- [Announcer] This is CBN NewsWatch.
- And thank you so much for joining us.
I'm Efrem Graham.
On today's program, stillmore twists and turns
in the Brett Kavanaugh controversy,
as his accuser now saysshe will not testify
in Washington until the FBIinvestigates her claims.
President Donald Trump headsto North Carolina today
to see the devastation leftbehind by Hurricane Florence.
And we'll hear fromevangelist Franklin Graham
on relief efforts in the wake of Florence.
Plus, we'll take a look at how the
transgender trend is affecting children.
We begin with the battleover the president's
nomination for the US Supreme Court.
Republicans delayed a committee vote
on Judge Brett Kavanaugh this week
to take Dr. Christine Blasey Ford
up on her offer to shareallegations against the nominee.
Then late Tuesday, she said she doesn't
want to appear until theFBI looks into her claims.
- If she is not going tobe part of the hearing,
that would be a very interesting
and unfortunate turn of events.
- Senate Judiciary Chairman Chuck Grassley
responded to the letter from her attorneys
by saying the invitationon Monday still stands,
and nothing the FBI doeswould have any bearing
on what she tells the committee.
So if she does notcome, there is no reason
to delay the vote any further.
Our Capitol Hill correspondent
Abigail Robertson joinsus now from Washington.
So, Abigail, how are lawmakers responding
to this latest developmentfrom Kavanaugh's accuser?
- Well, Democrats are sayingthat they agree with Dr. Ford
and are calling forthis FBI investigation.
But Republicans say thatthat's not necessary,
and President Trump said yesterday
he doesn't think that theFBI could really do anything.
And Chairman Chuck Grassleysaid yesterday morning
that the FBI case isclosed on this matter.
And two key Republican senators,
Bob Corker and Jeff Flake, they came out
last night after this letter was sent
from her lawyers toChairman Grassley's office,
and they said that if she's not willing
to come testify onMonday, they've indicated
that they're comfortableproceeding to a vote.
They think that Chairman Grassley
has made a lot of great attempts
to get her to come tellher story to senators,
and if she's not willing to do that,
either privately or publiclyafter making this accusation,
it looks like the Senate willjust proceed and move forward.
- So if she doesn't come on Monday,
the vote proceeds, you believe?
- Yes, that's what Chairman Grassley
has indicated yesterday in his letter.
He said that he doesn'tthink the FBI investigation
would have any bearing on whatDr. Ford tells the committee,
so he sees no reason for afurther delay on this vote.
- How does the president feel
about what's happening thus far?
- Well, President Trump saidthat he feels very sorry
for Judge Kavanaughand for what his family
and what his wife and hischildren have gone through.
And he tweeted late lastnight after this news broke
that the Supreme Court is one of the
main reasons I got elected president.
I hope Republican votersand others are watching
and studying the Democrats' playbook.
- All right, CBN Capitol Hill
Correspondent Abigail Robertson.
Again, thank you so much for joining
us and for following this story.
- Thank you.
- People outside of Washington are also
speaking their minds aboutthe Kavanaugh controversy.
Evangelist Franklin Graham is
questioning this 11th-hour discovery.
He raised the issue in a Facebookpost asking, how far back
do you go in a person'slife in cases like this?
- There's a lot of things that I've done
when I was a teenager that I certainly
am ashamed of and not proud of.
And if we're gonna hold people accountable
for things that they did 40 years ago
and say whether that'srelevant or not relevant,
this is a tactic by the left to try
to keep conservatives off the bench.
- Franklin Graham is calling for prayer
for Judge Kavanaugh, Mrs.Ford, their families,
and for the wisdom anddiscernment for Senate leaders.
He's asking the nationto pray for all involved.
President Donald Trumptravels to North Carolina
to see the damage from Hurricane Florence.
What you're seeing rightthere is not a river.
That's Interstate 40.
Rivers continue to riseafter Hurricane Florence
dumped more than eighttrillion gallons of water.
Record flooding has triggered thousands
of water rescues, with Coast Guard crews
working around the clockairlifting families to safety.
Meanwhile, in Wilmington,residents are cautioned
to stay in shelters as utility workers
try to restore power tomore than 300,000 homes.
More than 10,000 people arestill in disaster shelters,
and many could find themselvesessentially homeless
after the floodwaters do recede.
