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According to Mission Network News, A division of Ron Hutchcraft Ministries, On Eagles’ Wings, equips Native believers to reach their people for Christ. More about that here. Each year during the “Summer of Hope” outreach, an OEW team shares the Gospel on reservations throughout the United States and Canada. This year’s team was the smallest to date, with only 21 members. But it was “Gideon’s Army,” ministry founder Ron Hutchcraft says. “This team traveled 4,000 miles and put on 16 major outreaches on seven different reservations. There were hundreds of conversations about Jesus.” The 2021 team also marked a significant milestone – OEW’s 29th annual Summer of Hope outreach. “And this was arguably the hardest one we’ve ever done,” Hutchcraft adds. “I won’t name reservations [we visited this summer] for a number of reasons. But I would call one of the places ‘the reservation of abandoned children.’ Parents let the kids run their own lives, and they were either drunk or drugging; there’s a lot of meth and drug dealing going on,” Hutchcraft says. “That was one of the places I would call a battlefield.” On one reservation, locals painted an ominous three-word memorial – “missing or murdered” – on a prominent wall. “All around those words were names and dates of young men and women from that community who’ve either been trafficked [or] died violently,” Hutchcraft says. “We were told they just keep adding names to the wall.” On another reservation, OEW team members led outdoor outreach activities “in extreme heat, sometimes 107 degrees [Fahrenheit]. But they were warriors every step of the way. They did not quit,” Hutchcraft says. Their efforts bore fruit in the end; 345 Native young people gave their hearts to Jesus this summer. “We believe many more prayed when our speaker gave them a chance to pray quietly with him in their heart [following a Gospel presentation],” Hutchcraft says.
According to Mission Network News, After the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan, a caravan of over 100 Afghan Christians left their homes to move to Pakistan. Bruce Allen of FMI says they have reached their destination safely. “They have the challenge of resettling. We have six partners who are helping with their resettlement. So even though it’s a good place for them to get to, having 15 families to resettle is an enormous task.” Pray these Christians would be able to get jobs, and that their children, both boys and girls, would have educational opportunities. In Afghanistan, the Taliban has a history of limiting education, especially for girls and women. Since the takeover, they have already cracked down on coeducation. Meanwhile, Allen says another convoy of Afghan Christians will be moving to Pakistan soon. “One of our partners has been going back and forth into Afghanistan over the years and making disciples there. He’s helping another set of about 100 Christians evacuate. This one has 16 families. So the work is not finished yet, even as we celebrate the success of the arrival of the first convoy into Pakistan.”
According to Mission Network News, The Islamic State continues to grow and get more organized in West Africa. The group has seized a lot of territory, especially in Chad, Nigeria, Burkina Faso, and Niger. Greg Musselman of The Voice of the Martyrs Canada says other terrorist groups in Africa look up to the Islamic State, and many times even partner with it. “They’re just looking at places in Africa where there’s a lot of social problems, economic problems, and corruption. They see these young men, especially, that are targets for them. And many of them say, ‘No, we don’t want to get involved in these extremist groups.’ But they are just getting wooed in by this group. They’re either forced in or they’re lured in.” As the Islamic State uses disorder for its own ends, pray for the stability of these countries. Pray also for the Christian communities in the region, many of whom have suffered the worst of the violence.
According to Assist News Service, One of the world’s largest mission organizations is calling on Christians around the world not to carry on “like normal” while people in Afghanistan face terror, rape, and execution. “I pray that no church in the world worships and prays like it’s just another normal day over the coming weeks while the innocent in Afghanistan await the Taliban’s knock on their door,” said K.P. Yohannan, founder of Gospel For Asia World, a Christian organization that helps millions of vulnerable people globally. As U.S. and allied troops complete their withdrawal from Afghanistan, Yohannan pleaded with people to “pray and fast” for the desperate situation. “I can tell you now that many innocent people, including Christians, are likely going to die very soon in Afghanistan — and in other countries — at the hands of emboldened terrorists,” he said. “These precious men, women and children need our prayers more than ever before.” “None of us should be acting like life is ‘normal’ while our brothers and sisters in Afghanistan wait in dread for the Taliban to come to their door. God moves when we choose to enter into the suffering of others. We need to be on our knees in prayer now.”
According to Mission Network News, Of all the Majority-Arab countries in the Middle East, Egypt has the largest Christian population. There are many well-established churches and parachurch ministries in Egypt, but seminaries are more difficult to find. “PTEE [is] needed because there [are] no seminaries in Upper Egypt and in the south. The seminaries are, most of them, in Cairo,” says Abraham*, a believer serving with the Program for Theological Education by Extension (PTEE). PTEE offers accredited theological courses for Gospel workers in the Arab world. By studying online, believers can avoid unwanted attention, which often leads to persecution. “We teach them how to do discipleship for the new believer, how to do a lot of work inside the church, and also about evangelism outside the church,” Abraham says. “We have more than 150 students studying from Egypt. [In] places where leaders cannot go to Cairo to study in Bible school, the program [goes] to the church.” Plus, the training can be multiplied. This allows every PTEE graduate to develop more Egyptian Christian leaders.
According to Mission Network News, You have a heart for the Deaf. You desperately want them to know about Jesus’s love and sacrifice for them. But if you’re a hearing individual, there are a few obvious barriers: language and culture. So what could you possibly do to help in Deaf ministry? Well, according to Rob Myers with DOOR International, there is actually a lot that hearing people can do for Deaf Gospel outreach. For one, Deaf Christian leaders need support in ministry, and hearing believers can help provide that support. So pray with DOOR for Deaf Christian leaders. “One of our deep prayers is that every single one of the leaders that we train and that we encounter would discover the place in God’s Kingdom that God has created them to serve in and to be in. “Pray that God would open up doors and opportunities for us to be able to serve these Deaf leaders and provide them the tools that they need to be able to reach their own communities.” If you want to take your support even further, you can always give financially to Deaf ministries! Find a local Deaf church and ask about their financial needs. Or you can even donate to DOOR and know that your gift is directly impacting the Gospel’s advancement among the Deaf. Finally, Myers says, “Spread awareness! [Use articles] like this; many people just don’t know that Deaf communities are unreached by the Gospel. They don’t realize that there are still millions of people who don’t have access. And, they don’t realize that Deaf communities play such a critical role in finishing the Great Commission.
According to Mission Network News, Music holds a special place in the lives of many Africans. Unathi Sithole, host of the Trans World Radio Africa show Worship Connection, says, “When we’re going through trials and tribulations as Africans, music is sort of our first stop. In trials, we travail through music. When there is a joyful moment happening in our lives, we express that through music. Just going through an ordinary day, music happens to be a big part of that experience.” Worship Connection, produced in South Africa, can be heard throughout most of the African continent. It features African Christian music as well as commentary and interaction with listeners. The show aims to reach people who are curious about Christianity and also to encourage believers. But North American listeners can benefit from this show as well. Sithole says, “Music is important to us, as the Body of Christ worldwide. I think ultimately, we want to also bring the African flavor, the African sound to the show. We’re hoping that we can educate our North American listeners, who perhaps may not be familiar with some of our African songs, our African worship music, and Gospel music.”
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In closing, remember, God loves you. He always has and He always will. John 3:16 says, “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” If you don’t know Jesus as your Saviour, today is a good day to get to know Him. Just believe in your heart that Jesus Christ died on the cross for your sins, was buried, and rose from the dead for you. Pray and ask Him to come into your heart and He will. Romans 10:13 says, “For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.”
Thanks so much for listening and may God bless you.
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