For more than 30 years, Mel Goebel has been going into prisons to share the Gospel. Throughout the years, he has seen men and women transformed by the Gospel message. But what he is seeing now is  amazing. For the first time, Mel and his wife, Annie, who head Daughters of Destiny prison ministry, are witnessing women inmates come to Christ in record numbers. In the past year, nearly 7,500 have made decisions for Christ. "What a holy privilege to watch God move in this ministry," said Annie.

"There's a fervour for God. In the past, 7%-10% of the inmates might attend our meetings. Now we're seeing 30%-90%!"  The mission of Daughters of Destiny is to equip volunteers to reach incarcerated women for Christ and disciple them while in prison and after their release. Recently, Mel and Annie led an event at the largest women's prison in California which houses 9,000 inmates. Kay Warren, wife of well known author Rick Warren, was the speaker, and once again, the response was phenomenal.

"We are experiencing revival in women's prisons throughout the U.S." said Mel. "We see a movement of repentance. Women inside are passionate to share their faith with others in prison." Daughters of Destiny ministry includes a Full Circle ministry modelled by what Annie and Mel experienced in their lives. Currently, approximately 850 trained volunteers provide on-going ministry for 3,711 inmates in 203 detention facilities and for 3,488 women who have been released from prison.

Full Circle Ministry encourages women when released to help other women in need. "More than 1 million women in the United States are imprisoned," Annie said. "Many of these women want to change when they return to society." Mel & Annie both committed their lives to Christ while in prison 20 years ago. Today, as husband and wife, they serve to empower hundreds of thousands of women, placing a net of God's grace across them in prison and upon release.

When Dave Talley, an Arizona homeless man ran across a lost backpack containing $3,300 in it, he was faced with weighty moral decision. Talley found the backpack that had been left behind at a light rail station. He had gone through very difficult times—drug addiction and the loss of his home which had left him on the streets. An amount of money like that would go a long way for him. But in the end, Talley did the right thing.

"Not everybody on the streets is a criminal," Talley said. "Most of us have integrity and honour." Talley brought the backpack to a worker for a homeless advocacy group and together they found its owner.  "It's not something I'd wish anybody to have to go through, those are rough choices," Talley noted, regarding his decision to turn in the cash. "There are a lot of things it could have taken care of. But, the fact of the matter was, it was not my money, I didn't earn it."

University student Bryan Belanger who owned the money - was amazed that it was turned in, as he didn't expect to see it again."This is the greatest thing I've ever experienced," said Bryan. "It really is a lesson that character exists no matter what the circumstances are." The student was planning on using the cash to buy a car. He reportedly rewarded Talley for his good deed with an "undisclosed amount" of money, and will be volunteering at the local homeless organization.

The 33 miners entombed for 69 days beneath the Chilean desert were afraid and certain they would die but they were saved after turning to God, their spiritual leader said. "Only the Lord could guide that drill to us," said Jos© Henriquez, the group's pastor. For him the rescue was a miracle of God, not of technology. He has worked for 33 years as a miner. After the rockfall that trapped the miners, Mr Henriquez, took charge of the group's spiritual welfare.   He organised twice-daily prayer sessions and Bible readings, using 33 miniature Bibles that he asked to be sent down the borehole. His companions said that he played a crucial role in their survival. Richard Villaroel, who admitted that he was waiting for death and had never prayed before, said: "He was the key man who kept us together through all those days." Carlos Parra, the pastor of Camp Esperanza, said that Mr Henriquez was "the unifying element".  

"The prayer and reading of the Bible, were the most special moments for the miners. At 12 noon and at 6 in the evening they came together in times of unity. Henriquez was the first of the miners to be rescued. "I came to look in my locker to make sure I didn't leave anything behind," he joked. Mr Henriquez explained that in the 17 days before they were discovered he and his colleagues were terrified. "We were very sure we were going to die. We had to be realistic, and we realised there was no way back."

He admitted that there were arguments, "that's like society everywhere, men are never in agreement. We had joys, difficulties, disagreements, agreements, and a democratic way of resolving things." He explained how the men would vote on matters of division. I communicated the words of the Gospel and the seed was planted. "Whoever received the word of God received strength from the Holy Spirit. He was ministering, reconciling and healing us."

Many of the miners found faith for the first time" he said. "We were singing to the Lord, doing what pleases God.  Everyone accepted Him, many were reconciled to Him, some made promises to Him. This is what the Lord is for, to strengthen the fallen. It was the power of God in action strengthening the hearts of the men. When a man screams to God, God answers the prayer." Like many of the miners, Mr Henriquez has no doubt that it was God who saved them.

