The Voice of the Martyrs

On this day in 2002, Bonnie Witherall was martyred. It was an early morning in Lebanon, and Bonnie began prepping the office of the clinic she worked at. It was there she was met by a Muslim extremist who mercilessly fired three shots into her head at close range. A man full of hate killed a gentle Christian woman who’d come to his country to share about love and forgiveness. At Witherall’s funeral, her husband, Gary, addressed the crowd: “I know we are all very sad, and we all miss Bonnie … She isn’t sad or afraid or in pain; she is dancing and rejoicing in Heaven. We should be celebrating for her!” Join us in honoring the memory of Bonnie Witherall today.

In 2016, Gonzalo and his wife, Edilma, planted a new church in one of Colombia’s “red zones," a perilous place for Christians. Through their ministry, guerrilla fighters and their families have been transformed and restored by faith in Jesus Christ. “They are rejected by others in the community, but we show them love,” Gonzalo said. In spite of the risk of kidnapping, assault, torture and murder, Gonzalo and his wife continue in faithful ministry.

On this day 20 years ago, Dr. Tekleab Mengisteab was imprisoned in Eritrea. Dr. Mengisteab is a medical doctor, leader in the World Health Organization and ordained minister in the Orthodox Church of Eritrea. For 20 years, he’s been imprisoned without charge or trial by the government of Eritrea. Listen to his daughter, Hana, share the story of her father’s arrest and how she has found joy amidst suffering. https://bit.ly/3V08KIP

On this day five years ago, John Allen Chau penned his last journal entry before swimming to the shore of North Sentinel Island for the final time. The 26-year-old had prepared for almost a decade to take the gospel to the Sentinelese, an unreached people group on a tiny speck of an island in the Bay of Bengal. John had spent years crafting an “adventure bro” presence online — an attempt to ensure any publicity around his death wouldn’t hinder future efforts to reach the Sentinelese with the gospel. His actions and subsequent death were criticized and mocked by many in secular media, but also, sadly, by some Christians. John never underestimated the potential danger of his mission, but he valued the souls of the Sentinelese people more than comfort or safety. He valued obedience to Christ even over his own life. “You guys might think I’m crazy in all this,” he wrote in one of his last journal entries. “But I think it’s worth it to declare Jesus to these people.”

Joseph Mucosa Balikuddembe was martyred on November 15, 1885 on the banks of the Nakivubo River in Uganda. He was major-domo to King Mwanga, both his advisor and tutor. Balikuddembe had become one of the first Christian converts of the missionaries and was baptized at age 15. He approached his work in the king’s court from his growing faith and knew he was in a dangerous position. The king fell ill and Balikuddembe administered his medicine, probably opium. The medication caused side effects, and King Mwanga accused Balikuddembe of poisoning him. The King sentenced him to death. Balikuddembe responsed, “I am going to die for God.” He forgave the king and his enemies before he was beheaded and set on fire. More martyrdoms followed, including many of the king’s pages, whose faith had been encouraged by Joseph Balikuddembe.

"We have to live love," says a pastor of a house church in Kazakhstan. Listen to hear why he's motivated by love.

URGENT PRAYER REQUEST: Cai and Hien, whose inspiring story was published in the October 2024 issue of The Voice of the Martyrs magazine, have endured several years of persecution in Vietnam since placing their faith in Jesus in 2021, including imprisonment, shunning by the community, denial of public services like electricity and water, and the refusal to admit their children to school. In the early morning hours of Nov. 5, after continuous threats, Cai and Hien’s house was torched, causing them to lose their home and all of their possessions. Authorities have refused to offer assistance unless the couple will give up their faith in Jesus Christ. Front-line workers have requested prayer for this brother and sister as the body of Christ helps them find new housing and meets their immediate material needs.

For decades, Americans have driven the demand for Colombian guerrillas’ cocaine. Those same guerrilla groups violently persecute Christians. The money Americans spend on narcotics funds the oppression and killing of our brothers and sisters in Christ. VOM President Cole Richards writes, “May we never cease to share the saving message of the gospel with those on both sides of these transactions, and may we never fail to see God’s sovereign grace amid such wickedness.”

On this day in 1989, the Berlin Wall fell. People in the West were riveted by the news, but imagine how it felt to those behind the wall. There was fear and hope among the Christian community as they had been sharing the gospel when it was illegal and the church underground. Now people were flooding into churches. This new freedom gave Christians opportunities to attend schools, organize conferences, and see rooms filled with people who would hear the gospel for the first time. Today, let’s pray for believers in Germany, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary, Romania and others who were once behind the Iron Curtain.

Guerrilla groups in Colombia are among the most oppressive organizations, political or otherwise, in the world. Christians are targeted by these groups because their obedience to God’s Word prevents them from supporting or joining the violent factions funded through narcotics trafficking and other criminal activities. Worship, evangelism and travel are dangerous in these areas as the guerrillas seek to control all aspects of people's lives. Pray for our Christian brothers and sisters who are faithfully sharing the gospel with guerrillas in Colombia.