Thailand: Court Orders Extradition of Christian Activist to Vietnam

Source: International Christian Concern, October 2, 2024

A Thai court ordered Christian activist Y Quynh Bdap [of the] advocacy group Montagnards Stand for Justice to be extradited to Vietnam to face charges for alleged terrorist and anti-Communist government activities related to protests in June 2023 in Vietnam.

The Vietnamese government made the unusual extradition request to Thai officials even though Bdap was not in Vietnam during the protests in question. He has been in Thailand since 2018, seeking asylum and resettlement. Bdap’s lawyer is appealing the court ruling.

The full story describes the challenging conditions this Christian refugee community is experiencing and the significance of this case for others. Read a roundup of ICC news stories about the Montagnards.

Brazil: Church Born in the Shade of the Cashew Tree

Source: International Mission Board, October 31, 2024

Missionaries Mitchell and Liz Heinz have worked with an unreached tribe since 2012. They are a group of nearly 4,000 Indigenous subsistence farmers living in 14 villages scattered over a 30,000-acre reservation.

In 2014, the Heinzes met Mara, the only evangelical Christian in the tribe at the time. She previously lived in Sao Paulo and learned about the gospel there. She was constantly being persecuted for her faith, and yet she persevered.

The first couple Mara introduced to the missionaries was her sister Mor and her husband, Osvaldo. Eventually, Mor and Osvaldo started inviting them to teach the Word in their home. They would sit in the shade of a giant cashew tree, and Mitchell would tell Bible stories and allow them to ask questions and interact with the Word.

Nearly every week for two years, Mor and Osvaldo would invite Mara and other family members and friends over to study the Scriptures together. They would listen to Bible story after Bible story, and they didn’t seem to get tired of it.

Mor and Osvaldo’s house was a natural gathering place in the village where family members, friends, neighbors, and even tribal leaders would show up and have a cup of coffee. It was the perfect place to start an indigenous church.

According to the full story, the young church has won over the favor of those who once saw it as a threat. God blesses the peacemakers! The Heinzes have passed the baton to the growing church and moved on to work in an unengaged area.

Somalia: Convert Assaulted by Muslim Relatives for a Third Time

Source: Morning Star News, October 21, 2024

A convert from Islam in Somalia who was attacked in May and July was again assaulted on October 5 after Muslim relatives suspected him of leading Christian prayer meetings, he said.

He said they asked him, “Why are you worshiping differently from the Muslim way? What is so unique about your worship? Why do you close yourself in the room when you are praying?”

Abdul said he responded, “My praying is a secret between me and my Lord Isa [Jesus], and more so, why should I pray in public? This is just a way to please men, but in my time of worship, I should please only God, who is in the heavenly places.”

One of the relatives jumped on him as another hit him with a blunt object, and a third relative slapped his face, he said. He suffered a fracture on his left hand, injured fingers of his right hand, and cuts to his face.

“You are inviting terrible trouble to yourself and your family,” one of the relatives told him.

Read more of the story and how it escalated. Pray for Abdul and his wife and young children, who were also injured in the attacks. Abdul put his faith in Christ in March.

Note that Somalia is second on Open Doors’ World Watch List of the 50 countries where it is most challenging to be a Christian. Read a detailed report.

Mexico: Launch of the First Study Bible in the Ch’ol Language

Source: United Bible Societies, October 18, 2024

Fourteen years ago, the Bible Society of Mexico embarked on a significant mission: to bring the first study Bible in the heart language of the Ch’ol people. As a result, on April 20, over 5,000 people gathered to celebrate and thank God because his Word would reach thousands of Ch’ol-speaking families.

In Mexico, there are over 220,000 people who speak the Ch’ol language, mainly in the states of Tabasco, Campeche, and Chiapas. In Chiapas, where the Bible dedication took place, 12.5% of the population speaks Ch’ol.

