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Richard Wurmbrand Born 100 Years Ago

Published on March 22nd, 2019

Pastor Richard Wurmbrand was born on March 24, 1909. He served 14 years in prison for sharing the gospel in communist Romania. After he was freed, he and his wife, Sabina, started The Voice of the Martyrs to help persecuted Christians.  Pastor Wurmbrand died in 2001.

Pastor Wurmbrand told many stories to illustrate Bible truths. One of the stories he told is below.

“A child was urged to eat carrots and peas because they contained vitamins. He said, ‘Why didn’t God put the vitamins in candy and ice cream?’ My answer would have been, ‘Because it’s important for children not only to have vitamins, but also to learn to swallow what may be unpleasant to the taste.’ We all need to learn from the good and the unpleasant. A Christian must welcome unpleasant things sometimes, because they are part of the ‘all things’ that God is working together for our good.”

To Think About: Read Romans 8:28. What kinds of “unpleasant things” do persecuted Christians face?

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Morocco: “This Hurts My Heart”

Published on March 21st, 2019

Schoolchildren in Morocco

Mustafa and Salma have suffered serious persecution as Christians in Muslim Morocco. But now their family has a new problem.

The couple decided to follow Christ after they got married. That’s when the trouble started.
*Mustafa’s Muslim relatives grew bitter toward him.
*The police questioned the Mustafa and Salma many times.
*Mustafa lost his job.
*Out of fear of persecution, church members turned against them.
*They had to move away from their community.

But God has blessed Mustafa and Salma in the midst of their struggles.
*They started a church in their new town.
*Mustafa teaches believers how to face persecution.
*They have baptized a new Christian.
*And, after seven years of prayer, God blessed them with a son.

But now that their son is old enough to go to school, the family has another concern. Mustafa cannot find work, so they can’t afford a private school. Their son has to attend a school with Muslim teachers and lessons. The boy has boldly proclaimed Jesus as king at school, but sometimes he comes home reciting verses from the Quran, the Muslim holy book.

“This hurts my heart so much,” said Mustafa. “I do not want him to grow up in a knowledge like this.”

Please pray for the family. Pray that Mustafa and Salma’s son will have the truth of Christ in his heart and will follow it.

(Source: The Voice of the Martyrs March 2019 newsletter.)

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“Voices” Inspire the Next Generation

Published on March 18th, 2019

Parents and Teachers
Christians all over the United States are sharing stories of persecuted Christians with others in their families, neighborhoods, and churches. VOM Voices invite other believers to “remember the prisoners” (Hebrews 13:3) and to join in “the fellowships of His sufferings” (Philippians 3:10).
(Learn more about the VOM Voice program here.)

But “one of the challenges is sharing the stories of persecuted Christians with children,” said Todd Nettleton, the host of VOM Radio. Todd and Scott Poe, VOM’s Director of Voice Ministries review some of VOM’s resources for children at vomvoice.com.

To view their discussion, go to the site  and click on “More Videos.”  Select the “Be a Voice: Inspire the Next Generation” video.

Then read about how kids can help VOM Voices spread the word here.

Resources mentioned in the VOM Voices video are listed below.
*Torchlighters DVDs and The Torchlighters Ultimate Activity Book.
*The Witnesses Trilogy

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Nigeria: Lina Learns About the God Who Loves Children

Published on March 15th, 2019

Nigerian Muslim girl

Praise and worship music drifted out of the small thatched Sunday school pavilion outside of a church in Nigeria. Lina, a Muslim girl in the village, couldn’t resist being drawn to the music. She stopped and listened to the beautiful words of the songs.

Soon Lina began joining the group every week. In addition to singing, they told amazing stories of the kindness of Jesus, who loves children.

Lina kept her visits to the church a secret from her Muslim family. But her father discovered her secret, and he hit her. He commanded her never to return to the church.

After Lina disobeyed her father and went back to the church, he moved his whole family to another village where there was no church! Then, to make sure Lina wouldn’t hang around with Christians anymore, the gave her in marriage to a non-Christian man.

Lina was much too young to be married, and she was scared. She often ran away from her husband’s house and went home to her mother. But each time she was returned to her husband.

Finally Lina fled to the church in her old village. Christians helped her settle in a safe house in a city, where she is healing from her ordeal and learning more about Jesus.

(Source: VOM Australia)

Pray for Lina’s safety and for her to grow in her faith. Pray that her family will open their hearts to Jesus.

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Eritrea: Twen in Prison

Published on March 14th, 2019

In 2004:
*George W. Bush was the president of the United States.
*Facebook was launched as a new form of social media.
*Skype grew in popularity as a way to communicate.
*iPhones would not be released for three more years.

Does 2004 seem like a long time ago?

In 2004, fifteen years ago this month, Twen Theodros was first arrested in Eritrea. She was 23 years old and a new Christian. Twen was released, but re-arrested in 2005. She has been in prison in harsh conditions ever since. That’s a long time to be in prison!

According to prisoneralert.com, “Today, Twen is considered a key senior women’s leader in the prison. She continues to look after and care for other women prisoners. People who know and love Twen say she is a precious, lovely Christian who is determined to remain a faithful follower of Jesus. They also say she is willing to stay in prison as long as God enables her to serve Him there by helping others.”

You can read more about Twen and a prayer request for her here. Please pray for her during the anniversary month of her first arrest.

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