In This Issue: News from Cambodia, Sudan, Israel, and More
- CAMBODIA: “You Need to Talk about Ghosts”
- SUDAN: Seven Christians Crucified
- ISRAEL: In the Garden of the Lord
- KYRGYZSTAN: Schools without Walls
- INDIA: Massive Reconversion Event
- BURKINA FASO: More Openness
- WORLD: A Glance at Religions
- EVENTS: Highlighted and Recently Added Events on the Missions Catalyst Calendar
Missions Catalyst is a free, weekly electronic digest of mission news and resources designed to inspire and equip Christians worldwide for global ministry. Use it to fuel your prayers, find tips and opportunities, and stay in touch with how God is building his kingdom all over the world. Please forward it freely!
World News Briefs edited by Pat Noble, are published twice a month.
CAMBODIA: “You Need to Talk about Ghosts”
Source: Baptist Press October 23, 2009
David was surveying floating villages and was in need of a boat and driver. Andrew, led to Christ 18 months earlier, agreed to take the job. It was on one of these survey trips that David met Tim. After several visits, Tim invited David and Andrew to dinner. Before they arrived, Andrew gave David some advice.
“You need to talk about ghosts,” he [said].
“Ghosts? Why ghosts?”
“Because the people here are afraid of ghosts,” Andrew said. “They need to know that this Creator God is more powerful than ghosts.”
Until 2008, no one in this village had ever heard the story of Jesus. But that changed the night David and Andrew arrived at Tim’s house for dinner. “Tim and I had been talking for about three hours, and the other men were falling asleep,” David said. “Then about 9 o’clock Andrew pulled me aside.”
“Now is the time to talk about ghosts,” Andrew told him.
So David began a discussion about ghosts by sharing the story of the rich man and Lazarus from Luke 16. He explained that ghosts are not spirits of the dead but rather fallen angels and evil spirits sent out from Satan. “The men woke up,” David laughed. “[Now] they were paying close attention.”
Finally, Tim asked David, “Now, tell me how someone can become a child of God.” David explained the gospel, and [at 3 a.m.] Tim prayed to receive Christ.
Editor’s note: Readers might also be interested in this story from Venezuela: Does God’s Spirit Really Live in Us? (Mike Dawson)
SUDAN: Seven Christians Crucified
Source: Joel News 705, October 27, 2009
Marauding soldiers from the Lord’s Resistance Army, a terrorist rebel group from Uganda that frequently crosses the border with Sudan, crucified seven Christian believers near the town of Nzara in south Sudan. Villagers found the bodies of the Christians brutally murdered.
The guerrillas reportedly also stormed two churches, desecrating the buildings and kidnapping several young people. In response, a local bishop called for a three-day prayer event for Christians of all denominations in the region. It culminated in a silent protest by more than 20,000 people who walked two miles barefoot in sackcloth and ashes.
Let’s pray that the blood of the martyrs will be the seed of the church in Sudan, and that many LRA soldiers will encounter Christ.
Editor’s note: Apparently this happened in mid-August. See also Christians Crucified in Guerilla Raids (The Catholic Herald).
ISRAEL: In the Garden of the Lord
Source: Pastor Karen Dunham of Living Bread International Church, October 25, 2009
“In our church in Jerusalem I felt I was in the garden of God in [a] vision. God wanted to open our hearts in worship and the rain of God would cause the flowers to bloom. I saw the flowers blooming and knew that the perfume pleased the Lord.
“[Then] a Jewish man named David who had seen me on TV entered the church. David was so amazed that God loved the Arab and the Jews, he joined a Christian church in Tel Aviv and was baptized. I ask him to come forward, and we all prayed and prophesied blessings over him.
“When we finished I noticed a young Arab Muslim man that had been watching it all and asked him to step forward. As we began to pray blessings over him David came forward and said ‘Can I pray blessings for this man?’ Amazingly they both prayed blessings for each other as we rejoiced at the Lord’s goodness.
“This has to be what it is like in the Garden of the Lord.”
>> Sign up for Living Bread News.
Editor’s note: See also the story of Shlomy Abramov, former bodyguard to former Israeli Prime Minister, Ariel Sharon, who now prays with his Palestinian brother in Christ (ASSIST News).
