When a fully veiled woman came to his church and asked to be baptized, this pastor from Iraq wasn’t sure how to respond. But the woman had been reading and memorizing the New Testament, and her faith in Christ was genuine. After the pastor and another church leader met her and asked many questions, she was baptized in their church.

As I write this, I am flying at 30,000 feet on my way to a restricted nation in North Africa to meet with some of our sisters and brothers. It is an incredible honor to serve alongside people who are willing to advance the Kingdom in the most difficult places on earth.

VOM Executive Vice President Cole Richards answers a question received recently from a VOM reader.

Why is the church in China growing so quickly? One reason is because Chinese Christians are focused and intentional about sharing the gospel message with others.

Thirteen–year–old Danjuma Shakaru was critically injured during an attack on his village in northern Nigeria. Muslim militants struck Danjuma on the head, arm and body with their machetes. Thinking he was dead, the villagers who found him dug his grave.

I often wonder about our persecuted brothers and sisters: do they struggle with things westerners usually struggle with? Do they struggle with drugs or lust or depression or alcoholism or laziness like we might? They’re humans too, the temptations are evident everywhere in the world, why wouldn’t they struggle with it too? Working at VOM, I’ve heard powerful stories of people in cultures that are also saturated in drugs, alcohol and promiscuity who turn their lives to Christ and are then persecuted. But their eyes are focused completely on Christ, it’s as if their past struggles with these addictive things are completely gone. How is that?

"Brother Jay" continues the conversation about working in North Africa, including the biggest challenge that new Muslim converts to Christianity face, and how they prepare Christians—from their first days walking with Christ—to face persecution and rejection. Jay also shares ways that American Christians can reach out to Muslims who live right here in the United States.

In a stunning and controversial announcement on Aug. 5, a judge in Sudan ruled that two South Sudanese church leaders would not face execution for their crimes. Following eight months of waiting for an outcome, Pastor Yat Michael and Pastor Peter Yen were charged with less serious convictions, given credit for time served and told that they could go home.

According to this verse, the Lord is always good. We see things in small pictures, but God sees the big, beautiful pictures that He is creating.