During a recent trip to train persecuted believers in the Southern part of Mindanao Island, one of the most difficult places to be a Christian in the Philippines, I started the morning by chatting with brother Jun before breakfast.

A judge rescheduled the Aug. 12 execution date for a Christian man imprisoned outside Tehran, Iran. “Amir” was originally set to be executed this week, two years after being caught transporting a truckload of Bibles. Publishing, importing or reprinting Bibles or Christian literature is illegal in Iran. Though the sentence has been delayed, his family remains very concerned for him.

My heart has been heavy as I read and hear news reports of IS (the Islamic State) giving Christians in Mosul an ultimatum to convert to Islam, pay a high tax (jizya), flee or die. More recently, IS released a video, in which they announced a threat, "Our message to the entire world is that we are the soldiers of the Caliphate state and we are coming." So much of what we are seeing unfold in the Middle East characterizes what has happened to Christians throughout history in that region as well as other restricted nations. As I reflect on this, I am reminded of five truths that are important to remember, in order to keep our eyes focused on what's eternal (Col. 3:2).

It is said that a picture is worth 1,000 words. And when it comes to telling the stories of our persecuted family, that can often be the case.

I was recently invited to join a small team of VOM staff members to travel to Nepal and help distribute Bibles our donors have provided. Unfortunately, two days before we left, I had to quickly travel to Dallas to see my mother and decide her next step in care. My mother’s health was quickly declining with Stage 4 Lymphoma and severe dementia. My siblings and I had no choice but to move her into hospice. When I returned, I made the difficult decision to continue on with the Nepal trip as her life expectancy was still undetermined.

In my role as VOM’s media spokesperson, I’ve developed working relationships with many members of the media, particularly Christian media staffers who regularly share stories about our persecuted family. We often share information and stories back and forth, and bounce ideas off of each other.

I’ll never forget the morning that Jim (VOM’s President) and I were driving a long-term associate of Richard Wurmbrand to the airport. “Brother T.” is a peppy, passionate 80-year-old Italian—the kind of person who deeply impacts everyone he meets! In a few hours, all three of us would be leaving on separate early-morning flights. As we drove together in the pre-dawn darkness, Brother T. energetically shared stories about Richard Wurmbrand.

Last week VOM's Todd Nettleton was interviewed by Mission Network News about the upheaval that is currently rocking Libya, and what it might mean for Christians there. Here is the resulting story:

The eyes of the world’s media turned last month to the northern plains of Iraq, and to the city where Jonah first delivered Jehovah’s message thousands of years ago. Today the story isn’t of a messenger of Jehovah going into Nineveh (now called Mosul), but thousands of Jehovah’s followers being forced out of the city. The alternatives given to Christians by IS (Islamic State) if they don’t leave Mosul are subjugation to Islam or being forced to follow a different god—Allah. Or they will be killed.

"Consequently, faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word of Christ." Romans 10:17