The Gideons are best known for putting Bibles in hotel and motel rooms, a practice started in 1908. Most of its members traveled extensively and stayed in hotels, so they were seeking ways to share the message of Christ in their surroundings. Putting a Bible in every hotel room not only would give them opportunities to tell others about Christ, but would serve as a "silent witness" when they were gone, they decided. The Gideons have now distributed 870 million Bibles and New Testaments.

Almost 140,000 Gideons are at work in 72 countries in Africa, Asia, Europe, and North and South America giving out Bibles at schools, hospitals, prisons, nursing homes, military bases, and hotels and motels. Except for staff in the national headquarters, all workers are volunteers. Workers distribute more than 45,000,000 Scriptures worldwide annually, about 86 per minute. PAX Net Christian TV network founder Bud Paxson became a Christian through their ministry. Paxson, a successful businessman with a failing marriage, found himself alone in a hotel reading a Gideon Bible. After reading the Book of Job, he gave his life to God and began trying to let God guide his business decisions, he said.

Political unrest in Congo has led many to become Christians. Former dictator Mobutu Sese Seko persecuted outspoken Christians in the early 1980s through the mid-1990s. Christians were killed, their houses were burned, and they lost family members. But the church grew more than ever during that time. About 5 million became Christians in the early 1980s. There are an estimated 750,000 Christians in Kinshasa, the capital. Some churches have 5,000–10,000 members and have formed missions groups. The revival has spread to parts of Angola.

In some Middle Eastern countries, you can order the Jesus film, based on Luke's gospel, by telephone; it is then delivered by courier--similar to pizza couriers in Western countries. When one of the couriers rang the doorbell of the house where he was to deliver the film, it was opened by an Islamic sheikh. "Oh, sorry, I must be at the wrong house," stuttered the courier. "Are you sure? What is it?" asked the sheikh. "Someone ordered a video, and I wanted to deliver it here," replied the courier. "What video is it?" asked the sheikh. "The Jesus film," answered the courier. "Oh, this is exactly the right place, we ordered the video, thank you," said the sheikh, and went back into the living room, which was full of other Muslim leaders, holding the video triumphantly, proclaiming "Jesus is here! Jesus is here!"

The evangelical church in Ethiopia is among the fastest-growing in the world. Believers have doubled from 4 million to 8 million people since 1984, the international evangelization network AD 2000 and Beyond said.

Persecution became a "prime contributor to an amazing spiritual breakthrough," an AD 2000 report says. Churches were shut and Christians were arrested, tortured, and sentenced to years in prison during the 16-year rule of Marxist dictator Mengistu Haile Mariam. The church grew stronger and millions reportedly turned to Christ by the time he was ousted in 1990.

Christians went underground, meeting in cell groups and quietly evangelizing. Thousands of small group leaders taught believers how to study the Bible on their own and to evangelize. Believers learned to share the Gospel with those who showed interest. The cells multiplied and between 2 million and 3 million people became Christians, Greg Groh of the Worldwide Leadership Council said.

Sixty-five miracles saved a North African congregation. Radical Muslims intended to attack and massacre the congregation when they discovered their secret meeting place, the missions group Discipling A Whole Nation said. But none of the people arrived at the appointed time, not even the special guest speaker. The 65 people reported unusual delays--from a flat tire to an unexpected family visit--that prevented them from coming. Despite persecution, many churches in North Africa are growing, DAWN said.

Dinh Trung didn't want to leave his church. The Vietnamese evangelist had made many converts to Christianity, but the authorities wanted to take him away. Finally, they relented and allowed him to stay--in prison. There he continued to lead other inmates to Christ.

Trung is one of the millions of persecuted Christians who are refusing to be intimidated into hiding their faith, said Todd Nettleton of Voice of the Martyrs. In countries where the government has set out to destroy Christianity, "the Church has only grown stronger," he said.

"Persecution is like vitamins for the Church," a church leader in Saudi Arabia told Nettleton. There are no hangers-on or shallow Christians, because the price believers pay for their faith is too high. "They don't go to church because their friends are there or because they want to have fun. They are there because they want to live their faith, and the Church is exploding because of it."