AROUND THE WORLD: Living Water International Celebrates Twenty Years
In 1990, a group of believers went on a mission trip to Kenya. When they came back, they began Living Water International (LWI), an organization now celebrating twenty years of bringing clean water and the gospel to thousands of people around the globe. “God just broke their hearts,” says LWI's Paul Darilek. “They came home thinking about people who didn't have clean water…it was an eye-opening experience. They soon learned that a billion people don't have clean water.” LWI now works in twenty-six countries. (Living Water International)
BOLIVIA: Radio Broadcasts Reach Thousands of Mennonites
Nearly thirty-one thousand Low German-speaking Mennonites live in Bolivia. And although most are without television or Internet access, TWR is able to reach them with the gospel. In May 2010, Thru the Bible (TTB), broadcast via TWR partner ministry RTM-Bolivia, was fully translated into Low German. TTB is a radio program consisting of Bible teaching from Genesis through Revelation over the course of five years—a total of 1,299 programs. The programs will also be available on CD. RTM-Bolivia also broadcasts original Low German worship songs. Radio ministry in Bolivia has spawned many new churches in the country’s indigenous listening area. Beyond radio, on-the-ground missionaries in Bolivia recently completed Casa Mariposa, a women and children’s shelter. (TWR)
CARIBBEAN: Saenz to Serve as Interim Caribbean Regional Director
Luis Carlos Saenz has been elected by the Board of General Superintendents to serve as the interim director of the Caribbean Region for the Church of the Nazarene until a successor is elected and qualified by the General Board in their February 2011 meeting. In early June, former Caribbean regional director John Smee announced his retirement. Saenz continues to serve as the Mexico and Central America (MAC) regional director. The General Board adopted a resolution in their February 2010 meeting to “create a new region from the Caribbean and MAC regions.” (Nazarene Communications Network)
DOMINICAN REPUBLIC/PUERTO RICO: “My Hope” Sees Nearly Seventy Thousand Come to Christ
Christians across the Dominican Republic and Puerto Rico recently opened their homes for meetings and witnessed more than sixty-nine thousand people make commitments to Jesus Christ through the Billy Graham “My Hope” TV outreach. The programs culminated in a combined total of more than fifty-nine thousand home events in March and April, which included a TV program featuring a sermon from Billy or Franklin Graham and a personal testimony from the host. In the Dominican Republic, 55,391 people made commitments to Christ, with 13,797 doing so in Puerto Rico. Altogether, more than 5,500 churches from across the evangelical spectrum were involved in the projects. (Assist News Service)
EGYPT: Muslims Attempt to Behead “Apostate”
The latest in a string of failed attempts by Muslim fanatics on the life of Egyptian Muslim-born Maher el-Gowhary, who publicly converted to Christianity in 2008, took place on 5 July 2010. As 57-year-old el-Gowhary left his secret lodging, two unknown men on a motorbike attacked him with daggers. The attackers called him an infidel and cursed his Christian faith. El-Gowhary was left with heavy wounds, but fears seeking medical treatment. Shortly after his conversion to Christianity became public, he and his 15-year-old daughter Dina, who also converted to Christianity, were forced into hiding. They have been living on the run, changing lodging as frequent as once or twice a month for fear of their identity being discovered. (Assist News Service)
GHANA: Freed Sex Slaves Begin Slow Rehabilitation Process
Fifty-five sex slaves from the “Thunder god” shrine of the tribal religions of Ghana were liberated 25 March 2010. The liberation of these women was partially due to their head priest turning to Christ and leaving his profession. Workers with Every Child Ministries (ECM) just finished a three-week rehabilitation program where they worked with seven of the freed women. ECM created a personalized plan for each woman's future, held Bible studies twice a day, and taught them how to sew. ECM hopes to offer the next step of rehabilitation to any of the freed women who are interested. This will include more information about starting a business and learning more skill sets. Many of the women have also turned their lives over to Jesus. (Mission Network News)
NIGERIA: Eight Christians Killed in Nigerian Muslim Attacks
According to a report by International Christian Concern (ICC), on the night of 3 July 2010, several Muslims attacked Kizachi village in Kaduna State and killed five Christians, including a primary school teacher and a mother of six children. The Muslims also burned down five Christian homes. Nigerian sources told ICC that the police had stopped protecting the village on 2 July after the government failed to pay their salaries. In the second attack, on the night of 4 July, Muslims armed with guns and machetes invaded Ganawuri community, near Jos. Three Christians are feared dead. This latest violence came on the heels of a 7 March 2010 jihad attack against Christians in Jos in which over five hundred mainly women and children were murdered. It is estimated that many more thousands of Christians have been killed in northern Nigeria since the introduction of sharia law in 2001. (Assist News Service)
UNITED STATES: Study Discusses Teenagers’ Openness to Evangelizing
A recent Barna Group study shows that Christian teens from the U.S. are less and less enthusiastic about sharing their faith. Information on the study released last week provided evidence that “among born again Christian teenagers, the proportion who said they had explained their beliefs to someone else with different faith views in the last year had declined from nearly two-thirds of teenagers in 1997 (63%) to less than half of Christian teens in the December 2009 study (45%).” Not only does it appear that evangelism among teens is in danger, but the study also noted that Christian teenagers are much less likely to even interact with non-Christians than they were ten years ago. Yet the results are not exclusively accurate; at least, not if you ask those from InterVarsity Christian Fellowship. “Over the last five years, we have actually seen a record number in our history of conversions,” explains Terry Erickson, InterVarsity national director of evangelism. (Mission Network News)