Persecution Blog

Turkey: Visions of Jesus Christ

I recently had the privilege of speaking with a Muslim convert to Christianity. Thousands of Muslims have experienced dreams and visions of God, and “Baris” took the time to share how a vision of Jesus changed his life.

When I asked Baris to share his testimony, he spoke about his devout Muslim family who means everything to him. He arrived in the United States as a graduate student more than a decade ago, and now owns several businesses. In Turkey, he was a “missionary” of the Islamic faith, and he continued to live as a good Muslim here in the United States. In his first year as a graduate student, he says he did read part of the Bible, but put it aside. He married a woman from a strict Muslim family, and on Friday nights, he and his friends studied the Quran.

About a year ago, he found a Turkish translation of the New Testament online. “It really affected me,” he says, and he kept reading secretly. The Quran had taught him that the Bible was corrupted and that Jesus was only a prophet. Baris said, “I felt conflicted,” but he wanted answers about Jesus. Each night, he locked himself in a small room of his house to pray for at least an hour.

One night, while praying, God gave him a vision of Jesus Christ as the Creator God. It was a startling revelation. He continued to pray and read from the New Testament. Not long after this, he had another vision of Jesus. Baris said, “His love really poured into my heart.” He felt an overwhelming and indescribable love. He knelt down to confess his love and belief in Jesus that night, just before he was to see family in Turkey.

Baris’s wife sensed that something was different. He felt compelled to tell her all that he had experienced and that he had become a Christian. Immediately, she wanted a divorce.

Even with that set back, Baris wanted to tell his brother about his experience. “Will you believe me if I tell you something that happened to me?” he asked his brother. Baris’s brother listened and said nothing. The next day, his brother and one of their mutual friends escorted him to a psychiatrist. Baris believed it would be a half-hour visit and a chance to share his testimony.

The visit turned into a defense of his Christian faith at a psychiatric hospital.  The hospital staff seemed convinced that his vision had been some sort of hallucination. He was forced to take psychotropic drugs, and one doctor tried to reason with him and convince Baris to return to his Muslim faith. Another doctor did an internet search and discovered that Jesus had appeared to other Muslims through visions. Several committee meetings later, the hospital decided they could not declare him crazy on the basis of his Christian faith.

When his parents received word of all that had happened, Baris met them for a hard conversation in Istanbul. He told them about his visions and that he had decided to follow Jesus. His dad threatened to disown him, but Baris told his father, “You can even kill me and I won’t change my mind.” His mother fainted.

His father agreed to treat his son as an atheist. His brother later asked him why he had to look at a Bible at all. “I wanted to seek the truth,” he told him.

Today, Baris has a church home in America, where he continues to learn about Jesus. He is also teaching members of the church how to reach out to Muslims.

Like the thousands of Muslims who have had dreams and visions of Jesus, Baris’s life was transformed through Christ’s power. It came with a price, but it was one he was willing to pay in order to know the truth.

Ann Kay is a writer for VOM. She learned about VOM five years ago when she read Tortured for Christ and began receiving the newsletter. She is passionate about reaching the world for Christ and sharing stories of the persecuted church.

Nigeria Rescues Nearly 300 Women and Girls

In a Persecution Blog post last week, Ann Kay asked the question, "Can Boko Haram Be Stopped?" This week news came from Nigeria that the government had rescued almost 300 women and girls held captive by Boko Haram. Ann responds to the news:

This week, the news of nearly 300 women and girls rescued from Boko Haram on April 27 by Nigeria’s army captors created a stir of emotions in me. With all my heart, I hoped the 200 girls and 93 women rescued from the Boko Haram stronghold in the Sambisa Forest meant that some of the Chibok girls were free. The 276 schoolgirls were abducted a year ago from their school in Chibok. Just hours later, my hope turned to disappointment.

