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A couple from Texas who moved to a violence-plagued area of northern Mexico to run a Baptist church were found murdered on Tuesday in their ransacked home, relatives said. John and Wanda Casias, originally from Amarillo, Texas, moved to an area outside of Monterrey, Mexico, in the late 1970s or early 1980s to make it their home. Valerie Alirez, the eldest child of John Casias, said one of her brothers found her father and stepmother dead on Tuesday in their home in Santiago, Nuevo Leon. John Casias, 76, was a Baptist preacher and the couple ran the First Fundamentalist Independent...

MEXICO CITY -- The U.S. Embassy in Mexico says two Americans have been slain outside the northern industrial city of Monterrey, an area plagued by drug violence. It identifies them as John and Wanda Casias. The embassy says the former Amarillo, Texas, couple's family has been notified and it is providing relatives consular services. The embassy hasn't confirmed reports that the killing happened Tuesday. Its statement provides no other details. Valerie Alirez in Greeley, Colo., is John Casias' eldest child. She says he and his wife were found dead Tuesday in Santiago, Nuevo Leon, by one of her brothers.

Much of Mitt Romney’s life as a Mormon missionary in France was not as poor or arduous as he has claimed, say those who knew him at the time. It was a rare reflection by Mitt Romney on his life as a young Mormon, offered as proof to struggling Americans that despite being born into privilege and amassing a $250 million fortune, he too had known hard times. A day after being labelled “out of touch” for casually offering a $10,000 bet to a rival candidate, Mr Romney told supporters he had experienced austerity as a missionary in France, using...

Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney appeared on MSNBC’s Morning Joe on Tuesday, where co-host Joe Scarborough asked him about his experience as a Mormon missionary in France in the 1960s. “Talk about your rejections as a missionary knocking on door, after door, after door in a hostile environment,” Scarborough asked. Romney recalled five months he spent in one French city, where he said near-constant brush-offs built his resilience: “We knocked on doors from morning until quite late in the evening,” he said. “We didn’t convert one person in five months. So, you understand the rejection, you know that’s a pretty...

It was a rare reflection by Mitt Romney on his life as a young Mormon, offered as proof to struggling Americans that despite being born into privilege and amassing a $250 million fortune, he too had known hard times. A day after being labelled “out of touch” for casually offering a $10,000 bet to a rival candidate, Mr Romney told supporters he had experienced austerity as a missionary in France, using a bucket for a lavatory and a hose for a shower. “You’re not living high on the hog at that kind of level,” he said. But the Republican presidential...

The Journey Home with Marcus Grodi LIVE - Mondays 8 PM ET Encore – Tuesday 1 AM ET & 9 AM ET, Thursday 2 PM ET, Saturday 11 PM ET This exciting call-in program examines why so many people, including fallen away Catholics and individuals from other denominations, are being drawn home to the Catholic Church. August 1 David Currie Former Bible Church missionary David Currie was raised in a devout Christian family whose father was a fundamentalist preacher and both parents teachers at Moody Bible Institute. Currie's whole upbringing was immersed in the life of fundamentalist Protestantism -...

...the National Institute on Aging says that 2011 is a banner year in American demographics.-SNIP- Yet an increasing number of older couples from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints are serving in a multitude of ways around the world. At last count, that number stood at just over four thousand retirees. Their “missionary” service, lasting from six months to three years, is as varied as relief work in Africa or Central America or staffing the church’s temples, employment centers and welfare facilities.-SNIP- These are selfless individuals whose approach to retirement means no small sacrifice. Like their young missionary...

SNIP What is the first of the four ingredients Kimball gives for a successful marriage? Proper approach toward marriage; choosing a spouse who is near perfection and then marrying in the temple. What is the First Presidency's stand on tattoos and piercing? They discourage tattoos and piercing for non-medical reasons. They don't take a stand on women piercing their ears for only one pair of earrings. What is taught in D&C 131? You cannot enter into the celestial kingdom without the covenant of marriage. All spirit is matter. What is taught in D&C 132? Those who marry in the covenant...

His name is Clemente Vismara. He spent his life in the missions. He planted the Church where Christianity had never come before. An ordinary sanctity, that simply put into practice the Sermon on the MountROME, May 23, 2011 – The beatification of John Paul II has rocked the whole world like a hurricane. "But there are also other exemplary witnesses of Christ, much less known, whom the Church joyfully points out for the veneration of the faithful": this is what Benedict XVI said at the "Regina Cæli" two Sundays ago. Humble, ordinary saints – including those who will never get...

