(Photo courtesy of IMB)

Yemen (IMB) — [EDITORS NOTE: This article courtesy of a Southern Baptist International Mission Board staff member.]

As political upheaval dating back to the Arab Spring continues in Yemen, United Nations Special Adviser Jamal Benomar expressed concern that the nation is moving toward civil war. The U. N. Security Council met on Sunday to discuss the mounting crisis in the Middle Eastern nation.

The ancient city of Sana’a has been the site of violent protests recently, resulting in the resignation of the country’s president, followed by the withdrawal of his resignation.

“Peaceful dialogue is the only way forward,” Benomar told the Council. In assessing the situation, he said the country is in a “rapid downward spiral” and at “the edge of civil war.”

As violence escalated between the country’s ruling Sunni Muslims and rebel Houthi Shiite Muslims, both the United States and the United Kingdom withdrew security forces. The U.S. closed its embassy in Yemen in February

Last week [March 20] in the Yemeni capital of Sana’a, suicide bombers attacked two mosques linked to the Houthis, killing at least 126 people and wounding hundreds. A Sunni group claiming to be a branch of ISIS said they were responsible for the bombings.

Yemen is home to al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP), one of the most powerful branches of the terrorist organization. AQAP denied any involvement in last week’s attacks on the mosques.

On Sunday [March 22], Houthi rebels took control of an international airport and government buildings in the city of Taiz, 240 miles south of Sana’a.

Sana’a: capital of Yemen.
(Photo courtesy of IMB)

In January 2015, the rebels surrounded the presidential palace in Sana’a. Days later, Yemeni President Abd Rabuh Mansur Hadi resigned. He has since rescinded his resignation and made the Red Sea port city of Aden his provisional capital. There is increasing concern that the likelihood of civil war grows as the rebels continue their push south.

Greg Voss,* a Christian worker in the Middle East, said, “Honestly, most Yemenis would rather go back to the days before the Arab Spring.”

Despite the lack of religious and political freedom, their lives had far more stability: consistent jobs, electricity and water, and school for their kids. Now, much of this has vanished. Yemen currently has one of the worst humanitarian crises in the Middle East. More than 10 million people need food assistance, and 13 million cannot access clean water.

Tens of thousands in Yemen’s capital city of Sana march, demanding an end to political unrest in their country.

However, the tumultuous repercussions of the Arab Spring have forced many to question much of what they thought secure.

Yemen is south of Saudi Arabia, the heart of Islam. Traditionally, northern Yemen has been tribal and religiously conservative, adhering to the strictest interpretation of Islam and thus quite hostile to Christians. Southern Yemen has typically been less hostile toward the gospel than the North, though still quite restrictive.

In both the North and South, believers continue to live out their faith as boldly as they can and support one another amid the trying physical hardships they now face.

Voss urges believers to remember that God is sovereign over all of this and that He continues drawing Yemenis to Himself.

Another Christian worker said, “At times it seems hopeless. However, our trust is not in governments or coalitions or politics. We trust in the sovereign God of history. He is working and moving, even in Yemen.

“The upheaval has caused many Yemenis to reconsider much of what they thought secure and stable in their lives. They are asking questions and seeking answers. For many of them, this means greater spiritual openness as well.

“Pray [that] this spiritual openness would continue to increase and many would know the peace of Jesus. Pray [that]  those who lost family and friends in the bombings would know the God of all comfort. Pray [that] believers in Yemen would support one another [and] shine as beacons of Christ’s love in the midst of the darkness.”

*Name changed

(Photo courtesy IMB)

USA (IMB/MNN) — A Journeyman is a worker who learns a skill from a tradesman. No longer a trainee, the journeyman sharpens those skills that will later allow him or her to take on greater responsibility.

Fitting the portable crib into her small office space isn’t easy, but Camille Samuel needs somewhere for her daughter, Bethany, to nap while she works. She will be tutoring a Muslim woman who will soon take a U.S. citizenship test, checking supplies in the cabinet and meeting with interns–all before 7-month-old Bethany wakes up. Then she’ll strap the baby into her carrier and head to the Tibetan food cart down the street before returning to touch base with new ESL students and walking the two blocks to her apartment.

It’s all in a day’s work for Camille, a former IMB journeyman to South Asia, who has intentionally planted her life among South Asians in Queens, New York. She is the director of the South Asian Center, a ministry of Urban Nations Outreach that seeks to make disciples and plant churches among unreached people groups in New York.

Camille says her calling to share the gospel among those who have never heard didn’t change when her international missions term was complete. Living and ministering in one of the most diverse ZIP codes in the U.S., Camille says she daily meets immigrants who have never heard the name of Christ. At the center, she directs the ministry to immigrants that includes ESL and citizenship classes, children’s programs, and community outreach events. More than 200 people are currently enrolled in classes through the center, and 21 countries are currently represented.

