The students are back. All around, we hear various languages spoken and meet interesting people as we go onto the streets. The Lord is giving us great opportunities and we look forward to seeing what fruit will result. 

Things are going well at church. My initiatives are well received and are fitting into the dynamics of church life. I have proposed a monthly lunch after Sunday services and for this to become weekly. The documentaries are well received too. We watched the Luther documentary last night with 25 in attendance.

Evangelism goes very well. I am pleased with the progress of those I am training.  4 of the 5 people I have taken on the streets have shown amazing initiative, teachability and desire to grow. I couldn’t be happier. I have 3 others who want to begin training later. I am also making slow progress in forming a poverty ministry in the church.  An abandoned building near our church is used by some homeless people whom I want to get to know.

I want to establish a youth outreach for teenagers.  2 school professors in our church may be able to help.  I hope to soon begin teaching on the Doctrine of Scripture.

I have struggled to get to know some men in our church who do not want to spend time together outside of official meetings.  I have decided to take some of them to lunch from time to time. There is some interest in this as the first two I approached have shown willingness to meet.

Release International, September 26, 2023 (excerpts)

Returning home early one evening Pastor Chandrapala was faced with an angry 50-strong mob surrounding his property. Despite his obvious fears, he kept calm and was able to record the harassment on his phone. The group included a number of Buddhist monks who, after spotting his presence, tried to goad him into responding in order to raise a complaint against him.

However, he kept silent. Bizarrely they even warned him that although he could hold a church service, he could not invite anyone else to attend!

Thankfully the emergency response team at the local police station was led by a Christian officer who upon being made aware of the incident took immediate action.

Pastor Chandrapala lives in an area populated by Hindus as well as Buddhists. While the church distributed packs of literature to Hindu children there was no reaction from the local community; however, once Buddhist youngsters started receiving them the uproar began.

At the insistence of local monks, who exert great influence in the community, the pastor was called to an inquiry earlier this year, and incorrectly accused of holding prohibited meetings on the ground that they were not taking place in a registered church. The law actually permits such gatherings, but he was warned to stop his activities.

When the pastor was challenged that the books he was distributing were attempts to convert others, his response was that he was not trying to convert but simply to bless the local community.

However, despite his actions being lawful, a mob was rounded up to intimidate him as he returned home.

This was not the first time he had faced threats.

Joshua Project, 30 September 2023

The Adi Dravida of southern India were once called the Paraiyar (or pariah in English), so their leaders requested that their name become Adi Dravida or “original Dravidians.”

Today, the Adi Dravida are a scheduled caste which means they receive special benefits for government jobs and places in education to rectify past societal wrongs. In the past, many of the Adi Dravida were agricultural workers tied to the land.

Today most still work on farms, either as farm hands or as small landowners. Others dig graves and take care of funerals.  Illiteracy is high among the Adi Dravida, which limits them to non-printed gospel materials.

Tamil speaking Christ followers are very numerous. They can provide Tamil-language gospel songs and skits that the Adi Dravida people can remember.  Pray that this people group hungers for God and begins to feed spiritually on the Bread of life, Jesus Christ.

Pray that the Lord would lead Indian Christians to become friends with the Adi Dravida to help them with their educational and vocational needs. Pray that the small number of Adi Dravida Christ followers would be discipled and share the gospel with their brothers and sisters. Pray for spiritual hunger that will lead them to the risen Christ.

Voice of the Martyrs, 14^th September 2023

Pastor Filadelfo, a former drug trafficker who is now an evangelist, has been jailed repeatedly for his gospel witness and was kicked out of his village for refusing to renounce Christ and return to the traditional religious practices of the village.

Because of the prayers and support he has received through VOM, Filadelfo is able to continue to share the gospel in Southern Mexico, praying for the sick and providing Bibles to believers who don’t have one.

Recently, he prayed for an elderly woman who was sick, and she placed her trust in Christ. He provided her with discipleship materials to help her grow in her walk with Christ.

Specific areas within southern Mexico have a high concentration of indigenous minority groups. These minority communities, which maintain a separate identity and language, are systematically oppressed by local authorities.

Christians among them are persecuted by Marxist and animist groups as well as village leaders. Tribal leaders persecute Christians in defence of their indigenous culture, and the federal government allows this.

These communities are remotely located and difficult to reach. Despite persecution, the number of Christians has continued to grow in these areas.

Voice of the Martyrs, 14^th September 2023

Following a surge in security measures along China’s North Korean border, an intricate network of security cameras, watchtowers and other surveillance infrastructure has been established.

The heightened security measures, particularly evident along the eastern river, make it increasingly challenging for North Koreans to flee their authoritarian regime.  Movements of diplomats and foreigners in the area are under nearly constant watch.

Satellite imagery has revealed substantial upgrades to Chinese border security along the river since 2019.

A network of security cameras is a primary means through which Chinese authorities monitor their North Korean border. Cameras, approximately 328 yards apart in some areas, provide continuous surveillance coverage. 

Almost 12 million North Koreans, nearly half of the population, are undernourished, according to U.N. data.

Heightened border surveillance has produced a rapid drop in defector numbers with only 67 reaching South Korea last year compared to 1,047 in 2019.  China’s lockdowns and travel restrictions make it nigh impossible for Koreans to escape from China.

Coupled with China’s long-standing policies criminalising aid to North Koreans in need along the border, these restrictions pose a challenge for humanitarian aid.