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The World and Everything in It: December 28, 2022

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WORLD Radio - The World and Everything in It: December 28, 2022

A roundup of the top international news and events from this year; and remembering some of the military and government leaders who died in 2022. Plus: more answered prayers, and the Wednesday morning news.


MARY REICHARD, HOST:  Good morning!

We continue our 2022 news in review. Today, international news, and we begin with the war in Ukraine.

NICK EICHER, HOST: Also, other news around the world on World Tour.

Plus we remember some of the military and government leaders who died in 2022.

And answered prayers this year.

REICHARD: It’s Wednesday, December 28th. This is The World and Everything in It from listener-supported WORLD Radio. I’m Mary Reichard.

EICHER: And I’m Nick Eicher. Good morning!

REICHARD: Up next, Anna Johansen Brown with today’s news.


ANNA JOHANSEN BROWN, NEWS ANCHOR: SCOTUS » The U.S. Supreme Court has extended a policy that will hold back a wave of migrants from crossing the U.S. border and applying for asylum.

Lieutenant Chris Olivarez of the Texas Department of Public Safety reacted to the court’s temporary move:

OLIVAREZ: There’s no excuse for what’s taking place. It’s a self-inflicted crisis, a humanitarian crisis, a national security crisis, that the federal government has imposed, um, on our country.

The court’s decision involves Title 42, a policy aimed at stopping Covid spread. It allows immigration authorities to expel some migrants before they can apply for asylum.

Yesterday’s ruling extends Title 42 indefinitely, but it may not be the last word.

Immigration advocates have sued to end the Title 42 policy. The court will hear oral argument in the case in February.

President Biden was leaving for vacation when he told reporters his administration plans to comply.

BIDEN: The court is not going to decide until June, apparently, and, uh, in the meantime, we have to enforce it. 

Southwest, southworst / Buffalo blizzard / Weather woes » Buffalo, New York, is still trying to dig itself out after a winter storm dumped six feet of snow in places.

WORLD’s Mary Muncy has more.

MARY MUNCY, REPORTER: With the severe-weather death toll now at more than 30 in Buffalo, officials have called for the National Guard and state police to enforce a driving ban.

Officials need people off the roads to clear the roads.

Buffalo police also deployed extra forces to try to stop looting. Buffalo Mayor Byron Brown.

BROWN: They’re just looting items that they want. So these aren’t even people in distress. These are just people taking advantage of a natural disaster.

Meanwhile, beleaguered Southwest Airlines will be cutting flights again today and through at least tomorrow, flight cancellations surpassed the 10,000-mark since last week.

The Department of Transportation called the airline’s delays unacceptable and said it would investigate.

For WORLD, I’m Mary Muncy.

Tik Tok sale talk » Congressional Republicans are pushing for a more aggressive posture toward the Chinese-owned social media app TikTok. Here’s U.S. Representative Nicole Malliotakis  just days after Congress banned the app from government devices. 

AUDIO: China is a great threat and we need to take it serious...

Now it appears the U.S. government is inching closer to taking more serious action on TikTok.

According to a report in The Wall Street Journal, an interagency government panel may recommend a forced sale of TikTok’s U.S. operations.

The paper quotes government sources saying that may be the only way to wall off the Chinese government from information about American users.

One worry, the paper says, is that such a forced sale may not hold up in U.S. courts.

Reportedly the panel’s been negotiating with TikTok for more than two years.

The White House declined any official comment on the story. 

Taiwan servicemen » Citing threats from China, Taiwan is extending mandatory military service from four months to a full year starting in 2024.

China lays claim to the democratically ruled island and has increased pressure by sending fighter planes and navy vessels toward Taiwan almost every day.

Taiwan’s longer military service applies to men born after 2005 using a new training curriculum meant to strengthen the island’s reserve forces.

TSAI ING-WEN: [Mandarin]

Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen says her country must strengthen defense to secure its national security interests.

Oil revenues Russia » PUTIN: [Russian] If prices on oil from Russia...

Russian President Vladimir Putin announcing he’ll refuse sales of oil to nations enforcing a price cap on Russian petroleum.

This month, western nations capped the price for Russian oil more than $20 a barrel below market to try to choke off revenues to finance Russia’s war.

The United States and other G-7 industrial nations, as well as the European Union and Australia, all took steps to block oil shipments at prices above the cap.

Putin’s retaliatory policy takes effect February first.

Afghanistan working women » The United Nations human rights chief has condemned the increasing restrictions on women’s rights in Afghanistan urging the Taliban rulers to reverse them immediately.

The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights says a ban on women working for non-governmental charities could have dire humanitarian consequences.

The Afghanistan head for the Norwegian refugee council Neil Turner:

TURNER: We simply can’t work without our dedicated female staff, who are essential for us to be able to access women who are in desperate need of assistance.

He says the ban on women working could mean a shutdown of refugee operations in Afghanistan.

I’m Anna Johansen Brown. Straight ahead: a roundup of this year’s most notable international news and events.

Plus, more answered prayers.

This is The World and Everything in It.


MARY REICHARD, HOST: It’s Wednesday the 28th of December, 2022. 

Thank you for joining us for today’s edition of The World and Everything in It. Good morning, I’m Mary Reichard. 

NICK EICHER, HOST: And I’m Nick Eicher. First up today: Ukraine.

Russia’s full-scale war in Ukraine began ten months ago, and the consequences of this second invasion have been devastating.

At least 6,700 civilians have died and more than 13,000 Ukrainian soldiers have been killed in action.

In addition, nearly 13 million people have been displaced and the damage to Ukraine’s infrastructure amounts to more than 100 billion U.S. dollars.

REICHARD: WORLD’s Jill Nelson gives us a rundown of the key events of the war and how it’s affected the lives of Ukrainians.

AUDIO: [Bombings]

JILL NELSON, REPORTER: The sun had not yet risen on Feb. 24th, when Pastor Oleg Magdych realized Ukraine was on the brink of war. Russians were firing rockets less than a mile away.

MAGDYCH: So this morning we were driving through Kharkiv. We heard this noise that you can’t get it wrong. So um the rocket shelling was in place.

Magdych was trying to deliver supplies to Ukrainian troops in eastern Ukraine. He and his friends quickly turned around to implement their Russian-invasion game plan: Get their families to safety and join the fight.

AUDIO: [Traffic]

A mass exodus of people created traffic jams and gas shortages, and many Ukrainians were trapped.

