Some 4,224 students from US and Canadian colleges pledged themselves to long-term missionary service at the close of Urbana 12 on New Year’s Eve, twice as many as the last Student Missionary Conference in 2009. The conference broke records making this the most responsive student conference for foreign missions since the end of World War II. Tom Lin, Urbana Director for Intervarsity Christian Fellowship said ‘They are ready to make commitments and respond to global challenges.’ Dubbed the ‘Justice Generation’ by leaders here, they say today's students tend to see compassionate ministries as a way into the gospel, not as a result of the gospel the way their grandparents did in the 1960's and 70's. They want to build relationships and create community in which unbelievers can discover Christ as Lord and Saviour. Besides the 4000 that made long-term commitments, 8,815 also ticked boxes saying they will go on short or mid-term missions.

Praise: God for the anointing of so many in making commitments to serve. (Dt.6:13)

More: http://www.assistnews.net/Stories/2013/s13010003.htm

An American evangelical pastor is ‘thanking God’ that he and two others have been released after they were kidnapped in Egypt last week. Reverend Micheel Louis, 61, and 39-year-old Lissa Alphonse, both Boston-area residents, had been kidnapped from a bus on Friday, July 13, along with their guide, Haytham Ragab. The kidnapping took place on a Sinai Desert road by a Bedouin who was demanding the release of his uncle from prison. His uncle had reportedly been detained by Egyptian police on suspicion of drug possession. However, after three days of negotiations, Abu-Masuh released the prisoners to security officials near the northern Sinai city of el-Arish. ‘We are a people of mercy and the hostages don't have anything to do with this,’ Abu-Masuh said in published statements, monitored by BosNewsLife last Friday. Pastor Louis' Presbyterian Church in the U.S. city of Boston takes a trip to Israel every year.

Praise: God for the release of Pastor Michael Louise and the other two people and pray that his testimony will have spoken to his captors. (Mk.6:11)

More: http://www.bosnewslife.com/22681-us-pastor-thanking-god-after-kidnapping-ends-in-egypt

Afro–Brazilian–Spiritism is the largest growing religion in Uruguay. However recently there has been a revival of Christianity and the number of evangelicals is growing in the midst of an epidemic of divorce, suicide and abortion. Last year a young woman imprisoned for drug trafficking found freedom in Christ behind bars. She was recently released with her two-year-old daughter and is attending a church north of Fray Bentos. This is thanks to the work of Rev Gonzalo and Leticia Soria and their team at La Trinidad church who do weekly visits to the local prison. ‘Baptism in a prison was a unique experience,’ Gonzalo said. ‘A dozen inmates accompanied Johana and her daughter and applauded as they were baptised.’ Now released, Johana and her daughter remain in faith.

Praise: God for the international work of prison ministries and ask for his continued protection over those who find Jesus in dark places. Pray also for more of God’s powerful Holy Spirit to fall across Uruguay. (Is.9:2)

More: http://www.cms-uk.org/DesktopModules/Bring2mind/DMX/Download.aspx?language=en-US&Command=Core_Download&EntryId=3712&PortalId=2&TabId=81

The extraordinary story of a Uruguayan doctor who says she prayed for a baby and miraculously he came back to life. Dr. Marta Martínez a respected doctor from Montevideo, Uruguay said, ‘a baby boy had come to the hospital in a very bad condition, with malnutrition, dehydration and septicaemia. There appeared to be nothing we could do for him. While I was present, watching him at the moment of the death, I thought: It is better for him to die’. At that moment, I felt God speaking to me saying: He has the right to live. So, immediately, I put my hand over him, and started to pray and thank God he was 'resurrected' - he came back to life! It was an amazing miracle. I have also seen other healings and I believe in divine healing because, first of all, it is written in the Bible, and secondly I have seen others healed in a miraculous way and have also experienced it in my own body'..

