Category: News Briefs

Source: Mission Network News, July 4, 2016

We’re about a month away now from the Summer Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil and ten refugee athletes will be participating in the newly formed Refugee Olympic Team.

The athletes will compete in swimming, track, and judo. Their countries of origin include Syria, South Sudan, Ethiopia, and the Democratic Republic of Congo. Their team represents to refugees worldwide that although they don’t have a country, they still have a voice.

Open Doors USA’s Emily Fuentes says it also puts faces to the refugee crisis. “I think representation truly does matter in situations like this and brings attention to this unprecedented refugee crisis that we’re having in our world right now. It’s not just Syria, it’s not just Iraq, but it’s several other countries where there’s violence against people of different faiths, of different backgrounds.”

» Read full story and read the athletes’ biographies.

» See also Fran Pratt’s litany for refugees.

Source: Mission Network News, June 30, 2016

“Preaching to the choir” is an idiom which means you are trying to make believers out of people who already believe, or convince people who are already convinced. When the Federation Council, the upper house of Russia’s parliament, approved a package of anti-terror bills this week, that is what could become the reality for gospel work in Russia.

Slavic Gospel Association’s Joel Griffith says, “From what we’re able to understand from all the sources, if the bill is signed and it stands as is without change, it looks like missionary activity would be off-limits to anybody but representatives of the registered organizations or groups, or individuals who have entered into formal agreements with such bodies.”

Plus, the new anti-terror legislation cracks down on anything that is interpreted as a violation of public security and order—extremist actions, coercion into ruining families, and encroachments on the freedom of the person and the rights and freedoms of citizens.

One way that could be read, explains Griffith, is “they’re saying every missionary has to carry documents with specific information proving their connection to a registered religious group, and it looks like they’re wanting to try to ban any missionary activity in residential areas except for certain things like prayer services or ceremonies.”

» Read full story.

» See additional coverage from Forum18 News Service, which specializes in coverage of religious freedom issues in Central Asia, the Caucasus, Russia, and Belarus.

Source: GodReports, June 23, 2016

The Nepal earthquake in 2015 killed over 8,000 people and was the worst natural disaster to strike that country since 1934. Hundreds of thousands were left homeless—with entire villages flattened—which prompted many Christian organization to respond with humanitarian aid.A prominent Buddhist monk observed carefully as Christians helped rebuild his community last year after the massive temblor reduced his neighborhood to rubble.

“After watching us for seven days, he said, ‘I’m going to give my life to Jesus,’” a ministry director for Christian Aid Mission reported.

Before the earthquake, the Buddhist leader had never allowed homegrown missionaries to preach in his area. But he was disheartened when he observed that none of his monastery colleagues assisted with aid or rebuilding following the earthquake.

“Where are the 330 million gods of Hinduism? Where are the Buddhists?” the monk asked.

The monk placed his faith and trust in Jesus Christ, along with his family and many others, and became the leader of a church.

» Read full story and another from GodReports, High Priest of Santeria Caught a Vision of Hell, until Jesus Freed Him from the Curse.

Source: United Bible Societies, May 23, 2016

Tot Nhernh, 93, vividly remembers the panic he and his family felt as the bombs started falling on their village in northeast Cambodia. It was the 1970s and the Vietnam war was spilling into the region as members of the Viet Cong crossed the border to hide.

With their village totally destroyed and desperate to escape the continued US bombing in their region, Nhernh and his family, along with many others, crossed the border into Vietnam. Not only were they traumatized by the destruction they had witnessed, they were also deeply worried that in their haste to leave they hadn’t had time to make offerings to appease the spirits.

But then some Vietnamese people began to visit these desperate refugees. They offered them help and friendship, and also shared some good news: God loved them and had released them from all bondage through his son, Jesus. Nhernh recalls how he felt all his fear falling away, replaced by a peace and freedom he had never experienced. He was among several Bunong refugees to become Christians, learning much about their new faith during their time in exile.

When the war ended, he could not wait to return home and share the gospel. He and the other new Bunong Christians planted small churches in Bunong villages, and also evangelized other hill tribes, including the Krung and Tampuan.

This May, around 50 years after the first attempt to translate the Scriptures into Bunong was stopped by war, the Bunong people of Cambodia and Vietnam finally receive[d] the very first New Testament in their language.

» See full story (which has some great pictures) and read an encouraging report on the progress of scripture distribution around the world.

1. NIGERIA: Interviews in an IDP Camp
2. BANGLADESH: A Faith that Makes the List
3. BUDDHIST WORLD: A Spiritual Movement
4. PAKISTAN: “You Reconnected Us with the Lord”

Greetings,

I’m wrapping up my work on this batch of news briefs on June 20, which the UNHCR has declared World Refugee Day. Today the world has more than 60 million displaced people, a number we have not seen since World War II.

Many churches and Christian groups are taking time to focus on prayer, awareness, and responding to the crisis by observing World Refugee Sunday June 19 or June 26, but how about making it World Refugee Week?

You may need to first introduce your group to Refugee Realities: Common Myths and Assumptions, a six-minute video put out by the International Association for Refugees. For mature audiences, see a powerful four-minute video created for World Refugee Sunday by We Welcome Refugees or a Pulitzer-prize winning collection of moving photos about the refugee crisis.

Several of the stories below put a human face on the situation and may stir you to pray.

We also recommend When the Story Becomes a Person, by World Relief, and the related video, Syria: The Search for Refuge, as well as their article Six Ways You Can Help Syrian Refugees Today.

