Category: News Briefs

Source: SEND International, April 2021

Among the Buryat in Siberia, it’s the older generation that’s coming to Christ.

“In the Buryat culture, elders have authority over the young,” explains Daniella, who worked among the Buryat for 12 years. “If a young guy is the first one in the family to become a believer, he will be mocked. But if grandma and great aunt and uncle become believers, the younger ones will pay attention. That’s what God is doing now! There are lots of elderly believers, and they are very active in evangelizing others.”

In 2013, Daniella and three others started a music group to help their Russian church feel more welcoming to Buryat. “There is a misconception that you have to become Russian to be a Christian,” Daniella said. “We wanted to show that this is not the case!”

But most of the songs at that time, even if they were performed on Buryat instruments, contained lyrics translated from other cultures. The Buryat needed their own songs, in their heart language, to connect with the influential older generation. In 2018, the Praise Workshop was born, to write, perform and distribute these songs.

The Praise Workshop singers and its children’s choir have now recorded six music videos, releasing them on YouTube and social media channels, where they’ve been viewed more than 25,000 times, mainly by people in Russia and Mongolia.

You can worship with the Buryat! Read the full story and follow links to music videos.

Source: Open Doors, April 29, 2021

North Korean refugee Seojun grows emotional as he remembers the hardship of growing up during North Korea’s “Great Famine” in the 1990s. He shares how he roamed the countryside foraging for vegetables, often going hungry.

A new report by the United Nations indicates North Koreans could be facing the same situations Seojun described. The UN released a statement saying that 40 percent of the country’s population (25.8 million) is starving.

While North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has previously told North Koreans to “tighten their belts” and has spoken about the country’s economic difficulties, at the beginning of this month, speaking at a party conference, Kim used words he has not previously uttered publicly to describe the current situation facing North Koreans, including more than an estimated 400,000 underground Christians.

Speaking to his party officials, the 37-year-old leader called on them to “wage another, more difficult ‘Arduous March’ in order to relieve our people of the difficulty, even a little.” The Arduous March refers to the name the people gave the great famine of the 1990s in which 2-3 million people died—a crisis created when the fall of the Soviet Union left North Korea without vital aid.

Full story includes a video in which Seojun, now a pastor in South Korea, remembers the famine of the 1990s, as well as an update on the COVID-19 situation in North Korea.

See also an analysis of the situation from the BBC and a distressing report from World Vision about seven million people at risk of starvation in six countries in East Africa.

Source: Morning Star News, April 20, 2021

Pastor Sanjay Bhandari had taken his wife for a medical check-up earlier this month when they decided to visit her sister in the same area in Karnataka state, southwest India.

“While we were still having tea, a few men barged inside the house and, grabbing me by my shirt collar, they dragged me outside, accusing me of carrying out conversions,” Pastor Bhandari told Morning Star News. “I tried very hard to explain that it was my relatives’ house and that we were only paying them a casual visit, but the men refused to listen.”

The Hindu extremists in Halaga village, near Belgaum city, Belgaum District also ignored the pleas of his wife’s family that day, April 5. The men took Pastor Bhandari outside, where 50 to 60 Hindu extremists were waiting, he said.

The mob paraded him a mile to the rented worship hall where he has led Sunday services for five years, hitting and kicking him along the way, he said.

“They continued to hit me as they dragged me,” said Pastor Bhandari, a resident of Belgaum city. “They abused me and Jesus Christ in filthy language and pressured me to hail, ‘Jai Sri Ram [Hail lord Ram],’ as they beat me.”

The mob accused him of converting their community to Christianity and trying to convert the family he was visiting—though they are already Christian, he said.

Read the full story.

As COVID continues to surge in India, we’re seeing numerous stories about people impacted and others trying to help—including members of the Indian diaspora. Did you realize the Indian diaspora, 18 million strong, is the largest in the world? (The Economic Times).

Source: International Mission Board, April 14, 2021

Choi had grown up in a rural village made up of bamboo huts carved into the side of a hill. Her community had no clean water and wasn’t accessible by car, so when our teams discovered her curiosity about the gospel through her daughter, they hiked to the summit to meet Choi and share the hope of God’s love with her searching heart.

Sitting around the campfire at night, our partners switched between Thai, English, and the village dialect to communicate with Choi. She was eager to hear the Good News but didn’t know how to read, so she asked each of our partners to share their testimonies verbally. Once she had heard them witness to the transformation God’s presence had brought in their lives, Choi jumped up and exclaimed, “Yes! This is what I’ve been searching for!”

Soon, Choi was the most prominent evangelist in the foothills.

The full story shares how God delivered Choi from witchcraft and her daughter from prostitution.

