Thanks for choosing to receive e-mail from HCJB World Radio. Please add to your e-mail address book or safe sender list to ensure that you receive these e-mails.

Today’s Headlines:

MUSLIM REBELS IN NIGERIA ATTACK POLICE, TAKE HOSTAGES ISLAMIC COMMUNITY IN TOGO WELCOMES NATIVE MISSIONARIES UPDATED BIBLE TRANSLATION ENCOURAGES RESIDENTS OF NORTH OSSETIA 7,600 COME TO CHRIST AT BILLY GRAHAM’S FIRST CRUSADE IN A YEAR POPULAR CHRISTIAN RUSSIAN WEBSITE ATTRACTS 2,000 VISITORS DAILY * HCJB WORLD RADIO MISSIONARY DIES OF RARE ILLNESS AT AGE 64

Today’s News Stories:

MUSLIM REBELS IN NIGERIA ATTACK POLICE, TAKE HOSTAGES Muslim rebels attacked a police patrol and took a number of hostages at Kala-Balge in eastern Nigeria’s Borno state near the Cameroon border Friday, Oct. 8, said State Police Commissioner Ade Ajakaiye. He could not yet confirm the number of casualties among the 60-man squad that was attacked, but the rebels are known to have taken some of the policemen as prisoners. “We received information that members of the Taliban group attacked our men on patrol around Kala-Balge bushes,” he said on telephone. The self-styled “Talibans” are a small group of militant Islamists who were inspired by their Afghan namesakes and who claim to be fighting to create an independent Muslim state in that part of the country. The group first came to public notice last December when they launched a short-lived rebellion, seizing control of a small area of farmland and semi-desert on Nigeria’s northern border with Niger. They attacked several police stations, raised the Afghan flag and declared independence, but the military put down the uprising within weeks. Last month the group appeared again, attacking police posts in Borno state and killing four officers and a civilian in raids from bases across the border in Cameroon. The insurgents took seven people hostage, two of whom they killed. Cameroonian and Nigerian forces have been cooperating and have shot or arrested several rebels. (Voice of the Christian Martyrs Nigeria)

ISLAMIC COMMUNITY IN TOGO WELCOMES NATIVE MISSIONARIES Togo is one of many West African countries being overrun by Islam, yet native missionaries are seeing God work mightily in people’s hearts as they persevere to spread the truth of Christ. One missionary reported that chiefs in four Muslim villages have openly expressed a desire to hear the gospel. “Ten years ago I was persecuted in these villages, and people didn’t want me because of this same gospel,” he said. “But things have changed. The chiefs have invited us to preach to their people!” This is the second time his ministry has been specifically called by village leaders to come preach. “It is time for the biggest harvest in history,” he said. Though travel is difficult in these remote areas, and missionaries are pressed by the growing presence of Islam, they continue to take the gospel to isolated villages where some have never heard it. (Religion Today/Christian Aid Mission)

* International Media Ministries, HCJB World Radio’s partner in Lom ©, Togo, broadcasts 17 hours of daily programming on an FM station in 10 local languages. The SIM studio in Parakou, Benin, also records Christian Kotokoli programs that air on local stations in Togo.

UPDATED BIBLE TRANSLATION ENCOURAGES RESIDENTS OF NORTH OSSETIA The latest translation of the Ossetic New Testament will provide “spiritual support to a population living in difficult times,” reports the Institute for Bible Translation (IBT). Already 5,000 copies are available in this small republic in southern Russia. Chechen terrorists recently held more than 1,000 people hostage in the North Ossetian town of Beslan, an incident that ended in tragedy with more than 400 people killed, including about 150 children. Ossetic translations of the Bible are not new, the earliest dating back to the 18th century. However, the last translations from the early part of the 20th century are antiquated and difficult for today’s readers to understand. The new translation comes after 10 years of work by the IBT. It represents the first attempt to go beyond a simple literal transposition of the content. The team of philologists and linguists, headed by Safar Chabliev, “focused on the message of the written word and not on the literal order of the text.” North Ossetia has 710,000 inhabitants — mostly Christian Orthodox, with a Muslim minority. Byzantine missionaries brought Christianity to the area, then known as Alania, in the 9th century. An archbishopric was established in western Alania under the Patriarchate of Constantinople. Numerous churches were subsequently built. IBT is an international organization with staff members from many Christian traditions and denominations. (Adventist Press Service)

