Children of Christians were targeted by a suicide bomber who blew himself up in Lahore Park on Easter Sunday

Children of Christians were targeted by a suicide bomber who blew himself up in Lahore Park on Easter Sunday

Sixty-nine people are dead, including at least 29 children, and 341 injured in the deadly attack

By Dan Wooding, Founder of ASSIST News Service

LAHORE, PAKISTAN (March 28, 2016) -- The Easter Sunday suicide blast which was aimed at Pakistani Christians enjoying a “Resurrection Day” celebration in a park in the eastern Pakistan city of Lahore, and killed at least 69 people, and injured a further 341, was mainly aimed at the children of local Christians, says a Christian campaigner.

Wilson Chowdhry, founder and chairman of the London-based British Pakistani Christian Association (BPCA), said, “The bomb, that was packed full of ball bearings, was set of near the children's area with the intent to pick off the most vulnerable of visitors to the park.”

Media reports say that at least 29 children, who had been enjoying an Easter Sunday outing, were among those killed by Jamaat-ur-Ahrar, a Taliban splinter group. Up until the time that tragedy stuck, parents had been taking their children on rides or pushing them on swings.

Laughter turns to screams

But then the kids’ laughter and squeals of enjoyment, turned to screams when the suicide bomber detonated his bomb and bodies were strewn everywhere.

Chowdhry went on to explain, “In Pakistan, Christians have a long running tradition of celebrating as a family at local park fun fairs after their morning devotions. This practice has never been a secret and, after the Lahore Twin Church bomb attack took a low death toll due to the tight voluntary security workforces at both churches, a pernicious Taliban splinter group targeted Christian women and children at a popular Easter venue at Gulshan-i-Iqbal Park.

“The BPCA has initiated an immediate disaster recovery and calls on our members to help as much as they can as the given number of fatalities and casualties are increasing by the hour. Your donations will be used to support victims with funeral costs, medical fees, rehabilitation of those injured, trauma counselling and restoration of families who will have lost a main bread-winner or will be laid of work for some time.”

Details of how to donate can be found by clicking on: http://www.britishpakistanichristians.org/CampaignProcess.aspx?A=Link&VID=8996625&KID=33842&LID=124128.

It was Pakistan's deadliest attack since the December 2014 massacre of 134 school children at a military-run academy in the city of Peshawar that prompted a government crackdown on Islamist militancy.

Casualties were quickly rushed to local hospitals, including Lahore General Hospital, which does not have a special burns unit, and distraught family members gathered outside the local hospitals, while the Pakistan government announced a three-day mourning period.

CNN reports that the attack came “at a difficult time for Pakistan's Christians, some of whom were in the city's Gulshan-i-Iqbal Park to celebrate the holiday Sunday evening, only to see their Easter Sunday fragment into terror and chaos.

“The religious group makes up only 2% of the population, and tensions are high between them and a hardline Muslim core which wants to see a strict interpretation of Islamic law take precedence in Pakistan's legal system,” added the CNN report.

Pakistan is a majority-Muslim state but has a Christian population of more than two million, which is constantly being targeted by the Muslim population, often with made-up blasphemy charges, but also with terrible violence, like on this occasion.

Pope Francis condemned the attack as “hideous” and demanded that Pakistani authorities “protect religious minorities.”

Security and government officials told the Reuters news agency that the decision had been made to launch a full-scale operation involving the paramilitary Rangers, who would have powers to conduct raids and interrogate suspects in the same way as they have been doing in the southern city of Karachi for more than two years.

The move, which has not yet been formally announced, represents the civilian government once again granting special powers to the military to fight Islamist militants.

“The technicalities are yet to be worked out. There are some legal issues also with bringing in Rangers, but the military and government are on the same page,” said one senior security official, speaking on condition of anonymity as he was not authorized to share details of the plan.

Bodies everywhere

One witness, Danish, was at the amusement park with his two sisters. He recalled the moment that the explosion ripped apart the park, killing one of his sisters and seriously injuring the other.

“It was so crowded that there was even no way of entering it. We went to a canteen to have something to eat, when there was suddenly a big blast. Everyone panicked, running to all directions. Many of them were blocked at the gate of the park. Dead bodies can be found everywhere,” he told reporters.

“My sister got wounded in the neck. The object hit her looks like a piece of hard iron, and it burnt her in the neck. She was also wounded in the chest.”

Ehsanullah Ehsan, a spokesman for the splinter group of the Pakistani Taliban known as Jamat-ul-Ahrar vowed such attacks would continue. Parks in the city remained closed into Monday, for security reasons, according the deputy commissioner of police.

Pakistani Prime Minister Muhammad Nawaz Sharif strongly condemned the blast. Sharif was born in Lahore and enjoys strong support there.

“Sunday's suicide bombing at a public park was claimed by the Pakistani Taliban's Jamaat-ur-Ahrar faction, which once declared loyalty to Islamic State. The group said it was targeting Christians,” said Reuters.

“The brutality of the attack, Jamaat-ur-Ahrar's fifth bombing since December, reflects the movement's attempts to raise its profile among Pakistan's increasingly fractured Islamist militants.”

