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ABWE pilot returns to Peru ministry
Association of Baptists for World Evangelism (ABWE) pilot Kevin Donaldson, who was flying a Cessna seaplane when a Peruvian military airplane mistook it for a drug running craft and shot it down earlier this year, has returned to his ministry in the Amazon jungle. ABWE missionary Roni Bowers and her infant daughter, Charity, were killed in the incident. Donaldson underwent five surgeries to repair a leg badly damaged by gunfire, Religion Today reports. “We are hoping that the tragedy will bring opportunity for us to lead others to the saving knowledge of Jesus, and have more Bible studies at the air force base,” Religion Today quotes him as saying. “We would especially like to reach out to the two pilots (involved in that shooting).” As Donaldson waits for his leg to fully heal, which doctors have told him will take a year, he plans to minister one-on-one with men along the Amazon.

‘Windows of hope’ for Africa
Development consultants and mission and church leaders from countries with high rates of infection of HIV, the virus that causes AIDS, met September 16-20 in Johannesburg, South Africa. They laid groundwork for a new effort to combat the AIDS pandemic. “Windows of HOPE” is a partnership-based initiative to help missionaries and church partners develop effective strategies to respond to this killer disease. SIM sponsored the meeting.

‘COICOM convenes in Bolivia
Overwork, burnout, stress and frustration appear to be the main problems that Latin America evangelical pastors suffer, said speakers at the 10th Congress of the Latin American Confederation of Christian Mass Media and Communicators, or COICOM for its Spanish initials. The conference was October 3-8 in Santa Cruz, Bolivia. COICOM president Raul Justiniano stressed the importance of checking this condition as he affirmed Latino pastors’ commitment to world evangelism, reports ALC News Service. Also part of the event was a youth encounter where evangelists Alberto Mottesi and Hermano Pablo challenged 2,500 young people to commit themselves to serving Christ.

‘Soldier outreach
HCJB World Radio reports that new evangelistic English shortwave broadcasts via satellite from Europe aim to encourage and minister to US troops in Central Asia and the Middle East. HCJB broadcasts the gospel in Turkmen, Tajik, Southern Uzbek and Uzbek, which are spoken in Central Asia, and plans to add broadcasts in an official Afghan language, Dari, which is spoken by about 8 million, and other Afghan tongues.

‘Dr. Livingstone’s new successors
The Assemblies of God (A/G) have sent their first appointed missionaries to Scotland, reports Charisma News Service. Scotland was itself home to famed missionary-explorer Dr. David Livingstone and runner-missionary Eric Liddell, Olympic gold medalist who refused to race on Sunday, even though favored to win. His story was the subject of the movie Chariots of Fire. A/G is sending to Scotland three US couples who have pastored churches stateside. The denomination’s goal: doubling the numbers of A/G churches there within five years, Charisma reports. “The only element restricting evangelism in Scotland is the lack of preachers,” says Gerald Branum, US A/G area director for Western Europe.

‘Praise at Korea’s DMZ
Prominent Christian singers gathered at the 38th Parallel’s Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) that divides North and South Korea October 12-13 for Worship Explosion 2001. South Korea’s first lady attended the event, which also featured traditional Korean music. The event was broadcast via satellite to Korean churches around the world, Charisma News Service reports. Worship music producer Tim Brooks, who organized the concert, aimed to help Koreans regain a sense of national identity. “They really believe that God’s power will be released and that the wall that divides north and south will come down,” he says.

‘Bible house serves India
A revival between 1976 and 1978 resulted in the conversion to Christianity of almost all of the 1 million people in India’s northeastern Nagaland state, which borders Myanmar. Now, the Dimapur Auxiliary of the Bible Society of India has a new Bible House, which was dedicated April 1, according to the United Bible Societies’ (UBS) World Report. The facility will become the focal point for Bible work in the states of Nagaland, Manipur and Arunchal Pradesh. It is now the only predominantly Baptist ethnic state in the world.

‘More Bibles for Vietnam
Communist authorities in Vietnam have granted permission for 25,000 Bibles to be printed and distributed to Protestant churches, according to UBS World Report. The last permit, granted in 1998, allowed 50,000 Bibles to be printed and distributed. The country’s Protestant population is estimated at almost 800,000, five times its size 25 years ago.

‘Houses and the Word in Zimbabwe
The Christian housing ministry Habitat for Humanity had planned to build 120 houses in Zimbabwe this year but 120 to 150 more will be built to meet demand. The Bible Society of Zimbabwe (BSZ) provides free Bibles in Shona and Ndebele languages for each home the ministry builds. The Habitat/BSZ partnership began in 1996 when the Habitat ministry began in this African nation, according to UBS World Report.