Four days later, a 40-mile long Russian military convoy stretched from Belarus to Kyiv. Washington offered to help evacuate Ukraine’s leader.

ZELENSKY: [Ukrainian]

But Ukrainian President Volodomyr Zelensky turned down the offer with his now-famous response: “I need ammunition, not a ride.”

The former comedian and TV star quickly became a global symbol of resistance and courage. He posted videos of himself unshaven and wearing khakis on the streets of Kyiv and called on Ukrainians and the world to stand up to Russia.

ZELENSKY: We all must stop Russia. The world must stop the war.

As Russian missiles fell on Kyiv, the Ukrainian military and ordinary citizens began fortifying the capital.

By then, Pastor Magdych was leading a civil defense unit stationed in Kyiv.

MAGDYCH: So this is one of the bridges that is closed to public, and you can only cross it if you are military personnel (honk) or some kind of special force. The bridge is empty and it’s ready to be destroyed if the enemy comes close to the bridge.

Russia had more firepower, but Ukraine had grit, Western aid, and knowledge of the terrain. By March 25th, Russian troops pulled back from Kyiv and shifted to the east. Victory number one for Ukraine.

The Russian retreat exposed thousands of war crimes in cities just outside the capital and in northeastern Ukraine.

Oleksandra Matviichuk leads the Center for Civil Liberties. She sent teams in to document the atrocities and add them to their growing list of Russian war crimes.

MATVIICHUK: I asked to myself why such cruelty? Why such brutality? Even me, professional human rights lawyer who was documented war crimes, as I mentioned before, for 8 years, I wasn't prepared because so much human pain.

And the war crimes continued.

AUDIO: [Mariupol bombing]

Bombings in the southern city of Mariupol killed more the 600 people in March. In April, a Russian missile struck a train station near Donetsk, killing 50 civilians. By then, Russia had taken over key regions in the south and northeast.

By May, Russia’s northern neighbors were getting nervous.

AUDIO: [Announcement]

Both Finland and Sweden announced plans to apply for NATO membership after two centuries of neutrality. Foundation for Defense of Democracy’s Bradley Bowman:

BOWMAN: NATO is not a threat to Russia. But I think the reason why Putin resents NATO is because when a country becomes a member of NATO, it prevents Putin from invading, bullying, and occupying that country.

Meanwhile, Magdych was injured when his unit came under fire in the eastern Donbas region in May. He had surgery on his arm, and two of his men died.

MAGDYCH: I’m back from Kyiv where we had funerals for two of our fallen soldiers. I’m doing okay. My leg and my arm are healing well. I can hold the gun. Not for long, but I can hold the gun.

During the summer months, Russia completed its conquest of Luhansk in the east, and Ukraine began a massive counteroffensive in the south.

AUDIO: [Missiles]

Fall brought two more victories to Ukraine: They reclaimed 3000 square miles of the northeastern Kharkiv region in September and declared a November victory in the strategic southern region of Kherson. But renewed missile attacks on Kyiv rattled the capital. So did the presence of Iranian-supplied drones.

In December, Matviichuk traveled to Stockholm to deliver a speech on the world stage.

NOBEL PRIZE: I have the honor to call up Oleksandra Matviichuk representing the Center for Civil Liberties to deliver the Nobel Peace Prize lecture…

Her organization won the Nobel prize for their work documenting Russian war crimes in her country. During her speech she called out the democratic world for making concessions to dictatorships.

MATVIICHUK: And that is why the willingness of the Ukrainian people to resist Russian imperialism is so important. We will not leave people in the occupied territories to be killed and tortured.

Now, it’s winter in Ukraine. Pastor Magdych is back home with his family in Kyiv for a two-week break before he returns to the front lines. He says blackouts are common as Russia attacks the country’s infrastructure. They only have power for part of the day.

MAGDYCH: At the moment we are getting ready for the Russians and Belarusians to try to take Kyiv again. And It breaks my heart as a father because I know my son really wants to be with me and fight with me.

Magdych says a Russian takeover of Kyiv would put his family in danger.

MAGDYCH: If Russians advance, it would put under danger all Christian ministers because Russians hate two things. They hate all Ukrainians and they hate non-Russian Orthodox.

Russian forces have taken over churches and tortured and killed Christian leaders in occupied Ukrainian territory. Ukrainians have a long road ahead, but Magydych says God is at work, strengthening the church through these times of suffering.

MAGDYCH: I’ve been saying since 2014 that 10 minutes under heavy shelling in the bunker changes your theology, it changes the way you think about God and everything. And I know that after we win this war, the Protestant church would be much much better.

Reporting for WORLD, I’m Jill Nelson.


MARY REICHARD, HOST: Coming up next on The World and Everything in It: WORLD Tour with our reporter in Africa, Onize Ohikere. Today, significant international stories of 2022.

ONIZE OHIEKERE, REPORTER: The conflict in Ukraine spurred a food crisis in other parts of the world this year.

Ukraine is one of the world’s largest grain exporters, but the war stymied the export of wheat, other foodstuffs, and fertilizers.

AUDIO: [Iraq protest]

Worldwide, protesters crowded the streets, decrying rising food prices from Iraq and Tunisia, to Ghana. Lebanon was also hit hard by the shortage as it imports 80 percent of its wheat from Ukraine.

AUDIO: [Ship offloading]

In September, a cargo ship from Ukraine offloaded dried corn, other grains, and vegetable oil at a port in the northern Lebanese city of Tripoli.

A month earlier, a UN-chartered ship loaded with 23,000 tonnes of wheat docked in Djibouti. The UN’s World Food Program said the food brought much-needed support to the drought-hit Horn of Africa region, which is still in the throes of a record dry-spell.

AUDIO: [Sounds from Somalia’s streets]

Aid workers in the Horn of Africa sounded the alarm this year that a perfect storm of multiple crises will fuel unprecedented starvation.

Five consecutive rainy seasons have disappointed across Kenya, Somalia, and Ethiopia.The drought has destroyed crops, killed livestock, and forced millions of people to migrate in search of food and water. The region is facing its worst drought in at least 40 years.

The United Nations humanitarian office has projected that 1 in 23 people will need some form of emergency aid over the next year.

Meanwhile in Pakistan…

AUDIO: [Water rushing]

Record floods this year displaced more than 660,000 people and killed nearly 1,500—about a third of them children. The disaster left aid groups scrambling to provide emergency and long-term support to stop diseases from spreading.

We head over to Haiti, where teeming gang violence came to a head this year.

