What might God do if you made the commitment to pray every day for a specific country? What doors might He open to connect with the people and even walk in the land?

Two decades ago, Peter Smith and his wife were challenged to “adopt a country” and specifically pray every day for God’s Spirit to move in that place. The country God laid on their hearts was the Islamic Republic of Iran, a place where Christian persecution is common and missionaries are banned.

Listen to learn how Peter and his wife began to pray; hear how God opened the door for him to visit Iran, “to go on site to gain God’s insights” about the Iranian people and ways to pray for them. He will also share how his whole family has made a conscious effort to reach out to Persian people living in the United States—and found amazing openness to the gospel. Just as Jesus had compassion on the multitudes, we can ask God for that same heart of compassion towards those around us.

As you listen to VOM Radio this week, you’ll be challenged to make the same decision Peter and his family made all those years ago: adopt a country and consistently pray for the people there and specifically for God to work in that nation. Who knows the doors God will open in your life to minister to the people you’re praying for?

Lawrence Tong wakes up each morning excited to pursue this goal: vibrant communities of Jesus followers among the least reached. As the International Director for Operation Mobilization, he oversees the ministry of 5000 gospel workers—including many serving in places where Christians face intense persecution, like Afghanistan, China, Iraq and India.

Lawrence’s first taste of missions—and of the work of OM—came aboard a ship, docking at different ports to share the gospel and train up local Christians. Witnessing a spiritual fire among the young people on the boat, Lawrence committed two years to serving with OM. That commitment has now grown into more than 40 years of gospel work amongst the least reached!

Listen as Lawrence shares about his six years of ministry work in China, and an update on the current challenges faced by persecuted Christians there.

OM workers were able to return to Afghanistan and continue to serve Afghan people, even after the Taliban takeover. These bold believers understand the danger, but their commitment to Christ and the Great Commission is stronger than their fear.

God is still calling people to go to dangerous places to share about Jesus. If you feel called to global gospel work, Lawrence will offer advice about how to think about, pray about and prepare for that calling. He’ll also equip listeners to pray for the persecuted church in Afghanistan, Nepal, and China to stay firm in faith, and help us pray for the work of OM around the world.

Malik knew the missionary was a kind man. He felt badly that this kind man was going to hell. Malik, a member of the Fulani tribe and the son of a Quranic scholar, decided he would convince the Christian missionary to become a Muslim, so that he could go to paradise.

The missionary refused to convert, and told Malik that there were mistakes in the Quran. Malik set out to prove him wrong. He began to carefully study and compare the Bible with the Quran.

Malik never did convince the missionary to accept Islam. Instead, Malik read through the Bible ten times, found truth in Jesus Christ, and made the decision to follow Him.

It was not a decision his Fulani family would easily accept. Family members told Malik he had shamed the family, and that if he didn’t return to Islam within three days, they had the right to kill him. Malik says he was ready to die rather than renounce his new faith. Thankfully, his life was spared.

Listen as Malik shares his amazing testimony, and talks about his work with Spirit of Martyrdom, who train pastors and evangelists to work in many parts of Africa. Part of that training is preparing new Christians to stand up under persecution.

Malik will also share specific ways to pray for God’s work among the Fulani people in Nigeria and other nations of west Africa.

To find out more about our ministry, please visit vom.com.au

210 million people in Bhutan, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Bangladesh, and the Maldives have yet to hear who Jesus is.

Almost all the major world religions — including Buddhism, Hinduism, and Islam — compete for the hearts and minds of people in these countries.

Christian persecution is a regular part of following Christ. Pastors have been martyred for their faith, believers beaten and imprisoned, missionaries expelled, and churches burned or bombed.

Tim and Dawn are ministry workers in the region, helping guide gospel efforts and workers. Listen as they unpack what it looks like to follow Christ in South Asia, and how we can pray for gospel advance in the region.

What has God put on your heart to do? Has he stirred up your heart for missions work in another country?

Tim and Dawn say there’s a reason the Lord places a particular people group or place on your heart. They will share practical next steps to explore God’s leading into missions.