“Because I’ve lived in South Asia,” says Camille, “it’s really helped me to understand where they’re coming from culturally and helps bridge the gaps and break down some barriers.” She says most people are very interested to know that she lived in their country and knows some of their language. She is thankful that she is familiar with the South Asian culture and customs and can identify with them.

“Also, just to know what it is like to be a foreigner in a foreign land, that’s really helped our ministry because I remember what it felt like to be a journeyman in South Asia,” Camille explains. “I want to see [the students] be able to thrive and have a really good experience here. I see that as part of our ministry.”

Camille says she loves the sense of small community she finds in her neighborhood, even though she lives in a megacity. She knows the local storekeepers and restaurant owners. Familiar faces on the street offer greetings or stop her to ask how Bethany is doing. Once when a Tibetan restaurant owner noticed Camille had a cold, the owner went to the kitchen to make a special soup and tea for her. While many are fearful of living in New York City, Camille has found a true sense of home.

Camille’s husband, Jim, is also passionate about living among internationals. An Indian, Jim was raised in the Middle East in a Christian family. He said that he and Camille were very deliberate about choosing to live among South Asians in New York. He works as a bookstore manager and as a campus minister for St. John’s University to support their family and ministry.

“I don’t think we would move for the world,” says Jim. “I have a heart for the people–especially our neighbors who are part of the center–and I really want to see them grow in Christ and grow in the knowledge of the Word.”

Jim and Camille are part of Urban Nations Outreach’s efforts to plant four new churches this year. The Samuels will focus on a church plant among South Asians in their neighborhood.

They understand that South Asians may not readily accept Christ upon first hearing, but Camille explains that they are very open to friendships with Christians and encourages others to reach out to internationals.

“It’s very possible you’ll be the first Christian they’ve ever met, the first person to tell them about Jesus,” Camille says.

“God has brought them to the U.S., to places like New York City and other megacities and even small towns, so that we can finish the Great Commission,” she adds. “If you share with them here, they tell family members back home or they might move back home and the gospel just multiplies from there.”

(Photo Credit IMB)

“You will see what we will do to you,” said Abubakar Shekau, Boko Haram’s head, in a 36-minute video posted on YouTube last week after leaders on the continent agreed to form a joint force to fight the insurgents.

Indiscriminate attacks by the Islamist militant group Boko Haram in northern Nigeria are causing immense suffering. A violent campaign is being waged against innocent civilians who are being killed, chased, enrolled, or enslaved.

On Sunday, Boko Haram fighters attacked Nigeria’s strategically important northeastern city of Maiduguri and captured the town of Monguno. Dozens are reported dead.

But even in this atmosphere of violence and uncertainty, the gospel message is going forth and impacting receptive hearts.

Greg Dorsey,* a Christian worker in West Africa, said Nigerian Christians are effectively engaging many areas of the country.

“The northeastern corner of Nigeria where Boko Haram has wielded most of it activities remains a difficult area for believers to freely worship and share their faith. However, God has raised up believers who have remained steadfast and bold in the midst of applied pressures to silence them,” Dorsey said.

Another Christian worker told of hearing the testimonies of believers from troubled areas of northern Nigeria at a recent meeting. “Each one that shared was brought to the Lord by a brother or other close relative. Earlier this year, some of these same men were imprisoned. While we prayed for their release, they were sharing their faith and welcoming new brothers into the Christ-life.”

One man exhibited amazing joy in Christ even as he showed scars from his imprisonment and torture. The day after the man shared his story, he received a phone call that his house had been burned and his family scattered.

Halima’s and Amina’s lives and families have been shattered. Widowed and separated from their children, their grief is palpable.

According to Christian workers, Nigerians are seeking peace in the midst of the country’s struggles. One shared the story of a religious leader who said, “I’ve searched the Quran for peace, and every time, Jesus is mentioned. Can you tell me about Him?” After hearing stories of Jesus, the man repented, prayed for salvation, and was later baptized.

As Boko Haram proceeds with its efforts to create an Islamic state in West Africa, Christians continue to face persecution. And yet believers are reminded that even their persecutors can experience the power of the gospel.

“Remember that the apostle Paul was once a religious terrorist, until he met Jesus on the Damascus Road. Ask God to open the eyes of those who are blinded by the deceiver and bring them to Christ, that they too might become great evangelists,” one Christian leader said.

Continue to pray for brothers and sister in Christ in Nigeria who are facing persecution. Pray for protection and strength.

*Name changed for security.

You can find them in your church, place of work, or coaching Little League. They are aware of the power of the Gospel to change lives. They know that even the smallest actions can demonstrate the grace and mercy of God. But honestly, every Christian “knows” this. So, what do mission-minded people actually do that’s different?

