Palaung, Rumai in Myanmar (Burma)

Palaung, Rumai in Myanmar (Burma) The Palaung traditionally have practiced a mixture of Animism and Buddhism. Many associate Buddhism with a pacifistic lifestyle, but the Palaung in Myanmar have a 40-year history of armed resistance through the Palaung State Liberation Army. Some practice nat worship, nats being the spirits of inanimate objects such as rocks, mountains and rivers, as well as the spirits of deceased ancestors. Ministry Obstacles Myanmar is difficult for missionaries to enter and work freely. Also, the animistic Palaung need the Holy Spirit, not the "nats", to lead them to a knowledge of the Son of God. Outreach Ideas Gospel radio broadcasts in the language of the Palaung would be very helpful. The Jesus film is available in their language. Pray for the followers of Christ Give thanks for the believers among the Palaung, even though they are few. Pray the Lord will give them the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, to know him better. Pray for the entire people group Pray the Rumai Palaung will be given a desire to know God's salvation in Jesus, and that the Lord will soon satisfy that desire. Scripture Focus "You purchased men for God from every tribe and language and people and nation." Revelation 5:9		People Name: Palaung, Rumai Country: Myanmar (Burma) 10/40 Window: Yes Population: 157,000 World Population: 157,000 Language: Palaung, Rumai Primary Religion: Buddhism Bible: None Audio NT (FCBH): No Jesus Film: Yes Audio Recordings: Yes Christ Followers: Few, less than 2% Status: Unreached Progress Level:

In Aleppo, Syria, the Fight to Survive Goes On

In Aleppo, Syria, the Fight to Survive Goes On

January 05, 2017

Civilians were in danger of being bombed or otherwise killed, imprisoned or forcibly "disappeared" as suspected rebels during the government offensive to retake Aleppo, Syria.

Residents of Aleppo, Syria are trying to pick up the pieces of their shattered lives amid the rubble of the city after Syrian forces took the last rebel-held areas on Dec. 22.
The retaking of Aleppo freed tens of thousands of civilians in the eastern part of the city from danger of being bombed or otherwise killed, imprisoned or forcibly "disappeared" as suspected rebels, but residents remain in sharp need, the leader of a ministry in the country said. People in Aleppo have been living in cold winter temperatures without functioning hospitals and with scant electricity and water.
"Everything is needed – anything is needed," the ministry leader said. "First of all, the emotional part – people are so down, so scared. They're lost. When you look at Aleppo, it's like a ghost. So fear is very high."
Ministry workers are visiting with residents daily to pray with them and determine how they can assist them, he said. Needs range from home heating to transportation – the difficulty of simply getting from one place to another. Resources of any kind are hard to find, including food and water, he said. Stores that have not been bombed or shuttered are open in some areas, but due to disruptions in supply, prices have rocketed.

"We have some families that we are dealing with right now – because of their faith, we're moving them from one place to another," the leader said. "We are relocating around 23 families."

Costs to transport food in from abroad would be even higher. The indigenous ministry is able to purchase food locally within Syria and truck it to needy areas of Aleppo, though at high cost.
"We have to buy them very expensive and get them to the people," he said.
The ministry regularly travels into eastern Aleppo, where rebels seeking to oust President Bashar al-Assad were defeated on Dec. 22. For days during and after the offensive to drive the rebels out, ministry workers had to withdraw from the area due to instability.
"The government is going door to door checking people," the ministry leader said the day Syrian forces routed the rebels (Dec. 22). "At this stage, no one knows if the rebels really left or changed their look. That is a problem, because they can mix in and be part of the people. You wouldn't know. So the situation is still not that stable."
Economic stability also will be a long time coming. The $80 to $85 that the indigenous ministry once spent for food bags for needy residents of Aleppo now buys about half the previous amount of staples and other survival goods, the ministry leader said.
"We used to put in rice and oil and spaghetti and stuff like that, as well as canned meats and sugar," he said. "Now we don't even put in 50 percent of that; we cannot afford it. We do as much as we can."
Helping to meet physical needs has helped open the way for meeting spiritual needs. One of the ministry leader's biggest requests is for Christian coloring books, CDs and audio recordings. As Syrians in the predominantly Islamic country come to Christ, ministry team members are busy relocating Christians who are in additional danger because of their new faith to safer areas.
"We have some families that we are dealing with right now – because of their faith, we're moving them from one place to another," the leader said. "We are relocating around 23 families."

