Voice of the Martyrs USA

⚽ Tunisia plays in the World Cup soccer tournament today. As they play, remember to pray for Christians who are persecuted in Tunisia, a restricted nation.

🙏 HOW TO PRAY: Though Tunisia has a rich Christian history, there are now few churches or Christians in the country. It is illegal for families to persecute their family members who leave Islam, but such persecution still occurs, and local governments still harass Christians. Pray that God will provide places for Christians to meet and that more Tunisians will place their faith in Christ through courageous believers proclaiming the gospel.

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Voice of the Martyrs USA

REMEMBERING MARTYRS: Mehdi Dibaj was an Iranian Muslim who became a Christian as a teen and eventually became a pastor. In 1983, he was arrested for his beliefs and imprisoned for ten years. He received a death sentence, but his case was highly publicized, and Iranian authorities released him in 1994. However, on June 24, five months after his release, Dibaj was abducted and killed. His life is an example of living in daily commitment to Christ, even unto death.

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Voice of the Martyrs USA

WHAT IS DAY OF THE CHRISTIAN MARTYR?
According to church tradition, June 29 marks the martyrdom of the Apostle Paul. Today, join Christians around the world in remembering the faithful witness of those who, like Paul, have given their lives for the advancement of the gospel. Let their example inspire you to have that same boldness to share Christ in your community.

THE FAITHFUL WITNESS OF PERPETUA
Perpetua was part of a small fellowship of new Christians in the ancient Roman city of Carthage, located in what is now Tunisia. City officials considered anyone who refused to worship pagan deities or the emperor to be threats to civil order, but the 22-year old mother was determined to follow Christ. Perpetua and other believers were arrested and detained in a Roman jail for their commitment to Christ. Perpetua’s father urged her to abandon her faith. But she was resolute.

Eventually, the imprisoned Christians were ordered to appear before a Roman official. As they approached the high official, Perpetua’s father suddenly appeared, holding her infant. “Have pity on your babe!” he cried. The official urged her to offer a sacrifice to the emperor to save her own life. She refused. “Are you a Christian?” the official asked. “I am a Christian,” she replied. On March 7, A.D. 203, Perpetua and other Christians were led into Carthage’s coliseum and killed in front of a bloodthirsty crowd of spectators.

The killing of Perpetua and others inspired the church to thrive in Carthage and follow Christ— at any cost. “But [Stephen], full of the Holy Spirit, gazed into heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God…Then they cast him out of the city and stoned him.” —Acts 7:55,58

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Voice of the Martyrs USA

Thongkham Philavanh first suffered for his faith in Christ in 2001. As a new disciple, he was thrilled to travel from his home in Laos to Thailand for a Bible training seminar. He was equally excited to see the Bible, pamphlets and sermon audiocassettes that he was free to take. He thought about the other Christians in his hometown in northern Loas and how blessed they would be to receive these materials, so he filled his bag and headed home. Hours later, he and his travel companions were stopped by Laotian soldiers. Accused of leading the people astray from the traditional animist religions, the eight young men were arrested and imprisoned — without a chance to get word to the loved ones waiting for them at home. They were in prison for three months.

📍 Location: Laos
📖 Read more in VOM’s June 2026 Magazine

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Voice of the Martyrs USA

After his wife, Miriam, was attacked with acid by assailants trying to stop their gospel ministry, Andre transported her to multiple hospitals in a desperate effort to save her. As they traveled by ambulance, Andre said the Lord spoke to him. “The Holy Spirit was telling me when we were in the ambulance that my wife was going home,” he said. “The Holy Spirit told me to sing a song. I was singing, and then, when there were too many tears, I would stop. And then when I find myself again, I would resume and sing again. … I was saying goodbye to her like that. Because the song was a song that speaks about the love of God for me, what the Lord did for me.”

📍 Location: Benin
📖 Read more in VOM’s June 2026 Magazine

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Voice of the Martyrs USA

The area of northern Benin where Andre and Miriam served is 96% Muslim. “It was a tough place,” Andre said. Muslims in his community were particularly resistant to the gospel, even when God answered prayers and miraculously healed people. Andre traveled regularly for ministry, and Miriam fully support his evangelistic efforts, fasting and praying when he went to remote areas to preach the gospel. But on March 31, 2023, while Andre was ministering in another part of Benin, someone viciously attacked Miriam. Delphine, the couple’s 12-year-old daughter, came home from soccer practice after dark and saw her mother lying on a couch. She had been attacked with acid and could barely breathe. Andre transported Miriam to multiple hospitals in a desperate effort to save her. But after 40 days of suffering, Miriam died. Andre remains committed to bringing the good news of Christ’s love to all. He asks for support in the battle for souls.

