>> wendy: today on christian world news, they kidnapped missionaries and persecuted christians. the rebel group that has terrorized the southern philippines for decades, and the christian leaders who stayed to face the danger. >> plus a mass baptism for dozens of former hindus. see what sparked this amazing survival. >> wendy: and running on faith. this woman is competing for the u.s. at the london olympics, but she says the real prize is serving jesus. ♪ >> george: and welcome, everyone, to this week's edition of christian world news. i'm george thomas. >> wendy: and i'm wen giv wendy griffith. for years, the abu saif terrorized the southern

philippines. they shocked the world in 2002 by kidnapping american missionaries, martin and grace. today they're still at work, but are they as dangerous as they once were? i went back to basil island to find out. it is one of the most beautiful places on earth, and in many ways, untouched by time and progress. but for nearly three decades, a deadly enemy has preyed on the people living in the southern philippines. the enemy, ab siaf, which stands for father of the sword. its goal: make the southern islands an islamic stronghold. beheadings are their signature. they carried it out against guillermo simply because his ransom did not come on time. in 2002, terrorists assigned this man the chilling task of collecting this man's

bones. >> if you don't pay taxes, they will kill you. they're very angry with people, especially the foreign tourists. here the christians and the muslims live together. >> reporter: amil, a government spy, also witnessed missionaries martin and gracra in captivity. >> i saw them bring the hostages. they were tied to each other. i reported this immediately to the military. >> reporter: when i was on the island 10 years ago, riding around on a tricycle would have been too dangerous. the abu saif were always looking for the next kidnapping victim, especially white americans like me. for example, while covering the kidnapping, seven armed bodyguards accompanied me at all times. and the day after we were there, the military closed the island to foreign journalists. exact numbers are hard to come by, but it is clear the

terror group has murdered thousands. the more infamous are 23 philippine soder soldiers killed in 2009. and some beheaded in 2007 and 2011. just this year they killed six rubber plant workers and injured another two dozen when the company did not pay its protection fee. >> reporter: did they threaten your life? >> yes. not only my life, they planted bombs. >> reporter: it's population averages about 50% muslim, 50% christian. fergi believes god called him to lead the city, and protect the people from terrorists, like the abu saif, but it isn't easy. >> one of the bombs exploded outside of my house. >> reporter: in 2010, they set off a bomb outside the mayor's house, but his family was not injured. despite, he still wants to

make it a safe place for families and even tourists. >> i have to come back and at least help the people, again, to regain their confidence. >> reporter: 10 years ago, the abu saif used this beautiful stretch of coastline on basil island as a dumping ground for dead bodies. today, thanks to the courage and conviction of a christian mayor, this beach has been transformed into the tropical paradise it was always meant to be. >> today i can say that they are safe. though, you know, even in manila, there is problems. but here i can say they are safe. i really wanted to see the peace and tranquility run through this place. ♪ >> reporter: another man, who has stayed despite death threats is pastor marito cartapan, he says he is determined to be a light in the darkness. >> we node -- need to have

our trust in god and stand your ground. the enemy is around, but i still believe that god is greater than anyone else. >> reporter: he says proof of that can be seen at his church's kindergarten, where more muslim children attend than christian. >> what amazes us so much is that 70% of our children are muslims. you see? so that's how the lord is working. >> reporter: other good news, abu saif numbers are way down. they have dropped from about 1200 strong in 2,000, to fewer than 400 today. the credit goes to stronger military efforts, along with more civilian cooperation. >> we're very confident and we're optmistic that we will be able to, once and for all, defeat the abu saif group. slowly but surely. >> reporter: amil agrees, the abu saif is not as

strong as it used to be. >> the abu saif has weakened in the year. from 200, they are down to 80. they recruit young boys and they don't have a strong leader. >> reporter: but the colonel warns they have many sympathizers. especially where it is not considered safe. >> we need the cooperation of the people. it is the local officials who can help eradicate the group. first of all, we need schools and electricity, and the ownership of guns should be regulated. >> reporter: the one thing that the mayor did was install video cameras around the city, and encourage the presence of u.s. troops. and sounds of prayer are rising up from areas like the mayor's office. ♪ jesus christ, he comes >> reporter: many cling to god's promise that he will one day soon cut off their enemies, and bring an end to the bloodshed, fear, and violence, that has plagued their beautiful land for far

too long. >> george: wow, beautiful. you went there 10 years ago. i remember you telling us the stories of how difficult and dangerous it was. same, or has it changed dramatically? >> wendy: you can feel the difference in the atmosphere, george. it is a miracle. god has done something. the numbers -- abu saif has been cut in half, and the christians that are staying there, like the mayor and that pastor, and the praying people, are making a difference. they still have a long way to go, but as you can see, that place is so beautiful. and it is time. we need to keep praying for basilan island. that part of the philippines needs our prayers because they still have a real enemy. it is great to go back there. if you want to learn more about the work of the church in the philippines, please visit my facebook page at