Praise: God for His gift of miracles and the power of the Holy Spirit. (Mt.7:11)

More: http://www.assistnews.net/Stories/2012/s12040116.htm

There are updates from Victory Church Cwmbran on their Facebook page. The Prayer Bulletin reports ‘we are now well past the four month mark and new people are still flooding through the doors every evening! It’s amazing to witness God drawing people to experience this wonderful outpouring of God. In the last two nights, 45 people have come to Jesus Christ and put their faith in Him! We rejoice in this and praise Him for all that He is continuing to do. A whole family from India have been coming to the Outpouring and each time bringing more and more friends and relatives with them!’ One lady writes: ‘Last night was incredible at Victory. Even though I was saved 4 years ago, I have still been suffering from depression, due to abuse as a child. Last night Jesus told me that the ‘pain had gone, there is no more suffering’. I feel free and cleansed. Thank you Jesus.’ (See Prayer Alerts 19-20-22-25-28&32)

Praise:    God for His ongoing blessing at Cwmbran. (Ps.112:1)

More:    http://revivalmedia.org/2013/09/30/update-on-the-welsh-outpouring-320-report-1/

During the first weekend in Oct, 10,000 young people gathered in the desert 60 miles north of Cairo to sing, pray and worship the Lord. (See Prayer Alert 43-2012) The youth gathering was followed up with an even larger event at the same location - on Oct 25-28 ‘Count It Right’ Christian rally which drew 45,000 people. Included in the numbers reported by a Christian leader are: • 25,000 - estimated number of people who gave their lives to Jesus: • 8,000 - cards filled out by people who requested follow-up visits by churches: • 2-3 million - estimated number of people who followed the rally on two Christian satellite channels: • 1,000 - children participating in a special programme prepared for them: • 5,000 - people attending a one-day parallel festival on Oct. 25 in the Coptic Orthodox Cave Church: • 6,000 - people attending another similar gathering from different churches on Oct 28 in Assiut, a city located six hours south of Cairo. ‘Big numbers, but most important of all, a great harvest!' Source: via email. See also ‘More’ link.

Praise: God for the work of the Holy Spirit among the Egyptian people. (2Cor.13:14)

More: http://us1.campaign-archive2.com/?u=5138667adad5222600bae0e66&id=80671a63ac&e=947657d957#mctoc1

John Harper boarded the Titanic with his six-year-old daughter Nana bound for Chicago where he'd been invited to preach for three months. When the ship began to sink Harper made sure his daughter was placed into one of the lifeboats. He then began what would be the last evangelistic work of his young life. As the freezing waters began to fill the ship Harper was heard shouting, ‘Let the women, children and the unsaved into the lifeboats.’ Survivors reported that Harper took off his own life jacket and gave it to a man who said he was not saved. ‘Don't worry about me,’ he said, ‘I’m not going, down I'm going up!’ While 1,500 drowned or froze to death Harper swam from one passenger to another pleading with them to accept Christ. Harper's last convert was asked, ‘Are you saved? No,’ the man replied. Harper then shouted ‘ Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved.’ The man drifted away on the waves. A few minutes later the current brought the two men back together. Harper repeated his question with his dying breath, then slipped under the waves for the last time. Then and there the man decided to turn his life over to Christ.

Praise: God for the preservation and re-telling of John Harper’s story. (Mt.10:39-41)

More: http://www.sonserver.com/archive/titanic.htm

Open doors have reported this week that in 2011 lives have been changed, communities transformed and hope restored as never before in North Korea and the Middle East. Over 3 million Christians received Bibles and Christian literature, over 263,500 received Bible training and 172,000 benefitted from development projects. Despite decades of persecution, the church in North Korea continues to survive underground with an estimated 200,000 – 400,000 believers. Iran now has the highest rate of Muslims converting to Christianity in the Middle East. Literally millions of Muslims in the Middle East have encountered the Gospel message in recent years via satellite TV and the Internet. During the short window of time of no checks at the Libyan border with Egypt, more Bibles reached Libya than in the previous 42 years. In Syria, Open Doors distributed as much as possible while it was still safe to travel.

Praise: the LORD for his unfailing love and His wonderful deeds for mankind, for He satisfies the thirsty and fills the hungry with good things. (Ps.107:8-9)

More: http://www.opendoorsusa.org/pray/prayer-updates/2012/06-June/Serving-christians-worldwide