Missions Catalyst 10.12.11 – World News Briefs

In This Edition: Brazil’s Mayors Dedicate Cities to Jesus

  • BRAZIL: 100+ Mayors Present City Keys to Jesus
  • EGYPT: Egyptians Mourn Massacre of Coptic Christians
  • PAKISTAN: Distributing Gifts during Ramadan
  • SOUTH ASIA: Missionary Attacked by Wild Elephant
  • ASIA: Crowd-sourcing Bible Translation

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!

BRAZIL: 100+ Mayors Present City Keys to Jesus

Source: Joel News International, October 6, 2011

Christ the Redeemer, Rio de Janeiro (Wikimedia Commons)

More than 100 Brazilian mayors have presented the keys of their city to Jesus, reports Dutch prayer leader and author Pieter Bos.

“In Brazil, local deities are so incorporated in the city life and festivals, that at the annual carnival in an official ceremony, most of the mayors hand over the key of their city to Prince Carnival, or Rei Momo. Carnival in Brazil is known for its rampant drunkenness, licentiousness, immorality, and violence, but this is a structural problem. Many city mayors are now so desperate to break out of this pattern, that they are giving the key of their city to Jesus,” says Bos.

“For too long the rule over these cities was unashamedly and unrestrainedly given to not-gods. When a city, through her mayor and the Church, calls upon the Creator, would he not eagerly respond and pour out his blessing? Personally I believe that what happens in Brazil now, cities turning to God, is a sign of the final stage of the harvest.”

>> Subscribe to Joel News. Visit the website of Bos’ ministry to read testimonies from various Brazilian cities.

>> You might also be interested in the Brazil video from Prayercast.

EGYPT: Egyptians Mourn Massacre of Coptic Christians

Source: Compass Direct News, October 10, 2011

Funeral services were held [October 10] in Cairo for some of the victims of a military attack against a group of Christian protestors that left 26 dead and hundreds wounded.

In the wake of what could be the worst act of violence against Egyptian Christians in modern history, leaders of the Coptic Orthodox Church have called for three days of fasting and prayer for divine intervention, along with three days of mourning.

Coptic Christians, once a majority in Egypt, now make up 7 to 10 percent of the country’s 80 million people.

Leaders from other faith traditions among Egyptian Christians reported similar efforts among their congregations.

>> Full story.

>> As you pray for the people of Egypt, see also Egypt: Mourning the Heroes of Maspero’s Battle (Global Voices) which claims the violence was “engineered to pit Muslim against Christian and vice versa,” and Egypt Minister Resigns Over Violence in Christian Protests (Christian Post).

PAKISTAN: Distributing Gifts during Ramadan

Source: Operation Mobilization, October 12, 2011

People from different churches joined together to give out gifts, including literature, for Ramadan to Muslim communities.

During one outreach, some women stopped at a local girls’ school to share the good news, explaining that there is hope for every person. The girls were so excited; they fervently begged the women to give each one a gift. Another team came up against local opposition but was kept safe from the hands of angry people. A breakfast team provided food for neighbors who were observing Ramadan, sharing fruit and dates, and offering prayer and the message of hope for life and the future. “Why do you do this?” asked the neighbors. “Because I love my Muslim friends,” was the reply.

Participants received training before the teams went out on outreach. One brother said, “I’m very happy to have the opportunity to participate in this effort to bring the good news to my people even though I’m old and it is difficult for me to go through the streets. Thank you for giving me the opportunity to pray with you.”

The local pastor said, “It is a great blessing for us that you people come to our district with news of God’s love and your gifts for our neighbors. We are thankful to God that you chose our area. Always you are welcome!”

>> Full story. Other recent OM stories come from Thailand: OM Assesses Response to Recent Monsoon Floods and Romania: Tragic Accident Brings Salvation to Village.

SOUTH ASIA: Missionary Attacked by Wild Elephant

Source: Gospel for Asia,  October 11, 2011

Gospel for Asia-supported missionary Ashu Suthar was attacked by a wild elephant October 6 while walking through the jungle back to his village. Ashu is in critical condition and is totally paralyzed from the neck down.

Ashu, along with GFA-supported missionaries Lidane Nadave and Peter Muraj, were walking through the dense jungle on their way home after attending a regional meeting. There are no real roads in this area, so they were navigating their way through the jungle at about 8 p.m. They had stopped to rest when, suddenly, they came under attack by the giant beast. Lidane and Peter managed to get away, but the elephant grabbed hold of Ashu and dragged him more than 300 feet, then trampled and crushed him.

Ashu is 25 years old. His wife is five months pregnant with their first child. Please pray for complete healing for Ashu. He desperately wants to recover and resume serving the Lord. Also pray for God to comfort his wife.

>> Full story with picture.  See also Death Toll Likely to Rise from Rural Quake in Northern India,  which describes more of Gospel for Asia’s work in this region (Mission Network News).

ASIA: Crowd-sourcing Bible Translation

Source: Mission Network News, October 12, 2011

It seems unlikely to find 1,000 people in a small, poverty-stricken village in Asia who would even know much about the Internet. It seems even more implausible to find 1,000 people who not only have access to and know how to use the Internet, but are also believers and can translate the Word from a main language into their own heart language.

And yet, this is exactly the group The Seed Company found in a new translation launch for a language group of over one million speakers.

“We tested a crowd-sourcing Web site in Asia in a difficult-to-access language group, and over 1,000 mother-tongue translators came to the Web page and participated in this pilot project to help translate chapters of the book of Luke into their heart language,” says The Seed Company president, Roy Peterson.

>> Full story.  See also: The Seed Company Wins Innovation in Mission Award.

Marti Smith

Marti Smith is a writer, speaker, and project manager for the Church Partnerships Team at Pioneers. Since the mid-90s she has helped prepare cultural research teams to explore unreached communities and mobilize efforts to serve them.

Marti manages and publishes Missions Catalyst and is the author of Through Her Eyes, a book about the lives of missionary women in the Muslim world.


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