Category: News Briefs

Source: Mission Network News, September 10, 2019

[On September 2], Lebanon declared a state of economic emergency. This could be mistaken for a state of emergency, but a state of economic emergency allows a government to implement economic emergency measures. Per the Associated Press, Lebanon has one of the highest public debts in the world. The country is hurting.

“Because of the Syrian refugee crisis, and the economic impact that’s having on the country, [Lebanon] has been on the verge of bankruptcy. And this is just one more step in that process. The Prime Minister, [a] couple [of] weeks back, was in the United States. He’s been all over asking the other nations to help them financially help take care of this crisis, and nobody is,” [says Tom Atema of Heart for Lebanon].

“When in great hardship, great persecution…there’s a there’s a wide-open door for the gospel like never before. I don’t want to lose sight of that in all the negativity of this topic. Muslims are coming to Christ like never before, and reaping a tremendous harvest,” Atema explains.

Heart for Lebanon is in the process of opening its new Hope Ministry Center, which officially opens October 1. This center serves the refugee community in the Bekaa valley with Bible studies, informal education for the children, job training, and more. In being the hands and feet of Christ to people who fled their homes, Heart for Lebanon is also helping relieve some of the economic pressures the Syrian refugee crisis has placed on the Lebanese people.

» Read full story.

Source: International Mission Board, September 11, 2019

[When Ruslan] first heard the gospel from relatives in the big city, he couldn’t sleep for days. On the fourth day, he visited their church and heard the truth about Jesus again. In tears, he repented and believed in Christ for salvation.

Ruslan is now a married father of four, an evangelist, and a church planter. Many people have come to Christ through his obedience to boldly and faithfully share the gospel at every opportunity. He fasted and prayed ten days for the salvation of his mother, who came to faith. His older brother also repented and believed through Ruslan’s witness.

Another Christian met Ruslan at a wedding and asked him to share the gospel with his antagonistic older brother. The older brother had been threatening to inform the police about the Christians. Ruslan was hesitant and said he would share with the older brother during his next visit.

The other Christian disregarded Ruslan’s offer to follow up later, and he brought the older brother into their conversation right there at the wedding. Despite his fear, Ruslan shared the gospel with the man and talked for an hour about Islam and Christianity. Ruslan noticed a phone in the man’s chest pocket but assumed it was off.

A couple of days later, Ruslan learned the man recorded their entire conversation on his phone. Ruslan’s first reaction was fear, but he gave it to the Lord and prayed, “Use this for good. May your will be done.” He later found out that instead of giving the recording to the police, the man listened to the gospel message again and again. He too believed.

» Full story goes into further detail about the risks and tensions associated with sharing the gospel in sensitive contexts.

» You might also read The Risk of Reaching the Unreached: Finding the Balance Between Safety and Compassion (Lausanne Global Analysis).

Source: Ethnos360, September 16, 2019

In the Iski people group of Papua New Guinea, “marriage is an ill-defined term,” said missionary Aurélie Tousch. “People go out together, move in together [and] break up, a bit like in the West. There is no wedding day but a ‘trial period’ that often ends in separation even after the birth of a child.”

After the gospel was presented and Iski believers began growing, the missionaries taught biblical principles of marriage. Though counter-cultural, the Iski believers accepted the teachings and have been waiting since 2017 for an opportunity to demonstrate their obedience.

One of these Iski believers is Bitris, a young, single lady. Bitris’ friends encouraged her to marry, but she chose to wait because there were few single, believing Iski men.

Meanwhile, in a different language group far across Papua New Guinea, Moombi, a young Mibu elder, began looking for a wife. For years, he waited to marry because he “felt rather strongly that God wanted him to focus on ministry and leave these things in his hands,” said missionary Chris Walker. Then in December 2018, his brothers “informed him that it was time for him to get married,” and Moombi followed his family’s wishes and began growing his beard in a Mibu cultural practice to “advertise” that he was looking for a wife…

» Read full story. Many first-generation believers face with similar issues finding spouses. See also The Iski Church Has Been Born! (2017).

Source: Open Doors, September 2019

“In primary school we were told that all missionaries were terrorists… they will be nice to you at first, but when they get you into their homes, they will kill you and eat your liver.”

Join Christians around the world on Sunday, November 3, for the International Day of Prayer for the Persecuted Church—a global prayer meeting for our Christian brothers and sisters who boldly witness for Christ at any cost.

VOM’s 2019 IDOP short film, Sang-chul: North Korea, provides a dramatic example of the challenges of following Christ inside the world’s most restricted nation. The film will inspire you and your family, group, class, or church to pray for persecuted Christians in North Korea and around the world.

Filmed on the Korean peninsula, the film shares the true story of Pastor Han, who was assassinated by North Korean agents in China because of his effective gospel work among North Koreans. The story is told through the eyes of one of Pastor Han’s disciples, Sang-chul, a man who has followed in his mentor’s footsteps by continuing to share the gospel with North Koreans despite the danger.

» Learn more and order IDOP materials.

» See also a recent, thoughtful article from Open Doors, Five Reasons People Persecute Christians.

