Today on Christian World News –

Churches targeted for deadly terrorist attacks.
Learn about the radical group threatening

Nigeria's Christians and how the victims are
responding.

Plus –

They're crying out day and night. Christians
hold a 24-7 prayer service in the days leading

up to America's presidential election. Wait
till you see where it's happening.

And –

A fire truck that once raced through the streets
of New York now serves the people of West

Africa.

Nigerian Christians in America call on the
U.S. government to help protect believers

in their homeland. Hello, everyone, I'm George
Thomas.

And I'm Wendy Griffith.

Nigerian Christian leaders in America are
demanding the U.S. government label Boko Haram

a terrorist organization.

The militant Islamic group has attacked churches
and killed hundreds of Christians in northern

Nigeria – most recently murdering about
45 Christian college students at a polytechnic

school.

Rev. James Fadele of the Christian Association
of Nigerian Americans addressed a group of

reporters this week. He said: "Extermination"
of Christians is "fast assuming the proportion

of genocide."

Fadele says labeling Boko Haram a terrorist
organization would reduce the weapons and

funding flowing in from other countries.

The U.S. has defined three Boko leaders as
terrorists but not the group itself.

Boko Haram is linked to al-Qaeda and it has
declared war on Nigeria's Christians. The

attacks have been brutal.

While there have been cries for revenge, some
Christians are calling for forgiveness. And

as I learned when I met with them in Kano,
Nigeria earlier this year, they believe that

this battle is a spiritual one.

It was a beautiful day. We came to church
to celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ.

People started coming as early as 6:00 in
the morning. It was going to be a joyous occasion.

But it never turned out that way.

A suicide bomber in a vehicle packed with
explosives drove up this busy street and stopped

in front of the church. Uche Bonaventure and
his 17-month-old son had just walked out the

church front doors when the bomb exploded.

The explosion threw me back and my son was
hurled across to the other side. Around me

I could see bodies on fire.

Within minutes husbands became widowers, wives
became widows, children became orphans, and

parents were childless.

The suicide bomber knew precisely when to
strike. It was shortly after 8:00 that Christmas

morning as one service was just concluding
and the next one was about to begin.

Twenty-six of the 44 people who died that
day attended St. Theresa's Church.

The people who carried out this attack are
under the influence of the devil. They have

only evil in their heart and they want to
divide us.

The radical Muslim group Boko Haram claimed
responsibility for this and several more attacks

in other parts of Nigeria that Christmas Day.
Boko Haram's goal is to turn Africa's most

populous nation into an Islamic country.

I am very angry at them. We didn't do anything
to deserve this but if they are trying to

get me to respond out of anger I will not.

He and his son spent several weeks in the
hospital recovering from third degree burns.

Today you'll find him and his family praying
for their attackers.

I want God to touch their hearts so that they
will know that what they are doing is not

good.

A sentiment echoed in Father Achi's sermons
about the importance of forgiveness.

I have personally forgiven them but what I
need from Boko Haram is that they should repent

and stop doing this evil work and confess.

Two hundred miles north of St. Theresa's church,
Ester Garba…

So many people loved my husband. He loved
to share the gospel with others.

Isaac Kure...

They would not let me see my father's body.
He was beyond recognition.

Margaret Frames...

He was shot in the mouth, in the elbow and
in the back.

and Salametu Joshua...

I am asking God to bring peace to our city.

…are blanketing northern Nigeria's most
important city of Kano with prayer.

On January 20th, 26 days after the Christmas
Day massacre, Boko Haram killed 185 people

in a string of coordinated attacks in Kano.
It was the group's deadliest strike to date.

Among the dead were the loved ones of these
Christian families.

I can't do anything to bring my husband back;
all I can do is trust in God. The Bible says

we should love our enemies and pray for them.

A Boko Haram spokesman has declared war on
Nigeria's government, the security services

and the country's Christians.

In a video released online he says, "I enjoy
killing anyone that God commands me to kill

the way I enjoy killing chickens and rams."

In January the group gave Christians three
days to leave the north or be attacked.

And the Christians in the state of Kano are
very, very much on edge. So many of them are

beginning to consider the idea of leaving
the state and moving south. We spoke to some

of them who are very fearful and concerned
that the security apparatus is not in a position

to protect them.

Nigeria is evenly split between Christians
in the south and Muslims in the north. Kano

is overwhelmingly Muslim. Extremist groups
routinely use the city and the surrounding

areas as a base of operation.