AUDIO: [Protesters chanting]

In September, Haitian Prime Minister Ariel Henry announced the government’s plans to withdraw fuel subsidies. That sparked street protests.

A powerful gang dug trenches and blocked access to the largest fuel terminal in the capital city of Port-au-Prince. The blockade forced gas stations to close, fueled a shortage of clean water, and limited operating hours for grocery stores and hospitals. A cholera outbreak also began during the blockade, triggering even more calls for a solution.

AUDIO: [Motorcycles queuing for fuel]

Haitian security regained control of the terminal last month allowing fuel to flow again.

But the unrest has taken a much larger toll. The UN said this month that gangs killed more than 1,400 people and kidnapped more than 1,000 others this year alone. Haiti was already battling instability that heightened last year after the former president’s assassination and an ongoing economic crisis.

Next, we remember the Christians who faced persecution for their faith. We begin in Nigeria.

AUDIO: [Choir singing]

Just before Mass ended, gunmen opened fire inside St. Francis Catholic Church in southwestern Ondo state. About 40 people died in the Pentecost Sunday attack in one of Nigeria’s more peaceful states.

The country has faced a surge in violence from Islamist insurgents to criminal gangs.

AUDIO: [Sound of protests]

An irate mob of Muslim students in Nigeria’s Sokoto state stoned to death Deborah Samuel, a Christian classmate who posted a social media message they found offensive.

AUDIO: [Worshippers singing]

In Nicaragua, President Daniel Ortega’s government shut down seven radio stations owned by the Catholic Church. Authorities also detained Rolando Álvarez, the Catholic bishop of Matagalpa. He was charged this month with undermining national security and propagating false news.

Relations between Ortega and the Catholic Church have been tense since the bloody suppression of anti-government protests in 2018 that left more than 350 people dead.

In China, authorities introduced regulations to control religious expression online. The measures implemented in March stop individuals from sharing religious content without a license among other measures.

AUDIO: [Evin fire aftermath]

There was some good news, Iran unexpectedly released two imprisoned Christians in October after a fire and clashes erupted at the notorious Evin prison. They were convicted on national security charges and for starting illegal house churches.

We wrap up this year looking back at the protests in Iran.

AUDIO: [Protesters chanting]

Nationwide demonstrations that began in September have persisted.

The protests began after a 22-year-old Iranian-Kurdish woman died in police custody. Iran’s morality police arrested Mahsa Amini for wearing her headscarf incorrectly.

AUDIO: [Protesters chanting]

Authorities have detained more than 18,000 people since the protests began and executed some of them.

Iran accused Majid Reza Rahnavard of stabbing to death two security officials last month. Authorities hanged him from a construction crane. In the first confirmed execution, authorities hanged Mohsen Shekari after sentencing him for attacking a security force member with a machete.

Activists warn others have already received death sentences.

That’s it for this week’s World Tour. Reporting for WORLD, I’m Onize Ohikere in Abuja, Nigeria.


NICK EICHER, HOST: Well, sometimes you just can’t believe your own eyes.

Police in London received a call about a person in distress at a London art gallery. It was after hours and the gallery was closed, but the person could be seen by passers-by through a window.

She was motionless and had been for a long time.

Officers had to break down the doors to gain entrance. And there they found a woman slumped over a table, as though she’d collapsed.

About the same time, a gallery worker who’d been locking up entered the room to find two very confused officers.

You see, the person in distress was an artistic work titled “Kristina.” She’s made of packing tape and foam filler, but so realistic, it’s not the first time she’s drawn official concern.

A few months ago at an art show, paramedics were called. Not to worry, Kristina the work of art is doing exactly what she was made to do.

It’s The World and Everything in It.


MARY REICHARD, HOST: Today is Wednesday, December 28th. Thank you for turning to WORLD Radio to help start your day.

Good morning. I’m Mary Reichard.

NICK EICHER, HOST: And I’m Nick Eicher. Coming next on The World and Everything in It: remembering those who died in 2022.

Today, government leaders, military veterans, and politicians who passed away—people like Queen Elizabeth II, or the World War II pilot Gail Halvorsen who during the Berlin airlift dropped candy for children from his plane.

Also former Solicitor General Kenneth Starr, whose independent counsel investigation led to the impeachment of President Bill Clinton.

REICHARD: Here now is WORLD’s Paul Butler.

PAUL BUTLER, REPORTER: Former US Secretary of State Madeleine Albright died in March at age 84. She was the first woman to serve in that role. As secretary of state under President Clinton, Albright believed in using military force to pressure authoritarian governments. She urged NATO to bomb Yugoslavia. And she pushed for strict financial and trade embargoes against Iraq, despite humanitarian concerns.

60 Minutes’ Ed Bradley interviewed Albright in 1997:

BRADLEY: You certainly weren't the typical diplomat at the United Nations. You were known for being outspoken. Some even said that you were times undiplomatic…

ALBRIGHT: Rather than feeling that it is wrong to interfere. I always believe that if you can stop something early, and you can show the support of free countries for those who are under totalitarianism, then it's worth doing. That's my mindset. The only plan I ever had was to make a difference as hokey as that might sound…

Next, Republican Senator Orrin Hatch also died in March. He was 88 years old. Hatch represented Utah from 1977 to 2019. Only one US Senator has served longer. During his time in the Senate, Hatch held many significant leadership positions, including chair of the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions, chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, and chair of the Senate Finance Committee. Here’s a portion of his farewell address.

HATCH: Having served as a Senator for nearly 42 years, I can tell you this particular thing, things weren't always as they are now. I was here when this body was at its best. I was here when the regular order was the norm. When legislation was debated in committee, and when members work constructively, with one another for the good of the country. I was here when we could say without any hint of irony, that we were members of the world's greatest deliberative body. The bar of decency has been set so low that jumping over it is no longer the objective. Limbo is the new name of the game. How low can you go? The answer it seems is always lower. All the evidence points to an unsettling truth. The Senate as an institution is in crisis, or at least may be in crisis. Mr. President, this is the last request I will ever make from this lectern. That as a Senate and as a nation. We listen to our better angels, that we will restore civility to the public discourse, that we embrace wholeheartedly the principles of pluralism and that we strive for unity by rejecting the rhetoric of division.