Southern Baptist International Mission Board missionaries from around the world helped compile a list of 13 things that make up a mission-minded person.

Maybe you will see yourself in their responses, or maybe, like me, you will see an area in which God is challenging you.

So, here we go: 13 things mission-minded people do differently:

First, they WANT to meet someone who does not follow Jesus Christ.

Mission-minded people follow Jesus’ plan in Luke 10 to go work “His harvest.” They actively seek out non-believers for conversations and friendship.

Second, they constantly look for creative ways to share the Gospel.

Mission-minded people find intentional ways to share so that people understand. It is not a “canned presentation” but relative to that person/group. They do the abnormal…irrational…counter-intuitive..take risks…all in an effort to share Christ.

Third, they have different worldviews.

They think more about the world, culture, and languages than they do about the tiny place where they live. They understand that the Gospel is not just for them but for all people. They are committed to getting it to the rest of the world.

Fourth, they hear the voice of God and are obedient.

Mission-minded people hear the voice of God and obey. God will tell you if He wants you to go across the street, to another town, state, or country to share about His redeeming love.

Fifth, they pray…a lot! Praying is a direct link to God.

They believe that God will do greater things than we can ever imagine, and they pray for it to happen.

Sixth, they make disciples.

They constantly ask themselves if what they are doing will result in disciples. If the strategy is only for people to hear, then the Gospel will not spread. Mission-minded people know the importance of discipleship.

Seventh, they meet human needs while sharing the Gospel.

Mission-minded people realize that it doesn’t matter how many wells you dig or how many orphans you feed; if you aren’t following Christ’s mandate to take the Gospel to those who have not heard, you are just wasting time and money. They know that it’s possible to help people and talk about Christ at the same time. After all, that’s what Jesus did.

Eighth, they know that being mission-minded is not a “task” — it’s a lifestyle.

They live out missions in their everyday life. From the moment they wake up until they go to bed, they impact the world around them.

Ninth, they are relational.

They are willing to leave their own “bubble” to make relationships with those considered the “least of these.” They have an awareness of the people around them and look for ways to build a relationship that will lead to sharing Christ and discipleship.

Tenth, they go!

It doesn’t matter where God tells them to go: Timbuktu or Kalamazoo, they grow where God plants them. And, they are willing to move on when He says, “GO!”

Eleventh, they see people with a future.

When they look at an unreached people group, they see potential “brothers and sisters” in Christ. They see that eternity and joy are available for everyone and are excited to share it.

Twelfth, they send!

They know that we are responsible for ALL people groups hearing the Gospel. They follow the example from the book of Acts to “send” out other missions-minded people. They support them in anyway possible.

Thirteenth, they understand “the task” is not done.

Mission-minded people know that once they have reached their family and friends with Christ, they are not done. There are still billions in the world that have not proclaimed Jesus’ name.

To explore mission opportunities available through the IMB, click here.

(EDITOR’S NOTE: List by IMB missionary writer Susie Rain. She lives in Southeast Asia and works with an unreached people group.)

Gena Wilson completed the NYC marathon
after more than nine hours of walking.
She crossed the finish line with U.S. Army veteran
Cedric King. A photo of King and Wilson at
the finish was featured in the November 6, 2014,
issue of Time magazine.
(Photo, caption credit IMB)

Scotland (MNN) — Overcoming life’s challenges is a feat everyone must face at one point or another. How a person overcomes said challenges shapes character and reveals faith.

Gena Wilson, a Southern Baptist missionary serving in Glasgow, Scotland with the International Mission Board (IMB), is no stranger to challenging circumstances. But she knows Who has gotten her through each trial and openly gives Him the credit.

“God has been so, SO gracious in my journey, long before cancer but especially during it, along with leading up to the NYC marathon yesterday,” Wilson stated after walking the entire New York City marathon in early November.

Today, the two-time cancer survivor is back in one of Scotland’s poorest communities, using her experiences to point young people to Christ.

As part of IMB’s ImpactGlasgow Team, Wilson builds relationships with impoverished young people through sports, Christian clubs, tutoring, and community outreach. The Lord has used many trials in Wilson’s life to show His mercy and strength to the people she encounters.

For example, in 2011, Wilson was forced by her first bout of cancer to return to the U.S. for treatment. While battling non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, she sent messages of encouragement back to Scotland via social media.

“It’s so good that this happened, even if all that [God] wanted to accomplish was to teach me how to trust Him even in the midst of suffering,” Wilson said in a special Christmas message to the students she mentored at Springburn Academy.

When cancer revisited Wilson last year in the form of a brain tumor, she was quick to reiterate the source of her hope.

Gena and Graeme, one of the young people she mentored.
(Photo credit IMB)

“God’s goodness is not defined by my health. Cancer can’t touch heaven. The best is yet to come,” she stated.

