its utter disregard for human rights by taking children from their parents. authorities have abducted the children of another home-schooling family. >> wendy: dale hurd has been following this trend for years. it seems like it is getting worse, not better. >> reporter: that's right, wendy. this is nothing new, but it shows that germany's war on parents who want to educate their children at home is not letting up. witnesses described it as brutal and vicious. the team of german police officers with a battering ram stormed the residence of this family, shown here at a home-schooling conference last year. the raid took all four of the family's children into state custody. the only legal grounds were that the parents continued to home-school their children. there were no allegations of abuse or neglect. the german family court judge also authorized the police to use force against the children if they resisted. behind the raid was the notorious ugondom, or youth office. many of the german parents that have run afoul of this organization have had through lives ruined. some have been find thousands of euros, and some have been thrown in jail. >> reporter: they fled germany to avoid having their children taken, but the need for employment forced them to return. the father said he was prepared to go to jail, rather than send his children to school. >> but i'm not afraid of this. it is only sad for my family. but i go laughing. you can do what you want, my children don't go to school. >> reporter: the founder of the home-school legal defense association, michael ferris, called the abduction of these children an outrageous act of a rogue nation, and it demonstrates why the asylum came to another german home-schooled family, the roa the roamick as was so important. witnesses said when petra tried to give her daughter a kiss and hug good-bye, one of the police officers pushed her away and said it is too late for that. the children were taken to unknown locations. officials told the parents they would not be seeing their children any time soon. >> wendy: dale, when you think of germany, you think of a very fi sophisticated nation with sophisticated people. why are they so obsessed about wiping out home-schooling. >> they're to tolerant about certain things, but when it comes to education, they think everyone should follow the rules. they think a classroom education is what a child needs and home-schooling is child abuse. >> wendy: do we know any more information about it's vunderlic children? >> i ahead to say this, but i feel like they've been swallowed up in the german family court system. i'm sure the german officials would deny this, but especially with christian children, the system will try to break the bonds of these children with their parents. >> wendy: you mean brainwash them? >> reporter: essentially, and use psychological tools against them. we really need to bathe this family in prayer. >> wendy: does this have anything to do with germany being more of a secular type of nation, and they just don't understand the benefits of home-schooling? >> reporter: well, yes, but, also their history -- the modern german state wasn't stable until after nazi-ism. we get the term "culture war" from the germans. they are obsessed with this idea of a parallel society, and they're afraid of it. >> wendy: what about the family that is seeking refuge here in america. the obama administration had denied them asylum. what is the latest? >> the romeikes in tennessee. their case is still in process. the administration wants to send them back because they're afraid of damaging relations with germany. i say a persecuted family is more important than the german's reputation. >> wendy: we're not seeing this reported on any other news network, so we thank you so much for your news investigation and keeping us up to date. george? >> george: meanwhile syrian christians, they are facing a very uncertain future. many have backed the assad regime, fearing they will be severely persecuted if islamists take over. senator rand paul made that point on nbc's meet the press. he sahe said, quote,"i see assad who has protected christians for a number of decades, and then i see the rebels who have been attacking christians." he says if the islamic rebels overthrow the government, quote," we'll have another islamic state where christians are persecuted." christians make up about 7% of syria's population. >> wendy: last year when thousands of syrian refugees started pouring over borders into neighboring countries, humanitarian aide workers moved into action. syrian refugee numbers have grown to an alarming two million. >> george: and many of the refugees are christians now struggling to survive. and those aid agencies are at a breaking point. gary lane visited those refugee camps and files this report. >> reporter: the number of syrian refugees is almost unfathomable. 