Heading across the pond, David Trimble died in July. He was 77. Trimble was a key architect of the 1998 Good Friday Agreement—that ended 30 years of violent conflict in Northern Ireland known as “The Troubles.” Trimble was awarded a Nobel Peace Prize in 1998. 10 years later, Sir David Frost interviewed Trimble for his Al Jazeera English program:

FROST: Do you think there are any lessons from these negotiations, that would, for instance, be instructive, constructive for Israel and Palestine?

TRIMBLE: I'm reluctant to say that there are lessons because each situation has got its own history, its own dynamic, its own particular issues. I think people might gain some insights by looking at what has happened. I certainly gained insights from looking at other situations. But at the end of the day, it is the people in each situation who have to solve it for themselves. And it's not something that I or anybody else from outside can really come in and say, you know, this is what you should do. One can offer encouragement and support, but at the end of the day, it is the people there who have to do it. And the really crucial issue, I think, is are the people they're willing to make an accommodation with the other? Or are they trying to achieve a victory over the other? If they're still trying to achieve victories over the other, then clearly, there can't be an agreement. But if they're prepared to accept the reality that they're going to have to live together and find a way of working together, then you've taken the first huge step towards a solution.

Next, former Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev died in August at age 91. During his seven years as general secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union Gorbachev brought new freedoms to the Soviet republics, and in the end led to the demise of the USSR. He spoke with Larry King in 1993—just two years after stepping down as President:

LARRY KING: Was it difficult to open doors to the United States? Because you had to be raised with feelings about the United States like we were raised with feelings about the Soviets?

GORBACHEV: Very difficult. I think maybe that was the hardest thing. And trying to understand the positions of each other and studying each other. If we had not believed each other, if we had not established human rapport, then we wouldn't have been able, I think, to develop real cooperation to real work together. It was hard. When President Reagan and I first began to talk, we were together just like you and I, today, at a small table and President Reagan began to accuse me, you know, human rights violations. He said, You have no democracy. He said, You need to make these changes in foreign policies and these changes, etc, etc. And my answer when our dialogue began to go that way, was, Mr. President, you are not a prosecutor and I'm not an accused. Let us not lecture each other. We represent big countries. Let us speak as equals. I think that then we will be able to find keys to any problem.

Finally today, Michael Gerson died in November at age 58. He was an evangelical columnist and speechwriter for President George W. Bush from 1999 to 2006. He was behind some of the President’s most memorable phrases—including “armies of compassion” and “axis of evil.” In 2019 Gerson preached a sermon at the National Cathedral in Washington, D.C. where he spoke of his life-long struggle with depression and the hope of the gospel.

GERSON: Let me turn to a earlier happier part of my journals from May 2nd, 2002. It's probably been a month, I wrote, since some prompting of God led me to a more disciplined Christian life. One afternoon I was at the Cathedral, the place I feel most secure in the world. I saw the beautiful sculpture in the bishop's garden of the prodigal son melting into his father's arms, and the inscription how he fell on his neck and kissed him. I felt tears and calm, like something important had happened to me. And in me. My goals, I wrote, are pretty clear. I want to stop thinking about myself all the time. I want to be a mature disciple of Jesus, not a casual believer, I want to be God's man. I have failed at these goals in a disturbing variety of ways. And I have more doubts than I did on that day. Faith thankfully does not preclude doubt. It consists of staking your life on the rumor of grace.

Reporting for WORLD, I’m Paul Butler.


NICK EICHER, HOST: Today is Wednesday, December 28th. Good morning! This is The World and Everything in It from listener-supported WORLD Radio. I’m Nick Eicher.

MARY REICHARD, HOST: And I’m Mary Reichard. It’s time for day three of our series on Answered Prayers. Today, WORLD’s gift officer Max Belz and listener Mary Stella each highlight an instance of God’s grace to them this year.

MAX BELZ: I was getting ready to meet with a person I'm close with, where there has been some, probably some resentment, some spite, some bitterness. And I asked God to be gracious to me and to give His sustaining power and strength to me in that when I was getting ready to meet with that person. And God answered that prayer, I had so much peace, and I was not there to kind of trap them or work my resentment out towards them, but was able to sit back and have peace and ask them questions and have an honest relatively happy conversation with them. I mean, nothing dramatic came out of that. But I'm just saying that when God when you ask God to give His Holy Spirit to you in those those moments of strife He will hear that prayer. And I'm reminded of Luke 11 when it says, what good father, when his son asked for an egg, we'll give him a scorpion. I love that verse. And that has been clear to me this year.

MARY STELLA: The last week in November, I was at the eye doctor and I was ordering a new pair of glasses at the Virginia Eye Institute. And I took notice before they even sat down, I saw this young man, he was dressed in camouflage. And I saw a woman with him. And I heard them saying that they had to wait on the order, because they didn't have the money to go through with the order at that point and I wanted so much to turn to them and give them my credit card in the name of Jesus. And I kept my mouth shut. And it bothered me all night because it was a lack of faith because I was thinking that whatever they wanted might have been as expensive as what I just did. So I ruminated and prayed in the evening. First thing in the morning, I called the Institute. I got the lady that was dealing with them. And I told her what I wanted to pay their bill. I said please, by all means, just call them and tell them that somebody is going to take care of this. And it is in the name of Jesus. But then, about a week later, they called back and said she had been trying to get a hold of this family. But their phone was disconnected. I prayed some more, and said, Lord, if it's your will that this family be helped, please, please have them get in touch. Well, sure enough. They called me just a couple of days ago and said the family is still looking for that order for the young man. And would I still be a be willing to pay? I said Oh, absolutely. It's an answer to prayer. The week that I met those two, my scripture of the week that I pulled out of the Bible said you will be enriched in every way to be generous in every way, which through us will produce thanksgiving to God. Second Corinthians 9:11. That was my scripture that I ignored initially, but all's well that ends well. And there's no greater blessing that I've ever had this year or any year than to be a blessing.


NICK EICHER, HOST: Tomorrow: we continue our look back at the biggest news stories of the year. Thursday, the crisis at the Southern Border.

Plus, remembering people who strengthened our faith.

And more listener stories of answered prayer.

That and more tomorrow.

I’m Nick Eicher.

MARY REICHARD, HOST: And I’m Mary Reichard.

The World and Everything in It comes to you from WORLD Radio.

WORLD’s mission is biblically objective journalism that informs, educates, and inspires.

The Bible says that Thomas asked Jesus, “Lord, we do not know where you are going. How can we know the way?” Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” (John 14:5-6 ESV)

Please remember our December Grassroots Giving Drive. We’re coming down to the final few days and if you’ve not given yet, we need you at WNG.org/donate.

