WILLS POINT, TX – Bishop Danny Punnose, vice-president of Gospel for Asia (GFA World) founded by K.P. Yohannan, has been the model for numerous charities like Gospel for Asia Canada, to help the poor and deprived worldwide, shares on Great Lent: The Great invitation: Have you noticed many restaurants are advertising fish sandwiches and seafood…
Here we are facing the final days of 2020. Many look forward to disposing of the past year’s calendar and replacing it with one they hope will bring better things. We tend to develop a “greener grass” mentality every year in late December. Inevitably, we look back at the past year, count our blessings, mourn…
NEW YORK – World Teachers’ Day has been observed annually on October 5 since 1994 as a joint endeavor between UNESCO, UNICEF, the International Labor Organization, and Education International. (Education International is a federation of global teachers’ unions.) The theme for World Teachers’ Day 2020 is, “Teachers: Leading in crisis, reimagining the future.” With the…
BEIRUT – Triumphant Mercy Lebanon recently shared rising concerns about dangers being faced by displaced Syrians living in refugee camps in Lebanon.More than 1.5 million people have fled from the civil war that has raged in their home country since 2011.In mid-2015, the Lebanese government ceased registering displaced Syrians officially as refugees. Unregistered Syrian refugees…
WILLS POINT, TX – Gospel for Asia (GFA World and affiliates like Gospel for Asia Canada) founded by KP Yohannan, issued a Special Report on the ugly truths of world hunger: “Scandal of Starvation” — world hunger is a long-term social and global crisis, directly or indirectly causing around 9 million deaths each year –…
WASHINGTON – An international organization representing Baha’is says it is extremely concerned about Iran’s ongoing detention of up to 100 Baha’is at risk of contracting the coronavirus in Iranian prisons. In a VOA Persian interview on Monday, the Baha’i International Community’s chief representative to the U.N. in New York, Bani Dugal, said an estimated 50…
NIGERIA – The Nigerian government now agrees with what church leaders have been complaining for years: Christians are the target of jihadist terrorism. “In the wake of a renewed onslaught by our tireless military against Boko Haram and their ISWAP (Islamic State West Africa Province) allies in recent times, the insurgents have apparently changed their…
NIGERIA – The recent news reports about Christian persecution coming out of Nigeria are horrifying. A day after Christmas, extremists who identified themselves as part of ISIS murdered 11 Christians in Nigeria. A few weeks into the new year, on Jan. 19, the Islamic State of West Africa released a video of a child —…
![[World Cancer Day 2020] By the time our son, Jeremy Mains, was rushed to the local hospital’s emergency room, his bone marrow was filled with cancer cells.](https://missionsbox.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/Karen_Jeremy-denoise-fb-230x300.jpg)
World Cancer Day 2020 by Karen Burton Mains Years ago, traveling around the world in the role of a journalist at the invitation of the director of an international relief organization, we stopped to visit Mother Theresa’s Kalighat Home for the Destitute Dying. I will always remember, as have other journalists before me, particularly Malcolm…
BEIRUT – CNN reported this morning on the growing and potentially crippling crisis in Lebanon. A crisis of which most of us have been unaware. The National Crisis “Lebanon [is] mired in its worst economic crisis since its 15-year civil war. The country is buckling under a severe liquidity crisis, with informal and irregular capital…
The U.S. State Department removed Sudan from its list of governments that are engaging in or tolerating systemic and ongoing religious freedom violations and has placed Nigeria, Cuba, and Nicaragua on a special watch list for “severe violations of religious freedom” for the first time. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo announced Friday the State Departments’…
NORTH FT MYERS, FL – “The world produces enough food to feed every person on the planet. World agriculture produces 17 percent more calories per person today than it did 30 years ago, despite a 70 percent population increase. This is enough to provide everyone in the world with at least 2,720 kilocalories (kcal) per…
WILLS POINT, TX – Gospel for Asia (GFA) issues an extensive Special Report on the deadly diseases brought by the mosquito and the storied impact of faith-based organizations on world health, fighting for the Kingdom to “come on earth as it is in heaven.” It takes only one mosquito, buzzing around with ill intent, dive-bombing…
AL-HOL, SYRIA – The refugee camp at al-Hol is currently home to 70,000 refugees from the Syrian Civil War. Contained in close quarters in a space initially occupied by 9,000 persons, the population now includes about 11,000 widows, wives, and children of ISIS fighters. Local and international authorities believe that ISIS is attempting to muster…
Devastation rocked Sri Lanka Easter weekend as bombs detonated around the country, killing nearly 300 people. The latest figures report around 500 people injured in the blasts. Terrorists targeted multiple churches and tourist destinations. According to NBC News, blasts occurred at St. Anthony’s Shrine in Colombo; St. Sebastian’s Church in Negombo, a Catholic majority town north…
