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(Middle East)–We begin today with a question, ‘should Christians convert Muslims?’ That was the question on a recent cover of TIME magazine. Bible Mission International’s[1] Mark Reimschisel says the answer is, ‘yes’. “I think the first and foremost thing we have to remember is that we have a mandate that was given to us to go out and make disciples of all the nations. And so, for us to shirk back just because a nation is Muslim, it’s not an option for us. We have to go.” Bible Mission International works in the Muslim world. Reimschisel says the TIME article wasn’t far off in that Christians need to be creative in reaching Muslims with the Gospel. “When we go out and we try to do big programs and big campaigns those things are really offensive to folks in that part of the world. What we try to do is rally bring this down to a one on one relationship to with people…giving people the opportunity to see the hope that is within us.”

(Laos)–Next, prayer and public awareness seem to have aided five Christian families ordered evicted from their homes in Laos recently. Christian Aid Mission[2] learned that the Lao National Department of Religious Affairs considered the eviction order illegitimate and ordered the Provincial Department of Religious Affairs to the national office for a special meeting. The five Christian families of Kang village were told to ignore the eviction order from the province. Pray for believers in Laos who are persecuted for their faith.

(Canada)–Canada’s Foreign Affairs Minister recently invited all Canadians to participate in a national dialogue on the country’s future priorities and direction. In response, the Christian Reformed World Relief Committee[3] urged the government to focus on a ‘human security’ agenda, in which people become the focus of action. Canada office spokesperson Sandra Elgersma. “The CRWRC, because we’re involved in relief development and justice programming overseas, felt it was important to give our input, from the faith perspective, on how we’d like to see Canada’s foreign policy.” Elgersma says their international mission deals not only with poverty and insecurity, but also the root causes. She adds that often includes the spiritual well-being of the people the help. “We try to have a holistic approach, mostly going through meeting immediate needs and development—long-term needs. But then also, trying to share the Gospel wherever possible, working mostly with churches as local partners.”

(India)–Elsewhere, the combined shortage of Bibles and lack of pastoral and leadership training provides a fertile ground for cults and false teachings around the world. Eric Vess with World Help[4] says one of their projects is to help train church leaders in India. “We are sponsoring a conference a Siligory, India which is a strategically located area where 400 pastors will come to be encouraged and to be inspired and to be taught in church planting and training. A lot of these pastors endure incredible persecution on a daily basis.” Vess explains their group relies on national partnerships to choose what’s best for local leaders. “Sometimes the training that we provide is the only opportunity that pastor may have the entire year to meet with other pastors, to be encouraged and to hear someone give him some ideas to increase his vision.” Vess says they are working to heighten the awareness of the need for pastoral training and the financial costs involved.

(Mozambique)–And, open-air crusades and seminars in Mozambique have changed lives. A Mission Aviation Fellowship[5] pilot recently flew a Norwegian evangelist into a small coastal town in Africa where he conducted training seminars for local pastors and crusades for area residents. As a result, fourteen people in the heavily Islamic region came to Christ at the meetings. Pray for the churches in Mozambique as they begin the discipleship phase.

[1] http://www.gospelcom.net/mnn/media/group.php?agencyAb=BMN [2] http://www.gospelcom.net/mnn/media/group.php?agencyAb=CAID [3] http://www.gospelcom.net/mnn/media/group.php?agencyAb=CRWRC [4] http://www.gospelcom.net/mnn/media/group.php?agencyAb=WHP [5] http://www.gospelcom.net/mnn/media/group.php?agencyAb=MAF ———————————————————————

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Mission Network News, a service of Cornerstone University of Grand Rapids, Michigan, USA. http://www.MNNonline.org