Barto was on the brink of starvation. Once a Communist Party official and prosecuting attorney, he was now considered expendable by the same party. He was sentenced to labor in a Romanian prison camp. His stomach, once full, was now wasting away. He wondered how much longer he could go on.

As I was going through some news I found a pretty thorough article about Good Friday and how the world celebrates it. Click here to read the article.

I just received news that Pastor Zaur Balaev was released from prison!!! We here at The Voice of the Martyrs are rejoicing as Pastor Balaev was one of the prisoners highlighted in our Prisoner Alerts. And we want you to know that your prayers and letters really did make the difference.

58 Christians Arrested, 9 Church Leaders Sent to Prison - Compass Direct News On February 22, Laotian officials arrested 15 Hmong Christian families in Bokeo district, Laos. According to Compass Direct News, the arrests occurred a day before a court sentenced nine Hmong church leaders to 15 years in prison for 'conducting Christian ministry and meetings that had grown beyond acceptable levels for Communist officials.' Compass reported, "The day before the sentencing, Laotian authorities arrived in Bai Sai Janrern village in Bokeo district with six trucks in which they hauled away eight Christian families. Authorities also arrested at least seven families from Fai village three miles away." The arrested families make up a total of 58 Hmong Christians. A Christian source told Compass, "It seems they are rounding up all Hmong Christians from Vietnam to send them back to Vietnam. What will happen to them is greatly feared and unknown." According to the Compass report, the nine Christian leaders sentenced to 15 years in prison for Christian ministry were arrested in July 2007, during a police and military raid of suspected rebels that left 13 innocent Christians dead. The Voice of the Martyrs stands with believers in Laos and encourages you to pray for these believers who have been arrested because of their faith in Jesus Christ. Ask God to give them strength and courage to forgive their persecutors. Isaiah 40:31

ICorinthians 15:50-58Now I say this, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable. Behold, I tell you a mystery; we will not all sleep, but we will all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet; for the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed. For this perishable must put on the imperishable, and this mortal must put on immortality. But when this perishable will have put on the imperishable, and this mortal will have put on immortality, then will come about the saying that is written, "DEATH IS SWALLOWED UP in victory. "O DEATH, WHERE IS YOUR VICTORY? O DEATH, WHERE IS YOUR STING?" The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law; but thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your toil is not {in} vain in the Lord.

Guards, Islamic inmates bullying Liu Huiwen for distributing gospel leaflet. BANGKOK, March 18 (Compass Direct News) – Liu Huiwen, a Chinese Christian sentenced to 18 months imprisonment last November for distributing a gospel leaflet to Muslims in Gansu province, is suffering mistreatment in a Muslim-majority prison, local sources told Compass. After a recent prison visit, Liu’s wife Miao Hui Lian claimed that he was limping badly and looked very thin. Liu, unable to speak openly, told his wife that the prison was a “very bad place” and that he was being “bullied constantly.” When Liu’s wife attempted to travel to Beijing to report the abuse, police warned her to stay at home. A local source told Compass that, “We have reason to believe the guards or inmates are punishing him for what he did and trying to cast terror into his heart".

Today, March 17th is the yearly celebration of St. Patrick's Day all over the world, so in honor of this wonderful man, I wanted to share with you his words instead of focusing on all of the stories about him that are not necessarily true.

“Our Lord commanded us to remember the Sabbath day and keep it holy,” Florea calmly told the prison guards. “I cannot work on this day.”