Elsewhere, Latin America Mission has partnered with churches and other Christian agencies to touch lives in Colombia. Thousands have been uprooted because of the violence in their country and many of their churches have disappeared as a result. Before LAM can effectively preach the Gospel, they have tried to demonstrate God’s love in concrete and practical ways. They are assisting the displaced with emergency aid, providing programs for children and youth at risk, and developing community health programs.
News Archives
We begin today in Colombia where we’ll bring you up to date on the latest in the search for the three missing New Tribes Missionaries. NTM’s Guy Sier says a guerrilla defector took authorities to an area where he says the men were executed. “While in that area, they did find some bones, they found a tooth, they found some fragments of clothing, so they sent those items to a medical lab. An initial visual analysis on the larger bone fragments and on the tooth, showed that they belonged to an animal rather than a human.” Ross says the investigation is just beginning, however, the local media ran inaccurate reports on the findings. “We’re not anticipating that these bone fragments are really the remains of our men, but it’s just too early to tell. So, I just caution folks that stories that you may hear that originate out of Colombia may not be the most accurate source.” Continue to pray for the Hostage Crisis Team as they track down leads and try to discern the whereabouts of the three men.
Next, with the advent of a new leader in Russia, many ministries are watching to see how his administration will receive their work. Walk Thru The Bible’s Terry Sparks says so far, they’ve been cautious in their expansion in their teaching program, ‘World Teach’. “Our director had a meeting with forty key Christian leaders in Russia, and they welcome ‘World Teach’ with open arms. But, whenever we launch ‘World Teach’ in a new country, or a new region, we’re looking for three key components.” Sparks explains these are important because they include the framework for their future ministry. “One would be the groundswell of spiritual interest, secondly, that we have the leader, and thirdly, that we have resources in terms of money and translated resources. The only thing we’re missing in Russia is the leader.” Sparks asks that believers keep praying for their work and continued spiritual outreach.
An evangelical ministry leader is giving us new insight into the persecution against Christians in India. According to the Mustard Seed’s Don Richardson, it’s a cultural issue as many high cast Hindus don’t want to lose their cultural superiority. “Christians are telling untouchables that they are created in the image of God. Can you imagine what good news that is for someone who is taught by the high caste people that he’s the scum of the earth and that Christ died for untouchables to provide salvation for them.” Richardson says the freedom that comes with salvation is what’s causing the Hindu violence. “Untouchables are turning to Christ at an average of 5,000 a week. Now, if this continues, high caste Hindus in India know that their position of privilege is going to be weakened as more and more untouchables aspire to better occupations to a better life.”
Elsewhere, Compass Direct News is reporting that a Mongolian citizen has been sentenced to 13 years in a prison labor camp on charges of propagating the Christian faith. According to Christians in Kazakhstan, police officials declared that the believer in custody was guilty of distribution of wrong religious propaganda. Authorities say that according to the Republic of Mongolia’s Constitution, only the Buddhist and Islamic faiths may be propagated. Please continue to pray for the strength of the believers in Mongolia as they face persecution.
Headlining today’s news, Khartoum’s fundamentalist Islamic regime is preparing to launch a major offensive to permanently eliminate the opposition in southern Sudan. According to reports, the government is building up advanced weaponry along the Nuba Mountains. Voice of the Martyrs Todd Nettleton says it’s something they’ve been expecting. “Because of all the bomb activity in south Sudan. It seems like the targeting of Hospitals in particular. And, it does appear that the North Sudanese armies are planning and even beginning a fairly major offensive into South Sudan.” Nettleton says despite the threats, people are coming to Christ. VOM is assisting in that effort with physical and spiritual aid. “We are carrying in medicines and the blankets, but we carry in Bibles. We carry in discipleship materials, Gospel literature and we’ve also been involved in some pastoral training seminars to help train the pastors there.”
Next, despite increased tension in Kosovo, one ministry group plans to travel there later this month to help a group of Albanian families rebuild their homes. World Servants’ Chris Clum is taking a team into a southern Kosovo village to experience what he calls “relational evangelism”. “We just see it as a wonderful opportunity for us to be there when people are in need. That is when they are most open to hear the Gospel and receive God’s love. We just want to be sensitive that we are in the right place at the right time. We really think right now is the right time to be there because people are open and sensitive to hear about God’s love and hear the Gospel.” The team is building on relationships they developed earlier to enter into the country. “We are working with another organization called “Discover Ministry” who actually reached out to 15,000 refugees that fled Kosovo into Albania. And so there are some wonderful relationships that have been established over the four months that they were actually refugees in Albania.”
On January 6th, Mission Network News originally reported a deadly attack on Coptic Christians in Egypt. The latest news in this case is that Egypt’s chief prosecutor has now charged 136 people in connection with that lethal three-day riot between Muslims and Christians. Investigators do not believe the El-Kusheh riots were religiously motivated. The report was the government’s first on the riots. Those arrested face charges of incitement, murder, attempted murder, robbery and damage to property.
Meanwhile, Mozambique returns to the news today with word of receding waters, and more assistance to the hardest-hit regions. World Relief has embarked on their next phase of assistance, after having accounted for all 50 of its staff who were originally reported missing. Although most of their local staff have lost their homes, the group is in the process of a tool and seed distribution for the farmers who lost their crops. Please continue to pray for the believers involved in this effort.
Our top story today unfolds in Ethiopia where relief organizations are calling for a broad international response to a three-year drought that threatens millions of people with famine. Nearly 8-million lives hang in the balance but Christians are mobilizing to help. International Aid’s Sonny Enriquez. “It’s gone from bad to worse, and there’s no relief in sight yet. Interestingly enough, the ones that have been responding to them are Ethiopian communities overseas. Now, the urban churches in Ethiopia are also helping out. But this is not enough; we’ve got to help them. We’ll be focusing on two things: one is food, because that’s an immediate need, and then, secondly, medicines.” Enriquez says they will have a team on the ground before the end of the month. He issued this plea: “If people could give cash, so we can use this to buy essential commodities and ship them there. If they’re so moved to call us here at International Aid, our number is: 1-800-251-2502.”
