This coming Sunday, November 5, The Voice of the Martyrs (VOM) is hosting its yearly International Day of Prayer for Persecuted Christians (IDOP). VOM is a ministry dedicated to serving and ministering to persecuted believers. Each year, VOM selects a believer’s story and dangerous region to highlight for this event. For 2023, the ministry has chosen the story of Sejun, a boy from Nepal.
On VOM’s YouTube page, its short feature film – Sejun: Nepal, takes viewers down the streets of the South Asian country to virtually connect with the boy. Below is his story adapted from VOM’s video.
Sejun’s story
As a young child, Sejun was taken by his family to a Buddhist monastery where his family wanted him to learn how to become a monk. But during his time there, he was beaten and abused at the hands of his teachers. At age 13, Sejun escaped the monastery and the hands of his abusers – returning to what he thought was the safety of his family’s home.
Yet, upon his arrival, Sejun’s father was furious. By running away from his training, his father told him that he had disgraced their entire family. To punish him, Sejun’s father put him in the first grade – forcing him to start schooling all over again.
However, the Lord was up to something bigger than a simple grade misplacement.
While at the primary school, Sejun was introduced to a teacher named David. David was a Christian, and introduced Sejun to Scripture and gifted him a copy of the Bible. Impressed by the words found in the Bible, Sejun took the Word home and began searching for the hope found within its pages. But once his family uncovered what he was doing, he was again beaten for going against Buddhist teachings … so he ran.
As Sejun made his way out of town that day, he stumbled upon his teacher, David, who offered to bring him to a neighboring town so that he could freely learn about Christianity.
It was there that Sejun accepted Jesus as his Lord and Savior.
Pray for the persecuted
Sejun’s story is powerful and a great reminder to pray for those suffering persecution for their faith. … even the youngest of believers.
“Nepal is a beautiful country,” said Todd Nettleton, host of The Voice of the Martyrs Radio, in a press release. “But Nepal is a place where Christians face persecution from multiple elements within society. Yet, God is at work in Nepal; the church there is growing.”
For more than 50 years, VOM has served the persecuted church. And regardless of who or where they are ministering, they are met with one common request.
“The first thing persecuted Christians ask us to do for them is pray,” said Nettleton. “IDOP is a direct response to their #1 request, and it is our fervent desire that every church and every Christian pray for the persecuted members of our spiritual family.”
This Sunday, VOM hopes to encourage believers nationwide to help them answer that simple request and spend time praying for the persecuted church.
For more information on how to get your church involved in this powerful day of prayer, click here and download free digital resources from VOM.
If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you. Remember what I told you: ‘A servant is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted me, they will persecute you also. If they obeyed my teaching, they will obey yours also. (John 15:19-20)