To find out more about our ministry, please visit vom.com.au

Only 1.4% of people in Nepal are Christians. Hundreds of thousands of Nepali people live their entire lifetime without ever meeting anyone who follows Jesus.

Hundreds of thousands of people in Sri Lanka (1.4% Christian), Bangladesh (0.4%), Bhutan (0.3%) and the Maldives (0.03%) also live and die without ever hearing the gospel message—or even the name of Jesus.

God broke the hearts of Tim and Dawn for the lost people of South Asia. and called them to go and live in the region as ambassadors for Christ. Listen as they share their backgrounds, how that call came, and some of the challenges of adjusting to life and raising a family in South Asia.

Tim and Dawn will also share how they witness for Christ in hostile and restricted nations where Christians are persecuted for speaking Biblical truth into peoples’ lives.

To find out more about our ministry, please visit vom.com.au

The anxious mother in India had tried everything. Her son was very sick, and it seemed he would soon die.

She’d been to the Hindu temples and made offerings to many Hindu gods. Nothing had worked. Her son only became sicker.

Then, a travelling salesman suggested that she pray to Jesus. She did — and her son was healed! Amazed and awe-struck, the mother and son hunted down the salesman to find out more about this Jesus who answers prayers.

Today, her son is a pastor and evangelist who’s travelled more than 65,000kms sharing the gospel. God is at work in hostile and restricted nations!

That’s just one of the stories you’ll hear this week from David Witt, CEO of Spirit of Martyrdom and a former staff member at Voice of the Martyrs. David will share stories from his encounters with Richard and Sabina Wurmbrand, VOM’s founders, and the “holy experience” of visiting one of the prison cells where Richard was held in communist Romania.

David will also tell us how he became aware of and involved in ministry to persecuted Christians, and how God used the attacks of 9-11 to draw the attention of American Christians to radical Islam and the scriptural call to love our enemies.

Today, the ministry David leads is training up church planters and leaders in multiple countries — with an eye on training that’s easily reproducible to other potential leaders.

Listen as he shares how those being trained immediately put their learning into action, and how we can pray for these front-line workers.

To find out more about our ministry, visit www.vom.com.au

Last week, Brother Max shared his testimony of seeking God through following Islam then, when he met Jesus, finding a peace he’d never experienced before. After finding that peace, Max wanted to tell everyone he knew, but he was not prepared for how his community would react with anger and persecution.

Max found it very natural to talk about Jesus with people who had known him before his salvation. They could see his life was drastically different, and they wanted an explanation. Brother Max was eager to share God’s Word with those who asked. He told them he’d found the ‘passport to heaven’. But leaving Islam is not permitted, and his family and community persecuted him for his faith in Christ.

His father could see how Max’s life had changed for the better—but still urged him to return to Islam. Max explained, “If I take Jesus from my heart, I will become the old Max again.” He challenged his father to read the New Testament.

Persecuted first by those he knew, Max and his witness for Christ soon drew the attention of the government. He was arrested and interrogated by several police. It was a frightening experience; his legs shook with fear as the police questioned him and forced him to write a 'confession' that would be used against him, dictating the words he was supposed to write.

Christians gathered outside the police station, praying for Max during the interrogation. The presence and prayers of his Christian brothers and sisters encouraged Max, and a holy boldness came over him. He turned the table on the police, asking them questions instead of answering theirs.

Listen as Brother Max shares how the Lord worked through that situation and later brought Max face to face with the one who prosecuted him—now a follower of Christ! He’ll also share about training new believers in Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Kyrgyzstan and Azerbaijan to withstand Christian persecution after they leave Islam to follow Jesus. “Our time is short,” he says, “so we should be ready to meet Jesus.”

Max will also equip listeners to pray for Christians in the region—including those facing persecution.

As a boy in Uzbekistan, Brother Max couldn’t imagine a God that cared about his life or had a plan for him.

Max's biological parents didn’t want him, and in his Islamic culture, he felt shame because he was adopted. He was consumed with the idea of getting revenge against his birth parents, who had abandoned him. Every day was dark. He felt hopeless, and prayed every night that he would not wake up the next morning.