It is very difficult to share the gospel here
in the extreme northern parts of Nigeria.

"Joshua" works quietly as an evangelist in
northern Nigeria. CBN News agreed to conceal

his identity to protect him. He says the indigenous
people consider Christians here as invaders

and members of a western religion.

I was born and raised here. I'm part of the
north, yet because I'm a Christian I am viewed

and treated as a second, third or fourth class
citizen.

And now he fears Boko Haram is trying to spark
a religious war by provoking Christians into

attacking Muslims. Some Christian neighborhoods
are taking measures to defend themselves.

Others rely on God for protection and take
comfort in His Word.

"Even when I walk through the dark valley
of death I will not be afraid for you are

close beside me."

George, you showed on the map there that Nigeria
is split about dead even between Christians

and Muslims. Is the Nigerian government doing
anything to protect Christians and their churches?

No, not really. I mean, they're telling folks
who go to church they have to be careful.

There are armed guards that surround many
of the churches. But as one pastor told me,

he receives daily calls from the intelligence
bureau saying, listen, you need to keep an

eye on the police as well. Make sure you recognize
all the police officers who surround your

church every Sunday. You need to know them
by name because very easily one can slip in

on a Sunday dressed in a police uniform and
can be a suspect.

So that's the challenges that Christians have.
Just imagine, every Sunday you don't know,

you go to church, you don't know if you're
going to come back that afternoon.

I can't imagine that. Well, we definitely
need to be praying for the believers, the

Christians in Nigeria.

Thanks for going over there. We really appreciate
that.

Well, an American mission group says a pastor
and his family have been murdered in Syria.

Christian Aid reports that a ban of Sunni
Muslim militants stormed into a house church

meeting this month, shot and killed a pastor,
his wife and three children.

We talked by phone with the Middle East director
of Christian Aid. He asked that we not reveal

his name because he works extensively in the
region. He told us more about the martyred

pastor, Pastor Sam.

I know he was a Muslim background believer,
he was not a Bedouin, he had been in training

for a while and he was given help by Christian
Aid Missions. He was a very faithful, godly

person that the leadership really trusted
in and they really thought a lot of him.

Thirteen Christian families associated with
murdered Pastor Sammy are now seeking help

to flee Syria. Various mission groups report
Syrian Christians are coming under increased

attack by armed militants.

Sadly, we've received yet another report of
a Christian pastor killed in Syria and you

can learn more about him and hear more of
our interview with Christian Aid Mission on

the Global Lane blog at CBNNews.com.

The fate of the Egyptian constitution is heading
to the country's supreme court. This comes

after a petition was filed challenging the
legitimacy of the panel tasked with writing

the document.

Critics say the panel is full of Islamists
like members of the Muslim Brotherhood and

that they will work to ensure Islamic law
dominates the constitution.

The judge's decision to defer to the high
court sets the stage for a showdown between

the court's secularist judges and the ruling
Muslim Brotherhood.

The Muslim Brotherhood is really taking over
Egypt right now in a dramatic fashion. It's

not these young kids that the president talked
about that are sort of aspiring for democracy.

They're there, but what's happened, taking
this vacuum, is the Muslim Brotherhood that

threatens Israel, threatens the entire Middle
East.

U.S. President Barack Obama said his administration
has been putting significant pressure on the

Egyptian government to protect religious minorities.

A U.S. Coptic Christian leader dismissed the
president's claim as just words. He says the

administration appears to be moving closer
to Egypt's Islamist-dominated government.

Christians in Cuba are asking for prayer this
week for their nation after Hurricane Sandy

swept through. The storm killed at least 11
people, nine of them in Santiago province

in the east. Many homes were destroyed and
buildings damaged by the storm.

Oscander Rodriguez of Cuba's Baptist Convention
contacted us. We've translated his comments

about the effects of the churches in Santiago
province.

It's been an almost total devastation. Many
homes of believers damaged, churches also

devastated, losing roofs, and much, much,
much material damage. And even the loss of

the lives of a couple from the First Baptist
Church of Santiago.

Despite the devastation, Cuba's Christian
community is gearing up to help in the relief

efforts.

Up next –

Forty Days of Prayer at the White House. Why
these Christians are praying round the clock

in the days before the presidential election.

And

welcome back to the show.