Nigerian Army spokesman Sani Usman reported that the rescued were “not the Chibok girls.” The news is a disappointment for us, for their families, but it is also a harsh reminder that hundreds more women have been abducted by Boko Haram. So while I still hold out hope that the Chibok girls will come home, I celebrate this rescue, and I remember those who are missing.

VOM has ministered to several girls and women who escaped from Boko Haram. You can hear an account of some of that help in this episode of VOMRadio. Please continue to pray for the people of Nigeria.

“Ann Kay” is a writer for VOM. She learned about VOM five years ago when she read Tortured for Christ and began receiving the newsletter. She is passionate about reaching the world for Christ and sharing stories of the persecuted church.

Can Boko Haram Be Stopped?

After the tragic discovery of nearly 80 bodies in a mass grave in northern Nigeria, military forces from Niger, Chad and Cameroon vowed to destroy the Islamist group known as Boko Haram.

The radical extremist group began slaughtering Christians in 2009 with the intent to create a Muslim northern Nigeria, with a total death toll at 15,000. Other Christians have escaped into the south or neighboring countries. Many have suffered terrible losses and serious injuries through bomb blasts, burned buildings, or machetes blows.

In April 2014, international outrage broke loose after Boko Haram raided a school in Chibok and abducted 276 girls, mostly Christians. After more than 12 months, hope is fading that the girls will ever be found alive. Hope that Boko Haram will be stopped after six years of bloodshed is also fading.

Nigeria’s military forces of have been widely criticized as being ineffective, and in many cases, absent altogether, leaving men, women and children to fend for themselves. In the town of Baga, civilians repeatedly warned local military of an impending attack, to no avail. When Boko Haram killed hundreds in that area in January 2015, Nigeria officials denied the numbers. However, witness accounts and satellite images showed devastating losses and the abysmal failure of the military to protect its own citizens.

However, political changes and a shift in military strategy suggest there is hope for Nigeria.

The African Union has authorized a multinational joint task force (MNJTF) between Benin, Chad, Cameroon, and Niger along with Nigeria to combat the Boko Haram militants. At the beginning of 2015, Boko Haram occupied nearly 20 local governments, an area about the size of West Virginia. Since then, military forces from Niger and Chad have pushed most of the insurgents out of the states of Yobe and Adamawa. Additionally, they are now making considerable progress toward recapturing areas of Borno state.    

There is hope that the political atmosphere can change, and Nigeria’s citizens recently elected President Muhammadu Buhari, a Muslim. President-elect Buhari’s campaign centered on a reputation as a tough and knowledgeable military ruler. Christian leaders have publicly praised President Buhari as a man of peace.

One analyst argues that hope may be a long way off. Political pretense and even spiritual issues within the country may make it difficult to defeat Boko Haram on the battlefield alone. Though the Pew Research Center recently reported that 82% of Nigerians have an unfavorable view of Boko Haram, it is difficult to say whether or not having a very unfavorable view of this terrorist organization will create enough momentum to put them to a stop. 

As someone who has watched and prayed anxiously since the Chibok girls were kidnapped, sometimes it can be hard to know how God is at work in the situation. However, as those in VOM’s leadership often remind us, God is not surprised by what is happening today.  He is sovereign. He is an all-powerful God.

There is hope that Boko Haram can be put to a stop. There is always hope in God. And thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ (1 Corinthians 15:57).

Ann Kay is a writer for VOM. She learned about VOM five years ago when she read Tortured for Christ and began receiving the newsletter. She is passionate about reaching the world for Christ and sharing stories of the persecuted church.

World Water Day

By the time I leave for work, I’ve used nearly 20 gallons of water between a shower, brushing my teeth, and preparing breakfast and coffee. Last week began with World Water Day (Sunday, March 22), and I invite you to consider the ways you depend on water each day and how this unites you with others around the world who depend on Jesus Christ as our living water.

Unlike most homes in the United States, water isn’t readily available everywhere around the world. In some countries, like Nepal, Christians are excluded from using water sources just for choosing Christ. VOM has helped believers in these places build wells because they would not have access to water otherwise.