Architect Julio Splinker, General Director of the Bible Society of Mexico, expressed the significance of this milestone: “After 14 years of hard translation work, the Ch’ol people have in their hands the first study Bible, enabling young people to engage more deeply with the Scriptures and providing church leadership with tools to present the message of reconciliation more profoundly. All this is for the glory of God and so that no Mexican is lost!”

Read the full story.

You might also appreciate a roundup of recent “God sightings” related to Bible translation efforts around the world (Wycliffe Bible Translators).

Streaming Lausanne, Taste & See, and Spiritual Formation for People Like Us

  1. Editor’s Note: Lausanne videos now available on demand
  2. Prayer Guide: Taste and See (with links to more to cook or pray)
  3. Video: Compassion fatigue a world in need
  4. Book: Shaped by the Spirit
  5. Events: mission conferences, classes, and more in November

Read or share the email edition.

Editor’s Note: Lausanne Videos Now Available on Demand

Greetings, readers!

A month ago, I told you I was sulking that I couldn’t be at the Lausanne Global Congress in Korea (though I’m sure I would have been overwhelmed by the experience if I was). Now, though, as promised, Lausanne has posted some 40 videos from plenary sessions which you can download, share, and watch with your group. Here are some of the big topics they covered:

Day 2: The Holy Spirit as the power for mission
Day 3: The whole Church united in mission
Day 4: Learning from and praying for the persecuted Church
Day 5: Mission in the workplace
Day 6: Christlike servanthood, intergenerational mentoring, and more
Day 7: Mission to the ends of the earth

Take a look. Evidently they plan to expand the “Accelerate” collection to include more resources in months to come. Not sure where to start? Consider these videos a Pioneers colleagues said were his favorites:

Rather read? Our friend Justin Long has compiled a roundup of links to reflections on Lausanne.

Let’s pray for continued collaboration within the global Church as a result of conversations and connections from this event.

Blessings,
Marti

Prayer Guide: Taste and See

Source: Frontiers USA

Whether breaking an all-day fast at the iftar meal during Ramadan, celebrating a special feast, or gathering as a community around a delicious meal, Muslims across the globe treasure the important role food plays in their lives.

Yet hundreds of millions of Muslims have yet to “taste and see that the Lord is good” (Psalm 34:8).

Taste and See: Inviting All Muslim People to Experience the Lord’s Goodness is a 30-day prayer guide filled with familiar foods throughout the Muslim world, encouraging scriptures, and practical ways to pray for the least-reached peoples.

Together, let’s pray that they will hear the Good News, turn to Jesus, and experience his goodness and mercy.

Sign up for the prayer guide, delivered as an email series. Our friend Shane Bennett also shared this guide and included links to some of his favorite recipes from around the Muslim world, a bonus for you.

And speaking of food, consider trying some holiday recipes your newer neighbors may be making. World Relief rounded them up in a collection called Breaking Bread Across Borders: Global Recipes from Refugee Kitchens. No donation or registration required.

Finally, if you’re down to pray: See 15 Days of Prayer for the Hindu World, which you can use any time, but designed to coincide with the fall Hindu festival season which is happening right now. Did you know Halloween and Diwali are on the same day this year?

Video: Compassion Fatigue & Responding to a World In Need

Source: World Relief

Feeling overwhelmed by everything happening in the world? I get that! World Relief, a ministry engaging with some of the world’s worst crises, put together a helpful, thoughtful webinar on dealing with “compassion fatigue.” Good stuff.

Watch and share the hour-long recording or specific segments and find related resources on their website, including 10 Bible verses for when you feel overwhelmed.

Book: Shaped by the Spirit

Shaped by the Spirit: Being Formed into an Outward-Focused People, by Kate Pocklington. SPCK, 2024. 192 pages.

