It started as an English-teaching ministry in Japan in 1967. Today, A3 is raising up church leaders in 25 countries; leaders equipped and unified to accelerate gospel movements around the world, including numerous hostile areas and restricted nations where Voice of the Martyrs works with persecuted Christians. Dr Joe Handley, CEO of A3, and Janelle Stoops, US President for the ministry, share how A3 was founded and how it serves the global church by meeting one of the biggest needs: trained leaders. Janelle will share her background as a gospel worker seeing God establish his church among Muslims in Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan. She also had a personal taste of Christian persecution as she and her family were expelled from the country they'd grown to love. She wrestled with having to leave the place they felt called to, but ultimately accepted that "God was working here before we got here, and even when we leave, He is still going to be at work." Joe and Janelle will share challenges they face in ministry, how they work under the radar in places where Christian teaching is not welcome and how A3 provides resilience training to leaders in countries where there is intense persecution. These leaders also experience fellowship within the Body of Christ, knowing they are not alone in their suffering. One tool A3 uses to help build resiliency in the leaders is a book published by VOM titled In the Shadow of the Cross: https://vom.com.au/product/in-the-shadow-of-the-cross/

Maya and her husband were constantly under pressure from police in Turkmenistan. Then her husband was thrown in jail. Maya says many times she questioned God. "So many times I prayed to God and asked, 'Why is this happening in our lives? We've done so much to serve you!" Amid her questions, Maya sensed a challenge: she needed to surrender her thoughts to God and go back to His Word. Listen as Maya shares how she and her husband met, how the Lord changed her husband's heart after he began to follow Jesus, and how she came to know Christ after six years of seeing her husband live out God's love. You'll hear how her husband, Ilmurad, abused her and struggled with addiction before he knew Christ, and how Christ changed him so radically that friends and neighbours asked, "What happened to you?!" Because of his Christian ministry, Ilmurad was sentenced to four years in prison. However, he viewed his time in prison as continued ministry as he led other prisoners to follow Christ. While in prison, many Christians from around the world wrote letters to him. Though he was never allowed to see or read incoming letters, a prison custodian told him he was receiving mail from all over the world. Ilmurad knew he was not forgotten and that Christians were praying for him. "I was surprised and encouraged to hear that people outside our country were praying for us," Maya says. "I'm so appreciative that you didn't forget us when we had trouble." Since her husband's death from illness in 2024, Maya continues serving as a gospel worker among women in Turkmenistan. Please pray for her ministry and her health. You can encourage persecuted Christians in prison – just like Ilmurad and Maya were encouraged –when you write letters through Write to a Christian Prisoner - Voice of the Martyrs: https://vom.com.au/get-involved/write-to-a-christian-prisoner/

In a Muslim village in East Africa, 47 people confessed belief in Christ. But then Christian persecution came. Radical Muslims went house-to-house, threatening new believers and demanding they return to Islam. All but two of the new Christians renounced their faith. Brother Paulo, a leader in YWAM Frontier Missions in East Africa, met the two young men who stood firm for Christ. He asked them how they'd stayed faithful under such intense pressure. "The experience I had with Jesus was so strong that I cannot deny Jesus," the younger of the two men told him. In places like Northern Mozambique, South Sudan, Malawi, Tanzania and other East African countries, Muslim-background believers face persecution from their families and communities. Even those who have grown up in Christian families are likely to face persecution from Muslim communities – especially if they are involved in evangelism or outreach to Muslims. Brother Paulo will share more stories from our persecuted Christian brothers and sisters in East Africa, tell how God called him into missions and describe the endurance of churches in the region amid persecution. He will also share how believers prepare to face persecution and how Christians in free nations can pray for our brothers and sisters in East Africa.

Over the past 18 months, some of the most violent attacks against persecuted Christians anywhere in the world have taken place in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, a country where more than 100 armed groups – many motivated by Islamist ideals – vie for territory and influence. Dr David Kasali, founder and president of Congo Initiative, tells how Christians are responding and enduring, how they are choosing to be victors instead of victims. Listen as he shares how he trains Christians to overcome their fears and how he prays for Christ's Kingdom to be established in DRC, just as it is in heaven. He'll also share how Congo Initiative is welcoming Christians from around the world to come and serve in various roles. "We have to work," Dr Kasali says, "for the coming Kingdom of God." He'll also share the story of his calling by God to return to Congo – leaving behind an education ministry he truly loved in Kenya – to serve and strengthen the persecuted church in DRC. Finally, he'll equip listeners to pray specifically for the needs of persecuted Christians in the Congo. Please note, there is no FLR reel this week (because we skipped the one for China). Would you add a post to social media like you used to? FLR32 Congo .mp3

