A relief and development agency is hoping to increase the number of children
they’re helping around the world. Mission without Borders’ Len Robinson says
they’re expanding their Child Rescue International program this year. Robinson explains
the project. “Typically Child Rescue International reaches the physical needs of these
children in institutions because often the emotional problems of children have a physical
result and so we’re trying to circumvent and sort out that problem. And then, we have
Bible teaching with what we call Christian outreach to the children by the volunteers
and a fostering program.” Robinson says as they reach out to these children they also
minister to the directors of these institutions. “Many, many directors come to us and say
what have you done with our children. They were violent, they were angry and (now)
there’s peace in the home, what has happened? And, we said, the difference is Jesus is
in that home now. And, through this we find many of these directors are becoming
Christians.” Robinson says you can rescue a child for 20-dollars a month.
News Archives
We begin today’s newscast in the United States where the Federal
Communications Commission has made a decision that could impact all
Christian broadcasting. In granting a transfer of licenses between Pittsburgh T-V
stations, the commission restricted programming devoted to proselytizing, religious
exhortation and personally held religious views on the non-commercial educational
band. Karl Stoll is with the National Religious Broadcasters. “So, in essence what the
FCC has done is they have decided that they can restrict certain types of religious
speech, and we feel that’s unconstitutional.” Stoll says if the decision isn’t overturned, it
could trickle down to non-commercial radio. Back to the Bible’s Radio Director
Martin Jones is concerned. “Our focus is Bible teaching. It always has been and a lot
of our teaching is encouraging the believer, but we’re also encouraging people to come
into a personal relationship with Christ. So, yes, that would affect us in a great way
because that’s what we do.”The NRB expects the court or legislation to overturn the
decision.
We turn next to Indonesia where efforts continue to quell the violence between
Muslims and Christians that has claimed hundreds of lives in the past 10 days.
Compassion International’s Joe Harbison says thankfully, this latest eruption has not
affected them much. “We do work throughout Indonesia, but we don’t have any
projects in those areas affected. However, at this point in time, because of different
social and economic issues arising in Indonesia, there’s been tremendous upheaval.
One of the areas that we’re mostly concerned with is a situation that affects our
children in Timor.” Harbison says Timor’s mayhem temporarily suspended their
program, but the work of the Gospel continued. “We’ve had a complete upheaval in
the population in East Timor of the people who have had to flee. Compassion’s
response is to look to provide some kind of relief in the area of practical physical aid to
the children and families who have been affected. Since we partner with churches,
we’re also very keen to help them come through the crisis.”
An evangelical mission organization is helping the needy in Bulgaria during the
winter months. Mission without Borders’ Len Robinson says Bulgaria is one of the
poorest nations among the former Soviet Union. “In Bulgaria we are sending off a
shipment of tomato juices and various other food stuffs. And, we’re looking at reaching
2,500 children in orphanages through this winter and also another 2,500 elderly people
who live in institutions in Bulgaria.” According to Robinson the physical assistance isn’t
only about feeding their stomachs, but feeding them spiritually. “Our people are
standing by again to receive the goods. And, as soon as they’re in place in Bulgaria
we’ll reach to them with the Gospel, with Christian literature. In their time of need I’ve
seen God opening up Eastern Europe through their policies which have destroyed them
and now the Christians, I believe, are making the difference in that country as well.”
Elsewhere, Open Doors is announcing “Project Jade”, a major project to bring
more than 2 million Bibles and other Christian literature into China. Organizers
say they have never attempted anything this ambitious before. Bibles are in such short
supply that half of the estimated 60 million Christians in China have no Bibles and
thousands of pastors are without proper training.
Topping the news today, Venezuela is still trying to relocate hundreds of
thousands of people left homeless by last month’s mudslide. The disaster killed up
to 50-thousand people. Mission Without Borders is teaming up with New Horizon
Ministries to help the many people who need medical attention. New Horizon’s Doctor
Bruce Woodling. “As a matter of being an immediate responder with mission without
borders, we have just shipped nearly $600,000 worth of antibiotics, basic medical
supplies, very basic medical equipment.” Woodling says it’s all being used to meet the
physical and spiritual needs of the people. “One of the questions we’re always asked
when we’re outreaching is, why are you helping us. We tell them that’s God’s work and
we’re here to minister to you physically and also to you spiritually and it’s an
opportunity for evangelism.” The need for more medicine is desperate. Call
1-800-245-9191 to help with this two-fold outreach opportunity.
Next, guerrilla violence continues in Colombia, but missionary leaders say
that’s not stopping church growth. New Tribes Mission officials say tribal
Christians are traveling to Bogota to receive training, then using what they’ve learned to
work in areas where foreign missionaries can’t go due to security risks. While many
evangelical leaders are being threatened and killed, ministry officials say because the
training continues, the church is growing. Pray that God will allow this outreach to
continue.
The World Bible Translation Center recently finished its complete Mandarin
Chinese Bible translation and the first 10,000 copies should be printed in the
next few weeks. WBTC’s Richard Loh says what’s even more remarkable is where
the copies are being printed. “We have had the opportunity of distributing our Chinese
New Testament inside China for the last two to three years, and that has opened up
many doors for us. It was just by God’s grace that we finished them in time before the
end of last year and we were able to put them into the hands of people who were able
to print it inside Mainland China.” Loh believes the Bibles have really encouraged the
underground church. “Many of them are just thirsting for knowledge, and with a
Chinese Bible that is so easy to read and so easy to understand, it is definitely going to
have a great impact on the spiritual lives of all the Chinese people.”
Elsewhere, paying off student loans for medical students no longer has to be an
excuse to keep doctors away from the mission field. SIM International says
because the shortage of medical missionaries is so “staggering”, they began looking for
ways to help. There is now a ministry called Project MedSend that helps young
doctors serve on the mission field. The ministry works in cooperation with other
mission organizations to assume the monthly payments of their educational loans. So
far, 84 grants have been issued.
Violence against Christians tops our news today as more than 25 Coptic
Christians have been killed in violence in Egypt. Voice of the Martyrs Todd
Nettleton explains what caused the slaughter. “The Christians in the city of al-Kosheh
have come under attack repeatedly in recent days by fanatic Muslims there.
Apparently the conflict started as a small conflict between one Christian and one
Muslim and then it escalated and apparently the whole village is now under attack.”
Nettleton says Police currently have the situation under control, but that could change
in an instant. He’s asking people to pray. “Pray for safety for these Christians. And,
then I think, pray that even in situations like this they can be a witness for Christ. I think
in adversity and the trials by fire that’s where the true gold can really show through.
And, so, I think God can use these situations to bring people to himself.”