Alleged Suicide bomber named

Aftab Alexander Mughal, editor of the Minority Concern of Pakistan magazine and former a former National Executive Secretary of the Justice and Peace Commission of Pakistan, has told ANS by e-mail that the alleged suicide bomber has been identified as Mohammad Yousaf, who he says comes from the district of Muzaffargarh, in southern Punjab.

“He studied in a madrasa [Islamic School] in Lahore, and he had resided at the same madrasa for the last 8 years.”

He added: “The Inter-Service Public Relations (ISPR) said on Monday that a number of alleged terrorists and their facilitators have been arrested in anti-terrorism raid conducted in Lahore, Faisalabad and Multan.”

Meanwhile, ANS has received a news release from the largest mosque in San Bernardino County, California, saying that it will hold a prayer vigil today (March 28, 2016) at 7:00 PM for victims of the Easter Day massacre in Pakistan.

The mosque, which is part of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community, also says that it “condemns” the brutal massacre of Christians in Lahore.

“We condemn this unconscionable crime against humanity,” said Asim Ansari, President of Ahmadiyya Muslim Community Inland Empire Chapter. “Our hearts go out to the innocent victims and their families. We stand in solidarity with our Christian brothers and sisters in Southern California during this difficult time.”

A spokesperson for the group, then said, “This was the latest in a long history of terrorist attacks committed by the Pakistan Taliban against religious minorities. On May 28, 2010, the Pakistani Taliban massacred 86 Ahmadi Muslims in twin terror attacks.

“In light of this tragedy, Ahmadiyya Muslim Community Los Angeles East and Inland Empire Chapters will be holding a prayer vigil for the victims, their families and the entire grieving community.

“We pray for the swift recovery of the hundreds injured. We continue to work alongside the Pakistani Christian community to fight religious oppression in Pakistan and worldwide.”

Please join me in prayer for the courageous believers of Pakistan, especially those in Lahore, as they continue to face such barbaric violence and threats.

Photo captions: 1) Christian worshippers celebrating Easter at Gulshan-i-Iqbal Park only hours before the devastating explosion. (BPCA) 2) This mother lost her three children in the bombing. (BBC) 3) Injured Pakistani mother holding her child, and mourns the dead. 4) Paramedics treat a victim of the terrorist bomb blast. 5) Dan Wooding holding his BPCA award.

About the writer: Dan Wooding, 75, is an award-winning winning author, broadcaster and journalist who was born in Nigeria of British missionary parents, and is now living in Southern California with his wife Norma, to whom he has been married for more than 52 years. They have two sons, Andrew and Peter, and six grandchildren who all live in the UK. Dan is the founder and international director of ASSIST (Aid to Special Saints in Strategic Times) and the ASSIST News Service (ANS), and is also the author of some 45 books. Dan has received a special award by the British Pakistani Christian Association (BPCA) for his long-standing reporting on the persecution of Christians in Pakistan.

** You may republish this or any of our ANS stories with attribution to the ASSIST News Service (www.assistnews.net).

Koiri (Hindu traditions) in India

Koiri (Hindu traditions) in India The Koiri believe they are the descendents of Kush, one of the twin sons of lord Rama. They receive the services of a Brahmin priest, who officiates over their life-cycle rituals and religious ceremonies. The majority of the Koiri are engaged in their traditional occupation of agriculture. Ministry Obstacles Nominal Christians, whether in India or in the West, may have negatively influenced the Koiri's perception of what it means to be a follower of Christ. Outreach Ideas Sustained, focused prayer is needed to open the eyes of the Koiri community to their need and opportunity to know and follow Jesus Christ. Pray for the followers of Christ Pray for the Christian believers among the Koiri community, that they will have a strong and faithful testimony for the Lord, and will honor him with their lives. Pray for the entire people group Pray the Koiri community will increasingly hunger to know forgiveness for their sins and the new life offered through faith in Jesus Christ. Scripture Focus "He will have compassion on the poor and needy, And the lives of the needy He will save." Psalm 72:13		People Name: Koiri (Hindu traditions) Country: India 10/40 Window: Yes Population: 8,334,000 World Population: 8,643,000 Language: Hindi Primary Religion: Hinduism Bible: Complete Online Audio NT: Yes Jesus Film: Yes Audio Recordings: Yes Christ Followers: Few, less than 2% Status: Unreached Progress Level: 1.1

In Ukraine: Raising Third-Culture Kids, Part 1

In Ukraine: Raising Third-Culture Kids, Part 1 (Writer's Opinion)

By Sharon T. Markey, Special to ASSIST News Service 

KYIV, UKRAINE (ANS – March 26, 2016) -- My husband, four sons, and I live in Ukraine. We are all American citizens, but three of our children were born here in Ukraine, and this country is the only home any of them has ever known. Their favorite foods include local dishes like borsch with pampushky (beet soup with garlic rolls), varenyky (boiled dumplings with a variety of sweet or savory fillings), and holubtsi (stuffed cabbage rolls). Each of us has a hand-embroidered traditional Ukrainian blouse that we wear for special occasions, and the last time I gave him a haircut, my eldest asked me to cut his hair in the style of a kozak, the historical defenders of the Ukrainian homeland. Although we do own a vehicle in a country where many people do not, our kids are equally comfortable taking public transport, and our 9-year-old even rides the bus and subway by himself. 

