Two elderly pastors are being held in Eritrea’s maximum-security interrogation center as one of the world’s most repressive and closed countries continues to persecute Christians.
“Pastor Girmay Araya, 75, and Pastor Samuel Okbamichael, 74, were taken from their homes in the middle of the night and brought to an unknown location,” the news agency Church in Chains reported, according to the US-based persecution watchdog International Christian Concern [though it later emerged that they were taken to the maximum-security Wengel Mermera Central Criminal Investigation interrogation center].
When arrested, Eritrea’s persecuted Christians often disappear without a trace, leaving their loved ones with no information on their whereabouts or safety. Prison conditions are some of the harshest in the world, with inmates kept in shipping containers and believers often tortured in an attempt to get them to renounce their faith.
Eritrea’s President Isaias Afewerki is a member of the Eritrean Orthodox Church in Asmara—belonging to the largest among the only three Christian denominations allowed to function in the country. Afewerki [also] has a reputation of being an alcoholic and a ruthless autocrat. Afewerki’s policy of restrictions is more about his fear that religion will mobilize people as a political force than religion itself.
Read the full story. Note: Evidently these arrests happened in late July but the men have yet to be released.
COVID-19 has triggered a “shadow pandemic” of sexual abuse, violence, and exploitation against girls, a shocking new report reveals on International Day of the Girl Child, October 11.
More than ever, girls face multiple threats to their safety, including sexual predators online, sex trafficking, and forced child marriage, says the report Young Victims Remain Hidden in the Pandemic’s Shadow by mission organization GFA World (also known as Gospel for Asia). International Day of the Girl Child is an annual awareness event.
In more than 130 countries—including the US—it’s legal for girls to marry under the age of 18. In North Carolina and Alaska, a girl can marry at 14 if she’s pregnant. In North Carolina, a 57-year-old man applied to marry a 17-year-old girl, the report says.
Worldwide, COVID-19 is accelerating a “global crisis for girls,” with surging joblessness and poverty putting pressure on struggling parents to marry off their daughters in their mid-teens or younger, the report says.
Globally, national lockdowns have disrupted schooling for millions of girls and left them exposed to exploitation and a greater risk of getting pregnant.
“COVID-19 and its many ripple effects have done great harm to families worldwide. This tragedy brings both an immense challenge and an immense opportunity. The local church in every nation has both the calling and the community capable of making a world of difference—restoring broken families, strengthening struggling families, and welcoming children into new families whenever needed.” – Jedd Medefind, Christian Alliance for Orphans
Several ministries we know are offering ways to learn more or respond.
The Christian Alliance for Orphans (CAFO) has a great blog and both conducts and curates research. CAFO invites us to participate in the 20th annual, international Orphan and Stand Sunday on November 7. Is this something you or your church would want to be part of?
Crisis Care Training International is offering their course Care for Orphans and Vulnerable Children online starting soon (October 24 to December 17). They also offer the downloadable curriculum materials.
Are you healthy? I sure hope so. It can be a challenge these days not to be sick with COVID, heartsick, or sick to your stomach! Yay for me, I don’t have any of those right now. But in the process of reflecting, I’ve discovered another ailment that’s bringing me down, even though it feels like it’s doing the opposite.
Malady #1
I suffer from “Everybody Is Stupid But Me” syndrome. Have you seen this? In others, of course? It’s the deep, abiding sense that the way you see the world is how the world is, and therefore, anyone who doesn’t see it as you see it is stupid.
Now in some quarters, the word “stupid” has fallen out of favor. I tend to agree. Telling someone they’re stupid usually doesn’t help them become any less stupid. I suppose everyone else but me could be dumb, misguided, out of touch, hoodwinked, gullible, or any number of other descriptors. “Stupid” does however seem to capture the feeling that emanates from my dark heart.
And I’m not happy about it. Well, I am happy with the irony that writing about this malady, pointing it out to my reading friends, is the surest sign that I’ve got it bad! But I wish I didn’t. And I wish it weren’t so prevalent around me.
This idea began to coalesce when one of my kiddos got in the habit of loudly and plaintively declaring, “That doesn’t make sense!” when she didn’t understand something. I encouraged her to trade up for “I don’t understand,” a statement far more humble and a good bit less accusing.
And I gave her permission to point out to me when I say things that could easily be replaced with the words, “Everyone is stupid but me.” I give you that permission as well.
Mission-y types like us can fall prey to this when we advocate for our God-given passions by implying (or outright saying!) everything else is “not smart.” I experienced this in a presentation on reaching out to international students some time ago and it left a bad taste in my mouth. I’m afraid I’ve also done it before and am trying hard to avoid it as I mobilize heartily toward the 400+ unengaged Muslim peoples. (Again, please call me on it when you see it! Thank you.)
Malady #2
You’ve heard of FOMO, fear of missing out, and maybe have discerned it in your own life. FOMOOMO (“foh moo moh”) is a subset of that: fear of missing out on ministry opportunities! I’m guessing this is rarer than FOMO and Everyone Is Stupid But Me, but I’ll tell you what, sometimes I feel such an acute case of this that I’m almost paralyzed.
It has manifested most recently with the arrival of tens of thousands of Afghans in the US. Here are some of the thoughts that have skittered through my mind:
A friend is working in an army base helping Afghans prepare for life in the US. Intermittently, he’s dropping quotes on them in their heart language because he has a PhD in Pashto poetry! Why didn’t I ever learn Dari?! (For the record, I can almost say “yummy” in Dari and a hello/goodbye word that sounds a little like “coo duh hah fez.”)
