Through people like Arayk, locals have started to listen to God's word and are responding to it in a small town.

A school-wide clean-up drive organised by OM Philippines' Sudlon II students becomes a community-wide clean-up drive hosted the third Saturday of every month.

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

OM Philippines will host three training sessions this month in an effort to see sustainable, transformational and developmental ministries grow in Cebu City.

Nineteen boys and girls graduated from Fishport Kids Tutorial Club's day care programme in Manila, Philippines, this month.

The OM Philippines-Cebu team, in partnership with the local church, touches the lives of young and old through a five-day Bible class.

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

Forty new students registered for OM Philippines-Cebu’s Alternative Learning System (ALS) programme in June, and by faith, their financial needs have been met.

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

OM Philippines partners with the local church to provide water and food in areas hit by the 7.2 magnitude earthquake on 15 October.

OM SportsLink hosts a local R4TW race to engage those involved with OM Philippines-Cebu Ministries and encourage people to pray for the nations.

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

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

Students from OM Philippines-Cebu's Alternative Learning System bring children joy through a Christmas party, following the trauma caused by Bohol earthquake and Typhoon Haiyan.

On 24 December, OM Philippines-Cebu witnessed the overflowing joy of about 135 families during Christmas parties they hosted in two typhoon-affected areas.

From Leyte Island to Northern Cebu to Bohol Island, the Christmas season brought overwhelming joy to many who received provision and care from OM Philippines.

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

OM Philippines brings relief to the earthquake-shattered island of Bohol.

Seven thousand were reported homeless after fire destroyed homes in Lorega cemetery, Cebu City, on 18 March. OM helps provide basic relief.

OM Philippines’ relief operations reach a significant milestone with the completion and handover of its first housing project in Northern Cebu.

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

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

OM Philippines celebrates 25 years of transforming lives and communities.

OM Philippines receives a short-term mission team from Hong Kong.

A teenage girl's courage and boldness opens door for family´s salvation (Philippines).

OM Philippines send staff to assess the earthquake damages in Surigao City and provide needed disaster relief training.

Young Filipinos participate in OM Philippines Alternative Learning System, a learning institution for those who have dropped out of school or failed their exams.

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.

OM worker rejoices her friend's baptism in Greece.

Greek Easter program 2007 was organized in co-operation with a local church and included youth work, painting and helping in the church. The program was very rewarding in many ways, here are some highlights.

Testimony of a Greek woman.

A story about 2 Albanian boys who live in Greece as immigrants with their families.

A story how an Asian sister found her way to a local church service in Greece.

In 2008, the Greek Evangelical Church in Athens opened a community centre, in a suburb where many Albanians live. OM worker Martha describes how she and other staff are reaching out with God's love to local young people.

Rosie from OM Greece helps at a project for homeless people run by local believers in Athens. She describes how one regular 'guest' is progressing towards faith in God.

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

Women caught in the sex industry find new life through Nea Zoi, a partner organisation, which reaches out to sex workers in Athens.

After working with the needy on a Transform 2012 outreach to Greece, Anthony (UK) returned to Athens to continue in that ministry.

A Greek woman embarks on a lonely journey to the Transform 2013 conference in Rome, a journey that began when she accepted Christ at 19.

After attending Transform 2014 and going on the Greece outreach, a young South African man returns to Greece eight months later to stay.

As Syrian, Iraqi and Afghan refugees pour onto the beaches of Lesbos, OM Greece and partner organisations offer water, essential items and, more importantly, hope.

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

OM Greece's involvement with refugees is always evolving. This summer the team is able to work in more camps and connect with more people.

Lila from Argentina wanted to go on a mission trip, but always had a reason not to. Then she found the opportunity to serve refugees.

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

God is working to transform lives in Mozambique through the efforts of the local OM team.

Limardes Domingo, an OM worker in Mecula, Mozambique, has seen church growth over two years through God's faithful answers to prayer.

"...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.

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.