Overcoming cancer twice and walking a marathon in nine hours has renewed Wilson’s passion for proclaiming Christ in the greater Glasgow area. In 2015, she and her team will be bringing the love and hope of Jesus to the darkest areas of Glasgow: places where drug and alcohol addiction, teenage pregnancy, chronic unemployment, and violence run rampant.

Will you help Gena Wilson and her team overcome Glasgow’s darkness with the light and hope of Christ?

Click here to send financial support through IMB’s Lottie Moon Christmas Offering.

(Photo credit Hugo.arg & Viktorija O. via Wikimedia Commons)

USA (GHR/MNN) — It’s that time of year again in the United States: nights are getting chillier, and moms nationwide are starting to plan the big Thanksgiving and Christmas feasts. It’s also when Southern Baptists draw attention to the global hunger crisis.

One-sixth of the world’s population is undernourished, and nearly 16,000 children die every day from hunger-related causes: that’s one kid every five seconds. In the U.S., an estimated 35% of poor families are forced to choose between buying food and paying their rent. One of every four people in a major U.S. city soup kitchen line is a child.

Through their Global Hunger Relief initiative, Southern Baptists are mobilizing churches nationwide to end hunger in the U.S. and overseas through partners like International Mission Board (IMB) and Baptist Global Response (BGR). All projects supported by this initiative focus on sharing God’s love through word and deed.

Global Hunger Relief’s “Hunger Happens Everywhere” theme shows how people can help meet specific hunger needs in Syria and Appalachia.

Global Hunger Relief: Syria

(Photo credit GHR)

Recent ISIS advances in Syria forced another 130,000 thousand people to flee the war-torn country. Approximately 9.3 million Syrians are displaced, both inside the country and outside.

Using Global Hunger Relief funds, IMB and BGR are providing food parcels and hygiene kits to Syrian refugee families in need.

Global Hunger Relief: Appalachia

(Photo credit GHR)

Chronic hunger is a major problem in the Mississippi River Valley and the Appalachian Mountains. Impoverished children in these regions suffer the most, and their malnourishment leads to difficulty in school.

Southern Baptists have made neglected communities in the greater Appalachia area the focus of their LoveLoud outreach. Besides food items provided with Global Hunger Relief funds, believers provide “Christmas backpacks” filled with school supplies, hygiene items, and small toys.

Global Hunger Relief and you

Southern Baptists aren’t sharing these projects just to inform you; being part of the Great Commission means taking action.

First of all, pray. Pray that the hunger needs of people in the U.S. and overseas are alleviated through this initiative. Pray that hearts become receptive to Christ and His message of hope when basic needs are met.

(Photo credit GHR)

Secondly, advocate. With a Global Hunger Relief kit, you can add a global perspective to your church’s Fall Festival or “Trunk or Treat” event. On the flip-side, if your congregation already focuses on global hunger with World Hunger Sunday or a similar event, the kit can help promote a local food drive component.

Thirdly, give. Beyond prayer and spreading awareness of global hunger, you can take action by giving to Southern Baptist ministries. Support Syrian refugees through BGR, or fight U.S. hunger through the North American Mission Board.

Read more stories about global hunger relief here.

David Platt speaks at a news conference.

According to Baptist Press, David Platt was elected president of the Southern Baptist International Mission Board by board trustees, meeting at the IMB’s International Learning Center in Rockville, Virginia this week.

Platt, 36, pastor of The Church at Brook Hills, a Southern Baptist congregation in Birmingham, Ala., will take office effective immediately as president of the 169-year-old organization, the largest denominational missionary-sending body among American evangelicals. More than 4,800 Southern Baptist international missionaries serve worldwide.

Platt succeeds former missionary, pastor, and Southern Baptist Convention president Tom Elliff, 70, who has served as IMB president since March 2011. Elliff asked the agency’s trustees earlier this year to begin an active search for his successor. Elliff and his wife, Jeannie, plan to return to their home state, Oklahoma.

The author of the bestselling books “Radical” and “Follow Me,” among others, Platt has been pastor of The Church at Brook Hills, which counts about 4,500 members, since 2006.

He also founded and leads Radical, a ministry that exists to serve the church in accomplishing the mission of Christ. Radical provides resources that support disciple-making in local churches worldwide, organizing events, and facilitating opportunities through multiple avenues, all aimed at encouraging followers of Christ in God’s global purposes. Platt has traveled extensively to teach the Bible alongside church leaders and missionaries throughout the United States and around the world. He and his wife, Heather, have four children: Caleb, Joshua, Mara Ruth, and Isaiah.

