(bright music)

- Organ harvesting,

brainwashing, mass kidnappings,

beatings in concentration camps.

Barbaric atrocities areon the rise worldwide

against people of faith.

- That's right, so who is rising up

to defend the persecuted?

Jennifer Wishon has more.

- Christians are beingpersecuted around the world

at a pace not seen since the 1st century.

This as China terrorizesmillions of Muslims

while conducting businessas usual with the world.

Nearly 80% of the world'speople live in nations

where severe restrictionsare placed on who, what,

and how they worship.

In its annual report, the Commission

on International Religious Freedom

spells out the grim details:

50,000 Christians held inNorth Korean prison camps,

some 3,000 Yazidi girlsand women missing in Iraq,

130,000 Muslims ininternment camps in Burma,

as many as three million Uyghur Muslims

in Chinese concentration camps.

- In our first report, weraised concern 22 years ago

about what the Chinese Communist Party

was already then doingto the Uyghur community.

- [Jennifer] Now thecommunist regime works

to reprogram an entire community

while subjecting someto barbaric procedures

like organ harvesting.

- They're even promotingmarketing the Uyghur organs

in the Muslim majority countries.

They find two particular religion,

Islam and Christianity, problematic

for the survival and existenceof the Communist Party.

- [Jennifer] And in Africa,the Islamic State, Boko Haram,

and other Islamist groups are surging,

with non-Muslims in their crosshairs.

Earlier this month in Nigeria,

armed bandits kidnapped 121 students

from Bethel Baptist High Schoolin Damishi, Kaduna State,

marking the seventh mass kidnapping

of Nigerian students this year.

- It's time for Christians

to do what the apostlePaul called them to do,

which is to pray forthose who are in prison

as if they were there with them.

- Well, Jennifer Wishon joins us now

for more on this very important story.

Jennifer, the US Commission

on International ReligiousFreedom met this week

to address persecution around the world.

What is their overall goal?

- [Ashley] David?

David.

- I think we're having some problem

with Jennifer's connection so we may try

and have her join us a littlebit later in the program.

So sorry about that, Jennifer.

We're gonna try andcatch back up with you.

Want to remind you in the meantime,

of course you can get more on this story

when you download theCBN News Channel app.

Ashley.

- All right, well, switching gears now.

Still ahead, meet a renowned surgeon

who makes prayer ahallmark of his practice.

So how has the praying doctor

been changing lives for 30 years?

Well see for yourself coming up.

(inspirational music)

- Well, Dr. Michael Haglundis a top spine surgeon,

and not only does thedoctor have gifted hands,

he also has praying hands.

So what miracles has heseen in the O.R. and beyond?

The praying doctor will tell you himself.

- [Narrator] Do a search on the internet

for prayer and medicineand you'll find plenty

of scientific studies that confirm

what the Christian community has known

for thousands of years, that prayer works.

- The anesthesiologist comesin the room and says, "Mike,

we're not gonna be ableto do the surgery."

"Why?" "'Cause his bloodpressure's like 220/120.

We can't put someone to sleep

with that kind of blood pressure."

I go, "Well, at least let me pray for him

before you cancel," andhe goes, "Okay, fine."

- [Narrator] Dr. MichaelHaglund of Duke University

is considered one of thetop cervical surgeons

in the country.

He also enjoys anotherdistinction, the praying doctor.

- So, I go on to pray for him

and he calms down a little bit.

It went from 220 down to like 170.

We do his surgery, he does great.

Pain's gone, gets backto work in two weeks.

I see him at six weeks, and he comes in.

He goes, "You know thatprayer you prayed for me?"

And I go, "Yeah."

He goes, "Something changed.

Something's different."

And so like right there in the clinic,

we prayed and he accepted Christ

and, you know, that's what it's all about.

- [Narrator] Dr. Haglundremembers the first time

he witnessed the healing power of prayer.

