News headlines for January 20th 2003

(India)–We begin today in India where two Mission India associates were recently arrested, beaten and driven from their ministry area by Indian army personnel. The incident occurred in northeastern India, in an area plagued by political instability. Mission India’s[1] John DeVries. “They were falsely charged with political insurgency, whatever that means, I don’t know. But, they were harassed by the army, and this has got us even a little more concerned than if they were harassed by the local police.” DeVries believes this nationalistic mindset may cause further trouble for Christians and their ministries. “Just pray for tremendous courage for our evangelists. Pray specifically that they will have courage, that they will continue to experience joy in the midst of this persecution, and that the Gospel will even go more quickly than it has ever gone before.” Mission India asks prayer for their ongoing work in northeast India as workers face opposition from political and religious extremists, and government officials.

(Malawi)–Next, an electrical fire in Malawi has seriously affected the work of Teen Missions International. Teen Mission’s[2] Steve Peterson says the fire hit January 3rd, destroying the warehouse where all of the Boot Camp supplies were stored. Peterson says this is a big loss. “One of the difficulties is that a lot of the equipment that the teams use is not readily available in Malawi or in many of the other African countries. So, it’s not just the financial aspect. It’s difficult and time consuming for us, over the years, to have built up that and now to suddenly need that for next year’s camps. It’s going to be difficult.” Peterson believes the fire is a spiritual attack because they had just completed a successful camp. “They had just completed running a missions training for Malawian teenagers. Six teams, 111 kids were there. They just seen over 1,400 people accept Christ. 75 of those kids made decisions to enter full time service.” Funding and short-term mission teams are needed to help replace the 10-thousand dollar loss.

(Iraq)–Christians in a Middle Eastern country are gearing up for ministry as that country prepares for a coming crisis. Many nationals are asking Christian workers if they plan to leave the country. According to Christian Aid Mission[3] , that’s giving believers a chance to share God’s love. Pray for the safety of these workers as they prepare to help nationals in a physical way, which could open doors to share in a spiritual way.

(USA)–Next, teens in the United States are making a huge difference in evangelism. More than one-thousand students were recently trained at a Dare 2 Share’s[4] ‘Last Chance Conference’ in Florida. The teens shared their faith with nearly 900 people and saw 66 people come to Christ. 54 children were sponsored for World Vision and they collected three tons of food for the City Rescue Mission in Jacksonville. Pray that more donors and partners will help Dare 2 Share continue their mission of energizing a generation to evangelize the world.

(Russia)–And, one mission agency is working to evangelize Russia’s children, long thought an unreached people group. According to the Slavic Gospel Association[5] , that is why they launched a special Christmas outreach called Immanuel’s Child. Through the project, local churches join with Bible-believing churches in Russia to bring hope to the poorest kids. SGA’s Michael Johnson. “The gifts attract the kids to the church services. They hear the Gospel. The churches get the list of names and the families, and then they begin a system of follow-up throughout the year where the kids are invited to VBS programs, they’re invited to Sunday school and many of the kids respond, many of the kids are then discipled on an ongoing basis.” Johnson says the outreach is expected to keep growing. “The Gospel is going forth, and one of the most effective ways the churches have to reach his country is through the children, because I believe that God has lifted this generation of children up to hear His Word.”

[1] http://www.gospelcom.net/mnn/media/group.php?agencyAb=MNI [2] http://www.gospelcom.net/mnn/media/group.php?agencyAb=TMI [3] http://www.gospelcom.net/mnn/media/group.php?agencyAb=CAID [4] http://www.gospelcom.net/mnn/media/group.php?agencyAb=D2S [5] http://www.gospelcom.net/mnn/media/group.php?agencyAb=SGA ———————————————————————

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