“We talk all the time at Brook Hills about laying down a blank check with our lives before God, with no strings attached, willing to go wherever He leads, give whatever He asks, and do whatever He commands in order to make His glory known among the nations,” Platt said in a letter to his church, released Aug. 27. “Over these past months, God has made it abundantly clear to both Heather and me that He is filling in that blank check in our lives and family with a different assignment. Along the way, God has used the elders of our church to affirm His call, and today He used the leadership of the IMB to confirm it.”

In an interview, Platt said God had done a unique work in his life over the past 12 to 18 months, particularly since taking an overseas journey during which he saw a stark representation of just how many people have never heard the name of Jesus.

“This is not something I saw coming,” he said. “I love pastoring The Church at Brook Hills. I love shepherding this local church on mission for the glory of God among the nations and could picture myself doing that for decades to come. At the same time, God has been doing an unusual work in my heart and life. The only way I can describe it is that He’s been instilling in me a deeper, narrowing, Romans 15 kind of ambition, where [the Apostle] Paul said, ‘I want to see Christ preached where He has not been named’…. He has given me a deeper desire to spend more of my time and energy and resources in the short life He has given me, seeing Christ preached where He’s not been named. The concept of unreached peoples–of nearly 2 billion people who have never heard the Gospel–is just totally intolerable.”

During a February trip to Nepal, Platt recounted, his team trekked for five days before they encountered a single follower of Christ. He also witnessed Hindu families burning the bodies of newly-deceased loved ones and scattering their ashes over a sacred river in hopes that they would be reincarnated. Most, if not all, of them presumably had died without ever hearing of Christ.

“It just gripped me in a deeper way,” Platt said. “I came back with a desire to say, ‘How can my life more intentionally be used to get the Gospel to unreached peoples? Maybe I need to move overseas.’ Then the [trustee] search team contacted me and said, ‘Would you be willing to consider [becoming IMB president]?’ And I’m sitting there thinking, ‘Why would I be willing to consider moving overseas, but not be willing to consider mobilizing thousands of people in a more intentional way to do that?’

“The Lord has made it so clear, clearer than just about anything else I’ve ever done in my life. I told my wife the only thing I can compare it to is asking her to marry me.”

Platt’s passion for people lost without Christ–and his calling to reach them–inspired members of the IMB trustee search committee, according to trustee and search committee chairman David Uth, pastor of First Baptist Church of Orlando, Fla.

“When we realized his sense of call, whether that meant serving as IMB president or going himself,…we realized how passionate, how deeply committed and called he was to the nations,” Uth said in an interview. “That began for us a new season of discussions with him–and I will add, too, with his wife. The picture we saw of them was a beautiful picture of a one-flesh marriage moving together, following the same call. We sensed as much call in Heather as we did David.

“One more thing that really was consuming for us: his passion for lostness. To bring back passion for lostness within the context of Southern Baptist life would be so refreshing. I think it would be a [denominational] rebirth.”

Uth said the trustees are excited about Platt’s influence among thousands of Southern Baptists and other evangelical leaders through The Church at Brook Hills, the Radical network, and other arenas.

“We weren’t looking for a man who knew how to talk about it; we were looking for a man who was doing it and using the influence he had to affect the nations,” Uth said. “When we considered what Brook Hills was doing to send couples [to the mission field] and to engage people in the pew in kingdom work, we felt like those were clues to how effective he was at mobilizing and getting people to follow the vision that God had given him.”

The ongoing crisis in financial support for missionaries is a major issue for Southern Baptists and IMB leadership, Uth acknowledged, and will challenge Platt as it has challenged Elliff during his tenure. But the potential of young, God-called missionaries in an emerging generation is far greater.

“I think the missionary force, the young people God is calling…represents one of the greatest forces in Christian history right now,” Uth stressed. “While the world is becoming more hostile and anti-Christian in some places, it’s as if [young missionaries’] passion is growing equally to go to those hard places. That’s where we hear young couples saying they want to go, that they want to be radically obedient to what God has called us to do for the nations. The passion is there. How do we equip them and resource them? How do we incorporate strategy that’s effective? David is going to address that in a way that’s going to bring maximum impact.”

Platt particularly hopes to use his influence to multiply the involvement of local Southern Baptist churches for missions in a way that glorifies God and His Word.

“I want to see the IMB first and foremost exalting Christ as the center of the church and mission,” Platt said. “He’s the One who’s going to accomplish the Great Commission. He’s given us the joy of being involved with Him in it. That means in everything the IMB does, we’ve got to be in tune with His Word, His plan, His Spirit, reflecting His character. I want to take whatever influence the Lord has given me–and will give me in this position–to sound the trumpet among followers of Christ (Southern Baptists and non-Southern Baptists) to say missions is not a compartmentalized program. The local church is the agent God has promised to bless for the spread of the Gospel to the nations. The role of the IMB is to equip and empower and encourage the local church to do this.”