Go now in grace and peace.

MARY REICHARD, HOST:  Good morning!

We continue our 2022 news in review. Today, international news, and we begin with the war in Ukraine.

NICK EICHER, HOST: Also, other news around the world on World Tour.

Plus we remember some of the military and government leaders who died in 2022.

And answered prayers this year.

REICHARD: It’s Wednesday, December 28th. This is The World and Everything in It from listener-supported WORLD Radio. I’m Mary Reichard.

EICHER: And I’m Nick Eicher. Good morning!

REICHARD: Up next, Anna Johansen Brown with today’s news.


ANNA JOHANSEN BROWN, NEWS ANCHOR: SCOTUS » The U.S. Supreme Court has extended a policy that will hold back a wave of migrants from crossing the U.S. border and applying for asylum.

Lieutenant Chris Olivarez of the Texas Department of Public Safety reacted to the court’s temporary move:

OLIVAREZ: There’s no excuse for what’s taking place. It’s a self-inflicted crisis, a humanitarian crisis, a national security crisis, that the federal government has imposed, um, on our country.

The court’s decision involves Title 42, a policy aimed at stopping Covid spread. It allows immigration authorities to expel some migrants before they can apply for asylum.

Yesterday’s ruling extends Title 42 indefinitely, but it may not be the last word.

Immigration advocates have sued to end the Title 42 policy. The court will hear oral argument in the case in February.

President Biden was leaving for vacation when he told reporters his administration plans to comply.

BIDEN: The court is not going to decide until June, apparently, and, uh, in the meantime, we have to enforce it. 

Southwest, southworst / Buffalo blizzard / Weather woes » Buffalo, New York, is still trying to dig itself out after a winter storm dumped six feet of snow in places.

WORLD’s Mary Muncy has more.

MARY MUNCY, REPORTER: With the severe-weather death toll now at more than 30 in Buffalo, officials have called for the National Guard and state police to enforce a driving ban.

Officials need people off the roads to clear the roads.

Buffalo police also deployed extra forces to try to stop looting. Buffalo Mayor Byron Brown.

BROWN: They’re just looting items that they want. So these aren’t even people in distress. These are just people taking advantage of a natural disaster.

Meanwhile, beleaguered Southwest Airlines will be cutting flights again today and through at least tomorrow, flight cancellations surpassed the 10,000-mark since last week.

The Department of Transportation called the airline’s delays unacceptable and said it would investigate.

For WORLD, I’m Mary Muncy.

Tik Tok sale talk » Congressional Republicans are pushing for a more aggressive posture toward the Chinese-owned social media app TikTok. Here’s U.S. Representative Nicole Malliotakis  just days after Congress banned the app from government devices. 

AUDIO: China is a great threat and we need to take it serious...

Now it appears the U.S. government is inching closer to taking more serious action on TikTok.

According to a report in The Wall Street Journal, an interagency government panel may recommend a forced sale of TikTok’s U.S. operations.

The paper quotes government sources saying that may be the only way to wall off the Chinese government from information about American users.

One worry, the paper says, is that such a forced sale may not hold up in U.S. courts.

Reportedly the panel’s been negotiating with TikTok for more than two years.

The White House declined any official comment on the story. 

Taiwan servicemen » Citing threats from China, Taiwan is extending mandatory military service from four months to a full year starting in 2024.

China lays claim to the democratically ruled island and has increased pressure by sending fighter planes and navy vessels toward Taiwan almost every day.

Taiwan’s longer military service applies to men born after 2005 using a new training curriculum meant to strengthen the island’s reserve forces.

TSAI ING-WEN: [Mandarin]

Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen says her country must strengthen defense to secure its national security interests.

Oil revenues Russia » PUTIN: [Russian] If prices on oil from Russia...

Russian President Vladimir Putin announcing he’ll refuse sales of oil to nations enforcing a price cap on Russian petroleum.

This month, western nations capped the price for Russian oil more than $20 a barrel below market to try to choke off revenues to finance Russia’s war.

The United States and other G-7 industrial nations, as well as the European Union and Australia, all took steps to block oil shipments at prices above the cap.

Putin’s retaliatory policy takes effect February first.

Afghanistan working women » The United Nations human rights chief has condemned the increasing restrictions on women’s rights in Afghanistan urging the Taliban rulers to reverse them immediately.

The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights says a ban on women working for non-governmental charities could have dire humanitarian consequences.

The Afghanistan head for the Norwegian refugee council Neil Turner:

TURNER: We simply can’t work without our dedicated female staff, who are essential for us to be able to access women who are in desperate need of assistance.

He says the ban on women working could mean a shutdown of refugee operations in Afghanistan.

I’m Anna Johansen Brown. Straight ahead: a roundup of this year’s most notable international news and events.

Plus, more answered prayers.

This is The World and Everything in It.


MARY REICHARD, HOST: It’s Wednesday the 28th of December, 2022. 

Thank you for joining us for today’s edition of The World and Everything in It. Good morning, I’m Mary Reichard. 

NICK EICHER, HOST: And I’m Nick Eicher. First up today: Ukraine.

Russia’s full-scale war in Ukraine began ten months ago, and the consequences of this second invasion have been devastating.

At least 6,700 civilians have died and more than 13,000 Ukrainian soldiers have been killed in action.

In addition, nearly 13 million people have been displaced and the damage to Ukraine’s infrastructure amounts to more than 100 billion U.S. dollars.

REICHARD: WORLD’s Jill Nelson gives us a rundown of the key events of the war and how it’s affected the lives of Ukrainians.

AUDIO: [Bombings]

JILL NELSON, REPORTER: The sun had not yet risen on Feb. 24th, when Pastor Oleg Magdych realized Ukraine was on the brink of war. Russians were firing rockets less than a mile away.

OLEG: So this morning we were driving through Kharkiv. We heard this noise that you can’t get it wrong. So um the rocket shelling was in place.

Magdych was trying to deliver supplies to Ukrainian troops in eastern Ukraine. He and his friends quickly turned around to implement their Russian-invasion game plan: Get their families to safety and join the fight.

AUDIO: [Traffic]

A mass exodus of people created traffic jams and gas shortages, and many Ukrainians were trapped.

Four days later, a 40-mile long Russian military convoy stretched from Belarus to Kyiv. Washington offered to help evacuate Ukraine’s leader.

ZELENSKY: [Ukrainian]

But Ukrainian President Volodomyr Zelensky turned down the offer with his now-famous response: “I need ammunition, not a ride.”