5,000 people are now fleeing syria each day. their numbers have grown from one quarter of a million a year ago, to more than two million today. that's about the same as the entire populations of washington, d.c., nashville, denver, and birmingham, alabama, combined. now imagine moving many of them into the american states of missouri and oklahoma. missouri is about the same size at syrian neighbor, jordan. the population of oklahoma is about the same as lebanon. the resources of those two states, like the countries of jordan and lebanon, would be stressed to the max. crystal joriafa is the commissioner for european cooperation. >> imagine what the southern movement of a city that size means in terms of the increased pressure on the resources, such as education, health, security, for the countries hosting the refugees. >> reporter: and syrian refugees numbers would likely grow in the event of american missile strikes again the assad regime. many syrian christians are finding help and refuge right here in lebanon's macau valley. their churches, homes, and livelihood have been destroyed. many christians, like nicholas george, have lost family members. he owned a small grocery store in syria, but he fled to lebanon because the war caused his business to fail. >> because of the fighting, everyone in my area was stuck inside their house. they could not buy anything. it was very dangerous for me even to try to open my shop. >> reporter: nicholas and his family now live in a small, two-room apartment in the macau valley. he has found some part-time work making cinder blocks at a brick factory. his salary only gives him enough money to pay the rent and buy a small amount of food. but he also suffers from diabetes. he must often choose between buying food or medicine. >> i'm always worried about my medicine. i feel weak and dizzy when i'm without it. >> reporter: some american christians gave nicholas enough money to purchase a three-month supply of medicine. he says when it runs out, he'll need to rely on the generosity of suffering family members still resigning in syria for help. cbn heart for lebanon learned about his struggles. we caught up with heart for lebanon workers as they distributed food to syrian christian refugees in zallai. and cbn news accompanied them as they visited a number of refugee homes. so as an escalating crisis is expected to cause more syrians to flee their countries, and as host countries struggle to assist them, cbn and heart for lebanon are working together to alleviate some of the suffering. >> the help is making life easier for us. and i'm now reading the bible more and attending church regularly here. my faith in jesus is stronger. >> reporter: partners sharing the love of christ with those who don't know him, and bringing help and encouragement to strengthen the faith of those who do. gary lane, cbn news, zallai, lebanon. >> wendy: muslim background believers in the nation of morocco are on edge. that after a judge sentenced a former muslim for 30 months in prison just for becoming a christian. that's according to a christian ministry. and a moroccan newspaper is reporting that mohammed was accused of telling another person about his christian faith and having christian books in his home. he was not allowed to speak with a lawyer or even call his family or friends. the paper said he revealed the names of other moroccan christians in other cities. we talked by phone to a moroccan believer named kathryn, she says christians there desperately need our prayers. >> they can't believe. so we are asking the human rights, where is the freedom of belief in morocco. >> wendy: and you can hear much more of this interview on gary lane's blog, that's thegloballane and you can find it on cbnnews.com. >> george: coming up n northern india, a new wave of persecution, and >> wendy: in recent weeks, we've told you about the rising incidents of persecution against christians in northern india. gospel for asia reports a mob of 1,000 people destroyed this church. then they beat up the pastor and other church members, including his mother. and lawmakers in mida predesh are trying to pacit a crime to convert to christianity without government approval. the new legislation requires pastors and potential converts to notify government officials 30 days in advance. those failing to do so face a fine and up to three years in jail. >> george: pastor ronjit abraham is a new pastor. his ministry includes 3500 churches, 16 orphanages and five secular schools in the northern part of the country. i recently spoke with him about what the church there is facing. hearing these reports almost on a daily basis of the persecution taking place in the northern part of india. what's going on? >> well, the north has always been having trouble. the reason of the number of christian churches is negligible. so we hear about the destruction of a church, beating up a pastor there, and that happens all of the time, every day. >> george: how difficult is it to share the gospel of jesus christ in such an environment? >> you know, the whole environment looks like, you know, very hostile, very much against us. but when you are working among the common man, he is not that hostile, you know? because people are looking for answers. people are looking for god. so when they're bringing out the salvation, the healing and the