One of the nation's most well-known
humanitarian groups is Samaritan's Purse.
It's located in North Carolina,
where Florence did most of her damage.
Franklin Graham spokewith our Heather Sells
about how it's helping in theplace the ministry calls home.
- Tell us about North Carolina right now.
I was just there myself over the weekend.
And we know that rivers are cresting
or are about to crest there.
Have you been able to getinto the hard-hit areas
like Wilmington, whereaccess is extremely limited?
- We are, we are in Wilmington.
We got in there yesterday morning.
We're in Jacksonville.
And we're also in NewBern, North Carolina.
So we have three sites that are set up.
And some areas are stillvery difficult to get to.
As you mentioned, some of thoserivers have not crested yet.
So, it's gonna take maybeanother three or four days
for us to be able to get intosome of the harder-hit areas.
But we're there.
And as communities open up,we're gonna be in there.
- And in those hard-hit areas like
Wilmington, New Bern, where you are able
to be right now, howare you helping people?
What are you finding is going on?
- Well, first of all, we set up
a place for where people can come.
Or they can call in andask for us for help.
And what we do is wefill out a work order.
'Cause we can't go on a person's
property without their permission.
And so they give us a work order
of what they want accomplished.
If it's a tree that isblown over on their house,
we'll come in with chainsaws and a team
of people and cut that tree off.
If it's a hole in the roof that,
they want us to repair that hole,
we can't do the permanent repair,
but we could do a temporaryrepair to keep the house dry.
And we'll put tarps in there.
We also, for peoplethat have been flooded,
we'll come in with a team ofpeople and mud out their home.
Let's actually take themud out of the house,
wash the house, and then take down
the Sheetrock that is wetand expose the studding
of the house so that wecan spray it with bleach,
and then let the house dry out.
The problem any time youhave a flood is mold.
And we're just gonna help thehomeowners save their house.
- Yeah, so many practical needs
and so much nitty-gritty work.
You and other faith-based organizations
are recruiting volunteers, I know,
to help with rebuilding andall of this remediation work.
And, of course, we know FEMA and other
government agencies will be involved.
But how important arevolunteers in this effort?
- Oh, they're the spearhead.
We would not be able to dothis without the volunteers.
And, of course, Samaritan'sPurse needs volunteers.
And as you mentioned,other faith-based groups,
when they come in, they'regonna need volunteers.
And if a person wouldlike to be a part of it,
they could go to ourwebsite, samaritanspurse.org,
and they can click on the link there
and they can see how theycould be a part of this
and how they can come and, if they wanna
spend a day or two days or a week.
We just needs hands and feet.
'Cause this is thespearhead of the recovery.
Without volunteers, many of these people
will not be able to get out of this hole
that they'll find themselves in.
- How is this for you responding
to this disaster in your own backyard?
- Well, it's always difficult to respond
to any disaster, whetherit's our backyard,
or whether it's somebody else's backyard.
The needs are the same.
One of the things we do, Heather,
of course, our focus isalways the spiritual.
We take teams of chaplainsfrom the Billy Graham
Evangelistic Association,and as our Samaritan's Purse
teams are helping to mud out a home,
we've got chaplainstalking to the homeowner,
praying with them, askingwhat their prayer needs are.
But the same time, many ofthem don't know Jesus Christ.
And we want them to knowthat God loves them,
He hasn't turned His back on them,
and that God sent His son Jesus Christ
from Heaven to thisEarth to take our sins,
and He died on a cross,and God raised Him to life.
And Jesus can come into any heart
that's willing to inviteHim and to trust Him.
And so part of our work, of course,
is mudding out the homes and helping
to clean the debris from a person's lot.
But the most important partof it is the spiritual part
that we will be doing at the same time.
- Well, we are out of time, but we
appreciate your message and your work.
Thank you so much, Reverend Graham.
- Thank you.
- Here's a look now at someof the other major stories
we're following for you todayinside the CBN Newsroom.
(dramatic music)
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un
and South Korean President Moon Jae-in
have signed an agreement to establish
peace on the Korean Peninsula.
Both sides say they are working
to free the peninsula ofnuclear weapons and threats.
North Korea has agreed to take
further steps towards denuclearization,
including shutting down amissile engine test site.
