Today’s Headlines:

NEW HOSPITAL AND SCHOOLS THE LONG-TERM FOCUS IN PAKISTAN

ANTI-CHRISTIAN ATTACKS IN INDIA TIED TO POLITICAL PARTY’S CRISIS

HUNGARIAN AUDIO BIBLE RESULT OF DIVINE CONNECTION

Today’s Top Stories:

NEW HOSPITAL AND SCHOOLS THE LONG-TERM FOCUS IN PAKISTAN It has been nearly one year since the deadly 7.6-magnitude earthquake struck the Kashmir region of Pakistan, killing 88,000, injuring 100,000, and leaving more than 3.5 million homeless. While Open Doors chipped in with emergency response, the long-term goal of Open Doors and partnering Christian organizations was to open a much-needed hospital and build schools. In May, Pakistani Christian volunteers helped replace temporary tents with a pre-fabricated, shock- proof hospital building, ready to house 20 patients along with a new surgical center, dispensary and outpatient treatment center. In addition, the group is focusing on constructing four schools to help replace the 65 percent of government schools that were destroyed. “The schools will bring interfaith harmony and remove the suspicion and doubt that usually is spread through extremism,” one Christian commented. “We hope that when Muslims start living side by side they will understand who Christians are. And the Christians by the same token will be able to share the love and compassion of Christ by their presence in that area.” (Evangelical News)

ANTI-CHRISTIAN ATTACKS IN INDIA TIED TO POLITICAL PARTY’S CRISIS Compass Direct News reports that the increasing violence against Christians in India is rooted in the political insecurities of the Hindu nationalists. Beginning in 2001 and on through 2005, approximately 200 anti-Christian attacks were reported in India each year. This year, nearly 150 such attacks were already reported by mid-September with the annual total expected to exceed 200. Christian violence increased dramatically when the Hindu extremist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) came into power in 1998. It has remained relatively stable until this year. Recent increases in anti-Christian attacks appear tied to political losses and internal division within the BJP. The party is exploiting the touchy issue of Christian conversions, which they call “forced” to gain political credit among Hindus. Anti-Christian incidents thus far in 2006 include the gang rape of two Christian women and a spate of false accusations of “forced” conversions, followed by violent attacks in Madhya Pradesh; sustained harassment of the Emmanuel Mission International (EMI) for more than six months in Rajasthan; a massive anti-Christian campaign in the districts of Dangs and Phulbani in Gujarat and Orissa respectively; and a sudden increase of attacks on Christians in Karnataka state. (Compass Direct)

HUNGARIAN AUDIO BIBLE RESULT OF DIVINE CONNECTION The World Bible Translations Center’s easy-to-read version of the Hungarian New Testament excited a seminary student named Istvan who disliked the old Hungarian version that was available. So when he received the new version, he had the idea to make an audio recording of the entire New Testament available on the Internet for free. Istvan searched more than two years for the ideal voice to present the audio version of the Gospel in a professional way before connecting with a secondary school teacher named Monica. Monica was not even a Christian when the new version of the New Testament was released, but had just turned her life over to God. Her vision was that the Lord would use her voice to record the Bible in an audio format. The divine connection between vision and talent is working together to get the message of Christ to the Hungarian people. (Mission Network News)