Christians want to know what is happening in the "mission field" which normally refers to lands beyond America. I recently read in the Associate Reformed Presbyterian (ARP) magazine that Israel refused to renew the visas of an ARP missionary couple, so it is good to know that another couple, Steven and Shari Khoury, do share the Gospel in Jerusalem through the Calvary Jerusalem Church. Pastor Steven was born an Arab in Israel. You can learn more about his ministry at http://www.holylandmissions.org.
At the VOM conference, Pastor Khoury reported that thousands of Christians from Iraq and other Middle Eastern countries are leaving because of persecution, violence and economic hardship. "Jerusalem is a land of conflict and strife, security fences and checkpoints." About 45,000 Christians lived in Jerusalem in 1940, but now there are fewer than 10,000.
Another missionary who spoke at the VOM conference is Russell Stendal whose field is Latin America. Russ was held by guerilla fighters in Colombia for 142 days, but was released. His book, Rescue the Captors, is reviving! You can learn more about his outreach at http://spiritofmartyrdom.com.
Do you enjoy visiting Christian missions websites? Visit the ARP World Witness site, http://worldwitness.org.