Poverty. You know it when you see it – but, can you define it? A World Perspective Dictionary.com defines poverty as “the state or condition of having little or no money, goods, or means of support; the condition of being poor.” It defines “poor” as “having little or no money, goods, or other means of…
It’s that time of the year when Americans celebrate the Thanksgiving holiday, so let’s slow down, take a breath, and consider what Thanksgiving means. Let’s start with what it is not. It is not ‘Turkey Day.’ Nor is it about going over the river and through the wood to grandmother’s house for pumpkin pie. Nor…
NEW DELHI – On Monday, November 5th, the United States imposed economic sanctions on 50 Iranian banks, 65 Iranian aircraft, 200 individuals, and all shipping vessels used for the transportation of Iranian oil. The U.S. granted India and seven other nations waivers allowing them to continue importing Iranian oil on a declining basis for the…
SANAA, Yemen – In yet another of the seemingly endless reports of human suffering around the globe, Mark Lowcock, the Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator, told the United Nations Yemen is in imminent danger of country-wide famine. Over 14 million Yemeni people who already have barely enough food to survive are about…
LONDON – The independent think tank, Overseas Development Institute (ODI) has released a shocking report that indicates that 25% of the world population – 40% of all urban dwellers – will live in slums by 2030. This is only one of the failures to achieve adequate progress on the UN’s list of 17 Sustainable Development…
BEIRUT – According to the Thomas Reuters Foundation, “A Syrian army offensive in the rebel-held enclave of Idlib would have a “catastrophic” humanitarian impact and cause levels of civilian suffering unprecedented in the seven-year war, aid agencies have warned.” Joelle Bassoul from Care International said that a large-scale military offensive in Idlib would be catastrophic,…
NEW YORK – The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) released its 2018 overview of the Aid Workers Security Report in time for the commemoration of World Humanitarian Aid Day. The observance is held annually on August 19th. The overview tells a story that we would rather not read. But it…
ABUJA – The country of Nigeria is an enigma. While, on the one hand, the Nigerian Minister of Health announced today that the country’s efforts to eliminate polio within its borders “are beginning to yield results, considering the fact that we have spent 18 months without a case of poliovirus,” the country stands at the…
Global Clean Water Crisis – a Special Report by Gospel for Asia (GFA World) Written By Karen Burton Mains The “Blue Marble” photo of Earth shot from Apollo 17, the last of NASA’s Apollo missions as the rocket ship was hurtling toward the moon, wasn’t the first satellite image of our planet, but it was the…
ALEXANDRIA – A terrorist attack on two Coptic Christian churches on Palm Sunday 2017 left more than 40 people dead and 125 injured. It also made several men, women, and children widows, widowers, and orphans. One of the deceased was Hanan Dreas, a wife and mother of two children ages six and 10. Her husband,…
Syrian Christians are part of one of the oldest churches in the world. They used to be one of the major political forces in Syria , until ISIS started coming after Christians because they believe in an all Islamic state, also known as a Caliphate. BBC explains, “The founder of the Baath Party, which has ruled…
On Nov. 24, a mosque in Ismaila, Egypt, was filled with Sufi Muslim worshipers. All the sudden, while they were saying their Friday prayers, an Islamic extremist came in started shooting at people. They didn’t stop until they thought everybody was dead. There were over 300 people who died from the shooting. Abdel Fattah el…
On Nov. 12, the deadliest earthquake of 2017, reaching a magnitude of 7.3, hit the border of Iran and Iraq. The death toll has topped 530, while 8,000 more people have been injured. “On Tuesday, Iranian officials called off rescue operations on the grounds there was little chance of finding more survivors from the quake,”…
Photo by aflaanta std In March, there was an attack on a boat holding Somali refugees. At least 46 people were killed and 39 were injured. CNN reported, “At least 42 people died and 39 were injured in the Friday incident, the United Nations’ refugee agency said. Some 160 people reportedly were on board, according…
Photo by Tasnim News In February, Iraqi troops were working to clean Mosul of ISIS so refugees could return home. Per CNN, “The commander of Iraq’s Federal Police has said ISIS militant in Western Mosul are looking to cut and run from their defense of the group’s last remaining stronghold in the country.” Their goal…
Photo by Yaroh Dauda In May, 82 of the Chibok girls that were kidnapped by Boko Haram were released by their kidnappers. Per CNN, “Eighty-two Chibok schoolgirls have been released after negotiations between the terrorist group Boko Haram and the Nigerian government, the President’s office said.” One father was skeptical of the news of their…
Heretiq In early April, Syria dropped chemical weapons on its own people. Even though no one knew who did the attacks, the United States government and other world leaders blamed President Assad for the attack on civilians. Some leaders called it a war crime. Per CNN, “World leaders expressed shock and outrage Tuesday at reports…
Photo by Andrew A. Shenouda One man in one of two Coptic Church bombings on Palm Sunday turned himself in. Per Fox News, “A man suspected in one of the two Palm Sunday bombings of Coptic Christian churches in northern Egypt has turned himself in to authorities.” The police got a tip off of where Mahmoud…
