I really like elephants. I have spent hours riding on the backs of elephants in different countries, and I am always amazed by their sheer strength and mass. Riding atop an elephant makes many people feel like a king. Other riders are too distracted by the sheer terror of the experience to spend much time reflecting at all!

The Islamic Revolution in Iran in 1979 promised great things for the Iranian people. The mullahs that took over the nation promised an Islamic paradise on earth. More than 35 years later, Iran’s people have lost hope in their government, and in the religion it upholds.

Several years ago, I was working at an Illinois grocery store on a particularly cold and snowy day in February where everyone was asking the baggers to load their groceries in their car. As I waited for customers, I protected myself from the cold by standing inside a small heated alcove. The automatic door to the alcove was broken and I had to push it open by hand.

Those who come to Christ in Sri Lanka—especially in rural areas—face challenges and trials from Buddhist or Hindu family members or village leaders. Sometimes the challenges are extreme: church buildings torn down, Christians beaten and even martyred for their faith.

VOM recently shared the story of Abu Fadi, a Christian from Mosul who fled ISIS in August 2014, in our October newsletter. We are sorry to tell you that Abu Fadi passed away last night from complications due to diabetes and high blood pressure.

Editor's note: Sat-7 partnered with VOM in the translation and/or broadcasting of JESUS: He Lived Among Us in Arabic, Farsi and Turkish. We received the following report and prayer request this week from our friends at Middle East Concern. Please pray for the staff and leadership of Sat-7 as they face this pressure.

The people of Central Asia are caught between their Islamic culture and the authoritarian remnants of 70 years of communist domination. Statistically, many of the region’s people have a zero-percent probability of meeting a follower of Christ or hearing the gospel message of Jesus' love.

Recently VOM's primary media spokesperson, Todd Nettleton, recorded a radio interview with Martha Manikas-Foster of Family Life Radio about what Christians in the Middle East are facing, and why so many are willing to risk death in order to flee to western Europe or someplace else considered "safe" for them.

If you read the Bible in English, you owe a debt of gratitude to William Tyndale. Today marks the anniversary of Tyndale’s execution at the stake for the “crime” of translating the Bible into English: