From the first days after his arrest in Sudan, Petr Jasek repeatedly said, "God is the One who holds the key to my cell."

What verse of Scripture would you grab onto if you were locked in prison for your faith? Perhaps you'd choose Isaiah 61:1:

Petr Jasek, a Czech national and VOM’s Africa regional director, spent 445 days in a Sudanese prison. Days after returning home, Petr sat down with VOM Radio to share his story and thank the thousands of people who prayed for him and his co-defendants during his long months in prison.

Czech national and long-time VOM staff member Petr Jasek has been released from prison in Sudan, following a pardon issued by Sudanese President Omar Al-Bashir. Petr was arrested by the Islamic Sudanese regime after visiting Sudanese Christians and providing a small gift to help with a man’s medical treatment. He was convicted of multiple “crimes” last month, including espionage and entering Sudan illegally. He was sentenced to life in prison for espionage, which according to Sudanese law means 20 years in prison, plus four additional years for other alleged crimes. Negotiations between the Sudanese and Czech governments have been ongoing since the sentence was announced, culminating in a visit to Khartoum by Czech Foreign Minister Lubomír Zaorálek. Zaorálek tweeted out a picture of Petr Jasek returning home on the plane with him Sunday afternoon.

Join us today as we continue looking back on some of the most-impactful testimonies shared with us in 2016 on VOM Radio.

In one of the most-listened-to episodes of VOM Radio in 2016, Australian John Short shares the story of his detention in North Korea.

Months ago, I had a conflict with a friend at church. There were several conversations and many tears as we tried to work it out. Finally, it boiled down to different values and parenting philosophies. For my friend, one of her foundational values is safety. She sees her main role as a parent to protect her children from harm.

Tohar Haydarov was quietly released from prison in Uzbekistan on Nov. 8. He had served nearly seven years of his 10-year prison sentence and was released for good behavior. He may face parole conditions, and authorities verbally told him not to get in trouble or he would return to prison. Authorities had told him earlier this year that a parole in his case "would not happen." Tohar was imprisoned in 2010 for allegedly selling large qualities of drugs, although fellow church members say the charges were falsified, and he was accused only because of his Christian faith. Fellow Christians told Forum 18 News, "We are thankful to everybody who prayed for him and sent letters to him while in prison." They ask for continued prayer for him.

Nine year old Cole Staples from South Carolina is making a difference in the lives of his persecuted family. Below, Cole shares in his own words how he got involved with VOM:

The scheduled Supreme Court hearing in the case against Pakistani Christian wife and mother Asia Bibi was postponed today when one of the judges scheduled to hear the case recused himself. No new hearing date was announced.