DRC: Conflict and Christians
On 25th January, Rwanda's military fired at a Congolese fighter jet that had violated their airspace for the third time recently. The DRC called the shooting ‘an act of war.’ This incident comes a week before Pope Francis is to make the first papal visit to Kinshasa since 1985. The Pope plans to shine a spotlight on the bloodshed of the conflict in eastern DRC, one of the world's most resource-rich yet conflict-ridden regions. On 15th January an improvised explosive device ripped through the congregation at a baptismal service conducted by a blind pastor. It severed limbs and killed at least 17 people. This attack in North Kivu province is just the latest terrorist outrage in the DRC by the Allied Democratic Forces, one of the most dangerous of dozens of armed groups in eastern DRC. As well as physical injuries, terrorist violence has left DRC Christians suffering serious emotional trauma.
Myanmar: Opium production at nine-year high
The production of opium increased sharply in Myanmar, reaching nearly 795 metric tonnes in 2022, nearly double the production in 2021 - the year of the military coup that plunged much of Myanmar into a bloody civil war that still continues. The UN believes the increase is driven by economic hardship and insecurity that followed the military takeover, and farmers in remote conflict-prone areas have had little option but to move back to opium. The region, where the borders of Myanmar, Thailand, and Laos meet - the Golden Triangle - has historically been a major source of opium and heroin production.
Global Day of Prayer for China and the Buddhist World
Ex-Psychic exposing divination and occult
For decades, Nizza was a psychic medium and a teacher of occult on topics such as: the law of attraction, past life regression, automatic writing, tarot, and mediumship. But her story took a dramatic turn at age 36 when she became a Christian and abandoned those practices. She’s sharing her powerful transformation story on a podcast ‘Ex-Psychic Saved: Exposing Divination, New Age, and the Occult.’ In a world increasingly enraptured by horoscopes, tarot cards, and other facets of the occult Nizza offers a powerful message on a bi-weekly show sounding the alarm on the dangers of the occult. She will talk about many New Age topics, expose where psychics get their information, and interact with guests.
