News

Lebanon (MNN) -- We begin today with good news for a change in the Middle East. According to the Jerusalem Post, Lebanon's ruling party issued a call to save the Christian communities of the Middle East.

Ahmad Hariri, secretary-general of the Lebanese Future Movement, said he was "extremely worried about the repercussions of the Christian emigration from some Middle East countries." Speaking at a press conference marking the closure of the Future Movement's founding congress in Beirut, the key political figure added that "nurturing the Christian presence [in the region] was an Arab and Islamic responsibility as much as it is a Christian one."

Greg Mussleman with Voice of the Martyrs, Canada says, "You've got the moderate Muslims that don't want the more militant ones taking over. Keeping the Christian presence there is positive for the country. They're good citizens."

Christians used to be the majority in the nation. However, Christians have lost their majority due to decades of emigration and the high birthrate of Muslims.

Mussleman says while this announcement is good for Christians in the Middle East, it may be unique for Lebanon because "Christians are in government. Whether we'll see that spreading to other countries like Iraq and Afghanistan? That may never happen."

What about the church in Lebanon? Mussleman says, "It's not strong. There's a lot of 'religion' mixed in there. It's not a strong following of Christ. They need to be a stronger witness for Christ."

How will this announcement affect Muslims turning to Christ? Mussleman says some moderate Muslim families won't care. "[With] the more militant aspect of families with Islamic roots, regardless of what the law is, they may still persecute and kill and do all sorts of things. But at least this is a start."

Mussleman adds, "You hope that the mentality of the government...gets into the people. Perhaps people start believing people can do whatever they want when it comes to religion. We know that's not always the case in Islamic countries, though."

VOM Canada is asking Christians to pray that Christians in Lebanon will be stronger in their faith, have the desire to grow, and be more outspoken about their faith.

Wellington Campos is a 16 -year-old from Brazil awaiting sponsorship. (Compassion photo)

Brazil (MNN) -- Six children assisted by Compassion International are now homeless after fire swept through their community last week.

A fire in the slums of Sao Paulo, Brazil spread fiercely, destroying over 100 homes and leaving around 250 people homeless. Among these individuals were Compassion's six supported children and their families.

Compassion has a child development center in the affected region, and they are currently preparing to respond, lending aid to the impacted children and their families.

Compassion said they will contact you if your sponsored child has been affected.

As Compassion reaches out to these families, pray that they will have opportunity to share Christ's story of redemption with many people.

Also, pray for the children and families now homeless. As they have lost many, if not all, of their possessions, ask God to provide for their every need and send His comfort to them during this devastating time.

Would you like to sponsor a child and help Compassion reach out to even more of the Sao Paulo community or somewhere else around the world? Click here.

China (MNN) -- Dr. Werner Burklin led hundreds to Christ during his 80th birthday trip to China. Thousands recommitted their lives to the Lord after hearing his preaching.

Burklin, president and founder of China Partner, was asked to preach at the large church in Hangzhou years ago and was finally able to do so. After worshiping with the congregation and delivering the message, Burklin made an invitation for anyone who wanted to recommit their lives to the Lord to stand up. Over 2,000 were standing.

When Burklin asked who would like to trust Christ for the first time, more than 250 young Chinese stood in public declaration of this decision.

The church has been growing so rapidly that a sister church is being established and will begin services next summer. The new church will be in an area with several colleges and young students. This could be a powerful presence, especially since there are not nearly enough young people in China planning to enter ministry currently.

Dr. Burklin was born to missionary parents in China. He's been in and out of the country most of his life, ministering there and leading China Partner. On his most recent trip to the country, Burklin was celebrating his 80th birthday. What a wonderful birthday gift to see the legacy God has built through China Partner in the form of standing believers.

Pray that this new church would thrive. Pray that many of those who committed their lives to Christ for the first time during Dr. Burklin's visit would be bold enough to reach out to other students and to share their faith in word and action. Pray also that as students come to know the Lord, they would rise to the challenge of entering ministry, becoming pastors, and filling in any other gaps in the church that need be filled.

Ministry in China can be difficult. Few pastors are trained, and few young people plan to enter the field. If you would like to help China Partner help pastors and churches like the one in Hangzhou, click here.

(Global Action photo)

Kenya (MNN) -- The children who live in the Kabera slum outside of Nairobi, Kenya are some of the poorest of the poor. Kabera is roughly the size of Central Park in New York City but is home to over one million struggling Kenyans.

Not surprisingly, many ministries have chosen to focus efforts on this particular slum, including Global Action. Global Action has long-term programs which include Bible clubs and micro-enterprise for AIDS orphans and widows. Every summer, though, the children who benefit from Global Action's programs get one special treat: summer camp.