Last July, I was in Nepal where I saw the work of those serving Christ with all they have. As we drove through the country, the winding roads took us through villages where colorful homes dotted the landscape. Often, as we slowed down for traffic, we would see young children, women, and sometimes men using hand pumps to fill a bucket or jug with water. These were the affluent neighborhoods, and as one VOM worker told us, Christians are not likely to be found in these areas. More rural areas might have one well or draw water from a stream.

Typically forced to the outermost parts of rural villages in Nepal, Christians are often despised in this predominantly Hindu nation. Often relatives or village leaders will try to force new believers to return to their Hindu beliefs. A common tactic to try to force new Christians to recant their faith is to forbid them from local resources, especially water.

One convert to Christianity was hated for his beliefs. His community had one well for drawing water and Hindu radicals resented the man for turning to Christ, so they told him he could no longer use their well. Hoping he might reconsider and give up Christ or even die of thirst, he was told to dig his own well.

“Gyan” didn’t die though, and since he would not denounce his faith, he was forced out of his village. A season of drought came, and the village where the Christian man had once lived dried out. When Gyan learned of their plight, he returned to the village to offer his help, inviting them to use the well that he had dug by himself. Despite the drought, his well had not run dry, and the thirsty villagers welcomed the invitation to use the well he had dug. They even listened to his message about the true living water – Jesus Christ.

Pastor Gyan now leads a thriving church, and those who once refused to let him use their water are the same ones who now know He is the well that does not run dry. He teaches other Christians about persecution, and continues to share his faith with those who do not yet know about the living water. World Water Day highlights both a need for accessible drinking water, but it also stirs up a desire to pray for my persecuted brothers and sisters in Christ.

“Ann Kay” is a writer for VOM. She learned about VOM five years ago when she read Tortured for Christ and began receiving the newsletter. She is passionate about reaching the world for Christ and sharing stories of the persecuted church.

Who are the Assyrians?

On the last Sunday in January, Christians in the ancient Syrian village of Tel Hormizd removed a cross from their church, but not by choice. They were forced to abandon their Christian identity by Islamic State (IS) militants, who had also kidnapped and killed hundreds of Christians.

Six days later, residents of 35 contiguous Assyrian villages were also ordered to tear down the crosses on their ancient churches and pay jizya, a tax on non-Muslims living in Muslim territory. Those who refused to pay were told to leave their villages or be killed. Thousands fled, but many remained. Within three weeks, the, the militants kidnapped between 262 and 373 people from the villages.

As Assyrians around the world mourned the loss of their family members, it caused me to wonder exactly who the Assyrians were. An ethnic group distinctly different from Arabs and Jews, the Assyrians have faced much persecution for their belief in Christ

The Assyrians were among the first people groups to become Christians. The apostles Thomas, Thaddeus and Bartholomew obeyed Christ’s command to “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations” (Matthew 28:19) and reached out to the Assyrians. It was through their leadership that The Assyrian Church of the East (Nestorian) was established in AD 33. Later, the Assyrians would also form The Syrian Orthodox Church (Jacobite) and The Chaldean Church of Babylon (Roman Catholic). These three bodies are considered the primary Assyrian churches, though there are other Syriac churches, including the Maronites in Lebanon.

In spite of pressures from other groups, the Assyrians have preserved their Christian way of life. Although the lingua franca throughout the Middle East became Arabic, the Assyrians preserved their own language, speaking a form of Aramaic, the language Christ spoke. Retaining what they had been taught by the apostles, the Nestorian church was a thriving missionary church, and by the twelfth century, it had reached into China, Korea, Japan and the Philippines. By the mid-thirteenth century, however, only a small remnant of what had once been a large outreach remained in Iraq. In an effort to rid the area of Christianity, an army nearly eradicated the Assyrians.