On Saturday, February 6, 2011 Pope Benedict XVI preached a profound homily before he ordained five priests to the office of Bishop. The Homily was an instruction on the office and mission of Bishops as successors of the Apostles.Pope Benedict XVI explained the Bishops' call to an "ecclesial existence". What is also notable about this homily is the Pope's emphasis on the missionary mandate of the whole Church. This is a recurring theme in the allocutions of Pope Benedict XVI... The contemporary culture has thrown off almost every remnant of Christian influence and embraced a new paganism. What Pope Benedict...

About Quizlet Quizlet is a fun, free, way to study languages, vocabulary, or almost anything. We're also the largest and fastest growing educational flashcards site on the web, providing powerful online study tools and games to millions of students. Founded in 2005 by high school sophomore Andrew Sutherland, Quizlet lets you make your own flashcards or choose from millions of flashcards created by other users. See what you can do with Quizlet | See what people say about Quizlet The Quizlet Story For lack of a professional writer working for Quizlet, here are some ramblings from me, Andrew Sutherland, creator...

Mission Prep Final ...terms ...According to...Joseph Smith, what is...channel through which all knowledge is revealed? Melchizedek priesthood As the Manual teaches, what is...to understand in order to recognize the Lord's hand in the Restoration? Apostasy and restoration SNIP According to the Manual...why did false doctrines begin to be taught and the true Church lost? No revelation or priesthood authority According to the Manual, what are...characteristics of the Great Apostasy? Lost...understanding of...nature of...Godhead, repentance, baptism, Holy Ghost SNIP As stated by...Joseph F. Smith, what...greatest event...has ever occurred since the Lord's resurrection? The First Vision SNIP T/F According to the Manual, we...

...John Paul II called for a "New Evangelization." Pope Benedict XVI has made this a central pillar of his pontificate. He erected a Pontifical Council for the New Evangelization tasked with evangelizing countries where the Gospel was announced centuries ago, but where its presence in peoples' daily life seems to be all but lost. Pope Benedict established a new dicastery (Vatican Office) and underscored the seriousness with which he views this mission of the New Evangelization. Cultures formerly infused with a Christian culture are now regularly called post-Christian and understandably so. In April 2009 John Meachem, then of Newsweek magazine,...

‘Modern day martyr’ studied to evangelize his home country JACKSONVILLE — Michael Loua was a passionate Christian — he loved his family, he loved his home country of Guinea, West Africa, but most importantly, he loved his God. This weekend, Michael was killed because of his passion to lead those in his home country to his Lord. “He was a preacher; he was an evangelist, so he loved to evangelize people and to lead people to the Lord,� said Michael’s widow, Elisabeth Loua. Elis-abeth said now her children are uncomfortable with the idea of going back to Guinea. “When I...

I’m no fan of the American Academy of Pediatrics, and I certainly don’t support intrusive, regulatory paternalism, but I know a lot of folks who would like to see fewer ads for Cialis, Viagra, and booze. An excerpt from an article published on the Healthfinder website: The American Academy of Pediatrics doesn’t want children exposed to tobacco ads at all, and wants to limit their exposure to alcohol marketing and advertisements for erectile dysfunction drugs and other prescription medications. Those are just a few of the recommendations in its new policy statement, “Children, Adolescents, Substance Abuse, and the Media,” published...

I found this wonderful website while doing a websearch for "ministering to muslims." I was glad to see that there really was such a website. I have read a few pages of this and find that it can be very useful towards understanding Islam and ministering to Muslim people you may know without being confrontational. This website is worth keeping on your favorites and passing around to friends and ministers.

A Circuit Court in Accra on Friday sentenced two missionaries of Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (Mormon) to various jail terms after finding them guilty on charges of conspiracy and defilement. The convicts Omale Ojonugwnuwa, alias Elder Omale, a 25-year- old Nigerian and That ayaone Keeng, 20, from Botswana, were evangelizing on behalf of the church popularly called Mormons in Ghana. They pleaded not guilty to defiling a 14-year-old house help of a next door neighbor, who runs errands for them. The court sentenced Elder Omale to 10 years imprisonment for conspiracy and defilement while Keeng was...

FOR THEY HEARD THEM SPEAKING IN TONGUES AND PRAISING GOD! ACTS 10:46 The train from Colon, Panama, brought several passengers to the village of Frijoles one Sunday morning. Many had heard of the miracles of God in this church and came for physical healing. One was an elderly woman known as Mama Mecha. That morning Mama Mecha received Jesus as her Savior. After the service, the congregation went to the inlet of Gatun Lake, which is a short distance from the church, to baptize the new converts. Her testimony of her conversion that morning stirred many hearts. As Mama...