"The children who live in the slum in Kabera have never experienced anything like they get to have with our camps," says Emily Voorhies, who has been to Kenya for the past four years helping with summer camps. She will go again this year as well.

"We take them to a beautiful location, we give them three nutritious meals a day; there's lots of fun activities, crafts, and of course Bible studies," explains Voorhies. "Our real desire is for them not just to hear about Jesus and His love, but to really see what Jesus' love looks like through these Christians who are coming from the United States to volunteer in a camp."

The Christians coming to lead the camp this year are from a church in Hollywood, California. The group will spend two weeks getting to know children: ages 6-12 one week, and 13-18 the next. The group will teach games, crafts, music, drama, Bible and more as they reach out to these impoverished children.

Over the past few years, the camp seems to have had a significant, positive impact on the campers. Voorhies says, "Once they understand A: that there is a God who created them with a plan and purpose, and B: that God loves them and so do we, I think it really gives them a new hope for a better future."

Voorhies says many become more committed to their faith or even come to know the Lord as their Savior for the first time at camp. Many children and youth then go back to Kabera and share the Gospel with their families, or boldly stand up for their faith in their schools.

"The positive impact that they have in their neighborhoods and their communities is just amazing. I think God does want and is using children and young people all over the world to introduce others to Him," says Voorhies.

The team leaves for camp today; the first day of camp will start Monday, August 2. Pray for safe travels and good health for the team. Pray also that they will bond well with the campers and will be lights of Christ's love. Pray that the youth involved in the camps will be transformed and refreshed by their time there and will be more effective followers of Christ as a result.

If this trip sounds like something you might be interested in, consider participating next summer. For more information, contact Global Action here.

The 40 radio station plants in Indonesia have planted 1176 churches. (HCJB Global)

Indonesia (MNN) -- Ministry is thriving in Indonesia; lives, communities and hearts are being transformed. To communicate the exciting transformation taking place, HCJB Global just created a video.

HCJB Global president Wayne Pederson said, "The video is designed to really tell the story of what God is doing through some of our local partner in Indonesia. HCJB Global partners with national partners, and in this case, our partner in Indonesia is a church planting organization. We work with them to plant radio stations, and out of those radio stations come churches."

Since 2003, HCJB Global has partnered with Disciple Makers, and the response to their ministry has been astounding: "The amazing part [is that ] this is the largest Muslim country in the world. And yet, we've been able to work with this partner to plant over 40 radio stations," Pederson said.

An estimated 3 to 5 people come to Christ daily as a result of listening to each station. From these 40 stations, 1176 churches have been planted across Indonesia.

But the ministry is not limited to radio stations planting churches.

"We see the spread of the Gospel through radio church planting and then through work like reaching out to orphans, having mobile medical teams, and not only talk about the love of Christ but demonstrate the love of Christ through human care," Pederson said. HCJB Global and their partners have also been able to respond to national crises and disasters, such as the devastating tsunami and earthquake that hit the country in 2005.

As HCJB celebrates their success, they also look toward the future. Pederson said their goal is to eventually have one station in every one of the 100 provinces throughout Indonesia. They also hope to connect each of the stations through satellite coverage. Finally, they want to increase their medical ministry there by building a clinic at every station, as they already have counseling centers at each one.

As they accomplish these goals, HCJB plans on "Making life better for the people of Indonesia," as Disciple Makers says.

However, Pederson said while they have currently had little problems with opening up new radio stations, they must move fast: "The world of Islam is seeking to bring back [Muslim] law that may not allow us to continue to plant radio stations, so we're just trying to work as fast as we can."

Each station costs between $15,000 - $20,000 to plant. Then, the native station managers must be trained. HCJB Global provides equipment and training to get stations up and running, but then the station is responsible for ongoing expenses.

To ensure the ministry in Indonesia continues unfettered, HJCB Global and their partners need your prayers and support.

"Pray that we will be successful in not only a telling of the love of Christ through the radio and bringing those new converts into churches, but that we'd be able to demonstrate the love of Christ through our emphasis on health care," Pederson said.

You can view HCJB Global's video by clicking here. Consider donating funds for the continuation of their ministry.

Missionaries Drew and Bobbie Scholl are getting acquainted with life in Papua New Guinea and will soon begin ministry at Interface.

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.

Some Nalu people in Guinea believe that a chimpanzee that attacked a 6-year-old boy was the work of a sorcerer.

Pray for this woman who sexually assaulted and thrown from a 4th floor window.

Pakistan (MNN) -- A Catholic nurse trainee nearly died following an attack by a Muslim doctor, who allegedly raped her and threw her from a hospital's fourth-floor window this month.

Compass Direct News reports that the student nurse told media and rights groups that on July 13 several Muslim men, led by Dr. Abdul Jabbar Meammon, beat and raped her, and then threw her from the window of Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Center (JPMC) to keep her from revealing the abuse.

