Missions Network 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.

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.

Funeral of brothers killed in Pakistan.

Pakistan (MNN) -- Television reports in Pakistan say an arrest has been made in the murder of two Christians, 30-year-old Rashid Emmanuel and his 27-year-old brother, Sajid. The murder took place last week following a court hearing that all but cleared the two men of blaspheming the prophet Mohammad.

Todd Nettleton with Voice of the Martyrs says that report can't be confirmed. "I saw one report of it, but I don't know if it's true at this point. But it will be interesting to see how seriously the Pakistani authorities pursue justice against this....gunman who took out these Christians."

Rashid and Sajid had been accused of distributing pamphlets containing derogatory remarks against Prophet Muhammad, with their names and phone numbers handwritten on the bottom. Nettleton says, "From what we are told, handwriting experts had looked at the handwriting of the names and phone numbers at the bottom of these papers, and they said, 'No, that doesn't match the brothers' handwriting.'"

Many believed the charges would be thrown out, but the pair was murdered before that could happen.

Nettleton says Christians didn't sit quietly: they began protesting these blasphemy laws that are used as weapons to take property or settle disputes between Muslims and Christians. "They're saying as long as these blasphemy laws are on the books, we are at risk, because any Muslim can point to us and say, 'Hey, I heard him say something about Mohammad.' [Those accused of blasphemy] are locked up in jail while they wait for the trial to go on, and they lose literally years of their lives."

Nettleton believes this situation is strengthening the faith of believers. However, he's asking Christians to pray. "There's a natural tendency to sort of silence yourself. We need to pray against that. And we need to pray for the Christians there to continue to be bold witnesses for Christ in spite of the fact that they could be put them in the cross-hairs of a blasphemy charge."

That could increase as Ramadan begins August 11. That's a time when Muslims seek god by fasting and praying. Nettleton says, "We need to pray that they will find the true God. That they will have an encounter with Jesus Christ, that they will come to understand the truth of the Gospel, and as they seek--as they fast and pray--that God will approach them and that God will find them during this time of seeking."

VOM is providing Action Paks, Bibles, and theological training for pastors. They also provide vocational training for Christian girls, "so that they don't have to go out and get a job in a Muslim household or a Muslim business where they can be singled out for persecution or harassment."

If you'd like to help VOM's work in Pakistan and other countries where persecution against Christians is common, click here.

(CURE photo)

Haiti (MNN) -- The International Monetary Fund is canceling Haiti's $268 million debt and lending them an additional $60 million to assist in reconstruction.

While this act pushes the country along in its recovery efforts, Haiti is still trying to right itself, even a half a year after January's earthquake.

"It's overwhelming; every way that you turn, the needs are so great that there's never enough hours in the day or days in the week," said Phil Hudson of CURE International. Hudson went to Haiti back in February.

At that time, everyone, including CURE, was mostly focused on just survival and the logistics of getting as much relief as they could, as quickly as possible.

Today, the focus of relief and development agencies has changed, but the country's landscape remains quite similar to January.

Hudson said nearly one and a half million people still live in tent cities, and about 300 of the camps do not have an NGO or government looking out for them. Though the damaged buildings have been tallied and total 185,000, one third of these buildings must be destroyed; another third need significant repairs; and the last third have not yet been inspected.

Gradually, temporary housing is cropping up to get people out of tents and into more solid structures before repairs and new permanent structures can be made.

However, before many of these refugees have another place to go, landowners of plots containing tent cities want their land back. Yet, Hudson said, the situation is more complex than that: "It's easy to be mad at the landowners who don't want people there. But for many of them, their only way of survival is through this rental property."

Fortunately, the Adventist Disaster Relief Agency (ADRA) has stepped in to negotiate between landowners, the displaced, and the local government. As ADRA resolves this crisis, the country is slowly taking steps in the right direction. Hudson said, "So it seems really slow. It IS really slow. But it's actually moving, getting better all the time."

Most of these steps and forward progress are due to the many organizations down in Haiti who continue to work diligently even after the media has left.

CURE is one of these organizations. Since January, they continue to provide extensive medical aid, trauma counseling, and spiritual support. Though both their hospitals in Haiti collapsed, they have two medical centers up and operating, helping cure children of clubfoot. They also send patients who need extensive and expensive surgeries to the Dominican Republic and who would otherwise not receive the help they need.