Photo by Public Domain In February, Israel passed a new law. This law was to create thousands of Israeli settlements in the West Bank. This is disputed territory between Israel and the Palestinians. Per CNN, “In the first two weeks of US President Donald Trump’s term, Netanyahu has announced plans for 5,500 housing units in…
Photo by someone10x On Palm Sunday, Islamic Extremists attacked to churches in two separate cities during services. At least 45 were found dead. Per CNN, “The Sunday strikes, which targeted Egypt’s persecuted and vulnerable Christian minority on the first day of the faith’s Holy Week leading up to Easter, left at least 45 dead, Egypt’s…
Photo by ai@ce An outbreak of Cholera started in October in Yemen. Tens of thousands of people have been infected with the illness. Per BBC, “Some 26,000 people have now been affected since October by the outbreak, which subsided over the winter.” The disease is spread through food and water that has human feces in…
Photo by Larisa sklar giller Last Friday, Israeli forces set up metal detectors at the entrance of the Dome of the Rock. Palestinians got upset about this and started to violently protest. Per Fox News, “The anger is over Israel’s decision to leave metal detectors at the entrances to the Temple Mount/Al-Aqsa Mosque compound in…
Photo by Samoano One child named Rosmaida Bibi was born in a Rohingya refugee camp. She is malnourished and hasn’t grown like most children her age do. Per Fox News, “Ever since she was born in this squalid camp for displaced members of Myanmar’s ethnic Rohingya minority, Rosmaida Bibi has struggled to do something most…
Photo by PH1 R. ORIEZ There has been a Civil War raging in Somalia between the Somali military and a terrorist group, known as Al-Shabaab. In June, Al-Shabaab attacked two restaurants in a car bombing and sniper attack. Per Fox News, “Al-Shabab, a Somalia-based extremist group that often targets popular areas in the country’s capital,…
CC BY-SA 2.5 US backed rebels in Syria have captured a key city of ISIS in May. Per CNN, “US-backed rebels said they ‘liberated’ the strategic Syrian city of Tabqa and a nearby dam from ISIS.” The United States provided weapons for Syrian rebels. This was a controversial move. Turkey said the US was guilty…
Photo by OAR/ERL/National Severe Storms Laboratory (NSSL) In late April, a series of tornados hit Canton, TX and the surrounding area. Canton is a town 60 miles East of Dallas. WFAA 8 ABC reports, “As emergency crews continue rescue and recovery efforts, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott surveyed areas ravaged by a series of tornadoes,…
Photo by James (Jim) Gordon At the end of last October, Iraqi forces were advancing to fight ISIS in an Iraqi village, known as Mosul. According to CNN, “Kurdish Peshmerga forces are within five miles (eight kilometers) of Mosul, commanders said Sunday, after days of fighting and sweeping territorial gains in the operation to free…
Photo by Christiaan Briggs Iraqi refugees have returned to their homes in the Nineveh region. Yet, what they discovered deeply grieved them. According to Fox News, “There were gasps, followed by tears at a small church in northern Iraq as a group of Christians returned to their parish Sunday to find that everything had been…
By Nadavspi In-between the beginning of 2016 and the end, a land a little smaller than the state of Florida was recaptured by Iraqi and Syrian forces. Per Newsweek, “This means ISIS lost control of almost 18,000 square kilometers (6,900 square miles) over the last 12 months, bringing the totality of the landmass it holds…
By Bernard Gagnon (Own work) Since the war hit Yemen, there has been a rising amount of poverty and malnutrition in the country. AP reports, “International agencies have classified Hodeidah among nine of Yemen’s 22 provinces that are a step away from famine. A U.N. report in June said that in Yemen, ‘the highest…
By Berthold Werner In early January, 4 Israeli soldiers were killed by a Palestinian, who took over a truck and attacked all those who were nearby. It is believed he supported the terrorist attacks of ISIS. CNN reports, “The driver who plowed a truck into a group of soldiers in Jerusalem, killing four people and…
By Athanasius 77 In December, just a few weeks before Christmas, a Coptic Church in Cairo was bombed. At first, the authorities had no idea who was responsible for the attacks. According to Fox News, “The Islamic State [ISIS] claimed responsibility for the suicide bombing that killed 25 people. They also alleged that the…
More than 700 million women living today entered into forced marriages as children under the age of 18, according to a landmark report by Save the Children called Every Last Girl. The current rate of marriage worldwide for girls under 15 is one every seven seconds. These teenaged and pre-teenaged girls are not falling in…
The World Health Organization (WHO) certified in September that the island nation of Sri Lanka off the southeast coast of India is malaria-free. Sri Lanka joins a list of 33 nations that have achieved that status, while 94 nations and territories still have malaria transmission. “It was a hard fight, [but] this is an example…
On January 11, there was an abortion ban headed by the Russian Orthodox Church. According to LifeSite, “The Russian Orthodox Church diocese in the city of Yaroslavl declared 11 January a ‘day of silence without abortions’, and said it had the support of the region’s health department. Abortion is legal in Russia and the cost…
