Mnoho baptistů slouží v citlivých oblastech. Southern Baptist International Mission Board posílá své misionáře do řady citlivých či nebezpečných oblastí.

Armáda Spásy pokračuje v boji za zachování svých zařízení v Moskvě. Moskevské úřady dosud nevyřídily žádost Armády Spásy o novou registraci podanou před 2 lety.

Angolský církevní představitel volá po pomoci po 27leté občanské válce. Válka, která byla součástí studené války mezi bývalým SSSR a USA skončila a zemi je třeba znovu vybudovat. Jinak by hmotná bída mohla vést k dalším bojům.

The Poso Watch Network of Indonesia has reported that on the evening of Monday, Aug. 12, the village of Sepe (seven miles from Poso) was attacked. This village of 1,250 had just been rebuilt after being burned down by Muslim extremists from the Laskar Jihad in December 2001. The villagers fled with some of the men remaining behind in a futile attempt to defend their village with crude weapons such as machetes, sickles and sharpened bamboo poles while the attackers brandished automatic weapons. The men who attempted to make a stand were forced to abandon their village as they witnessed their houses being looted and burned. Rev. Vence Waani, pastor of the Pentecostal church in Sepe, said the situation was menacing. "The sounds of automatic weapons were coming from all directions, mixed with the hysterical shouting of mothers, the weeping and shrieking of children, and the glow and flames of fire from the burning houses, all blending into one scene of horror." Waani and his family fled to Kawua. After terrorists destroyed Sepe, they advanced to the village of Silancar where they continued their campaign of terror, shooting, plundering and burning. (International Christian Concern)

WORST MONSOONS IN 30 YEARS DEVASTATE NEPAL

The heaviest monsoon rains in 30 years are devastating the Himalayan country of Nepal, leaving hundreds of people dead or missing. World Help President Vernon Brewer says the weather is also having an impact on Christian outreach. "One village in particular among the unreached Chepang people was washed away, and 43 believers drowned," he says. In one family of 14, everyone died except a 9-year-old boy. "For us as Christians, we need to step up and earn the right to be heard and say, 'Hey, we're here to help. We're here to meet your physical needs.' That makes the people much more open to hearing about how we can help meet their spiritual needs as well." (Mission Network News)

PAKISTANI CHRISTIANS FEAR FURTHER ATTACKS FROM TERRORISTS

Christians in Pakistan fear for their lives after at least three nurses died Friday, Aug. 9, when attackers hurled grenades at a chapel in a missionary hospital in Taxila, about 25 miles west of Islamabad, church officials said. Investigators said that the attackers may have been from an outlawed Islamic militant group. At least two of the attackers escaped, and one of the suspects was killed. In addition to the deaths of the three nurses, about 20 people were injured in this second attack against a Christian target in Pakistan within a week. Samuel Azariah, the presiding bishop of the Church of Pakistan, suggested that the latest developments were part of an attempt by Muslim extremists to undermine the U.S.-led war against terrorism in the region. "Whatever decision you take in the West has an effect on the Christian community here," he told the British Broadcasting Corporation, referring to growing violence against Christians. Friday's attack came just four days after six Pakistanis were shot dead at a missionary school for foreigners in the town of Murree, also near Islamabad. Shahbaz Bhatti, who heads the All Pakistan Minorities Alliance, said the country's Christians are paying the price for being allied with the West. "I think now it will be a complete genocide of the non-Muslims here if the Islamic militant forces are not checked," he told reporters. (Assist News Service)

MANY NEW BAPTIST MISSIONARIES TO SERVE IN SENSITIVE AREAS

The Southern Baptist International Mission Board (IMB) continues to send new missionaries to the field, including many to potentially dangerous areas. IMB President Jerry Rankin says 79 workers were commissioned recently. "More than half of those appointed could not be identified by the places they're going to serve because they're very security sensitive and in restricted areas, and yet through creative assignments are able to gain access and live out . . . their faith." (Mission Network News)