Even so, Assyrian Christians have continued to practice their faith throughout history. Descendants of Mesopotamians, many continue to live in their ancestral homeland – a region that now spans northern Iraq, northwestern Iran, southeastern Turkey and northeastern Syria. Though there are many Assyrian communities located elsewhere, those in this area have faced extraordinary difficulties. In 1914, Turkish nationalists massacred about 750,000 Assyrians. But this would not be the last time Assyrians would face genocide. Following the formation of Iraq in 1933, Iraqi soldiers murdered more than 3,000 Assyrian villagers in Simele. And with events now occurring in Syria and Iraq, the Assyrians may well be facing another genocide.

I am amazed at how the Assyrian people have not given up hope. Although they have endured centuries of persecution, the Assyrian people remain true to Christ and boldly defended themselves. This was illustrated to me when 19 of the more than 200 hostages taken in February were released. One family refused to leave, because IS militants were keeping their 6-year-old daughter, Mariana. After two days, IS finally gave in, and she was released. What a cause for celebration! As much of her community celebrates with her, some Assyrians continue to fight off IS militants for the villages where the apostles of Christ first established a people willing to follow Christ, no matter the cost.

Sources: Assyrian International News Agency, Rutgers Center for Study of Genocide and Human Rights, Nestorian.org

“Ann Kay” is a writer for VOM. She learned about VOM five years ago when she read Tortured for Christ and began receiving the newsletter. She is passionate about reaching the world for Christ and sharing stories of the persecuted church.

The Darkest Places

There’s a path not far from my house that winds through nearly eleven miles of the city. The pathway runs beside the Caney River and courses through the woods, and connects a number of the city’s public parks. After sunset, many parts of the trail become incredibly dark. Only distant street lights and nearby businesses light up the surrounding area.

While walking late in the evening on one of these dimly lit trails, I remembered a story I recently heard from one of our VOM workers who visited Burma (Myanmar) to visit our co-workers. Several years ago, he was heading into the city of Mandalay, which has a population of more than a half million people. The trip was to take approximately twelve hours. More than sixteen hours later, the van began to slow. It was well after midnight. Looking out the window, he could see nothing. There were no lights, so he asked if they were in Mandalay yet. Smiling, one of the Burmese Christians replied, “Perhaps they have moved Mandalay, brother.” There were no street lamps, and if anyone was awake, their home did not show any evidence of it. Though a city of more than half a million people, it was completely dark.

It surprised me to learn that a city of this size could be so dark even after the midnight hour. I was more amazed to learn at how God is working through faithful brothers and sisters in Burma when I met two Christian workers from Burma recently.

The men shared about the way that they are training leaders in secret seminaries. While attending a graduation ceremony for one of these seminaries, a VOM worker asked how many were planning on being pastors. Not one of the students raised their hands.  A little stunned that not one of the students wanted to be a pastor and perhaps wondering about the translation, he was told to ask how many planned to be missionaries and church planters. With this question, every single hand went up. Students in this Bible school learn about the Bible, but they are also trained to go into spiritually dark places to share the Gospel message.

One church planter trained at the seminary employed the “rice field” method. He goes into new villages and begins working in the rice fields. On a daily basis, he works with the people in order to gain their trust and begin to share the Gospel with them. When men and women accept Christ, he disciples them to become leaders of a church community. After the couple is ready to take leadership, the church planter moves to a new village where he starts working in a rice field again. When our VOM worker asked how long he planned to do this sort of work, he declared that he would do it until Jesus returns or until he is no longer able.

When I spoke with the two workers from Burma, one shared that his prayer is to be able to minister amongst the Rohingya people. The people are notoriously dangerous, and he shared a Burmese saying about the Rohingya: "If a person encounters both a poisonous viper and a member of the Rohingya, he should kill the Rohingya first and then  worry about the viper." This faithful brother’s desire is to enter one of the darkest areas of Burma to share the love of God with them.

When I asked how he would deal with persecution that he might encounter, without hesitation, he shared how he would be blessed if he were counted worthy to be persecuted for reaching out to people who did not yet know Christ.

