Kevin Zeller, Mission Network News

In the mountains of Ethiopia, there lived a group of about 6,000 people unreached by the story of Jesus. They practice a local animist religion, believing that all beings have a life force and that spirits can possess people.

In a 2010 poll, 11 percent of Ethiopians said sacrifices to spirits or ancestors could protect them from harm.

In late July, religious extremists came to the home of a Christian in Uganda and killed him. His wife and four children hid in another room during the attack. He had recently held an open-air evangelism event, prompting threats from a local Muslim leader.

Heavy storms and flooding killed at least 37 people across Eastern Kentucky last week. Infrastructure damage made it hard to even reach some communities.

Between 30 to 40 bridges washed out in Pike County alone. In Letcher County, mud destroyed the city hall and damaged the town bank, pharmacy, and post office. Some schools suffered enough damage they may not reopen at the normal time.

Now, scorching heat settles into the region. Officials have opened eight cooling centers to shelter people.

A 7.0 earthquake struck the Philippines’ most populous island of Luzon last Monday. More than 50 landslides killed at least five people and injured many more. Electricity has mostly been restored, but clean water remains a concern.

Bill Passons with AMG International says, “Some of the people that we do serve did have some damage to their houses, things like cracks in foundations. We are going to try to help some of our sponsor kids’ families with those things. But that was the extent of the damage that was done to any of the AMG ministries or the constituents that we serve.”

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine continues to dominate the headlines. A heavy Russian offensive in Eastern Ukraine has slowed, and Ukraine has begun to take back territory. Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky says Ukrainian forces are advancing towards the occupied city of Kherson.

But the fighting isn’t the whole story.

Russian churches have been sending help to one Ukrainian pastor in the Kherson region. The area he lives in is currently under Russian occupation.

In the southeast African country of Zimbabwe, inflation rose to 191.6 per cent in June, up from 132 per cent in May. The government will introduce new gold coins in an attempt to stall the economic crisis.

Many people in Zimbabwe live on subsistence farming, providing only for their own needs and not producing extra.

In Afghanistan roughly half the population is facing an intense food shortage, affecting 20 million people. 

Some people have sold their kidneys on the black market in order to buy food.

Flooding has killed dozens in northeast Bangladesh. It’s the worst flooding in over a century for the South Asian nation. Thousands have lost their homes and all their property.

Nehemiah with FMI says floodwaters have devastated rice crops, the main food staple for Bangladeshis. “When we were able to connect with our pastor, through our national leadership team, we were being told that they are struggling with the food crisis. Because the supply of food is being cut off to the villages.”

Extremist violence in northern Nigeria threatens the existence of rural communities.

Wednesday morning, a 5.9 magnitude earthquake killed over 1,000 people and injured thousands more in southeastern Afghanistan. The epicentre was about 27 miles from the provincial capital city of Khost.

The worst damage occurred in remote and mountainous regions near the border with Pakistan. The number of killed and injured is likely to rise, as the area has unreliable telecommunications and means of reporting casualties.