the home office. In spite of the close-knit relationships they share, they rarely have the opportunity to meet in person those they support who are serving "on the front lines."

Last Saturday morning, I was honored to be able to call "Aimee," one of our Regional Coordinators, with some great news. One of our field leaders in South Asia had just excitedly informed me that he and his wife had adopted a newborn baby girl who was abandoned at the hospital only three hours after she was born. Our leader and his wife heard about this child, traveled to the hospital and, after much negotiation, were able to adopt the now 35-day-old baby girl!

This blessed girl will now be raised in a Christian home along with their other children, while her family faithfully ministers in a very hostile country.

As I digested the news about their new family member, our leader shared one more thing. "Would you please tell Sister Aimee that we named the girl after her?" he said. Wow. What a humbling experience. Aimee has never had the opportunity to meet this family; in fact, she's never even been on an airplane. But she has loved, served and prayed for this family…all from her desk.

A few days later Aimee received this e-mail: "Dear sister Aimee, we have adopted one daughter and named her after your name because you are very special to me and my wife…As she grows I will send you update pictures of her. Please pray, for she is like your granddaughter. Hope one day you will meet her face to face. Thank you sister. You are our family member."

Will you pray with us for our "extended family" members who are boldly standing for Jesus? We will continue to love, serve and pray for them so that we can make a difference for eternity—even from our desks!

YOUR TURN: How are you making a Kingdom difference in your workplace? Has anyone ever done something special or surprising to honor your Kingdom service?

Dr. Jason Peters serves in VOM's International Ministries department, traveling frequently to meet with our persecuted brothers and sisters around the world. He lived overseas for five years and has ministered in 28 countries as diverse as Cuba, Nepal, Iraq and Indonesia. He and his wife, Kimberly, along with their five children, count it a great honor to serve with the persecuted church.

"He only is my rock and my salvation, my stronghold; I shall not be shaken" (Psalm 62:6).

Do you ever feel assaulted by life? Life is difficult. As human beings, we all experience physical challenges, emotional upsets financial tests and deep spiritual questions. Others willingly suffer persecution because of their readiness to take risks for Jesus. I have met many sisters and brothers who report that their hope is secure in Christ alone and that they experience spiritual security, exceptional peace and lasting significance He offers to those who fully trust in Him.

A few weeks ago, I traveled to India to meet with persecuted members of our "extended family." In Bangalore, I met a man who had almost all of his teeth knocked out in a vicious attack. In spite of intense personal suffering, he continues to boldly serve in an influential ministry. His wife shared that even though she is sometimes scared when he travels to minister in dangerous places, she is learning to trust in God. In Psalm 62, David was learning how to trust as well. He refers to God as his "fortress" twice, as a "rock" three times and as his "refuge." Clearly, David believed that God would be there for him in the midst of the assaults he faced.

A part of the "Elephant Gate" at Agra Fortress in India.

I was reminded of this Psalm when our team visited Agra Fortress, a few hours south of Delhi. It was overwhelming to walk through the massive "elephant gate." To get to the heart of this amazing fortress, you must cross two moats. When the fortress was built, the outer moat was filled with water; the inner moat was filled with tigers. As you cross a giant drawbridge, you encounter an inner gateway called Hathi Pol, the "Elephant Gate." This gate was specifically engineered to defend against attackers using elephants to crush the gates of a fort during a siege. The drawbridge, slight ascent, and 90-degree turn between the outer and inner gates made the entrance impregnable by preventing the elephants from gathering enough speed to crush the gates.

David is remembered as a warrior, but he is also remembered for the deep intimacy he shared with our Father, as reflected in so many Psalms. One of the essential elements of this deep intimacy was his absolute reliance and rest in the Lord. David felt free to go to the Father, to openly share his most personal struggles, to process his pain and to receive healing and hope from his "fortress" God, Who is able to withstand any assault.  

Martin Luther expressed this shared hope beautifully in one of the Church's most beloved hymns, "A Mighty Fortress is Our God." Throughout Christian history, millions of other followers have run to God to find spiritual security, exceptional peace and lasting significance. "Resting" in Him is like placing your soul in an impregnable fortress, so place your trust in Him alone today!

Dr. Jason Peters serves in VOM's International Ministries department, traveling frequently to meet with our persecuted brothers and sisters around the world. He lived overseas for five years and has ministered in 28 countries as diverse as Cuba, Nepal, Iraq and Indonesia. He and his wife, Kimberly, along with their five children, count it a great honor to serve with the persecuted church.