News

Twenty-five from three people groups talked about what God is doing.

Nigeria (MNN) -- Christians have again been the focus of violence over the weekend in Jos, Nigeria.

Open Doors is a ministry to the persecuted church and has work in the region.  Open Doors' Paul Estabrooks says, "It's a hotly-contested part of the country that separates the Muslim north from the predominately-Christian south."

Estabrooks describes the violence: "At least 200 people were killed in the rioting [Sunday]--most of them Christians. The descriptions are not to be repeated on the air. The bodies are beyond recognition in some cases; the babies included with their mothers, and it's a pretty sad story."

Similar violence less than two months ago left more than 300 Christians dead and churches burned.

The most recent violence may be in response to those who took the law into their own hands and attacked those responsible.

Estabrooks says there also may be other reasons. "Christians run most of the businesses in the area. Muslims claim they have been denied jobs and other benefits by the Christian-dominated government in Plateau State."

Ending the cycle of violence is important, says Estabrooks, but few are qualified. "Theologically, this is left to evangelical Christians because leaders told us to forgive and not to retaliate and leave justice and vengeance to God."

Open Doors is doing what they can to help, says Estabrooks. "We have people on the ground who teach our 'Standing Strong through the Storm' seminar, which addresses how we respond to this violence, what Jesus teaches us about it, as well as how to help the widows and the orphans who are left behind."

While the church is growing, pray that the cycle of violence will end and that many will turn to Christ as a result.

 

Taiwan (MNN) -- A 6.4 magnitude earthquake rattled southern Taiwan last week, but did not devastate.   Bethany Christian Services is working with partner Cathwel Services in Taiwan. In this case, no news may be good news. 

E-mailed reports from their partner came shortly after the quake, and there was no mention of it.  Coupled with the distance from the epicenter, Bethany takes this to mean the quake did not significantly affect their ministry. 

Team members did say some of the children are in Kaohsiung--one of the areas affected, but children and staff are fine. They did say that the earthquake hit mainly in the rural mountain area, and while it caused some damage and injuries, the situation is under control.

The team remains focused on sharing the hope of Christ where they are. Their work involves a program for adoptive families interested in waiting children who often have moderate-to-severe special needs.

However, the waiting period for a referral has been prolonged to three years. The team is working to limit the number of the applicants and shorten the waiting list, but they have also reinforced their "Waiting Child Program."  

In the meantime, they press forward thanking the Lord for His protection over the children and staff.  Please pray, too, for the people of Taiwan as they work to recover from this earthquake.

 

Journalists in Zambia take a look at medical supplies donated to the hospital.

Zambia (MNN) -- Urgently-needed medical equipment and medical supplies, along with school equipment and educational supplies are now in Zambia. That's the word from Doctor James Chipeta with Kids Alive Zambia.

The contents of the container (valued at approximately $260,000) will be used in the town of Mongu in western Zambia, where Kids Alive has four Children's Homes and two Community Schools.

With little financial or material support from the government, Doctor Chipeta says the school is almost totally managed by the support of Kids Alive International. The 172 students in this elementary school are mostly orphans and vulnerable children who live in that community. They can't afford to attend the government schools where they are required to pay fees and to buy uniforms. Most of these children live with extended family relatives and grandparents who have been left to look after them after the death of their parents. Along with providing them with an education, Kids Alive also provides these children with a much-needed cooked meal each day.

The classrooms of the school currently consist of reeds and are covered with iron sheet roofing. A few benches have been made for the children to use.

Kids Alive was able to deliver desks for the school and will make the environment more conducive to learning. During the next five years, Kids Alive hopes to improve the quality of the buildings, increase the number of children, and develop the educational programs.

The district hospital, where Kids Alive takes the children for medical treatment, will be one of the major beneficiaries of this project. The hospital is a 250-bed hospital in Mongu. It serves a vital role in the community as it is the referral hospital for the six district hospitals and rural health centers in the province. All complicated cases from the other districts and health centers are referred to this hospital for further management and care. The lack of hospital supplies limits the effective service delivery. Dr. Chipeta says the local hospital is also better off. "The hospital is inadequately supplied because of our poor economy. So, the medical supplies that have reached Mongu have equipped the hospital so that the medical care definitely is much better now."

The supplies are answers to prayer for Christians, providing encouragement to their faith. As Kids Alive homes are helped, it's a witness to non-Christians, says Chipeta. "When they visit these children in their homes, see the community schools homes that we run, and see how much love is being poured on these children and the gifts they're receiving, it's a great witness to unbelievers."

Child sponsors are needed. Click here to get involved.

 

 

Asia (MNN) -- Church leadership development in Asia is a challenge. 

Leadership training for Asian Access is done through the Japan Church Growth Institute.

The key to its effectiveness is the careful selection of twelve emerging leaders on an annual basis. These leaders are then invited to be a part of a class that meets four times a year, for a week at a time, over a two-year period.

When the twelve meet together, they are working through an established curriculum that accelerates their growth as spiritual leaders, as well as organizational leaders.

As word about this work in Japan spread across Asia, interest grew. Asian Access began to explore how to help leaders in other places in Asia.

When the indigenous church began owning it, the growth was exponential in one of the largest countries in Asia. Joseph Handley, President of Asian Access, or A2, says, "'In the provincial capitals, we'll call it 'B2,'" describing how the enthusiasm for a homegrown A2 movement began spreading.   

What's more exciting, Handley says, "They've launched an entire movement of leadership training that follows this vision: to be a vibrant community of servant leaders with vision, character and competence, leading the church across Asia." 

Because the Gospel is making huge inroads, "Not only did they start a B2 movement--the country is so large and they want to impact more rural areas--they've now started a C2 movement," says Handley. 

In India, A2 leaders want to start their own B2 movement. Handley says prayer is huge, and a lot hinges on the identification of the right leaders. "As we look toward expansion in countries like India, one of the most critical components we have is finding the right pastor who will become a regional or city leader to lead the effort."

You can find out more about how you can help. Click here for details.

Ethiopia (MNN) -- At the request of local church leaders, The Seed Company opened its 500th Bible translation project in rural southwestern Ethiopia.

According to The Seed Company, an American missionary couple brought the Gospel to the Majang people in the early 1960s. Today, about 85% of the language group claims affiliation with Christian churches.

Yosef, a Majang mother-tongue speaker, serves as the team's first full-time translator. Translators have found that mother-tongue translation is like using a root language--greatly accelerating the Bible translation process since there is no need to learn the language and culture.

They've already completed drafts of all four Gospels and parts of Acts. The Seed Company hopes to complete the New Testament and portions of Genesis that will give the 50,000 Majang-speaking people a foundation to understand the New Testament.

Educational opportunities are rare. Few can read in this region, so the desire to read Scripture often becomes the catalyst for other social change.

The Seed Company explains that as people learn to read, their confidence increases. For example, literacy can help a parent nurse a sick child, or help a marketplace transaction stay honest. So, not only does reading the Word of God change hearts, it also changes culture by opening doors.

Local churches will launch a literacy campaign, and there are plans to produce translated Bible portions in audio for the illiterate. Pray that enthusiasm for the project will continue.

 

The Guarijio believer has been asked to move to Chihuahua to minister and translate.

As many as three new NTM mission news articles are written each and every weekday. Go to the web site to see those you may have missed.

The death of Regina, who was unsaved, has hit believers especially hard.