The room fell suddenly silent—then erupted with frenetic shouts of “Allahu Akbar!” I sucked in a quick, startled breath. My eyes widened. For several minutes, my cellmates celebrated the successful terrorist attack in France. I had seen this kind of Muslim celebration on television, but to experience it for the first time in person was shocking. I realized, in those terrifying moments, that I had been imprisoned with Islamic extremists. And I would learn that my cellmates were in fact members of ISIS.

On Dec. 10, 2015, Petr Jasek arrived at the airport in Khartoum, Sudan, for his return flight home to the Czech Republic. But before he could board his flight, he was summoned by Sudanese security for questioning about his activities in the country—activities that, if disclosed, would endanger the persecuted Christians with whom he had met. As the questions continued and he was taken into custody, Petr realized he would not be returning to his family anytime soon.

Instead, Petr was charged with multiple offenses and imprisoned for 445 days—all for trying to help Christians who had been persecuted by Sudan’s government. Sentenced to life in prison and forced to share a cell with ISIS terrorists, Petr shares this true story of how God gave him strength, courage and a new purpose during his imprisonment.

Raised as the son of a pastor who was persecuted in communist Czechoslovakia, Petr Jasek was well equipped to join The Voice of the Martyrs (VOM) in 2002 to help aid and assist persecuted Christians in hostile areas and restricted nations. Today, Petr serves with VOM as the ministry’s Global Ambassador, traveling around the world to speak about his imprisonment in Sudan and encouraging believers to stand with our persecuted brothers and sisters in prayer and action.