President Donald Trump iscalling the developments
between the two nations,quote, very exciting.
President Trump says exposingthe, quote, "corrupt" FBI
would be the "crowningachievement" of his presidency.
The president told TheHill he wants to show
the public the Russiacollusion probe is just a hoax.
And that's why he's ordered the
release of classified documents.
He also criticized the FBIfor leaking information
to create a false narrative against him.
Disturbing news out of Kenya.
Two Christians were murdered for refusing
to recite the Islamic statement of faith,
that is, according toInternational Christian Concern.
A group of militants stopped a bus
headed to the city of Garissa.
The terrorists ordered passengers
off the bus and thenseparated three believers.
But when two of them refused to recite
the edict, they immediately killed them.
The Islamic terrorist group al-Shabaab
is claiming responsibilityfor that attack.
Coming up, it has becomeone of the hottest trends
supported by the lesbian, gay,
bisexual, and transgender movement,
blurring the lines between the genders.
And a key target of this trend?
Children.
Changing their ideas of the differences,
if there are any, between male and female.
We've got the story.
It's coming up next.
(dramatic music)
Welcome back.
Bruce Jenner's gender transition in 2015
was just the tip of the iceberg.
Since then, a new push to blur the lines
between the genders hasbeen sweeping the nation.
And as our Charlene Aaron reports,
critics say children are the main targets.
- [Charlene] In NewYork, a bill in the House
gives people the right tobypass gender all together
and simply label themselvesX on their birth certificate.
Democratic Mayor Bill de Blasio says
the change will allow transgender
and non-gender-conforming New Yorkers
to live with the dignityand respect they deserve.
- Why are we legitimizingon birth certificates
something that is a mental disorder,
something that makes you 20 times
more likely to commit suicide?
Dr. McHugh, who is the distinguished
professor of psychiatry atJohn Hopkins University,
who hasn't yet drunk theprogressive, PC Kool-Aid,
maintains that this gender dysphoria,
this desire to mutilate yourself,
to amputee yourself because you don't feel
like you are the biological sex
that you really are, is a mental disorder.
- [Charlene] Now comes a shocking trend:
parents raising so-calledtheybies instead of babies.
Theybies are supposedly genderless kids
who are addressed as they or them,
rather than he or she, giving them
the option to choose their own gender.
Elizabeth Johnston, alsoknown as The Activist Mommy,
describes this push as the latest effort
by LGBT activists tonormalize gender confusion.
- There's been an agendaunderfoot for years
to erase gender distinctions,to confuse the clear
distinction that our Creator has
given us between man and woman.
- [Charlene] Johnstonsays the LGBT community
actively targets childrenthrough various projects.
- And now we have this indoctrination
and confusion taking placein our school systems
with transgender puppetsand drag queen story hours
in public libraries, where our taxpayer
funds are going, to confuse children.
- [Charlene] It's notjust happening in America.
North of the border, atransgender curriculum
called SOGI is taught in Canadian schools.
It stands for sexual orientationand gender identification.
And one group has createda transgender puppet
named Julia to teach school-aged children
about transgenderism and gender fluidity.
Author and speakerLaura-Lynn Tyler Thompson
is an outspoken critic.
- It is an indoctrinationof all the children.
What's happening is thatparents are actually
finding out it's been implemented.
It's like, we didn'tknow, like they put it
in underground without parental knowledge.
They say that they consulted parents.
But they consulted theLGBTQ community and some
selected parents that theyknew might be on their side.
- [Charlene] Meanwhile,she says Christians
are becoming bold and are taking a stand.
- There's a big war going on up here.
We're very upset.
The rise is happening.
- The word was this, this battleis not yours, Jehoshaphat.
This battle is the Lord's.
- And Charlene joins usnow with more on this.
So, what are some other examples
of the push to normalize transgenderism?
- Efrem, we're seeing itall over the spectrum.
First of all, a group of doctors
are actually giving 13-year-old teen girls
double mastectomies because they feel
like they're boys and theywant to be identified as a boy.
Giving them double mastectomies.
This is something that is outrageous.
We're also seeing,Netflix earlier this year
released a trailer for something known
as Drag Queen, I'm sorry,Super Drags, a new series
that's gonna be talkingabout drag queen superheroes.
Kids are gonna be watching this.
