In the months since protests resulted in a chaotic change of government in Bangladesh, Christians have encountered mounting violence and threats, but a church in northern Bangladesh has demonstrated special resilience. Despite intense persecution, the pastor of the church has discipled 10 other families to stand strong in their faith. These families have been rejected by their community, making it difficult to obtain food and other necessities.
Founded by Pastor Richard Wurmbrand, The Voice of the Martyrs has been dedicated to assisting persecuted Christians worldwide since 1967—through practical and spiritual assistance and leading other members of the body of Christ into fellowship with them. Voice of the Martyrs Radio is the weekly radio outreach of the ministry. Host Todd Nettleton interviews courageous Christians in countries where the gospel is opposed or banned altogether. These brave believers share their stories of how lives are being changed around the world.
Founded by Pastor Richard Wurmbrand, The Voice of the Martyrs has been dedicated to assisting persecuted Christians worldwide since 1967—through practical and spiritual assistance and leading other members of the body of Christ into fellowship with them. Voice of the Martyrs Radio is the weekly radio outreach of the ministry. Host Todd Nettleton interviews courageous Christians in countries where the gospel is opposed or banned altogether. These brave believers share their stories of how lives are being changed around the world.
Last week Brian and Louise Hogan, trainers to church planters and former missionaries to Mongolia, shared about their efforts to plant a church in Mongolia—and the high cost they paid for serving there when their infant son died. This week, listen as they unwrap some of the principles they learned in that process, lessons they are now teaching to pastors and church leaders around the world, including hostile areas and restricted nations where VOM works. Brian, the author of There’s a Sheep in My Bathtub and An A-Z of Near-Death Adventures, says that many in Western churches want to “buy a box” and follow a checklist for church planting, skipping the difficult process of seeking the Holy Spirit’s wisdom and guidance. He challenges church planters to empty themselves of their own culture and learn the people and culture of where they are church planting, while always keeping in step with the New Testament.
Front-line workers were able to minister to displaced Christians seeking refuge. Millions of Sudanese have fled the civil war in their country that began April 2023. Some escaped to neighboring nations, including the Central African Republic (CAR), which borders Sudan's Darfur region. Though Sudan has a predominantly Muslim population, a small percentage of Christians also live there. Some have found refuge in Birao, a town in the far north of the CAR near its border with Sudan, Chad and South Sudan. Front-line workers visited with about 100 of the estimated 300 Christians living in a camp of around 20,000 refugees.
A Christian woman's husband has attempted to divorce her for her faith and has forcibly prevented her from attending church. Lomg, a 33-year-old mother of four children in Laos, has been under constant pressure from her husband since she began to follow Jesus Christ. In April 2025, he tried to initiate divorce, saying, "I hate her because she believes [in] God." When the divorce was not granted, Lomg's husband escalated his efforts to make her recant her faith by taking her and her children out to their remote fields and leaving them there to work and sleep.
A Christian woman was attacked and hospitalized after sharing the gospel. On Tuesday, April 29, Naila visited a family in one of the hardest-to-reach cities in her region to share the gospel. She said soon after she started to share, an older woman in the family suddenly became angry. She yelled at Naila and then began to beat her. Naila ran from the house, but men were waiting for her and hit her with some kind of sharp tool. Naila again tried to escape, running down the street and crying for help before she collapsed, waking in a hospital with serious injuries. Naila currently cannot walk and suffers from external and emotional wounds, and she is unable to care for her young child.
Brian and Louise Hogan, missionaries and church planters in Mongolia, responded to God’s call with obedience. They arrived in the city of Erdenet in the early 1990s; there were no churches in the city. After the conversion of 14 teenage girls, they witnessed the birth and growth of a church community. However, as Scripture reminds us, forward motion in God’s kingdom often awakens spiritual resistance.