When you examine countries where Christians are facing persecution because of their faith in Jesus Christ, many people would never think of Chiapas, Mexico. The Voice of the Martyrs’ recent newsletter gives us a glimpse of the challenges believers face in Chiapas state, and what is incredible is the determination of these precious brothers and sisters. Their testimonies and stories are inspiring because despite what they have been through, their faith in God is solid. To me, they are a great example of Christ’s redemptive love and what our dedication to faith should be, irrespective of what can be going on around us. I encourage you to get a copy of the newsletter and read stories that I can assure you will transform your faith.

Lord, make me an instrument of thy peace. Where there is hatred, let me sow love; Where there is injury, pardon; Where there is doubt, faith; Where there is despair, hope; Where there is darkness, light; Where there is sadness, joy.

A VOM worker recently met secretly with two Palestinian Christians, encouraging them and providing some practical assistance. Without knowing who he was meeting with, one brought a book that had greatly encouraged him: an Arabic version of Tortured for Christ.

It never ceases to amaze me how the Lord uses things to teach about Himself all over the world. In a story today put out by Assist News Service I read of a man by the name of Arvind Khodke who has collected postal stamps since childhood and now at 57 years old, he still collects stamps so he can learn more about Christianity. Here's part of the article...

The last few weeks have been filled with tons of news regarding Christian persecution in India. Here's another story from our friends at Compass Direct. For the full story, click here.

You can read the full story at Assist News here.

“What is it?” Soviet captain Marco snarled at the young boy. “What do you want?” The boy, only twelve, swallowed his fear as he stood before the Communist officer. “Captain, you are the man who put my parents in prison. Today is my mother’s birthday, and I always buy her a flower for her birthday.”

For the last few years I have been so blessed to be working with the staff at The Voice of the Martyrs, and seriously, when I consider how I got connected to VOM, part of me laughs and the other part realizes that God's providence is always at work. Which is why I want to share with you a testimony that I received from Todd Nettleton the other day. For privacy reasons and protection, I have changed the names of the people involved. May this encourage you to share what you know of the ministry of The Voice of the Martyrs.

Today as I was doing some research on Christian persecution, I came upon a website about two brothers who made a film about their martyred father. The film is titled A Cry from Iran and the following is a short description of what the film is about.

NEW DELHI, January 15 (Compass Direct News) – With elections due in 10 states this year and a general election scheduled for 2009, the Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is apparently planning to use religion-related issues to polarize voters. This tactic, Christians fear, will increase the incidence of anti-Christian violence. The party is planning to hold major rallies in almost all state capitals by the end of March in preparation for the general election, reported The Hindu on January 9. “There will be increased violence against Christians in the 10 states that go to the polls – and in other states, too,” said Dr. John Dayal, secretary general of the All India Christian Council.