The former comedian and TV star quickly became a global symbol of resistance and courage. He posted videos of himself unshaven and wearing khakis on the streets of Kyiv and called on Ukrainians and the world to stand up to Russia.

ZELENSKY: We all must stop Russia. The world must stop the war.

As Russian missiles fell on Kyiv, the Ukrainian military and ordinary citizens began fortifying the capital.

By then, Pastor Magdych was leading a civil defense unit stationed in Kyiv.

OLEGBRIDGE: So this is one of the bridges that is closed to public, and you can only cross it if you are military personnel (honk) or some kind of special force. The bridge is empty and it’s ready to be destroyed if the enemy comes close to the bridge.

Russia had more firepower, but Ukraine had grit, Western aid, and knowledge of the terrain. By March 25th, Russian troops pulled back from Kyiv and shifted to the east. Victory number one for Ukraine.

The Russian retreat exposed thousands of war crimes in cities just outside the capital and in northeastern Ukraine.

Oleksandra Matviichuk leads the Center for Civil Liberties. She sent teams in to document the atrocities and add them to their growing list of Russian war crimes.

MATVIICHUK: I asked to myself why such cruelty? Why such brutality? Even me, professional human rights lawyer who was documented war crimes, as I mentioned before, for 8 years, I wasn't prepared because so much human pain.

And the war crimes continued.

AUDIO: [Mariupol bombing]

Bombings in the southern city of Mariupol killed more the 600 people in March. In April, a Russian missile struck a train station near Donetsk, killing 50 civilians. By then, Russia had taken over key regions in the south and northeast.

By May, Russia’s northern neighbors were getting nervous.

AUDIO: [Announcement]

Both Finland and Sweden announced plans to apply for NATO membership after two centuries of neutrality. Foundation for Defense of Democracy’s Bradley Bowman:

BOWMAN: NATO is not a threat to Russia. But I think the reason why Putin resents NATO is because when a country becomes a member of NATO, it prevents Putin from invading, bullying, and occupying that country.

Meanwhile, Magdych was injured when his unit came under fire in the eastern Donbas region in May. He had surgery on his arm, and two of his men died.

OLEG: I’m back from Kyiv where we had funerals for two of our fallen soldiers. I’m doing okay. My leg and my arm are healing well. I can hold the gun. Not for long, but I can hold the gun.

During the summer months, Russia completed its conquest of Luhansk in the east, and Ukraine began a massive counteroffensive in the south.

AUDIO: [Missiles]

Fall brought two more victories to Ukraine: They reclaimed 3000 square miles of the northeastern Kharkiv region in September and declared a November victory in the strategic southern region of Kherson. But renewed missile attacks on Kyiv rattled the capital. So did the presence of Iranian-supplied drones.

In December, Matviichuk traveled to Stockholm to deliver a speech on the world stage.

NOBEL PRIZE: I have the honor to call up Oleksandra Matviichuk representing the Center for Civil Liberties to deliver the Nobel Peace Prize lecture…

Her organization won the Nobel prize for their work documenting Russian war crimes in her country. During her speech she called out the democratic world for making concessions to dictatorships.

MATVIICHUK: And that is why the willingness of the Ukrainian people to resist Russian imperialism is so important. We will not leave people in the occupied territories to be killed and tortured.

Now, it’s winter in Ukraine. Pastor Magdych is back home with his family in Kyiv for a two-week break before he returns to the front lines. He says blackouts are common as Russia attacks the country’s infrastructure. They only have power for part of the day.

MAGDYCH: At the moment we are getting ready for the Russians and Belarusians to try to take Kyiv again. And It breaks my heart as a father because I know my son really wants to be with me and fight with me.

Magdych says a Russian takeover of Kyiv would put his family in danger.

MAGDYCH: If Russians advance, it would put under danger all Christian ministers because Russians hate two things. They hate all Ukrainians and they hate non-Russian Orthodox.

Russian forces have taken over churches and tortured and killed Christian leaders in occupied Ukrainian territory. Ukrainians have a long road ahead, but Magydych says God is at work, strengthening the church through these times of suffering.

MAGDYCH: I’ve been saying since 2014 that 10 minutes under heavy shelling in the bunker changes your theology, it changes the way you think about God and everything. And I know that after we win this war, the Protestant church would be much much better.

Reporting for WORLD, I’m Jill Nelson.


MARY REICHARD, HOST: Coming up next on The World and Everything in It: WORLD Tour with our reporter in Africa, Onize Ohikere. Today, significant international stories of 2022.

ONIZE OHIEKERE, REPORTER: The conflict in Ukraine spurred a food crisis in other parts of the world this year.

Ukraine is one of the world’s largest grain exporters, but the war stymied the export of wheat, other foodstuffs, and fertilizers.

AUDIO: [Iraq protest]

Worldwide, protesters crowded the streets, decrying rising food prices from Iraq and Tunisia, to Ghana. Lebanon was also hit hard by the shortage as it imports 80 percent of its wheat from Ukraine.

AUDIO: [Ship offloading]

In September, a cargo ship from Ukraine offloaded dried corn, other grains, and vegetable oil at a port in the northern Lebanese city of Tripoli.

A month earlier, a UN-chartered ship loaded with 23,000 tonnes of wheat docked in Djibouti. The UN’s World Food Program said the food brought much-needed support to the drought-hit Horn of Africa region, which is still in the throes of a record dry-spell.

AUDIO: [Sounds from Somalia’s streets]

Aid workers in the Horn of Africa sounded the alarm this year that a perfect storm of multiple crises will fuel unprecedented starvation.

Five consecutive rainy seasons have disappointed across Kenya, Somalia, and Ethiopia.The drought has destroyed crops, killed livestock, and forced millions of people to migrate in search of food and water. The region is facing its worst drought in at least 40 years.

The United Nations humanitarian office has projected that 1 in 23 people will need some form of emergency aid over the next year.

Meanwhile in Pakistan…

AUDIO: [Water rushing]

Record floods this year displaced more than 660,000 people and killed nearly 1,500—about a third of them children. The disaster left aid groups scrambling to provide emergency and long-term support to stop diseases from spreading.

We head over to Haiti, where teeming gang violence came to a head this year.

AUDIO: [Protesters chanting]

In September, Haitian Prime Minister Ariel Henry announced the government’s plans to withdraw fuel subsidies. That sparked street protests.