Not to mention the whole bathroom debacle
with the whole transgender bathroom issue.
It's just, all over theplace we're seeing this.
- Continues to unfold.
What can parents do toprotect their children
in light of all that'shappening around us?
- Parents need to be informed.
They need to be involved in what
their kids are watching onTV, what kind of curriculum
is being taught in theirchildren's schools.
They need to know, and not only know,
but be vocal about what they're seeing.
Give pushback to what's happening.
Write letters to schools.
Write letters to your school boards.
Speak up about what your kids are
learning and be involved about it.
- How are Christians speaking out
about what we're seeing in this trend?
- You know, when CBNNews did this wonderful
story by our colleague Wendy Griffith
out of Canada, the whole SOGI,
the push to normalizetransgenderism there,
the Philippines heard about that.
Christians in the Philippines,40,000 Christians,
we heard, rallied against SOGIcoming to the Philippines.
And they began to pray,they began to fast,
and they began to speak out and push back.
And SOGI was rejected in the Philippines
because Christians said, we'renot gonna take this anymore.
We're gonna not be silent.
And it's time for Christians to rise up.
Call your local schools.
If you have to, homeschool your children.
There's a trend right nowwhere grandparents can actually
homeschool their grandkidsif their parents are busy.
So there's ways to protect your
kids and speak out about this.
- All right, thank you so much.
Charlene Aaron reporting for us.
Eye-opening report, indeed.
(dramatic music)
Coming up, it is the holiest day
on the Jewish calendar: Yom Kippur.
Jews have just celebrated.
We're gonna have a look at the meaning
behind this important holiday.
That's coming up right after this.
And welcome back to CBN NewsWatch.
Jews around the world havejust celebrated Yom Kippur,
the holiest day of the Jewish year.
They observe this day withfasting and a special prayer
that has significance forboth Jews and Christians.
Chris Mitchell explains.
(praying in a foreign language)
- [Chris] It's called the Viddui,
a prayer of repentance anda plea for forgiveness.
- The Viddui is a centralprayer of confession
and for forgiveness of theJewish people on Yom Kippur.
And it's a prayer that they pray
not only on behalf of themselves,
but on behalf of all theJewish people around the world.
- [Chris] Reverend David Pileggi
serves as the rector of Christ Church
in the heart of Jerusalem's Old City.
He studied the Jewish roots
of Christianity for nearly 30 years.
He says the Viddui recognizes, as Jeremiah
the prophet wrote, that theheart is deceitful above
all things and that deedsneed to follow repentance.
- One thing that we learnfrom the Jewish people,
something quite important,especially about Yom Kippur,
that it's not enough to say you're sorry.
You have to confess, say you're sorry,
and then at the same time, take practical
steps to change your behavior.
- [Chris] The Viddui contains sections
to be said both corporatelyand prayed by the individual.
The group repeats confessionslike: We sinned before you.
We betrayed you.
We spoke falsely.
Now we want to repentand ask your forgiveness.
The individual prays inpart: O God and Father,
maker of Heaven and Earth, Ipenitently acknowledge my sins,
desiring to learn what is your will
concerning me andresolving to devote myself
more faithfully to your holy service.
Pileggi says Christianscan find a parallel
between Yom Kippur andthe teachings of Jesus.
- Now, we have a sayingof Jesus, don't we,
that says, if you bringyour gift to the altar
and your brother hassomething against you,
leave your gift at the altar and go
and be reconciled with your brother.
Jewish tradition says, go get your
relationship right with your neighbor,
with your brother, withyour family member.
Forgive and be reconciled.
And then on the day of atonement,
when you begin to fastand pray and to confess,
God will hear your prayer and forgive
you as you have forgiven others.
It's a teaching of Jesus.
And it's also something that's
part and parcel of Jewish tradition.
And here the two line up very nicely.
- [Chris] Chris Mitchell,CBN News, Jerusalem.
- The UN celebrated Yom Kippur this year
for the third straightyear, and you can find out
about the spiritual significanceof that at cbnnews.com.
We'll be right back with much more
of today's CBN NewsWatch, and we'll have
an encouraging word for youtoday, right after this.
(dramatic music)
Time now for your Wednesday's Word.
And today's word is joy.
When I think of thatword, I think of the word.
Scripture reminds us, the joyof the Lord is our strength.