"The glory belongs to Him," he said. He is excited about returning home but his new celebrity status gives him a worldwide stage on which to evangelise should he wish to. Many religious organisations have approached him with offers of preaching. Mr Henriquez, who is married with twin daughters and a grandchild, said that mining was his profession "but if God tells me something else, well, the glory is for Him. I don't know what He will do with me now. Whatever it may be, I am ready to praise His name."

The perceived decline of the American family is vanishing..."The U.S. Census Bureau has released statistics that make pro-family advocates very happy. According to a Census Bureau's nearly 62 percent of the nation's 73 million children live with both biological parents, within a larger figure of 70 percent overall living with two parents and two-thirds living with two married parents. Bill Banuchi of Marriage and Family Savers Institute is quoted as saying that a biologically intact family is still the true desire of most children.

"We have found that children still have a desire for a stable family and marriage is still very much desired by young people," the Bureau report states: The number of married couples with children, stabilised in the 1990s and the growth of single-parent families, slowed. The decline of the traditional American family has been arrested" said Ken Bryson,co-author of the report. "The percentage of married couples with children fell from 50 to 37 percent of all families between 1970 and 1990. It only dropped 1 further point (to 36 percent) since then."

Dave (David Carnell), Carnsey (Andrew Carnell), and Sav (Andrew Sav) have arrived home in Stanthorpe after walking 2000 kilometres to raise awareness that there are still 2000 languages that don't have the Bible. The three men left Cairns on 24 August and arrived in Stanthorpe on 11 November, after walking on average more than 30km each day. 'I was never really sure that I could walk the 2000 kilometres,' recalls Sav. 'But when we reached the 1500 km mark, it suddenly struck me that I could.do it  That was an awesome moment.'

Each kilometre represented a unique language that doesn't yet have the Word of God - not even a single verse. In addition to walking, Dave, Carnsey, and Sav held evening meetings at local churches and town halls en route to share information about the 350 million people who don't yet have access to the Bible in their own language. 'More than 10,000 people from 124 different countries have visited our website www.the2000walk.com says Sav. 'This gives some indication of how widely our message has gone out.'

Dave, Carnsey, and Sav experienced plenty of challenges during The 2000 Walk, including cooling their feet in a creek they were later informed is inhabited by crocodiles, walking eight kilometres in the wrong direction before realising and retracing their steps, and suffering from severe blisters and painful feet. Highlights included their frequent newspaper, radio, and TV interviews, and seeing for the first time a road sign with 'Stanthorpe' marked on it after walking for 73 days and 1818 kilometres.

Dave, Carnsey, and Sav walked the final kilometre along with 100 supporters who joined them on the road. They were met at the finish line by a bagpiper and 350 cheering people who released helium balloons. 'The group finish was symbolic of the fact that translating the Bible for the remaining 2000 Bible-less languages is not a job for a few individuals, but is a team effort where many, many people are needed,' observed Sav.

Although The 2000 Walk has finished, the task of translating the Bible into the 2000 remaining languages will continue for many years. People who are interested in getting involved can contact the mission organisations Operation Mobilisation - for which Carnsey is Queensland's State Director - and Wycliffe Bible Translators.

While they're relieved that The 2000 Walk is all over, Dave, Carnsey, and Sav are grateful to God for His blessing and for strengthening their faith. 'If I sense the Lord calling me once more to get up and do something like this, I'll probably be even more ready than before,' says Sav.

Abortion is losing ground in some countries of Europe, with numbers of abortions falling in Italy among native Italians and among Irish women who travel to Britain to abort. The number of women travelling to the UK from Ireland for abortions has dropped 30 percent since 2002, government statistics show. Abortion remains illegal in Ireland and Northern Ireland, although the law is under constant pressure from foreign abortion activists.

Under the UK's abortion Regulations 1991, doctors who commit abortions must send details to Britain's Chief Medical Officer. In 2002 those records showed that 7,913 abortions were committed on women from the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland in hospitals and clinics in England and Wales. By 2009, that number had fallen to 5545—a drop of 29.9 percent. Abortions in England and Wales overall have risen steadily since 1970, from approximately 5 per 1000 population aged 15-44, to 17.5 in 2009.

At the same time, a recently released report from the Italian government shows that abortion rates have fallen significantly among Italian women since the practice was legalized in 1978. The Italian government's 2009 report on abortion shows that abortion rates have also dropped among Italian women. In that country, abortion rates reached a peak of 234,801 in 1982. By 2009, that number had fallen to 116,933, less than half the peak-year number. The numbers have declined steadily over the last five years.