KYRGYZSTAN: Schools without Walls
Source: Mission Network News, October 26, 2009
Russian Ministries‘ School Without Walls (SWW) trains and equips young Christian leaders to renew the church and transform society. Russian Ministries is committed to expanding this program in Central Asia.
One SWW student, Madi, previously led many people in Central Asia to Christ through small groups. After a brief time of burnout, her passion for Christ was [rekindled] through SWW. She passes on the knowledge she gained through SWW to fellow believers in Central Asia.
“After a year of studying at SWW, I was re-energized to get involved in ministry again,” Madi said. “I started two new groups – one for believers and one for nonbelievers (Muslims) whom I carefully lead and show through the Koran (that I know well from my Muslim background) that Isa is the Messiah.”
SWW exists to bridge the gap between the local community and church. This spring, 812 students graduated [from] SWW programs, and around 80 percent plan to continue active ministry in their communities. Next fall, 40 students are scheduled to study through SWW in Kyrgyzstan.
Editor’s note: Interested in following the news in Central Asia? Subscribe to updates from RFE/RL.
INDIA: Massive Reconversion Event
Source: Compass Direct, October 27, 2009
Hundreds of tribal Christians and adherents of aboriginal religion from villages in Maharashtra state were reportedly “reconverted” to Hinduism yesterday in the Mumbai suburb of Thane at a ceremony led by a Hindu nationalist cleric.
Swami Narendra Maharaj’s goal was to [convert] 6,000 Christians in the so-called purification ceremony, reported The Hindustan Times, which put the number of [conversions] at around 800.
Hindu nationalists believe all Indians are born Hindu and therefore regard acceptance of Hinduism by those practicing other religions as “reconversion.”
>> Full story.
Editor’s note: Love India? See the new blog Pray for Delhi.
BURKINA FASO: More Openness
Source: Keith Smith, Under the Acacias, October 27, 2009
There is a new openness and responsiveness to Christ in Songhai villages in northern Burkina Faso, as Pierre, Pascal, and Seydou have been going out regularly teaching people the good news of Jesus.
In the province of Oudalan there are three main people groups: the Fulani, the Tamacheq, and the Songhai. All are Muslim peoples, with a respect for the Jesus of the Quran, but with little understanding of his power to change lives today.
Over the last couple of years, we have begun to reach out to a number of Songhai villages, and are now beginning to see people getting hold of the truth of Christ.
[Recently] Pierre, Pascal, and Seydou have found a lot of openness, and in one village three men made the decision to follow Christ.
Editor’s note: See Keith’s analysis of the usefulness of the UN’s Human Development Index, (mis)used to rate the ‘best’ and ‘least desirable’ places to live.
WORLD: A Glance at Religions
Source: Lausanne World Pulse, September 2009
The least-evangelized groups of people with the highest populations in the world still get the least number of missionaries. Just over 25 percent of Protestant foreign missionaries are focused on the two-thirds of the world which is predominately non-Christian – and most of them are ministering among already reached groups.
Over 27 percent of the world’s population is part of people groups who have no or very little access to the gospel. Furthermore, in terms of finances, less than one percent of US church giving goes to support mission work among these least-served groups.
>> Full story with prayer points.
Editor’s note: See also Study Dispels Myths on Muslim Population (The Star) on the recent Pew Forum mapping project. Check out the Pew Forum interactive map also.
MISSION EVENTS
Source: Missions Catalyst Mission Events Calendar
Highlighted from the mission events calendar:
November 8 – International Day of Prayer for the Persecuted Church (IDOP) and Orphan Sunday (Christian Alliance for Orphans).
November 14 – International Day of Prayer for Kids and Schools (Moms in Touch).
Recently added to the mission event calendar:
April 8-11 – New Wineskins for Global Mission (Asheville, NC, USA). Triennial mission gathering for Anglicans in America.
April 22-25 – Annual North America Consultation of the Rethinking Forum Network (Lexington, KY, USA). For those with an interest in the birthing of Christ-centered movements in the Hindu world.
July 18-27 and August 8-17 – TCK/MK Re-entry Retreats (Columbia, SC and Gaston, SC, USA). Helping high-school seniors and college-aged MKs (missionary kids) transition to the US.
24 to 26 – The Hindu-Christian Interface (near Los Angeles, CA, USA). A 15-hour training course exploring culturally relevant ways to make Christ known among Hindus.
WHAT DO YOU THINK?
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