Children's programs in Aleppo have led to a steep increase in people coming to Christ since war broke out in 2011.

The personal needs of 37 team leaders working throughout the area also weigh heavily on the indigenous ministry director's heart. Many are living and giving sacrificially.
"For several months we haven't paid them their full salaries, because we didn't have the funds," he said. "And even when we do, when we give it to them they share their own money with others."
Paid between $800 and $1,400 a month, depending on whether they are single or have families, all the team leaders must hold other jobs to make ends meet, he said. When a team leader receives his salary and sees someone in need, he will share it and run out of money halfway through the month, the director said.
"This is a need that most of the leaders all face," he said. "They're so involved that they share their own resources."
He urged prayer for the emotional health of leaders and their teams.
"For a leader to see that [deprivation] all the time, it puts them down," he said. "But what makes them go forward is when they see people coming to the Lord. But at the same time, it's not easy to see all the infants and babies and children and people homeless without anything. There's no care on the emotional side for those who are helping them."
The response to the gospel in Aleppo in the past six years has increased dramatically in outreaches such as programs for children and the resulting small groups that have emerged among their parents and other adults, he said.
"Before, we used to count the number of small groups on our fingers," he said. "Now we have many more groups going on. Because of the fruits, because of the number of people coming to Christ, you see the growth."
To help indigenous missionaries to meet needs, you may contribute online using the form below, or call (434) 977-5650. If you prefer to mail your gift, please mail to Christian Aid Mission, P.O. Box 9037, Charlottesville, VA 22906. Please use Gift Code: 414JCA. Thank you!

Water Works

Water Works  

Clean water brings relief to a woman who fled to a Turkish refugee camp from the atrocities of war in Syria. At the same time, many tents in Turkey’s unofficial camps are flooded as winter rains have hit, the director of a ministry based in Turkey said. “They are fighting for their life – each place is like a swamp,” he said. His teams are visiting and praying with refugees in their tents, including about 70 new families, some of whom fled the Syrian government offensive to retake eastern Aleppo. “They told me that they had barely stayed alive,” the leader said, adding that refugees are ironically suffering shortages of clean water. “There was nothing that could be used in tents, everything was wet and in a truly deplorable condition,” he said. “They were begging for children’s clothes, blankets, stoves and firewood.” Three out of every five people in the tents are sick, and they are in desperate need of medicines, blankets, nylon tent covers, mattresses, heaters, diapers, baby formula and food boxes, all of which can be suspended above the water in the tents, he said.

Initial appeal to release jailed US pastor rejected by Turkish Authorities

Initial appeal to release jailed US pastor rejected by Turkish Authorities

By Michael Ireland, Senior Correspondent, ASSIST News Service (www.assistnews.net)

ANKARA, TURKEY (ANS -- Jan. 5, 2017) -- A Turkish court denied an initial appeal last week for the release of  Rev. Andrew Brunson, an American Protestant pastor kept under arrest for the past three months over alleged links to a terrorist organization, according to an article in World Watch Monitor (www.worldwatchmonitor.org ) .

In the wake of the Dec. 29 refusal to release Brunson, his lawyer confirmed to World Watch Monitor that while appeals and the government’s official investigation into the allegations against the pastor are continuing, no formal case has yet been opened against him.

World Watch Monitor reports that Brunson, initially detained under deportation orders in the port city of Izmir on Oct. 7, was held in detention facilities without formal charges until Dec. 9, when he was brought to court for the first time for questioning. He was then ordered to be imprisoned, accused in writing of “membership in an armed terrorist organization.”

The judge revealed for the first time during the courtroom session that the pastor’s charges were based on accusations by a “secret informer,” who remains unidentified. No legal documents have been released to Brunson’s lawyer that specify the details or evidence upon which the charges are based.

But during the hearing, the judge specifically mentioned allegations that the pastor had links with the Fethullah Gülen movement, accused by Ankara of instigating a failed military coup against the Turkish government last July.