NORTH KOREA BECOMES WORLD'S WORST PERSECUTING NATION

For the first time North Korea has replaced Saudi Arabia as the country where Christians are most severely persecuted, reported Open Doors in it semi-annual "World Watch List" released Monday, Aug. 12. The list ranks countries according to the level of persecution Christians face for following Christ. For years, Saudi Arabia had held the top spot on the list. A Saudi who converts to another religion can face the death penalty for apostasy. But growing evidence of severe oppression in North Korea has confirmed what many observers have believed for years, that the communist dictatorship of Kim Jong Il stops at nothing to eradicate all belief systems other than the worship of himself and his deceased father, Kim Il Sung. Both father and son have made every attempt to purge the land of Christians. Nevertheless, the church has survived in North Korea. Christian refugees escaping the country's devastating famine tell of small secret house churches scattered across the country. One refugee told how everyone in a house church of 20 to 30 people disappeared after authorities discovered it two years ago. Rounding out the top-10 list of persecution nations (in order of ranking) are Laos, Vietnam, Turkmenistan, Maldives, Bhutan, Pakistan, Afghanistan and Somalia. (Assist News Service)

SALVATION ARMY CONTINUES BATTLE TO REMAIN OPEN IN MOSCOW

Despite having its court-ordered liquidation overturned and its legal status affirmed, the Moscow branch of the Salvation Army still faces another lower court hearing to consider the Moscow justice department's appeal that it be liquidated. Nor has the branch yet attained the re-registration with the justice department it first applied for nearly four years ago. Vladimir Ryakhovsky, the lawyer representing the Salvation Army, said the Moscow corps would again be seeking re-registration from the justice department. On Aug. 1 the presidium of the Moscow city court overturned an earlier court ruling by Moscow's Taganka inter-municipal court under which the Moscow branch was deemed to have ceased its operations and to have lost its legal status. Ryakhovsky said that in executing the decision of Russia's Constitutional Court, the chairman of the Moscow city court had raised an objection to that legal decision, and the case of the Salvation Army has been referred for reconsideration by the Taganka court. No date has yet been set for a new hearing. (Keston News Service)

ANGOLAN CHURCH LEADERS CALL FOR HELP AFTER 27-YEAR CIVIL WAR

Prominent church leaders in Angola are calling for help in rebuilding the southern African nation after a disastrous 27-year civil war. "The great superpowers acknowledge that our country has been destroyed, but they don't want to acknowledge their role in destroying it," said the Rev. Daniel Ntoni-Nzinga, a Baptist pastor who serves as executive secretary of the Inter-Church Committee for Peace in Angola. While the war began among factions fighting for control after independence from Portugal in 1975, it soon became a proxy contest of the Cold War with Cuba and the Soviet Union backing the government and the U.S. and South Africa backing the rebels. The war stopped abruptly when rebel leader Jonas Savimbi was killed last February, and the rebels were integrated into Angolan society after a cease-fire was signed in April. "If we don't manage this humanitarian crisis well, we'll just be planting seeds for the next conflict," Ntoni-Nzinga said. "We need the world's help." (Episcopal News Service)

* HCJB World Radio beams Kikongo Fioti programs to Angola and surrounding countries via shortwave from South America.

SAMOAN SWIMMER NEARLY CROSSES ENGLISH CHANNEL IN FUNDRAISER

Seventh-day Adventist member Iose Mataafa swam for almost 12 hours Thursday, Aug. 1, before pulling up just one mile short of his goal to become the first Samoan to swim the more than 20-mile stretch of water between England and France. Mataafa, 57, from Brisbane, Australia, says he took on the challenge in order to raise awareness of principles of healthy living and to raise money for his local church's building program. He began his attempt at 4:40 a.m. Aug. 1, setting out from the Kent coast. He was accompanied across the channel by his support vessel which carried representatives of the Channel Swimming Association as well as his wife, Kaumi, church youth leader Tanu Sanft and two crew members. Mataafa swam for approximately 12 hours, never leaving the water or touching the boat, and only taking brief hourly breaks for food and drinks. All was going well until just a mile from the French coast when he developed a shoulder injury that slowed his progress. The sea conditions also changed, and the captain and official observer judged that the tides and current were too strong for him to complete the swim. (Adventist News Network)

FREE BOOKLET: Order your own copy of HCJB World Radio's new 20-page booklet, "God Keeps Opening Doors," by e-mailing your name and mailing address to doors@hcjb.org. You'll also receive a free bookmark.

