ACTIVIST CALLS INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY TO ACTION AGAINST PERSECUTION IN CHINA

NATIVE MISSIONARIES IN PAKISTAN FACING OPPOSITION

MINISTRY RESCUES “FORGOTTEN” CHILDREN IN THE DOMINICAN REPUBLIC

ZIMBABWE’S ECONOMIC CRISIS HURTS MINISTRY

93,000+ PEOPLE GATHER FOR ONE OF THE LARGEST RELIGIOUS EVENTS IN MOLDOVA

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ACTIVIST CALLS INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY TO ACTION AGAINST PERSECUTION IN CHINA Bob Fu, president of China Aid Association, an organization with a mission to tell the truth about Christian persecution in China, says the recent arrest of a Chinese Christian pastor should be protested by the international community. Pastor Cai Zhuohua is on trial for illegally printing more than 200,000 Bibles and other Christian literature. He was arrested in September 2004. The pastor’s trial was to have occurred last week in Beijing, says the China Aid Association. Fu says despite its claims, China does not uphold religious freedom. “We have seen more pastors arrested and … put in jail, and numerous churches destroyed,” he relates. “The persecution has been intensified. I think China’s political leaders are no=w taking a very hard line policy against the unregistered churches.” Since 1999, the U.S. State Department has designated China as a country of concern for religious freedom violations. Fu is urging the international community to demand that the Communist Chinese regime respect religious rights. “We Christians should urge both the U.S. government … and the Chinese embassies in the U.S. to press the Chinese government to act quickly to address the serious religious persecution and violation of religious freedom guaranteed by China’s U.N. constitution,” he says. (Agape Press)

NATIVE MISSIONARIES IN PAKISTAN FACING OPPOSITION “During the month of May,” a native Pakistani ministry leader wrote Christian Aid, “gospel workers faced a very hostile response from people all over the country when inviting them to buy Scriptures. This reaction was due to the news claiming the Quran was desecrated by US officials.” Though the reports of desecrations were later retracted, their repercussions were felt throughout many Islamic countries. The native ministry leader told Christian Aid that on June 9, Pastor R. who worked with his mission was attacked in his home, apparently by Muslim extremists. They brutally beat Pastor R. and his family, locked them in a room and proceeded to destroy everything in the house. After about three hours, they left with all the Christian literature and Bibles they could find, threatening to return. Thankfully the attackers did not come back, and neither Pastor R. nor his family was seriously hurt. Meanwhile, despite an atmosphere of growing animosity toward the Christian faith, some Pakistani Muslims are opening to the gospel message, the ministry reports. The leader shared the story of a 66-year-old man from a small village who, when given a Bible, said it was the first time in his life he had met someone handing out Scriptures. He asked missionaries to visit him again “in case he had to ask some questions regarding the Bible’s content.” (Missions Insider)

MINISTRY RESCUES “FORGOTTEN” CHILDREN IN THE DOMINICAN REPUBLIC An attorney is championing orphaned, special-needs children in the Dominican Republic through a ministry called Project Child. In February 2000, while on their honeymoon in the Santo Domingo, Frank Valladares and his wife, Lourdes, visited a local orphanage for special-needs children. “The first time I walked into the orphanage, I thought I had walked into hell itself,” Frank Valladares told “New Man” magazine in the July/August issue. The couple left Santo Domingo committed to respond to the travesty they had witnessed. The first step was the creation of Project Child. With consent from the facility that they had visited, the couple hired additional caregivers and a doctor to look after the children’s medical concerns. In the last five years, Project Child has expanded to include 16 full-time caregivers. In 2003, the organization received a large piece of land from the government where they are building their own facility known as Casa de Luz (House of Light). Phase one will accommodate 64-96 children, but the need for more space already exists. Valladares makes five trips back to the Dominican Republic each year. Along with a host of volunteers, he brings duffel bags full of medical supplies. He also demonstrates God’s love to these children . who are no longer forgotten. “I never thought five years ago that I would be doing this,” Valladares said. “But God showed me that I can make a difference. All of us can make a difference.” (Charisma Now)

ZIMBABWE’S ECONOMIC CRISIS HURTS MINISTRY Zimbabwe’s economic meltdown continues to worsen as skyrocketing prices for fuel and food and the lack of jobs add to the problem. Add to the dire situation, a poor grain harvest and the recipe for disaster is nearly complete. Growing unemployment and hundreds of thousands of displaced people make the picture of misery acute. The situation is reportedly getting so bad, that the local ministry of the Bible League is being seriously impacted. According to the area director, they’ve had to reduce office hours due to lack of fuel for transportation. With office’s vehicles “grounded,” the churches can’t get needed materials. Markets are running out of food and staff workers and their families are unable to pay inflated prices and make ends meet. The ministry asks for prayer that God would provide for the ministry needs and for comfort in desolate times. (Mission Network News)

93,000+ GATHER FOR ONE OF THE LARGEST RELIGIOUS EVENTS IN MOLDOVA Only 15 years ago, some citizens of Moldova were imprisoned for just expressing their Christian faith. Yet last weekend saw a huge change for citizens of Moldova (located in Eastern Europe, northeast of Romania), as tens of thousands of people who formerly suffered under a strict communist regime joined with Franklin Graham in National Stadium to celebrate their freedom and faith. According to a news release, the Festival of Hope with Franklin Graham, July 8-10 in the nation’s capital of Chisinau, drew crowds totaling 93,907 to the country’s largest stadium. By the final night of the Franklin Graham Festival (FGF), 6,920 people had responded to the invitation to put their faith in Jesus Christ. FGF reported that with overflow crowds each night, it was one of the largest religious events in the nation’s history. “Years ago I drove to the border of this country, looked through the heavily guarded gate, and prayed that one day you would be free and I would have an opportunity to come back,” said Graham. “Now I am here with tens of thousands of you, and this is a free nation, but I want you to have a spiritual freedom found in the hope and love of Jesus Christ.” Graham, 52, came to Moldova at the invitation of pastors, leaders, and churches. (ASSIST News)

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