And that joy has nothing to do with what's
happening in the world around you.
The spirit of God, the HolySpirit living inside you,
brings joy, and your joy is indeed full.
With that word, I encourage you
to make this a wonderful Wednesday.
That is gonna do it for thishalf hour of CBN NewsWatch.
Remember, you can find moreof our exclusive coverage
of the issues you caremost about at cbnnews.com.
We'd love to hear what you think about
the stories you've seen here today.
And you can do that byemailing newswatch@cbn.com.
You can also talk to us onFacebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
Hope you'll join us againright here next time.
Make this a wonderful Wednesday.
We'll see you rightback here come tomorrow.
Goodbye, God bless, and remember,
the news continues 24/7 at cbnnews.com
(dramatic music)
- [Announcer] This is CBN NewsWatch.
- And thank you so much for joining us
for this second halfhour of CBN NewsWatch.
I'm Efrem Graham.
Today, we're taking a look at what's ahead
in the Brett Kavanaugh controversy.
We're gonna hear a public policy expert's
take on the Christian response.
Plus, Hurricane Florence isgone, but the storm left behind
a huge amount of rain and flooding.
We're gonna look at how one man
is working to bring the gospel to Haiti.
And then how archeology in Israel
is supporting and bringingto life Bible stories.
Up first, the battle overthe president's nominee
for the United States Supreme Court.
Republicans delayed a committee vote
on Judge Brett Kavanaugh this week
to take Dr. Christine Blasey Ford
up on her offer to shareallegations against the nominee.
Then late Tuesday, herattorney said she does not
want to appear until theFBI looks into her claims.
- If she is not going tobe part of the hearing,
that would be a very interesting
and unfortunate turn of events.
- Senate Judiciary Chairman Chuck Grassley
responded to the letter from her lawyers
by saying the invitationon Monday still stands.
Nothing the FBI doeswould have any bearing
on what she tells the committee.
So if she does notcome, there is no reason
to delay the vote any further.
I spoke with Jenna Ellis ofJames Dobson Family Institute
Tuesday for her take on the situation.
She talked about the Christian response,
and she had some advice for Kavanaugh.
Jenna, Franklin Graham questions
this 11th-hour accusation here.
What do you think?
- I would agree with FranklinGraham that this does
appear to be a politicaltactic from the left.
And they're not reallyinterested in truth-seeking here.
But further, I think that he had
a very valid point that if we're looking
so far into the past,even if this allegation
were to be true, this is something,
the statue of limitations is for a reason.
And so in the criminal law context,
in the juvenile law context, this is why
the FBI has declined to investigate.
Because something thatwas nearly 40 years ago
really does not have a rational
or legitimate bearing ona person's life today.
And so for the left to be accusing
Brett Kavanaugh of something like this
and saying that this bears weight
on his confirmation processis really disheartening.
- With the Me Toomovement, victims of sexual
abuse are getting more attention.
And there's a move acrossthe country to respect those
who are often dismissedin situations like this.
As a woman, a constitutionallawyer, and a Christian,
how would you like to seethis situation handled?
- As Christians, we shouldalways be truth seekers.
And I think we can be pro-women,
we can be pro-men, andwe can be pro-truth.
And truth really should be the bottom line
of anything that a Christian does,
in our actions and in pursuing our faith.
And so when we look at something like this
that really does appear tobe politically motivated,
we should be askingourselves, is this really
in the best interest of truth?
Is this in the best interest of justice?
And so as the Senate moves forward,
what should happen is that the Senate
should recognize that notonly are these allegations
almost 40 years ago, andreally, there's no way
to actually understandand get to the truth here,
but is this really the proper forum
to litigate this type of accusation?
A criminal trial, if that were to happen,
and again, the statute oflimitations has certainly run,
the Senate confirmation process
is not the time or theplace or the context
for these types ofallegations to be litigated.
And so as a Christian, as aconstitutional law attorney,
and certainly as a woman, we should always
be concerned about truth,and also in preserving
and protecting our ruleof law and due process.
A fundamental due process always says
that there is a presumption of innocence.
And unless we can get to the truth
beyond any and all reasonable doubt,
this shouldn't mar JudgeKavanaugh's ability,
fitness, his character, and integrity
to have a seat on the Supreme Court.