Hudson said CURE is also dedicated to sharing Christ's message of hope with Haitians, still coming to grips with the permanent changes in their lives.

"The only thing keeping the country from exploding is the hope that people have in Christ and the hope that provides for the future," he said.

Now CURE and the other faithful organizations need your prayers and support as they diligently continue to serve.

"Don't forget ... keep the pressure on the organizations that are working there to continue there," Hudson said.

Click here to help CURE continue their efforts.

International (MNN) -- Exciting things are taking place at Avant Ministries.

President Jack Elwood said there is no shortage of people willing to serve the Lord full-time, overseas: "We just finished a two-week course for our new candidates, called our 'Candidate Orientation Program,' in which we had 20 new missionaries go through training in preparation for deploying to the field."

After missionaries are trained through the candidate orientation program, they will be sent to countries around the world, such as Spain, Italy, Bolivia, Estonia and restricted areas. Of these missionaries, many are sent through Avant's church-based team mobilization.

"If a church has a vision to plant churches globally, we partner with churches here in North America to help them plant internationally through what we call our Joint Venture program," Elwood said. Churches involved with this recruit, select,and send teams to plant churches in areas where no other church yet exists.

Through this, Elwood said churches and missionaries experience a greater sense of unity. "When we can send [missionaries] from a single church, where people know each other [and] they're greatly supported by the people in the church, there's a sense of connection."

Elwood said they have no shortage of people willing to enter into full-time missions. They have already commissioned 43 new missionaries this year. The only thing stopping them now is prayer and financial support.

Join Avant in support of church-based teams and Joint Venture in one of two ways. Click here to provide financial support, enabling more missionaries to begin outreach in unreached countries.

Or if you are interested in joining their work for the kingdom, visit their Web site and get started today. Elwood said they are looking for individuals to join their Estonia team right now.

Also, pray that churches and missionaries alike will continually pursue the spread of the Gospel to the corners of the earth.

Compassion's Kathy Redmond in the Dominican Republic.

Dominican Republic (MNN) -- MVP Slugger Albert Pujols and Compassion International are working together to brighten a child's life and provide a little excitement, too.

Approximately 150 children from Batey Aleman received new baseball equipment, courtesy of Nike and Rawlings, for their first-ever organized Little League in an impoverished remote child development center. The program will teach baseball, life skills, and character development to Compassion International-assisted children.

This Batey has lost its hope. The sugar cane industry no longer exists, says Kathy Redmond with Compassion International. Drug dealers frequent Aleman. She says there's simply nothing for the kids to do.

While Little League baseball exists in areas outside the Batey, Redmond says, "We're bringing that same program out into the Batey, which is a more rural area, using this to keep our Compassion kids in the program where we can teach them spirituality and responsibility."

Redmond says for Pujols, it's more than that. "He uses baseball as a platform. But really what he's interested in is spreading the Word of God, being a good Christian man, and leading people to the Lord."

Remond, writing from The D.R. says, "Sunday was Father’s Day in the Dominican Republic. It’s no coincidence that the day we handed out uniforms to these young men and boys is a day that represents the absence of a father for many of them.

"When we arrived at the batey, we assembled all of the parents for a meeting. The assembly was mostly mothers, and the lack of fathers present at the meeting was very noticeable.

"At the meeting, we explained the importance of the baseball league and how critical it is that the parents and children take care of the equipment and uniforms about to be handed out. We told them that this league isn’t about finding the next Major League Baseball player--although in this area, that is not necessarily a long shot. This is more than a chance at the big leagues: it’s a chance to have their boys know what it means to be real men -- to understand and develop responsibility, leadership, and character.

"Those things are not only what we will teach them but what they learn to emulate in the home. If the home is not in order, what we teach them may not do any good. They represent God first, their families, Pujols, Compassion, and their own good name.

"Once we concluded, the parents turned in signed sheets of paper promising their support, which means, among other things that they will not sell the uniforms and equipment. Otherwise, the boys won’t play.

"The line of boys ready to receive uniforms in front of the batey was incredible! These kids have never had anything new and really never had anything that fit. These uniforms were complete with Nike undershirts, sliding shorts, batting gloves, belts, socks, pants, jersey, hats, cups – every piece of equipment they could possibly want. For boys who play with sticks and use milk cartons for gloves, this was quite a shock.