Ztížené získávání víz do Ruska pro církevní pracovníky. Po již dřívějších odmítnutích žádostí o prodloužení víz k pobytu katolického biskupa Jarzyho Mazura a kněze Stafano Caprio byl takto postižen další katolický kněz – Slovák Stanislav Krajňák, který dosud pracoval v Jaroslavli 250 km od Moskvy. Do konce srpna tak bude muset odjet. Podobně jsou postihováni a někteří protestanti z USA. Důvodem je „bezpečnost státu.“

As large parts of central Europe are inundated by the highest floods in half a century, churches are trying to help some of the victims. A state of emergency has been declared in parts of Germany as well as in Austria, the Czech Republic and southern Russia. The total death toll has exceeded 70. Hundreds of thousands of people have been evacuated from their homes. In the German state of Saxony three people have been killed, and a dozen are missing and feared drowned. The Salvation Army has brought out its emergency truck to distribute refreshments to the many hundreds of rescue workers in Dresden, one of the worst-hit German cities. A bakery also donated bread, and a catering service has provided 500 meals, said Maj. Jim Garrington. Together with his wife, Judy, the American is in command of the Salvation Army corps in Dresden. The emergency truck is their latest acquisition, and as he put it, just had its "water baptism." The Elbe River has flooded large parts of the city after more than a week of near constant downpour. Most historic churches in Saxony have been spared because they are built on higher ground. However, in Dresden the St. Matthews Church is flooded. In some church halls, water has been seeping through roofs or filled the basements. (Evangelical News Agency IDEA)

VISAS GETTING HARDER TO RENEW FOR RELIGIOUS WORKERS IN RUSSIA

Following the recent stripping of visas from a Catholic bishop, Jerzy Mazur, and priest Stefano Caprio, yet another Catholic priest working in Russia was refused visa renewal on Aug. 2. Stanislav Krajnak, a Slovak, has worked for the past two years in the town of Yaroslavl, 175 miles northeast of Moscow. Krajnak will be forced to leave Russia by the end of August when his visa expires. Some Protestants from U.S. who have worked in Russia for several years also have been told that their visa renewal was refused "for reasons of the security of the state." (Keston News Service)

* HCJB World Radio also has been blanketing Russia with gospel broadcasts via shortwave since 1941. In the early 1990s the ministry began working to "plant" local radio ministries in Russia and now works with partners in 28 cities nationwide. In 2000 HCJB World Radio helped launch the first Christian Russian radio satellite network, operated by Christian Radio for Russia, in the former Soviet Union and eastern Europe. Affiliate stations are on the air in seven cities, and many more are planned.

PERSECUTION, CULTS THREATEN INNER MONGOLIA'S GROWING CHURCH

Churches are thriving in independent Mongolia, but the church worldwide often forgets about neighboring Inner Mongolia, a part of China with more than 4 million Mongol residents who are tightly control by Chinese authorities. The Protestant church in Inner Mongolia is small but growing rapidly with 172,000 believers and more than 1,000 official churches and meeting points, according to official reports. However, the church faces two major obstacles: persecution and cults. Churches have been demolished in some areas of Inner Mongolia by hostile local authorities. Because of the lack of trained pastors, cults have made significant inroads. "Inner Mongolia is one of the most backward areas in terms of gospel witness," laments a house church leader. (Compass)

PRIEST FROM BULLDOZED CHURCH IN BELARUS MAY FACE CHARGES

Fears are mounting that the Autocephalous Orthodox priest whose church was bulldozed by authorities in Belarus on Aug. 1 might face criminal charges. "I am being hunted, and my car is being hunted," said Yan Spasyuk, a priest in the small town of Pahranichny near Belarus' western border with Poland. "I have been forced to go into hiding." His parishioners are urging him not to return to the town and see the demolition. "They said it would be too much of a shock for me to see the ruins. But how can I be at peace when all this is going on?" He said he would return to Pahranichny to hold a liturgy next to the ruins of the church which had been completed only recently. "It is important that evil does not win," he said. A local journalist -- one of those detained by border troops on Aug. 1 when they arrived to report on the church demolition and fined the next day for "having crossed a frontier zone" -- said police who would not confirm reports of criminal charges against Spasyuk. "All they will say is that they are investigating whether there has been a violation of the law or not." (Keston News Service)