As I walked and thought about Burma, I stopped worrying that it was growing darker that evening. Instead, I considered the darkest places where people have not heard about Jesus. Dark places exist in all corners of the earth. While it might be dark around you, we have the light of Christ to share in the darkest places.

YOUR TURN: What are the dark places you are praying for? 

“Ann Kay” is a writer for VOM. She learned about VOM five years ago when she read Tortured for Christ and began receiving the newsletter. She is passionate about reaching the world for Christ and sharing stories of the persecuted church.

Photo credit: My Favorite Tree Along Pathfinder Parkway by Granger Meador via Flickr. Used under Creative Commons license.

Exceedingly and Abundantly

When I was approached to go on a trip to Nepal with VOM, I was exceedingly glad. As the countdown to the trip begins, the adrenaline has kicked in so much that I find it difficult to stop making mental checklists and go to sleep.

I have been studying Ephesians, and as I prayed about this trip, I was drawn to Ephesians 3. In verse 6, Paul writes about Gentiles being “fellow heirs, of the same body, and partakers of His promise in Christ through the gospel” (v. 6). It is hard to put into words my expectations for this trip as I have never been to Nepal.

Though I have written stories about pastors who experienced beatings so severe they nearly died, it is hard to fathom living in a country where such things happen. It is difficult to imagine visiting a country where Hindu temples vastly outnumber church buildings. Everywhere I have lived has usually had at least one church building within walking distance. While I have been on trips outside the U.S., it has never been to an area where Christians risk their lives and livelihoods for practicing their faith.

My previous trips have almost all been through a Christian organization that ministers to children through the local church. Members who join the trip are from all over the United States and few know one another. For a short time, we put our faith into action and try to be ministers of God’s love to those we meet. In Mexico, I spent time playing with kids by running as fast as I could with a group of girls. The girls led me to a basketball court where my lack of athletic ability was stunning. In Kenya, after playing with a darling baby, her mother and I prayed together, and she emphatically stated that she and I were partners in faith. It was humbling. I have often found that no matter how much I try to give of myself, I always receive more than I could ever ask for.

I hope and expect that Nepal will be much the same way. On my desk, I have a sticky note that reads “camaraderie.” Now, this word has new meaning as I realize that unlike previous trips, I will be traveling with coworkers and meeting VOM workers based in Nepal. While I have developed friendships with those on my trips in the past, it is exciting to go with people that I will continue to serve with. It is exciting to meet believers in Nepal and realize that it is not “us” and “them,” but that we are partners and “fellow heirs.”

I don’t know what to think or what to expect. I know I will attend a pastor’s conference. I have also been told that we will likely get to distribute care packages to children who have been waiting patiently. As I pray again for the trip, I consider Ephesians 3:20-21 “Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us, to Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen.”

“Ann Kay” is a writer for VOM. She learned about VOM five years ago when she read Tortured for Christ and began receiving the newsletter. She is passionate about reaching the world for Christ and sharing stories of the persecuted church.

Photo credit: Todd Nettleton; copyright by The Voice of the Martyrs.

Faithful in Prayer

Surrounded by violence, Grace had never known much about love, joy, or forgiveness. Her community in Uganda, was hostile both to outsiders and those living in the village. Most people had grown up believing in dark, spiritual forces that could only be remedied by a witch doctor’s magic.

When Grace became a Christian and turned to God instead of to the local witch doctor, villagers savagely beat her and left her for dead. She was rejected, but she continued to turn to God for help and comfort. It was in God that she finally understood love, joy and forgiveness. She forgave those who had harmed her. Her desire was that others would know this love, and she began asking God to help her community turn to Him.

She prayed faithfully for four years that more Christians would be added to her village. In the fourth year of her prayers, her village was in the middle of a severe drought that had lasted more than seven years. One of the witch doctors determined that a Christian must be sacrificed in order to bring rain. A young man known as a believer was kidnapped, but police rescued him before he was offered to the village gods as a sacrifice. 