facebook.com/wendy griffith cbn. . >> george: hillary clinton says world leaders must act early to stop potential genocides. she says the u.s. and others must act, quote,"before the word is said and the match is struck." the secretary cited bosnia, rwanda, and sudan as examples of genocide that could have been prevented. more than two million people died in sudan's 20-year civil war. that war ended with a peace treaty. that's the creation of a new nation last year called south sudan. now there are reports that the regime is attacking innocent civilians in the mountains and border regions with south sudan. earlier in the week, i spoke with faith mcdonnell with the institute on religion and democracy, and she told me the violence in sudan has really never stopped. >> it is really serial

genocide. we have seen the genocide that took place in south sudan and darfur. many people don't realize what is happening in the nuba mountains of central sudan actually took place in the 1980s and '90s as well. this is genocide number two for the nuba mountains. >> george: is there a religious element to these attacks? what is taking place today, is there religion involved? is this just a dispute over land or something else? >> oh, no. there is definitely religion involved, as well as culture. the cartoon government has stated over and over they want to isla mize and ara arabdize south sudan. and so the people who are left who are christians, or

who don't believe they should have to live under islamic law, have been left in the lurch. >> george: what is the u.s. government doing, if anything, to stop these attacks? >> what is happening is that the obama administration is pressuring south sudan to give into demands by -- that is the only thing protecting people in the nuba mountains. we've asked for cross-border aid to help 500,000 people who are hiding in caves in the nuba mountains with no food left. >> george: it is amazing that a year after a new nation is created, we're still talking about this issue. faith, thank you so much for joining us on the broadcast. >> thank you. thanks, george. >> george: and you can learn more about the genocide in sudan, and ways you can help suffering christians there. ples go tplease go to our website. >> wendy: up next, how one man's obedience led to a revival in a place steeped

with spiritual

>> wendy: welcome back. a large portion of india still lives in tribes. now one of the largest of these communities is witnessing a christian revival. >> george: it is quite inspiring. hundreds of men, women, and children who used to follow hinduism are now embracing christianity. recently i saw these inspiring events firsthand in the central highlands of india. ask him why so many tribal people are accepting jesus christ, and he gets teary eyed. >> when you do god's work for years and begin to see the fruits of your labor, it is overwhelming. you see the changed lives. you see the return of happiness on the faces of people. and how can it not move me. >> george: here in a corner of rogerstan, where the major follow hinduism, the christian chorus is rising. >> the transformation is

almost immediate. families stop praying to their ancestor -- they stop drinking, and they stop their witchcraft. their entire life is turned up side down when they accept jesus. >> george: and he is part of the reason so many are turning to criefltd. for 10 years, pastor tanish served in a city much like this, but then god tugged on his heart and told him he needs to go back to his village, and his own people, and share the good news of jesus christ. >> i was like jonah in my bible. i didn't want to serve here. i wanted to serve in the city. >> reporter: he points to his life as fruit of his decision to return. >> one day the pastor told me about jesus christ. he told me if i put my trust in him, i would be healed, that my life would be different. i did. >> george: so he joined 178 of his tribes people at

the edge of this river, and here they were baptized by pastor denish. >> i know all of these men and women personally. i know what their lives were like before they met christ. now to be part of the spiritual milestone is an enormous privilege. >> after i accepted christ, i stopped drinking. i stopped smoking, and i stopped getting into fights. getting baptized was my way to show the community i'm a changed man. today jesus christ is my savior. >> george: manu was among the dozens of women who also got dunked in the river that day. >> i feel very happy after my baptism, and thankful i received christ in my heart. i will follow him the rest of my life. >> george: and not just her. her husband and children decided to follow christ after the pastor spent several occasions with them. >> my family was blessed because of christ, and because someone was willing to come and share the gospel with us. >> george: the pastor is a member of the dill

community, one of the largest tribes in the state of india. he says foreign ministers have been ministering in this area for over 135 years, and have never seen the results he is witnessing today. christians are still a minority within a minority in these parts, however, reports game as many as 300,000 have become believers in just the last 10 years, many of them from among the bill tribe. >> we have 42 house prayer groups meeting in 22 villages. and we have 32 workers going from village to village sharing the gospel. in the coming year, my goal is to send out missionaries in neighbouring states to reach other villages. >> george: giovanni is one of those who travels from village to village. when she is not on the road, you'll find this spry 65-year-old leading a house group. on the day cbn came, she and dozens of believers were