"One young man, about 15, leaped in the middle of the field once he received his shoes. He was overjoyed! And that’s the other thing – the field.

"When I was here a few months ago, this field was disheveled. Animals roamed it, grass and weeds grew throughout, and it was difficult to think that it could be cleaned up enough to play on it.

"When we arrived, the field was fenced-in with foot length to the homerun fence – almost professionally! But then we noticed the grass was still long -- too long to field an infield hit. We remarked how badly they needed a riding lawnmower for the area and were told they only had a push mower--and it was broken.

"As we handed out the uniforms and photographed the children walking through the village with their new uniforms, we were told that the field had just been mowed and chalked! This community pulled together to make this field the best they possibly could.

"We knew they had it in them. They just needed the motivation and opportunity. It was amazing to see them rise to the occasion and let the kids know how valued they are, especially on Father’s Day.

"When the kids assembled on the field and began playing, the greatest thing to watch was not just the purity of the ballgame at hand and the incredible talent of these young boys, but the fact that many men lined the field to watch -- most of them, fathers. These men would normally be in the bar in the center of the batey.

"Today (Monday), they were supporting the boys. They were proud. It makes the verse 'and a little child will lead them” even more powerful than it has ever been to me personally. I felt it there.

"In fact, I thought, 'If you build it, He will come,' and the 'he' was not Pujols or any mortal being. The 'He' was God. There was no mistaking it. Yes, indeed: if you build it, He will come.

Redmond says Pujols will personally attend the launch of his home-country little league in the fall.

Pray that God will use this outreach to bring many kids to Himself, which will give them a hope and a future.

Two sunflower oil presses have been established in Rukwa Valley so that they do not have to pay for expensive imported oil. (Rabenolds' photo)

Tanzania (MNN) -- What do sunflower oil, bees and carpentry have to do with one another? They are all projects in Rukwa Valley, Tanzania, where Grace Ministries International missionaries are partnering with natives to transform the community.

Since 2001, Ted and Kim Rabenold have served the village of Kapenta and have since been joined by other GMI missionaries.

Located near Lake Rukwa, they have a boat ministry, which allows pastors and evangelists to take the Gospel to other villages along the lake. In addition to this ministry, they have nutrition and health care, ministry specific to men or women, clean water projects, beekeeping, construction, sunflower oil presses, and education.

At the Kapenta Vocational School, the carpentry and welding services not only help the community, they also allow Tanzanians to develop careers and brighten their futures. Additionally, they are hoping profits from these services will make their development center self-supporting.

Another missionary, Mark Guilson, provides medical care for thousands without even minimal medical service.

Through all their actions, the Rabenolds and the other missionaries share Christ's love in each of these ministries.

Currently, the workshop at the vocational school has a new supervisor, Adam Kalumbete. As Kalumbete undertakes this job of receiving and filling orders and managing inventories, pray for wisdom and the Lord's guidance.

Pray for all these individuals as they contribute to the Kingdom.

Click here to learn more about the Rabenolds' ministry.

North Kivu Refugee cover photo: Julien Harneis / Story photo: Wycliffe Bible Translators

Congo-Kinshasa (MNN) -- War wounds run deep in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Tensions are as varied as the tribes that live in the region. Violent flare-ups are common. 

Ten days ago, a rebel attack in North Kivu scattered tens of thousands. Just north of there sits a facility Wycliffe Associates wants to refurbish, in Bunia, Ituri Province.  

Wycliffe Associates President and CEO Bruce Smith explains that now is the time to strike. "Because of the current peace in this area and the opportunity that we have to make this investment, we want to make sure that we equip the local people to do Bible translation." 

That's what Wycliffe Associates does best. The international organization mobilizes volunteers and resources in support of Bible translation efforts.

A Bible Translation Center in DR Congo will be key to peacemaking. "All of this ethnic strife is only going to be changed and impacted when God's Word and God's truth changes people's hearts and minds."

Among the more than 3.6 million inhabitants of the DRC, there are 62 living languages spoken in the country, according to SIL International's Ethnologue. In addition, more than 200 African ethnic groups are found in the country.

Wycliffe Associates notes that in the highest translation needs areas, like DRC, the most effective way to accelerate Bible translation is by equipping and involving nationals in every level of the many Bible translation projects.

An improved center will provide the necessary space to assist this method of Bible translation and ultimately will accelerate the completion of portions of the Bible in local languages that have never before had access to the Scriptures.