At the same time, pro-abortion groups are reporting that doctors in Italy are increasingly refusing to commit abortions. Seventy percent of Italian doctors refuse, with that number growing to over 80 percent in the city of Rome. In 2009, the Italian abortion rate was 8.3 per 1,000 women aged 15-49, compared with 12.2 percent in 2008. The 1982 ratio was 17.2 per 1,000. In 2008, the statistics show that foreign women accounted for 33 percent of all abortions in Italy, compared with 10 percent in 1998.

Andrew Pollard, a British business consultant and demographer who lectures on issues surrounding contraception and abortion as it relates to population decline, cautioned, however, that the abortion stats may be skewed by the popularity of the RU-486 abortion drug, commonly called "medical" abortion by advocates. Pollard told LSN, "These numbers may reflect actual declines in surgical abortion but not the rise in chemical abortion which may be replacing it.

There has been a major development in the alternatives to the highly controversial "embryonic" stem cells. Scientists have reportedly "published a series of experiments showing they can use laboratory-made versions of naturally occurring biological signals to quickly convert ordinary skin cells into cells that appear virtually identical to embryonic stem cells." Those cells can then be "morphed" into the specific tissues needed for treatments, which would be the patient's "perfect match," negating rejection issues.

The work, which was led by Derek J. Rossi and his team at the Children's Hospital Boston, is being hailed as a breakthrough, and a possible "pivotal moment" in the research and development of stem cell therapy. Douglas A. Melton, who co-directs the Harvard Stem Cell Institute, agreed saying, "This is a major paper, in my view, in the field of regenerative medicine." The approach converted the cells in about half the time of previous methods—only about 17 days—with surprising economy—up to 100 times more efficient than the standard approach.

"Moreover, detailed tests indicated the cells had not experienced any disturbing changes in their DNA caused by previous methods and were virtually identical to embryonic stem cells. In addition, the researchers went one step further and showed that they could use the approach to then coax the iPS cells they created into a specific type of cell, in this case muscle cells."

The NSW Minister for Education, Verity Firth, has told a meeting of heads of religious faiths and special religious education (SRE) teachers, that the government has no plans to scrap SRE classes in state schools. Back in April, a trial of ethics classes in 10 state schools led many to believe that the 130 year tradition of volunteers teaching scriptures to children in public schools, enshrined in state legislation, would soon end. Christian leaders, including Cardinal George Pell, sat side by side with Jewish, Muslim and Hindu leaders to hear from the minister, that SRE classes would continue.

Ms Firth said, "The NSW Government has been, and remains, strongly supportive of special religious education in government schools. And nothing will ever change that." Bishop Ray Smith from the Anglican Church, handed more than 2000 letters from SRE teachers, appealing to the minister to keep SRE classes intact, given the important community values and education they provide for children from all faith backgrounds.

Ms Firth said that in spite of some of the difficulties in school trials, ethics classes would not replace SRE classes. She said parents have always been permitted the right to not send their children to SRE classes. She said the government proposal to introduce ethics classes provided a valid option for children to learn societal values without religion. A statement from Adrian Piccoli, the Shadow Minister for Education, reiterated that should there be a change of government after the March 2011 elections, SRE classes would be maintained.

It is estimated there are between 10,000 and 15,000 SRE teachers volunteering in NSW state schools providing weekly classes in Catholic, Protestant, Muslim, Jewish, Hindu and other faith traditions.

People have always been fascinated by this Exodus story, wondering if it comes from historical facts. A new scientific study shows that the description of the waters parting indeed has a basis in physical laws." For years, atheists have dismissed Biblical miracles as myths or fabrications. Although Christians and Jews believe these miracles actually happened and were orchestrated by God Himself, it is only recently that researchers have come to admit that the Red Sea really could have parted for the fleeing Children of Israel.

U.S. scientists have studied ancient maps of the Nile Delta region, pinpointed where the crossing may have occurred and then studied computer modeling which suggested a powerful wind "could have divided the waters just as depicted in the Biblical story." According to the report: "Analysis of archaeological records, satellite measurements and maps allowed the researchers to estimate the water flow and depth at the site 3,000 years ago. An ocean computer model was then used to simulate the impact of a strong overnight wind on the six-foot-deep waters.

The scientists found that an east wind of 63 mph blowing for 12 hours would have driven the shallow waters back, both into the lake and the river channel. For a period of four hours, this would have created a land bridge about two miles long and three miles wide. The waters really would have been parted, with barriers of water raised on both sides of the newly exposed mud flats. As soon as the winds dropped, the waters would have rushed back, much like a tidal bore. Anyone stranded on the mud flats would have been at risk of drowning."