7,600 COME TO CHRIST AT BILLY GRAHAM’S FIRST CRUSADE IN A YEAR While the presidential candidates were battling for the political souls of the American people in St. Louis, Mo., evangelist Billy Graham preached his first sermon in more than a year in a battle for the hearts, minds and wills of Midwest residents. The crusade was at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City, Mo., Oct. 7-10. While torrential storms dampened attendance the first night, a total of 155,000 people came to the four-day event. Of these, more than 7,600 made commitments to Christ. The last time Graham preached was at his June 2003 Oklahoma City crusade. While claiming he felt “rusty,” he showed no signs of it. “This is the first time I’ve preached in more than a year,” Graham said. “I feel like I did when I was a teenager starting to preach. I feel like I’m starting over again.” Noticeably absent from the platform was gospel singer George Beverly Shea whose doctors recommended he stay home to continue his recovery from a recent heart attack. This was the first domestic crusade that Shea has missed in more than 60 years of evangelistic ministry with Billy Graham. Some 1,200 churches representing 84 denominations worked together to prepare for the Kansas City crusade. Graham’s next crusade will be at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, Calif., Nov. 18-21. (Assist News Service)

POPULAR CHRISTIAN RUSSIAN WEBSITE ATTRACTS 2,000 VISITORS DAILY JesusChrist.ru has become Russia’s most popular Christian website, attracting about 2,000 visitors a day and making more than 10,000 page impressions daily — nearly double the number of two years ago. Started in October 1998, the site provides many Christian online services to the Russian Christians, said project leader Timothy Ha. The first offer presented online by the JesusChrist.ru project was the free download of the Russian Bible research tool called BibleQuote, he said. In August 2001 the website started a news digest service that gathers articles from both Christian and secular sources. The site also aims to provide daily devotional material for Christian web surfers who need spiritual guidance. The goal of the website is to connect Russian-speaking Christians worldwide and enrich them with spiritual content. (Assist News Service)

* HCJB WORLD RADIO MISSIONARY DIES OF RARE ILLNESS AT AGE 64 HCJB World Radio missionary Phil Cook, 64, died in Edinburg, Texas, Sunday, Oct. 10, after a courageous battle with a rare blood disease. He and his wife, Donna, served with HCJB World Radio for more than 19 years.

Cook was born in Evanston, Ill., on July 15, 1940, but grew up in Orinda, Calif. After graduating from high school, he attended Whittier College in Whittier, Calif., for two years (1959-1961). He then joined the army, serving in communications security in Panama. It was during this time that he committed his life to the Lord.

After returning to the U.S. in 1963, Cook continued his studies at Columbia Bible College in Columbia, S.C., graduating with a bachelor’s degree in 1967. He would later take additional courses at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School in Deerfield, Ill., and in 2001 he completed his master’s degree in theology from Columbia.

Cook first became a missionary in 1967, serving in various churches as in interim pastor with Central America Mission (CAM) in Panama. On Sept. 5, 1970, he married Donna Phelps whom he had met three years earlier while serving together as counselors at a camp for handicapped/disadvantaged children in New York.

The Cooks served in Panama until 1973. Two years later they moved to Spain to work at the Overseas Christian Servicemen’s Center near Madrid (1975-1981). Cook found that he had an effective ministry working individually with military personnel — mainly in personal discipleship, Sunday school teaching and helping run a Christian bookstore.

In 1981 the Cooks returned to secular work in Illinois, but their interest in missions was rekindled after they learned of an opening at HCJB World Radio through Inter-Cristo, a Christian placement service. In 1985 Cook joined the staff at HCJB World Radio’s Center for Education and Discipleship in Quito, Ecuador. He also counseled patients at the ministry’s Vozandes Hospital in Quito while Donna served as a registered nurse.

The Cooks transferred to the U.S. in 1998 to help at World Radio Network station KBNL in Laredo, Texas. A year later they moved to Edinburg, Texas, where taught and counseled at the Rio Grande Bible Institute (RGBI). In addition to his wife, Donna, Cook leaves behind four children, Debbie, Randy, Laurie and Tim, and four grandchildren. A memorial service is set for 2 p.m. today at RGBI. A memorial service will also be held at Arlington Heights Evangelical Free Church in Arlington Heights, Ill. (HCJB World Radio)

* * * * * * * * * * * * * James A. Ferrier HCJB World Radio U.S. Ministries Communications Director E-mail: Phone: 1-719-590-9800 Fax: 1-719-590-9801 Web: http://www.hcjb.org http://www.beyondthecall.org * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Editor’s Note. Feel free to forward this to any interested friends. Our lists are distributed for information purposes and to encourage prayer. HCJB World Radio does not necessarily endorse or support the activities on which it reports. _______________________________________________ HCJBDaily mailing list

with subscribe in the subject line.

__________ NOD32 1.892 (20041012) Information __________

This message was checked by NOD32 antivirus system. http://www.nod32.com