In This Edition:
- Haiti: The Hostages Are Free!
- Iran: Court Rules Christians Did Not Act Against National Security
- China: The Miracle of Invisible Bibles
- Middle East: Why Digital Church Matters in MENA
Read or share the email edition or scroll down for individual stories.
Greetings,
If you have been a Missions Catalyst reader for long, you may have heard us use the phrase “Heaven’s headlines.” Every January, many publish lists of the year’s top stories. What if Heaven had such a list? We like to think it would include some of the stories we highlight.
If I had to choose a top story for 2021, it might have to do with the North American missionaries delivered from captivity in Haiti. Even as this group was eventually delivered, others are still held hostage in Haiti or in danger of kidnapping in Haiti and other countries.
We can continue praying for another American missionary, Jeff Woodke, kidnapped in Niger five years ago. I will be using songs from the Haiti story to pray for Jeff and for his captors, the beautiful desert people of the Sahel. Please join me. You might use a little-known song by Rich Mullins, I Will Sing, to get you started.
The Haiti hostages and their churches, colleagues, and friends depended on singing and praying to get them through their ordeal.
- Watch the former hostages sing a scripture-based song that got them through the ordeal at 17:25 in the video below.
- Hear a spokesman explain the role of singing in their tradition starting at 45:46 and join the staff in singing “Nearer My God to Thee.”
- Don’t miss this song written and dedicated to the hostages and their families in November.
This time of year you may also see articles with the “best photos of 2021.” What would capture Heaven’s eyes? Maybe some of these (Religion News). Please pray for the people and countries in these images.
Blessings,
Pat