A powerful gang dug trenches and blocked access to the largest fuel terminal in the capital city of Port-au-Prince. The blockade forced gas stations to close, fueled a shortage of clean water, and limited operating hours for grocery stores and hospitals. A cholera outbreak also began during the blockade, triggering even more calls for a solution.

AUDIO: [Motorcycles queuing for fuel]

Haitian security regained control of the terminal last month allowing fuel to flow again.

But the unrest has taken a much larger toll. The UN said this month that gangs killed more than 1,400 people and kidnapped more than 1,000 others this year alone. Haiti was already battling instability that heightened last year after the former president’s assassination and an ongoing economic crisis.

Next, we remember the Christians who faced persecution for their faith. We begin in Nigeria.

AUDIO: [Choir singing]

Just before Mass ended, gunmen opened fire inside St. Francis Catholic Church in southwestern Ondo state. About 40 people died in the Pentecost Sunday attack in one of Nigeria’s more peaceful states.

The country has faced a surge in violence from Islamist insurgents to criminal gangs.

AUDIO: [Sound of protests]

An irate mob of Muslim students in Nigeria’s Sokoto state stoned to death Deborah Samuel, a Christian classmate who posted a social media message they found offensive.

AUDIO: [Worshippers singing]

In Nicaragua, President Daniel Ortega’s government shut down seven radio stations owned by the Catholic Church. Authorities also detained Rolando Álvarez, the Catholic bishop of Matagalpa. He was charged this month with undermining national security and propagating false news.

Relations between Ortega and the Catholic Church have been tense since the bloody suppression of anti-government protests in 2018 that left more than 350 people dead.

In China, authorities introduced regulations to control religious expression online. The measures implemented in March stop individuals from sharing religious content without a license among other measures.

AUDIO: [Evin fire aftermath]

There was some good news, Iran unexpectedly released two imprisoned Christians in October after a fire and clashes erupted at the notorious Evin prison. They were convicted on national security charges and for starting illegal house churches.

We wrap up this year looking back at the protests in Iran.

AUDIO: [Protesters chanting]

Nationwide demonstrations that began in September have persisted.

The protests began after a 22-year-old Iranian-Kurdish woman died in police custody. Iran’s morality police arrested Mahsa Amini for wearing her headscarf incorrectly.

AUDIO: [Protesters chanting]

Authorities have detained more than 18,000 people since the protests began and executed some of them.

Iran accused Majid Reza Rahnavard of stabbing to death two security officials last month. Authorities hanged him from a construction crane. In the first confirmed execution, authorities hanged Mohsen Shekari after sentencing him for attacking a security force member with a machete.

Activists warn others have already received death sentences.

That’s it for this week’s World Tour. Reporting for WORLD, I’m Onize Ohikere in Abuja, Nigeria.


NICK EICHER, HOST: Well, sometimes you just can’t believe your own eyes.

Police in London received a call about a person in distress at a London art gallery. It was after hours and the gallery was closed, but the person could be seen by passers-by through a window.

She was motionless and had been for a long time.

Officers had to break down the doors to gain entrance. And there they found a woman slumped over a table, as though she’d collapsed.

About the same time, a gallery worker who’d been locking up entered the room to find two very confused officers.

You see, the person in distress was an artistic work titled “Kristina.” She’s made of packing tape and foam filler, but so realistic, it’s not the first time she’s drawn official concern.

A few months ago at an art show, paramedics were called. Not to worry, Kristina the work of art is doing exactly what she was made to do.

It’s The World and Everything in It.


MARY REICHARD, HOST: Today is Wednesday, December 28th. Thank you for turning to WORLD Radio to help start your day.

Good morning. I’m Mary Reichard.

NICK EICHER, HOST: And I’m Nick Eicher. Coming next on The World and Everything in It: remembering those who died in 2022.

Today, government leaders, military veterans, and politicians who passed away—people like Queen Elizabeth II, or the World War II pilot Gail Halvorsen who during the Berlin airlift dropped candy for children from his plane.

Also former Solicitor General Kenneth Starr, whose independent counsel investigation led to the impeachment of President Bill Clinton.

REICHARD: Here now is WORLD’s Paul Butler.

PAUL BUTLER, REPORTER: Former US Secretary of State Madeleine Albright died in March at age 84. She was the first woman to serve in that role. As secretary of state under President Clinton, Albright believed in using military force to pressure authoritarian governments. She urged NATO to bomb Yugoslavia. And she pushed for strict financial and trade embargoes against Iraq, despite humanitarian concerns.

60 Minutes’ Ed Bradley interviewed Albright in 1997:

BRADLEY: You certainly weren't the typical diplomat at the United Nations. You were known for being outspoken. Some even said that you were times undiplomatic…

ALBRIGHT: Rather than feeling that it is wrong to interfere. I always believe that if you can stop something early, and you can show the support of free countries for those who are under totalitarianism, then it's worth doing. That's my mindset. The only plan I ever had was to make a difference as hokey as that might sound…

Next, Republican Senator Orrin Hatch also died in March. He was 88 years old. Hatch represented Utah from 1977 to 2019. Only one US Senator has served longer. During his time in the Senate, Hatch held many significant leadership positions, including chair of the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions, chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, and chair of the Senate Finance Committee. Here’s a portion of his farewell address.

HATCH: Having served as a Senator for nearly 42 years, I can tell you this particular thing, things weren't always as they are now. I was here when this body was at its best. I was here when the regular order was the norm. When legislation was debated in committee, and when members work constructively, with one another for the good of the country. I was here when we could say without any hint of irony, that we were members of the world's greatest deliberative body. The bar of decency has been set so low that jumping over it is no longer the objective. Limbo is the new name of the game. How low can you go? The answer it seems is always lower. All the evidence points to an unsettling truth. The Senate as an institution is in crisis, or at least may be in crisis. Mr. President, this is the last request I will ever make from this lectern. That as a Senate and as a nation. We listen to our better angels, that we will restore civility to the public discourse, that we embrace wholeheartedly the principles of pluralism and that we strive for unity by rejecting the rhetoric of division.

Heading across the pond, David Trimble died in July. He was 77. Trimble was a key architect of the 1998 Good Friday Agreement—that ended 30 years of violent conflict in Northern Ireland known as “The Troubles.” Trimble was awarded a Nobel Peace Prize in 1998. 10 years later, Sir David Frost interviewed Trimble for his Al Jazeera English program:

FROST: Do you think there are any lessons from these negotiations, that would, for instance, be instructive, constructive for Israel and Palestine?

