A Christian died for his faith in Tunisia. (That’s in Africa, right?)
Was he praying as he died? If so, what would a Christian be praying as a Muslim slices off his head? Read it all
Africa
100K+ in Zambia
For when you think your life isn’t fair:
The government of Zambia says over 100,000 children die every year before reaching their fifth birthday. Poverty, starvation, abuse, and AIDS are the most likely culprits to steal their lives.
Kids Alive International began a project in Zambia in 1999, with a visit by members of the Kids Alive Canada Board who were aware of the devastating impact of the AIDS crisis on the children of the country.
Today, Kids Alive Vice President of Operations Matt Parker says their ministry is helping to provide hope and a future for these kids. They have six children’s homes, three community schools, and care center programs in other parts of Zambia. There's always room for more. “We were recently given land in Mongu, in western Zambia, by the government. We’ve just opened our first children’s home on this piece of land.”
The dedication of the home took place just six weeks ago, and it provides a safe refuge for 18 children who were on the streets before being rescued.
And here am I, having had over ten times that much life.
With well over ten times fewer problems.
God bless those who serve these little ones!
Mozambique Bleak
If you think life has given you a health care lemon, remember Mozambique:
Some 6.4 million people in northern Mozambique, Africa, have little or no access to medical care. They live in a largely-Muslim area of the country and suffer needlessly from malnutrition, HIV/AIDS, and numerous medical conditions made worse by poverty and poor sanitation.
Many haven’t even heard the Gospel.
But now, Mission Aviation Fellowship (MAF) is helping make the critical difference. Like the spreading dawn, hope and healing are coming to these afflicted people. The story of transformation has just begun.
The Program Manager for MAF Mozambique is Warren Veal. He said MAF is teaming up with Dr. Pim de Lijster, a Dutch physician who is known as “Doctor Pim,” and a Brazilian dentist, Dr. Ida de Carvalho, “Doctor Ida,” to form MozMed, a ministry that is bringing life, hope, and relief from suffering.
Veal says, “The three of us work together to provide health care in one of the rural districts in Mozambique.”
He said the health care needs are great. “There [are] about 33,000 people for every doctor in the country. Actually, here in the north, that statistic is a little bit worse because there are even fewer doctors.”
MAF flies these doctors into an area on a Monday, they set up a clinic, and treat those in need. Veal says it’s not just about seeing patients; they’re also training untrained health care workers to care for those in need when the doctors aren’t in town.
MAF overcomes barriers of terrain by flying this dedicated team to eight isolated villages for a recurring schedule of half-day clinics. Each clinic is staffed by a government-sponsored health worker.
I only quote a few of the opening paragraphs of the story: Mozambique desperate for doctors
I am thankful to have all manner of health care options around me.
Empty Cups at the World Cup
I know this is far away. And about people we don’t know. And we have enough cares and woes and responsibilities close by.
But still….
With an increase in people comes an increase in demands. South Africa has discovered this firsthand as they’ve upped the ante on transportation, hotel space, and shopping for the World Cup. In an attempt to meet every need, however, there has been one disturbing consequence.
Human trafficking has increased immensely in South Africa in preparation for the international tournament, mostly but not exclusively for the purport of prostitution. There have been several reports of an influx in human trafficking since the games began, but business moves swelled long before the June 11 kick off. Many of these dealings have been in the works for years.
“[Traffickers] started the trafficking of people in 2004 as soon as they found out the World Cup would be in South Africa,” says Martha Richards, a missionary for International Mission Board in South Africa. “That’s when the traffickers started organizing official trafficking for this event.”
There is a common misconception–even by South African police, who turn their heads from prostitution because it brings revenue into the country–that women prostituting themselves at these sorts of events are earning money and have chosen their profession on their own. But these lies are not reality. Many men, women and children as young as 10 have been enticed into this lifestyle having no idea they would soon be enslaved, and they don’t keep a penny of the money they make.
I excerpted less than half of The lesser-known sport of the World Cup. You really should read the whole thing.
And pray?
Algeria: Despite Laws
Despite laws preventing conversion, Muslims are turning to Christ in what’s being called an amazing move of the Spirit in Northern Algeria.
In 2008, Algeria put into full effect a new anti-conversion law that prohibited efforts to convert Muslims to another religion and gave the government the right to regulate every aspect of Christian practice. This law was a direct attack against Christians since almost all Algerian Christians are converts from Islam. The new law could make nearly all Christian churches in the country illegal.
Despite this new law, 2009 has been an incredible year for evangelical church growth, says Pastor Youssef Jacob with Operation Mobilization. “We have churches that have grown 802%. Many converts have come from Islam with no Christian heritage, no Christian background, no resources whatsoever, no training. But they just believe in God and His Word.”
Jacob says the Kabylie people are the most responsive in the Kabylie region, which is home to more than 2,000 towns and villages. “In every village and every town there are Christians, and there are churches,” says Jacob. “In one town, actually there are more churches than mosques, which is a big miracle to happen in the Middle East.”
Source: Mission Network News
Their Parents Died
And So Did His Camel
Rescue units restore hope in the form of vegetables
According to the Encyclopedia of Nations, Zambia’s population totaled 10.8 million in 2003. Of those, 600,000 are AIDS orphans.
[…]
Bob Bland with Teen Missions said, “[The orphans] are not taught the things they would normally learn in a village situation, such as how to grow a garden, because there’s no one to train them. At our rescue units, one of things we do is try to help them grow gardens.”
Often times, they lack the tools needed to plant, but Teen Missions provides what they need. “To do that, we provide a hoe,” Bland said.
So far, these orphan gardens have proven very successful, and in one village, a child’s garden is the only source of vegetables for a whole village.
Teen Mission has 33 rescue units throughout Zambia working to provide safety, food, medical needs and education to these orphans.
The Trokosi
The Trokosi: Religious Slavery Today
Slavery in the West has largely become a shamed subject of history. Most Westerners are unaware of the thousands of slaves still suffering and dying in various locations around the world. One such group are the Trokosi slaves of Ghana.
Guayo was never told why her family gave her to the fetish priest when she was a young child. Raped by the priest from the age of 12, Guayo gave birth to four children over the years. The priest had no obligation to provide for Guayo’s basic needs or for her children, who were also considered his slaves. The young mother has lived in constant despair, seeking to feed herself and her children while working hard long days for the priest. Now Guayo is 30 and has few skills and no education. Yet, since the priest has died, nobody will dare to help her, since the community believes she is owned by the gods.
Guayo’s situation is typical of the Trokosi slaves in Ghana. In the ju-ju religious system in Ghana, the local fetish priest is the mediator between the villagers and the gods. There is great fear among the villagers that if they do not abide by the priest’s demands, they will be cursed and die. If the priest says there must be a payment made for some sin in the family, families will give a virgin daughter to become his property and she will go to live at the shrine in the service of “the gods” – often for the rest of her life.
Click the link to see what some Christian groups are doing to liberate and restore these women and their children.
Jesus came to set the captives free!