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“Surrender your plans and allow God to surprise you. God’s invitations may be unexpected,” said Tom Lin, Urbana conference director and InterVarsity’s vice president. “You and I are called to share God’s Kingdom news not just for our campuses, not just for our cities, but also for the ends of the earth – the unfamiliar places, the unfamiliar cultures, and for unfamiliar friends.

While most people regards Christmas as just one of the many holidays of the year, or the best period for family gatherings and reunions, Chinese-Indonesian evangelist Rev. Stephen Tong will host a Christmas outreach in Taipei.

The Chinese Conservative Baptist Church held the 60th anniversary celebration in Kaohsiung from the 18th to the 20th to celebrate the missionary work in Taiwan. The celebration's theme surrounded unity, connecting, caring, and missionary work, to commemorate the American missionaries who came to Taiwan like a seedling that sacrificed itself to enable the formation of many more seeds - in turn spurred the development of 42 churches across the whole Taiwan.

FORT ERIE, Ont. (INS)—What does persecution have to do with beauty? Read on! Beauty For Ashes is the theme of this year’s International Day of Prayer for the Persecuted Church (IDOP) in Canada, which will take place on Sunday, November 4th.

Chinese Christians gathered for a three-day mission conference to reaffirm the importance of spreading the gospel through media. Over 350 people consisting of ministers and lay believers from Hong Kong, Taiwan, Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, United States, Canada, and Australia participated in “The Miracle is Coming” from August 13th – 15th at Golden Palm Tree Resort in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

The world's largest book exhibition at sea, the Logos Hope, will be visiting Hong Kong in mid November, and OM HK is currently preparing to welcome its arrival.

Although there are many churches and seminaries in the world, and many graduates of theology and people who are willing to spread the Gospel, there has not been a truly great missionary. Recently, Pastor Stephen Tong spoke on the topic of a great missionary in the STEMI Limited newsletter, and introduced to us some great missionaries in history.

PAKISTAN (INS)—God is performing miracles in Pakistan, where at least two people have been raised from the dead through God’s power working through the people of Pakistan Gospel Assemblies—an indigenous ministry partnered with Intercede International.

INDIA (INS)— People are being healed miraculously and one woman was even raised from the dead in India, as God’s power works through indigenous missionaries connected with Intercede International.

On May 21st, two blue plaques were unveiled in Barnsley, Yorkshire, England, commemorating the famous British Christian missionary to China James Hudson Taylor.

Asian Outreach honorary president Dr. David Wang was invited by Missions Fest Vancouver as its keynote speaker. In one of its seminars, he described China’s churches as the continuation of the book of Acts, where they are growing continuously under the power and guidance of the Holy Spirit. Yet, what is the actual outlook of the church in China today?

Chinese Coordination Center of World Evangelism (CCCOWE) recently published the mission developments and prayer needs of Japan’s mission field on its website. While Japan has been known for the difficulty in spreading the gospel, the Chinese churches in Japan have been revealing a unity in seeking for a gospel revival.

FORT ERIE, Ont. (INS)—More than 130 Christians, including several indigenous missionaries, were brutally slaughtered on November 11 when members of a fanatic Islamic sect viciously attacked the mostly Christian community of New Jerusalem in Yobe State, Nigeria. But one of the terrorists has become a committed Christian, after meeting with an indigenous Christian missionary.

On the night of October 22, influential evangelist Zhang Boli preached to around 3,000 people at the Crystal Cathedral in Garden Grove, Los Angeles. That night, over 300 Chinese-American immigrants dedicated their lives to Christ.

FORT ERIE, Ont. (INS)—This year’s International Day of Prayer for the Persecuted Church (IDOP) Canada theme is Victorious in Christ, based on Revelation 2:3 and 7:3. The word “Victory” may not be the first thing we think of when we consider the increasing tide of Christian persecution around the world. In fact, to many in the Western World, it is difficult to think of “victory” when thinking about “persecution.”

FORT ERIE, Ont. (INS)— Some congregations across Canada have formed partnerships with Intercede over the years and have become key supporters of Intercede and its indigenous partner ministries in other countries—bringing blessings both to the churches and to the ministries.

The internet gives birth to numerous newly emerged names and phrases; one of them that is of particular discussion is the “ant tribe” – the fourth largest disadvantaged groups in China. In Gospel Operation International latest periodical, an article titled “Gospel Needs of Ant Tribe” explored the context and gospel needs of this particular groups of people. Through first-hand accounts from Christians visiting the places where these “ant tribe” youths live, a better understanding of the gospel needs was illustrated.

After sharing about the relationship between prayer and evangelism, Rev. Jonathan Chiu, president of USA Care Ministries International (CMI), explains the meaning of church mission at a missions conference held in Lord's Grace Church in New Jersey.

An 9.0 magnitude earthquake struck the north-east region of Japan on the morning of March 11, about 250 miles from Tokyo and 20 miles below the surface. A large tsunami followed hitting Miyagi and Fukushima prefectures. Four nuclear reactors are now experiencing possible meltdown, leading to heavy radiation leaks. OMF International (formerly the China Inland Mission and Overseas Missionary Fellowship) has announced the safety of OMF staffs and their short-term workers.

McKinsey's report "Understanding China's Digital Consumers" was released in late February, which surveyed 4,800 internet users from more than 20 Chinese cities and interviewed 500 non-internet consumers. The report categorized internet users into heavy, moderate, and light, where the youths comprise of the majority.

Attacks on Christians and other minorities in this Muslim-majority archipelago are being routinely reported in national and international media. Liberal Muslims of Indonesia, home to the world’s largest Muslim population, are calling it the worst manifestation of religious extremism in decades.

Said Musa, the Afghan Christian who was facing the death sentence for converting from Islam, has been released from the prison in Kabul, a Christian persecution watchdog reported Thursday morning.

Missionaries from South Korea believe they are the target of new regulations that would revoke passports from those who commit illegal activities abroad.

An outreach ministry that specializes in sharing the gospel through online media announced Wednesday that it reached a record-breaking 687,000 people in just one day last year.

Wycliffe Associates is launching Bible translation efforts in two new areas, one of which has a Christian minority constituting 0.02 percent of the population.