World Watch Monitor says that over the past six months, thousands of judges, prosecutors, military personnel, journalists, educators and other civilians have been arrested in a wide-ranging crackdown to identify and prosecute the coup plotters and their sympathizers.

The Justice Ministry announced on Jan. 2 that, to date, 41,326 “terrorism suspects” had been arrested in the legal probe against the Gülen movement and Rev. Brunson is apparently one of them.

Limited prison access

Although Brunson’s lawyer had been blocked from any access to him during his two months of detention, he has since been permitted to meet him in prison three times, World Watch Monitor stated.

But due to Ankara’s current emergency law decrees imposed since the attempted coup, their sessions are not private. “Those visits are recorded and any notes taken by his attorney are copied,” reports the American Center for Law and Justice (ACLJ) group advocating and circulating petitions on behalf of Brunson’s family.

Rev. Brunson was allowed one family visit on Dec. 28, when he confirmed that he has been permitted to have only one English book, the New Testament.

Religious freedom charity Middle East Concern reported: “Whereas the Turkish prisoners are allowed family visits once a week, Andrew’s family must apply to the Ministry of Justice for each individual visit.”

World Watch Monitor went on to report that although US Embassy officials were blocked several times in previous attempts to visit Brunson while he was under detention, they were permitted to meet him in prison on Dec. 30.

A Turkish parliamentarian recently told one Turkish Protestant leader that at least 100 foreign citizens from Orthodox, Catholic and Protestant denominations have been deported, refused residence visa renewal or denied re-entry into Turkey without explanation in the past four years.

World Watch Monitor also stated that in addition to Brunson, currently at least three other Protestant expatriates active in Christian ministries in Turkey for a decade or more are fighting legal battles to either remain in the country or regain from abroad their abruptly cancelled residence visas.

An unidentified “senior Turkish official” told a Wall Street Journal columnist writing about the Brunson case from London on Jan. 3, that “the idea that Mr. Brunson’s arrest was related to his religious affiliation is ludicrous,” asserting that Christians in Turkey “freely exercise their religion.”

World Watch Monitor explained that, “Nevertheless, this is the first time in more than a decade that Turkish authorities, acting on orders from Ankara’s Interior Ministry, have without explanation ordered the lengthy detention and then jailing of a foreign Protestant citizen involved in legally recognized church-related Christian ministry in the country.”

Photo Captions: 1) Pastor Andrew Brunson 2) The Izmir Dirilis (Resurrection) Church, where Andrew Brunson is the pastor. (World Watch Monitor). 3) Michael Ireland

About the Writer: Michael Ireland is a volunteer internet journalist serving as Senior Correspondent for the ASSIST News Service, as well as an Ordained Minister who has served with ASSIST Ministries and written for ANS since its beginning in 1989. He has reported for ANS from Jamaica, Mexico, Nicaragua, Israel, Jordan, China, and Russia. Please consider helping Michael cover his expenses in bringing news of the Persecuted Church, by logging-on to: https://actintl.givingfuel.com/ireland-michael

** You may republish this or any of our ANS stories with attribution to the ASSIST News Service (www.assistnews.net). Please also tell your friends and colleagues that they can get a complimentary subscription to ANS by going to the website and signing up there.

Nigerian Army recovers 24th Chibok kidnap victim

Update: Nigerian Army recovers 24th Chibok kidnap victim

By Dan Wooding, Founder of ASSIST News Service, who was born in Nigeria

ABUJA, NIGERIA (ANS – January 5, 2017) -- The Nigerian Army says that it has discovered another woman who had been kidnapped nearly three years ago from her school in Chibok, Nigeria.

World Watch Monitor (https://www.worldwatchmonitor.org), reveals that she is Rakiya Abubakar Gali, the daughter of Abubakar Gali Mulima and Habiba Abubakar of Chibok.

According to preliminary information from the Army, it says that discovered the missing woman while questioning captured Boko Haram militants. She has a six-month-old baby an is undergoing medical investigation before being handed over to the Borno State Government.

Bring Back Our Girls, a campaign group for the release of the Chibok girls, said Gali is the 24th Chibok kidnap victim to be released, out of 219. (Source: Nigeria Television Authority)

Update November 7, 2016:

World Watch Monitor said that a Nigerian Government spokesman, Sani Usman, told media another girl, believed to be one of the nearly 300 Chibok school girls kidnapped by the radical Islamic group Boko Haram in April 2014, was discovered in Pulka in northern Borno State.