Before becoming a Christian, Pastor Putumandi's life was, in his words, "a mess". He pursued his family's Hindu religion, dancing in temple ceremonies to access and appease the spirits. He detested anything to do with Jesus. "I hated [Christians] before." Putumandi said, "I despised Christianity." But then he met Jesus, drawn by the compassion that he saw lacking in every other religion. For Putumandi, Jesus was the only one who could guarantee eternal life, and he wanted to know Him. After being baptised, his wife could tell that he had changed as Putumandi treated his family and others with compassion, showing the love of Christ. When his family found out Putumandi had left Hinduism, they kicked him out of their home immediately. His 16-year-old son tried to kill Putumandi. Despite being driven from his home and persecuted for his Christian faith, Putumandi says he never considered going back to Hinduism. "Salvation comes from Christianity," Putumandi said. Putumandi will also share how it's been a challenge to find a job to make a living because of the Christian persecution he's faced. "I just do anything I can find," he says, "and praise the Lord; He provides." Pray for Putumandi's health, for his family to come to know the Lord, and for his continued witness to unbelievers around him, especially the people in his own family.

How do you discern God's calling to be a missionary? John Easter, Executive Director of Assemblies of God World Missions (AGWM), says the first question might be: if God did call you to serve overseas, would you say yes? Before accepting his current role, John and his wife served the church in Africa, providing theological training to pastors and leaders. In an effort to develop more leaders for the growing church, they oversaw 380+ schools with 25,000+ students. Serving on missions front lines brought many challenges. They faced an abduction, medical issues, hijacking and other criminal activity while in Africa. Yet the Lord surrounded them with community and resources as they learned how to abide in Christ and rely on the Holy Spirit during every hardship. Today, John is focused on vision casting, fundraising, and care for missionaries and missionary kids as they work to spread the gospel in unreached areas. You'll hear John share why the church in northern India is growing rapidly and what the Lord is instilling in His people in Nigeria—despite intense and violent Christian persecution in both nations.

In part one, David and Alicia Lloyd, founders of Missions in Haiti, told the story of the day in 2024 when gangs attacked their ministry compound. When the attacks ended, David and Alicia's son, Davy, and their daughter-in-law, Natalie, had been murdered, along with their close friend and ministry partner, Judes Montis. Several weeks later, David returned to Haiti, assuring ministry co-workers and fellow believers that, despite the tragedy, they would not abandon Haiti and their brothers and sisters there. They also learned, from students and staff who'd been at the mission compound, about Davy and Natalie's last moments on earth. "Every time the shooting would stop, they could hear Davy quoting scriptures…They said his voice was very strong; it would echo," David says. "It was estimated there were 100 gang guys in our yard that night who heard the gospel." David and Alicia have struggled with losing their oldest child. They've wrestled with the question of ‘Where was the Lord?’ in that dangerous moment? In the two years since that night, the Lord has been faithful to comfort and bless; they know He was with Davy. And even as they grieve, they desire to point others to Christ. Be challenged and encouraged to live your life for the Lord through David & Alicia's book Strong to the End: The Simple Service and Sudden Sacrifice of the Martyrs in Haiti

Davy Lloyd was only 23 years old but already had his eyes on eternity. When he and his wife, Natalie, would visit his parents' home at the mission compound where they all served in Haiti, Davy would often come through the door and say, "I can't wait to see Jesus!" Little did he know how soon his desire would be fulfilled. Davy and Natalie were killed, along with Haitian co-worker Judes Montis, during a gang attack at the mission compound in May 2024. David and Alicia Lloyd, Davy's parents and longtime missionaries to Haiti, tell the story of that difficult day and share how God has sustained and comforted them in the two years since. They take comfort knowing Davy wanted to see Jesus more than anything else. The Lloyds share the details of what happened during the attack and how they learned of it from a distance during a trip to the US. They'll talk about serving in Haiti for 20 years, through the ups and downs of stability and security in the country, including the day their young children were kidnapped. You will hear David and Alicia share honestly about their grief and the questions they've asked the Lord; they'll also tell how God comforted and renewed their faith as they walked forward in obedience, even in grief. David and Alicia have written a powerful book, Strong to the End: The Simple Service and Sudden Sacrifice of the Martyrs in Haiti, available on Kindle through our online shop [https://vom.com.au/product/strong-to-the-end-the-simple-service-and-sudden-sacrifice-of-the-martyrs-in-haiti/] that tells the story of Davy and Natalie and their mission work in Haiti.

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 VOM USA’s 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. 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."

"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" (Romans 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. Nicaragua's government is actively working to co-opt and control churches. Christians who won't cooperate are labelled "terrorists". Listen as Chico explains government efforts to influence and control churches, and why every believer in Nicaragua needs a Bible in their hands. To read more about Nicaragua and other restricted and hostile nations, see our Global Prayer Guide here: https://vom.com.au/news/weekly-prayer-updates/