Researcher Carl Drews, from the National Centre for Atmospheric Research said: "The simulations match closely with the account in Exodus. The parting of the waters can be understood through fluid dynamics. The wind moves the water in accordance with physical laws, creating a safe passage with water on two sides and then abruptly allowing the water to rush back in. People have always been fascinated by this Exodus story, wondering if it comes from historical facts. What this study shows is that the description of the waters parting indeed has a basis in physical laws."

What the researchers' conclusions fail to account for, in relation to the Biblical story, is how everything conspired to happen at exactly the right moments to allow the Israelites to cross over, and then immediately turned again to drown the pursuing Egyptians. Nor can it explain how thousands of fleeing refugees could cross over mud. The land had to be dry for that to occur. Still, such an admission coming from the scientific community is just that: an admission that the event was possible. If nothing else, it is a step away from complete denial.

The late Polish midwife Stanislawa Leszczynska will be honoured in a display at the 5th World Prayer Congress for Life in Rome for her heroic efforts in saving hundreds of newborn babies from a brutal end at Auschwitz. Before she arrived at the camp in April 1943, all the newborns of prisoners in the infamous Nazi concentration camp were drowned and allowed to be ripped apart by rats before his or her mother's eyes.

But, as Matthew M. Anger reports in his article Midwife at Auschwitz, Leszczynska refused to carry out the Germans' order to kill the babies-even opposing the infamous Dr. Mengele-and, amazingly, was allowed to carry on unimpeded. During her time at Auschwitz, Leszczynska delivered over 3,000 babies. Half of those were murdered and another thousand died from the horrible conditions in the camp. But those with blond hair and blue eyes, about 500, were sent to be raised as Germans, and another 30 survived the camp.

In her "Raport from Auschwitz," Leszczynska described how the pregnant women were plagued with intense hunger and extreme cold, and faced a severe lack of medicine and water. She and others had to work day and night to keep away the rats, which would gnaw off the noses, ears, fingers, and feet of the sick. "Rats with their diet of human flesh grew to sizes of large cats," she said. During Leszczynska's entire time at the camp, no mother or baby died under her care.

Asked by her supervising doctor to report on the death rate, she reported this fact to his astonishment. "Lagerarzt looked at me in disbelief," she recounts. "Even the most sophisticated German clinics at universities, he said, could not claim such a success rate." While she suggested in her "Raport" that "the emaciated organisms were too barren a medium for bacteria," Anger reports that her children and other inmates called it a miracle. Leszczynska was able to use a secret tattoo under the newborns' armpit to help many of the families reunite after the war.

"As long as a newborn was together with the mother, motherhood itself created a ray of hope. Separation with the newborn was overwhelming," she said. "The thought of a possibility of future reunion with their children helped many women go through this ordeal."

After 30 years, the Feast of Tabernacles celebration hosted by the International Christian Embassy Jerusalem (ICEJ) has become an icon of Christian love and support for the Jewish state. This year, the theme of the ICEJ Feast of Tabernacles was "Jerusalem: A Praise in the Earth." which was meant to emphasize the original mandate of ICEJ, to stand in solidarity with Israel in its 3000 year-old claim and connection to Jerusalem," ICEJ Media Director David Parsons said.

"The future of this city is once again coming into focus worldwide, and we laid stress to the fact that our position remains the same as three decades ago-that Jerusalem is and should remain the united capital of Israel." Parsons said. During this year's Feast, which was held from September 23rd through till September 29th, the various speakers and lecturers expounded upon the rich Biblical truths concerning Jerusalem and its central place in God's redemptive plan.

That message also hit home for many Israelis who remember well the mass exodus of foreign embassies from Jerusalem in 1980 when Israel officially reunited the city by annexing its eastern, Arab-dominated half. The Feast of Tabernacles and the founding of the ICEJ was a direct response to that exodus, and was welcomed by Israelis who were feeling increasingly isolated as the first major act of Christian kindness since the nation's rebirth.

The Feast is held every year during the week-long Biblical feast of Sukkot (tabernacles), and was attended by upwards of 5,000 Christians from more than 100 different nations who, by their attendance carry a message of love, hope and peace for the Jewish people. The ICEJ was born out of the first Feast of Tabernacles celebration in 1980. The Feast has become the fulfillment of the Biblical prophecy stating that "the nations...shall come up from year to year to worship the King, the Lord of Hosts, and to keep the Feast of Tabernacles." (Zechariah 14:16)

Recently the Australian Prayer Network in conjunction with other ministries such as Transforming Melbourne and Prayer Partners Australia and several ethnic Prayer Networks sponsored two "Gathering of the Nations" prayer conferences in Sydney and Melbourne to pray with one heart and with one voice for our nation. More than 1000 people attended the Conferences, 75% of whom were from non Anglo ethnic backgrounds. In another sign of an emerging new season in prayer some 20% of those attending were younger than 30. The freedom that they experienced at the Conferences released in them a new passion and zeal for prayer.

