Day: June 7, 2017

1. NIGERIA: Christians Return as Boko Haram Faces Pressure
2. SOUTH ASIA: Church in USA Helps Free Hundreds of Slaves
3. UGANDA: Lives Transformed, Churches Planted
4. INDONESIA: Gospel Makes Inroads with Hindu Leader
5. GLOBAL: Christian Hackers Using Their Talents for God

Greetings,

Ramadan has begun. Every year I try to use the 30 Days prayer guide (see excerpts online) but also find myself narrowing my focus to a certain country or people. This year my oldest daughter, getting her Master’s in Conflict Resolution, is doing a presentation on Syria. She asked me to send her anything I might come across. Here are a few to fuel our prayers:

• The short video Syria’s War: Who Is Fighting and Why is a great place to start and recently updated.
• Check out Syria’s Civil War: What Are the Main Factions? (I counted 17!) Learn about their leaders, numbers, and goals.
• A Syrian artist and refugee created The Vulnerability Series re-imagining world leaders as displaced civilians and refugees. May we all grow in our ability to understand the lives of the vulnerable.

blessings,
Pat

Pray for God’s protection over Nigerian Christians returning to their communities.

Source: SIM, May 2017

After years of persecution and violence, Christians in the northeast of Nigeria are beginning to return to their communities. But while northeast Nigeria is still a dangerous place, the government has been fighting back against Boko Haram. There are now many hopeful signs.

Many of the people are subsistence farmers. The current food shortage has been made worse by people not farming through fear of being attacked by Boko Haram and by Boko Haram raiding food stores. In one safe area, SIM has worked through one of its Nigerian mission partners to train people in dry season farming so they can provide food for themselves. SIM workers now intend to do the same for rainy season farming in the next few months.

Many people lost their livelihoods, so SIM is also aiming to help carpenters, mechanics, shopkeepers, pharmacists, and others re-start businesses.

The ultimate goal is to help people spiritually, to disciple those who already know the Lord, and to help them share the gospel with Muslim neighbors.

» Read full story and be encouraged by SIM Nigeria’s work and vision.

» See also a short article published after the recent terrorist attacks in Manchester which includes insights on praying and serving in tense situations (Pioneers in Europe).

Source: God Reports, May 9, 2017

A church of 400 people in California undertook a big project—to build a school in South Asia. But one thing led to another and on their fourth mission trip to the unnamed country, two church members negotiated with a Taliban leader to free 4500 Christian slaves working at a brick factory.

They also participated in an evangelistic outreach that saw two Muslim clerics receive Christ. One of the imams had a powerful vision of Jesus as the Great Physician in the middle of the night following the outreach, which resulted in his miraculous healing and salvation.

It may have been the most productive short-term mission trip since Paul’s visit to Macedonia.

» Read the rest of this long, crazy story of cross-cultural partnership.

Source: Global Partners, June 2017

Stephen and Ruth Ziraba had a difficult marriage relationship. Ruth had problems with demons, [came] came from a family that was demonized, [and] was chosen to be the next witch doctor in her family. She was so tormented that she took a chance and went to a pastor for help. He prayed with her. She was born again and set free.

But Stephen was not happy that Ruth was now a believer in Christ. He took another wife and sent Ruth back to live with her parents. The parents were also angry when they found out she was a Christ follower. Their demons stopped being effective when Ruth was around.

The church and pastor took her in—she lived with them for four years. During this time, they twice tried to find someone for her to marry. Each time she told them she would first ask God what his will was. God told her to wait for Stephen. She began praying for him.

Ruth and Stephen are now happily married with six children. They are both pastors of Bugeri Wesleyan Church in Uganda. They have planted two churches and have a vision of planting five more in 2017.

» See full story with pictures, and read another article from Global Partners about developments in Wesleyan Holiness churches in the British Isles.

Source: Christian Aid Mission, May 18, 2017

The head of a large Hindu temple in southern Indonesia needed a duck to sacrifice for a Hindu ceremony [and asked a Christian leader to help him get one].

“I asked what the duck would be used for, and he explained that it was for the Hindu ceremony because his god wanted it to be offered in order to be appeased,” the ministry director said. “He claimed that if it was not offered, the ‘big fish’ will be disturbed by a god and get sick.”

The [Christian] explained the role of animal sacrifices in ancient Israel and how they were no longer necessary as the blood of Jesus Christ is the perfect, final, and sufficient offering for the forgiveness of sin.

“I tried to explain it by using a passage from the Hindu scripture, Bhagavad Gita, verse 24.23.3, which says, ‘Only the life of God can be the sacrifice that can make people clean from sin,’” he said. “These words from the manuscript shocked him.”

The village head has since come to him many times to ask questions, he said.

“He says he now believes in Jesus Christ but does not want to be baptized, because he is still a leader of the village and also a leader of the main Hindu temple in the village,” the director said. “Please pray with me for him.”

» Read full story and pray for this Hindu leader.

» For another example of inter-religious discussion, see a recent article from Fouad Masri of Crescent Project and how he responded to a Muslim’s question about fasting.

Since 2014, Code of the Kingdom has held 44 weekend hackathons worldwide for programmers to help non-profits. “We write code and create technology to help release the oppressed, teach God’s Word, heal the sick, feed the hungry, clothe the naked and support the church and the body of Christ,” their website declares.

» The next Code for the Kingdom event will be July 28-30 in Chicago.

» See also Indigitous, which is planning a Christian hackathon for October.