Marking her 16th birthday, Malala Yousafzai, the Pakistani teen who was shot by members of the Taliban last year and survived, addressed the United Nations on Friday. She told a UN Youth Assembly, ‘They thought that the bullet would silence us, but they failed.’ Malala, a student in Pakistan who had been known for speaking out for children and women's educational rights, was shot in the head by a Taliban member while she was in a vehicle on her way to school. Amazingly, after extensive surgery in the UK, she recovered; this was Malala's first public speech since the attack. The courageous young woman presented UN Secretary General Ban Ki Moon with a petition signed by 3 million people, calling for support from the UN for educational rights of children around the world.

Praise: God for the living testimony of this young lady; may she be an example to many. (Ph.3:17)

More: http://www.christiantoday.com/article/appeals.for.peace.in.egypt.after.sudden.increase.in.attacks.on.christians/33191.htm

Church attendance in Greater London grew by 16% between 2005 and 2012, from 620,000 to 720,000, representing 9% of the capital’s population at the latter date, and thereby bucking the downward trend in most national religious indicators. The number of places of worship in London also rose during these seven years, by 17% from 4,100 to 4,800. Growth was especially to be found among black majority and immigrant churches, which together accounted for 27% of all Christian places of worship in London in 2012 and 24% of churchgoers. Black people were farmore likely to attend services than whites (19% against 8%), and in Inner London 48% of worshippers were black. 14% ofall churches use a language other than English and 52% of attendees are in evangelical churches. By contrast, many traditional, smaller places of worship are still contracting. These are among the initial findings from the London Church Census, undertaken by Brierley Consultancy and sponsored by the London City Mission.

Praise: God for the growth of His church and long may it continue. (Ps.145:1-2)

More: http://revivalmedia.org/2013/10/01/londons-significant-church-growth-320-report-2/

John, a secret believer travelling covertly by jeep to escape the country, had been dropped off at an oil field in the middle of the desert to await a driver to escort them to the next location. A close encounter with armed oil-field workers thinking they were bandits alerted John to existing dangers and he silently thanked God for His protection. When his next contact came out of the desert John was amazed to recognize Christian music playing inside the jeep. As his journey continued with Samy the driver they listened to ‘Jesus, only you’ and ‘Blessed are those who dwell in the house of the Lord.’ John asked Samy if he knew what the music is about and he replied. ‘Yes, we are free now!’ Author's note: the ancient Berbers of Libya were called Imazighan, meaning ‘free men’. John’s prayer, ‘May Libyans experience political, personal and religious freedom.'

Praise: God for divine appointments, giving us hope and courage in difficult situations. (1Thes.1:3)

More: http://www.opendoorsusa.org/pray/weekly-prayer-alert/2011/03-march/Story-of-Hope-in-the-Libyan-Desert?source=text