Meammon, who had taken over a room in the all-female wing of the hospital, has a history of abusing Christian nurses, said a hospital administrator. Dr. Seemi Jamali, chief of JPMC's Emergency Department, told Compass that Meammon had been suspended from the hospital seven times for drinking alcohol on the job and other misbehavior, and that he was drunk when he assaulted Ashraf.

A medico-legal officer at the hospital who carried out autopsies, Meammon was forcibly occupying a room in the women-only wing of the doctors' hostel, Jamali said. She added that Meammon is an influential figure backed by a leading political party in Karachi.

The third-year student nurse, Magdalene Ashraf, was unconscious for 56 hours as surgeons fought for her life in the intensive care unit of JPMC; she is still in critical condition. On July 19 she gave a statement to police that has not been released. Later that day, she spoke to media and a lawyer from the Christian Lawyers' Foundation (CLF), saying several men took hold of her at 4:30 p.m. on July 13, and after abusing her for several hours, threw her from the window.

President of Open Doors USA Carl Moeller says this story isn't the only of its kind. "This is the reality that many, many Christians, actually, in Pakistan are facing," he says.

"Christians, by definition, in the Islamic Republic of Pakistan are an underprivileged minority religion in Pakistan, with few rights. In fact, the Christians are at the lowest rung of the social ladder," says Moeller.

Khalid Gill, head of the All Pakistan Minorities Alliance in Punjab Province, told Compass that Meammon had a history of sexually harassing female Christian students at the teaching hospital.

Gill and the Rev. Azher Kaleem, general secretary of the Christian Lawyers' Foundation (CLF), said that after Ashraf was thrown out the window, Meammon also jumped down in order to portray himself as innocent, claiming people trying to harm him were pursuing him as well. His hip injury from the jump was treated at the better-equipped Agha Khan Hospital, where he was hand-cuffed and his feet shackled before being transferred to a holding cell to face charges.

The Rev. Khadim Bhutto of advocacy organization Gawahi Mission Trust told Compass that he had the opportunity to speak with Meammon. According to Bhutto, Meammon said that he was relaxing in his room when Magdalene ran in followed by five unidentified men, from whom both of them eventually fled.

Bhutto says police have only charged Meammon and his accomplices with attempted murder, but that Christian organizations are urging police to file gang-rape charges. He added that police have also arrested Dr. Ferhat Abbas and another doctor identified only as Tayyab and are holding them at an undisclosed location.

Moeller says stories of Muslims attacking Christian women are common. "We've been aware of literally hundreds of rape cases of Christian nurses by doctors going unreported in Pakistan. They have no power. They have no legal recourse."

Since the assault, Christians have staged several demonstrations against religiously-motivated violence such as the alleged assault on Ashraf and the July 19 murder of the Rev. Rashid Emmanuel and his brother, Sajid Emmanuel, who were accused under Pakistan's "blasphemy" laws. The latest demonstrations took place in Karachi on Saturday (July 24), Sargodha the next day, and in Lahore today.

Moeller is encouraging Christians in the West to pray for the church in Pakistan. "When situations like this come up, the church suffers. The evangelism or the outreach is restricted. People tend to get fearful, but there are those who are willing to face any obstacle in order to share the love of Christ with their Muslim neighbors."

It's Open Doors' role to stand with those believers, to encourage them, and to provide them with whatever they need.

As you help Open Doors USA financially, you're being an answer to pray for Christians in Pakistan "by helping them know that they're not forgotten and that their prayers are being answered through the generosity of American Christians."

(Bethany photo)

Haiti (MNN) -- Six months ago, few would have said that the Haiti earthquake could bring good. The quake, however, has brought awareness to one very important thing: adoption.

Bethany Christian Services reports a 26 percent increase in the interest of domestic and international adoptions in 2010 than over the same time period in 2009. John VanValkenburg says this is due in large part to the January disaster as people were struck by the incredible needs of Haitians, especially Haitian orphans.

"Currently, adoptions are still closed in Haiti, but what we were able to do [right after the quake] was capture a lot of people who were interested and send them some information," explains VanValkenburg. "Some of those people have decided to wait until they can adopt from Haiti, and other people looked at other options."

In a Bethany press release, the organization says Intercountry Adoption placements are up 66 percent since 2009, and over 5,000 more inquiries about Intercountry Adoption have been made. This brings the total of this type of inquiry up to 10,567 in just six months.

The unprecedented numbers had Bethany staff swirling for a while, but as the number of requests and inquiries has died down, the ministry has had time to catch up and enjoy the way God is using the church and His people to help the helpless. Still, there is much work to be done.

VanValkenburg says, "Globally, there's an estimated 163 million orphans. That was probably about 15 to 20 million less just a few years ago; so the number is increasing, which just goes to show that adoption alone isn't going to solve this problem."

