Feed aggregator

The employees are quality-control testing. During the firing process, warping can occur which must be watched for. Our partner has a high standard on quality to ensure that filters are eliminating 98% of all pathogens and bacteria.

Laos (MNN) -- Laos ranks 12th on Open Doors World Watch list of countries who support persecution of Christians. According to Open Doors, "The government exercises tight control on all parts of society. Small independent congregations are under pressure and have been refused recognition. Local authorities regard them as enemies; Buddhist leaders and village shamans also watch them closely. Most believers are ethnic minorities."

This wouldn't be a place a typical Christian would want to start a business, but Lifewater International has done just that. For security reasons we'll call our Lifewater contact "Somboun." Somboun tells us about some of the problems in Laos facing Christians. "Christianity can be viewed as being something that is a part of the American government and can be viewed with suspicion. [Laos] is actually a communist country, one of the last communist countries in the world."

Lifewater got involved with a partner in the country, who they trained to drill wells. "He has since started his own company and God has used him to get into government circles to be an influencer."

Now, Somboun says, "Lifewater has been a part of helping us starting a new company that actually focuses on ceramic water filters. So, we're making those and selling those in Laos."

It's not possible to be a missionary in Laos. Somboun says he's a businessman, "But, at the same time we're doing this great social work and just really providing water. At the same time our heart of course is is to see the church grow and build key relationships with local leaders, the registered church, and the unregistered church and just be a support and an encouragement to them."

The business is actually helping the church financially. "We're actually able to employ a lot of Christians, people that we feel like God is going to use these guys -- take them and use their lives to share the Gospel so that they can be equipped to really be some effective leaders in Laos."

The need for clean safe water is great. He says Laos is one of the poorest nations in Asia. He says people, especially children, are dying every day because of poor water. To this end, Lifewater's in-country partner has conducted many promotional activities to raise awareness about the need for safe water and promote their affordable water filters. Activities have included community hygiene training events, booths at festivals, radio advertising, market displays, and door-to-door sales. Their filters are greatly valued by communities and demand for them is steadily growing, to the point where customers are pre-paying for their orders.

Somboun says a side benefit is reaching the unreached So people of central Laos, "donating filters to them, working with national leaders who are going out and sharing the Gospel and building the So church. Basically without Lifewater, we're not able to be there in Laos and see the church grow."

There's always concern they could be targeted by the government. "We've actually had a Lao co-worker in the company. They actually had to leave because the police were looking for them because they led a young girl to Christ in their village, and that kind of caused a little scene."

$50 actually provides a ceramic water purifier complete with all accessories for one family. Click here to help.

Congo-Kinshasa (MNN) -- Violence in the northeastern region of the Democratic Republic of Congo has forced the Logo translation team to flee.

The Seed Company reports that the Bible translators now live and work in the town of Isiro. Their home area has become too dangerous, especially since they own expensive equipment like computers and printers.

At the center of the problem is the Lord's Resistance Army, a rebel group formed decades ago that has claimed the lives of thousands and traumatized many thousands more. The group was formed in Uganda, but now makes its home in eastern Central African Republic and northeastern Congo, where the Logo people are found.

LRA leader Joseph Kony is actively being hunted by international forces but has yet to be tracked down.

Thus, the Logo translation team is not the only group to flee their region. Many have fled the area to escape the LRA's indiscriminate burning of villages and kidnapping of children.

But the power of the Gospel cannot be held down.

Recently, church communities in the region created a center for Bible translation (CITBA ) in Isiro. This center has become a haven for translation, especially those from rebel-affected areas. This also represents a new paradigm for national churches as they engage in the central role of creating locally sensitive and locally oriented ministry materials.

To ensure that the effort has the necessary resources and infrastructure, The Seed Company installed a VAST satellite communication dish to serve all translation projects. Two Seed Company projects--the Logo and Mayogo New Testament teams--are using the system, which will remain to support translation efforts in the area for years to come.

There are few families in Congo who have not been affected by the LRA's warfare. Pray that this translation project will be a key to unlocking hope in their lives as they learn about Christ, some for the first time.

To learn more about Logo translators, click here .

Haiti (MNN) -- It's been more than two years since the devastating earthquake destroyed Port-au-Prince, and the rebuilding continues. Churches are especially in need of help. That's why Bible Centered Ministries International , or BCM, has started a new program.

BCM's Tommy Gambrill says, "We're spearheading a project called, 'Restoring Hearts and Homes in Haiti.' The idea is to get U.S. churches to partner with Haitian churches and provide prayer support for them, financial support, and even teams to go."

BCM is partnering with the Union of Evangelical Baptists of Haiti, or UEBH. The UEBH has over 250 churches across Haiti, 25 Christian grade schools, four camp properties, and a post graduate seminar school in Port-au-Prince.

This organization was decimated. Gambrill says, "Many of their churches were destroyed, people lost their lives, pastors and teachers found themselves asking the question, 'What do we do?' By God's grace, we got connected."