Our three oldest boys are attending Ukrainian public school and kindergarten, and each has a level of fluency in the Ukrainian language based on how many years he has been in the system. We speak English in the home, but our sentences are often sprinkled with Ukrainian words and phrases, especially academic ones, because our kids are not comfortable with school-related vocabulary in English. I try to make sure to teach them the English counterparts, but they continue to use the Ukrainian because it feels more natural to them. I also find myself constantly correcting awkward English grammatical constructions that I realize they’ve created by translating word-for-word from Ukrainian. 

They are learning to read and write in both languages, thanks to the advanced English program at their school, and the other day they were amusing each other by pronouncing English words with heavy Ukrainian accents. They were doing it by first transliterating the English word into the Cyrillic alphabet in their heads and then “reading” it according to Ukrainian phonetic rules. From their hysterical belly laughing, you would have thought they were watching the season highlights from America’s Funniest Home Videos, except they have never seen that show.  

Our family culture is an interesting blend of East and West. We celebrate the major American holidays, but I don’t think any of our kids even know about Labor Day or St. Patrick’s Day, and since we haven’t been in the U.S. during the summer months for many years, they have yet to experience a real 4th of July celebration. On the other hand, they know all about International Women’s Day and St. Nicholas Day, and they expect to have two Christmases each winter, one on the Western date, which we call “American Christmas,” and another on the Eastern date, which we call “Ukrainian Christmas.” The boys know about basketball and American football and even stayed up late to watch part of the Super Bowl with us live last season, but they are far more likely to organize a game of “real” football (a.k.a. soccer) when playing outside. They know to stand at attention and place their right hands over their hearts when the Ukrainian national anthem is played, but occasionally they also ask me to give an impromptu performance of The Star-Spangled Banner. 

Children who grow up in a culture different than that of their parents’ culture are called third-culture kids. Missionary kids and the children of military families, foreign diplomats, and international businesspeople are prime examples. The idea is that the culture they internalize is a blend of both their parents’ home culture and the culture of the country where they live. This results in a “third culture” that is unique but shares many commonalities with the third cultures of other people who grew up under similar circumstances. These people have an interesting perspective on the world that is the product of not really fitting in anywhere. They are true global citizens. 

People have written humorous lists under the heading of, “You know you’re a missionary kid when . . .” I was recently reading one and found that many of the points already applied to my children, even though they are still relatively young.  

“You know you’re a missionary kid when: 

• You flew before you could walk. 

• You speak with authority on the quality of airline travel. 

• ‘Where are you from?’ has more than one reasonable answer. 

• You think VISA is a document stamped in your passport, and not a plastic card you carry in your wallet. 

• You speak two languages, but can’t spell in either. 

• The best word for something is the word you learned first, regardless of the language. 

• You still use those words, even if you know what they are in English. 

• There are times when only your family knows what you’re saying.” 

Lists like this put a humorous spin on the experience of third-culture kids, but sometimes that reality is anything but funny. Third-culture kids often feel estranged, because no one can really relate to them, except for other third-culture kids. This estrangement is compounded when the missionary lifestyle involves frequent moves, causing repeated separation from friends and the need to form new friendships in a different location. While they are young, missionary kids may have trouble seeing the many advantages to their unusual upbringing, becoming depressed, withdrawn, and even bitter because of their frequent losses and the perceived unfairness of their life. The fact that their parents can’t really understand what they are going through only adds to the problem. However, adult missionary kids often express gratitude that their parents were willing to take the risk of raising them overseas, involving them in something much larger than themselves and enriching their lives in countless ways. 

Our kids recently went through their first major move, and we’re now facing some of these challenges. Our 7-year-old is especially sad and frequently talks about what we left behind in our last city and how it was better than where we live now. And sometimes when he talks about his two cousins that we had to leave, he cries. I’ve been trying to help him see the positives and to model gratitude for all the wonderful things God has given us in our new home, but I’m realizing that I also need simply to let him grieve and know that grief is okay. And I shouldn’t be afraid of encouraging self-pity by showing him how much I understand.  

When it comes to understanding our third-culture kids, my husband and I have a huge advantage. My husband is a missionary kid himself, having moved to Ukraine with his parents as a teenager. He has now spent over half his life here and feels neither fully American nor fully Ukrainian. And while my first taste of the mission field was when I moved overseas to join him after we married, I had an unusual childhood that resulted in my experiencing many of the same challenges of identity and fitting in that third-culture kids face. 