When the Soviet Union collapsed, radical Muslim missionaries entered Uzbekistan to encourage young people raised under communism to pursue Islam. Max began training under an imam, learning the history of Islam and how to pray to Allah.

Those lessons, despite increasing his knowledge, never brought the peace he craved. Max had many questions about Islam. Why couldn’t Allah understand his native language? Did the Prophet Mohammed’s life match his teachings? Max was told to just accept the teachings, that his questions had no answers, and he should stop asking.

Max first learned about the God who loved him from a friend whose life had been changed. Max wrestled with this new idea. How could God love me if my biological parents didn’t? If God loves me, why didn’t he help me achieve all the goals I had for my future?

After wrestling spiritually for several months, Max came to fully trust Christ and seek forgiveness for his sin. Instantly, he felt different. He finally felt peace in his heart, and from that moment, his life changed completely.

Max started sharing his testimony with people who remembered how angry he had been before Christ, explaining that he was a new creation. He even forgave his biological parents. As a new Christian, Max wasn’t worried about Christian persecution; he simply wanted to share what Jesus had done for him.

Today, Max is serving the Lord with Global Teams, where he helps train others to evangelise to Muslims and plant churches in hostile and restricted nations.

To find out more about our ministry, please visit www.vom.com.au.

Dr Mike Fullingim felt the specific call to mission service while hearing a sermon from Jeremiah 5:19: “…you shall serve foreigners in a land that is not yours.”

As he looks back, Mike can see that even as a young boy God was drawing his heart toward missions and people different from him. Twelve years after hearing that sermon, Mike and his family went as missionaries to Papua New Guinea.

Mike and his wife, Barbara, served eight years on the field, with a break between terms for him to pursue further linguistics education. In 1987, Mike was finishing his PhD in linguistics and anthropology. After completing his doctoral program, offers for teaching jobs flooded in. As he sought God’s will and considered his children’s educational needs, Mike took a one-year teaching job at Oklahoma Wesleyan University.

As he wrestled with what direction God was leading, Mike read a quote from Dwight L. Moody: “It’s better to train ten people than to do the work of ten people.”

Today, 35 years after signing that 'one-year contract', Mike is still training future missionaries at Oklahoma Wesleyan University. His former students — more than 200 — are serving today as gospel workers around the world, including hostile and restricted nations where Christians are persecuted. One of Mike's passions is helping students develop tools to learn language — a key factor in long-term fruitful service on the mission field.

Listen as Mike shares about his missionary calling, how he wrestled with the painful decision not to return to PNG, and how we can pray for missionaries currently serving around the world.

To find out more about our ministry, please visit www.vom.com.au.

It’s a Bible verse all of us have quoted, and one we’ve likely shared with a Christian friend in the midst of a difficult season: “And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.” (Romans 8:28)

After her husband Rami, a leader of the Bible Society in Gaza, was murdered, Pauline Ayyad wrestled deeply with this verse. What good would come of her husband being killed? What good could come from raising her two children — and the one about to be born — without their father? Pauline asked God why He even allowed her to marry Rami if he was chosen to die a martyr’s death.

When Rami decided to leave a good, safe job at a bank, Pauline questioned the decision. The couple went into ministry with the Bible Society in 2005. Rami had peace about the transition, and eventually Pauline also felt at peace. They settled into what became normal life. Rami faced repeated threats, but refused to be afraid.

“What can they do?” he asked. “The only thing they can do is kill me, and then it would be for Christ.”

Then one day, Rami didn’t arrive home from work. The next morning, Pauline learned that her husband’s body had been found. Pauline struggled and questioned God. She did not want to forgive Rami’s killer. She wanted the murderer to pay for his crime.

Listen as Pauline shares how the Holy Spirit was at work, and the five-year journey that brought her to forgive her husband’s killer. She didn’t only quietly forgive in her heart, but posted a message of forgiveness on Facebook. That post has blessed many Christians and challenged many Muslims, and has been read thousands of times. It is an incredible witness for the gospel and the power of God’s grace in the face of Christian persecution.

Pauline will also share specific prayer requests for her family and for the church in Israel, including Gaza and the West Bank.

To find out more about our ministry, please visit www.vom.com.au.