Adoption and foster care certainly help, though. Even one adopted child into a Christian family is worth the process, especially if the child comes to know Jesus Christ.

If you feel God calling you to volunteer with Bethany, to be a foster parent, or to consider adoption, call Bethany at 1-800-BETHANY. For further contact information, click here.

 

 

(GAiN USA photo)

Zambia (MNN) -- Bacteria, viruses, and flood waters have crippled Zambia.

As torrential rains swept across the country earlier this year, they left toxic floods in their wake, as the waters combined with sewage spread bacteria and worms, and contaminated the water supply.

On top of this, All Africa reports measles has spread in the last several months, despite beliefs that the disease was under control and could no longer claim lives. However, 88 have already died from this outbreak with over 4500 reported cases.

As if these two things were not enough, one in eight Zambians is infected with HIV/AIDS.

With the country in such dire need of medical assistance, Global Aid Network is preparing to send a shipment of medical supplies. Thanks to generous donors, they already have the supplies.

Now, they just need your help to ship antibiotics, medications and other vital supplies. For each $1 you give, GAiN USA can ship $40 worth of supplies.

When the GAiN team distributes these supplies, they will also bring with them the message of Christ and the hope He can give them, regardless of how grim their future may look.

The team will also bring water filters and teach Zambians about sanitation.

Click here to multiply your donation by $40.

(Pioneers photo)

USA (MNN) -- Everyone has their own story, being uniquely written each and every day. This December, Pioneers USA is giving some of their missionaries the chance to share theirs at Story '10, their national mission conference.

"All of our speakers [will] be missionaries straight from the field, and that's something that's really exciting for us. We really [want] to present stories that [are] currently happening in missions to give people an idea of what God is doing in the world today and how they can be involved," said Elyse Whang of Pioneers.

As missionaries lead each session, they will determine the topics they discuss, including church planting, unreached people groups, business as mission, and education as strategy. Additionally, some missionaries will discuss other religions such as Islam and Buddhism and how to witness to them.

Whang said the theme of the conference is "His Story. His World. His Glory. Your
Move." With this, Pioneers hopes to help attendees identify with one or more missionaries' stories and God's overarching story.

"We realized that most people join Pioneers because they met or know a Pioneers missionary. So, we really just wanted to highlight those stories and give people a venue to see that they can do this, that it's possible. There are just ordinary people serving the Lord overseas, and I think when we hear those stories, we realize, 'That could be me. I could do that.' So, we really want to highlight those missionaries' stories, and we just want to bring that back to the fact that all of our stories are woven into the story of God's redemption, that He's been writing since the beginning of time," Whang said.

The conference will be held December 28-31 in Orlando, FL. And Story '10 is not just for a certain demographic. Rather, it is a multi-generational event for adults, students, and kids.

The mission guidance does not end the moment the conference ends. Instead, Pioneers' mobilization team will follow up with each attendee, offering them coaching and mentoring in whatever area they feel God calling them.

Pioneers held their first national missions conference back in 2008. Around 320 people attended that conference, with 20 of those individuals going overseas for missions afterward. This year, they are excited to be holding the conference for the second time.

As they gear up for this one, Whang asked for prayer: "Ultimately, we're just praying that this conference would help to bring people a little bit closer to where God is calling them, whether that's overseas with Pioneers or whether that's something different. We really just want individuals to experience the Lord there and really hear from Him."

Click here to sign up or gather more information.

Cindy McClamma with some of the orphans she's met in Namibia. (AIM photo)

Namibia (MNN) -- Think you're too old for international missions? That's what one woman thought, too, until God called her to Africa.

After her husband passed away and her three children grew up, Cindy McClamma started to pray about the future. From 2004 to 2007, she prayed hard about potentially joining the mission field in a way that fit her comfort zone. God had other plans.

By 2007, God had led McClamma to Africa Inland Mission. Once she began conversations with AIM, McClamma says doors started opening left and right. One thing became stunningly clear: God wanted her in Africa.

McClamma followed the call and moved to Namibia to work with a group known as Family Hope Services. FHS helps 450 AIDS orphans by providing necessities, education, and the Gospel. 50 of its children are fully sponsored. Sponsorship pays their school fees and provides personal care items.

Since McClamma has been working for FHS, she has been spotlighting some of these children in the FHS monthly newsletter which she writes and publishes. Every one of McClamma's featured children has obtained sponsorship as a result.

Cindy McClamma is just one example of God's reminder that he's not finished with us until he's finished with us. If you think God may be calling you to a life of missions, whether you're 25 or 65, start praying now.

To learn more about Africa Inland Mission specifically, click here.

A dramatic presentation of an Egyptian father mourning the loss of his first-born son struck a chord.

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.