My parents and I were born in Hawaii, but we moved to Southern California when I was young, and I grew up between those two extremely different worlds, attending school in California but returning to Hawaii to live with my grandparents most summers. I never could relate to my peers in Southern California, but when I returned “home” to Hawaii, I wasn’t perceived as a local; I was a visitor from the Mainland. As I neared adulthood, I wondered how I would ever find someone to marry, because I had never met anyone whom I felt truly understood me—I didn’t even know where home was! I had never heard the expression “third-culture kid,” but when I met my husband, I felt an immediate and deep connection that I later understood was at least partly the result of this shared cultural ambiguity. 

My mother-in-law was a missionary kid also, and I wonder how much her ability to relate to her children’s third-culture struggles contributed to the success she and her late husband had raising nine children on the mission field. While there were major challenges, the fruits of that family adventure have been long-lasting and far-reaching. Today six of their children are missionaries themselves, serving in four different countries, and two more are currently preparing to transition to the mission field. The youngest is still living with her mother, who is a missionary in a fifth country. 

I often reflect on my father- and mother-in-law’s bold decision to raise a large family overseas for God’s glory, and I am inspired. My husband and I are expecting our fifth child right now, and I sometimes I question whether it is wise or responsible to have so many kids when our life as missionaries is so uncertain. But then I remember the heritage and example we have from my husband’s parents and grandparents (who raised four kids in Africa, three of whom went on to become missionaries), and I am reassured that God has amazing plans for this new generation of third-culture kids.

Author's note: If you’re interested in learning more about how God has used the Markey family in Ukraine and beyond, read Distant Fields, the biography of my late father-in-law. 

Photo captions: 1) Ukrainian borsch and pampushky (beet soup and garlic rolls) 2) Someday we hope to have our kids experience a 4th of July in the United States (Photo: Infrogmation of New Orleans) 3) The kind of visa a third-culture kid would recognize (Photo: Mark Hillary) 4) Sharon T. Markey, with her husband, George. 

About the writer: Sharon T. Markey lives in Kyiv, Ukraine with her husband George and four sons. When she's not too busy wiping noses and changing diapers, you can find her blogging about the humorous and spiritual aspects of life with small kids at www.MommyJoys.com. She can be reached via email at SharonTMarkey [at] gmail [dot] com. (SharonTMarkey@gmail.com ).

** You may republish this or any of our ANS stories with attribution to the ASSIST News Service (www.assistnews.net).

Christian Widow, Children in Uganda Flee after Threats, Rape

Christian Widow, Children in Uganda Flee after Threats, Rape

By Jeremy Reynalds, Senior Correspondent, ASSIST News Service (jeremyreynalds@gmail.com ) 

UGANDA  (ANS -- March 26, 2016) - Threats from hard-line Muslims and the rape of her 13-year-old daughter has forced a Christian mother and her five children to flee their village in eastern Uganda recently.

According to a story by Morning Star News quoting sources, Amina Napiya, a 42-year-old widow, fled her home in Nakajete village, Budaka Town Council, on March 16. Budaka Town Council is a municipality of Budaka, 132 miles northeast of Uganda's capital, Kampala.

Napiya and her five children fled after receiving a text message on Wednesday that the family would be killed for leaving Islam, she said.

“We have warned you several times, and our warnings are falling on deaf ears,” the anonymous text message read. “We are on the way coming for you and your children.”

She had become a Christian in 2014 after the death of her husband, Mohammed Dongo, who had been a driver at the Palissa town Ministry of Works. She and her family remained secret believers until the beginning of this year, when relatives discovered they were following Christ.

On Jan. 15 two motorcycles that had belonged to her late husband were stolen, apparently by Muslim relatives, she said.

Morning Star News said the thieves left an unsigned note reading, “We have taken the motorcycles, and soon we are coming for your life if you continue embarrassing the religion of the family. You have become an embarrassment to the family as well as the Muslim family.”

Napiya's daughter was raped on Feb. 25 while fetching firewood a kilometer from their home at about 4:30 p.m., the widow said.

Napiya believes relatives may have hired Taika Suleiman, arrested in connection with the alleged rape, to assault her daughter because of their faith, as her daughter told her that the rapist said, “This is the second warning to your mother for disgracing the faith of the Muslims.”

The girl, whose name is undisclosed, said she was unable to escape.

“I tried to cry for help, but the man was too powerful,” she told Morning Star News. “Later a neighbor arrived at the scene, but the man had fled away.”

After Napiya reported the case at Budaka police station, officers arrested Suleiman. A police station officer said that Suleiman has not been charged, the judge handling the case has been transferred and a new magistrate has just begun.

Napiya said that especially threatening her were two neighbors, Pakoyo Mubaraka and Kataike Mwajuma, and a relative, Musa Opio.

The family has taken refuge in the home of an undisclosed woman who said she is unable to adequately care for them.

“The burden is quite heavy on me,” Morning Star News reported she said.

Napiya's other children are ages 4, 6, 8 and 10.

About 85 percent of the people in Uganda are Christian and 11 percent Muslim, with some eastern areas having large Muslim populations. The country's constitution and other laws provide for religious freedom, including the right to propagate one's faith and convert from one faith to another.

Recent attacks on Christians in eastern Uganda have shown threats are to be taken seriously.

