Voice of the Martyrs

For 40 years The Voice of the Martyrs has provided hope, comfort and encouragement to men and women who have been brutally beaten, falsely accused and thrown in prison because of their faith in Christ.

At Colour 2009 we partnered with Voice of the Martyrs to write letters of encouragement to 2 women imprisoned for their faith. There was a fantastic response with over 3500 letters written to these two women. We continued this partnership through our London and Kiev conferences and saw hundreds more letters written to women who are suffering for the same faith we share.

GOOD NEWS: Both of the women that we wrote to at Colour 09 have been released from jail! Thank you to all who wrote to them and prayed for their release. We have also recently heard that two women that we have been writing to as a Hillsong Sisterhood have also been released due to "International Lobbying"

Shafia's Story

Pakistan - In september 2007, 18 year old Shafia was kidnapped and held captive for four months. She was beaten and raped in order to make her convert to Islam, but she said, "I am a Christian, and if you want to kill me then kill me, but I will not accept Islam." On 11 January 2008, her attacker forgot to lock the door; Shafia fled to her family's house. 'Now I have forgiven those who persecuted me. The Lord can do anything. He will do justice with me." she said. Voice of the Martyrs is paying Shafia's tuition at the Government College for Women. She hopes to become a doctor one day and despite everything she has been through , she also wants to start a Sunday school so she can share her faith with the next generation.

If you want to write to Shafia please click here for a letter. To see her story click here.

Mary's Story

Mary and her seven children were kidnapped by Islamic raiders who sold her as a sex slave to a Muslim man. he pressured her to deny Christ. “Allah isn’t god, how could I worship him?” she said. When she tried to escape with her children, he set her on fire. Mary’s severe burns did not heal properly and her arms were frozen into 90-degree angles by thick scar tissue. She could not dress herself or care for her children. In October 2006, Voice of the Martyrs partnered with two other ministries to arrange medical treatment for Mary. She can now stretch her arms to 160 degrees, nearly straight. Today, Mary is a leader in her community, ministering to widows and other former sex slaves. For income, the group makes and sells soap, tea and other essential items.

Mary needs your encouragement and prayers. Will you let her hear your voice? please click here for a letter.

Neneng's Story

Our sister Neneng received Christ and was baptised in 2001, aged 15. Her devout Muslim family discovered her secret conversion and questioned her for hours, demanding she renounce her faith. When Neneng refused, she was evicted from her home and disowned by her parents. Today, at 23 years of age, Neneng is attending an underground Bible College in Indonesia supported by Voice of the Martyrs. She witnesses to devout Sundanese Muslims people who work at the rubbish dumps in Indonesia. It is dangerous work and she is persecuted by them for her faith, but she goes into this place of poverty and darkness armed with love and a passion to share the Gospel. “This is where God has called me to minister,” she said.

If you want to write to Neneng please click here for a letter.

Rachel's Story

Rachel was beaten and raped because of her love for Jesus. She and her husband Ali were arrested in 2005 when armed secret police stormed into a house church meeting. They were to report monthly to a government building in the capital city of Tehran to sign a notebook. In September 2007, Rachel went to sign the notebook as usual, but this time a man was waiting for her. He took her underground and raped her. Violated and traumatised, Rachel refused to return to sign the notebook. A month later six police officers forced their way into the couple’s apartment. Rachel said one of them was the man who had kidnapped her. Rachel and Ali were bound, gagged and beaten with a steel cable. The couple has now fled Iran for their safety.

If you want to write to Rachel please click here for a letter.

PRAY

As we pray for opportunities to make a difference in this area of need we believe that the right doors will open and more opportunities will present themselves.

• Pray for each prisoner to have strength and courage in spite of their circumstances.
• Pray for the health and safety of those in prison and their families who suffer persecution for their faith in Christ
• Pray for favor with the authorities in these nations