‘Flu epidemic leads to bioterrorism panic
When reports spread of flu-like symptoms affecting hundreds of students in Catholic schools in Manila, Philippines, some parents, fearing biological warfare, rushed to pick up their children. Nearly a thousand elementary and high school students sought medical help in two days. The country’s health secretary identified the illness as influenza A of the H1N1 strain, often active during the rainy season from July through October, reports Catholic News Service. At least one Islamic terrorist group active in the Philippines is linked to Saudi fugitive Osama bin Laden: Abu Sayyaf, which has held hostages Martin and Gracia Burnham of New Tribes Mission since May.

‘North, South Korean family reunion set
Hundreds of people on each side of the 38th Parallel want to reunite with relatives they haven’t seen in half a century. Council for World Mission (CWM) reports that the governments of North and South Korea exchanged information in late September about candidates who want to be reunited with relatives for the first time since the 1950-1953 Korean War, the Associated Press reported. The governments began to allow 100 people from each side to cross the border for three days of temporary reunions with relatives starting October 16. This is the fourth set of reunions since last summer. “This is one of the good things that has come out of the 11 September terrorist attacks,” Daniel Kim, ecumenical relations officer for the Presbyterian Church of Korea, tells CWM. “The news has prompted the two governments to work more quickly towards reconciliation.” About 1.2 million North Koreans fled to South Korea during and after the war. Thousands of families were split. “Most of these people are over 70 years old now, so this may be the last chance for them to meet their relatives again,” Kim says. Operation World reports that Christians make up almost a third of South Koreans; the country is home to some of the world’s largest evangelical churches and has a vibrant missions movement. In contrast, all religions in communist North Korea have been harshly repressed for decades. Most North Koreans have never heard the name of Jesus.

‘Near miss in Sudan
On September 23, a Sudanese government airplane dropped six bombs on the outskirts of Dhiak, southern Sudan village. The bombs narrowly missed a Catholic church full of worshipers, reports Christian Solidarity International.

‘Sudanese slaves freed
In cooperation with local community leaders and Arab “retrievers,” Christian Solidarity International (CSI) redeemed 4,041 black slaves during a visit to Sudan September 23-30. The slaves, mostly women and children, were freed from their Baggara-Arab masters and returned to their home areas in southern Sudan, CSI reports. Preliminary analysis of more 500 interviews reveal that approximately 75 percent of female slaves older than 12 had been gang-raped, and at least 90 percent were physically abused. Many of the returning slaves bore scars from such violence. Eighty percent reported that they had witnessed the execution of at least one slave by their mujahadeen captors or domestic masters. More than 80 percent of those interviewed said they were forced to convert to Islam.

‘Angola suffers continued fighting
Thousands of civilians are fleeing northern Angola due to continued fighting between the military and rebels of the National Union for the Total Independence of Angola, or UNITA. The UN High Commission for Refugees says most of the refugees are headed toward Kimvula in Democratic Republic of Congo, reports Missionary Services News Agency, and 3,000 have already reached Kimvula. About 190,000 Angolan refugees have fled to the former Zaire.

‘Armenia celebrates Christianity
Representatives from the world’s Christian churches held an ecumenical service at Echmiadzin in September as part of the celebrations marking the 1,700th anniversary of Armenia’s adoption of Christianity as its state religion, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty reports.

‘Cuba’s main industry falters
Tourism in Cuba has taken a nose-dive in the wake of the September 11 terrorist attacks in the United States. Reuters reports that hotels are half empty, taxis have no passengers, and restaurants don’t have their usual flow of customers. Many Cubans depend directly or indirectly on tourism for their livelihoods.

‘Russia’s gender and faith gap
Women make up 60 percent of the Orthodox church in Russia, while 66.5 percent of atheists are men, according to the independent research center Russian Public Opinion and Market Research, which surveyed 2,000 Russians in August. But the poll found that Orthodox has a vague definition. Among those polled who called themselves Orthodox, only 51 percent believe that God exists, 26 percent report that they believe in the existence of a higher power or spirit, 5 percent don’t believe God exists, and 17 percent had difficulty answering the question. A hopeful note: Only 43.5 percent of Russia’s atheists are firmly convinced that God does not exist.