On Jan. 10, relatives of Abdu Nsera, a recent high school graduate in Katende village near Busede, Jinja District, beat him after finding out he had left Islam to become a Christian. They burned down a house they had built for him and have been searching for him after he fled.

On Jan. 27 in Numuseru village, Naboa Sub-County in Budaka District, the body of Laurence Maiso was found at his house, his head in a pool of blood.

Four days earlier, Morning Star News said, Imam Kamulali Hussein had met him and his wife on a local road and told him, “Allah is about to send to you the Angel of Death in your house. Please prepare to meet him at any time.”

On Dec. 23 2015, a pastor in eastern Uganda was hacked to death as he and other church members resisted an effort by Muslims to take over their land in Nansololo village near Mazuba, in Namutumba District, area church leaders said. Pastor Bongo Martin is survived by a widow and two children.

In another area of eastern Uganda, five underground Christians in a predominantly Muslim village, including a pregnant mother, died from a pesticide put into their food after a Bible study on Dec. 18, area sources said.

The Bible study took place in Kachomo village, Kachomo Sub-County, Budaka District at the home of Hajii Suleiman Sajjabi, a convert from Islam who had begun the study with eight family members who had come to faith in Christ under his influence.

Four of Sajjabi's relatives have died, as did a pregnant neighbor, according to area sources.

Morning Star News said a doctor at Mbale Regional Hospital said a postmortem test showed a substance known as Malathion, a low-toxicity pesticide, in those who had died. Though low-level toxic, Malathion when ingested quickly metabolizes into highly toxic Tomalaoxon.
Islamic extremists in eastern Uganda on Dec. 8 set a deadly trap for a Christian policeman who had left Islam, and the next day other hard-line Muslims kidnapped three children from another convert in a nearby village.

More than 20 Muslim extremists in the Komodo area of Kadama Sub-County, Kibuku District, killed officer Ismail Kuloba, 43, at about 4 p.m. after he responded to an urgent call to intervene in a supposed land dispute between warring parties, an area Christian told Morning Star News. .

One of the attackers, Mudangha Kasimu, threw a stone that hit Kuloba in the forehead. Kasimu then shot him twice in the head, and he died as other Muslims were shouting, “Allah Akbar (God is greater),” sources said.

About 12 miles east in Kabuna, near Budaka in Kaderuna District, a group of Muslim men from Palissa on Dec. 9 kidnapped three children of Madengho Badir, a Christian convert from Islam, sources said.

Badir, 42, arrived at his home in Kabuna Sub-County, Kabuna parish, at 10 p.m. to find 5-year-old Nabukwasi Shakira, 7-year-old Gessa Amuza and 10-year-old Wagti Musitafa missing.

An area source said a 14-year-old boy from Kabuna, Karami Hassan, was with Badir's three children when they were abducted near their home. The boy said a group of Muslims from Palissa were looking for Badir, and the boy led them to Badir's children.

Outside of Kabeshai, near Palissa, a Christian father of five who supported 10 children whose families had disowned them for leaving Islam was killed on Dec. 2.

Morning Star News said one of three men who attacked Patrick Ojangole scolded him for failing to heed a warning to cease his Christian activities before the Christian was killed, said a witness who was with Ojangole and escaped. Ojangole was 43.

On Nov. 12, the father of a young Muslim woman in east Uganda tried to beat her to death after she became a Christian, but community leaders intervened and limited him to disowning her, sources said.

Kibida Muyemba learned that his 21-year-old daughter, Namusisi Birye, had put her faith in Christ at an evangelistic campaign held that day in Nandere village, Kadama Sub-County, Kibuku District, 41 kilometers (25 miles) west of Mbale, church leaders told Morning Star News. Birye and a man in the traditional dress of an imam confessed openly to receiving Christ, they said, and angry Muslims cut the event short.

On Oct. 19 2015, Muslims in Kalampete village, Kibuku District who were angry at a Christian for leaving Islam killed his wife, a month after his brother was killed for the same reason.

Mamwikomba Mwanika, mother of three adult children and five others ranging in age from 17 to 9, died on the way to a hospital after Muslims unknown to her dragged her from her home at about 9 p.m. and assaulted her, survivors said.

Her husband's brother, Samson Nfunyeku, was killed in the village on Sept. 23 after flaring tempers cut short a religious debate he'd had with Islamic scholars.

In Nsinze village, Namutumba District, a Muslim beat and left for dead his wife and 18-year-old son on Aug. 11 after learning they had converted to Christianity, Morning Star News reported area sources said.

Issa Kasoono beat and strangled his wife, Jafalan Kadondi, but she survived, said a source who requested anonymity. He said other relatives joined Kasoono in beating her and their two sons, Ibrahim Kasoono, 18, and Ismael Feruza, 16, though the younger son managed to escape with only bruises on his arm.

The wife of a former sheikh was poisoned to death on June 17, 2015 after she and her husband put their faith in Christ in Nabuli village, Kibuku District. Namumbeiza Swabura was the mother of 11 children, including a 5-month-old baby.

