Missionary News Feature 20

Greece:
Greece was the first European country to be evangelized (Acts 16:10), but Christianity is now mostly a cultural expression. Less than 3% of the population regularly attend church. Evangelical churches represent less than 0.5% of the population, including all non-Greek evangelicals. The Macedonian call to evangelize is just as valid today.

(Do click onto this link – https://operationworld.org/prayer-calendar/06-05/ to read for further news by Operation World Prayer News, 5th June 2023)

El Salvador:
Praise God that peace has held since the end of the civil war in 1992. Since then, corruption in politics has been a big problem in El Salvador, but multiple free elections have occurred, with different parties prevailing at different times. El Salvador’s main struggles are now against poverty and gang violence. Money sent home from Salvadorans working abroad is the largest part of the economy. Nearly 40% of the country lives below the poverty line. Violent criminal gangs known as “maras” keep the nation among the global leaders for murder rates and juvenile delinquency. Overcoming these two giants will take more than just good social and economic policy – El Salvador needs a spiritual awakening that transforms the nation!

(Do click onto this link – https://operationworld.org/prayer-calendar/05-14/ to read for further news by Operation World Prayer News, 14th May 2022)

People's Republic of China:
The unreached peoples of South and Southwest China number tens of millions of individuals, in hundreds of different groups, each with different cultures and languages. Difficult geography and poor transportation keep many villages isolated from the gospel. The Holy Spirit worked powerfully among some tribal groups of Yunnan in the last century (Lisu, Hmong, Wa, Jingpo, Nu). Other peoples have a large number of Christians, but it remains only a small beginning. Guangxi is one of China’s least – developed and most remote provinces, and perhaps up to 90% unevangelized. The Zhuang people are China’s largest ethnic-minority population. We pray for Christians to reach even the most remote corners of this region.

(Do click onto this link – https://operationworld.org/prayer-calendar/04-18/ to read for further news by Operation World Prayer News, 18th April 2023)

Central African Republic:
The Central African Republic (CAR) faces immense physical human needs. The long series of coups and counter-coups devastated the economy and infrastructure. The most recent coup caused a breakdown in law and order. Rebels executed opponents and looted homes. Community conflict now occurs along religious lines between Muslims and Christians. Hundreds of thousands have fled their homes.

(Do click onto this link – https://operationworld.org/prayer-calendar/03-31/ to read for further news by Operation World Prayer News, 31st March 2023)

Ecuador:
The gospel impact on the Quichua is a modern miracle. In 1967, only 120 people out of 3 million followed Christ. Today some Quichua areas are over 50% evangelical! Avant Ministries worked among them for over 100 years. Over 240,000, people go to churches planted through Avant. Ecuador received worldwide attention in 1956 when the Waorani (Auca) killed 5 young foreign missionaries. Now almost all these tribes have churches and the Scriptures through the work of various missionary groups. HCJB Radio began in Ecuador in 1931, the first of the great Christian mission radio broadcasters. Today the ministry blesses Ecuador and the whole world.

(Do click onto this link – https://operationworld.org/prayer-calendar/05-11/ to read for further news by Operation World Prayer News, 11th May 2022)

Djibouti:
Djibouti enjoys peace, but suffers under serious social and economic problems. Western military presence helps create an atmosphere of calm and safety. We pray that the Islamist voice that seeks to make Djibouti conform to its own values will not destroy current freedoms. Serious national problems include widespread famine, extreme unemployment, human trafficking, prostitution, and drug abuse.

(Do click onto this link – https://operationworld.org/prayer-calendar/05-09/ to read for further news by Operation World Prayer News, 9th May 2022)

Learning From Example

As I did my weekend’s reading & meditated upon how the apostle Paul said, “Whatever you have learned or heard from me, or seen in me – put it into practice” (Philippians 4:9a, NIV), we see that Paul pleaded with the members of God’s family in Philippi to settle their conflict and “be of the same mind in the Lord” – being the reliable formula for family unity! And, Paul urged everyone to “rejoice in the Lord” and let their gentleness be seen by all. Indeed, we realize that rejoicing and gentleness cannot be taught easily; but they’re much better caught by example. In healthy families, we learn a lot about right and wrong, good and bad, by simply watching our parents or older siblings. This is also true in our relationships in the church, where more experienced brothers and sisters in Christ gently show us the way or teach us what we need to know.

Truly, Paul’s own life had shown joy and gentleness for him to use himself as an example for others to follow through. Like Paul, we’ve got to live in such a way that we can say, “Learn what I teach –by example!” A sense of what’s right and what’s wrong is a wonderful and necessary thing to know while I pondered upon my weekend’s reading.

What kind of example are you today?

Prayer Response to this featured article:
Thank you Jesus for being our example of love and compassion; empower us with your Holy Spirit to live in such a way that others may see Christ living in us always.

Profile Background:
Pastor George Vink has served as a pastor in the Christian Reformed Church for more than 30 years in British Columbia, Montana, Michigan, and California. He and his wife, Shirley, have four married sons and nine grandchildren. 

(Written by Pastor George Vink, 19th June 2022 – Father’s Day)

Charity without Question

My wife and I reared two children and prepared for our golden years. Then our daughter's marriage failed. She and our three grandchildren came to live with us. Now we are six people in a small frame house. My wife and I are back at work, and our plans for a leisurely life have been placed on hold. We went through a range of emotions and eventually settled in self-pity. By the third year, however, we began to look at our circumstances and ourselves from a different point of view - because of God’s word.

The Lord asked Cain, “Where is Abel thy brother?” “I know not” was Cain's response. Then Cain asked a question, the first question human beings asked of God: “Am I my brother's keeper?” (Genesis 4:9, KJV). The disciples had questions too. They came to Jesus as he sat on the Mount of Olives.

As he talked with them, Cain’s age-old question was answered. The Lord described our obligation to care for and to provide for others, that when we do this we are caring for Christ (Matthew 25:40, KJV)

Can we indeed drink of his cup, bear the cross, and lay down our lives for "the least of these"? We can and must. Without question, Jesus makes God's business our own. When we care for those in need, we care for Christ.

Today, how will you go about God’s business?

Profile Background:
(Written by Tom Henson – (Arkansas, USA) from Upper Room Ministries)

Prayer Response to this featured article:
We thank God that He casts away our sins & for us to live freely, as He continues to change us. We thank the Lord for giving us room to grow in new situations as we grow to share our spiritual faith with friends.