The young man and some others joined Grace in praying for their village. As they prayed, they felt God leading them to build a church. They bought property and in less than two weeks constructed a church building. While there were only five members in the group, they set up 100 chairs. Grace continued to pray.

Not long afterwards, two missionaries visited the village and presented the Gospel message. In two separate services, 100 people came forward to renounce their evil ways and follow Christ. The 100 people filled the 100 chairs in the church.

Members of the community asked the missionaries to pray for their brown, dry and scorched land in desperate need of rain. So they all began praying earnestly for rain, believing that it would be God that would open up the heavens. The missionaries asked God that no one would turn back to the wicked ways of human sacrifice in order to call for rain. Then, the two men left.

They drove off, thanking God for all that had happened in the community. God had used Grace in a tremendous way. Though she had been beaten and left for dead, she was not discouraged. She persevered in prayer, and it was likely her prayers that opened so many hearts to receive Christ. As the men stopped for gasoline about an hour outside of the village, they felt droplets of water on their arms. Behind them, they could see sheets of rain pouring down in the direction of the village.

Once the two arrived home, they received word from those in the village, exclaiming gladly, “Everything here is green!” The drought had ended, and the seed that had been planted by Grace’s prayers had multiplied. One hundred believers had come to Christ during their visit, but they were surprised to learn that the number more doubled the following Sunday, with 250 believers worshipping and committed to following Christ wholeheartedly.

Ann Kay is a writer for VOM. She learned about VOM five years ago when she read Tortured for Christ and began receiving the newsletter. She is passionate about reaching the world for Christ and sharing stories of the persecuted church.

By Choosing Christ, Her Children Will Be Orphans

Daniel Wani holds his newborn daughter for the first time. MailOnline News

“It’s a baby girl!”

Maya, the second child of Meriam Ibrahim and Daniel Wani was born earlier this week in a prison clinic, where her mother awaits execution for refusing to renounce Christianity. Maya and her 20-month-old brother, Martin, will remain in prison with their mother until she is weaned. Then, she and her brother will become orphans if Sudan’s government carries out Meriam’s death sentence.

The children’s father and Meriam’s husband Daniel, was finally able to visit his children on the day after Maya’s birth. When he spoke with his wife, she expressed no regrets. “If they want to execute me then they should go ahead and do it because I’m not going to change my faith.”

In court, the judge repeatedly gave her opportunity to recant her Christian faith. She stated openly that she had never practiced the religion of her father and that she was a Christian. The judge gave her three days to change her mind or be charged with apostasy. Meriam came back to court and told the judge she would not change her mind.

Meriam told her husband, “I refuse to change. I am not giving up Christianity just so that I can live. I know I could stay alive by becoming a Muslim and I would be able to look after our family, but I need to be true to myself.”

Meriam Ibrahim has already died to herself and lives in Christ. She is ready to die for her faith, but I cannot imagine the sorrow that she and her husband are enduring as their two young children are kept alongside her in chains, and as they imagine a future without Meriam.

I can only imagine the conditions she is living in at the prison, where guards are reportedly mistreating her and where Muslim prisoners are rallying around her. I can only imagine her pain as she tries to care for her two young children while trying to keep her hope alive and her faith vibrant. I can only imagine Daniel’s anguish at his inability to help his wife while separated from his children.

As members of the body of Christ, we are called to “Remember the prisoners as if chained with them—those who are mistreated—since you yourselves are in the body also.” (Hebrews 13:3). We are also called in Isaiah 58:6 to “loose the bonds of wickedness, To undo the heavy burdens, To let the oppressed go free.”

Please pray for Meriam and her family. Pray for comfort for her in prison. Pray that her example will have an impact on those around her and on the whole nation of Sudan. Pray for her husband Daniel and the lawyers who are working to help her. Pray that Meriam and her children will be freed.

