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Thirteen years ago, my ‘gap year’ brought me to Tasmania. Now by God’s providence, wisdom and humour I find myself living and ministering to the university community (with the University Fellowship of Christians) in Hobart, along with my wife and two children.

There are close to 14,000 students on campus in Hobart but the University Fellowship has historically represented about 0.5% of that number. Our ministry is one of evangelism and training leaders. It is an exciting but arduous and slow mission field. Or at least it has been until this year…

On the evening of 5 May, Pastor Dang Ba Nham, his wife, and a church elder were praying on a roadside with a woman who had recently converted to Christianity in Vinh on the north central coast of Vietnam.

They stood in front of the property of the new Christian, Phan Thi Thanh Huyen, to ask God for his blessing in building a new house. As they were praying, a large pick-up truck with red military plates veered across the street and ploughed squarely into the small group.

Pastor Michael Yat and Pastor Peter Yen Reith, members of the South Sudan Presbyterian Evangelical Church, were arrested in Sudan at the end of 2014, but released in August 2015.

Open Doors spoke to them about their experiences of persecution, of leading men on death row to Christ, and the difference it made to know people were praying for them.