Maryam Ali Maiyanga was found by soldiers screening escapees from Boko Haram's base in the Sambisa forest on Saturday morning (5 Nov). She was carrying a 10-month-old baby boy she named Ali when the soldiers found her.

“She has been taken to the unit's medical facility for proper medical check-up,” said Usman.

Bring Back our Girls, campaigning for the release of Chibok school girls, stated Maryam was number 198 on its register of the kidnapped girls and comes from Askira Uba, and was abducted along with her twin - who is yet to return.

On October 13, 2016, 21 girls were released by Boko Haram following negotiations with the government. A Christian girl, Amina Ali Nkeki was found on 17 May 17, 2016, in the Sambisa Forest, close to the border with Cameroon. Two days later, Nigeria’s army said it had rescued a second girl, Serah Luka, believed to be the daughter of a pastor, though she was later found to not have been among the Chibok girls.

Update October 24, 2016:

When the 21 girls released by Boko Haram on October 13, 2016, met Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari they thanked him personally for his part in their release. Addressing a crowd at the presidential villa, one of the girls, Rebecca Mallum, burst into song. She later said: “We are happy to see this wonderful day because we didn’t know we would come back to be members of Nigeria. Let us thank God for his love.”

Speaking to CNN, some of the girls said they plan to return to school – Boko Haram translates in the local Hausa language as “Western education is forbidden.”

“On her release one girl revealed more about life in captivity, said a parent who wished to remain anonymous. The parent said that one of the girls had refused to marry a Boko Haram fighter and was told she would be killed. In the end she was given 100 lashes,” said World Watch Monitor.

“The girls have been undergoing intense psychological evaluations at a medical facility in the capital, Abuja.”

Update October 18, 2016:

Nigeria’s Information Minister, Lai Mohammed, has spoken about the release of 21 girls and a boy born in captivity to one of their number: “This is only the first step in what we believe will be total liberation and release of all the remaining girls.”

“Already we are on phase two and we are already in discussions,” he said on Sunday, October 16, 2016. “But of course you know these are very delicate negotiations, there are some promises we made also about the confidentiality of the entire exercise and we intend to keep them.”

According to the government’s Senior Special Assistant for Media and Publicity, Malam Garba Shehu, a splinter group of Boko Haram is willing to negotiate the release of 83 more girls. CNN reported that the other 114 girls are dead, or, reportedly, don’t want to leave their kidnappers because they are now married or have been radicalized.

World Watch Monitor said that this release is only the second time any of the 219 long-term captives (over 50 girls escaped shortly after being taken) have found freedom. Amina Ali Nkeki, 19, was the first of the 219 to be found alive when she was discovered by vigilantes in the Sambisa Forest. Nkeki revealed that she knew of six of the remaining 218 who had died. If negotiations to release 83 more are successful, that leaves at least 100 girls either still among Boko Haram or unaccounted for.

“There are conflicting reports about the terms of the girls’ release, which was brokered by the Swiss Government and the International Committee of the Red Cross,” said the news service.

The government has denied any prisoner exchange, but, according to Associated Press, two military officers have said four detained Boko Haram commanders were freed; AP reports that a Nigerian who negotiated previous failed attempts also said a large ransom was paid by the Swiss government on behalf of Nigerian authorities.

The released girls finally met with their families on Sunday in Abuja after some parents had travelled for days for the emotional reunion.

One of the girls, Gloria Dame, said they had survived for 40 days without food and narrowly escaped death at least once.

Muta Abana, who has been reunited with his daughter, Blessing, said he thought the girls’ abduction had been politicized, complaining that “people’s children aren’t money, people’s children are not clothes you wear to campaign, people’s children are their pride.”

The girls are currently receiving medical attention and trauma counselling in a hospital.

Update October 14, 2016:

Details have now emerged about the conditions of release of the 21 Chibok girls. They were freed before dawn on October 13, 2016, in the north-eastern town of Banki, near the border with Cameroon. They were then transported to the capital, Abuja, where they met the Vice President.

