The church in Russia is facing a new threat-HIV/AIDS. OM Russia works in rehab-centres to show God's love and compassion.

The story of Yury, who came to Christ in prison.

A group of Russians participates in an OM Moldova summer outreach for children.

A woman from a least-reached group of people accepted Christ during Discipleship Centre student outreach.

Children's club at the church in Tkvarcheli, which is held by MDT students, impacts lives of local children and gives them hope.

Although a flash flood inundated most of Metro Manila, Central and North Luzon in the Philippines, recent earthquakes have shaken up the nation even more.

OM Philippines sees signs of hope in the midst of tragic loss while extending help to churches wrecked by Typhoon Pablo (Bopha).

OM Ships’ vessel Logos Hope welcomes her three millionth visitor on board while in Puerto Princesa, Philippines.

Marie Reyes from Australia led the Out of the Comfort Zone Cebu team, and shares lessons she learnt during the two-week outreach.

One of the strongest typhoons ever to hit land slammed the Philippines on Friday, 15 November, forcing millions to take shelter. OM Philippines responds.

After taking inventory of the relief effort, OM Philippines workers, in partnership with churches, distribute relief necessities to some of the least-reached disaster sites.

As local markets begin to re-establish themselves, the OM Philippines crisis response team takes steps towards reconstruction in Tacloban, Bohol and Northern Cebu.

How OM Philippines is making a long-term difference in the aftermath of Typhoon Haiyan.

From 8-26 April, OM Philippines will host their annual short-term missions conference GO EXTRA MILE in Palawan for the first time ever.

OM Philippines hosts camps for children affected by recent trauma that facilitate emotional restoration through dance, songs, crafts, Bible stories and more.

OM Philippines’ Alternative Learning System teachers visit the homes of students in an effort to connect with their parents and encourage further education.

20 A-frame houses and a Sunday School building destroyed by Typhoon Haiyan have been built by OM Philippines these past three months.

Three boys who sell fish become “men of peace” for the DreamAsia+ team in three of the poorest Muslim communities in the Philippines.

OM Philippines helps train and provide school drop-outs with the opportunity to earn their elementary or high school diploma.

OM responded to the needs of people affected by Typhoon Vinta, relying on military accompaniment to reach the location and deliver aid.

At CES 2020, Sony unveiled a new line of 4K and 8K TVs, destined to be released during the year. They finally have now gone on sale and we were quick to pick one up to test it out.

Testimony of a Greek woman.

Jemina (Finland) joined the Transform team in Athens. Changes in travel plans meant she used the metro system—between stations with very special names.

How OM is partnering with Greek churches to address the growing immigrant and trafficking situation

OM Greece and partner organisations help Syrians and other refugees as they reach the island of Lesbos from Turkey and disembark from dinghies.

OM partners with a Greek aid organisation to run the only Christian camp on Lesbos, offering help in Jesus' name.

In the midst of the refugee crisis in Greece, OM country leader says OM acts as ‘the glue,’ doing behind-the-scenes work to bond churches and other Christian organisations.

Churches are the key to continuity in the refugee ministry, states Gabby Markus, director of OM Greece.

A shepherd from a Muslim background comes to Jesus thanks to a goat ministry started by OM Mozambique.

Antonio Nipueda (Mozambique) recollects his journey to ministry with OM in Mozambique and the ways their prayers have impacted one village there.

Focusing on one person at a time, John uses everyday life as a way to meet people where they are and journey alongside them.

"...if they don’t believe you, you have to keep on talking and talking and talking until it gets stuck in their head," said Lansipe.

People in Mozambique, Malawi and Zimbabwe are still recovering from Cyclone Idai. OM is responding to the needs in different communities in these countries.

Lima, Peru, May 9, 2020 / 02:00 pm (CNA).- Peruvian congresswoman Luz Milagros Cayguaray Gambini has demanded the country’s health minister provide the legal and scientific basis for a directive that would allow abortion when a pregnant woman is infected with the novel coronavirus.

Abortion is illegal in Peru except when pregnancy would cause death or permanent harm to a pregnant woman.

On April 22, Peru’s Minister of Health Victor Zamora issued a directive calling for provision of emergency contraception in the country, and allowing abortion for pregnant women who test positive for the coronavirus.

