“They wandered about in sheepskins and goatskins, being destitute, afflicted, tormented—of whom the world was not worthy. They wandered in deserts and mountains, in dens and caves of the earth” (Hebrews 11:37b-38).

I am traveling back from the Nuba mountains of Sudan, where I joined VOM workers for nearly a week traveling in the bush inside Sudan. It is impossible to adequately describe the devastation and suffering of Christians in this place. I will spend several blog posts sharing stories and insights from our family members there.

Recently a VOM international worker made a trip to visit persecuted Christians in China. He kept a video diary of the trip, which we have been sharing this week on the Persecution Blog.

Recently a VOM international worker made a trip to visit persecuted Christians in China. He kept a video diary of the trip, which we will be sharing this week on the Persecution Blog.

Recently a VOM international worker made a trip to visit persecuted Christians in China. He kept a video diary of the trip, which we will be sharing this week on the Persecution Blog.

Recently a VOM international worker made a trip to visit persecuted Christians in China. He kept a video diary of the trip, which we will be sharing this week on the Persecution Blog.

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.

On a recent trip to Nepal, I joined a small team of staff members to do Bible distribution and take part in a pastor’s conference located in the central region of the country.. After several hours of driving, we came to a residential area of colorful but otherwise run-down houses. Most homes didn’t appear to have indoor plumbing as I saw people collecting water and washing their clothes at well-fed water taps residing on each block. From my western point-of-view, these were poor low-income families. Our Nepali VOM staff informed us that these people were part of the upper caste in the area and were all Hindus. Christians are treated as the lowest caste. One of the VOM staff told us in a matter-of-fact voice, “you won’t find Christians here.”

On a recent trip to Nepal, I met Pastor “Gyan”, who VOM supports. Pastor Gyan was honored by all of the pastors in the area as a grandfather and hero in the faith. Nepal is made up almost entirely of first generation Christians, so a man of his age is seen as one of the first builders of the church in Nepal. We asked them how he built up the church. They told us that Pastor Gyan built his own well.