The passion, love and unity that flowed in each of the Conferences was quite remarkable, especially after what we have become accustomed to in recent years. So enthusiastic were some of the young people that 15 who had attended the Sydney Conference caught a bus the next day to Melbourne to also attend the Conference there. The Conferences and the outcomes achieved announce a season of new life for the prayer movement in Australia. Time and again we heard folk of ethnic background expressing how hard they found it to penetrate the Anglo church culture in Australia.

The speakers Pastor Sameh from Egypt and Pastor Choi representing those of Korean heritage were both brilliant in their own way and much appreciated by all. The Conferences highlighted a depth of passion and commitment to prayer carried by our ethnic brothers and sisters that has been missing from the Australian church for too long. A new understanding of the issues affecting the western Church was also released which could play a huge part in rescuing the Anglo Church from its apathy and mediocrity, especially in the area of prayer. Every continent and more than 25 different nations were represented at the Conferences.

Communist rulers in China have radically altered their views about religion and as a result, Christianity is growing in China as never before. The caveat is that the closely limited new freedoms are only granted to those Christians willing to worship in government-sanctioned churches. The director general of the State Administration for Religious Affairs, Wang Zuo An, was quoted as saying there are now at least 20 million Christians in China worshipping in the state-sanctioned church.

"Such growth is unprecedented in the history of Christianity in China. Christianity is enjoying its best period of growth in China," he said, adding that, "On the question of whether there is God, the Chinese Communist Party believes there is no God in the world." Rev. John Zhang, a Catholic priest, said: "Some officials say, 'You have done for Chinese society what we cannot do. Without any political involvement, the Church is doing a good job, and we from government appreciate it.'"

The report noted that house – or underground – churches remain a "significant part of the Chinese Christian landscape," but "both the Catholic and Protestant churches sanctioned by the state are now also seeing levels of growth that few predicted in the 1980s." Said one young Chinese Christian student, "I think this nation will change, and I think God is doing great things in China."

The Church in the State of Arizona has now been praying non-stop almost three straight years. The "Torch" non-stop prayer initiative has almost completed its 3rd Year with great momentum. It doesn't seem possible that on New Year's Eve almost 4 years ago, it began with just 15 people gathered in a small prayer room in Phoenix, AZ to "Launch the Torch." A humble $20 camping light represents the "Torch" that has passed, much like a baton in a relay race, from location to location.

The initial vision was to organize and equip 52 prayer teams who would each cover one week of non-stop prayer in 2008. For each prayer team's assigned week, they would cover all-day, all-night prayer at a pre-determined location. "Our desire was to see non-stop prayer happen in churches, businesses, hospitals, universities, or wherever else the Lord had in mind" said an organiser. At that time, we had 13 churches committed and a whole lot of faith for the Lord to fill all 52 weeks of 2008 with churches and ministries who were hungry for His Presence.

More than 100 churches, ministries, and market place locations have participated. There has been non-stop prayer occur not only in churches, but also in every sphere of society, including schools, businesses, a radio station, TV station, hotel, government offices, hospitals, a county jail, and even a casino! A second "Family Torch" was launched in January encouraging families to come together and host the presence of the Lord in their homes. There have been healings, deliverance and testimonies of reconciliation within the families who have hosted the "Torch".

In one city a mayoral proclamation was made announcing a "week of prayer". The City of Phoenix has reported that the murder rate dropped over 40% between 2007 and 2009 and the violent crime rate dropped 18% in 2009. There have been many changes and testimonies continue to be received on a weekly basis of how the Lord is encountering individuals, churches and communities as they host their week of non-stop prayer. This is some of the tangible fruit being seen as a result of continuous prayer and worship that is changing the atmosphere over Arizona!

The employees work under the symbols of the atheist Communist state. At first glance, it looks as though it could be any other factory driving the rapid development of the Chinese economy. But this is no ordinary enterprise because here religious faith is as important as profit. In fact, the owner of the Boteli Valve Group in Wenzhou would like to see all his staff convert to Christianity. And such a factory is not a one-off: it is part of a growing number of businesses run by Christian entrepreneurs in China, whose success is now being studied by the Chinese government.

As he shows off the production facilities, the factory's general manager, Weng-Jen Wau, says that every month, $5m worth of industrial valves are manufactured. About 40% of the factory's output is exported to businesses worldwide. But he seems to have limited interest in the sales figures - he is far more concerned to tell about the place his family's Christian faith has in the life of the factory. Every Monday morning, the senior managers gather together and pray about the business.