NEW WEBSITE FIGHTS YOUTH SUICIDE, DRUG ABUSE IN AUSTRALIA

A new online magazine for young people is fighting the appalling Australian statistics on drug abuse, suicide and alcoholism. Right Turn, founded by a group of editors, journalists, social workers, web designers and researchers, offers advice, information and counseling to Australian teenagers in a format that most appeals to them. Australia has one of the highest youth suicide rates in the world, accounting for 25 percent of all deaths in the 15-24 age group. The average age when Australian teens start drinking alcohol is 13, and they typically begin experimenting with marijuana at age 14. Drug abuse costs the Australian community more than $14 billion per year, and 25,500 Australians die from drug-related causes annually. In the 15-34 age group, one death in three is drug related. Right Turn editor Lisa Saul says among of the most important features of the outreach are "sections where young people can write in to us. For example, we have trained online counselors who deal with the problems young people have, and we have a chat page where young people can vent on the topic of the month." For details visit www.rightturn.info (Religious Media Agency)

TRUCK-STOP CHAPLAIN MINISTERS TO 'HIGHWAY COWBOYS'

Truck drivers who rule the highways with their big rigs are really just regular folks. The human face of their industry is no different than that of any segment of working life in America, says Rev. Bruce Maxwell, a United Methodist pastor who serves as a chaplain to some of the thousands of "highway cowboys and cowgirls" on the open road. For the last 10 years Maxwell has ministered through the Breezewood Trucker-Traveler Ministry, offering prayer, counsel, hospitality and emergency help at two Pennsylvania truck stops. He works with the truckers, their families, travelers and local employees who stop in Breezewood daily. "Providing a pastoral presence in this environment, we pray to see the love of God in Christ at work changing the heart and providing for a need in person's life." Maxwell says truckers are often stereotyped as being unkempt womanizers and have children scattered across the country "These stereotypes begin to break down when youth groups, church groups and civic groups participate in an outreach project to the truckers," he says. Projects include such things as hospitality tables and traveler care packages. "Truck drivers are people," Maxwell adds. "Some holy and beautiful, some angry, lonely and hurting." He says two things make the ministry worthwhile. "When I encounter someone who, by the fruit of their own spiritual journey, shares a blessing with me, or when God places me at the right place and the right time to be of help and blessing to someone in need, that makes this job a source of great satisfaction." (United Methodist News Service)

FREE BOOKLET: Order your own copy of HCJB World Radio's new 20-page booklet, "God Keeps Opening Doors," by e-mailing your name and mailing address to doors@hcjb.org . You'll also receive a free bookmark.

Oprava. Christian Aid Mission minulý týden (8.8.2002) nesprávně informovala o tom, že nově vybudovaný evangelický kostel je teprve druhým takovým v celé Moskvě. Ve skutečnosti zde působí řada protestantských sborů.

In Sub-Saharan Africa the threat of famine is turning into more of a reality. World Concern's Kelly Miller just returned from a fact-finding trip where he says up to 15 million people could go hungry within two or three months. Many people in rural areas have sold their livestock in order to raise money to buy food, he says. "People have gone through all those coping mechanisms, and they're down to a meal or less per day," Miller says. "They're eating grass. They're foraging for wild bananas. So it's a critical time." People are hoping to hang on until the next growing season begins in March. World Concern is working with local churches to battle the problem. "We realize both the physical and spiritual go hand in hand -- that is the sharing of the gospel. There are many villages with no church presence whatsoever, so the hope is that the relationship can be built for the church. That's what opens communities' hearts to the gospel." (Mission Network News)

THOUSANDS OF NORTH KOREAN REFUGEES HIDING IN CHINA

Hundreds of thousands of North Korean refugees are in hiding in northeastern China, living in fear of deportation back to a country gripped by a controlling dictatorship and a famine that may have claimed 2 million lives. The Chinese government has taken drastic action to stem the flood of desperate refugees seeking asylum in foreign embassies in Beijing. Sensational headlines have accused overseas hostile forces -- especially Christians -- of being involved in a "conspiracy" to destabilize the North Korean regime. The Chinese-language newspaper Youth Reference recently reported that a "South Korean body with links to the Christian church" had masterminded a recent asylum incident. As a result, South Korean evangelism and discipleship ministries in China are at risk in the atmosphere of surveillance and paranoia. (Compass)