Message to missionaries

For IMB missionaries overseas, Platt has a simple message:

“I just [want] to say to you, more than anything, that the vision of the IMB remains the same: a multitude from every language, people, tribe and nation knowing and worshipping our Lord Jesus Christ…. If you don’t hear anything else, please hear me say that all I want to do is lock arms with you, with what you’re doing on the frontlines, with what’s going on back here in mobilizing churches, to go after that vision…. I’ve been so thankful over the years pastoring in the church to partner with so many of you in different parts of the world. I’m thinking about specific brothers and sisters that I’ve had the joy of serving alongside and many others that I look forward to serving alongside in different ways. And I just don’t believe that there is a means that God has blessed so greatly as He has the IMB and this coalition of 40,000 [Southern Baptist] churches working together for the spread of the Gospel to the nations.

“I am honored, humbled, overjoyed, and overwhelmed to be in this role, and I just want you to hear from me from the beginning that I am committed to praying for you, to supporting you, to listening to you, to learning from you…. How can we most effectively work together to make disciples of all nations?….I love you, I’m praying for you, and I’m honored to serve alongside you in what is the greatest mission on this earth.”

Platt asks for prayer for The Church at Brook Hills and for his family as he begins the transition to his new role at the International Mission Board.

The Platts are natives of Atlanta. He received two bachelor of arts degrees from the University of Georgia in Athens and master of divinity, master of theology, and doctor of philosophy degrees from New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary. Before becoming pastor at Brook Hills, he served as an assistant professor of expository preaching and apologetics at New Orleans seminary and as staff evangelist at Edgewater Baptist Church in New Orleans.

(Photo courtesy of International Mission Board)

Lebanon (IMB/MNN)– The following update and call to action regarding Syrian refugees is written by Eden Nelson of International Mission Board:

As Lebanon registered its 1 millionth Syrian refugee in early April, the United Nations labeled it a “devastating milestone.”

Four years after opening its borders to Syrians fleeing war, Lebanon struggles to hold the weight of the new population that calls it home. The small nation alone holds nearly half the 2.5 million registered refugees who have fled from Syria to five neighboring countries: Lebanon, Turkey, Cyprus, Jordan, and Iraq.

And 2,500 new names are being added to the total in Lebanon each day, but that does not touch the total of people affected by the war. The UN estimates that a total of 9 million refugees–documented and undocumented–have fled Syria, with 6.5 million displaced within the war-torn country.

*Rick Gladson, a Christian worker serving among Syrians in Lebanon, said concerning the latest headlines, “The key word is ‘registered,’ meaning registered with UNHCR (United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees). I think everyone in the country would tell you there are many more than 1 million Syrian refugees here.”

“It’s likely that every fourth person in Lebanon is Syrian,” he said. “I think people are starting to recognize that there is no ‘reset’ button for the Syrian crises. If the war miraculously ended tomorrow, the likelihood that the millions of displaced Syrians would just return home is slim to nil. In many ways, this conflict has permanently altered the shape of the region.”

Describing what a country roughly the size of Connecticut is like with such a high number of refugees, Gladson explained that every major intersection has a few Syrian beggars moving from car to car “with an outstretched hand” hoping to sell an item or receive help.

*Don Alan, a Christian worker living in the region, said that in Lebanon, Syrian refugees live everywhere and anywhere–in places that people in the West would condemn and places “that you would never imagine anyone living”–and not just one or two, but dozens.

In the midst of that, relief agencies struggle to keep up with the vast need. The UN’s World Food Programme has cut its food aid to Syrians by a fifth because of lack of funds, according to BBC News.

As refugee agencies and NGOs work to determine how to meet the devastating need of Syrians in Lebanon, Christian workers are also determining new strategies with hopes of reaching hurting people. They are partnering with local congregations to provide humanitarian relief, making visits to families to distribute aid, hearing their stories, and sharing the Gospel with them.

“They want to be heard, they want their story told, and they need the help that is being offered them,” Alan said. “So many of them don’t know the deeper need they have for a Savior, but it shows on their faces as they deal with the hardships that life has put before them.”

He said he hears stories of families who had to leave their homes behind, families whose children sleep fitfully each night from memories of bombs. He also hears stories recalling the loss of loved ones and the heartbreaking ways it has affected their families.

And as Alan sits with hurting refugees and senses their burden, he often feels overwhelmed.

“Humanly speaking we are unable to respond adequately, yet God is very clearly opening the door for His Church to respond and step into refugees’ lives that have been shattered to bring hope and purpose and most of all a real peace that the world cannot give,” he said. “May we be faithful to what our Father is calling us to do.”

Gladson said he senses that the vast majority of Syrians have come into a deeper, more personal understanding of the depravity of the human race.

