Story number 1 for 22 Mar 2002

(Mexico)–Topping the news, world leaders held meetings on everything from free trade to regional strife as they arrived at a U.N. summit on alleviating poverty around the globe. World Vision International’s Alan Whaites. “If we don’t have the resources to tackle the problems, then the world will just carry on, deteriorating into more and more wars. There is no way we can insulate ourselves from that. The world has so many countries that are at war with each other and at war with themselves, it will leak into rich countries through terrorism, [and] through other problems.” Whaites says the billions pledged to help the poor was a step in the right direction, especially for those whose mission involves the hope of the Gospel. “I was very encouraged by the fact that the president made the connection between hopelessness and despair and global instability. People need to feel they have a stake in the future; they have a sense of hope. Some of that comes by coming to know Jesus Christ and actually realizing that they are valued, as people.”