In Kiryolo, Kaderuna Sub-County, Budaka District on March 28, 2015, five Muslims gang-raped the 17-year-old daughter of a pastor because the church leader ignored their warnings that he stop worship services, she said.

For more information visit http://morningstarnews.org.

Photo captions: 1) Taika Suleiman, arrested in connection with rape, at Budaka police station. (Morning Star News). 2) Christians from eastern Uganda continue to worship the Lord despite persecution. 3) Jeremy and Elma Reynalds on their wedding day.

About the writer: Jeremy Reynalds is Senior Correspondent for the ASSIST News Service, a freelance writer and also the founder and CEO of Joy Junction, New Mexico's largest emergency homeless shelter, www.joyjunction.org. He has a master's degree in communication from the University of New Mexico, and a Ph.D. in intercultural education from Biola University in Los Angeles. His newest book is "From Destitute to Ph.D." Additional details on "From Destitute to Ph.D." are available at www.myhomelessjourney.com. Reynalds lives in Albuquerque, New Mexico with his wife, Elma. For more information contact: Jeremy Reynalds at jeremyreynalds@gmail.com .

Note: If you would like to help support the ASSIST News Service, please go to www.assistnews.net and click on the DONATE button to make your special Easter tax-deductible gift (in the US), which will help us continue to bring you these important stories. If you prefer a check, please make it out to ASSIST and mail it to: PO Box 609, Lake Forest, CA 92609, USA. Thank you.

** You may republish this or any of our ANS stories with attribution to the ASSIST News Service (www.assistnews.net).

India Infiltrated: Testimonies

India Infiltrated: Testimonies

Read the testimonies of six faithful believers and one church persecuted for their faith in Christ. Read More

Kunbi (Hindu traditions) in India

Kunbi (Hindu traditions) in India The Kunbi are progressive agriculturists, but there are also politicians and educated professionals, including engineers and doctors. Traditionally they accept food and water from the Rajput, Brahmin and Baniya and share water sources with other communities of the village. They worship Mahavir, Hanumanji and Matamai as their village deities. Their boys study up to the primary level while girls usually do not attend school. Ministry Obstacles Jesus may be regarded as only a good person, but not deity, the Son of God. Outreach Ideas Workers need to build good relationships with the Kunbi, building friendships and trust. Pray for the followers of Christ Pray for the few Christian believers among the Kunbi, that they will grow in their understanding of the basis for their faith, and become mature followers of Jesus. Pray they will be kind and compassionate to one another. Pray for the entire people group Pray for the entire Kunbi community, that they will encourage their children to attend school, and that the very poor among them will be able to find food, clothing and shelter. Scripture Focus "All nations you have made will come and worship before you, O Lord, they will bring glory to your name." Psalm 86:9		People Name: Kunbi (Hindu traditions) Country: India 10/40 Window: Yes Population: 17,419,000 World Population: 17,433,000 Language: Gujarati Primary Religion: Hinduism Bible: Complete Online Audio NT: Yes Jesus Film: Yes Audio Recordings: Yes Christ Followers: Few, less than 2% Status: Unreached Progress Level: 1.1

Christian Media to Tackle Immigration and Civility at National Convention

Christian Media to Tackle Immigration and Civility at National Convention

From Evangelical Press Association (EPA) – For Immediate Release

Contact: Lamar Keener, Executive Director, EPA, 619-434-0682, director@evangelicalpress.com  

LANCASTER, PA (ANS – March 26, 2016) -- Writers and editors within the Christian periodical market will address the two hot-button issues of immigration and civility during the annual convention of the Evangelical Press Association when it convenes in Lancaster, Pa., on April 6 to 8, 2016.

“The Evangelical Response to Immigration and the Refugee Crisis” is the subject of a forum scheduled for Thursday morning, April 7. Speakers include Jenny Yang, Vice President of Advocacy and Policy at World Relief; David Shenk, Global Missions Consultant with Eastern Mennonite Missions and author of “Christian. Muslim. Friend: Twelve Paths to Real Relationship;” Christine Baer, Congregational Resource Developer at Church World Service Lancaster; and moderator Jon Hirst, president and CEO of Global Mapping International.

Hirst will also lead a workshop teaching writers how to communicate about the refugee crisis, while Yang will address migration as it relates to the biblical Great Commission.

Friday morning, April 8, will feature the forum, “Civil Discourse in a Polarized Society.” The speakers are Karen Swallow Prior, Professor of English at Liberty University and a prolific writer on cultural issues in both religious and secular media; Ronald Sider, Senior Distinguished Professor of Theology, Holistic Ministry and Public Policy at Palmer Theological Seminary and President Emeritus of Evangelicals for Social Action; and Michael Wear, founder of Public Square Strategies and former White House staffer for a faith-based initiative to manage engagement on religious and values issues during President Obama’s first term.

Prior will also lead a workshop presentation on how to engage the culture effectively through writing.

“Social media tends to arouse heated emotions instead of encouraging rational discussion on cultural issues,” said Executive Director, Lamar Keener. “As evangelical thought leaders, our writers and editors are serious about cultivating a distinctly Christian worldview that is communicated reasonably and effectively.”