It wasn't long after he and his wife

gave their lives toChrist, and he was on call

at a Seattle hospital.

- A young kid, 10 yearsold, bad snowboard accident,

got air-flighted intoHarborview Medical Center

with a big epidural hematoma on his brain.

If you can get it outquickly, they do really well

and they wake up, likeright away after surgery,

which is great, not like whenyou're in a bad car accident.

So we took him to the O.R.right away, we took it out,

and he didn't wake up, still in a coma.

So I went to lay down and,like, I couldn't get to sleep

and I really felt theLord put on my heart,

I never felt this before,like this impression,

like, "You need to go,you need to pray for him."

And I go, "Okay," so I rolled over in bed

and started praying and it was like,

"No, you need to go pray for him."

So I just went up and laid hands on him

and said, "Lord, we'vedone everything we can do.

We need you to do a miracle. Amen."

- [Narrator] 15 minutes later,

the nurse called him back into the ICU.

After checking on his patient,

Dr. Haglund ran andfound the boy's father,

an associate pastor ofa church in Seattle.

- So I go running out there,it's three in the morning,

and I say, "You won't believe this!

Adam's awake!" and I'm likegrabbing him by the shoulders.

And he goes, "What?" andI go, "Yeah, he's awake!

I prayed for him, and he woke up!"

And he goes, "Mike," and I go, "What?"

He goes, "A lot of peopleare praying for him."

"Uh, yeah."

He goes, "Look over there,"

and he showed me in the waiting room,

you could see theseshadowy little figures.

There was 30 people from his church

all on their knees praying for him.

I go, "Oh, you're right.

Everybody's praying for him. That's good."

And it made such an impression on me

that that, you know, from then on,

it's like you're justlooking for opportunities

where God's moving.

- [Narrator] And formore than three decades,

Dr. Haglund's practice andprayers have been changing lives.

But his influence hasreached beyond the bedside.

As a renowned surgeon,

Dr. Haglund has not only beenable to talk about prayer

with his peers on a scientific level,

but on a personal,spiritual level as well.

Like Kimberly Stanley, apharmaceutical professional

who met Dr. Haglund ata medical conference.

- I was really actually notwanting to go to this meeting.

I just wanted to be at home.

But just really kind of lost

and just knew that somethingwas missing in my life.

He began to help me connect those dots

and just putting words to the gospel

in a conversation was justso, so critical for me

that somebody who didn't even know me

would care to share that truth with me.

It was just, it was life-changing,

and I really knew Ineeded to do something.

- [Narrator] What Kimberly didwas give her life to Christ.

- He just led me in aprayer that was very simple.

I can't remember the exact words,

but it was just a very simple prayer,

and I just immediately knew it was right.

And I had heard that as a child

and so I knew that'swhat had happened to me,

that I had been born again,

I had been saved from death to life.

I think that that's thesweetness of our Lord,

is to send someone that I could look to

and say, "He believes, he believes."

- [Narrator] As the top in his field,

Dr. Haglund is well aware ofthe millions who've been helped

through modern medical science.

- [Mike] Lord, thank you for your presence

here right now.- He also knows

that it's the undeniable power of prayer

that truly changes lives.

- Once you see how much God moves,

you build that faith thatHe's there, He's ever-present,

and He's walking through life with you.

And you don't realizehow many things He does

if you kinda look back a little bit,

and I think that builds your faith, right?

(gentle music)

- Prayer and medicine, whata powerful combination.

I have a doctor I seeevery couple of years or so

and before he does a particular procedure,

he always says, "Andrew,can we pray together first?"

And wow, is that a reassuring

and comforting thing duringa medical examination.

You know, Ashley, it's...- Yeah.

- A lot of Christianssometimes aren't always sure

how much good is sided with prayer,

how much is it responsiblefor the medical community,

but having a doctor who prays for you

is special.- Yeah, that's awesome.

Well, how have you seenthe power of prayer

demonstrated in your own life?

