♪ for every dream you made come true ♪ ♪ for all the love i found in you... ♪ i love you too, daddy. ♪ you're the one who saw me through... ♪ - and thanks... - ♪ through it all... for everything. ♪ you were my strength when i was weak ♪ ♪ you were my voice when i couldn't speak... ♪ - ( woman speaks ) - ♪ because you loved me. a message from the foundation for a better life. >> today on christian world news, praying for the islamic world, as muslims begin their holiest month, christians are asking god to

give them a revelation of jesus christ. plus, revival that shaped america. they called it the great awakening, and it ignited a diverse block of colonies into one nation under god. and the joy of adoption. meet the extraordinary couple who have so many kids from so many countries, someone said its like having the united nations in suburbia. ♪ >> well, welcome to christian world news. i'm gary lane. george thomas and wendy griffith are on vacation. muslims around the world begin their holy month of ramadan this week. it is an intense time of prayer and fasting. it lasts about 30 days. observers abstain from food, drink, and other pleasures, from sunrise to sunset, with the goal of purifying the body and focusing the mind on spiritual pursuits. observing ramadan is one of the five pillars of islam. it is also a time when christians pray for the

islamic world, asking god to reveal to them the truth about jesus christ. joining us now is tom doyle, the middle east director for e-3 partners ministry, and author of the book "dreams and visions, is jesus awakening the muslim world?" tom, it is great to have you back. there is war in syria, and major powers like the u.s. and russia and europe are trying to manage that outcome, and some would say it is naive, even a fantasy to think that prayer can make a difference in the world events, but what do you say? >> there is the physical war we're seeing on the ground, but the bigger war is the spiritual war raging overhead. that's what we see happening in egypt right now, syria. so although it looks bad on the news politically, spiritually it is turning around. we are seeing in egypt some of our leaders say that they have never encountered more muslims that are open to the

gospel than now, and seeing many come to faith in christ. and, again, several of them are having dreams about jesus before they even seek out a christian. so politically it is a mess. spiritually, it is a ripe harvest. >> what do you think god is doing, tom, in this part of the world today? >> you know what? i think egypt is just a picture of what is happening in many places. they're not eating. they're not getting jobs. they're frustrated, and when the islamists get in power, thing only get worse. so i think desperation sets in. and it just rocks their world. and then they start to think maybe i thought through life the wrong way. maybe there are other answers. >> how should christians pray, tom, during this month of ramadan? >> this is the significant month where more muslims come to faith in christ than any other month during the year. we need to call the body of christ to cron concentrated

prayer. that last week of ramadan is especially important because they believe the lord, allah, is going to give them something, some special touch, and that's when many of them are meeting the lord, jesus christ. >> and how can we minister to muslims at this time? >> i think if we just reach out and love them, all we have to do with the body of christ is not be afraid of them and not hate them. and that's a big problem because of unresolved issues from 9/11 or things that have happened. there is no question, there has been a lot of issues with muslim extremism. let's put that aside and be the believers, and love them like jesus would and see what happens. >> and it is not just the muslims. this is a difficult time for christians in the middle east, as manufacturer before, maybe. how can we pray for the christians? >> boy, that's a great question. we have a website, 838 -- the number 8, and then 38 spelled out.

it catalogs the christians that are in prison, persecution, or danger. we're joining with open doors to have 30 days of prayer during ramadan for believers that are in those countries where it is dangerous now, like egypt, like syria, like iran, lebanon, and some of these places. that's going to be our prayer focus, praying for muslims to receive christ, but praying for those saints of god that live in those areas where it is dangerous every single day. >> and, tom, prayer does make a difference. thanks for joining us. >> thank you, gary. >> and you can learn more about the ramadan prayer focus and the 838 prayer for christians in the middle east. just log on to our website at cbnnews.com. jihadist rebels murdered a catholic priest in northern syria. catholic on line says the pastor was accused of collaborating with president assad's regime. those accusations were not verified. and the spread of militant

islam represents a threat to christians around the world. a number of rebel groups in syria are linked to al-qaeda. this month seven philippine marines died trying to rescue hostages from the a abu saab. and very few prisoners have been freed, but have a story of one who eventually made it out alive. >> reporter: raymond will never forget when the rebels seized him from his car. >> for two hours i was questioning god, why me, lord? i was terrified for my life because just a few days before, there were victims who did not make it. the a abu saad killed them. >> reporter: raymond prayed he would not suffer the same fate as the other victims. >> i told god, i will survive because you have a purpose. why would you allow this to