The body of Dr Woo, whose family came from Stevenage, Hertfordshire, was found on Friday next to three bullet-riddled four-wheel drive vehicles. The Taliban has claimed responsibility for the attack, which also claimed the lives of six Americans, a German and two Afghan interpreters. The attack happened in the Kuran Wa Munjan district of Badakhshan province in Afghanistan.

PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti (AP) — A Haitian court has convicted American missionary Laura Silsby of arranging to transport 33 children out of the country following the Jan. 12 earthquake. But the judge has sentenced her to time served in jail and she is free to leave the country. The Idaho woman got the good news during a court hearing Monday. The 40-year-old has been in custody since Jan. 29.

The rumors began with the respected reporting of Andrea Tornielli. He is the eminently reliable Vatican correspondent for the daily Il Giornale. His report was then picked up by the Vaticanisti and ever reliable, John L. Allen, Jr., the only good thing about the National Catholic Reporter these days. In an April 25, 2010 in NCR Allen wrote: "According to a report from a well-connected Italian Vatican writer, Pope Benedict XVI will shortly announce the creation of a "Pontifical Council for the New Evangelization," to be presided over by Italian Archbishop Rino Fisichella. The office will be dedicated to rekindling...

American Minute for April 20th: His interpreter, Moses Tinda Tautamy, helped him minister to Indians along the Susquehanna and Delaware Rivers, camping at night. Born APRIL 20, 1718, missionary David Brainerd wrote in his Journal: "FORKS OF DELAWARE, Pennsylvania, Lord's day, July 21, 1745. Preached to the Indians...Divine truth seemed to make very considerable impressions and caused the tears to flow freely. Afterwards I baptized my interpreter and his wife, who were the first I baptized among the Indians... Though before he had been a hard drinker...it is now more than six months since he experienced this change; in which...

From a dear Brother who is preparing to work in Asia. Names have been withheld because of the sensitive nature and location of their ministry. ------------------------------------------------------- This is one of the hardest posts for me to write. Today, we went to the Doctor to find out about our baby that we are expecting in 19 weeks. Because this pregnancy hasn’t gone as smoothly as our first one, we were a little worried going into the appointment, especially since we had been given no new information at our last appointment. Well, we finally received some answers today. We were able to...

Video shows fighter jets shooting down US missionaries Anne Barrowclough An extraordinary video has emerged showing a bungled CIA operation that led to the shooting down of a light plane carrying American missionaries in Peru. The dramatic footage taken from a CIA surveillance plane, which has been shown on America's ABC News, shows Peruvian fighter jets opening fire on the missionaries' seaplane even as its pilot screamed for help. Although the Peruvian pilots issued a warning first, the pilot of the missionaries' plane was on a different frequency and could not hear it. The Peruvian jets shot down the missionaries...

As they continued to look for survivors and shelter the homeless, officials from the Salesians of St. John Bosco learned Tuesday that several hundred people had perished, according to Hannah Gregory, a Salesian public relations representative. The private high school is a part of the Salesian Catholic order, which works specifically with young people around the world, encouraging them to learn and care for themselves. The order had six facilities in Haiti; most have been destroyed. The hardest hit was a compound called Enam in Port-au-Prince that served primary grades and offered vocational training for older children, said the Rev....

There are a myriad of missionaries and ministries on the ground in Haiti doing work in the name of Christ. Many have been there for years while others have arrived in the past few days and are still arriving. Here are some of their observations on the devastation, death and hope in Haiti.

The Trinity United Methodist Church in Hackettstown, NJ is praying for 15 missing members who are in Haiti. The missionaries went to Haiti to deliver medical supplies to Grace’s Children Hospital in Port-au-Prince.

The Vatican has published the names of all the missionaries who died violently in 2009. In all 37 people were killed on active duty, the highest number in the past decade. Among them, is a lay person, 2 seminarians, 2 nuns and 30 priests. One of them could be considered a martyr since it appears he died a victim of a religious hate crime...read more...

While huge segments of Christendom go apostate by baptizing practicing homosexuality as divinely blessed, Christianity based upon the Bible as divine revelation not to be tampered with is flourishing in Africa.

“I love all religions. … If people become better Hindus, better Muslims, better Buddhists by our acts of love, then there is something else growing there.” Or in another place, “All is God — Buddhists, Hindus, Christians, etc., all have access to the same God.” We see, then, that Mother Teresa held beliefs that contradict many Biblical principles. Chief among these principles is that Christ is the only means of salvation. In John 14:6 Jesus states, “I am the way, the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” By teaching that all religion could...

"Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age." Matthew 28:19-20 The last words Jesus spoke to His disciples before He ascended into heaven to sit at the right hand of the Father would become the clarion call for thousands of Christians missionaries throughout the years. Many, like Stephen, would die a martyr's death while others would work...

Utah told it can’t count missionaries in census Bureau says there’s no way to reliably count those overseas in 2010 Aug 16, 2009 SALT LAKE CITY - The U.S. Census Bureau has told Utah's elected leaders it won't count Mormon missionaries serving overseas in the nation's next head count. Census Bureau officials, rejecting Utah's lobbying efforts for the better part of a decade, say there's no way to reliably count the overseas missionaries. Utah leaders say the omission cost the state an extra congressional seat in 2000, when the state fell just 857 people short of receiving the last available...

Four Christians working for an NGO that helps orphans in Somalia have been beheaded by Islamist extremist group al-Shabaab, according to the human rights watchdog International Christian Concern. The Christian orphanage workers were reportedly kidnapped on July 27 in the coastal Somali town of Marka, some 56 miles from Mogadishu. Al-Shabaab executed the four when they refused to convert to Islam, according to International Christian Concern. The reported executions come as residents of the town say the extremist group has been forcibly removing their gold and silver teeth using only rough tools and their hands, possibly to profit from the...

Prayer request from a Catholic missionary in Honduras Received this morning via e-mail: Dear Friends, I realize that the current political instability in Honduras may not seem like a big deal, and maybe to the rest of the world, it isn't a big deal - but what happens over this weekend will determine the fate of this small country, and more specifically, the fate of the Church in this country, and the fate of our mission here in Comayagua. Over the past ten months, I've put down roots here, which is why when I was faced this week with the...

I grew up in the era of headlong evangelism by the LDS church. We were out to convert the world. Back then, it was "every young man on a mission" and "every member a missionary." The church didn't just leave it to our imagination how to accomplish this. Full-time missionaries were expected to memorize verbatim an entire series of official gospel "discussions." Regular members were exhorted to ask acquaintances, complete strangers, or anyone who held still for five seconds, "What do you know about the Mormon Church, and would you like to know more?" I did the first one on...

“Why does Barack Obama have Polish roots? Because his grandfather ate a Polish missionary.” This is the joke that Sikorski supposedly distributed in his ministry.

Note: The following text is a quote: http://www.assistnews.net/Stories/2009/s09040025.htm Friday, April 3, 2009 Extremists Try to Murder Missionary; Attack Well-Drilling Team Gospel for Asia For Immediate Release ASIA (ANS) -- A mob of anti-Christian extremists tried to murder a Gospel for Asia-supported missionary working at a Jesus Well drilling site on Tuesday. The pastor escaped unharmed, but they badly beat a ministry intern and one of the men drilling the well. Jesus Wells are tangible evidence of God's love for the people of Asia. The incident occurred Tuesday when the well-drilling team arrived in the village where missionary Bala Nunwate serves....

Muslim Morocco expels 5 Christian missionaries (03-29-2009)‎ RABAT, Morocco (AP) — Authorities have expelled five Christian missionaries from Morocco on the grounds that they were illegally inciting Muslims to convert ... http://www.dailyreligious.com/archives/26942

A campaign to persuade major booksellers to move missionary-generated holiday Passover Haggadahs off the "Judaism" shelves has won the first round. The Jewish anti-missionary organization Outreach Judaism raised the alarm about Passover Family Pack: Everything You Need to Enjoy a Passover Seder Dinner earlier this week, warning Jews the so-called Haggadah was really a Christian text. Rabbi Tovia Singer, director of Outreach Judaism, called on Jews who unsuspectingly purchased the book to return it at the point of sale, and to lobby the bookstores and corporations to remove the tome from the "Judaism" section of the shelves. Singer also called...

My church sponsored an event called Global Impact Celebration last week, in which missionaries from around the world came and visited with various groups at this 6000-member congregation, to give a glimpse into the life of a Christian missionary. It was, to say the least, enlightening. Some of the missionaries were Americans, sent by various "sending agencies" to preach the gospel and plant churches in places like Thailand, Colombia, Costa Rica and (don't get ahead of me) France. Others are indigenous missionaries in, to name a few, Mexico, Pakistan, Ukraine, Cambodia (Kampuchea, as he informed us - "nobody in Cambodia...

South African missionary and author Charl Van Wyk says law-abiding citizens have the "right and duty" to bear firearms to protect themselves and their loved ones. In his book, Shooting Back, hemakes the argument based on his unique experience: First, he's been working for almost two decades in some of the most dangerous places on earth. And second, Van Wyk is a survivor of one of South Africa's most notorious criminal attacks. At the time, police credited him with saving many lives when he opened fire on the assailants with his personal revolver. In the final installment of our series...

