Day: April 6, 2022

In this edition:

1. Myanmar: Military Destroys 47 Churches in Predominantly Christian States
2. Niger: God at Work Among Fulani and Tuareg Tribes
3. Ukraine: A Kidnapped Missionary Is in Grave Danger
4. El Salvador: How a Missionary Used Bitcoin to Transform a Town
5. Russia: Witches Gather to Cast Spells in Putin’s Enemies

Greetings, readers!

Want to let you know our website has been down for a week after the web hosting bill went astray. We’re working on getting the site, with posts going back a few decades, back online. Meanwhile, you can find recent articles through the Mailchimp archives or send us a note.

Here are a few things you might find useful but that didn’t quite fit in the collection of news stories below.

• Read How Easter Is Celebrated in Countries Around the World (Wycliffe Bible Translators). This is adapted from and includes a link to some fun lessons and activities you can use with kids.
• See How to Explain Easter to My Muslim Friends (Jeannie Marie).
• Learn about a US denomination doing seminars to help explain Ramadan to Christians serving Afghan refugees (Religion News).
• View Afghanistan Six Months on from the Taliban Takeover—Photo Essay, with haunting glimpses of life there now (The Guardian).

blessings,
Marti

Source: The Christian Post, April 4, 2022

Myanmar’s military has destroyed at least 47 churches and more than a dozen affiliated buildings in its attacks in the predominantly Christian states of Chin and Kayah since it staged a coup last February, human rights groups have said.

About 35 churches and 15 buildings associated with churches were destroyed in Chin State and about 12 churches were destroyed in Kayah State (formerly known as Karenni) between February 2021 and January 2022, The Irrawaddy reported, citing the Chin Human Rights Organization and the Karenni Human Rights Group.

Christians are a majority in Chin State, which borders India, and make up a substantial part of the population of Kayah State, which borders Thailand. Christians in conflict zones, including these two states, are ethnic minorities who live in the various conflict zones across the country’s borders.

Formerly known as Burma, the Southeast Asian country is home to the world’s longest civil war, which began in 1948.

Read the full story.

See also Over 100 Religious Buildings Destroyed by Burmese Military (International Christian Concern).

Source: Mission Network News, March 15, 2022

In Niger, God is working among the Fulani and Tuareg tribes, predominantly Muslim groups.

Todd Nettleton with The Voice of the Martyrs USA says, “There are converts, people who are following Christ, out of those tribes that are then literally going village to village. They are sharing the gospel and finding great fertile soil for the seeds of the gospel that are being planted.”

Nettleton says we need to remember this when we hear about attacks against Christians by these groups. “Don’t fail to remember that God is at work among the Fulani. I’ve seen some amazing pictures of Fulani in their full tribal regalia, with their headcovers, being baptized into the kingdom of God.”

These groups have often been used as pawns by outside political forces who want to promote radical Islam. Other attacks stem from the differing needs of farmers and herdsmen or different tribal disputes.

Praise God for the work he is doing among the Fulani and the Tuareg. Nettleton says, “The book of Revelation promises people of every tribe and tongue and nation will worship Jesus. We’re seeing that happen in our day, so we celebrate the work of God.”

Read the full story.

See also a Voice of the Martyrs Facebook post about a creative Taureg baptism.

Editor’s Note: What a joy to read news like this! Years ago I picked up a bunch of books at the Dollar Store for 25 cents each, including one that helped my Sunday school class learn about the Taureg and pray for them. Check out One Night by Cristina Kessler.

Source: God Reports, March 25, 2022

On February 25, Russian tanks rolled into her Ukrainian village, Orlovsky, in the Donetsk region, abducting Valentina Naumovich, 61, a trusted missionary affiliated with Far Reaching Ministries and CBN’s Orphan’s Promise.

Eyewitnesses saw the soldiers throw a black bag over her head as they abducted her. “A woman who knew Valentina reportedly betrayed her to the Russian troops when they arrived in town, telling them that Valentina was helping the Ukrainians,” according to CBN.

Valentina had been helping with the distribution of food to people hiding in bomb shelters, as well as Ukrainian soldiers.

“She was the keeper of the village, the main philanthropist, who knew about the pain and need of every resident, and every adult, respectively, knew her… She gave love and light. She distributed food and bread to the hungry, and preached the gospel to the desperate,” according to a spokesperson affiliated with Far Reaching Ministries.

See the full story with photos. Evidently, Valentina was able to make a phone call two weeks after she was captured but we have not found a more recent update. Another report said she had been serving as an aid worker in this region for eight years. Please pray.

See also Franklin Graham Writes to Putin, Zelenskyy to Ask for a Ceasefire During Holy Week (Religion News Service).

Source: The Christian Post, April 4, 2022

A few years ago, a missionary decided to do a small and seemingly inconsequential experiment in El Zonte, a beach town in El Salvador. The plan was to get the community to adopt Bitcoin so that they wouldn’t have to rely so much on the cash economy. What he started would change the country in a remarkably short amount of time.

Until recently, El Salvador was known for two things: murder and fleeing immigrants. Known to many as the murder capital of the world, the endemic gang violence meant that it became the most dangerous country in the world that was not at war.

Like many developing countries, El Salvador was dependent on foreign aid. Specifically, the International Monetary Fund, or the IMF. The IMF is an organization that gives loans to countries as they need them. This is usually in dollars, and like all fiat currency, is created for the sake of the borrower.

In 2019, a missionary living in El Salvador for several years decided to try something different. Mike Peterson started working with the community of El Zonte to adopt Bitcoin. He introduced Bitcoin to El Zonte so that residents could have more convenience, privacy, and security for their money. They got banking services without the need for a bank and the benefits versus cash were obvious. There’s no need to physically hand over cash and the transaction can be done via phone, which most Salvadorans have.

The results were fantastic for all involved. There is, for instance, a mortgage program by a Christian charity in El Salvador that uses Bitcoin for payment services. This is a far more efficient system than cash. [And] how could anyone build up a credit score if transactions are all done in cash?

A more subtle change is the ability for people in El Zonte to save. The ability to be your own bank and the ability to save without fear of theft made all the difference. Kids started thinking about the future and education and living for the long term. Gang membership went down. Kids stopped dropping out of school.

The full story includes more about the problems with IMF aid and the benefits of Bitcoin. Seems like an editorial as much as a news story, but quite interesting. Watch a video podcast about what happened in El Zonte and beyond (Bitcoin Fixes This podcast).

Russia: Witches Gather to Cast Spells on Putin’s Enemies

Source: Back to Jerusalem, March 2022

If you think that Russia’s invasion of Ukraine isn’t spiritual warfare, then you haven’t been paying attention.

In a gathering of Russia’s most well-known witches and seers, spells were cast on the enemies of President Vladimir Putin. In one of the most important ceremonies, known as “the circle of power,” the witches cast spells and chant incantations.

According to the Russian Ministry of Health in 2017, Russia had around 800,000 people who were listed as practicing some type of spiritual magic as their profession.

The Bible teaches us with the example of Moses and Pharaoh’s magicians, as well as Elijah and Baal’s prophets, that the sorcery of the enemy is no match for the prayers of the saints. Christians around the world have been praying for both the people of Russia and Ukraine and with this information, it is clear that Christians are involved in very real spiritual warfare.

Read the full story.