The opening keynote speaker for the convention is Bryan Loritts, lead pastor for Abundant Life Christian Fellowship in Silicon Valley, California, and former Pastor for Preaching and Mission at Trinity Grace Church in New York City. Named one of the top thirty emerging Christian leaders, Loritts has written several books including “Right Color/Wrong Culture.”

Other keynote speakers include radio personality Brant Hansen, host of the Brant Hansen Show heard on contemporary Christian stations nationwide, and Naomi Zacharias, director of Wellspring International, an initiative devoted to providing financial grants to international efforts working with at-risk women and children.

The convention, which will be held at the Lancaster County Convention Center, will draw Christian magazine editorial and creative design professionals from all over North America.

Note: The Evangelical Press Association is a professional association of Christian publications—magazines, newspapers and newsletters—and content-rich websites. Founded in 1948, its 300 members have a combined readership of more than 15 million. For information, visit evangelicalpress.com/convention.

Members of the press interested in attending the forums should contact Executive Director Lamar Keener at director@evangelicalpress.com  or 619-434-0682.

Photo caption: Lamar Keener.

** You may republish this or any of our ANS stories with attribution to the ASSIST News Service (www.assistnews.net).

ISIS group has killed more than 650 in Europe

ISIS "built the machinery of terror under Europe's gaze," according to The New York Times. This groundbreaking article reports that a unit within ISIS was dedicated to terrorizing Europe at least two years before the Paris attacks that left 130 dead last November. The Times estimates that this group has now killed at least 650 people. How did authorities miss them? Local officials often did not communicate with each other when they discovered specific plots. And they dismissed ties to ISIS even when evidence was clear. Only now are we discovering the group's existence. No one knows what will come next. But there's a component in the fight against ISIS that many policy leaders continue to overlook: the religious motivations behind radical Islam. To you and me, it is obvious that religious beliefs drive these jihadists. Tragically, to many leading the fight against them, this fact is not as obvious. Why? Yesterday I participated in a conference call on Islamic radicalization and terrorism. The conversation was sponsored by the Council on Foreign Relations and featured Ed Husain, senior advisor and director of strategy at the Tony Blair Faith Foundation. Husain founded the world's first counter-extremism think tank and writes regularly for global publications. He is an especially credible spokesman on this issue. Husain became an Islamic fundamentalist at the age of sixteen but rejected jihadist ideology five years later and now warns the world about it. His book, The Islamist, has been acclaimed by scholars around the world. On our call, Husain was asked if foreign policy leaders often downplay the religious roots of Islamic radicalization by blaming issues such as poverty and unemployment. His response was insightful: Such factors exist in a variety of other cultures as well, but do not lead to extremism. The religious component is what makes the difference in radical Islam. However, according to Husain, the vast majority of European policy makers don't understand the Christian religion, much less Islam in its various expressions. In the absence of wider religious literacy, we are led by authorities who do not observe faith or grasp religion. The secularization of the West has already misled millions of lost souls and turned churches into museums. Now we know that it has also left us unprepared for the greatest threat we have faced since Nazi Germany. Could the same happen in America? Is it happening in America? Here's the good news: Wherever spiritual awakening is advancing in the world, Islam and radical Islam are in retreat. That's why I often call readers to join me in praying daily for such awakening in our culture. Today let's be specific: Please pray for Western leaders to know Christ personally. Pray for them by name, beginning where you live. Pray for God to raise up believers who can influence the influencers of your culture. Pray with urgency. And know that you are joining your Savior as he intercedes for us at this moment (Romans 8:34). You are joining your Father "who desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth" (1 Timothy 2:4). You are joining the Spirit as he works to "convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment" (John 16:8). Will you take a moment to pray, right now?

If you received this from a friend, you can subscribe here.

Will you leave your comfort pew?

Will You Leave Your Comfortable Pew? (Writer's Opinion)

By Carol Round, Special to ASSIST News Service

CLAREMORE, OK (ANS – March 27, 2016) -- “Though he was God, he did not think of equality with God as something to cling to. Instead, he gave up his divine privileges; he took the humble position of a slave and was born as a human being. When he appeared in human form, he humbled himself in obedience to God and died a criminal’s death on a cross”— Philippians 2:6-8(NLT).

I can recall the day as if were just yesterday. Almost 15 years ago, an emptiness I couldn’t explain began chipping away at my heart. I was in my late 40s. I was lost and even if I didn’t know it, God did. He wouldn’t give up on me.

On a sunny October afternoon, I prayed aloud for the very first time. My simple prayer was, “God, help me. I need some direction in my life.” Since that day, I have been on a journey, a quest you might say, to know my Savior and Lord more deeply, to understand God’s will for my life and to use my gifts for His glory.

Trying to fully comprehend the sacrifice that Christ made for mankind is mind-boggling, sometimes even for those who believe. Still more breath-taking is what happened three days after his cruel death on the cross.