Post a prayer for Meriam at iCommitToPray and learn more at Persecution.com.

“Ann Kay” is a writer for VOM. She learned about VOM five years ago when she read Tortured for Christ and began receiving the newsletter. She is passionate about reaching the world for Christ and sharing stories of the persecuted church.

INDIA: Christ Is Preached

One of our VOM contacts in India recently shared an inspiring story of a young woman that lives her life for Jesus in spite of her many trials.

A 30-year-old widow, Vani is the sole provider for her family. While I’m not sure when Vani lost her husband, imagine the grief that a young mother must face with such loss. As a daily laborer, it is now up to her to provide shelter and food, clothing, as well as school fees for her 7-year-old daughter. Not an easy task, but she presses forward and finds her strength in Jesus.

Vani is a strong woman who is a faithful member of her church. She regularly travels with Rekha, 50, who is the pastor’s wife, and Mala, 34, who is a widow with two children, ages 12 and 14. Can you envision the sorts of conversations that they must have along the way? Together, they routinely go out to other villages where they meet with people who need to know about Jesus. They distribute gospel tracts, and actively seek opportunities to share God’s love with those they meet.

In early February, as Vani was on her way home from church, she found just such an opportunity when she noticed a young teenage girl at the bus stop. As they made introductions, she came to learn that Kusuma was a 15-year-old girl who was very depressed and sad about her home situation. She faced a lot of problems with her parents and her relatives.  

Following her recent release from prison, Vani is pictured with her 7-year-old daughter.

Vani shared the gospel with her, and Kusuma was very intrigued. As evening came, Kusuma decided to go to Vani’s house. The next morning, she still wasn’t ready to return to her parents’ home, so Vani invited her to attend church with her. There, she introduced the girl to Rekha and Mala, who also took interest in helping the girl and shared stories of Jesus with her before she went back to her home.

When Kusuma returned home, one can imagine how upset her parents must have been. Although Vani, Rekha, and Mala had cared for their daughter, it must have seemed suspicious. The parents told others about what happened, and soon they along with a group of radical Hindus filed a false complaint with police, stating that the women were kidnapping children and forcing them to convert to Christianity.

On March 2, police arrested Vani and took her to jail. Rekha and Mala managed to escape immediate arrest, but authorities were still looking for them as they wanted to charge all three with kidnapping and forced conversions. Vani’s 7-year-old daughter was left in the care of church workers.

While many people may have been discouraged, Vani saw it as a new opportunity to preach Christ. When we first learned of this, VOM was arranging to help with legal fees, including bail for Vani and anticipatory bail for Rekha and Mala.

Yesterday, we learned something even more exciting. She had been released after spending 15 days in jail, but it gets better. Vani tells us that she “did not lose her faith in the Lord” and used the time to continue to pray and share the gospel with those around her.

When the jailer saw the changes in the habits and activities of these women, Vani was encouraged to share the gospel and pray for nearly 70 ladies. In the 15 days that she was locked up for “forcing” a 15-year-old to convert, 14 of the women that Vani shared the gospel message with made decisions to follow Jesus.

Vani’s story reminds me of Paul’s words in Philippians 1: 12-13, “But I want you to know, brethren, that the things which happened to me have actually turned out for the furtherance of the gospel, so that it has become evident to the whole palace guard, and to all the rest, that my chains are in Christ.”

Vani has told us that she is interested in continuing prison ministry and reaching out to these women. Although Kusuma’s parents and other radical Hindus wanted her locked away for her “crime” of preaching Christ, even the jailer noticed a distinct difference about Vani. It was the jailer who encouraged Vani to pray for the women and share her faith. As a result, the things that have happened to Vani have actually turned out for the advancing of the gospel, so that there are now 14 more sisters in Christ.

“Ann Kay” is a writer for VOM. She learned about VOM five years ago when she read Tortured for Christ and began receiving the newsletter. She is passionate about reaching the world for Christ and sharing stories of the persecuted church.