Once a week, members of staff are encouraged to attend an on-site Christian fellowship meeting, where they read the Bible and pray for each other. Weng-Jen Wau believes that by encouraging increasing numbers of his staff to convert to Christianity, his business will prosper. He says that when staff do convert to Christianity, their attitude towards their work is transformed. "If you're a Christian you're more honest, with a better heart," he says. "The people who aren't Christians aren't responsible. I think it's very different.

"I'm not saying those people who aren't Christians are all bad, but from the percentage of the workers who are Christians, they seem to be more responsible. "Also when they do things wrong, they feel guilty - that's the difference,"he explains. One of the workers who had recently converted to Christianity explained that he had known nothing about the religion before he started work at the factory. But he said that his new-found faith was now a source of daily inspiration. He told me that he was now trying to convert his friends and colleagues to Christianity.

"If everybody became a Christian, it would have a big impact, and would really help the development of our factory," he said. In response to a question as to how much religion was a factor when he was recruiting new staff Mr Wau said "Of course I would choose the Christians first," he said.

Such comments could prompt accusations of discriminatory practice in some countries, but he had no doubt about the sort of impact Christianity could have on Chinese business. "I think if all enterprises absorb this Christian culture, we will have a much more harmonious society," he said.

There are obvious questions about whether the staff really have discovered Christianity, or whether they are simply responding pragmatically to a clearly defined vision for their company. Most seemed keen to stress the significance of their new faith, and the lack of pressure to convert - though there was no disguising their bosses' clear desire to boost Christian numbers in the workforce. But the wider role of Christian entrepreneurs in the economic success of the Wenzhou private enterprise zone has not gone unnoticed by the Chinese government.

Far from being regarded as a religious oddity, the impact of Christian-run businesses is now being studied by Chinese government officials. At the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences in Beijing, Professor Zhuo Xinping, is the Director of the Institute of World Religions. He specialises in the study of Christianity's growing influence in China - and has plenty to say about Wenzhou's Christian entrepreneurs. He says that the city was visited by substantial numbers of Western Christian missionaries during the 19th Century and thus has - by Chinese standards - a long history of Christian faith.

Today it has an unusually high number of Christians for a Chinese city - with some estimates suggesting Christians now make up 20% of the population. But what really interests him is the way in which the growth of Christianity and economic prosperity have happened side by side. The factory has a monthly output worth $5m. He tells me that Chinese researchers are considering whether in Western history there is a link between economic prosperity and Protestant Christianity - and they are questioning what that might mean for today's China.

"It's very important to find the secret of social development, the so-called potential forces for a nation," he says. "When it comes to Western countries, the majority of Chinese understand that this potential force is Protestant Christianity."Christian faith may sound like an unlikely component in China's future economic success. But the notion that new-found faith can inspire a workforce to increased levels of productivity is being taken seriously not only by Christian businessmen, but by China's Communist - and officially atheist - leaders.

Nearly two years after anti-Christian violence broke out in India’s Kandhamal district, Orissa state, a team working against human trafficking have rescued a 16-year-old Christian girl – one of at least 60 people sold into slavery after the 2008 attacks. The recovery of the girl represented the cracking of a network that has trafficked Christian girls and women from Orissa to the national capital, sources said. The girl, whose name is withheld, is a tribal Christian who was sold into slavery along with her 19-year-old sister and two other girls, all victims of the 2008 violence.

They were trafficked from the Daringbadi block of Kandhmal district to the capital in December 2009, according to the Human Rights Law Network. Her sister and the other two girls remain missing. “Human trafficking agents operating in the tribal belt of Orissa have targeted the Christian girls who are displaced by the Kandhamal communal violence – we have been receiving complaints of missing girls from Kandhamal after the violence broke out in 2008,” said attorney Lansinglu Rongmei, one of the rescue team members.

Prasant Vihar Police Station House Officer Sudhir Kumar confirmed the rescue team’s accusation that he refused to register a complaint in the girl’s case. "The victim is from Kandhamal, let her go back to Kandhamal and register her complaint there," Kumar told Compass. Assistant Commissioner of Police Sukhvir Singh told Compass he had no explanation why the girl’s complaint was not registered, but he insisted on having her and the rescue team return. "We will file their complaint if they come back to us now," he said.

St. Mary's Roman Catholic Church has opened its doors in the Arab state of Qatar. The small chapel is being seen as a real step forward in the dialogue of Christians' freedom to worship within an Islamic country. Now overcoming even more seemingly insurmountable odds, the Vatican is reportedly negotiating "for permission to build the first church in Saudi Arabia". Top Vatican spokesman Father Federico Lombardi said a Catholic parish in this key Islamic country would be "an historic achievement" for religious freedom.

