Modern Day Martyrs

Satan and his demonic hordes will not prevail in persecuting the church because Jesus Christ is its Head and He is the King of Kings and Lord of Lords

Gordon Conwell Theological Seminary (2006) has estimated that there are about 171,000 people who die each year because they know Christ as Savior and Lord.  One of the purposes of Heartfelt Ministries is to make known to believers in Christ across the world
what is happening with the Persecuted Church. We do not want to reinvent the wheel.
This is why we rely heavily on Voice of Martyrs, China Aid and other sources for information about who, what, why and where the persecution is happening.

This blog is read by a number of Christian people who are living in countries considered to be hostile toward evangelicals. Believers in Christ who live in these countries have told me that they do not feel so alone when they read about others around the world who are being persecuted.

If you have depression, bipolar and/or other disorders of the mind and mood you know how much it hurts. You know the agony that stalks you every minute. If you have lost a loved one, you know the grief that surges over your soul and mind. Now imagine that you are a Christian in another country, on medications and when you are put in prison and you can't have them. Imagine being in a dark, poorly ventilated prison where the sewage is everywhere.

Imagine you have seen your beloved family member killed before your eyes.
Imagine that your teenage daughter or son were beheaded because they have trusted Christ to save them.
So again I ask you to pray for your brothers and sisters who are being persecuted. You may want go to www.persecution.com and see how you can send encouraging cards to some of these people.

China Aid will enlighten you as to the terrible suffering that is in China. Please go to http://www.chinaaid.org/

Let the love of the brethren contine.
Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for by this some have entertained angels without knowing it.  Remember the prisoners, as though in prison with them, and those who are ill-treated, since you yourselves also are in the body. 
Rev. Steve Bloem
Director of Heartfelt Ministries
Palm Beach Gardens FL

vom groups weekly prayer updates "Prayer is the pulse of life; by it the doctor can tell what is the condition of the heart. The sin of prayerlessness is a proof for the ordinary Christian or minister that the life of God in the soul is in deadly sickness and weakness." - Andrew Murray "praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints" - Ephesians 6:18 VOM-USA Prayer Update for April 13, 2012 On Thu. Apr 12 2012 at 03:42 PM Moderator wrote: Algeria--Believer Appeals Five-Year Prison Sentence VOM Contacts Psalm 38:12 An Algerian Christian sentenced to five years in prison for "shaking the faith" of Muslims is awaiting a decision on his appeal. "Kadar," who regularly shares his faith with Muslims in the city of Oran, discussed Christianity with a man at an outdoor food court last May and gave the man a Christian CD. But the man got angry and accused Kadar of insulting Muhammad. Police arrested Kadar and discovered a large quantity of Christian materials in his apartment. After Kadar was convicted of shaking the faith of a Muslim, the judge assessed the maximum sentence of five years in prison even though the prosecutor had recommended a lesser sentence. Kadar is now out on bail awaiting the decision on his appeal. VOM is currently monitoring four other legal cases against Christians in Algeria. Pray that the Lord will rescue these believers from the snares of their enemies. China--Gao Zhisheng Confirmed Alive China Aid Association Psalm 86:2 Family members of prominent human rights lawyer Gao Zhisheng visited him recently in prison. Gao's older brother and father-in-law met with him on March 24 at the Saya prison in Xinjiang province. His family had not seen him since his abduction by police in April 2010, and his whereabouts had been unknown until this year. His brother and father-in-law spoke with him through a glass partition and reported that he looked fine. Gao broke into tears when his father-in-law told him, "My health is greatly improved now that I have seen you." Gao was sentenced to five years' probation on Dec. 22, 2006, for subversion. On Dec. 16, 2011, just days before his probation was to expire, the government announced that Gao would be sentenced to three more years in prison. Praise God that Gao India--Prayer Meeting Attacked in New Delhi Compass Direct News John 7:36-38 Hindu extremists forced their way into a prayer meeting in Kalkaji, New Delhi, on March 12, beating the pastor and threatening other believers. Pastor Jagdish Dey was leading a small prayer meeting at a church member's house when Hindu radicals gathered at the door of the home and began taking pictures. As the meeting ended, the extremists forced their way inside the home and dragged Pastor Dey out into the street, where 30 armed extremists were waiting to beat him. When police arrived, they took Pastor Dey into custody. The Hindus accused the Christians of desecrating idols and making insulting remarks about their gods and goddesses. Under pressure from the extremists, police persuaded Pastor Dey to promise that he would stop the prayer meetings. The extremists then banned the Christians from using the public water pump and pressured their landlords to evict them. Pray that the Lord will refresh these believers with his living water. Romania VOM Project VOM continues to support Christians and the families of Christians who were imprisoned under Romania's former communist regime. These believers, most of whom are now in their 80s and up, are members of the persecuted church described in VOM's early literature. http://heartfeltcounselingministries.com/persecution.aspx