UKRAINIAN MISSIONARY LEADER DIES IN PLANE CRASH IN ALASKA

Pavel Radchuk, one of the founders of Good Samaritan Mission in Ukraine, died in a plane crash in Alaska Thursday, Aug. 8. He had flown there to speak at a youth camp and was being given a test ride in a private jet when a sudden burst of wind caused the plane to crash on takeoff. Both Radchuk and the pilot, Peter Morozov, died instantly. Radchuk, who had lived in Seattle since 1966, leaves behind his wife, Svetlana, and seven children. His evangelist brother, Slavik Kulinich, serves as missions scout to former Soviet lands for Christian Aid Mission. Radchuk grew up in a devout Christian family and walked seven miles each way to underground church meetings twice weekly during the Soviet era. He came to Christ at age 14 and was baptized in 1978. In 1985 he and Slavik were part of a team of missionaries who scouted out the Islamic lands of the former Soviet Union. In 1992 Radchuk was instrumental in sending 25 Ukrainian missionaries to the Chukotka and Magadan regions of Siberia. In two years they established 25 congregations among 40 ethnic groups. In 1996 Radchuk moved to Seattle to help pastor the Slavic Evangelical Church. His brother is now directing the work in Ukraine. (Christian Aid Mission)

THAI MISSIONARY REPORTS CONVERSIONS DESPITE PERSECUTION

A Thai missionary reports spiritual victories amid growing local hostility in northeastern Thailand. On Aug. 8 a group of people came and cut down the fruit trees and destroyed the fences around the property of a widowed staff member of a local church. She has three daughters. This was the third time in six weeks that the family had suffered such attacks. The perpetrators apparently have a "special animosity towards Christians, and their goal is to overthrow our Christian witness and influence in the community," the missionary said. Despite the attacks, several families in the town have turned to the Lord recently. One young couple was brought to the church two months ago by their parents who had become believers six months earlier. Two weeks ago the younger couple embraced Christ. At the same time a young man recently detained on drug charges and a young woman who had never heard of Christ both gave their lives to the Lord. "Please pray for their spiritual growth," the leader said, "and that God will protect our church from attack from these people who have evil intentions." (Christian Aid Mission)

LUTHERAN PASTOR COMPLETES 5,000-MILE RIDE ON UNICYCLE

After traveling 5,032 miles, Rev. Lars Clausen, a pastor of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA), finished a cross-country trip from the Pacific coast to the Atlantic coast riding a unicycle. The purpose of Clausen's ride, "One Wheel -- Many Spokes," was to raise money for the Seward Peninsula Lutheran Endowment Fund and raise awareness of the Inupiat Lutheran Eskimos in Alaska. The fund was created to support the ministries of the six ELCA congregations on the Seward peninsula with the goal of raising $5 million. So far $250,000 has come in. Clausen started his ride April 29 in Neah Bay, Wash., and finished Aug. 10 at the Statue of Liberty in New York. Clausen also stopped at the site of the World Trade on the last day of the trip where he took a "slow and wordless walk." On Wednesday Clausen started a trip to California where he grew up. He plans to ride a unicycle most of the route, traveling through the southern states. For details visit www.onewheel.org. (ELCA News Service)

ECUADOR'S TUNGURAHUA VOLCANO AGAIN RAINS ASH ON AREA FARMS

Ashfalls from the rumbling Tungurahua volcano in central Ecuador are again affecting people in the Pelileo area. Ash from the volcano, which has been going through a series of eruptive cycles since 1999, is affecting the crops and livestock of about 1,500 families. Rodrigo Ruiz, a farmer in the community of Pillate, seven miles southwest of de Pelileo, said the volcano sent up a "dense cloud of ash" at 2:15 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 11, covering farms in the area. Emissions of ash, small earthquakes and cannon-like sounds continue to come from the volcano which has been covered by rain clouds in recent days. Daniel Andrade of the Geophysical Institute in Quito says the volcanic activity is characterized by a "constant emission of gases and ash." People in the area are appealing for help as crops have been destroyed and cattle become sick. (El Comercio)

* HCJB World Radio sent three relief teams to the affected area last fall, bringing physical help and spiritual encouragement to local residents. The 16,470-foot volcano, 105 miles south of Quito, first rumbled back to life in late 1999 after eight decades of inactivity, forcing the evacuation of 25,000 residents from Banos and area for about three months. Since then the volcano has gone through various cycles of activity, including ashfalls last August that caused an estimated $10 million in agricultural damage.

CORRECTION: Christian Aid Mission incorrectly reported last week that a church had become just the second evangelical church within Moscow when the city expanded its borders. There are several other Protestant churches within city limits, including a registered Baptist church, a Korean Presbyterian church, an unregistered Baptist church, a Nazarene church and an Episcopal church.

FREE BOOKLET: Order your own copy of HCJB World Radio's new 20-page booklet, "God Keeps Opening Doors," by e-mailing your name and mailing address to doors@hcjb.org. You'll also receive a free bookmark.