Five years after alcohol restrictions were imposed on Queenslands 19 Indigenous communities, and two years after Aboriginal leader Noel Pearson won government and indigenous support for a trial of a welfare-linked school attendance scheme, the benefits are becoming manifest. Hospitals and police report that assaults and domestic violence have decreased markedly, and more children are going to school across north Queensland. In the large community of Aurukun on western Cape York, school attendances increased 10 per cent last year, and almost as much again this year.

The reforms are being increasingly embraced by the leaders and residents of the communities. In the tiny Aboriginal community of Mossman Gorge, near Cairns, 11 families this year chose to have their homes declared "dry houses". This means that no alcohol is allowed to be brought into the premises. Ms Henry is one who elected to "nominate" her home as a dry house. She did it because she wants her daughter Shayeema, 9, to be able to study and become a doctor. "I want to be safe and I want my little girl to grow up without seeing drunk people all around her."

Ms Henry said. "That is why my home is a dry house now. We have seen too much of alcohol, fighting and drinking until dawn. Shayeema loves going to school, where she has lots of friends, and she does not have to put up with that humbug." Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Partnerships Minister Desley Boyle tabled a report in the Queensland Parliament that sets out the most encouraging statistics regarding closing the gap on indigenous disadvantage. Ms Boyle said several communities now had school attendance rates approaching the state average of 90.7.

It would be difficult for any community to better those numbers because Indigenous tradition demands that when there was a funeral in the community, all businesses and schools must shut down for a period of mourning, sometimes more than a week. The Queensland government has budgeted $10 million over four years to create support networks for indigenous students throughout Queensland. This year the Cape York Academy commenced - a brainchild of Mr Pearson, who was frustrated that so few Aboriginal children were able to cope with the mainstream education system.

The academy and State Education have established a new holistic syllabus - the Class, Club and Culture curriculum - that keeps children at school longer each day and ensures that they know and understand aspects of their particular studies before moving on to new material. The welfare-linked trial operates at Aurukun, Coen, Mossman Gorge and Hope Vale communities. The quarterly report of the welfare-linked trial shows that at Aurukun, under the leadership of progressive Mayor Neville Pootchemunka, assaults in the past year were almost half the number reported in 2008-09.

School attendance has gone up from 46 per cent in 2008 to 65.9 per cent this year, a 10 per cent increase in 2009 and a further 9.8 per cent this year. Another positive aspect of the new community life outlined in the report is the big fall in the number of children being taken into care because of neglect or abuse - a situation attributed to parents being better able to cope with stress because of the support services now available and because alcohol consumption has been curtailed so much

Greece has recently been the epicentre of a missionary outreach that has reached and touched thousands of homes as a team of 180 from countries as diverse as Canada, Romania, Italy, South Africa, Germany, Holland, the USA and Albania has descended on the region of Sparta. In all 60,000 households have received a copy of the New Testament in contemporary Greek as part of a project called Operation Joshua. One participant described it as a "Tsunami of blessing" as energetic teams criss-crossed the sparse and mountainous region.

They have gone to over 800 villages in some of the remotest areas of Greece bringing the message of life. How does this project compare with other evangelistic efforts? In a word, "historic". In a country where there are less than 20,000 people recognized as evangelical Believers, this was truly a significant event. Greece has never had a reformation or a revival. It has never held any mass evangelistic campaigns. So in the context of Greece's history, to spread 60,000 copies of God's Word in one week can only be described as momentous and even seismic.

Despite the fact that the New Testament was originally written in Greek, very few modern day Greeks can understand the 2,000 year old version. Very few Greeks actually own a Bible because there is no point having a book they can't understand. If they do own one it is regarded as an ornament or a good luck charm. With that in mind Jonathan Macris, the President of Hellenic Ministries has launched an ambitious project to distribute one million copies of the New Testament throughout Greece over the next few years.

Hellenic Ministries is "a mission to Greece and the nations," established by Jonathan's parents, Kostas and Alky Macris in 1980. They were previously missionaries to Iryan Jaya for 16 years. Kostas then contracted a series of tropical diseases which the doctors regarded as terminal and he was sent home to die. But God spared him for another 25 years during which time he started what was then known as the Hellenic Missionary Union. As Greece does not acknowledge the need for any missionaries the name was subsequently changed to Hellenic Ministries.