Any stories, examples,

miracles?- Yeah.

And even in the medical arena,so to speak, it comes up.

You know, just likeany person, any family,

I and we have experienced.

You know, John, I think it's John 16,

Jesus said, "In this world,you will have trouble."

- [Ashley] Yep, that's true.

- "But-"- That's true.

- "But take heart,"- Yes.

- "I have overcome the world."

- Yeah.

- Just last year, abouta year and a half ago,

my son had a horrific,horrific baseball injury.

- Yeah, yeah.

- And a lot of people hereat work prayed for him

and I'm thrilled and humbled to say,

a year and a half later, he's excelling

as a baseball player again.- Yeah.

That was a scary, scary week, few months.

- Yeah, yeah.

- But even, you know, we...

Just another thing, and thisis kind of, can be complicated.

I'll make it as quick as I can,

but talking about prayer,

I want to encourage people

who are praying for aloved one to find Christ.

- Yeah.- Those who are praying

for someone in their family who are lost

or don't know the intimate relationship

one can find with Jesus.

I prayed for my father for decades

- Wow.- to become a believer.

And whenever I would talkto him, he would simply say,

"Andy, I respect what you've got."

He called me Andy.

"I respect what you've got.

It's sincere, but Idon't need that faith."

- Wow.- And when he would say that,

it would be very disheartening.

But over time,

we kept praying for him,

kept on praying for his salvation.

And one day, my fathercalled me up in the morning

and he said, "Andrew,

I think God spoke to me this morning."

- Oh my gosh.- And I said,

"What did He say?"

And he said, "I heard a voice tell me

'I am coming for you soon.

I know you have been searching for me.

Andrew's baby will be okay.'"

And I was blown away to hear this

and I thought to myself,"Thank you, Jesus,

that I've been praying formy father for all these years

and here you are speaking to him."

- Oh my gosh.- And-

- Was that before the accident

with your son?- This is,

this is many, many years before.

- Wow!

- And essentially, what happened was

I'd been praying for hissalvation for so long

and then here he ishearing the voice of God.

- Oh my gosh.- And basically,

I said, "Dad, you know, I really think

that the Holy Spirit is telling you

He knows you've been searching for Him.

He has heard you and he's telling you

you're gonna be coming home soon"

- Wow.- "to heaven."

And just a few monthslater, my father did pass.

- Whoa!- And in that time

between hearing the voice and his passing,

he did experience salvation.

It was wonderful.

But here's the thing, he said to me,

"God said 'Andrew's baby will be okay.'"

We didn't understand that.

My wife was pregnant. It scared us.

- Whoa.

- And a few years later, long story short,

my second son was born,there were complications,

- [Ashley] Wow.

- and he was in the hospital for a week.

And my brother said to me,

he saw how discouraged I was,

"Andrew, do you remember whatthe Holy Spirit told Dad?

'Andrew's baby will be okay.'"

My knees buckled

I literally almost- Oh my gosh.

- fell to the floor.- I'm tearing up.

- That God...- Yeah.

- Here's why I'm encouraging people

to pray for the one- Yeah, of course.

- who they feel is lost andthere's no hope for salvation.

God spoke to a man whodidn't believe in Him,

spoke to him to give mea message years later.

When I heard that word, the reminder,

"Andrew's baby will be okay,"

it was like a shot inthe arm of adrenaline.

- Wow.- My faith was strong

- Yes, yeah.- and my son is now,

both my sons- Yes.

- after their injuries

- Yes.- or challenges

are doing just fantastic.- Wow.

- So, yeah.- What an

amazing-- Don't give up

praying for people.

- Yes.- Decades, decades,

decades, don't give up.- Absolutely.

Don't give up.

And you know, I have a storyof just God answering prayers,

and, you know, there'spower in prevailing prayer.

There's power in it.

And Andrew's story just testified to that.

And my best friend, her momwas diagnosed with colon cancer

a little over a year ago.

