Only days after he accepted Christ, 15-year-old Seng was already facing the persecution Jesus often spoke about. After his parents learned of his decision, they sat down to talk with him, telling him he needed to renounce his “foreign” faith. If he didn’t, they would kill him or kick him out of the house. When Seng told them he wouldn’t, they bagged up his belongings and told him to leave. “Go stay with those Christian friends of yours. You are not welcome here,” his parents said. “Stop this religion at once.” Seng is staying with friends with assistance from VOM. Pray that he remains firm in his faith and grows in maturity in Christ.

Click here to find out about Christian persecution in Laos and learn how to pray.

An Iranian court has taken a “Muslim” child out of the home of the Christian couple who adopted her. Sam and Maryam adopted Lydia from a local orphanage in the city of Bushehr when she was three months old. Lydia has significant health issues, including a heart defect and digestive problems. Six months after the couple adopted her, intelligence agents arrested Sam and Maryam in their home. They were released on bail and charged with “propaganda against the regime.” Sam was given a one-year prison sentence, and Maryam was barred from working as a nurse in government-run hospitals. Eighteen months after Lydia’s adoption, a court determined she was not eligible for adoption by the Christian couple since she was born a Muslim. The court noted that if Lydia were returned to the orphanage, “there is zero possibility of giving her away to another family” since, as a nurse, her mother was uniquely equipped to provide care for her. Heartbroken, her parents appealed, but in September 2020, a court upheld the decision. The couple is now waiting to hear if the court will order them to return Lydia to the orphanage, and they request prayer during this deeply distressing time. Pray for a miracle so they are allowed to keep their child.

Click here to find out about Christian persecution in Iran and learn how to pray.

​When a local Islamic leader saw a Christian helping people from different tribal and religious groups, he experienced Jesus’ transformational power. Sheikh Adam saw a VOM-supported front-line worker serving people from both evangelical and Orthodox churches in a Muslim-majority region, and he wondered why. The front-line worker told him, “This is what we’ve learned from Christ and the Bible.” Sheik Adam wanted that same kind of “good heart,” so he committed his life to Jesus. He invited the evangelist to his home to share, and twelve others also gave their lives to Christ. Today, the evangelist continues to visit this new house fellowship to teach them more about their new faith. Pray for the members of the new fellowship and also for the front-line worker.

Click here to find out about Christian persecution in Ethiopia and learn how to pray.