1. ERITREA: “We Will Not Negotiate Our Faith”
2. ESTONIA: Theology Degree to First Deaf Student
3. MIDDLE EAST: Bringing Scripture to Unreached Deaf Communities
4. THAILAND: Deaf Start a Church Where You Can’t Fake It
5. HONG KONG: What Do the Protests Have to Do with Missions?

Source: Open Doors, September 1, 2019

“We will not negotiate our faith and will continue following Jesus.”

The bold words of six Christian government employees in Eritrea came on August 16 when officials pressured them to recant.

The incident is part of an intensifying crackdown on Christians in the East African country. Since the end of June, 150 Christians have been arrested in Asmara and Keren, Eritrea’s second-largest city approximately 56 miles northwest of Asmara.

The first arrest took place on Sunday, June 23. Security officials rounded up 70 Christians (35 women, 25 men, and 10 children) from the Faith Mission Church of Christ in Keren. This is the only church that has remained open there. They also closed the church-run school.

We know that the group arrested in Keren is being kept in very harsh conditions in a prison complex called Ashufera near the town of Hagaz about 15 miles from Keren. The complex consists of underground tunnels and is far from the main road.

This means that anyone who wants to visit loved ones there must walk a minimum of 30 minutes to reach the entrance. Inmates are said to be forced to dig additional tunnels when officers need extra space for more prisoners.

The intensified government action has sent other Christians from Keren into hiding.

» Read full story and see Eritrea: The Korea of North Africa.

» See also At Least 150 Christians Arrested in Eritrea Clampdown (World Watch Monitor). Eritrea has also closed down all Christian-run health centers (Premier).

Source: One Mission Society, August 23, 2019

Riho [is] the first Deaf Estonian to earn a degree in theology! For three years we had sign language translators for our classes, working with Riho to complete his studies. In the 1990s Riho planted a Deaf church in Tallinn that has sent missionaries to work with Deaf people in China, Jordan, across Russia, and beyond.

His courage and commitment are incredible, but Riho recognized the need for in-depth teaching to help him take his congregation deeper in their understanding of God. Teaching Riho was a real honor. Pray that God will reward his hard work with much fruit among the Deaf community!

» Read full story. Let’s pray that God continues using him to raise up missionaries and pastors for the Deaf in many nations. A bit more sleuthing suggests Riho graduated from the Baltic Methodist Theological Seminary, which serves the United Methodist Church in the Baltic countries of Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania, and also in the neighboring countries of Russia, Finland, Ukraine, and Moldova.

Source: Mission Network News, August 22, 2019

Of the world’s more than 300 sign languages, not one has a complete Bible. DOOR International is now working with local Deaf communities to begin sign language Scripture translations in the Middle East and North Africa.

Only one (sign language) has the New Testament right now. And, only about 30 have any published Scripture at all,” says DOOR President and CEO Rob Myers.

“When you get into a community where even Christians typically have much more difficulty accessing Scripture, when you add deafness on top of that it makes it very, very difficult for…people to have any sort of gospel access at all,” Myers says.

The number of unreached people is vast, Myers explains. Though individuals using sign language as their first language make up one percent of a typical population, among populations in the hundreds of millions that one percent represents more than a million people. That number can be even higher in communities in Eastern Africa and the Middle East due to higher levels of inter-family marriage. In some Muslim countries, that Deaf population is closer to five percent.

In the Middle East and North African region, DOOR has partnered with local believers to translate Scripture into sign languages.

» Read full story and several more MNN stories about Deaf ministry: Deaf Bible Society Empowers Sign Language Bible Translation and Deaf Christians in Africa Learning to Engage Scripture.

Source: International Mission Board, August 23, 2019

Sombat Apichai understood only 50 percent of the Thai Sign Language interpretation of the sermon at his church in Chiang Mai, Thailand. The sermon was translated into what is known as word signing, making the translation choppy. To complicate things further, Thai religious vocabulary is hard to understand, even for hearing Thais.

Sombat and other Deaf Christians were unable to truly connect or intimately worship God because they didn’t fully understand and were never discipled. They didn’t really have a way to contribute or volunteer at church. They felt disconnected and isolated from the hearing members of their church.

Sombat and Alisara said Deaf Christians often feign understanding in mixed congregations of hearing and Deaf Christians because there isn’t usually time to ask questions, and if there is an opportunity to ask, there aren’t many hearing church members who are able to communicate the real meaning in Thai Sign Language.

» Read full story to learn about a new Deaf-led church that creates an environment where Deaf people are not left behind but empowered and transformed by scripture. Something we all need! The details are pretty interesting.

» Also read about a young girl in India who was healed of her deafness but disowned by her family after following Jesus (Open Doors/Christian Post).

Source: The Missions Podcast, September 1, 2019

Between 1-2 million people have been taking to the streets in Hong Kong—even singing Christian hymns—in peaceful protest over a new extradition law representing China’s continued aim to tighten its fist and squelch political and religious liberties in the semi-autonomous region. What can believers learn from this complex situation?

In this special episode, [host] Alex Kocman and Scott Dunford—a former missionary in Asia—discuss the situation on the ground, the history, and implications for believers seeking to boldly engage the surrounding culture both on the mission field and at home.

» Listen to the podcast (46 minutes long). The Missions Podcast comes from a Baptist ministry, ABWE International.