“The whole country has been waiting that one day we will see you again and we are very happy to see you back,” said Yemi Osinbajo.

“The president in particular has asked me to tell you how excited he is. When you were away, he kept saying that if it were his daughter he wouldn’t even know what to do.

“So we are all very excited that you are here. We are all happy that God has preserved your lives and brought you back.”

Presidential aide Garba Shehu said the girls’ release was the “outcome of negotiations between the administration and the Boko Haram brokered by the International Red Cross and the Swiss government.”

World Watch Monitor said that there was speculation that the girls were handed over in exchange for the release of Boko Haram fighters. AFP quoted a local source in saying that four Boko Haram prisoners had been “swapped” for the girls, but the information minister, Lai Mohammed, denied this.

“Please note that this is not a swap. It is a release, the product of painstaking negotiations and trust on both sides,” he said.

“We have nothing to add,” said a Swiss government official, when asked if it had been a prisoner swap.

The talks with the radical Islamic group will continue, according to the Nigerian government.

Pictures released by local media and a presidency official showed one of the girls holding a baby when they met Vice President Osinbajo. Many of the girls looked frail. Most of the girls were reportedly forcibly converted to Islam and forced into “marriage” by their captors.

How the drama began

The drama began on the night of April 14–15, 2014, when 276 female students were kidnapped from the Government Secondary School in the town of Chibok in Borno State, Nigeria. Responsibility for the kidnappings was claimed by Boko Haram, an extremist and terrorist organization based in northeastern Nigeria. 57 of the schoolgirls managed to escape over the next few months and some have described their capture in appearances at international human rights conferences.

Their disappearance eventually generated headlines around the world and fueled a social-media storm, with the hashtag #bringbackourgirls, which was supported by many including First Lady, Michelle Obama.

Photo captions: 1) A Boko Haram fighter with some of the missing schoolgirls in a video clip. 2) The released 21 Chibok girls met President Buhari - seen here with Vice President Osinbajo - at his villa in Nigeria’s capital, Abuja, October 19, 2016. (The Office of the President). 3) Joy and tears as a family reunite with one of the released Chibok schoolgirls, Abuja, Nigeria, Oct. 2016. (Segun Adeyemi). 4) The President with the first girl to be released and her baby (Getty Images/ AFP Florian Plaucheur). 5) Dan Wooding just after his birth at Vom Christian Hospital, Nigeria, with his mother, Anne Wooding.

About the writer: Dan Wooding, 76, is an award-winning winning author, broadcaster and journalist who was born in Nigeria, West Africa, of British missionary parents, Alfred and Anne Wooding, who then worked with the Sudan Interior Mission, now known as SIM. He now lives in Southern California with his wife Norma, to whom he has been married for more than 53 years. They have two sons, Andrew and Peter, and six grandchildren who all live in the UK. Dan is the founder/president of the ASSIST News Service (ANS), and is also the author or co-author of some 45 books. He has a weekly radio show and two TV programs all based in Southern California.

** You may republish this or any of our ANS stories with attribution to the ASSIST News Service (www.assistnews.net). Please tell your friends and colleagues that they can receive a complimentary subscription to our news service by going to the above website and signing up there.

Shilha, Southern in Morocco

Shilha, Southern in Morocco The Shilha Berbers are a poor but proud people. They are tough and hard working, scratching out a meager existence in a part of the world that is physically antagonistic to an agricultural society. Most are farmers and shepherds. Some have now left their poor, overpopulated valleys, in hopes of finding a better life in the northern cities of Morocco. Ministry Obstacles Morocco is closed to Christian missionaries. Creative means to minister to these people are necessary. Outreach Ideas Although the Shilha are Muslim, their religion is mingled with spiritism and mysticism. This blended religion has created a curiosity and yearning to know more about their god, which is an opening for the good news about Jesus. Pray for the followers of Christ There are some believers among the Shilha Berbers. Pray these believers will be rooted and established in love. Pray for the entire people group Pray for adequate health care for these people living in rural areas, and for educational opportunities for the youth. Scripture Focus "The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Therefore beseech the Lord of the harvest to send out workers into His harvest." Matthew 9:37-38		People Name: Shilha, Southern Country: Morocco 10/40 Window: Yes Population: 3,218,000 World Population: 3,370,000 Language: Tachelhit Primary Religion: Islam Bible: New Testament Audio NT (FCBH): Yes Jesus Film: Yes Audio Recordings: Yes Christ Followers: Few, less than 2% Status: Unreached Progress Level:

GPN - 01/06/2017

To live victoriously, think less of things 'over you' and more of the power of Christ 'in you'. 1 John 4:4

IMPORTANT! Belgium: I ask you to pray for Wout and Sofie (both children of God) who are expecting a baby which has several defects. Pray for a miracle of healing and God’s strength for Wout and Sofie. Mr. A.v/d W.

