U.S. missionaries John and Wanda Casias were murdered in Monterrey on Tuesday.

Mexico (MNN) -- Violence in Mexico has claimed the lives of a U.S. missionary couple. Yesterday, John (76) and Wanda (67) Casias were remembered for their service to Christ in the Baptist church they founded.

Wanda was discovered in their home by their son on Tuesday evening, who noticed their car and some electronics were missing. His father was found dead in an outbuilding on the property. Both had electrical cords tied around their necks.

Violence has escalated in Mexico, forcing many missionaries to rethink their deployment. John Herrin served with The Mission Society in Monterrey until recently. "When we first moved to Monterrey over three years ago, it was one of the safest cities in Latin America, not just Mexico. And in a very brief time, the city just changed literally overnight. There's a sense of tension in the air, a sense of fear in the city."

Herrin says the increase in violence forced them to make some decisions about staying in Mexico. "When driver's training began to include how to respond to a shoot out and how to drop to the floor-board of the car, we realized we weren't sure our kids should be involved in this." This helped them make their decision to leave Monterrey.

Many American missionaries are leaving Mexico, Herrin says, and the church has had a great deal of uncertainty. "A lot of funding began to drop off, and the church began saying, 'What are we going to do?' Then, the violence began to hit, again the church said, 'What are we going to do?'"

Herrin says the Holy Spirit is empowering people. "The church there is stepping up. They are developing their own plan. They're going out, and they're reaching out. And they're doing things that they haven't done before because they haven't had to."

That may be the silver lining in all of this, says Herrin. "We're now [being reminded] that God is doing it. It's not me doing it. It's not those missionaries over there. This really is the continuation of God's church."

Herrin says he still goes back to Monterrey once a month for ministry. Pray for his safety as he travels in and out of Mexico. He says, "The easy thing [to do] is to give up and walk away. The thing that God calls us to is to be faithful. If God calls us to it, we need to be about it, and God will be with us. He'll carry us through it and over it."

In the meantime, pray for all missionaries working in Mexico. Pray especially for the Casias family, their church family in Mexico, and their supporters in Texas.

Mexico (MNN) -- Early this week, police in northern Mexico announced the capture of a Zeta drug lord responsible for some 75 deaths. In a separate case this week, 119 other suspects were also charged for drug trafficking (among other things), according to the Law Enforcement Examiner.

With all of these arrests in hand, is the drug war actually being won?

Todd Szalkowski with E3 Partners (E3) just returned from Reynosa, Mexico and says the violence may actually be getting worse.

"[In Reynosa], I heard stories of the increased violence across Mexico in places where we hadn't seen it before: Veracruz, Mexico City, Guadalajara. Places that had not been impacted the way that the border had been impacted had seen some of the atrocious, gang-style executions that had occurred along the border now happening in these cities," says Szalkowski.

As evidence of the increased hostility elsewhere, Szalkowski adds, "Women of the church in Reynosa had been invited to a conference in Guadalajara and were afraid to go. These women live in one of the most dangerous cities on earth and were afraid to go to Guadalajara for a women's conference."

The violence is affecting believers' day-to-day lives in a number of ways. Although innocent bystanders are not affected as much, says Szalkowski, nearly every family, it seems, has some ties to drug cartels.

"Just about every family has someone who is impacted directly by drug cartels. Either they're in a cartel in some form or fashion, or a lookout, or being forced to be a lookout. It's just so widespread," explains Szalkowski.

This makes E3's ministry difficult. For one thing, people are disappearing.

"We'll see people disappear, and we're not sure whether or not they've disappeared because they have been executed, or whether they flee simply to try to hide from the influences they no longer want to be a part of," notes Szalkowski.

As if that's not bad enough, the violence makes it hard for E3 to track their own ministry work. E3 knows the only way to end the violence in Mexico is for people to grasp the Gospel. The ministry has planted several "I Am Second" groups--essentially small home churches--across Mexico. The groups naturally duplicate themselves, but Szalkowski says they still only know of a few dozen groups in existence; there are probably more.

"What we're finding is that some people are actually afraid to report to us that groups have been started and to give us names and locations of those groups, for fear of being targeted."

Prayer is a must in this situation. Pray for boldness as Christians attempt to share their faith. Pray that they would feel God's presence. Pray that Christians would not be targeted but would be seen as peace-bearers. Pray that Mexico would turn to Christ in this time of turmoil.

E3 continues to train leaders in Mexico, especially within "I Am Second" groups. To help cover the costs of training, give to the Mexico Border Project.

USA (MNN) -- A meeting held this past Tuesday may have sealed a campus ministry's fate at Vanderbilt University.

