“Are you not afraid of what we will do to you?” the Communist colonel asked, his tone a combination of mockery and challenge.

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.

USA/China (MNN) ? A visit to the U.S. by China's presumptive next president, Xi Jinping, has not been without its controversy.

The following news report is from CBNNews and we would just ask for your prayers today for the families for all of those lost, and for God's peace to overwhelm the families and friends of all the victims. This is a tragedy and so we request your prayers.

Their captors – South Sudanese militiamen loyal to (north) Sudan’s Islamic government – accused the Rev. Joseph Makwey and the Rev. Sylvester Mogga of ties to the South Sudan military. South Sudan, which seceded from Sudan on July 9, 2011, has been in military conflict with (north) Sudan over border areas while staving off southern rebel militias. “They knew we were just priests, yet they ‘arrested’ us,” Mogga told Compass. The two priests were kidnapped from the compound of St. Josephine Bakhita Catholic Church on Jan. 15 and were released two weeks later, they said. For security reasons they would not discuss conditions of their release, but the kidnappers had demanded 500,000 Sudanese pounds (US$185,530); press reports indicated no ransom was paid and that they were released after pressure from influential groups including the government in Khartoum. Christians in Sudan have complained of a spike in threats against them by South Sudanese militias rebelling against the new South Sudan government. The South Sudanese rebels go house-to-house in Khartoum and other towns in the north abducting mainly Christian men, Christian sources said; hundreds of young men have been forcibly conscripted, while older men are either killed or ransomed. The kidnappers tortured the two clergymen physically and psychologically, and they are now undergoing medical treatment, sources said; they will require more time to recover.

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

Pakistan (MNN) ? Things are only getting worse for another Christian charged with blasphemy in Pakistan.

Last week we encouraged you to take a few minutes and write Gao who has been suffering for Christ in prison for over 200 days. I'm happy to share that another 276 letters were written to Gao, just last week!! Amazing! You all wrote more letters last week than in the previous few weeks before that. Thank you so much!!