Overwhelmed? I also offer you this inspirational six-minute video, The Man Who Broke the Mountain Alone. It came to me via Joel News and tells the story of Dashrath Manjhi worked for 22 years to carve a path through a mountain for his poor Indian village.

blessings,
Pat

Source: Jubilee Campaign, June 8, 2016

Jubilee Campaign Netherlands traveled to Nigeria and interviewed people staying in IDP (internally displaced persons) camps. They have been displaced from their homes due to violence from Boko Haram, the deadliest terrorist group in the world. Another militant group that has become quite active in Nigeria are the Fulani militants. This group also violently attacks villagers and drives them out of their homes, contributing to the large-scale IDP problem in Nigeria.

» Learn more and watch interview videos (two videos, 19 minutes total).

» You may have heard about two Nigerian Christian leaders abducted for ransom last week. One of them, Mike Adegbile, heads the Nigeria Evangelical Missions Association. We’re happy to say both were freed.

Source: Voice of the Martyrs, June 10, 2016

[Fani] put his hands in his right pants pocket and pulled out some crumpled pieces of paper. Under the room’s single light bulb, he handed them to me.

I unfolded the papers to discover copies of newspaper articles. Although I couldn’t read Bangla, I knew why he was excited. His story was print-worthy. The articles discussed a top-ten list created by the Islamic extremist group Jamaat-e-Islami Bangladesh. The list ranked the most-wanted Christians in the region—those who were working among Muslims. Fani was number eight on the list for living a bold Christian life, sharing the gospel, and baptizing former Muslims.

“Oh my goodness, I saw this news on TV, but I didn’t know he was one of them,” our translator said after Fani explained what he had just handed me. Fani’s inclusion on the list didn’t bother him. He was actually thrilled to see his name in the paper.

“I am very happy because my name is on the list,” he said. “How many people can get their name on the list?”

I then asked him if he was worried since his name—and Christian faith—were now in print, for potentially thousands of Muslims to see.

“No, I have no worry,” he said. “I am not nervous. If God wants me to die in this way, why not? It is up to God. What can I do?”

» See full story with picture.

Source: Asian Access via Mission Network News, June 17, 2016

Knowledge and logic may help you win an argument, but it’s not always the most effective way to lead people to Christ. Oftentimes, just showing God’s love has the greatest impact.

That was the case with one Tibetan priest. Last year, we told you about a Buddhist Lama from Tibet who came to Christ and had a vision to plant churches throughout the valleys of the Himalayas.

Joe Handley, President of Asian Access, says one of the major reasons why this man became a Christian was because of the love believers had shown him in providing relief efforts when a natural disaster struck a nearby country a year ago.

Now, Handley has an encouraging update:

“This priest had such an influence in his community, in his nation, that 62 other Buddhist monks have now decided to follow Christ,” Handley says. “It is really remarkable.”

That’s not all. “Just within the last year alone, [church leaders] are estimating that more than 200,000 people have come to Christ as a result of the labors of the Christian community there.”

» Read full story.

Source: Operation Mobilization, June 15, 2016

Sindh is Pakistan’s largest province and includes a diverse mixture of languages and faith traditions with the majority being Muslim, a small percentage Hindu, and a minority Christian. OM trained and sent out believers to proclaim the life-changing message of Jesus to [twelve Sindhi people groups] living in ten different cities across the province.

One team visited a remote village because the team’s host heard there were believers living in the area. After going from house to house, team members reached a small mud house, where an elderly man, Najeeb, invited them in.

“Our whole family came to Christ ten years ago,” Najeeb told them. “We were rejected and faced discrimination from society for this. We remained steadfast in our faith, but the pastor stopped visiting us after two years because of fear. Now for the last eight years we were out of Christian fellowship and we thought no one would come to us.”

Team members encouraged Najeeb and his whole family, worshiped together, and gave them Christian literature in their local language. The team’s host then committed to visit Najeeb regularly.

“We thank you and praise God for this arrangement,” Najeeb expressed. “You reconnected us with the Lord!”

» Read full story.

» See also an OM story from nearby Bangladesh on Crossing the Distance Online as well as a recent report on The Nomads of Our World.

1. CHINA: 31 Days of Prayer for the Silk Road Peoples
2. CHAD: Mobile Ministry Spreads Gospel Media
3. WALES: A House of Prayer for All Nations
4. UNDISCLOSED COUNTRY: God Raised an Island from the Sea

Greetings!

Ramadan is upon us and with it the month-long season when many of us pray for the Muslim world. Many other notable days are packed into this month, too. In the US, Father’s Day is June 19. World Refugee Day, June 20, is observed by many on World Refugee Sunday, June 26. Numerous ministries reaching out to Muslims are inviting us to pray for those they serve, including OMF which asks that we pray this month specifically for China’s Silk Road peoples (see story below).

Last Sunday at my church we sang the beautiful Chris Tomlin song, Good, Good Father, and I couldn’t help but think how this description of God does not resonate with many, especially Muslims. My heart longed for them to know him as their “good, good Father.”

What will it take for Muslims to change their view of God? In a word… prayer! That is why I am so excited about Frontiers’ Searching for a Father initiative. It coincides with Ramadan but the daily readings follow one refugee family’s story.

Here are some good articles on the topic of God as Father: Do Christians and Muslims Worship the Same God? (Billy Graham Evangelistic Association), Islam Has No Father (Answering Islam), and, of course, the Bible’s Parable of the Loving Father.

Every day is our Father’s Day!
Pat