In late 2010, Vanderbilt changed a school policy to include a stricter anti-discrimination code. Essentially, the school's idea was that any student should be able to lead any group. If they're prohibited from doing so, it's discrimination.

It seems like a good policy in theory. But for groups like InterVarsity Christian Fellowship, it could mean the end of official ministry at Vanderbilt.

"For InterVarsity specifically, because our constitution says that leaders of InterVarsity chapters have to be Christians and practice their Christian walk, we would be sent off campus because of that," explains InterVarsity's Andrew Ginsberg.

It's been a long battle between Vanderbilt administration and InterVarsity staff (read more here) which culminated in a meeting this past Tuesday night.

"Vanderbilt had a Town Hall meeting that we hoped would be a good sharing of ideas. It turned out not quite to be that way," says Ginsberg. "The administration made their case and heard questions, but there wasn't a free sharing. It seems like the decision has been made."

Technically, the decision of whether or not InterVarsity will be allowed to remain an official campus group will be made in the next couple of months. But Ginsberg seems fairly certain the verdict will be against them.

It's a sad matter, and one that threatens religious liberties. But InterVarsity's response has been one of faith. "This isn't a surprise to the Lord," notes Ginsberg.

InterVarsity is acutely aware that their response to this matter could be a testimony of Christ in and of itself.

"It's a really great opportunity to be salt and light. People are watching us. So how can we love students well? How can we love administration well? What does fighting look like in the Kingdom?"

InterVarsity is fighting for their rights currently but will roll with the punches, so to speak.

"If it comes to the point of them removing us from campus, well, Jesus doesn't leave the campus," says Ginsberg.

InterVarsity students will still be on the campus. Christians will still be on the campus. And InterVarsity can even continue to run off campus, just not as an official university group. The Lord will undoubtedly still work.

Currently, InterVarsity is praying for a change of heart in the Vanderbilt administration. Join them in prayer, and keep yourself updated on the situation here.

Sweden (MNN) -- Growth is a good problem to have, right?

Growing pains, while not fun, mean something good on the other side of transition. That's precisely the process that The Evangelical Alliance Mission in Sweden is reporting.  

Founded in 1993, New Life Church in Stockholm now represents more than 50 different nationalities from all corners of the world, from Albania to Zambia.

As a result, they're looking for a space with more room to grow. They recently put together a down payment for a new building. 

Working hand-in-hand with InterAct, a Swedish church and mission movement, TEAM missionaries are seeing churches grow that bring the whole Gospel to the whole person in Sweden. Their strategy: to transform lives and multiply churches through relational, holistic evangelism and by mentoring young leaders to reach their peers.

The ministry team uses music, art, and social caring to reach children, youth, and those who have been marginalized by their society. It's a catalyst used by the community of Jesus Christ to love and serve the people in Sweden.

This approach has met with success, and people are responding. Please pray for the congregation as they renovate a warehouse, allocating space for the activities of the church while continuing ministry at the present location through the end of February. 

Pray that this intense period will draw the church together and reveal how they can serve the community better.

USA (LPEA/MNN) -- There's a saying that goes, "The hand that rocks the cradle is the hand that rules the world."

It speaks to the influence of a mother through her children. If that mother is a godly woman, the influence will be godly. What if God were to call an army of wives, sisters, and mothers to engage in intense, purposeful prayer?

Seven years ago, Solid Rock, one of Portland, Oregon's largest churches, hosted a group of women to hold vigil before the Lord all night.

They brought hope for people they love who need Jesus, messy relationships they cannot fix, co-workers who are cold to the Gospel, teenagers taking terrible risks, with a great burden to see hearts rescued by the Redeemer.

The idea caught on, and more and more venues began opening up to accommodate the participants who prayed through a theme simultaneously.    

Last February, 110 women met at the Luis Palau Association headquarters to pray all night long. "The night was a rare experience--intense, intimate, and powerful," said Wendy Palau, who planned the event at LPA. "The time spent with our Lord revitalized my life in a way few events can."

It was so well received that LPA is hosting its second annual Women's Night in Prayer on February 24-25 at their facilities in Beaverton, Oregon. The Palau team hopes to maximize the power of prayer by providing new resources and extending the impact of intercessory prayer in 2012.

"Prayer is an integral part of everything we do--from festivals to staff meetings," said LPA President Kevin Palau. "We're entering our busiest season of ministry yet, and we know that we need to consult and petition the Lord for His guidance and blessing in everything we do. That's what this initiative is about."

Alongside several Portland-area churches, plans are underway for a satellite prayer event in Sacramento, CA, where the Palau team will host a festival this June. Churches in Haiti, Jamaica, Australia, and more will also be mobilized to pray on the night of the event and beyond.

As the event draws closer, there will be more links and tools for participants to access which will enable people across the country to participate.