The Rev. Billy Graham is asking for prayers
for America. In a letter posted on his association's

website he writes about the moral decline
of the country. He says: "Millions of babies

have been aborted and our nation seems largely
unconcerned. Self-centered indulgence, pride,

and a lack of shame over sin are now emblems
of the American lifestyle."

It goes on to say: "Our society strives to
avoid any possibility of offending anyone,

except God. My heart aches for America and
its deceived people. The wonderful news is

that our Lord is a God of mercy, and he responds
to repentance. In Jonah's day, Ninevah was

the lone world superpower – wealthy, unconcerned,
and self-centered. When the prophet Jonah

finally traveled to Ninevah and proclaimed
God's warning, people heard and repented.

I believe the same thing can happen once again,
this time in our nation."

At least one group of Christians is making
prayer and worship a priority.

In the days leading up to the U.S. presidential
election, they've been praying on the White

House lawn. They actually pitched a tent and
have been going 24-7 since late September

in hopes of turning America back to God.

During a time of fasting and prayer, Jason
Hershey asked the Lord, "How can I intercede

for America in 2012?"

And I felt like he said do what King David
did - get the presence by the palace in the

capital city.

But even Hershey didn't have faith they'd
be within shouting distance of the White House.

When we went to get the permit, the Park Service
actually suggested, well, have you thought

about the White House Ellipse?

Do you think the president knows you all are
out here?

We know that he knows that we're here. The
Park Service has assured us that this close

to the White House they absolutely are required
to report to the president everything that

happens here.

Hershey says the goal of David's Tent is not
political.

In a time of great debate about which way
is this country heading we want to put a big

target on Jesus and say, "Seek first His Kingdom
and His righteousness and all of these things

will be added to you as well."

Just as the Bible says King David danced with
joy, organizers here at David's Tent say joyful

worship here on the White House lawn is the
key that will turn this nation around.

Shouts of joy and victory resound from the
tents of the righteous. And so we believe

this tent is to have a sound emanating from
it of joy and victory.

People from all over the world have joined
this effort to worship and pray for America,

including these young people from a Youth
With A Mission base in Hawaii.

It's seriously incredible. I'm just so happy
to be here. My hope for the result is just

to see people come back to God.

Well, I just felt like the Lord really called
me here and he's like, hey, you have a heart

for me and love to worship me and be joyful,
you love to praise my name. And I just felt

like he said it's time.

Hershey says it's very significant to be this
close to the Oval Office.

I think it's a prophetic statement from the
Lord Himself, speaking to the church, speaking

to America, that he should be at the highest
place of every area of our lives in every

sector of society in America. I absolutely
believe that the presence of the Lord is the

strategy. Where He is, everything changes.

"Where He is, everything changes." Loved being
with those guys last week.

Well, the ministry welcomes visitors at David's
Tent through election day on November 6. And

for more information you'll find a link to
their web page on our web page, cwnews.org.

Coming up–

Why an American couple set out on a quest
to acquire this fire truck, and then shipped

it halfway around

the world.

Welcome back.

When a

fire destroyed thousands of dollars of medicine
at a Christian hospital in Africa, an American

couple set out on a quest to send them a used
fire truck.

Yeah, but finding the truck was just the beginning.
How would they get it to Africa? Well, Stan

Jeter reports on the adventure of the Bongolo
fire truck.

Putting out fires in tropical Gabon is not
easy. Here at the Christian and Missionary

Alliance Hospital in Bongolo, a series of
fires several years ago set the ministry's

work back for months.

The third one almost burned down our entire
warehouse of about $100,000 worth of medicines

and supplies.

The devastating loss moved the relatives of
one of the missionary doctors to take action.

He didn't hear God audibly, but he just had
a sense, he just felt called, that Bongolo

needed a fire truck and that we were meant
to be a part of it.

Back in Pittsford, New York, Dave and Diann
Conquest turned to e-bay where they found

a 1975 Mack fire truck. They bought it for
$3,000 and then raised the funds to have it

repaired and outfitted with the necessary
equipment and professional signage.

"The hospital at Bongolo. Jesus is Lord."

God has blessed us with friends and family
and associates, people we don't even know,

who've given over $20,000 to repair this.

The truck that once sped to fires in New York
City was now on its way to a new career in

Africa, arriving at the port of Libreville,
capital of Gabon.

That's where CBN's West Africa director Jon
Cassel took over, using his credentials as

a volunteer fireman to drive the truck 320
miles across the equator and down to Bongolo.