*Pavel Steiger z české redakce HCJB World Radio v Praze považuje záplavy za dramatické. "Škody jsou neuvěřitelné," oznamoval ve středu. "Vozovky a mosty jsou zničeny, mnoho měst je pod vodou. Veřejná doprava je silně omezena. Metro je uzavřeno a v Praze je těžké dostat se na druhou stranu řeky. Situace je zvládána s velkými obtížemi." Hydrologové uvádějí, že jde o "dvousetletou vodu," horší, než v roce 1890. Průtok vody ve Vltavě dosáhl třicetinásobku normálního stavu.

"Část historického středu města je zaplavena," dodává Steiger. "Větší část tunelů metra ve středu města je zaplavena. Je to skutečné neštěstí. Kromě výjimek je všech 15 pražských mostů přes Vltavu uzavřeno, u jednoho bylo zjištěno poškození. Proti proudu Vltavy nad Prahou zničila povodeň celkem 32 mostů. Velká území v České Republice byla zaplavena, také její historické klenoty." Kromě evakuovaných v České Republice bylo obdobně postiženo 200.000 lidí v Rakousku a v Německu. Zatím zahynulo jen 8 lidí.

České kanceláře HCJB World Radio jsou asi 800 stop nad středem města, v bezpečné vzdálenosti od ohrožené oblasti. HCJB World Radio vysílá křesťanské pořady pro střední Evropu od roku 1975. Ohlas na pět hodin krátkovlnného vysílání týdně z Ecuadoru je asi 500 dopisů měsíčně. Tým pražské redakce tvoří české programy a publikace. Podílí se na vysílání sedmi místních stanic v České a Slovenské Republice. Redakcí připravené programy vysílá také Trans World Radio.

Letní tábory spojené s výukou angličtiny na Slovensku pomáhají šířit evangeliumPracovníci International Needs Network využívají jako učební text anglickou Bibli.

240 pastorů se sešlo na bohoslovecké konferenci pořádaní HCJB World Radio. V Larsonově centru HCJB World Radio v Quito v Ecuadoru se ve dne 13.-15.8.2002 uskutečnila první Latinskoamerická Konference Biblické theologie.

As part of an escalating offensive, Islamic militants attacked two more Christian villages in Central Sulawesi, Indonesia, Thursday, Aug. 15. Taliwan was attacked at around 6:30 p.m., and three civilians were shot. The Indonesian army responded quickly, stopping the attack. At about the same time a group of more than 50 Islamic fighters dressed in black attacked Manyomba and killed a 3-year-old Christian boy. The attackers are suspected to have come from the village of Korontowu where the extremist Islamic group, the Laskar Jihad, is based. The group has have been waging a campaign of violence against Christians in the Moluccas and Sulawesi, leaving thousands dead. (Jubilee Campaign)

PAKISTANI CHRISTIAN ON DEATH ROW RELEASED AFTER APPEAL

Ayub Masih, a Pakistani Christian who had been imprisoned on blasphemy charges since 1996, had his conviction overturned on Thursday, Aug. 15. The Supreme Court in Islamabad ordered his immediate release and concluded, "Ayub Masih is not found guilty of committing blasphemy, and allegations against him are baseless and false." He has gone into hiding as Islamic extremists are still believed to be seeking to kill him. Masih, now in his early 30s, had been on death row for the last four years. He was charged with blasphemy in October 1996 for allegedly making derogatory remarks about the prophet Mohammed. While in prison he was repeatedly threatened and mistreated, and in November 1997 he was shot at by the complainant inside the Sahiwal sessions court. The death sentence was imposed by a session judge of Sahiwal district in 1998, and an appeal was rejected by the Multan Bench of the Lahore High Court in July 2001. Local believers say the accusations against Masih were fabricated in order to force 15 Christian families to drop a land dispute in his village of Arifabad. (Christian Solidarity Worldwide)

FLOODS CONTINUE TO DEVASTATE CENTRAL EUROPE

Thousands of people in Europe have been forced from their homes as the worst flooding in more than a century has hit the region. The Czech Republic has been hardest hit. Kelly Kuest, Educational Services International's field director for central Europe, describes the situation in Prague. "They've had to evacuate about 70,000 people out of Prague and Bohemia, a region in the Czech Republic that has been the hardest hit, with several towns totally under water." Kuest says ESI's teachers will be arriving there in two weeks to begin English instruction. She's praying that the flooding will provide ministry opportunities. "Obviously they're going to be having students who've been personally affected by the flooding. Maybe they've been evacuated, homes affected, loss of property, and so I know our teachers are going to be facing some students who are going through a lot emotionally. Hopefully that will open the door spiritually." (Mission Network News)