For example, a national translator recently had the opportunity to share portions of the Bible with a border soldier in the soldier's native language.

While stopped at an official checkpoint, the translator used the time to text his wife, which caught the attention of the soldier, who recognized him as someone from the same village. The soldier asked the translator whether he was texting in French or Lingala, a trade language.

The translator said that he wasn't texting in either language and that he was writing to his wife in Mayogo, one of the DRC's living languages. The soldier then asked how he could learn to read and write in Mayogo.

The translator gave him what he needed to learn to read in his native language, along with copies of the New Testament books of Luke and Acts and a booklet of Bible stories--another seed planted.

Volunteer teams are forming now, but Wycliffe also need to raise $81,375 to help. Smith says the project should go quickly. "It's an existing building. It needs to just be improved in order to have better utility to the translation teams that are going to be working in the area there. So, we're planning to have a succession of teams, probably two to three teams in the coming year."   

To request more information about the skills needed and time frame, click here.

USA (MNN) -- The National Day of Pray is still under fire, after the Obama Administration filed a weak brief in the current appeals case.

The appeals case follows after U.S. District Judge Barbara Crabb declared the National Day of Prayer unconstitutional back in April 2010. The court's decision is now being reviewed by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit.

According to the Family Research Council, the brief filed does not go far enough to defend the NDP, failing to cite key cases, which would require Judge Crabb's decision to be overruled.

In accordance with this inadequate brief, Family Research Council and The Liberty Institute announced they will be filing a motion for argument to ensure the NDP remains a national event.

This weak defense by the Justice of Defense comes as no surprise in light of President Obama's religious rights jargon of recent months. Since November 2009, in his speeches at a Ft. Hood memorial service, Obama has been using the phrase "freedom to worship," instead of "freedom of religion."

While freedom of religion allows for one to practice the religion of their choosing in public spaces, "freedom to worship" refers to acts of religion and faith practiced in private and behind closed doors.

Therefore, his phrasing chips away at the U.S. Constitution and the freedoms it allows. Yet, the appeals court has yet to pass a ruling in favor of the NDP, while the Family Research Council maintains the NDP is not unconstitutional.

In response, the Faith and Freedom Institute has sent a letter to the President, petitioning him to change his incorrect and misleading phrase "freedom to worship."

You can view the letter at faithandfreedominstitute.com and add your voice to this request by contacting your Congressman.

Pastor Artur Suliemanov

Dagestan (MNN) -- Christians in Russia and around the world mourned the loss of Artur Suleimanov as he was laid to rest last week in Dagestan, republic in the Northern Caucus region of Russia.

On July 15, Suleimanov was gunned down while outside of Hosanna Church in Makhachkala, the church he led. He died a short time later from his injuries.

Russian Ministries reports that throughout his ministry he received threats from radical Muslims--he himself being a former Muslims and thus considered an apostate. In countries with high Muslim populations, apostates can be punished by death; Dagestan is 98 percent Muslim.

As officials investigate Suleimanov's death, though no one has been found responsible, they have not ruled out radicals as the attackers.

Not dwelling on his death, Suleimanov's congregation celebrates his life, recalling him as a "strong, supportive and positive leader."

Anita Deyneka of Russian Ministries told ASSIST News, "Under his leadership, the church ran a rehab center, developed an anti-drug campaign and a prison ministry. The church also had a café that was open to the community."

Ironically, the same week Suleimanov was killed, Russian Ministries' School Without Walls was holding summer camp in Makhachkala for children from nearby Karbardino-Balkaria, when that region exploded with violence.

According to Associated Press, assailants attacked a hydroelectric station, killing two workers and setting off bombs, in what has since been deemed militant violence.

A mostly-peaceful region since 2005, this is the second outbreak of violence in Karbardino-Balkaria, also located in the Northern Caucus region of Russia, since their leader was killed in March.

Now, as Suleimanov's congregation moves forward with ministry in this unstable region, pray for their strength, courage and unity. Pray that they will trust God for the unforeseen future and not succumb to fear. Pray for their continued witness in the mostly Muslim region. Also pray for Vladimir Chumakov, the assistant pastor, as he takes over the responsibilities of senior pastor.

Click here to learn more about Russian Ministries.

Faith Comes By Hearing Bible.is app.

