Today I have exciting news to share with you because I just found out that 16 of the books that The Voice of the Martyrs offers are now available at Amazon, for the Kindle for only one dollar each. That is an amazing deal! If I were you, I’d get all of the books today.

Today I would like to thank the editors at Newsweek and Ayaan Hirsi Ali for doing a cover story on the plight of Christians.

This morning as my husband and I were having our morning devotions and prayer time, we prayed for the persecuted church and were remembering our brethren who are in chains. This got me thinking about how the Persecution Podcast is really a very helpful resource for focusing our prayers. Every week we post a podcast so that you can hear directly from the staff of The Voice of the Martyrs about what is happening behind the scenes and specifically about some of the recent prayer requests we have from around the world.

Mexico (MNN) ? Violence in Mexico has claimed the lives of a U.S. missionary couple. Yesterday, John (76) and Wanda (67) Casias were remembered for their service to Christ in the Baptist church they founded.

Vietnam--Four Christian Prisoners Released on "Vietnam Day" Sources: VOM Contacts, Human Rights Watch Psalm 146:6-8 Who made heaven and earth, The sea, and all that is in them; Who keeps truth forever, Who executes justice for the oppressed, Who gives food to the hungry. The Lord gives freedom to the prisoners. The Lord opens the eyes of the blind; The Lord raises those who are bowed down; The Lord loves the righteous. Within the next few weeks, VOM will provide medical checkups and any necessary treatment to four recently released Christian prisoners. The four men, who had been serving sentences of nine to 10 years each, were among 10,244 prisoners released in celebration of Vietnam's National Day on Sept. 2, 2011. One prisoner who was not released was 65-year-old Father Nguyen Van Ly. Father Nguyen received an eight-year prison sentence in 2007 but was released in March 2010 on medical parole after suffering three strokes. One year later, the government insisted that Father Nguyen return to prison, and on July 25, 2011, he returned to complete the remaining five years. Father Nguyen requires ongoing treatment for his health problems, which include a brain tumor and carotid atherosclerosis. Thank God for the release of the four Christians, and pray for their successful return to church and family life. Pray also for Father Nguyen's release and health. Colombia--FARC Impedes Evangelism in La Macarena Source: VOM Contacts Joshua 10:25 Then Joshua said to them, "Do not be afraid, nor be dismayed; be strong and of good courage, for thus the Lord will do to all your enemies against whom you fight." Members of the leftist FARC guerrillas have prevented VOM evangelist "Rolo" from entering La Macarena region with items such as radios, Bibles and Christian books, as violence in the area increases. "Aside from closing churches, they are burning buses" that try to come to the region, a VOM worker in the region said. "There are other towns that have the same problem right now," our worker added. Please pray for believers in the region around La Macarena, that God will preserve their lives and give them courage. Sudan--Evangelist Beaten and Arrested Source: Compass Direct News Psalm 121 I will lift up my eyes to the hills— From whence comes my help? My help comes from the Lord, Who made heaven and earth. He will not allow your foot to be moved; He who keeps you will not slumber. Behold, He who keeps Israel Shall neither slumber nor sleep. The Lord is your keeper; The Lord is your shade at your right hand. The sun shall not strike you by day, Nor the moon by night. The Lord shall preserve you from all evil; He shall preserve your soul. The Lord shall preserve your going out and your coming in From this time forth, and even forevermore. Police beat and arrested a church leader in Khartoum recently, amid increasing harassment of Christians in Sudan following the 2011 secession of the largely Christian South Sudan. Evangelist James Kat of the Evangelical Church of Sudan was arrested Jan. 17 on charges of using church property as his home. He was released on bail the same day. In a Jan. 3 letter to leaders of the Sudanese Presbyterian Evangelical Church, Sudan's Ministry of Guidance and Religious Endowments threatened to arrest all pastors who carry out evangelistic activities and fail to provide contact information for church leaders. About 350,000 people, most of them Christians, fled to South Sudan after its secession, and Christianity is now regarded as a foreign religion in Sudan. Pray for the few remaining believers in the north.

LAHORE, Pakistan, January 30 (CDN) — A judge has denied bail to a young Christian man charged with desecrating the Quran under Pakistan’s controversial blasphemy laws despite the lack of evidence against him, sources said. Police in Shahdara, near Lahore, had arrested 23-year-old Khuram Masih on Dec. 5 and charged him with desecrating the Quran after his landlord, Zulfiqar Ali, alleged that he had burned pages of the book in order to prepare tea. Section 295-B makes willful desecration of the Quran or use of an extract in a derogatory manner punishable with life imprisonment. Masih’s previous lawyers, Muhammad Farhad Tirmizi and Liaqat John, on Jan. 3 petitioned for his bail. In their petition, they stated to Additional Sessions Judge Anjum Raza Syed that police had registered a false case against Masih based on hearsay, and that police had not found any incriminating evidence. Judge Syed, however, refused to grant bail to Masih on grounds that the case was “very sensitive, and bail to the accused would fan religious sentiments and cause a great mishap.” Asif Aqeel, executive director of the Community Development Initiative (CDI), an affiliate of the European Centre for Law and Justice, told Compass that the lawyers hired by Masih’s relatives should not have petitioned the trial court for Masih’s bail so soon.

I am heartbroken over the continual persecution happening to Christians in Nigeria. Here is the latest news coming from Mission Network News. Please pray for Nigeria and spread the word about what is happening with Christians in Nigeria.

Imagine being one of only three Christian families in a village of 1500 families. Now imagine you were having a conversation about faith and you shared about your love for Jesus Christ, with the Muslims you were working with. Next, imagine that your Muslim coworkers were insisting that you recant your faith in Jesus Christ and become a follower of Allah. Imagine that you were beaten and then mocked and ridiculed publically so that all of the community would know you follow Jesus Christ. Finally, imagine that you were arrested for blasphemy, put in jail, and had a death sentence hanging over your head.