The mission gained wide publicity when Kostas, along with two YWAM missionaries, Don Stephens and Alan Williams were arrested for proselytizing. The incident occurred when a 16 year old boy visited the YWAM ship, Anastasis, together with his father and was given a New Testament in Greek. His estranged mother, a well-known vocal atheist, immediately protested and took the trio to court. Under Greek law it was illegal to pass out any religious literature to any young person under the age of 18 and the three men were each sentenced to three and a half years imprisonment.

There was a worldwide outcry; thousands of people were praying, and protests poured into the Greek government. Greece was in the process of entering the European Common Market so such religious intolerance did not sit well with the authorities. Subsequently the sentences were overthrown. But Greece became the focus of worldwide attention from the Christian community and Hellenic Ministries was well and truly on the map. 25 years later Hellenic Ministries is at the forefront of evangelistic efforts to reach the population of Greece.

Whilst 95% of the population profess to believe in God and 97% are members of the state church it is estimated that less than 0.2% of the population are born-again evangelicals. The challenge is immense but the visionary President of Hellenic Ministries is confident that the tide is turning, "God's time for Greece is here. We are planning on significant growth and the planting of churches all over Greece. More than that as revival comes to Greece we believe it will overflow to the surrounding Muslim lands bringing life and hope to millions who have never heard of Jesus."

Standing up for his religious and moral beliefs has paid off for actor Neal McDonough. McDonough was fired from a television series for refusing to perform sex scenes. Far from ending his career, his career has been rejuvenated with a role in a major Hollywood film and the lead in a new television series called Vigilante Priest. McDonough was fired from the TV series "Scoundrels" for not caving into demands to shoot a sex scene. McDonough, married with 3 children said "no," saying that would violate his Christian faith and his role as a husband and father.

For his stand McDonough may have lost as much as $1 million in pay. While McDonough has lost job opportunities for his stand, he is now producing the pilot for a one hour drama on the Starz channel about an ex-cop turned Catholic priest. McDonough plays the title role and his character, reportedly, takes an unconventional approach when it comes to cleaning up the crime ridden streets of Los Angeles "one sinner at a time." Starz is fast-tracking the project. Depending on the success of the pilot, it could turn into a new show for McDonough.

McDonough is also co-starring in a movie currently being filmed in London, which is scheduled for theatrical release in July 2011. For McDonough there is a bitter-sweet irony in the whole situation—while ABC execs may have forced him to walk off the set of Scoundrels, the life-expectancy of the show is looking very short, after just eight episodes. The summer television drama has fizzled with Broadcasting & Cable news reported as a 38 percent audience drop from its June premiere. It is not expected to run another season.

Becky Weatherall was told by her doctor that her son would be born deaf and blind and would probably survive only for a couple of hours. Little Brandon Kramer was diagnosed in utero with rhombo encephalosynapsis—a condition in which the brain fuses together rather than being in two halves, as well as hydrocephalus—water on the brain. Tests conducted twice a month indicated the condition was worsening and Becky was advised to abort her pregnancy up to just weeks before the birth.

She ignored the doctors' recommendation and Brandon was born healthy. The Foetal Medicine Unit at the University Hospital of Wales in Cardiff was ordered to review the case to determine whether Brandon had the condition and recovered from it, or whether data from the numerous ultrasound scans had been misread by hospital staff. "Perhaps doctors shouldn't put so much confidence in scans," Becky said. "One of the older doctors we spoke to said a scan is like a fuzzy image of a snowstorm—it cannot be relied upon, and he turned out to be right."

"I feel incredibly guilty thinking that I could have killed my son. I am left wondering how many other completely healthy babies have been aborted. Brandon's father Kriss said, "We are not there to blame anyone but we want to thank hospital staff for the help and advice they gave us. They went over the MRI scanner results with us. They haven't given us any explanation. It was a mistake, but all that is put to the side now and we are trying to forget about it because Brandon is normal.

Six months after the earthquake rocked the impoverished nation last January, most of the rubble and piles of destroyed buildings still remain, but there have been unprecedented changes in the spiritual atmosphere. Mission Aviation Fellowship (MAF) report that a door has remarkably opened up for the Gospel to be shared and received among those who had previously opposed it. MAF president John Boyd notes that as his ministry reaches out with that "cup of cold water," the prospects of communicating the Good News of Jesus are "phenomenal."

Boyd went on "The Lord has opened a door of opportunity spiritually, where tens of thousands of voodooists in Haiti are asking huge questions about their own beliefs. The opportunity for the Gospel to be preached and taught is unprecedented in Haiti." Boyd warns however that conditions and needs in Haiti are still at an "emergency" level, and the ministry is straining to continue bringing aid and relief, in addition to the Gospel message, to the people of Haiti.