In This Issue: People of the borderlands
- MIDDLE EAST: Praying for Syrian Refugees
- AFGHANISTAN: South African Christians Killed by Taliban
- PAKISTAN: Eldest Son Witnessed Parents’ Deaths
- BANGLADESH: Two Pastors Charged for Proclaiming Christ to Muslims
- WORLD: Looking Back, Looking Forward
Greetings,
I’ve been thinking about borderlands and the unique ministry opportunities they create. With this on my mind I came across the engaging speaker/adventurer Suchitra Vijayan. Since I am preparing for a trip to South Asia, I listened intently to her talk on Citizenship, Identity, and Conflict in South Asia’s Borderlands.
As I began looking for stories for this edition of Missions Catalyst, the borderlands theme kept popping up. Some stories refer to political borders but others are about climate change borders, disputed borders, closing borders, new borders being tested, etc. Take a look:
- World’s Strangest Land Grab (Uzbekistan and Afghanistan)
- Abandoned in the Borderlands (South Sudan)
- Depression Casts Cloak of Infertility over Kashmir Valley
- Closed Borders and Live Ammunition: How Syria’s Neighbors Are Starting to Treat Refugees
One thing the inhabitants of changing borderlands have in common is that they lack what makes the place they live a home. In a post on this topic, blogger Richelle Wright shares a list of things a home should be (borrowing from the book The Nesting Place):
- A place to connect
- A place of authenticity
- A place of comfort
- A place of rest
- A place of joy
- A place of contentment
What a great list of things to pray for those in the changing borderlands.
What does all this about borderlands have to do with what I am calling a fourth era of Protestant missions? I believe we are entering a season of opportunity the church has not seen before now. Email me if you’d like to discuss it.
Blessings,
Pat
Pat Noble has been the “news sleuth” for Missions Catalyst since 2004. In addition to churning out the news, she is working to create a SWARM (Serving World A Regional Mobilizers) in Northern New York using the NorthernChristian.org website. You can connect with her at www.whatsoeverthings.com.