- What do you think of the way Democrats
and Republicans have handledthis matter thus far?
- Well, certainly theDemocrats have appeared
to be using this as a political tactic.
It was absolutely inappropriate
for Senator Feinstein towithhold this information
since apparently this past July.
If we look at how the Democrats behaved
during the confirmation process,
we should have betterprocedures in place and better
integrity for our senatorsin that type of the process.
The Republicans really need to look
at being truth seekers and making sure
that they are upholding the standards
of procedure and process and not allowing
this kind of politicaltactic to get in the way
to not confirm someonewho is absolutely fit
and has proven that fitness through
the confirmation processand the hearings already.
- Real quickly, what advicewould you give Kavanaugh?
- I would just say, definitely pray.
I would encourage all ofthe Christians to be praying
that the truth is reached,that we can continue
to further the truth, thathe should stay strong.
He's absolutely denied these allegations.
And for him to remain strong and firm
that he is qualified and to continue
to maintain that integrityand to seek confirmation.
- All right, Jenna Ellis,
thank you so much for your insight.
We much appreciate it.
- Thank you.
- President Trump travelsto North Carolina today
to inspect the damagefrom Hurricane Florence.
Take a look at this.
What you're seeing there isnot a river, but Interstate 40.
Rivers continue to riseafter Hurricane Florence
dumped more than eighttrillion gallons of water.
Record flooding has triggeredthousands of water rescues,
with Coast Guard crewsworking around the clock
airlifting families to safety.
Meanwhile, in Wilmington,residents are cautioned
to stay in shelters as utility workers
try to restore power tomore than 300,000 homes.
More than 10,000 people arestill in disaster shelters.
Many of them could findthemselves essentially homeless
after the floodwaters do finally recede.
Here now is a look at someof the other major stories
we're following for you inthe CBN news room today.
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un
and South Korean President Moon Jae-in
have signed an agreement to establish
peace on the Korean Peninsula.
Both sides say they are working
to free the peninsula ofnuclear weapons and threats.
North Korea has agreed to take
further steps toward denuclearization,
including shutting down amissile engine test site.
President Donald Trump iscalling the developments
between the two nations,quote, very exciting.
President Donald Trump says exposing the,
quote, "corrupt" FBI would be the
"crowning achievement" of his presidency.
The president told The Hillhe wants to show the public
the Russia collusion probe is just a hoax.
And that's why he's ordered the
release of classified documents.
He also criticized the FBIfor leaking information
to create a false narrative against him.
Disturbing news out of Kenya.
Two Christians were murdered for refusing
to recite the Islamic statement of faith.
According to the InternationalChristian Concern,
a group of militants stopped a bus
headed to the city of Garissa.
The terrorists orderedpassengers off the bus
and then separated three believers.
But when two of them refused to recite
the edict, they immediately killed them.
The Islamic terrorist group al-Shabaab
is claiming responsibility for the attack.
Coming up, how one man has been working
to bring the gospel and the spirit
of self-sufficiency tothe people of Haiti.
We've got that story when we come back.
(dramatic music)
Haiti is an incredibly poor country,
with more than half the peopleliving on less than $2 a day.
But as Erik Rosales shows us in this story
from earlier this year, one man has worked
to bring the gospel to Haiti,and to empower its people.
- It's been more than eightyears since the country
of Haiti was hit by a7.0-magnitude earthquake.
And despite billions in humanitarian aid,
corruption has forced much of the country
to continue to live indeplorable conditions.
And while organizations work to treat
the consequences of extreme poverty,
they haven't provided solutions
to reduce Haiti'sdependence on foreign aid.
One man's hope to change that?
By building builders.
- It's one of the most difficult,
frustrating, rewardingthings I've ever done.
And I think for me,because of my personality,
the frustration is, I wantthings to move faster and stuff.
And I love building things, but we have
to invest in the people first.
- [Erik] Sherman Balch,a commercial contractor,
first came here just months after
the massive quake as part of a mission
by Cornerstone FellowshipChurch in Livermore, California.
He and his wife, Cheryl, were struck
by how poor construction standards
contributed to so much of the devastation.
- So, my husband being a builder,
we thought, let's go help rebuild.
But then it became evident that there
were many Haitians who were not working,
didn't have hope in their daily lives,
so why not teach themhow to build properly?
