Even before Necati Aydin gave his life for Christ on April 18, 2007, in Malatya, Turkey, he had already made great sacrifices to follow Jesus. One of the greatest of those was sacrificing his relationship with his Muslim family, who rejected Necati when he refused to return to Islam.

"What is the cost of being a disciple of Jesus?"

Last week VOM received the wonderful news that the High Court in Tanzania had thrown out the charges against Eva Abdallah, a young Christian woman who had been falsely accused of urinating on a Quran and sentenced to two years in prison.

If you've ever read VOM's newsletter you've probably seen a picture like this one, a picture where someone's identity has been concealed. But you've also seen pictures of other Christians—sometimes in the same country—with their faces uncovered and clearly visible. What's the deal? In today's post I'd like to take you inside the decision-making process that determines security-related issues in VOM reports about persecution.

In all the years of their marriage, Sabina Wurmbrand had never wavered in her love for her husband. But it had been many years since she had heard news of him in prison. There were even rumors that he had perished. But she felt God telling her to hold on and believe. Would they be together again someday?

I got a really killer cold last week. It knocked me out for a few days and made me feel miserable. One morning I shuffled into my shower and turned the water on as hot as it would go, hoping the steam would help clear my packed sinuses. As the blistering water stung my shoulders and I felt my sinus pressure ease, I suddenly thought of Behnam Irani.

The communist guard taunted Aida with packages of food sent by Christians in the West. "He told me that it contained chocolate and other good things," Aida said. "It was not given to me, but it was an encouragement to know that my friends cared about me. That fact meant much more than the food."

Pastor Richard Wurmbrand, the founder of The Voice of the Martyrs, spent a total of 14 years in prison during two long confinements in communist Romania. During the time between his two prison sentences, he spoke boldly of his faith, including a series of lectures in the university town of Cluj shortly before his second arrest.

This month, VOM's newsletter focusses on writing letters to Christians imprisoned for their faith. From the earliest days of its ministry, VOM has encouraged readers to write letters to Christians imprisoned for their faith. Today you can write a letter to an imprisoned Christian using electronic tools at www.PrisonerAlert.com or VOM's new letter-writing kit.

When I joined The Voice of the Martyrs (VOM) as a writer, in December 2006, I was excited for an opportunity to work for an organization impacting many lives around the world. What I did not realize at the time was that I was embarking on a life-changing experience. Prior to working for the ministry I had limited knowledge of the varied scope, depth and impact of VOM's work.