Four Protestants in Turkmenistan were arrested and fined in late February after police discovered Bibles in their possession. Although the judge initially refused to hear the case against the four Christians, citing a lack of evidence, she later changed her position and fined them for “violation of the law on religious organizations.”

It's been some time since I've asked you to consider praying for a specific restricted nation, and since April is right around the corner, I thought now would be a good time to ask you to consider picking one or a few restricted nations on our Restricted Nations page and praying for them during April.

Many of you are familiar with Gao Zhisheng, a prisoner in China, who we have been advocating for since he was taken captive. If you're not acquainted with his case, you may learn about him at www.freegao.com and also sign the petition to help him.

Last year, you may recall that The Voice of the Martyrs launched our wonderful Persecution Workshop classes that are designed to educate, encourage and equip Christians with an understanding of what is happening with Christians worldwide.

A few days ago it was rumored that Pastor Youcef had been put to death. The Voice of the Martyrs has confirmed that those rumors are not true. Pastor Youcef is still alive and in prison. Please continue to keep him and his family in your prayers.

Today I wanted to give you an update on our letter writing campaign for Gao Zhisheng who is serving time in a China prison for defending Christians and for being a Christian. A few weeks ago we asked you to help us reach a goal of 5000 letters written to Gao, and I'm happy to share with you today that, as of the time of this writing, 5010 letters have been written!

Colombia (VCM/MNN) ? Although Colombia's Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) has had to alter the war against the state, they're no less disruptive.

Boko Haram terrorists bombed a large church in Jos on Sunday, killing a church member and a baby, along with themselves. Church security guards prevented the suicide bombers from reaching the church auditorium, where a service was in progress. Claiming responsibility for the attack, a Boko Haram spokesman said, “We have just started.”

Many of you have asked if we know of anything new about what is happening with Pastor Youcef Nadarkhani, and right now the only thing we can share with you is that it is being reported by the Israel National News that the execution of Pastor Youcef has been temporarily put off. The Voice of the Martyrs has not yet confirmed this report. However, here is the most up to date information we have from the Israel National News article. Please keep praying for Pastor Youcef and his wife and children, as well as those who are making the decisions concerning his case.