- [Erik] That desire, combined with help
from their local church,helped create Extollo,
which means raise up in Latin.
They started by using Haitian workers
to help build several orphanages.
- We have to build a construction
industry and invest in the workers.
And we use the apprenticeshipapproach of learning by doing
and earning and learning at the same time.
- And I'd been looking for jobs,
but I didn't have any skill.
But I'd been looking for someone
to teach me how to do things.
- [Erik] As part of theorphanage construction crew,
Alto Jean Baptiste learned basic masonry,
carpentry, electrical,and plumbing skills.
The Balches are quick to add,
this isn't just about learning a trade.
It's also learning about Godand living a life like Jesus.
- A great leader is not the
person who is good at everything.
- [Erik] Part of the training includes
leadership classes forthe Haitian apprentices.
During our visit, Cornerstonepastor Steve Madsen
talked about living a lifeof integrity and respect.
We then traveled to one of the orphanages.
After a quick flight to La Gonave,
a small island about 50miles from Port-au-Prince,
and a white-knuckledlanding on a dirt runway,
(plane engine whirring)
we saw the Jesus Home for Children village
providing a new life formore than 150 orphans.
(speaking in a foreign language)
- [Translator] Extollo has built
a beautiful village for the kids.
It's more than I could ask for.
God has answered our prayers.
- We're inside the orphanage.
And you can see behind me this patio.
This is where the kidshave their Sunday service.
And around the courtyard are 10 homes,
inside each home anywherefrom 10 to 15 orphans.
The kids also have a home mom.
Madam Soliette doesn't wannamake this an institution.
She wants to be able to have the kids
interact with their homemom and also each other,
this way that they'll grow in spirit.
You may not realize it, but more than half
of the people here liveon less than $2 a day.
Some 70% are underemployed,or simply have no job.
Most can't afford even basic housing,
so parents often give up their kids.
To help keep families together,
Madame Soliette opens her doors daily
to feed some 300 neighborhood kids,
and also allows them to attend school.
- She always says, Iwanna raise these kids up
to love the Lord and notadopt them out of our country,
but be the change in our country,
to be the leaders and thepeople, that this country needs
the next generation tochange things around.
- [Erik] Leaders like Jean Baptiste,
who's currently building his own home
helping neighbors with repairsand providing for his family.
- But most of my family arepracticing a lot of voodoo.
And when I met Extollo, andevery morning, people start
to pray, talking about Godand giving people Bible.
- [Erik] More importantly, he's accepted
the Lord and now leads Bible classes.
His dream is to run hisown construction company,
create buildings with universal standards
to withstand any future quakes,
and provide a good livingfor fellow Haitians.
- We care about them.
We love them.
Jesus loves us.
He's blessed us.
So we in turn want to be a blessing
to the wonderful people of Haiti.
And they're so appreciative.
It's so fun.
- Just as Jesus built disciples,
Extollo officials are building
the next generation ofChristian leaders and builders
to bring positive changeto the country of Haiti.
Erik Rosales, CBN News.
- Coming up, we'retaking a trip to Israel,
where archeologists arefinding more evidence
that supports the biblical record.
And we're gonna see howthose archeological digs
can make the Bible come alive.
That beautiful story's comingup next, right after this.
(dramatic music)
Those who say science and the Bible
don't go together shouldtake a trip to Israel,
where archeologists are routinely
verifying biblical history.
Chris Mitchell takes us to one dig
that's uncovering one ofthe most important locations
from the events of the Old Testament.
- You're looking at theheart of biblical Israel
along the route known asthe Way of the Patriarchs.
This is ancient Shiloh, theplace where the Bible says
Joshua divided the PromisedLand between the 12 tribes,
and where the tabernacle of the Lord
stood for more than 300 years.
- Welcome to ancient Shiloh.
This is the first capitalof ancient Israel.
And it's a sacred spotbecause the Mishkan was here,
the tabernacle, where peoplecame to connect with God.
- [Chris] Scott Striplingdirects the excavation here.
And along with dozens of volunteers,
they're digging into history.
- We're dealing with realpeople, real places, real events.
This is not mythology.
The coins that we excavated today,
we're talking aboutcoins of Herod the Great,
Pontius Pilate, Festus,Felix, Agrippa I, Agrippa II.
