World News Briefs

Missions-Catalyst-no-tagline_largeIn this issue: St Patrick, Captives freed, famines, and Jesus sightings

  1. MIDDLE EAST: Jesus Appears to Jailer, Leading to Release of Imprisoned Pastors
  2. BANGLADESH: Despite Persecution, Christianity Exploding
  3. NIGERIA: Christians Cry Out as Authorities Begin Church Demolition
  4. SUDAN: Czech Aid Worker Released, Two Sudanese Pastors Remain in Prison
  5. MADAGASCAR: Witch Doctor Finds Peace in Christ
  6. KOREA: The Blossoming of a Mission Movement

St patrick headerGreetings,

We are just two days away from my favorite holiday celebrating a person: St. Patrick’s Day. I’m not Irish but I am named after him as I was born one day before his day. I’ve come to think the March 17th revelry (which sometimes gets out of hand) as a Western version of India’s Holi Festival.

If you’ve been a Missions Catalyst reader for long, you may have noticed I like to leverage “holy days” for the Great Commission. Could St. Patrick’s Day be the least leveraged and most powerful holiday for mission mobilizers?

Christ’s words to love our enemies come to life in the story of Patrick. What stories could be more relevant for the church today? Read and share the stories of some modern-day Patricks below.

Celebrating saints past and present,
Pat

Editor’s Note: I (Marti) was pleased to come across a new book about missionary monks which gives Patrick a whole chapter. Reading it now!

St. Patrick’s Day header designed by Freepik.

MIDDLE EAST: Jesus Appears to Jailer, Leading to Release of Imprisoned Pastors

Source: God Reports, February 8, 2017

Two pastors conducting a Bible study for new believers in an underground Middle East church were beaten, arrested by police, and taken to a secret jail. But after Jesus appeared to an official at the prison, their situation changed dramatically.

After the first two months, they became discouraged and cried out to the Lord: “Where are you? Why won’t you come and save us?” They prayed, “If we have done any sin and iniquities, forgive us and purify us by your precious blood and save us from this situation.”

Three days after their heartfelt cry to the Lord for help, a top-ranking officer of the jails visited them. The official ordered the guards to give them larger servings of food, and then disappeared into his office.

Then they were surprised when the officer returned alone that night, entered their cell, and sat down on the floor beside them. Then he did something even more surprising—he asked them to pray for him!

[In one of a series of dreams] Jesus [had] appeared before him and said, “My children are being tortured in your jail. I leave them before you. My children are the apple of my eyes.”

So the official quickly canceled his other plans and rushed to the jail. For three days he stayed in the official residence of the prison, but spent most of his time with the pastors—praying and learning more about Jesus and the Bible.

» Read full story or go to its source, a report from Bibles4Mideast.

BANGLADESH: Despite Persecution, Christianity Is Exploding

Source: Christian Freedom International, March 9, 2017

According to official estimates, the religious composition of Bangladesh is 89.1 percent Muslim, 10 percent Hindi, with less than one percent Christian in a nation of over 156 million people. But unofficially, Christianity is much larger and growing, especially in the rural areas.

Official reports on religious composition only count “traditional Christians,” i.e., people who are born into the Christian faith and attend government-approved churches. But “converts,” those who change their religion from Islam to Christianity are not counted and no surveys have been made.

The consensus among “converts” is that Christians in Bangladesh make up of at least 10 percent of the population and is growing more every day. Some indigenous evangelists tell CFI they believe that Bangladesh will become a Christian nation in their lifetimes.

» See full story with details and photos or watch a CBN News report based on this report.

NIGERIA: Christians Cry Out as Authorities Begin Church Demolition

Source: World Watch Monitor, January 23, 2017

Anxiety is high among Christian communities in Nigeria’s northern state of Jigawa after authorities began demolishing church buildings in Dutse, the state capital.

On January 11, bulldozers, escorted by security forces, reduced to rubble the Redeem Christian Church of God and the Lord Chosen Church.

They arrived at the Redeem Church at about 10am, according to Rev. Yakubu Musa, chairman of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) for Jigawa. The Executive Secretary of Urban Development and some key police officers were at the scene. The police blocked all the entrances to prevent church members from entering the premises. Those who tried to take pictures were chased away by police officers.

The bulldozers first removed the fence. They then demolished a small building inside the premises, before destroying the main church building. At around 12 noon, they went to the second church, which was also completely demolished.

“It was a terrible experience, with so many Christians who witnessed the demolition crying,” said Rev. Musa. “I felt so bitter because we were in a situation were you have been cheated and you cannot talk.”

» Full story provides helpful context about the situation. Read other recent news from Nigeria from World Watch Monitor.

» See also Education Is Forbidden about Boko Haram’s attacks on education; this article has great visuals (Roads and Kingdoms).

SUDAN: Czech Aid Worker Released, Two Sudanese Pastors Remain in Prison

Source: Morning Star News, February 27, 2017

Sudan released Czech aid worker Petr Jasek on [February 25], nearly one month after a court in Khartoum sentenced him to life in prison for espionage and other charges, according to reports. Christian leaders in Sudan confirmed the release of the Czech aid worker.

Two Sudanese Christians remain behind bars, though they were convicted of “aiding and abetting” Jasek’s alleged espionage and sentenced to 12 years in prison. It was not clear whether Sudan would consider releasing the two Church leaders. Their cases are awaiting appeal.

» Read full story. See also reports that Sudan has ordered demolition of 25 churches in the Khartoum area.

» Christians in neighboring South Sudan are thankful to report the release of eight Samaritan’s Purse aid workers who had been kidnapped. Pray for South Sudan which is on the brink of famine, as are Somalia and Yemen.

MADAGASCAR: Witch Doctor Finds Peace in Christ

Source: Operation Mobilization, March 3, 2017

Fomesoa looks like a typical Malagasy man. He is slight in frame with brown eyes, and his black hair is speckled with gray from age. What is not so typical is that at 15 years of age, Fomesoa became a witch doctor.

“I didn’t get it from people,” he explained. “An evil spirit came directly to me and guided me to buy a particular type of wood [to start making charms].”

In early 2016 Fomesoa’s life changed. “In the beginning, there was no one who told me about Jesus, but I just started to not care about my idols. I think that is when Jesus first came into my life,” said Fomesoa.

A few weeks later, he met [an OM mission worker named] Fara, who told him about Jesus and urged him to get rid of his idols and charms. Filled with conviction, Fomesoa lit a fire outside his house and threw the charms in. Looking back, he knows now that his indifference to the charms was God working in his life. “I felt something changing in my life, I felt happy [burning the idols],” Fomesoa said.

“I feel peace in my life now,” said Fomesoa with a smile.

» Read full story, and also read Exponential Potential, in which an OM writer describes a multi-agency partnership to mobilize missionaries from the Arabian Peninsula to go to some of the world’s least reached peoples.

» See also Nursing Schools Fight off Witch Doctors in Uganda (Mission Network News).

KOREA: The Blossoming of a Mission Movement

Source: GMI Missiographics

The Korean mission movement is an amazing mission story of the past 40 years. For much of that time, it has been well documented by the Korea Research Institute for Mission, and the picture is very clear. Praise God for it, and also pray for it as the growth has slowed down a great deal in recent years.

» Learn more or download an infographic.