USA: Students embrace evangelism challenge
College students across the United States were joined by believers of all ages as they participated in Engage24, a one-on-one evangelism initiative that challenged Christians to share the Gospel with at least one person in a 24-hour time period. October 14 marked this observance on several college campuses this year and saw participation expand to churches. When the development of Engage24 began they encouraged college students to share their faith with a creative approach. ‘Instead of concentrating on how many people came to Christ on one particular day, we wanted to see how many college students would share their faith on that particular day. And if we did that first, then we could ultimately accomplish the goal of seeing people come to Christ.’ They rely heavily on Twitter to track results and read reports from students who had the opportunity to share the Gospel during the day. See also
North Korea Jeffrey Fowle released
In September you were asked to pray for Jeffrey Fowle, the American who was detained by the North Korean authorities after leaving a Bible in his hotel room. CNN has reported his release this week. He was picked up by an American government plane on Tuesday and is now back in the US. It was not clear from the report how the release came about, but a senior State Department official confirmed to CNN that the North Korean authorities had indeed let him go. Last month Fowle told the network that he was due to go on trial soon and had pleaded with the US for help to secure his release along with two other Christians in prison with him
Ethiopia: Persecution in Africa's oldest Christian nation
Ethiopia is home to one of the oldest Christian communities in Africa, yet there is an increase in Christian persecution. Recently the Wahhabist Muslims planned to turn Ethiopia into an Islamic State and enforce Sharia law. The government squashed the plan, but a less intense persecution persists. Even the Orthodox Church persecutes the growing non-traditional Protestant and reformed churches. Thousands of Somalians fleeing violence now reside in eastern Ethiopia. Christianity is spreading among the displaced Somalians. Nonetheless, according to Operation World, the Ethiopian Church's ‘potential is unfulfilled’ due to a lack of Bible training.
Laos: Converts forced to leave their homes
Laos is one of the world's few remaining communist states and one of East Asia's poorest countries. Two Hmong Christian men, Tou Ly and Fai Cho, were recently forced by relatives to leave their homes after refusing to renounce Christ and return to the community's tradition of ancestor worship. The two believers were then arrested and detained for two weeks. After their release the men rented a place to live outside of the village community. Their struggles were compounded when Fai Cho's father died and authorities issued a large fine, claiming they didn’t have the proper burial permit. Thankfully, they are receiving help from their church towards the fine but have little or no food or clothing and remain in desperate need.