Pressing through the tropical heat, Cassel
passed the village of Lambarene, where Nobel

Prize winning missionary Dr. Albert Schweitzer
built his hospital in the early nineteen hundreds.

At the damaged Komo River bridge, he had to
wait for a barge to carry the truck across

the river.

Finally, after an eventful trip, Cassel and
his companions neared the hospital and an

excited crowd.

Townspeople welcomed the area's very first
fire fighting machine.

For local officials, the refurbished fire
truck represents saved buildings, businesses

and even lives.

They've had several fires among storekeepers
in town and those buildings have burned to

the ground. People just stood there and watched
them burn to the ground. There was no way

to put out those fires.

So what we're hoping is that we'll be able
to get the fire truck there quickly enough

and with the trained people put some of those
fires out and save the businesses of some

of these, particularly Muslim, storekeepers.

Cassel set about training select hospital
staff and townspeople in fire-fighting techniques,

the truck's equipment, and how to use, drain
and pack hoses.

And today, Bongolo's Christian and Missionary
Alliance Hospital, one of the best medical

facilities in this part of Africa, has found
one more way to serve their community.

I think there are great opportunities to share
Christ and to show the love of Christ and

really to demonstrate to the community that
we're there for them.

Stan Jeter, CBN News.

Well, Christmas may seem far away but it's
never too soon to start wrapping gifts. Samaritan's

Purse president Franklin Graham visited London
recently to help school children there wrap

and pack shoe boxes.

I'm ready for my gifts. I feel like I'm dressed
for Christmas today. I'm getting in the Christmas

spirit.

Yes, you are.

It's not even Halloween. We don't celebrate
Halloween, okay.

No.

Well, the effort is part of this year's Operation
Christmas Child campaign. As U.K. correspondent

Peter Wooding tells us, the ministry will
reach a milestone this year.

For more than 22 years, Operation Christmas
child has sent shoeboxes like these, gifts

of love in Jesus' name to children in more
than a hundred countries.

Samaritan's Purse expects to reach a milestone
this year by distributing its 100 millionth

shoebox.

Samaritan's Purse president Franklin Graham
recalls the impact one shoebox had on the

life of a little Russian girl who desperately
needed a pair of shoes.

She had prayed that God would give her shoes
for Christmas and her father said he couldn't

afford them. And Operation Christmas Child
came to her little area and of all the boxes,

and she opened them, the box that she got
had a pair of shoes in that box that fit her.

In all my life of over a hundred million shoeboxes
I've never seen a pair of shoes in a shoebox.

But that little girl got a pair of shoes in
a shoebox. Now that's a God thing.

Graham says the shoeboxes are like snowflakes:
no two are alike. Each one is important because

it assures a child that God loves and cares
for them, he hasn't forgotten them.

More than eight million shoeboxes will be
collected this year by volunteers around the

world.

And here at Cornerstone Church in Liverpool
Operation Christmas Child volunteer Margaret

Parry is hoping her efforts will show children
receiving shoeboxes this year that someone

in the U.K. cares for them.

My hope is that as they grow up they come
to know the Lord as their Savior and they

can appreciate that someone is thinking of
them in another country and wants to let them

know that we love them like we love our own
children.

For the past 17 years Parry volunteered countless
hours of her time to Operation Christmas Child.

But what motivates her to do this?

The motivation is the children at the other
side of the world that just haven't got anything

and it gives you great pleasure to be able
to give them just that gift in a box that

gives them so much pleasure and our children
just don't appreciate what they've got.

Graham says it's the prayers of volunteers
like Parry that go with each shoebox that

make a difference.

I believe that when we pray as we pack the
boxes, as we give the boxes if we pray for

the child that's going to get that box. This
year we have 8.2 million people praying. Let

me tell you something, God's going to hear
those prayers.

So as thousands of volunteers like Margaret
Parry do their part to help Samaritan's Purse

reach their 100 millionth child, their prayer
is that every child will receive the greatest

gift of Christmas into their hearts this year:
Jesus Christ.

Peter Wooding for CBN News, Liverpool, England.

What a great ministry. And they're getting
ready to celebrate a milestone: 100 million

boxes…

No way.

…since 1993. Great ministry…

That's awesome.

…Franklin Graham and Samaritan's Purse.

Well, folks, that's all for this edition of
Christian World News.

Yes, it is. But until next week, good-bye
and God bless you.