And it's interesting becauseI had somebody else in my life

diagnosed with the same thing

and she's with the Lord right now.

And I believe that that was her healing,

that was her victory.

But my best friend's mom iscancer-free in her colon.

You know, it had metastasized

to other parts in herbody and, essentially,

she's cancer-free.- Wow.

- And it's incredible and we just...

I remember when she was in the hospital

and she came home and I went...

She was staying with my best friend

and so I went over there.

And as she was resting,we just prayed over her.

We just laid hands on herand we just chose to believe

that it wasn't her time.

Even though the symptoms were screaming

and it was very visiblethat she was very ill

and she was very sick,

we chose to have faith that the Healer,

the Great Physician, can dowhat He says He would do,

and He has.

And she is leaps andbounds from that moment.

I mean, she literallylooks like another person,

and it's only to the grace, the mercy,

and the goodness of Jesus Christ.

And my best friend can only attribute it,

I mean, all of us, we canonly attribute it to the Lord,

and just super thankful.

And that's how one of themany, many stories in my life

where I've seen God's handjust over somebody's life

and the power of prayer.

There is power in prayer.

I just feel like, should we,

I feel like we need to pray right now.

- Yeah, I think so.- Let's just,

let's just go ahead and-- Please lead us.

- Yeah, let's just go aheadand pray for everyone watching.

Lord, I just, I lift up anyone

who is struggling right now with doubt.

- Yes, yes.- We all face doubt

in this journey of faith.

And I just pray foranyone who's struggling,

who knows somebody who needs healing,

whether it's themselvesor a family member,

or they're struggling with doubt

that one of their loved ones

won't ever come to know the saving grace

and knowledge of Jesus Christ.

We just come againstthat doubt and that fear.

And Lord, I just pray foryour hand and your presence

to be surrounding them right now.

Lord, we pray for thatshot of adrenaline faith

to ignite them rightnow, to keep believing

in your healing power, to keep believing

that you will do what you say you will do.

And it's in Jesus' namethat we pray, all of this.

Yeah, yes.- If I may add, Ashley.

- Yep.- What you were talking about

before is so important.

You know, I talked aboutdecades and decades

and decades of prayer.

Don't give up.

Ashley talked about, in themidst of what she was seeing,

that the report was so bad, even still,

they were asking, seeking, and knocking

on the doors of heaven.

Lord, God, give us a persistent spirit.

- Yes.- Help us continue to ask,

seek, and knock, and continue

even when we're distressed,discouraged, feel fearful,

or may feel like giving up on prayer.

Lord God, let us worship you.

Let us continue believing inyou are good, you are faithful,

even if what we see around us

is not revealing that inthat moment, Lord God.

I'm asking you, for those watching,

that you reveal yourselfeven in these dark moments.

Help us remember in the darkwhat we know in the light,

Father God, that you hear us.

And for those praying for loved ones,

Lord God, I pray for youranointing upon them now

in the name of Jesus thatthey know that you hear.

And we look forward to youranswer in the name of Jesus.

Amen.

- Amen and amen.

All right, well, switching gears.

Limp, no heart rate, nothing.

That's how Urias Sheriffcame into the world.

But the baby with the first name

that literally means my light is Jehovah

had something very powerful going for him.

That's two praying parents

who were trusting God for a miracle.

Take a look.

- [Narrator] Hannah Sheriff was in labor,

ready to meet her fifth child,but something was wrong.

- I looked up at my nurseand I said, "I'm not okay."

I said "I feel like I'mgonna faint or pass out."

The room just began narrowing.

- [Narrator] Then, thebaby's heart rate dropped.

- At that moment, it becameeverybody jump on and let's go.

We got a big-time emergency.

- [Narrator] The staffraced Hannah to the O.R.

for an emergency C-section.

Her husband Jacob was close behind.

- Fear hadn't set in yet,

until I walked into the operating room

and saw what was going on.

