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(Liberia)–We begin today in Liberia where President Charles Taylor has stepped down. Many missionaries and relief workers hope this ends 14 years of bloodshed in the country. World Vision’s[1] Rich Moseanko is in Monrovia. “The news here is that he has already left. When all of that was taking place there were thousands of people cheering him good-bye. We do think this will usher in a age of peace that Liberia has not had for many, many years. So, we’re very optimistic as is the general population here in Liberia.” Moseanko believes this will also allow relief and missionary workers back into the country. World Vision needs help the more than 40-thousand who are displaced. “The needs are great. The instability has created an atmosphere where people could not go out and get food. And, as a consequence the elderly, the young children, the mothers with young children those people are the ones that have suffered the most.” [2]

(Pakistan)–Elsewhere, Voice of the Martyrs[3] reports a Pakistani court has upheld the conviction of two Christians accused of committing blasphemy against the Islamic holy book. The two Christians received life sentences–the maximum penalty for desecration of the Koran under Pakistan’s 295-B blasphemy law. They are expected to appeal the Lahore court decision to Pakistan’s Supreme Court. Pakistan is known to be hostile toward Christians. Please pray for those involved in evangelistic work there.

(England)–After more than 46 years at the helm, the founder of Operation Mobilization[4] is stepping down as the organization’s president. 65-year-old George Verwer will pass on the torch at a special meeting in Keswick, England on August 22nd. Peter Maiden will be his replacement. “He’s a more quiet, steady person than myself. He’s a great Bible teacher. He’s a leader in his local church, but he’s a great visionary, he’s got a great pastors heart, and he’s a leader. We have OM now 3,500 workers in 90 nations. And, his big job will be to work with the leaders and the leaders of the leaders.” Verwer says he will continue his focus on reaching the unreached. He tells us one of his frustrations. “So few of the Lord’s people seem to see this as enough priority to really get in on the action, whether its praying , giving or going. In a world of six billion people, we need more active mobilizers and participants.” [5]

(Brazil)–Next, the Brazilian city of Sao Paulo is the fifth largest in the world with nearly 20 million people. Reaching it with the Gospel is akin to reaching a small country, so says evangelist Sammy Tippit.[6] Along with a team of evangelists, he’s looking ahead to a major Christian outreach in July 2004. “They’ve asked us to bring back 400 workers to go into the churches throughout the city and hold evangelistic meetings—go into homes and schools and various institutions and make an impact on the city, then conclude on a Saturday and Sunday next year, with me preaching in a major stadium.” Tippit says because of the enormity of this project, their teams need prayer. “There’s a lot of spiritism in Brazil. On the positive end, there is a great hunger. The church is really growing; God is really moving. It’s one of the great harvest fields of the world, so, we’re excited about the possibility, the potential. We know it’s going to be a huge undertaking for us.”

(Bulgaria)–And, Bethany Christian Services[7] reports that Bulgaria has a new Family Code in place. This is to establish a Central Authority with the Ministry of Justice as required by the Hague Convention. The agency is optimistic that this translates into a shortened legal process and a time reduction between first and final trips. Bethany says this could open doors to allow them to show the love and compassion of Jesus Christ by protecting and enhancing the lives of children.

[1] http://www.gospelcom.net/mnn/media/group.php?agencyAb=WVI [2]

http://www.gospelcom.net/cgi-bin/ramhurl?f=/mnn/interviews/08-12-03RichMoseanko.rm [3] http://www.gospelcom.net/mnn/media/group.php?agencyAb=VOM [4] http://www.gospelcom.net/mnn/media/group.php?agencyAb=OMI [5]

http://www.gospelcom.net/cgi-bin/ramhurl?f=/mnn/interviews/08-12-03GeorgeVerwer.rm [6] http://www.gospelcom.net/mnn/media/group.php?agencyAb=STM [7] http://www.gospelcom.net/mnn/media/group.php?agencyAb=BCS ———————————————————————

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