USA (MNN) -- Faith Comes By Hearing , a non-profit Audio Bible organization, recently released this free Bible app to the App Store.
The Bible.is for iPhone app's major features include:
• Listening and reading together
• Dramatized audio with 180 characters, music and sound effects
• Audio New Testaments with full text in 37 languages in 63 versions
• Simple verse sharing on Facebook
• Complete Bible in English (Old and New Testaments)

"There are many free Bible apps out there, but this is the first that allows you to read and listen to your favorite Scripture together," said Troy Carl, Faith Comes By Hearing's national director. "You can also bookmark, highlight, and add notes to verses just like in a print Bible."

"This app was designed to provide a quality Bible experience," added Carl. "The Scripture is crisp and clear for easy reading with simple audio controls. There's also a 40-day listening program that guides you through the entire New Testament in just 28 minutes a day."

Future updates to these mobile apps will deliver the Bible in audio and text in hundreds of languages. Faith Comes By Hearing currently has the audio New Testament in more than 450 languages with a goal of recording the Bible in 2,000 languages.

In the first three days of being available, Faith Comes By Hearing logged 70,000 downloads, making it one of the top 50 most-popular apps for Iphones.

The Bible.is suite of applications puts the Bible at your fingertips, anytime, anywhere in the world in audio, text and multiple languages. This free iPhone app is the first in a series of app releases designed through the Digital Bible Project, the world's largest active collection of digital Scripture made freely available to individuals, organizations, developers and programmers. Free Bible.is apps for Android, Blackberry and iPad are also being developed and tested for future release.

The Bible.is app is available for free from the App Store or at www.itunes.com/appstore. Learn more about the Bible.is suite of applications at www.Bible.is. Find Bible.is on Facebook or follow on Twitter.

For more than 35 years, Faith Comes By Hearing has been standing with poor and illiterate people of the world to provide them with Audio Scripture in their own language. From mobile and online technologies to solar-powered Audio Bibles, Faith Comes By Hearing continues to innovate and invite people to hear God's Word for themselves.

International (MNN) -- No person is ever too young to pray. Now, even children have the opportunity to pray big with the help of a new curriculum.

Maintaining the Ecclesiastes 4:12 belief that "a triple-braided cord is not easily broken," Wycliffe Bible Translators embarked on ‘The Twenty' initiative. The Twenty asked one church for each of the 20 countries most in need of Bible translation to dedicate itself to praying for that country. Each of those churches is supposed to find two other churches with whom to unite in prayer. With three churches in place for all 20 countries, there should potentially be a total of 60 U.S. churches praying for worldwide Bible translation.

As churches grow and change through this prayer initiative, however, should children really be left in the dark? Wycliffe doesn't think so. The ministry began a special initiative to get children involved.

"Our goal is to start children in a life-long involvement in Bible translation and prayer, thinking about the world at large instead of just themselves. So it's a very 'others-focused' initiative," explains one of the curriculum writers, Dorothea Lander.

Wycliffe has created interactive curriculum for the children of the 60 churches to learn about all 20 countries and to get involved through serious prayer.

"The lessons are wonderful," says Lander. "They have maps, they have information on each of the 20 countries, posters, and games. Children learn about the 20 countries, and then they have lots of fun opportunities to pray because we believe that God answers children's prayers just like He answers adults' prayers."

Most of the 20 needy countries they'll be praying for are in the areas of Central Africa and Nigeria, mainland and Southeast Asia, Indonesia and the Pacific Islands. There are still over 2,000 languages without translations of the Bible, leaving thousands of people groups without the Word in their heart language. Children will have the opportunity to pray for these groups.

Although the curriculum is not offered online as is other Wycliffe curriculum, it is available for free upon request. This could be an incredibly useful tool for homeschools, Christian schools, Vacation Bible Schools or Sunday schools. Wycliffe already has had a request from Singapore for the curriculum.

Wycliffe has set a goal to have translations of the Bible underway in all of these languages by the year 2025, but in order to make that goal and to begin spreading the Gospel to all peoples in their heart language, believers of all ages will have to engage in fervent prayer. Imagine the encouragement for children who begin praying now for a country and watch the progress made in Bible translation there as they grow up over the next 15 years.

If you would like to request this curriculum and get the kids in your life committed to prayer today, call 1-800-WYCLIFFE, or click here for other contact information. Churches are also still needed for The Twenty initiative. If your church is interested, learn more here.