VOM Radio

More than 50 people were killed during an attack on a Christian area in the city of Jos on Palm Sunday in Nigeria. More attacks occurred during Easter weekend. But not every attack on Nigerian Christians makes international news. Listen this week as Matthew Hanson, who leads The Voice of the Martyrs' work in West and Central Africa, explains how VOM responds to Christian persecution. He'll explain how VOM helps persecuted Christians meet immediate needs like food, clothing, and shelter; then also serves to assist with longer-term needs for emotional and spiritual healing.

"We want to see both [physical and spiritual needs being met], because we want to see the church strengthened," Matthew says.

Through gatherings where persecuted Christians share their stories and encourage one another, believers are equipped and inspired to continue boldly witnessing for Christ. Matthew shares how he and his team assess persecution in Nigeria and how VOM equips pastors to have a biblical understanding of suffering and persecution.

Matthew also tells stories from the field, including that of a woman kidnapped and enslaved by Boko Haram, one of six jihadist groups currently attacking Christians in northern Nigeria. She told Matthew, "Each day, Jesus spoke to me and strengthened my faith, and I did not give up."

He'll also tell about a young man who was passionate to study the Quran. As he studied, questions arose in his mind; he began to ask his teachers. But for a Muslim, asking too many questions can make one seem like an unbeliever, an infidel. The young man was threatened by his father but still committed his life to the Lord. He was forced to flee his village. He has sacrificed his home, his family and his safety. Yet he told Matthew, "Jesus is my Savior. I have no regrets."

Listen to the story of Malik, a Fulani man who left Islam to follow Christ, and pray this week for persecuted brothers and sisters in Nigeria and throughout West and Central Africa. Pray they will be bold witnesses for Jesus—even to their persecutors.

The VOM App for your smartphone or tablet will help you pray daily for persecuted Christians in nations like North Korea, China, Iran, and India, as well as provide free access to e-books, audiobooks, video content, and feature films. Download the VOM App for your iOS or Android device today.

"What is key is that many of these pastors and leaders have understood the true gospel."

Despite government threats of exile, prison, or death, Pastor Chico, a front-line worker in Nicaragua, says pastors are still preaching the truth of God's Word—no matter the cost. They know, as the Bible says, that "faith comes by hearing" (Rom. 10:17).

The price of their preaching can be high. Listen as Chico shares about a pastor who lost his Nicaraguan citizenship when he left the country to attend a Christian conference, and pastors imprisoned without a trial or any legal process in which to defend themselves.

 "The main struggle…for people in churches in Nicaragua is that they are afraid to obey the Lord," Chico says. He encourages us that, as followers of Christ, each of us need to decide who is the Lord in our lives. 

Nicaragua's government is actively working to co-opt and control churches. Christians who won't cooperate are labeled "terrorists." Listen as Chico explains government efforts to influence and control churches, and why every believer in Nicaragua needs a Bible in their hands.

Chico and other Nicaraguan Christians have been inspired by the story of Pastor Richard Wurmbrand and his wife, Sabina, the founders of The Voice of the Martyrs. At a meeting where the communist government of Romania was trying to influence church leaders in the 1940s, Sabina famously challenged Richard to speak out by saying, "I do not wish to have a coward for a husband." Chico says there are many pastors' wives in Nicaragua similarly encouraging their husbands to boldly proclaim the gospel despite the danger of Christian persecution.

Chico says, "The best testimony we can have as Christians is: Am I really committed to following Jesus as my Lord and Savior?"

Hear how you can pray for specific needs of persecuted Christians in the restricted nation of Nicaragua, and request your free copy of VOM's 2026 Global Prayer Guide to help you know how to pray throughout this year for Christians in India, Iran, Nigeria and many more hostile areas and restricted nations.

Christians in Laos know they will face persecution when they follow Jesus. Brother Sionh, founder and president of Khmu Christian Connection, says he doesn't have to make a special effort to prepare Christians for persecution because they already know it will come. He says some Khmu follow Jesus privately and secretly because they fear the loss of opportunity that comes with being known as a Christian.

Brother Sionh remembers how his parents and many others came to faith before World War II when an American missionary walked to their village and told them Jesus has power over evil spirits and that if you believe in Him, He will protect you. Today, Sionh reaches Khmu people all over the world through his work as a Bible teacher for Khmu Gospel Radio Broadcast. The largest populations of Khmu people are in Laos, Vietnam and China.

In Laos, Christians are often seen as troublemakers and agents of Western influence. Most Khmu are animists, worshipping spirits of their ancestors or of things in nature. When they are sick or have trouble, they call on witchdoctors and perform ritualistic practices. They constantly live in a spirit of fear, afraid of offending the spirits and bringing trouble.

Brother Sionh also shares the story of Pastor Thongkham, who was martyred for his Christian work, gunned down in front of his wife and children in July of 2024. (Brother Thongkham was interviewed by VOM Radio the year before he was murdered.)

Brother Sionh shared more of his personal testimony and how God called him to ministry service during his first interview on VOM Radio.

The VOM App for your smartphone or tablet will help you pray daily for persecuted Christians in nations like North Korea, Nigeria, Iran, and India, as well as provide free access to e-books, audiobooks, video content, and feature films. Download the VOM App for your iOS or Android device today.

This week, Brother Matthew continues sharing stories of God's calling on his life to Afghanistan and how he came to know the beautiful, amazing people within that broken nation. As he saw God at work in Afghanistan, he says his faith and hope increased.

Afghanistan is a nation where many Christians have laid down their lives. With his long experience there, Matthew met, worked with and learned from these martyrs. Listen as he shares memories of several heroes of the faith that he knew as friends and colleagues in the gospel effort. One of those Brother Matthew will tell of is Werner Groenewald, who was martyred along with his son and daughter in Afghanistan in 2014. Hannelie, Werner's widow, shared her story on VOM Radio; you can hear it at www.vomradio.net/hannelie.

Matthew will also share how he met his wife and talk about raising children in Afghanistan. He says each time they left the country and came back, it was a sobering decision as they continued to trust God with their lives, and for the safety of their children.

Matthew will also talk about the church in other Central Asian nations, including Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Türkiye, Azerbaijan and Iran.

Finally, he shares advice and encouragement for Christians who may feel a sense of calling to global missions. He also speaks to churches in free nations: "I don't think the church has a lack of calling. We have a lack of response. We have to respond!"

Pray for the continued multiplication of the church and ask God for boldness for persecuted Christians in Central Asia—and Christians in your area.

The VOM App for your smartphone or tablet will help you pray daily for persecuted Christians in nations like North Korea, Nigeria, Iran, and India, as well as provide free access to e-books, audiobooks, video content, and feature films. Download the VOM App for your iOS or Android device today.