AP

WARNING: CHRISTIANITY IN DANGER FROM DISAPPEARING IN SYRIA
Joel Veldkamp, international communications officer for Christian Solidarity International, a persecution watchdog, is sounding the alarm about what will happen as the result of the toppling of Bashar al-Assad’s regime in Syria and the rise to power there of the designated terror group ‘Hayat Tahrir al-Sham’ (HTS).. “It won’t be good for Israel,” Veldkamp told CBN News. “It won’t be good for the Christians. It won’t be good for anyone except Turkey, really.” HTS is led by Abu Mohammed al-Golani, a man who had longtime ties to al-Qaida – this connection stretching back to 2003, when he joined insurgents battling US troops in Iraq.
Though HTS has been putting out messages saying, ‘We’re not coming to hurt anybody. Christians don’t have to be afraid’,’” Veldkamp and many others who know the real situation, remain very skeptical:. “This is what you want to say if you’re in their position right now, because they’re angling to get the support of the world for their new regime, and they’re angling to be accepted by the Syrian people, and the Syrian people are not an extremist people. They’re very diverse, well-educated and connected to the world. This is not a place where fundamentalism typically thrives.” Veldkamp and others worry about how this power shift will harm Christians and members of other minority groups.
[Source: Faithwire. Please pray that Christians will be free to worship and evangelize in Syria, and that the power shift will not result in Christian having to flee Syria.]

BIBLE SALES ARE SKYROCKETING: WHAT’S GOING ON?
God’s truth is reaching new eyes, with Bibles reportedly flying off shelves this year. In fact, Bible sales are up 22% this year through the end of October as compared to last year’s sales during the same period,” according to The Wall Street Journal (WSJ). The WSJ crunched the numbers and found Bible sales increased from 9.7 million in 2019 to 14.2 million in 2023. In the first 10 months of 2024, 13.7 million copies were sold, with still two months left to count. This is in comparison to the total US book sales, which were up less than 1% during the same period. And why the increase in Bible sales?
Jeff Crosby, president of the Evangelical Christian Publishers Association said: “People are experiencing anxiety themselves, or they’re worried for their children and grandchildren. It’s related to artificial intelligence, election cycles…and all of that feeds a desire for assurance that we’re going to be OK.”
Bookstore managers are seeing many first-time buyers come in looking for the Scriptures — “people are on a quest for ‘hope’.” Research shows that young people, in particular, could be looking for answers to some of life’s tough questions, especially as cultural confusion grows. Some of the other potential reasons for the increase mentioned by the WSJ are celebrities speaking out about faith and influencers on YouTube, TikTok, and other platforms sharing their beliefs with new audiences. 
Dr John Plake from the American Bible Society revealed that  44% of Gen Z adults between the ages of 18-26 were either very or extremely curious about Jesus and/or the Bible. And nearly half of Gen Z said the Bible has transformed their lives.” Dr Blake continued: “They’re leaning into the Bible. They’re really trying to engage in their faith and they are kind of a bright hope for us as a young generation of American adults.”
[Source: CBN News]

FAITH TRANSFORMS VIETNAM VILLAGE OF OPIUM ADDICTS
LAI CHAU, Vietnam – There was a time when Sin Suoi Ho village dd not feature the current picturesque landscape of rice terraces and manicured vegetable plots. There was a bleak period when almost all the residents of the village were drug addicts, harvesting opium from the fields round about.. “We were selling opium like selling chickens. Everyone was addicted, so no one worked in the fields. We did not have food, just leaves from the jungle. People were fighting. It was a very messy time,” Pastor Xa said. That included Pastor Xa’s father, Hang A Lung, an opium addict who was still elected as village chairman.
Because he was a leader, the government provided him with a radio to listen to and stay informed about its policies. Lung, however, did not understand Vietnamese. He only knew the Hmong language and the only radio program he could understand, came from a Christian broadcast ministry to the Hmong people. Instead of communist ideology, Lung listened to the Word of God each day. Pastor Xa said, “My father heard the gospel and became the first believer.” Lung obtained a Bible that had been passed from one household to another. From reading Scripture, Lung and other villagers felt convicted to quit drugs and live a life pleasing to God. Instead of opium, they planted orchids which became a source of income.
Though most could not read or write, God gave the villagers wisdom to begin running various businesses. The Sin Suoi Ho village is now a leading tourist destination, and known for its beauty, tranquility and testimonies of transformed lives. On Saturday mornings, the villagers flock to the market to sell their produce. Here, Pastor Xa is shining the shoes of the people for free. “This is my way of serving the people and also an opportunity to share Jesus to them,” he said.
Pastor Xa sees the importance of carrying on the legacy of being a God-centred village. That is why he is thankful that various Christian organizations are helping to disciple the children of Sin Suoi Ho. US Christian Broadcasting Network Vietnam’s National Director Phuc Truong,  believes that if God has done this in Sin Suoi Ho, He may yet transform other villages and cities, and eventually, the entire nation of Vietnam. [Source: Christian World News]

NORTH KOREA AND CHINA
China has subjected hundreds of North Koreans to atrocities since last year by forcibly returning them to a country whose leaders hold that religion, especially Christianity, is the greatest threat to its power. Torture, sexual violence, enslavement and murder await those repatriated from China to detention centres in North Korea. North Korea’s leaders operate a criminal enterprise that enslaves civilians to produce goods for export, through which it acquires foreign currency to fund its military programs. The program to suppress all religion other than ‘worship’ of the Kim dynasty is so efficient that 99.6 percent of North Korean refugees say they are not aware of any religion being practised within the country. [Source: New Life]

DRAFT BILL THREATENS CHRISTIANS IN NORTHERN INDIA
INDIA — India’s northern state of Rajasthan recently passed a draft bill that could lead to prison sentences of up to 10 years for people accused of “forcing” religious conversions. Legislation like this is often used against believers, and justice is rare. “Christians are arrested, and then it’s months or years, in some cases, later [before] the case is decided,” Todd Nettleton with The Voice of the Martyrs USA says.  “The police arrest you, and then they ask questions later while you’re sitting in a jail cell.”
Even though India’s Constitution guarantees religious freedom, Nettleton says, “There are pastors in prison today because of those anti-conversion laws.” It doesn’t take much to get believers in trouble. “You simply show up to the police station [and say,] ‘This person tried to entice me to change my religion,’” Nettleton explains. “[Police will say,] ‘Well, what was the enticement?’ In some states, [the answer might be,] ‘I walked by and heard music playing. That was an enticement for me to go in and change my religion.’” If the bill became law, Rajasthan would become the 12th state with anti-conversion legislation.
“India is now a restricted nation, where the government is the primary driver of persecution. And that is true in India under Prime Minister Modi. That change happened on his watch under his Hindu nationalist government; it is now the government that is the primary driver of persecution.” PRAY: for the Lord’s will to be done in Rajasthan, and pray that believers will be bold and courageous, and that the Gospel will change the leaders of radical Hindu groups.  [Source: Missionary News Network]

– compiled by Guido Kettniss