- I opened up the uterus; therewas just blood everywhere.

Everywhere.

- And then I see him come outand he doesn't look like...

I mean, he's dead.

- Limp, no heart rate, nothing.

- [Narrator] Immediately, theteam started CPR on the baby,

a boy the couple had named Urias.

- Everything within me wantedto reach up, go hold him,

and tell him everything was gonna be okay.

- I got laser focused on just prayer.

- [Narrator] Jacob alsotexted their family to pray,

as with each passing minute,

Urias' chances for survivalwere slipping away.

- After about 10 minutes,

if you don't have a fetal heart rate,

it's just a futile effort.

- [Narrator] Although thecritical 10-minute mark passed,

the team kept trying.

Finally, they got a pulse,but the baby had now been

without oxygen or bloodflow for 20 minutes.

- It was just this, almostthis squaring away with,

"Okay, God, where are we?

Where are you?"

- [Narrator] Unable to breathe on his own,

Urias was intubated andprepped to be life-flighted

to a hospital in Plano,Texas, 80 miles away.

Hannah would have to stay behind

to heal from her surgeryand loss of blood.

- She said, "You go with him.

You need to be with him."

- [Narrator] By the time Urias arrived

at Texas Health Presbyterian,

he had started having seizures.

Neonatologist Dr. Eduardo Perez

explains Hannah had suffereda placental abruption.

- He was born in dire straits.

Severely compromised becauseof the premature detachment

of the placenta.

- [Narrator] Placed inNICU, Urias was diagnosed

with hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy,

brain damage caused by alack of oxygen and blood.

- He had the severe form,the one that we consider

that is at high risk ofhaving long-term delays

in terms of development.

- He most likely is gonnahave cerebral palsy.

You could probably expectseizures most of his life.

He may never be able to feed himself.

He may never be able to walk.

He may never be able to talk.

- [Narrator] The best doctors could do

was put him on a 72-hour cooling treatment

to lower his body temperatureto try to minimize the damage.

Even then, there was little hope.

- 40%, they don't makeit because it's so severe

and so devastating.

- It's just one punch after another.

I can't control anything,but I can trust God.

I don't feel it, likesome emotional thing.

It was a determination and a commitment,

I'm gonna trust God.

- [Narrator] On duty thatnight was Nurse Latricia Bell.

A monitor told her the babywas still having seizures

despite medications.

Then, later that night,Urias opened his eyes.

- He had been laying so still.

And for him to open uphis eyes, looking around,

this was a big deal.

- [Narrator] Quickly,she went to get Jacob.

Seeing Urias' eyes for the first time,

Jacob pleaded with God to heal his son.

- It's like I couldhear their voices again,

what they're saying about him.

And I just remembered, "Don'tbe afraid, believe only."

- [Narrator] After Jacobfinished praying and left,

Nurse Bell says she andUrias weren't alone.

- I felt such a warmth.

Every hair on my body stood up.

I knew that I was in the presence of God.

He was right there at that moment.

I looked at the monitors

and there was no more seizures.

That was the end of it.

- [Narrator] The next day,doctors released Hannah

to see her baby boy.

- That was probably the hardest thing,

is seeing him lay there.

It's like I couldn't justreach down and grab him.

And I felt like all control

was just ripped out from underneath me.

- [Narrator] That night, thecouple asked their church

and people on social media to pray.

- "If you're gonna pray, pray this."

If God's Word says wespeak and we believe,

then I'm gonna speakand I'm gonna believe.

- [Narrator] Over the next few days,

Urias showed more signs of improvement,

his EEG showing normal brain activity.

By day six, he was breathing on his own.

- That was extremely reassuring.

That's a happy surprise.

- [Narrator] Finally, Hannahheld Urias for the first time.

He was one week old.

- All the emotions probablyhit me the most in that moment

because that's all I wanted,just to have him close

and to tell him, "We'regonna get through this.

We made it this far, Urias."

