Voice of the Martyrs (Part 1)

Reading over my Voice of the Martyrs (VOM) magazine this afternoon, I am once again overwhelmed by the sacrifices being made across the world by my brothers and sisters in Christ. This month's cover photo reveals a group of believers secretly meeting for prayer in the wilderness of Uzbekistan. Story after story fills the pages, telling of men, women, teenagers and children each believing so passionately in the saving work of Jesus Christ, that they are enduring imprisonment, arson, beatings, invasions, kidnappings, tortures, slavery, isolation, threats and denial of water and electricity for their homes. Some have even lost their lives.

I love the ministry of VOM because it not only brings an awareness of modern-day martyrs, but it also gives me the opportunity to encourage those suffering, and not just with financial support. They offer websites and addresses for people like you and me to send a note of blessing to believers in prison. For example, Shuang Shuying is a 77 year old woman who has been arrested, beaten and imprisoned for almost a year now as a "dangerous threat" to the Chinese government. (Yeah, whatever.) Her son, a pastor, was also arrested and detained for six months, and now has police officers surrounding his home who have cut off the electricity and broken windows. By visiting the VOM website, you can actually generate a letter that is translated into Chinese, can be printed, and mailed to Shuang Shuying in prison. I'm working on mine simultaneous to typing this!

Want to know more? Visit www. persecution.com or www.prisoneralert.com. Maybe you can work on a letter, too! It's only about a dollar to bless someone you'll get to meet in eternity!