My wife was with me on the trip to China several years ago when we met a house church Christian named Sister Tong, who you see in this picture. At that time, she had been free from prison just a few weeks after serving six months for hosting an “illegal” church meeting in her home.

Two weeks ago, I returned from a remote area in Colombia, where I was honored to meet with a ministry leader, his wife and their remaining five sons. I say “remaining five sons” because one of their sons was recently killed by FARC guerrillas.

Esther

In recent weeks North Korea has been on the front pages of many world newspapers as its government voices threats to the world and attempts to flex its military muscle.

We all suffer—it is a part of life since the Fall of mankind in the Garden of Eden. Some suffer because of their testimony to their belief in Christ. As long as Christians are silent, there are few repercussions. A holy life may give away your secret, but if you are a silent Christian you may be able to escape rejection and hostility, if that is your goal. If you articulate that Jesus is Lord and not people (even yourself) then the likelihood of rejection is exponentially increased.

"The Jesus Freaks Minute" airs on Christian radio stations nationwide. Each month VOM creates and sends out 12 radio spots sharing the story of a persecuted Christian or another believer totally sold-out for God. Some stories come from recent VOM headlines; others come from throughout Christian history. And some come from the pages of Scripture itself, like this one which will air in May:

VOM’s Todd Nettleton was interviewed Friday by a reporter from Mission Network News about the current situation in North Korea. Here is the resulting story:

“. . . seven, eight, nine—you! Step out!” The Nazi guard yelled at the woman. The commandant had ordered every tenth prisoner executed as punishment for two women’s escape the previous night.

Perhaps you saw this photo on the back of VOM's newsletter last month:

"I enquired about the possession of the Christian spirit and the reply came… that it was the Holy Spirit. Well, at any cost I didn't want to be robbed of this new life and hence started learning Christianity." Thus began the journey of Reverend Chander Mani Khanna from high-caste Hindu devotee to dedicated Christian pastor who was arrested for baptizing Muslim converts.