📍 Location: Benin
📖 Read more in VOM’s June 2026 Magazine

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Voice of the Martyrs USA

Andre and Miriam Efosa married young and served the Lord together. Andre was an ordained pastor, and the two formed a strong ministry team. He preached, taught and evangelized. Miriam led women’s ministries and Sunday school classes. Andre described her as a pillar in their church. “If anybody spoke of going against the doctrine of our church, even if I wasn’t around, she would rise up and say ‘no’ and correct wrong things,” he said. Miriam and Andre’s adherence to biblical truth, especially to fulfilling the Great Commission in a Muslim-majority region of Benin, cost Miriam her life. On March 31, 2023, Miriam was viciously attacked and days later died from her wounds.

📍 Location: Benin
📖 Read more in VOM’s June 2026 Magazine

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Voice of the Martyrs USA

REMEMBERING MARTYRS: In June of 1900, John and Sarah Young, a newly married missionary couple, were ordered to evacuate China as the Boxer Rebellion was underway. On their route, they were detained by Chinese soldiers and ordered to stop preaching foreign religion. They responded that they could not and were immediately killed.

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Voice of the Martyrs USA

Sam and Kate serve our persecuted Christian brothers and sisters in Southeast Asia. Kate is among several women who are dedicated to serving severely persecuted Christian women according to their unique needs. The couple writes: “Many of the persecuted Christians we help are women … Their husbands have been taken, jailed or killed for their faith. For me (Sam) to have Kate ministering to our precious sisters with me is important. She can care for and comfort [persecuted Christian women] in ways that I cannot, providing care and support to address the physical, spiritual and emotional needs of our brothers and sisters in Christ. This is the blessing of the body of Christ.”

📖 Read more in VOM’s June 2026 Magazine

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Voice of the Martyrs USA

News From the Field

ERITREA: Prisoners Released

In April 2026, 24 Eritrean Christians were released from prison. Most of those released had been detained for two years, but one of the believers had reportedly been imprisoned for 18 years. Dr. Berhane Asmelash, director of Release Eritrea and past VOM Radio guest, estimates that the current number of Christians imprisoned in Eritrea is 200 to 220, the lowest it has been in the past 20 years. It is unclear if recent releases of Christian prisoners are the result of international publicity and pressure, prison overcrowding within Eritrea or a shift in strategy by the government of President Isaias Afwerki. Please continue to pray for those in prison.

BURKINA FASO: Christian Leaders Targeted in Attack

Islamists killed 21 people in the town of Kokoana in far western Burkina Faso near the border with Mali. Attackers deliberately targeted Christian leaders: “The terrorists went to the home of Pastor Etienne Keïta and murdered him in front of his family,” said a front-line worker. “They then proceeded to two neighboring Christian households and killed the heads of those families as well.” Christians in Burkina Faso have been repeatedly attacked by Muslim extremists in recent years, as violent Islamists have killed hundreds and displaced hundreds of thousands more. “Please pray for the family of Pastor Keïta, the other grieving families and for the Christian community that has been deeply affected by this tragedy,” said the front-line worker.

CHINA: Formerly Imprisoned Pastor Now Facing Cancer

Pastor John Cao was released from a Chinese prison in March 2024 after serving his full seven-year sentence. Though he has been diagnosed with prostate cancer, the Chinese government is still not allowing him to leave China. News of Cao’s diagnosis was shared by Bob Fu, a close friend and ministry coworker of Pastor John Cao, during an interview with VOM Radio that also included information about President Donald Trump’s recent visit to Beijing. Even though John Cao’s wife is an American and he has permanent resident status in the United States, the Chinese government is refusing to issue him the necessary travel documents. Despite his cancer diagnosis and constant surveillance by Chinese police, Cao is still actively ministering, including baptizing new believers and encouraging other Christians through online meetings.

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