Syrians, he said, pinned their hopes on the Arab Spring to bring about a better Syria–a “salvation of sorts from injustice. [But] over the course of the past three years, they have lost all confidence in man.”

“In the end, it’s obvious that neither side in this conflict has the power to reshape a society for the better,” Gladson said. “Both sides are trying to bring about change from the outside in, with brute force and violence. Christ changes a society from the inside out by making dead hearts alive to Him.”

Gladson said his prayer is that God would call a group of Syrians to Himself in Lebanon and that they would love Him and live out His commandments. He hopes one day “the refugees will go back into Syria and represent redemption in a land that has seen so much suffering.

“One thing is certain: we have never seen so much openness among Muslims than what we’re experiencing with our Syrian friends in Lebanon,” Gladson said.

With rising opportunities to share the Gospel, there are ways Christians around the world can get involved directly in meeting the desperate needs of Syrians in Lebanon.

Gladson believes first and foremost that Western believers can pray for Syrians by bringing “their suffering, their needs, their plight, and their salvation before the loving Father that created them–in a sense, sharing in their suffering.

“It brings me much joy and my Syrian friends even more to be able to tell them that there are people thousands of miles away, who will probably never set eyes on the Middle East, who pray for them,” he said.

Another way to get involved, Gladson said, is to contribute financially to the Baptist Global Response Syria Crisis Fund.

“This money goes to providing refugees with food parcels and hygiene kits delivered by messengers of the Gospel.”

As the number of refugees increases each day, Christian workers in the Middle East ask that the global Church not give up fighting for Syria through prayer and support.

“Remember that these people are not just a number–1 million–but people with stories, hurts, and needs,” Alan said. “Don’t give up on Syria. Pray that God would awaken in us a burden to lift up these families impacted by the ongoing conflict.”

The refugees are not just faceless strangers: they are mothers and fathers, sons and daughters, grandmothers and grandfathers, aunts and uncles feeling “unimaginable suffering and hardship,” he said.

“Each person has at least someone who has been lost in this tragic war,” he said. “Each one is loved by the Father and is one for whom He sent His Son to bring them to Him.

“With great displacements of people, God is doing something that we must join Him in.”

*Names changed

Eden Nelson is a writer for the IMB based out of the Middle East.

Earthquake and aftershocks hit Chile.
IMB workers are safe and are praying.

Chile (MNN/BP) — An 8.2 magnitude earthquake, followed by aftershocks as strong as 7.6, has rocked the country of Chile in South America. It’s a country where seismic activity is common. The frequent earthquakes cause Chileans to be prepared, no doubt resulting in lives saved according to most reports.

Southern Baptist International Mission Board missionaries in Chile are asking you to pray and to thank God for protection.

“Praise the Lord that Chile is very prepared for earthquakes,” said IMB’s Chita Drinkard, who serves in Santiago, Chile’s capital. Drinkard endured a similar 8.8-magnitude quake that rocked Santiago in 2010 and said Chileans are familiar with the country’s frequent seismic activity. “Even so, the terror of going through an earthquake of this magnitude can affect one for a long time, so please continue to pray,” she added.

Tuesday’s quake caused landslides, damage to buildings, power outages, and triggered a small tsunami; at least six people have been confirmed dead. The earthquake’s epicenter in the Pacific Ocean was about 60 miles northwest of Iquique, where IMB missionaries Cathy and Lee Zwink serve. The Zwinks are currently on stateside assignment in Colorado.

About 2,500 homes were damaged in Alto Hospicio, a poor neighborhood in the hills above Iquique. Poorly-constructed government subsidized housing was the cause of the damage.

“Pray for our brothers and sisters in Christ in northern Chile following the 8.2 earthquake off the coast of Iquique,” the Zwinks posted on their Facebook page. “Pray that our Lord’s grace and mercy will be poured down on our country [Chile] and be shared with all those affected by the quake.”

No other IMB personnel live in the quake zone. The nearest IMB missionaries are Bryan and Deana Wolf in the coastal city of La Serena, about 800 miles south of Iquique. They and most other IMB missionaries in Chile didn’t even feel the quake, said Bob Shirey, IMB’s logistics coordinator for Chile.

A 7.6-magnitude aftershock struck the region late Wednesday. There was no immediate word on damage or injuries.

This latest earthquake was the most powerful temblor to rock Chile since Feb. 27, 2010, when an 8.8-magnitude quake shattered central Chile. That quake and a subsequent tsunami claimed the lives of 524 people.

“More than anything, pray for the people to be calm and to have their hearts turned to the Lord for their needs,” said Jackie Bursmeyer, a veteran IMB missionary in Chile who experienced both the 2010 earthquake and an earlier 8.0-magnitude temblor in the coastal city of Vina del Mar in 1985.

Support the IMB here.