having church under this tree. >> our group is getting so large, we don't have enough space in my house. >> george: about six years ago, she used to roam the streets of this remote village, in essence as a mad woman. she used to walk around naked. but then she had an encounter with this man, jesus christ, and today she leads a thriving church here in rogerstan. >> the villagers used to make fun of me. people said i was cursed. then i met pastor denish and he prayed for me and i was healed. i was delivered. >> george: pastor denish says these testimonies are just another reminder to him how important it is to obey and trust god. >> i am living the fruits of my decision to come back to my village. is it easy? no. do we face challenges? yes. but we have christ to lean on. he is all we need to see change among my people. >> wendy: george,

incredible. i love that lady. she used to run around naked and she got delivered and now she leads a church. >> george: from ashes to beauty, you see the transformation. and the reality is that the community is like, wow, we used to know what giovanni was like, and then to see the transformation of this encounter with jesus christ -- it's just powerful. you see the city and the village completely turned around as a result. if you do want more information on this and how god is moving amongst the tribes, among the dill community, go to facebook.com/george thomas reporting. >> wendy: next, the church and aids. christian leaders motivate believers to fight this devastating disease. and later, running the race. the olympic athlete who says she is competing for the glory of god.

>> george: the international aids conference was held this week in the united states for the first time in more than 20 years. >> wendy: christian leaders from around the world gathered at a special summit to discuss the role of the church in fighting the deadly disease. john jessop has that story. >> reporter: nothing comes close to the hundreds of millions of volunteers in the local church. >> reporter: rick's saddleback church hosted the summit. they are calling on the leaders to help promote health. it empowers local churches to care for aids patients and educate the next generation. rick's wife, kay, tells cbn news one of the most powerful steps any church can take is to remove the stigma associated with aids. >> we look at the scripture, mark 1: 40-42, where jesus met a leper. he had the opportunity to ask him how did you get sick, but he didn't.

he reached out and touched and man and healed them. >> reporter: more than 45 million people suffer with h.i.v. or aids. the reverend cristo crayling from the netherlands was diagnosed with h.i.v. 25 years ago. he trains christian leaders around the world on how to minister to people living with the disease. >> as the church, we sometimes make h.i.v. a moral issue. and it is not a moral issue. it is a disease. it is a justice issue. and that as a church, we must be the ones who cannot work with guilty and not guilty. we cannot work with innocence and guilty. we are all broken people. >> reporter: other leading voices in the fight against aids testified that these efforts are making progress. michael gersin is a former policy advisor to george w. bush. in 2002, he was in the office when the president decided to have the plan known as pepvar.

>> i've been trying to encourage americans, peoplesoft in the church, to understand the importance of america's efforts to fight aids around the world. this is something i think fits the christian world view very closely. it represents a belief and human rights and

>> george: well, folks, finally this week, the summer olympics are under way in london. a virginia woman is there now preparing for two big runs on the world stage. >> wendy: francina mccori will represent the u.s. in the 2012 olympics. mark martin caught up with her before she left the states, a woman who says she is running for jesus christ. >> reporter: with wings on her feet and christ in her heart, she prepares for the 2012 olympics in london. the 23-year-old graduate of hampton university in hampton, virginia, will

compete in the 400 meters and the four by four relay. it is nearly an all-out sprint for a full lap around the track. >> it is a tough race, but if you have faith in god and faith in yourself and faith in your training, and what you've been working towards, it can be fun. it is all about your mindset. >> reporter: francinea is definitely focused. she puts it into work on the track and in the weight room. her training paid off in june, when she placed third at the u.s. olympic trials, earning a spot on team u.s.a. >> it was just great to see my dream unfold before my eyes. >> reporter: she already has one gold medal on her resume. she anchored team u.s.a. in victory at the world championships in korea last year. but there is something special about olympic gold. she says hearing the national anthem at the

olympics would be a dream come true. ♪ >> i can't even describe the feeling, you know. last year at world championships, i got the opportunity, and it was so much emotion. at first i thought, you know, i'm going to stand up here and get a medal, but you just feel so proud. to see them raise your flag the highest. >> reporter: ultimately, she says she wants to win for jesus christ. >> i tell my friends and family all of the time, jesus is the one who gave me this ability. i can't get out here and run on the track by myself. it is all him. he blessed me with this talent and i want to use it to glorify him. >> reporter: and she believes no matter how fast she runs, it is important no to get ahead of of jesus, making sure he is there on and off the track. >> wendy: francina, we're praying you get the gold. >> george: and check back on-line, as well as next week, and we'll have regular

updates from london 2012, and it will be fun. folks, thank you so much for joining us this week. i hope you've enjoyed all of our programs, all of our stories, as we've taken you around the world. >> i took them to the philippines, and you took them to india. it was fun. until next week, everyone, good-bye. and from all of us here at christian world news, god bless you.