* Pavel Steiger from HCJB World Radio's Czech office in Prague describes the flooding as dramatic. "The damage is incredible," he reported on Wednesday. "Roads and bridges are gone; many towns are under water. Public transportation is very limited. Subways are closed; we cannot cross to the other side of town. The reality will be hard to manage." Hydrologists are calling this a "200-year flood," worse than the flood of 1890. Water flows have reached 30 times above normal.

"The whole historic downtown is under water," Steiger added. "Most of the subway in the central part of the city is filled with water. It is a real disaster. All 15 bridges across the Vltava River are closed; one is structurally damaged. There are 32 bridges upstream that were swept away by the water. Much of Bohemia is under water, including historical jewels." In addition to the Czech Republic, 200,000 people in Germany and Austria have been evacuated. So far only eight people have drowned.

HCJB World Radio's Czech office is about 800 feet above the city, well away from the danger area. HCJB World Radio has been airing Christian Czech programs via shortwave from Ecuador to eastern Europe since 1975. Five hours of weekly programs spark nearly 500 listener letters each month. Staff members at the office in Prague produce Czech programs and publications. Programs air on seven local stations throughout the Czech Republic and Slovakia. Programs also air via Trans World Radio in Europe.

AIDS EPIDEMIC IN SOUTH AFRICA OPENS MINISTRY OPPORTUNITIES

South Africa is at the center of Africa's HIV/AIDS epidemic with estimates of one in nine South Africans infected. That means more than 70,000 babies in the country are born HIV-positive each year. Book of Hope's Bob Hoskins says generations are being affected by the tragedy, and he's got a vision to reach out. "It somehow doesn't get through to us that here's a whole generation that's dying, and most of them have never heard the true testimony of God's saving grace. I just hope that the church will not only rise up to pray, but we need to give and do everything we can to get the gospel to these children who are dying." Hoskins says the future is wide open for more evangelistic work. "We were scheduled to reach 500,000 children in the schools this year. But I want to double our output. So we're planning to add more schools to reach another 500,000 children before the end of this year." (Mission Network News)

SUMMER CAMPS, ENGLISH CLASSES HELP SPREAD GOSPEL IN SLOVAKIA

The gospel is making inroads into Slovakia which for decades had been part of former communist Czechoslovakia. Staff members with International Needs Network (INN) are teaching English as a Second Language classes using the Scriptures as a basis. INN Executive Director Rody Rhoderheaver says the ministry held five weeks of camps with 600 young people in Slovakia this summer. "Not only were they learning English, they were also being exposed to the gospel," he says, adding that students aren't the only ones listening. "Each one of our Americans who are teaching English has a translator in a class of about 15 kids. And the translators are volunteers -- usually college-age students who have a good knowledge of English and can then help our teachers out. Many of them are also hearing the gospel for the first time as well." INN hopes to complete work on a ministry center to aid in following up with new disciples. (Mission Network News)

* 240 PASTORS ATTEND THEOLOGY CONFERENCE AT HCJB WORLD RADIO

Some 240 pastors and leaders of evangelical churches from across Ecuador gathered at HCJB World Radio's Larson Center in Quito, Ecuador, Aug. 13-15, for the first Latin American Conference on Biblical Theology. The event, co-sponsored by HCJB World Radio and the International Bible Society, addressed themes such as Bible exegesis, prophecy, and ethics in pastoral communication. The conference theme was "Faithfulness and Integrity in the Spoken Word." Guest speakers included Dr. Luciano Jaramillo, Latin American director of the International Bible Society, Dr. Cosme Damian Vivas, division director for Hebrew and Greek at the Greater Archdiocese Seminary in Colombia, and missionary José "Chema" Reinoso, assistant director of HCJB World Radio's Latin America region. The gathering is expected to become an annual event in the region. (HCJB World Radio)

FREE BOOKLET: Order your own copy of HCJB World Radio's new 20-page booklet, "God Keeps Opening Doors," by e-mailing your name and mailing address to doors@hcjb.org. You'll also receive a free bookmark.