How many Christians and how many churches are adding Afghan refugees to their list of malaise-inducing issues these days? I bet we could help some of them do something cool!
How should I be leveraging this situation to help people in my church grow in our love for people different from ourselves?
Have too many of us already stepped forward to eagerly offer more help than is needed? Mike Urton, a new friend, told me 900 churches have offered to help with the 100 Afghans expected to arrive in his area. Am I too late, or worse, unneeded?
If I let FOMOOMO rage, at some point I just bail, find a comfy chair, and continue reading my current Joe Pickett novel.
Assuming that’s not a good all-around answer, here’s some of what I’m telling myself. If any of these shoes fit, feel free to wear them with me:
When others succeed in kingdom work, that’s a good thing. It does not make me any smaller. I can hardly believe I need to tell myself this, but there you are.
God’s got it in hand. He’s happy, but not obligated, to use me.
Read Wendell Berry, who says, “Plant sequoias. Say that your main crop is the forest that you did not plant, that you will not live to harvest.” Stay the course God has you on.
Admit your FOMOOMO to people who know you, who can tell you you’re full of yourself and still love you. Listen to what they say.
Experiment. Give it a shot. Iterate. None of us know all the answers.
What if the crazy missions people at church (us!) were also the ones who absolutely nailed Pastor Appreciation Month? We typically ask for a lot. What if we showed appreciation the best? How cool would that be? Very way cool!
First off, don’t get your pastor a Bible or a book on being a better pastor! And don’t regift a religious trinket, wall hanging, or mug! Of course, a shot glass with the Footprints poem on it would be an edgy exception to this rule.
Matt at the Ten-Minute Bible Hour leaned hard on several of his pastor buds, finally convincing them to tell him what they’d really like for Pastor Appreciation Month. The video is more fun, but the list of his ideas below is quicker!
Fix something for them. Just take your “fixing things kit” to their house, ask what needs to be fixed, and knock it out for them!
Take total and permanent responsibility for something at church. Tell your pastor, “I’ll take this off your plate to free you for other things.”
Let them try something new. Maybe your pastor has been wanting to try something and you’re a gatekeeper who thinks it’s a bad idea. Back off. Let them give it a go.
More books. Of their choosing! Consider a book budget, Amazon credit, or a Barnes and Noble card as appropriate.
Offer some deep-level affirmation. Pick something about them, maybe non-ministry related, and tell them how they’re doing a good job as a parent, a spouse, a friend. Write a letter, not a card.
Heal a relationship, then go together to tell the pastor it’s better now. You’re going to think this is crazy but go to the 9:30 minute mark on Matt’s video. This would be an amazing gift!
Knock out a financial debt. Find one they’re wresting with of a size you and your buds can handle, and just kill it! You’ll give them a tax-free raise, instant relief from minor or major despair, and maybe some sweet momentum on their debt snowball.
If you’ve got a great idea for a Pastor Appreciation gift, I’d love to hear it.
Source: Wycliffe Bible Translators, September 10, 2021
One of the most important things needed to complete Bible translation projects is something many people take for granted: internet access.
As more and more people around the world translate the Bible for their own communities, a strong and reliable internet connection provides training and consulting opportunities to keep the work moving forward.
Learn how satellite internet technology like Starlink is helping deliver Scripture to people faster than ever before.
See also the Seed Company video, History of Bible Translation, which does an impressive job at summarizing 2,300 years of history in less than seven minutes.
The popular mobile Bible app YouVersion has partnered with an alliance of 10 leading Bible translation organizations to help reach the goal of making the gospel available to 95% of the world’s population by 2033.
The collaboration plan, which some initially deemed impossible in this lifetime, will also aim to see the New Testament available in 99.96% of the languages available.
Ideas for the illumiNations partnership have been brewing since 2010 at an organized launch gathering. The association was created as 3,732 languages of the world’s over 7,000 languages have little or no translated Scripture.
“The Bible transforms lives, and we want to give back and bring awareness,” YouVersion Founder Bobby Gruenewald told The Christian Post. “It’s important that people know that God speaks their languages too.”
Jesus Film Project recently released a new translation of the “JESUS” film. But it’s not a spoken translation. It’s in Persian Sign Language!
Persian, also known as Farsi, is the nation of Iran’s official language. And there are over 400,000 Deaf in Iran. The “JESUS” film has been available in Farsi for a while. But now, Iranian Deaf communities also have access to the movie and its powerful representation of the gospel.
Jesus Film Project was connected with a woman in Dallas, Texas who helped with the Persian Sign Language in the film. Now the next step is to get the word out!
But that can be easier said than done, especially in a closed country like Iran.
A friend of Jesus Film Project is getting micro SD cards into Iran with the “JESUS” film in Persian Sign Language. And it is also available on Jesus Film Project’s website.
[A spokesperson named] Brian says, “We’re connecting with other ministries who do Deaf ministry, and so we try to network with them,…letting people know this is out there.”
The Persian Sign Language translation is part of Jesus Film Project’s initiative, Mission 865. The ministry hopes to complete 865 translations of the “JESUS” film in minority languages by 2025.
We are acutely aware of the many barriers Muslims face on their journey to faith. The parable Jesus told of the sower and the seed (Mark 4) resonates deeply with where we are in our ministry in the Middle East. Some places are as resistant as hardened pathways. Others are unreceptive, like rocky ground, while others are choked with thorns. But the seed of God’s Word is falling into good soil and yielding a harvest as many are choosing to follow Jesus.