The Bible talks about these people.
We've got the image right there.
- [Chris] That image includes a fortified
wall built by the Canaanites.
They're finding a treasuretrove of artifacts,
including coins and 2,000pieces of pottery a day.
- Now, this one was from yesterday.
It's been washed already.
So, you see the same formright out of the ground,
and yesterday, and these are those
handles from the stone vessels.
Remember Jesus's first miracle at Cana.
There were stone jars full of water.
That's that ritual purityculture of the first century.
- [Chris] An archeologist looks
at these shards as a fine time piece.
- Just like yourgreat-grandmother's pottery
is different from your potterythat you're using today.
And once we learn the pottery,
then we can use it as ourprimary means of dating.
- [Chris] Stripling says literally digging
into the Bible can change your life.
- You can read the Bible,you can walk the Bible,
but the ultimate is to dig the Bible.
When we actually get into the soil,
like these students from Lee University,
they're literally, it'sunder their fingernails
and in their nose andtheir mouth and their ears,
and they're exposing this ancient culture.
It becomes one with you.
And sorta we came out of the soil,
and as we dig into thesoil, we connect with God
and with each other I thinkin a very important way.
- I love getting my hands dirty.
I love digging in the dirt.
It's my favorite thing.
- [Chris] People fromall ages man the dig,
with the main drivers beingstudents like Abigail.
- It's tiring and exhausting.
But it's really rewarding.
It's exciting to find ancient things,
things that have been laying in the dirt
just waiting for usfor thousands of years.
- [Chris] She says the Biblecomes alive in the dirt.
- I read the Bible totally differently
than I did before I came here.
And when I read theBible, I know the places.
I know what's going on.
I understand it moredeeply, especially where,
previous archeologists have claimed
that the archeology disproves the Bible.
But when we dig here, wefind that everything matches.
You read it in the Bible,
you dig in the dirt, and there it is.
- Archeology doesn't set outto prove or disprove the Bible.
What we wanna do is toilluminate the biblical text,
the background of the text, so to set it
in a real-world culture, towhat we call verisimilitude.
So, we get an ancientliterary description.
Now we have a materialculture that matches that.
Chris, you're sitting where Samuel
and Eli and Hannah and thesepeople that we have read about,
they came just like us, needing answers,
needing to connect withGod, needing forgiveness.
- [Chris] He says they dig into the past
and find lessons for the present.
- One of the faith lessons for us
is that God is the potterand we are the clay.
And even if our lives are broken
like these vessels are, God told Jeremiah
after He told him to go to Shiloh
and see what He had done, He told him
to go to the potter's house and look
at a flawed vessel and see how the potter
puts it back on the wheel andworks out the imperfections.
So, my faith lesson is this,that yes, we're imperfect.
But if we'll allow God,He wants to put us on His
potter's wheel, and He wantsto make us a vessel of honor.
- [Chris] Stripling oftencites Psalm 102 that says:
O Zion, your servants take delight
in its stones and favor its dust.
- Ultimately, Chris, if the Bible is true,
then the God of the Bible hasa moral claim on our lives.
And as we establish the veracity
of the biblical text, I hope that everyone
watching will just think about that,
that God loves us, and He hasa moral claim on our lives.
- [Chris] Chris Mitchell, CBN News,
Shiloh, biblical Samaria.
- Always exciting to see the Bible
come to life in the Holy Land.
We'll be back with another encouraging
word for you today, right after this.
(dramatic music)
Time now for your Wednesday Word.
And today, two words actuallycome to mind: answered prayer.
Consider this.
You are the answer to someone's prayer.
Make yourself accessible andavailable for God to use.
Being an answer to someone's prayer
is part of God's divinepurpose for creating you.
Think on that for just a moment
and make this a wonderful Wednesday.
And that is gonna do it forthis edition of CBN NewsWatch.
Remember that you can findmore of our exclusive coverage
of the issues you caremost about at cbnnews.com.
And, of course, we love hearing from you.
We like to know what you think
about the stories you've seen here today.
You can do that byemailing newswatch@cbn.com.
And, of course, we're always available
on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
This concludes this news half hour,
but the news continues24/7 at cbnnews.com.
Make it a wonderful Wednesday.
We'll see you tomorrow.
(dramatic music)