Special thanks to Maria Elena Baseler, an IMB writer and editor living in the Americas for her contribution. 

A Crimean Tatar pauses to pray. The man, who wished to remain unidentified, is a church planter to his own people in Crimea. (Photo by Chris Carter, IMB)

Ukraine (BP/MNN) — Stakes in Ukraine are even higher now. The Crimean parliament voted to hold a referendum in 10 days to give the people of the region a vote on whether or not to join the Russian federation and to nationalize state industries.

The United States condemned the move, calling it a violation of the Ukrainian constitution. President Obama called for international monitors to be allowed in to Ukraine to ensure the rights of the people. Russia says it will wait to make any decision on the move until after the referendum.

Despite all of the uncertainty, ministry continues in full force, says Shannon Ford, a missionary with the Southern Baptist International Mission Board. “The response from the churches has been fantastic,” Ford says from Kiev. “It really has been a time for prayer: not simply saying we’re going to pray, but actually going and being seen and guiding other people to pray,” even in the far east, near the Russian border.

Is the church unified? Ford says, “In this past few weeks, we’ve honestly seen a greater unification of the different evangelicals, and they’re standing alongside the Orthodox and Greek Catholic churches in support of the people and their spiritual needs.”

What does unity look like? “They’ve basically stood before the people and called people to pray. There is a depth of hunger for connecting with God and understanding the situation. The other side of that is the sheer number of Bibles and New Testaments that have been distributed.”

Ford describes the distributions: “Literally, as soon as you open up cases of Bibles, people begin walking by and begin talking to those who are with the Bibles, answering questions, asking to pray with them. We haven’t seen anything like this since the early 90s.”

According to the Baptist Press, even though talks of secession in Crimea are taking place, IMB work in the region continues. “The churches are still active. One of my good friends is a Ukrainian brother. It’s been fun to watch him post pictures of prayer walking, pictures of [him] and others talking to people that are milling around or just standing around to see what might happen,” says Ford.

People of faith are regarded highly today, Ford says. “Those who are known as believers are actually being sought out and are actually being listened to. It’s a neat thing to see.”

Ford told the Baptist Press that he doesn’t downplay the dangers facing Ukraine from both inside and out, or the agony the nation has experienced in recent months as protesters battled police and blood flowed before the government changed hands. He has served there for more than 15 years and feels the pain of Ukrainians more than most foreigners.

What Christians have been able to do in the last few months, in Ford’s view, is an outward sign of the maturing of evangelical work since Ukraine gained independence from the dissolving Soviet Union.

At the moment, however, the crisis at home demands the full attention of Ukrainian Baptists, PB reports. One of them is Oleksandr Turchynov, who was voted interim national president by the Ukrainian Parliament until new elections take place in May. He took office after President Viktor Yanukovych was removed Feb. 23 and later fled to Russia. (Russia’s incursion into Crimea followed within a week.)

Turchynov “has been a lay preacher in one of our Baptist churches, and he has brought a demeanor of trust and respect to the acting government,” Ford said. “So it’s really been a great time for the churches to be doing what we ought to be doing. They’ve not hidden. They’ve actually activated and gotten more visible during this time of stress and tension.”

Now, as divisions increase between ethnic Ukrainians in the western part of the country and ethnic Russians in the east, Christians are focusing on bringing people together.

“Unity is the word that keeps being used,” Ford reported. “The [Baptist] brothers and sisters in eastern Ukraine mostly use Russian. Many of them have Russian heritage. But they are the first ones to speak up and say, ‘There’s no tension between us and the Ukrainian speakers.’ Those in western Ukraine, even in a city that is very nationalistic and Ukrainian in language and culture, declared a ‘Russian language only’ day. They actually took to the streets and used Russian to show we’re one country. Language is not the thing that divides us.”

Unless circumstances force a change in plans, Baptists and mission workers anticipate a full schedule of summer camps, evangelistic outreach events, and other ministries this year. In fact, Ford hopes Southern Baptist volunteers come to work alongside them.

“It may sound like a fool’s errand, but we still think you can come and serve because we’re still here, and we’d like you to come and join us,” he said. He also challenged Southern Baptists to use the current situation as a way to reach out to ethnic Ukrainians and Russians in American communities.

Ford said he and other IMB workers have been overwhelmed and greatly encouraged by the many e-mails and social media posts from Southern Baptists expressing concern and promising prayer.

“It’s kind of strange. We’re in a sense of alert, but we’re also very much at ease,” he said. “Our #1 prayer is not necessarily for our safety, even though we of course want that for ourselves and for our people. Our #1 prayer is that we make use of this opportunity to be purveyors of the Gospel light. There’s just a lot of opportunity, and I’d hate for us to miss it.”

(Thanks to Baptist Press and Erich Bridges for contributing to this story.)