‘Central America drought update
Malnutrition has hit hard parts of Central America after a severe drought that followed the devastating floods of Hurricane Mitch in 1998. In northern Nicaragua, 75 percent of crops have been lost in the drought; 98 percent of the people there rely on agriculture for a livelihood, reports the Adventist Development and Relief Agency International (ADRA). ADRA, World Relief and other Christian ministries are supplying emergency food aid to the needy. Reuters reports that 200 poor Mayan Chorti Indians and dozens of emaciated children swarmed reporters in Guatemala and begged for food and alms. While United Nations World Food Program (WFP) workers have handed out more than 1,000 tons of food to help Guatemala’s current crisis, they need more help from the international community to keep things from getting worse. But WFP workers worry that help won’t come. “Program representatives fear donations to Central America may ebb as a refugee crisis unfolds in Afghanistan,” Reuters reports. Some Indians are planting donated seeds and hoping for the best.

‘UK’s Muslims attacked but staying quiet
Muslims in the United Kingdom aren’t reporting mosque attacks because they fear to do so would raise racial tension, reports the British newspaper The Telegraph. In Manchester, one week after Muslim extremists attacked the United States, a city councilman there said that mosques had been attacked and congregations had received telephone threats. Mosques and Islamic centers had been attacked at least a half-dozen times in that city, and one mosque had been firebombed. Muslims in other British cities also experienced violence, including a taxi driver in London who was paralyzed.

‘Haiti gets tough on crime
After Haiti’s President Jean-Bertrand Aristide said criminals caught in the act didn’t need to go to court to be judged, street crime dropped 60 percent, but vigilante “mob justice” has killed at least 27 people. The Associated Press reports that in a poll published in August in the newspaper Le Nouvelliste, 44 percent of 400 respondents said they thought Aristide’s “zero tolerance’’ policy meant “to kill thieves.’’ Haiti’s justice minister says of the president’s admonition, “He wanted to shake people up, to show them he was serious about bringing peace of mind to Haiti.” Operation World reports that in Haiti, “the population, crime, poverty and chaos grow unchecked.”

‘Orthodoxy for travelers
The Russian Orthodox Church plans to open a chapel in every railroad station and airport in the country, reports Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty.

‘Pakistan Flood Calamity
Poor families in Pakistan—many of them Christian—are homeless after heavy rains this summer caused devastating floods, Christian Aid Mission reports. Main roads in the Islamabad area were under eight to 10 feet of water while low-lying areas were under as much as 30 feet. The floods destroyed more than 5,000 homes and damaged thousands more. An indigenous ministry is now providing food and helping build single-room houses.

‘Pakistan Believers tense
Churches in Pakistan fear reprisals against their minority Christian community for military action against the Taliban regime in neighboring Afghanistan, Ecumenical News International (ENI) reports. “The situation is very tense,” Victor Azariah, general secretary of the National Council of Churches in Pakistan, tells ENI. “People are worried about what will happen to us [Christians].” The actions by England and the United States against the Taliban are in response to terrorist attacks in the US on September 11.

‘Nepal Government, rebels set to talk peace
Religious groups in the Hindu kingdom of Nepal are calling on the government and Maoist insurgents gearing up for peace talks to stop violence that has killed some 1,700 people, disrupted the lives of tens of thousands of Nepalese and forced Catholics to close schools. The Maoists and the government secured a truce in July. After Nepal’s Crown Prince Dipendra killed most of the royal family on June 1 and then shot himself, the Maoists intensified their attacks. A parish priest, who represented Christians at an interreligious forum in July, said that the government has not responded to the forums’ offer to help mediate peace talks, according to the National Catholic Reporter. Earlier this year, Maoists ordered all private schools in three districts closed, including the three Catholic-run schools for poor children in villages about 60 miles from Katmandu.

AUSTRALIA
Two churches were burned in the town of Isiolo in northeastern Kenya, a predominantly Muslim area. The BBC reports that religious leaders there have met to try and defuse tensions and reassure Christians about their safety. Muslim leaders have condemned the attack. The police chief, however, called the crime “a normal arson attack.” Muslims count for about 6 percent of Kenya’s 28 million people. Two weeks after the terrorist attacks on the United States, Kenya’s government said that it would tighten security controls on Kenyans of Asian and Arab descent. “Similar restrictions were imposed two months ago but street demonstrations by thousands of Muslims forced the government to rethink the policy,” the BBC reports. “The Council of Imams and Preachers condemned the new action.”

Arsonists attacked and badly damaged three Sydney churches over the weekend of September 22-23, RLG Media reports. A suburban Uniting church was firebombed, an Anglican church a short distance away was damaged by an intentional fire, and a Baptist church between the other two was also set ablaze. The Baptist church’s pastor prepared an open letter to the arsonists, who apparently are still at large, saying that the church was praying for them. “Only yesterday, in our service, we prayed for a church in Indonesia whose church building was torched but who sang and danced as they cleaned up the ruins and who responded with love and forgiveness,” the letter read. “We want the power and love of Jesus to so control us that we respond as He would.”

November 12, 2001