A British couple working as Christian missionaries in Gambia have been jailed for one year with hard labour for sending emails that were critical of the Muslim state. David Fulton, 60, a former Army major, and his wife, Fiona, 46, pleaded guilty to making seditious comments "with intent to bring hatred or contempt against the president or the government". Their sentence, in a country which has one of west Africa's worst human rights records, sparked concern after reports that other prisoners on similar charges have been poisoned while in jail. The couple, originally from Torquay in Devon, have spent 12...

LOS ANGELES (CNS) -- The nun walked deliberately up to the ambo at St. Martin of Tours Church in Los Angeles and adjusted her spectacles. Holding a neat sheaf of pages, she began her mission appeal. Sister Mary Paul Watts spoke on behalf of her order, the Sisters of Our Lady of China, and the work the sisters do in remote rural medical clinics and the education they provide at a junior college the order runs. But the story of Sister Mary Paul is about more than her journey from parish to parish to talk about her order's need for...

Beijing - The son of American evangelist Billy Graham said Friday he is opposed to missionary work at this summer's Beijing Olympic Games. Franklin Graham, also an evangelist, was speaking to reporters Friday during a visit to Beijing for meetings with the Communist Party-controlled Protestant church movement. He said he wanted to encourage authorities to resolve conflicts with the church, but would not criticize policies that critics say limit the church's independence and religious rights. While some Christian groups have said they plan to proselytize during the August games, Graham said he was against that because Chinese law does not...

The recent desecration of a Catholic shrine by LDS missionaries in Colorado raises questions concerning how LDS youth are raised and taught in their homes and at church. Regrettably, this was not a unique incident. For example, following my own conversion many years ago, as I served as an LDS missionary, I was shocked to hear a few of my fellow missionaries spread gossip and highly offensive so-called "humor" regarding some other religions. In my mission in Asia a few missionaries desecrated a site sacred to another religion by entering a holy place's inner sanctuary where they knew their presence...

Police Benefit From Pr Warren's Peace Project The New Times (Kigali)NEWS 12 March 2008 Posted to the web 12 March 2008 By Florence Mutesi Kigali Renowned US Pastor Rick Warren's missionary work in Rwanda has now been extended to law enforcement. Four police experts from Warren's Saddleback Church in California, US, have since March 6 been training 50 Rwandan police officers in Kigali on how to better deal with various crimes such as gender-based violence, and how to provide counseling. According to Deputy Director of Training in Rwanda National Police (RNP), Superintendent Pascal Nkurikiyimfura, the training covers such issues as...

SAN LUIS, Colo. - Members of the parish of the Sangre de Christo Roman Catholic Church planned to vote Sunday on whether to ask authorities to file charges against Mormon missionaries who allegedly damaged a shrine in 2006. The Pueblo Chieftain reported that church members saw photos on the Web showing the Mormons in the shrine. The Chieftan reported that Sangre de Cristo Catholic Church members discovered a Web photo Thursday that showed an LDS missionary holding the severed head of a statue at the shrine. Residents since found the head had been replaced, the Chieftan said. Other photos, also...

Your are bidding on a .jpg file of the image shown. Thats right - I'll email it right to your emailbox. Use it was wallpaper or better yet, print it, laminate it and make placemats for the table and flop em under the kids soup. Makes a good teaching aid in the dangers of childhood obesity, public education, politics, and social welfare programs. As your family enjoys this low quality .jpg for years to come...share with them some interesting facts about the model. For years, he attended a small Church where I had the good fortune of being his pastor,...

COLORADO SPRINGS A gunman believed to have killed four people at a Colorado church and a missionary training school on Sunday had been thrown out of the school three years ago and had been sending hate mail to the programme and its director, police said last night. Matthew Murray, 24, who was home-schooled and raised in what a friend said was a deeply religious Christian household, was identified as the gunman. His father is a neurologist and a multiple-sclerosis researcher. Five people — including a gunman — were killed, and five others wounded in the two eruptions of violence 12...

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. - The gunman believed to have killed four people at a megachurch and a missionary training school had been thrown out of the school about three years ago and had been sending the place hate mail, police said in court papers Monday. The gunman was identified as Matthew Murray, 24, who was home-schooled by his family and raised in what a friend said was a deeply religious Christian household. Murray's father is a neurologist and a leading multiple-sclerosis researcher. Five people — including Murray — were killed, and five others wounded Sunday in the two eruptions of...