Last Wednesday's post explains this video diary project and the nature of our trip to Iraq, and includes the first entry in this video diary. You can watch Day 2 here, and Day 3 here.

Wednesday's post explains this video diary project and the nature of our trip to Iraq, and includes the first entry in this video diary. You can watch Day 2 here.

Yesterday's post explains this video diary project and the nature of our trip to Iraq, and includes the first entry in this video diary.

What’s it like when you travel to restricted nations for VOM? That question is one of the most common as I meet people at VOM conferences and as I talk with Christian friends. I hope that in the coming days on the blog you’ll get a little bit of an answer to that question.

If you've been to a VOM regional conference this year, you may have heard one of the members of the Hovsepian family speak or sing. This family is an amazing part of the legacy of Pastor Haik Hovsepian, the leader of the Assembly of God church in Iran who was martyred for his faith and his outspoken call for religious freedom in his country. It's now been more than 20 years since Pastor Haik was killed, yet the ministry of his family into Iran continues each week via satellite television.

Liena and her family turned down offers of asylum in Western countries after civil war broke out in Syria. They knew the cost that they might be required to pay, but they chose to remain as witnesses to their Muslim neighbors and as an encouragement to other Christians in Syria. Liena was a dedicated Christian, faithful wife and mother of two. In her prayers, she asked God to use her to reach more people. And then God asked her to make one more commitment.

The eyes of the world turned this week to the White House, where President Obama gave a speech outlining his plans to battle against the Islamic State (IS). While VOM is not a political organization, VOM staff do monitor how the United States government responds to religious freedom issues overseas, and we work to educate and provide resources for government personnel tasked with understanding and speaking out against the persecution of Christians.

The world is watching as ISIS (which now simply calls itself IS, for "Islamic State") takes control of more and more territory in Iraq and Syria. But what does the growth of this radical Islamic group mean for Christians in that region?

One of our VOM workers was in China recently to visit with persecuted believers there, and sat down with "Rainbow," the wife of imprisoned Christian bookstore worker Wenxi Li.

Trauma is a part of life. This truth may be even more apparent in the hostile and restricted nations where VOM ministers. These are very difficult places to live—especially for a Christian.