In a May 5 letter, Cayguaray demanded Zamora to “Indicate what the legal basis” is for the directive that allows doctors to “end the pregnancy,” if the mother has contracted COVID-19.

The legislator also challenged Zamora to indicate “the scientific and medical basis the norm is based upon.”

At issue is whether a positive test for coronavirus is sufficient to establish that a pregnancy threatens the life of a woman. Gambini says that assertion is unproven and unfounded.

Cayguaray has also written to Dr. Enrique Guevara Ríos, director of the country’s Perinatal Maternal Institute, asking him to report how many pregnant women with COVID-19 have been treated to date, “how many have had their pregnancies terminated,” “on what grounds,” and “what current regulation has been applied to carry out the interruption of those pregnancies.”

The Arequipa Doctors for Life Association has criticized the health directive in a statement.

"At this time in which all our efforts as a nation should be aimed at improving our precarious health system to mitigate the serious impact of the pandemic, the circumstances are being used to dictate measures that threaten the lives of Peruvians in their most vulnerable stage, life in the womb,” the group said.

Regarding the “morning after pill,” the group expressed surprise and concern “that the Ministry of Health promotes the irresponsible and reckless use of this drug in the general population and particularly for minors, and even worse, dispenses with obtaining the person’s medical history, which is an essential tool for the responsible practice of medicine, thus seriously exposing the users to danger."

Aborting a child because the mother has COVID-19, the doctors said “is contrary to the principles that govern medical practice, which must always be based on the application of therapies that are based on rigorous scientific studies and with respect to elementary ethical principles” which guide medical science in providing the best strategies to protect patients.

When a woman is pregnant “we have two patients to take care of, the mother and the unborn child," the doctors association stressed.

Concerning the babies themselves, five newborns whose mothers have COVID-19 were recently discharged from a government hospital in Peru. A sixth, also born of a coronavirus patient who is in serious condition in the intensive care unit, was born prematurely and remains hospitalized. None of the babies have tested positive for COVID-19.

In a May 5 interview with the El Comercio daily, Dr. César García Aste, who heads the hospital’s neonatology department, explained that there are strict protocols as to how the baby is to be fed in order to avoid infecting it.

A doctor from the hospital is assigned to follow up daily by phone on the baby’s condition for an average of 14 days, and “so far we haven’t had a problem with any of the five babies,” Garcia said.

 

A version of this story was first published by ACI Prensa, CNA's Spanish-language news agency. It has been translated and adapted by CNA.

 

“This publication is a tool to help those who will join Goran in sharing the gospel among Gurbet-speaking Roma, and lays the foundation for future Christian materials.”

Debora from Mexico will soon join OM in Serbia to serve refugees. She's been three times already as a volunteer...what keeps bringing her back?

Goran’s decision to follow Jesus challenged the cultural values and traditions he grew up with, causing him to live differently in his community.

Work of OM Romania, partnering with the church

A Roma man’s cry to God for mercy to spare his son’s life transforms his future and the future of his small town.

Europe short-term mission coordinators gather in Sibiu, Romania, to increase vision, gain training and share resources for greater impact in Europe.

Since 2007, the Bus4Life has visited 150 locations, welcomed 10,000 visitors and touched many lives, including one Romanian teen who comes back to God.

“What a feeling it is to know you can be someone’s miracle…” shares a short-term worker after outreach with the OM Transit team in Romania.

Faith is strengthened when OMers learn how the Lord watches over them, not allowing harm to come to the people or the ministry.

Newlyweds Sam & Lena joined Transform as part of their honeymoon, because they wanted to honour God from the very start of their life together.

Heikki drove the nearly 4,000 km from Finland to Transform in Spain on his motorcycle. A Harley-Davidson and a saxophone were useful instruments in God's hands.

Transform staff Esther Banzi (South Africa) loves to share the needs in Europe with people from the Global South and see them moving into missions.

Transform mission conference one year, outreach team in France the following year, the sisters from Mexico are eager to share the love of Christ, realising the audience was different from what they expected.

A group from the Sharing Lives Course visits a mosque in Lausanne, Switzerland, and learns that greater awareness can lead to greater sensitivity.

Träff International, OM Switzerland’s newest project, offers hospitality to people in the community every Wednesday morning.

Hope for Zurich connects with the community at Träff International, their outreach to the local immigrant population.