Feature - Feature Story

Feature Story

Iran and the United States: Bita and Tabita

How can kids inform others about persecuted Christians? Send an e-mail, perform a skit, make a bumper sticker, start a scrapbook, design a church bulletin insert, share a Kids of Courage newsletter, pass out prayer reminders, make a poster, or write a poem!

Bita Packs Her Bags
Three-year-old Bita began packing her suitcase. "I’m going to see Daddy," she said. Bita lives in Iran. She does not understand that her father is in prison for following Jesus and sharing his faith with Muslims. The government of Iran wants Muslims to stay Muslims.

Bita could not visit her father. "Will he come home for my birthday?" she asked her mother. But Bita’s father will probably not be coming home any time soon.

"It breaks my heart that she is missing him so much," her mother said. "She keeps talking about him and all the stuff they used to do together, like going to the park. Pray that Bita and other Christian children whose parents are in prison will know the love and comfort of their heavenly Father.

Tabita’s Poem
A 12-year-old girl in Chicago named Tabita (pictured above with her baby brother Caleb) heard her mother talking about Iran. Her mother wondered how she could help the Christians there. Tabita remembered that prayer is one of the best ways to help persecuted Christians. So she wrote the following poem to encourage Christians to pray for their suffering brothers and sisters around the world.

Someone Out There
You’re a Christian in the midst of luxury and wealth;
You have a job and you’re in good health.

But maybe right now you’re having a day that’s insane.
Remember, someone out there is in severe pain.

This someone may be being whipped or in a filthy jail.
You on the other hand, just got a few bills in the mail.

How could you say your day went so wrong—
When all you had to do was wait in a line that was "too long"?

Remember, someone out there is suffering because they love Jesus so much.
So stop all your complaining about inconveniences and such.

Next time you’re upset, think of that someone out there far away—
Then humble yourself before the Lord and pray.

*What can you do to remind others about the needs of persecuted Christians?

(To protect their identities, the names of some of the people on this site and some identifying details have been changed. Some of the quotes and stories have been edited and paraphrased from the original sources for clarity.)

The Voice of the Martyrs

Statement of Faith

We believe the Bible to be the inspired, authoritative Word of God who is eternally existent in three persons: Father, Son and Holy Spirit. We believe in the deity of our Lord Jesus Christ, in His virgin birth, in His sinless life, in His miracles, in His vicarious and atoning death through His shed blood, in His bodily resurrection, in His personal return in power and glory.

We believe that for salvation of lost and sinful men, regeneration by the Holy Spirit is absolutely essential.

We believe in the present ministry of the Holy Spirit by whose indwelling the Christian is enabled to live a godly life. We believe in the resurrection of both the saved and the lost. We believe in the spiritual unity of believers of Christ.

We believe in the message of the persecuted churches, a message which has been brought to the West by the founders of the mission, Pastor Richard and Sabina Wurmbrand.

We have witnessed that the blood of the martyrs is the seed which makes the churches grow; and therefore, the mention of martyrs must be brought into the teachings and practices of the church. We believe that Christians who serve and love Christ, and are persecuted for this, should be helped. We believe the Bible teaches that we should love even our enemies. How much more so should we love our brethren who are persecuted for their faith in all parts of the world? Hebrews 13:3 states, "Remember them that are in bonds as bound with them, and them which suffer adversity, as being yourselves also in the body."

Privacy statement:

www.persecution.com
www.kidsofcourage.com

Thank you for visiting The Voice of the Martyrs (VOM) web sites. VOM remains very committed to protecting all user information on www.persecution.com and related sites. The Voice of the Martyrs will not sell, lease or rent personal information acquired within our web site. No personal information will be gathered without your knowledge and permission. The Voice of the Martyrs will continue to protect all personal information to the best of our ability. All financial transaction shall be processed secure with SSL encryption.

This web site may be linked to other web sites as well as other web sites linked to Persecution.com. The Voice of the Martyrs has no control over non-"VOM" web sites and the users shall be subject to the privacy policy of that site.

The Voice of the Martyrs may request information from its users to protect site content and monitor activities within the site. Users will also be given the opportunity to provide further information to help The Voice of the Martyrs better help those they serve. As stated above, this information will remain private and shall never be sold, leased or rented to another organization.

If you have any questions concerning The Voice of the Martyrs privacy policy please contact webmaster@persecution.com