The goal is to get the churches up and functioning again. The earthquake saw thousands turn to Christ. So, pastors not only have to function without a church building, "but he has more people coming to him that want to know about salvation. And, so how can we help people spiritually understand what it means that God wants them to have eternal life, but then also help them physically. I think the two go hand-in-hand."

Gambrill envisions teams being made up with construction workers, pastors, trauma counselors, vacation Bible school teams, and even medical professionals to help in the partnership effort. "Even people who like to do sports. Soccer, basketball and other sports could also be a good outreach for the kids."

BCM is looking for 6 to 12 churches to join in the partnership. If you're interested, we'll connect you at our Web site.

North America (MNN) -- It's been over 500 years since the first missionary attempts to reach Native America with the Gospel. Yet only 5 percent of the current Native population in North America knows Christ.

"The very first people that we tried to reach are now, perhaps, the last missions frontier on this continent," notes American evangelist Ron Hutchcraft. "If you look back, the very first missionary to America, the very first Bible translation, was for Native Americans."

"We've done better and know more about missions around the world than we do right here on our doorstep," Hutchcraft adds.

But why, after five centuries, is there so little fruit to be shown?

Hutchcraft says there are a number of reasons that evangelistic efforts have failed, but the most prominent has to do with Christ being viewed as "the white man's God." Many ministries worldwide are working to have fewer foreign missionaries and more native ones. In North America though, white Americans are still typically the ones trying to reach Native Americans.

"There's been a tremendous shortage of Native Americans who would be the leaders of the Christian movement--be the face of Christ, be the voice of Christ for their people over all these years," explains Hutchcraft.

It's a problem that's kept a people away from even considering Christ for centuries. Yet over the last 20 years, change has been on the horizon.

20 years ago this month, Hutchcraft says, the Lord laid the plight of Native America on his heart. Thus spring On Eagles' Wings, a ministry outreach specifically to Native American youth.

On Eagles' Wings has since "demonstrated that there are historic breakthroughs when Native young people are the messengers to Native young people," says Hutchcraft.

At On Eagles' Wings Warrior Leadership Summit conferences, youth from over 90 tribes gather and hear about Christ. From there, a few dozen students choose to spend their summer moving from reservation to reservation, sharing their testimonies of how suicidal thoughts, drug abuse, sexual abuse and depression turned into lives of joy in Christ.

More and more of these summer "warriors" are moving into full-time ministry to Native youth though. One On Eagles' Wings alumna has begun a new youth ministry on the reserves of Canada. Two others are leading The Path youth ministry on the Hopi Reservation. Another is on the staff of a Native Bible School, discipling Native young men for ministry.

Twenty-eight out of 60 "warriors" from last summer are now going to Christian colleges on scholarship provided by On Eagles' Wings to learn how to do outreach.

These formerly lost Native American youth are now paving the way for unprecedented ministry, says Hutchcraft. "They are, I would say, the face of hope for Native America for the future, and why I believe there is really hope of a Jesus generation finally coming."

Native believers are being multiplied, but now so is Native leadership. "People who've been way too long overlooked, and way too long forgotten, and way too long unreached" are finally being reached effectively.

Most of this effective outreach starts through On Eagles' Wings. To support the ministry in prayer, or even financially, visit oneagleswings.com. Any financial support will go to sponsor the Warrior Leadership Summit conference, and to provide scholarships for Native youth who wish to learn more about outreach but do not have the resources to do so on their own.

Tanzania (MNN) -- Reaching the last people groups on earth is no easy task. As one Africa Inland Mission missionary points out, "It's human nature: we tend to save the hardest work for last."

Yet AIM is committed to doing whatever it takes to reach even those most difficult to reach. In an effort to do so, AIM is launching another TIMO team in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania this month.

TIMO, or Training in Ministry Outreach, places a team of new missionaries with an experienced missionary couple who serve as team leaders. Together, they live as learners among an unreached or partially unreached people group with a shared goal of preaching the Gospel.

TIMO is a two-year, intensive program designed to provide the foundation for a lifetime of ministry. Team members in Tanzania this month will begin to learn a new language and then actually begin to share the message of Christ. They will discover methods of outreach, will learn to pray and intercede, and will put into practice every mission theory they have learned.

In order to be most effective, TIMO members will even have homework. They will write papers and do a great deal of reading to help build a solid foundation for ministry.

This month, AIM is asking for prayer for this new team. It is a joint effort between AIM and ReachGlobal, the mission arm of the EFCA. Pray for safety for each of the team members as they arrive and begin to learn about their new surroundings and culture. Ask God to help them through the initial stages of culture shock.

Pray also for the team leaders to provide quality mentoring, discipleship, encouragement, and support for each of the team members as she leads the team. Pray that all this work would result in more lives reached for Christ.

To learn more about AIM's TIMO program and even watch a video about it, click here.

So sad...they shouldn't have started funding to begin with!! That money should be going for breast cancer items and NOT Planned Parenthood!!!

So sad...they shouldn't have started funding to begin with!! That money should be going for breast cancer items and NOT Planned Parenthood!!!