Source: Prayercast, May 5, 2021

Tomorrow (May 6) is the National Day of Prayer in the United States. And it comes at a complicated time in American history. The deep divisions feel insurmountable. The hurts and griefs feel unresolvable. Many Americans feel powerless. But we serve an all-powerful God! May the Holy Spirit ignite united prayer for America, across this nation and around the world, at this critical moment in history.

Watch the video and read related materials.

Take a look at the official National Day of Prayer resources.

Source: 30 Days of Prayer for the Muslim World, April 20, 2021

There are over 3,000 churches in Houston, Texas alone, and an estimated 80,000 Muslims reside in that city.

A few Christians in Houston understand this incredible opportunity and are befriending Muslims in their communities. A piano teacher welcomes Muslims into his class with the hope of sharing his faith with his students and their parents. Young adults move into apartment buildings that are predominantly Muslim occupied to have more opportunities to get to know their Muslim neighbors.

A distinguished Muslim scholar walked into a Houston church to learn English. A church member befriended him, and they began to meet weekly. Today, that Muslim scholar is a seminary student. A young Pakistani man encountered Jesus in his dreams. Then he walked into a Houston church requesting baptism. As Jesus said, “The harvest is plentiful…!” (Matthew 9:37) and in Houston, it is indeed ripe.

Read the full story with prayer points. You can browse the archives to learn about and pray for Muslims in cities all over the world. The campaign continues through mid-May.

Source: Middle East Concern, April 19, 2021

After a two-day postponement, several people detained since January had their first hearing in Hargeisa with various international observers present. They are charged with offenses against the state religion (Islam) and inciting others to disobey laws relating to public order. Three of them are also charged with apostasy, as well as spreading and teaching Christianity. Their hearing will continue on April 27.

The charges followed raids on January 21 and 22, 2021, when police arrested Mohamed and Hamdi [as well as] an Ethiopian woman, Aster, and Hamdi A, a Somali woman. Mohamed and Hamdi’s baby was detained with them. In February additional arrests took place.

On April 17, Aster, Hamdi A., and an Ethiopian man were released and deported.

Somali Christians request continued prayer:

• Thanking God for the release of the two Ethiopians and Hamdi A. and for their physical and emotional recovery.
• That the remaining detainees, including Mohamed and Hamdi, will experience God’s closeness and strength, especially during court hearings.
• For a fair trial to be held, that ongoing advocacy efforts will bear fruit and that those detained will be released soon.
• For strength, wisdom, and boldness for the lawyer who represents the people arrested in January.

Read the full story. Barnabas Fund adds, “Islam is the official religion of Somaliland, which declared independence from Somalia in 1991. Its constitution states that individuals have the right to freedom of belief. However, the constitution also prohibits Muslims from converting to another religion, bars the propagation of any religion other than Islam and stipulates all laws must comply with the general principles of [Islamic law].”

Also from Middle East Concern, see Iran: Four Converts Arrested.

And from elsewhere in Africa, read Chad Faces Uncertainty as Reelected President Dies on Frontline (INcontext Ministries). The article says, “A time of fear and uncertainty provides a special opportunity for the Church in Chad to display extraordinary peace and hope, despite troubling circumstances.” Might that be true of believers in many places.

Source: International Mission Board, April 15, 2021

Myanmar (formerly known as Burma) has the longest-running civil war in history, spanning 70 years. The country is divided into seven regions, and within these regions, minority people groups have their own armies who have fought against the majority people group for decades.

In November 2020, the people of Myanmar participated in its second-ever election—a small glimmer of democracy in a history of military dictatorship and shifting governments.

On February 1, 2021, this democracy was ripped away from the people overnight as the military seized control. The country faces chaos and violence, and people are actively advocating and protesting to keep the military from stealing their freedom and the bright future democracy promised.

• Most believers in Myanmar are generational believers, claiming Christ in name only. Pray that recent tragedies will cause them to be desperate for Christ.
• Pray that believers will seek God in prayer and through His Word more than they ever have before.
• For centuries the church in Myanmar has been very slow to grow. Most believers have never shared their faith with their family or friends. Pray they would be bold to share the hope they have as everyone around them struggles in despair.
• Pray Christians wouldn’t allow worldly kingdoms to take precedence over God’s Kingdom.
• Pray believers will keenly know that this world is not their home.

The full article includes pictures and a full-color flier you can print and share.

You might also want to read more about recent events in Myanmar and their effect on Christians from Elizabeth Kendal’s Religious Liberty Prayer Bulletin, which also has some recent commentary on events in Turkey.

Myanmar is majority Buddhist. Note that a major Buddhist holiday, the Buddha’s birthday, is coming up May 26. Will you pray for Buddhists? See What Is Vesak? (East-West).