TRIMBLE: I'm reluctant to say that there are lessons because each situation has got its own history, its own dynamic, its own particular issues. I think people might gain some insights by looking at what has happened. I certainly gained insights from looking at other situations. But at the end of the day, it is the people in each situation who have to solve it for themselves. And it's not something that I or anybody else from outside can really come in and say, you know, this is what you should do. One can offer encouragement and support, but at the end of the day, it is the people there who have to do it. And the really crucial issue, I think, is are the people they're willing to make an accommodation with the other? Or are they trying to achieve a victory over the other? If they're still trying to achieve victories over the other, then clearly, there can't be an agreement. But if they're prepared to accept the reality that they're going to have to live together and find a way of working together, then you've taken the first huge step towards a solution.

Next, former Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev died in August at age 91. During his seven years as general secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union Gorbachev brought new freedoms to the Soviet republics, and in the end led to the demise of the USSR. He spoke with Larry King in 1993—just two years after stepping down as President:

LARRY KING: Was it difficult to open doors to the United States? Because you had to be raised with feelings about the United States like we were raised with feelings about the Soviets?

GORBACHEV: Very difficult. I think maybe that was the hardest thing. And trying to understand the positions of each other and studying each other. If we had not believed each other, if we had not established human rapport, then we wouldn't have been able, I think, to develop real cooperation to real work together. It was hard. When President Reagan and I first began to talk, we were together just like you and I, today, at a small table and President Reagan began to accuse me, you know, human rights violations. He said, You have no democracy. He said, You need to make these changes in foreign policies and these changes, etc, etc. And my answer when our dialogue began to go that way, was, Mr. President, you are not a prosecutor and I'm not an accused. Let us not lecture each other. We represent big countries. Let us speak as equals. I think that then we will be able to find keys to any problem.

Finally today, Michael Gerson died in November at age 58. He was an evangelical columnist and speechwriter for President George W. Bush from 1999 to 2006. He was behind some of the President’s most memorable phrases—including “armies of compassion” and “axis of evil.” In 2019 Gerson preached a sermon at the National Cathedral in Washington, D.C. where he spoke of his life-long struggle with depression and the hope of the gospel.

GERSON: Let me turn to a earlier happier part of my journals from May 2nd, 2002. It's probably been a month, I wrote, since some prompting of God led me to a more disciplined Christian life. One afternoon I was at the Cathedral, the place I feel most secure in the world. I saw the beautiful sculpture in the bishop's garden of the prodigal son melting into his father's arms, and the inscription how he fell on his neck and kissed him. I felt tears and calm, like something important had happened to me. And in me. My goals, I wrote, are pretty clear. I want to stop thinking about myself all the time. I want to be a mature disciple of Jesus, not a casual believer, I want to be God's man. I have failed at these goals in a disturbing variety of ways. And I have more doubts than I did on that day. Faith thankfully does not preclude doubt. It consists of staking your life on the rumor of grace.

Reporting for WORLD, I’m Paul Butler.


NICK EICHER, HOST: Today is Wednesday, December 28th. Good morning! This is The World and Everything in It from listener-supported WORLD Radio. I’m Nick Eicher.

MARY REICHARD, HOST: And I’m Mary Reichard. It’s time for day three of our series on Answered Prayers. Today, WORLD’s gift officer Max Belz and listener Mary Stella each highlight an instance of God’s grace to them this year.

MAX BELZ: I was getting ready to meet with a person I'm close with, where there has been some, probably some resentment, some spite, some bitterness. And I asked God to be gracious to me and to give His sustaining power and strength to me in that when I was getting ready to meet with that person. And God answered that prayer, I had so much peace, and I was not there to kind of trap them or work my resentment out towards them, but was able to sit back and have peace and ask them questions and have an honest relatively happy conversation with them. I mean, nothing dramatic came out of that. But I'm just saying that when God when you ask God to give His Holy Spirit to you in those those moments of strife He will hear that prayer. And I'm reminded of Luke 11 when it says, what good father, when his son asked for an egg, we'll give him a scorpion. I love that verse. And that has been clear to me this year.

MARY STELLA: The last week in November, I was at the eye doctor and I was ordering a new pair of glasses at the Virginia Eye Institute. And I took notice before they even sat down, I saw this young man, he was dressed in camouflage. And I saw a woman with him. And I heard them saying that they had to wait on the order, because they didn't have the money to go through with the order at that point and I wanted so much to turn to them and give them my credit card in the name of Jesus. And I kept my mouth shut. And it bothered me all night because it was a lack of faith because I was thinking that whatever they wanted might have been as expensive as what I just did. So I ruminated and prayed in the evening. First thing in the morning, I called the Institute. I got the lady that was dealing with them. And I told her what I wanted to pay their bill. I said please, by all means, just call them and tell them that somebody is going to take care of this. And it is in the name of Jesus. But then, about a week later, they called back and said she had been trying to get a hold of this family. But their phone was disconnected. I prayed some more, and said, Lord, if it's your will that this family be helped, please, please have them get in touch. Well, sure enough. They called me just a couple of days ago and said the family is still looking for that order for the young man. And would I still be a be willing to pay? I said Oh, absolutely. It's an answer to prayer. The week that I met those two, my scripture of the week that I pulled out of the Bible said you will be enriched in every way to be generous in every way, which through us will produce thanksgiving to God. Second Corinthians 9:11. That was my scripture that I ignored initially, but all's well that ends well. And there's no greater blessing that I've ever had this year or any year than to be a blessing.


NICK EICHER, HOST: Tomorrow: we continue our look back at the biggest news stories of the year. Thursday, the crisis at the Southern Border.

Plus, remembering people who strengthened our faith.

And more listener stories of answered prayer.

That and more tomorrow.

I’m Nick Eicher.

MARY REICHARD, HOST: And I’m Mary Reichard.

The World and Everything in It comes to you from WORLD Radio.

WORLD’s mission is biblically objective journalism that informs, educates, and inspires.

The Bible says that Thomas asked Jesus, “Lord, we do not know where you are going. How can we know the way?” Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” (John 14:5-6 ESV)

Please remember our December Grassroots Giving Drive. We’re coming down to the final few days and if you’ve not given yet, we need you at WNG.org/donate.

Go now in grace and peace.


WORLD Radio transcripts are created on a rush deadline. This text may not be in its final form and may be updated or revised in the future. Accuracy and availability may vary. The authoritative record of WORLD Radio programming is the audio record.

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