IMPORTANT! Glenda O. is pregnant due to medical reasons the child will be prematurely delivered on Friday. Pray for God's help, healing and peace, and that everything will go well. Mrs. A.C.

IMPORTANT! Pray for my niece, Kaitlin, for healing of cervical cancer. She is supposed to take treatment for radiation very soon and is now struggling with the decision to do so. Mrs. Jo.

Last Sunday I happened to see the last five minutes of the TV-program on SBS6 with brother David Maasbach. I am a window dresser (63) and I have serious financial problems. I have trouble with bailiffs and am involved in a lawsuit due to rent arrears. I can not go on like this! Please pray for God’s relief and strength in my situation. Mrs. G.S.

Pray for Mrs. A.d.K., for a miracle of healing for her disease. And for healing and deliverance for Mrs. R.E. who has an alcohol problem and pain in her body. Mrs. K.

Pray that my anger and bitterness will disappear. That I will be able to forgive my enemies, for they do not know what they are doing. I expect a miracle! Mr. R.H.

Mr. M.v.E. asks prayer for God's help, protection and facilities to support their financial problems.

I would love to follow the Lord, but I commit sin and fail so often. Pray a breakthrough for me and my family in divine power and help. Mr. B.K.

Sudan: In the Nuba Mountains, the spring of 2016 has been some of the most severe since the fighting began nearly five years ago. It is affecting thousands of Christian families. Aerial bombings and ground attacks drove thousands of people out of their homes and forced them to take shelter in caves. PRAY: For the Christians and those living in this dangerous region. And for provision, strength and medical help for the Christians in the region. That they will experience God’s love in new and profound ways. VOM Contact

My dad has to endure prolonged physical suffering. Pray that the pain may cease soon and that he would recover fully from his ailment. It is causing him great distress at night and he needs wisdom and motivation to make the right choices concerning food and exercise. C.

For Mrs. J.M., for the healing of her hearing problem. Also for God's help in the nuisance of her neighbors. For this reason she would like to move.

For Mrs. C.Z. and her family, for God's consolation and strength as they will say goodbye to a deceased family member today.

Iraq: Pray for God's comfort and encouragement to those who lived until recently in a refugee camp, but recently moved to an ordinary house with help from the church. Pray for renewed hope in the coming year for all Iraqi Christians who long for their home and surroundings. Open Doors

For God's help and provision for Mr. E. in a good new colleague, a word of encouragement for a new employee, and a speedy recovery of the van that broke down.

Pray that I may experience love. For provision of God in the right life partner with whom I may live a happy life. Ms. J.S. (36)

For healing and deliverance for Mrs. E. She continuously hears sounds. Pray also for her niece Q. to come back to the Lord from another religion.

PRAYER HELPS! Mr. W. v/d W. has many fractures, but feels no more pain, thanks to your prayers. PRAY: That the Lord will give him a life partner.

For a good health for me and my family. For healing for my neighbor, Mrs. V.E. (90). For God's wisdom and mercy for the government in the Netherlands, the world leaders and the Church. Thank God for all intercessors and the faithfulness of the Maasbach ministry. Pray also for the peace of Jerusalem. Mr. W.T.

The Blessing Family Message Station
NEW, MODERN AND SUPER FAST!
Listen non-stop to the faith-building messages of anointed preachers with singing, music and special prayer. Choose your own language, preacher and topic. Listen, download, like it, put in your favorites, share with others and much more! Pray and thank God that this station will reach many people in places where little or nothing of the Gospel is found and where people are on their own. Tune in at maasbachradio.com.

The GPN team wishes you a very blessed weekend!