- [Jacob] Here he is.

- [Narrator] At three weeks old,

Urias was cleared to go home.

Over the next year, he hit allhis developmental milestones.

(Urias whimpers)

Then, at his one-yearcheck-up with a neurologist.

- He said, "I've onlyhad a couple other cases

where people have made a full recovery,

and I'm just tellingyou, he's one of them."

- [Narrator] Today, Urias isstill the healthy, energetic,

happy little boy they prayed for.

- [Latricia] You hear about miracles,

but God let me see that one.

- Even in moments where I don't feel Him,

like, I can't see Him, Hisfaithfulness doesn't change.

- Amen. His faithfulness doesn't change.

And while watching thatstory of the amazing miracle

that happened for little baby Urias,

I'm reminded of the scripturein Job, and he says...

After all that he went through,

all of the death and destructionthat happened in his life,

he says, or said, "Iknow my Redeemer lives."

And I believe that that is what God

is reminding all of ustoday, that your Redeemer,

our Redeemer, is verymuch alive and active

in all of our lives.

And He is redeeming what seemingly looks

like a dark situation.

He is redeeming it and turning those ashes

into something beautifulbecause that is what He does,

because that is who He is.

He is our Redeemer.

And I just pray and hope thatUrias' story encourages you.

And here's some more answer to prayers.

This is Ava on YouTube, and she said,

"I struggled with anxiety

to the point I couldn't leavemy house due to panic attacks.

I turned to self-harm andwas hopeless and suicidal.

I was put on medicationsto manage my symptoms.

And one day, I waslistening to a worship song

and heard the Lord speakto me for the first time.

He said, 'I am healingyou of panic attacks.'

Today, I am completely setfree from all mental illness

and haven't been onanti-depressants in five years."

Praise God.- Amen.

That is wonderful.

Here's another viewer.

This is from YouTube:

"I was thrown over mytwo-wheeler two years ago

and even the glass shield ofmy helmet broke in two pieces.

I was unhurt except for a tiny scratch.

God's promise, "They willlift you up in their hands

so that you'll not strikeyour foot on the stone"

came true in my life that day.

Praise God.

And we do praise God and say, amen.

Ashley and I want topray more for you now,

so if you have a need or youknow the need someone else has,

please pray with Ashley and I now.

Father God, we come beforeyou on behalf of the audience.

You know our needs.

You know our heartbreaks.

You know our fears.

As we've been getting ready to pray,

I just felt the HolySpirit sharing with me

that there is a young woman,almost a girl, really,

who is pregnant and terrified,

extremely scared and ashamed.

And I believe the Holy Spiritis just desiring me to share

that Jesus loves you,young woman, as much today

as He did yesterday andas He will tomorrow.

Abide in Jesus.

Find your identity in Jesus.

What you feel you needforgiveness for, ask for it,

but continue to hold theLord's hand through all this.

He is with you and does love you.

Ashley.- Amen.

I just feel like somebody is watching.

You're having intense lung issues.

You have a cough, youhave a lot of drainage.

A lot of people assume it's allergies,

but it's something more than that.

It's in your lungs.

The Lord is healingthat for you right now.

Just take deep breaths.

Just receive that fromyour Heavenly Father,

your Abba Father, who loves you dearly.

Receive that.

Believe it in Jesus' name.

- Father God, for thosein hospital rooms now

preparing for surgery,recovering from surgery,

we pray for your HolySpirit to minister to them.

Just take away any anxiety or burdens.

Also, Ashley read that praise report

about being free from panic attacks.

Those struggling with panic attacks,

- Yeah.- we rebuke

those experiences nowand we speak love, power,

and a sound mind over ourviewers in the name of Jesus.

Amen.

- Amen.- We leave you

with this scripture from Jeremiah:

"Heal me, O Lord, and I shall be healed;

save me, I shall be saved,for you are my praise."

Thanks for joining us.

We'll see you next time.

(uplifting music)