happen? >> reporter: raymond is a christian, who lives in one of the most muslim towns of mindanao. walking through the streets of his muslim town gives you a feel of uncertainty, especially if you're a christian, because here christians are being targeted by kidnappers. former abu saad member is now an informer for the philippine military. he says islam and money motivate the muslim terrorist group. >> they are very angry with the christians. if you don't pay the ransom, they will kill you. they want to islamize the whole island, but this is impossible. because here the christians and the muslims, they live together. >> reporter: raymond became weary after more than a month of jungle captivity. prayer and an encounter with god sustained him. >> i said, lord, if you're really here, give me a sign. let it rain. it was very sunny during t d was happy, and that

strenthened me again because i knew god was with me in the jungle. i made a commitment, if i got out, i would serve the lord, no matter what it costs. >> reporter: today raymond serves the gidams, and even helps distribute bibles. >> i am a muslim, but i accept the bible because some teachings are also in the quran and they help me a lot. >> reporter: mindanao, the philippines. >> a christian girl who was accused of burning islam's holy book is now safely in canada. they say she left pakistan with her parents, three sisters, and her brother on march 14th because of concerns for her life. the girl was arrested last august in islamabad after a

muslim cleric accused her of burning the quran. the cleric was later arrested for faking evidence, and the girl was acquitted. up next, picture this, entire towns turning to god, and the leaders of a nation praying to him. it may seem too far-fetched nowadays, but it is how the u.s.a. was founded. >> welcome back to christian world news. americans celebrate their independence day in july, and a cay point that is often overlooked today is the important role that christianity played in american history. as paul strand reports, a massive revival in the 1700s left a radical mark on the nation's birth. >> reporter: america's revolutionary fathers weren't just phenomenal christians, they were profoundly influenced by the new world's first revival, the great awakening. reverend eddie hyatt tells

how it hit in his book "america's revival heritage." jonathan edwards, known to pray and study his bible 13 hours a day, watched radical revival take over his home town in massachusetts. >> the way he describes it is just like one day god invaded the town of northampton. the town seemed to be full of the presence of god. >> reporter: the bars emptied out and christian's homes filled with people anxious to be saved and no god. >> he said if you came across someone who seemed spiritually indifferent, it would be spoken of as a strange thing. >> reporter: then the powerful english preacher, george whitfield, brought his ser sermons to america. crowds from 10,000 to as many as 30,000 showed up. >> entire towns repenting and turning to god. >> reporter: whitfield stayed at ben franklin's home, and fran franklin

wrote about the impact. >> it seemed as if all of the world were growing religious, so that one could not walk through the town in an evening without hearing psalms sung in different families of every street. >> reporter: whitfield listed up the field of special colonies that would make a difference in their future together. >> they would not live as 13 scattered colonies, but as one nation under god. >> reporter: and, indeed, the great awakening became the first great event the colonies experienced as one. it unified them just in time to face the mighty empire in war. the revival also shaped the founding fathers' core vision for america, that god sets men free, it is their natural right to have liberty, and each is made to rule with christ. its influence is all over their declaration of independence, u.s. constitution, and bill of rights. as he studied the founders, hyatt found example after example of how deeply this

awakening influenced them and their christian values. take thomas jefferson, for instance. >> he signed all presidential documents in the year of our lord christ. >> reporter: he sent christian missionaries to one tribe, and gave them federal funds to build a church. and he held sunday services in the house of representatives. some scholars even doubt the first president's faith, but a quaker named isaac potts saw george washington's faith up close during one cold winter. >> he said, i tied my horse to a sappling and went quietly into the woods, and to my a astonishment, i saw george washington on his knees. he was in prayer. >> reporter: and potts later wrote -- >> "such a prayer i never heard from the lips of man. we never thought a man could be a soldier and a christian, but if there is

one in the world, it is washington." >> reporter: at the constitutional convention in 1787, the delegates fought and bickered so bitterly, the convention almost broke up. but then ben franklin stood and began to preach. >> he says, "the longer i live, the more convincing proofs i see of this truth, that god governs in the affairs of men, if a sparrow cannot fall to the ground without his notice, is it probable that an empire can rise without his aid?" >> reporter: and ben franklin encouraged them to pray at the start of every day. and pace and reconciliation came upon the founders. >> and they were able to proceed and continue their job of hammering out the american constitution and bill of rights. in the context of prayer. >> reporter: as america moved into the 1800s, desperate believers prayed for revival. it hit at yale, where a third of the students were saved, and then it spread

across the whole growing country. even out on the frontier. were you circuit writer wrote about what he saw. >> he said, it seemed like the whole country was coming to god. >> reporter: he believes the second awakening saved america from the second revolution. another revival hit in the late 1850s, just in time to cushion the blow of the mighty war. >> god has come as crucial times, i believe to preserve this nation. >> reporter: and hyatt says he is praying his new book will be part of what ignites a new passion in christians for another national spiritual awakening. paul strand, cbn news. >> coming up, what may be the most remarkable family you'll ever meet. we'll visit the home of sharon and michael dennehy, and their extraordinary children from all over the world.