For those who doubt, I wonder where or in whom they place their hope. Christian apologist Ravi Zacharias says, “Outside of the cross of Jesus Christ, there is no hope in this world. That cross and resurrection at the core of the Gospel is the only hope for humanity.”

Hope and a desire to spread the Good News of His resurrection is what drove the disciples. Even facing hardships, they didn’t give up. Christian author Erling C. Olsen once wrote, “Whoever reads the New Testament seriously, or gives thought to the impact which the apostles made upon their generation, must acknowledge that one outstanding historic event alone spurred that small band of 11 ordinary men to an amazing task of evangelization in their generation. Defying every obstacle, loss of home, persecution, even death itself, they evidenced the supreme relevance in their ministry of the resurrection of Jesus Christ.”

How many Christians today are willing to face the obstacles, losses, persecution and eventually death that these men embraced on their mission to make disciples for Jesus? I would hazard a guess that not many of us who live in America and sit in our comfortable pews on Sunday mornings would be willing to die for our faith. However, Jesus has called us to leave the church building. And, just like the disciples, He asks us to drop what we’re doing to share the Easter news.

Just as Christ didn’t remain in the grave, we must give up our attachment to worldly things to take up His cross. Author Clarence W. Hall says, “The resurrection of Jesus changes the face of death for all His people. Death is no longer a prison, but a passage into God’s presence. Easter says you can put truth in a grave, but it won’t stay there.” 

Note: I always love hearing from my readers. Please feel free to email me with your thoughts at carolaround@yahoo.com . You can also visit my blog at www.carolaround.com.

PHoto captions: 1) He is risen. 2) Carol Round.

** You may republish this or any of our ANS stories with attribution to the ASSIST News Service (www.assistnews.net).

Pakistan explosion leaves many dead at Lahore park

Pakistan explosion leaves many dead at Lahore park

Many were Christians celebrating Easter with their families

By Dan Wooding, Special to ASSIST News Service

LAHORE, PAKISTAN (ANS – March 27, 2016) -- At least 60 people have been killed and scores injured today (March 27, 2016), in an explosion at a public park in the eastern Pakistani city of Lahore.

Many of the victims were Christians who were out celebrating Easter with their families.

The park was crowded with families at the time and most of the victims are said to be women and children.

Police told the BBC it appeared to be a suicide bomb. A Pakistan Taliban faction said it carried out the attack.

“Pakistan's president has condemned the blast and the regional government has announced three days of mourning,” said the BBC. “All the major hospitals in the area have been put on an emergency footing.

“The explosion appears to have been at the main gate to the Gulshan-e-Iqbal park in an area where cars are usually left - and a short distance from the children's swings.”

One eyewitness said there was chaos, with a stampede breaking out and children separated from their parents in the rush to escape.

Another man told Pakistan's Geo TV station he was heading towards a fairground ride with his wife and two children when he heard a huge bang and all four of them were thrown to the floor.

Hasan Imran, 30, a local resident who had gone to the park for a walk told Reuters: “When the blast occurred, the flames were so high they reached above the trees and I saw bodies flying in the air.”

A health adviser to the regional government said more than 280 people had been injured and it was feared the number of dead would rise further.

The agency also reported that the army was called in to control crowds outside the park.

Lahore is the capital of Punjab, Pakistan's largest and wealthiest province and the political powerbase of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif.

Pakistan Taliban splinter group Jamaat-ul-Ahrar told local and Western media it was behind the attack.

“We claim responsibility for the attack on Christians as they were celebrating Easter,” spokesperson Ehansullah Ehsan told Pakistan's Express Tribune.

The BBC added that Pakistan has suffered regular incidents of Taliban-related violence, sectarian strife and criminal gang activity.

Meanwhile in the capital, Islamabad, police fired tear gas at thousands of protesters who marched in support of Islamist gunman Mumtaz Qadri, who they see as a religious hero.

Qadri was hanged last month for the murder of Punjab governor Salman Taseer five years ago.

Mr Taseer had defended Asia Bibi, a Christian woman sentenced to death on alleged blasphemy charges, and who is now appealing her death sentence.

Photo captions: 1) Women comforting each other at the attack. (AFP). 2) An injured man is carried from the park (AFP). 3) Dan Wooding recording his radio show.

About the writer: Dan Wooding, 75, is an award-winning winning author, broadcaster and journalist who was born in Nigeria of British missionary parents, and is now living in Southern California with his wife Norma, to whom he has been married for more than 52 years. They have two sons, Andrew and Peter, and six grandchildren who all live in the UK. Dan is the founder and international director of ASSIST (Aid to Special Saints in Strategic Times) and the ASSIST News Service (ANS), and is also the author of some 45 books. Dan also has a weekly radio show called “Front Page Radio” aired each week on the KWVE Radio Network (www.kwve.com), and also two TV shows, “Windows on the World” (with Mark Ellis), and “Inside Hollywood with Dan Wooding,” which are both broadcast on the Holy Spirit Broadcasting Network (http://hsbn.tv).

** You may republish this or any of our ANS stories with attribution to the ASSIST News Service (www.assistnews.net).