“A while ago I ordered some floating shelves for my kitchen. I found a guy on the internet who had made a hobby into a small business. He takes old, gnarled planks of timber, marked with stories of a past life, and reclaims them. With circular saw and smoothing planes, measures and squares, chisel and level, sandpaper, stain and oil, he takes the old and reshapes it, imagining something other, something new. I love those shelves. Every time I place something on them or take something from them, they bring me joy. Beauty from the old, the ugly, the no longer useful. Recycled, reformed, transformed.

“God has an exceptional way of doing the same thing with us. …He takes each of us—with our own stories, influences, and shaped by our own histories—and, if we let him, he reforms us.”

Maybe, like me, you could use a chance to pull back and explore the things God uses to shape us for his mission in the world (family background, relationships, pain, gifts, culture, and more). This beautifully written and reflective book will help.

Turns out, it’s not all about us.

Learn more or purchase in paperback from Amazon (or elsewhere) for US$14.99. Also available in a Kindle edition.

You might also be interested in a brief article, Rest in God’s Care (Soul Shepherding Institute, via Missio Nexus).

Events: Mission Conferences, Classes, and More in November

Source: Missions Catalyst Events Calendar

November 1-2, MissionConnexion Southwest (Paradise Valley, AZ, USA). A free regional mission conference held annually.

November 1-3, Innovating our Future in Missions Mobilization (Dallas, TX, USA). Provided by Missio Nexus.

November 1-4, Haven Retreat (Paphos, Cyprus). For kingdom-minded women serving overseas from various nations. Provided by Azmera.

November 3, International Day of Prayer for the Persecuted Church (global). An annual event.

November 4 to March 9, Perspectives on the World Christian Movement (online). New online classes begin throughout the year.

November 6, Proactive, Church-Based Missionary Recruitment and Sending (online). A peer2peer virtual event for church mission leaders, provided by Missio Nexus.

November 7, Bible Translation and the Next Generation (online). Webinar provided by Wycliffe Bible Translators.

November 7-9, Global Missions Health Conference (Louisville, KY, USA and online). An annual event; the largest healthcare missions conference in the world.

November 8-9, Northwest Arkansas for the Nations (Fayetteville, AK, USA). An annual regional mission event.

November 8-11, Field Security Seminar (Union Mills, NC, USA). Provided by Crisis Consulting International.

November 9, On Mission (Spring Lake, MI, USA). A Great Lakes regional global conference. Explore how the North American Church is resourcing and responding to the global church.

November 10, Virtual Prayer Gathering: Call to Prayer (online). Provided by Missio Nexus; a monthly event.

November 11-13, Support Raising Bootcamp (Capetown, South Africa). Provided by Via Generosity. Similar events will be held in Brazil, November 13-15, and Uganda, December 3-5, and a virtual bootcamp in Spanish will be offered for Latin American audiences November 28-30.

November 11-22, School of Mobilization Leadership (Chiang Mai, Thailand). Training for ministry leaders from Global Mission Mobilization Initiative.

November 14, Youth Missions — Is It Worth It? (online). Webinar from Missio Nexus.

November 14, Engaging Second-Generation Immigrants for the Great Commission (online). Webinar from Missio Nexus.

November 14-16, B4T Expo (Raleigh, NC, USA). Transforming nations through business.

November 14-16, The International Conference on Missions (Lexington, KY, USA). An annual event rooted in the Christian/Disciples of Christ tradition.

November 18-22, Storytelling Training (online). Get hands-on experience with oral Bible storytelling with five three-hour sessions provided by Story Runners.

November 19, Contend: Monthly Day of Prayer for Mission Mobilization (global). Coordinated by GMMI for the third Tuesday of each month.

November 19, 2024, State of Giving and Financial Outlook (online). Webinar from ECFA.November 21, 4 Tips for Trusting God in the Unknown (online). Webinar from Wycliffe Bible Translators.

November 21, Missionary Formation for Effective and Sustainable Ministry (online). Webinar from Missio Nexus.

View the complete calendar. Submissions welcome.