>> you give a person unconditional love, and they blossom. that's what sharon dennehy says, and she knows it is true from her experience. she and her husband, michael, already had three children, and began adopting others from around the world, and today they're the parents of 12. this is their extraordinary story. >> my favorite quote of all time was our furnace repairman, comes into the house, stops dead in his tracks, and says, this looks like some kind of united nations' meeting. [cheering] >> i was born in bangkok. >> ban bangalore, india. >> connecticut. >> romania. >> ethiopia. >> in china. >> sharon is the gas pedal, and i am the brakes. over and over, she'll say, i found this child that needs "x" and "y" and "z," and all

we have to do is fly over the ocean, get funding, connect this dot to here, and it will be done. >> we're such victims of our culture because our culture tells us your kids have to look perfect and be in all of the perfect schools. and you can't do that with a big family, but if you just concentrate on what's important, the rest will follow. people discouraged us. they thought we were going to ruin our lives by taking all of these special kids, and they said you don't know what to do. it is true we had no experience and we didn't really know how to raise them, but you see what happens with unconditional love. you give a person unconditional love, and they blossom.

>> i feel like having these kids has really help us find our life, find our meaning, find our purpose. >> it took me decades to figure this out, that there is no physical thing that you can buy that is actually going to give you true peace and happiness. and the pure joy that will come from a rescue, and a ransom of a child's life, is probably the most satisfying thing you can imagine. we talk about adoption. we tell them they're adopted, and we kind of tell them, you know, being born

into a family, you don't even decide that. it kind of happens biologically. but when you're adopted, your parents looked out at the whole world and picked you. you think that they don't really know the gravity of them being rescued or saved, and then you'll see them in an external setting. like one of them was in front of 300 people last friday night, and he told people he probably wouldn't be alive if he hadn't been adopted by his family. those are like the goose-bump moments when you go, he's got it. ♪ ♪

♪ and i realize just how beautiful you are ♪ >> in romania, at least at the time when i was born, when you were born with a deformity, quote, unquote, it was considered a curse by god. ♪ oh, how he loves me >> i was not treated right, and kind of not really getting any care, the way a baby should. which is why when i was one and a half years old, i weighed nine pounds. it was rough in the first year of my life, but i lived. but no matter where you were

before, it's, like, where you can be now, your past doesn't define that. this family has proven that. it's, like, you have a dying boy from romania or a starving kid from africa, and you bring them to a place where they can be, i guess, human to the fullest, and that's a generous, generous thing. family is everything. >> family's fun. [laughter] >> interesting. [laughter] >> family is just people you can be a fool around, and they'll still love you. >> awesome. >> should i do the dennehy face? >> family is something that i can count on.

♪ ♪ i don't have time to have any regrets ♪ >> family is adoption. ♪ whoa, how he loves us ♪ whoa, how he loves us ♪ whoa, how he loves us >> what an amazing story. the video you just saw is one from a series called "i like giving." to see more stories like it, go to cbnnews.com for a link to that page. and we'll be right back.

>> braz' brazil's march for jesus saw a huge turnout. nearly two million evangelicals took to the streets. it gathers more participants than the gay pride parade and the south carnival.

some celebrated independence day helping free children from starvation and hunger. thethese volunteers in washington, d.c. hope to package over a thousand s. they provide food to children and their families in 60 countries worldwide. donald berwell says one-third of the packs will be shipped to haiti. another third will go to hungry families in the washington, d.c. area. >> we were amazed to find out here in the d.c. area, one in every two of the youth are nutritionally challenged. >> berwell says 20,000 children die each day worldwide due to lack of food and proper nutrition. find out more about kids against hunger and how your church or school can help, just log on to cbnnews.com. that's all for this edition of christian world news. i've enjoyed being with you. hope you enjoyed our show. until next week, good-bye and god bless you.

as we celebrate our nation's birthday, we're going to take a look at one of our founding principles. the freedom to practice