blessing from jesus christ, the common man always responds to the gospel, otherwise we can't do the work. >> george: there are various states that are enacting anti-conversion laws. is this something to be concerned about? >> very much. this bill is saying that anyone who was forcefully converted, which they call being baptized in the water, and if they're proven, the pastor will go to jail for four years. and he has to pay $100,000 apiece, which he won't be able to pay. >> george: the indian constitution clearly states there is freedom of religion. and anybody who wants to move away from hinduism or islam or buddhism to any other religion can do so, right? >> they can. if it is forcefully -- but who is going to define "forcefully." we don't want anybody to come in and join against their will. we believe that the person should open their heart on their own and receive christ. >> george: clearly, despite the conversion laws and the challenges in the northern part of india, you are seeing god move? >> yeah. we are growing. we are growing. as i said, we've got churches all over the country, about 23 states. and india has only 28 states. so we are seeing god moving, and we are seeing people coming to the lord. >> george: and i've been hearing these reports, and i've done stories, the stories of the so-called dalits, the untouchables, who are in droves, coming to the saving knowledge of jesus christ, and it is happening around the country. >> yeah. and even what i shared with when i was interviewed by pat robertson, and i was saying we are having a revival. one of the churches, where we see thousands of people coming into the village and getting saved and healed and set free. >> george: fantastic. in the midst of persecution, obviously the church, and we see it around the world, the church in india is experiencing growth. >> jesus christ is lord. nothing is going to change. >> george: pastor, thank you. that's awesome. doing terrific work in the nation of india. thank you for your service. great to have you on the show. >> thank you so much. >> wendy: coming up, ringing in the jewish new year, the holiday known as the birthday of the world. >> george: this week jewish people in israel and around the world are celebrating rosh hashanah. >> wendy: i like the way you say it, rosh hashanah (a different pronunciation). gargordon robertson brings us the story about what meaning this holiday holds for jewish and christians. >> gordon: rosh hashanah, the start of the jewish new year. ancient rabbis called it the birthday of the world. jewish tradition says it is the day that god created man. the bible calls it the feast of trumpets. or yom tirawa. >> if i went home to n my jewish family and said, hey, it is yom tirawa, they wouldn't no what i was talking about. it is rosh hashanah. and it somehow became the first of the jewish new year. >> gordon: when the israelites were exiled in babylon. >> in babylon, the beginning of the new year was in september. they also had a lunar calendar, like the jewish people, so the first day of the seventh month was the babylonian new year. and over time, the jewish people took it and made it our new year. >> gordon: with the new year, comes the holiday traditions. >> when you talk about the jewish traditions, you are always talking about food. you can summarize almost every jewish holiday, they tried to kill us, god rescued us, let's eat. >> gordon: people eat po pomegranates and hope their good deeds will be multiplied like the seeds. and apples dipped in honey symbol a sweet new year. >> another tradition in certain circles of judaism is to eat a fish head on rosh hashanah. i know it sounds yummy, right. but a fish head symbolizes the head of the year, the new year. >> gordon: the hebrew greeting is shanatoba, a shorter version of the traditional blessing. may you be ascribed and sealed in the book of life for a good new year. >> on the day of rosh hashanah, according to jewish tradition, god has books. and in these books, he decides who has been naughty or nice, and who is going to have a good year and who is going to have a bad year, and who is going to live and who is going to die. and so when jewish people celebrate rosh hashanah, as a blessing, they're saying may you be inscribed for a new year. may god bless you. may this go in your favor. >> gordon: rosh hashanah begins a 10-day period known as the days of awe. >> the 10 days of awe start on rosh hashanah and end on yom kippur. during those 10 days of awe, it is believed that you can change your status before god. and so during these 10 days of awe, it is emphasized to pray, filah, to give, to do good works, and to respent, chuvah. and the good news for us who believe in the messiah, our status is the permanent ink of the blood of ushuaia. we don't go in wondering if our name is going to get in the book or stay in the book. the day of ushuaia, our name is put in the book of life forever. >> gordon: many jews observe a ceremony that means casting off in hebrew. it is a symbolic way to cawf cast off the sins of the previous year. >> the book talks about when god would cast off the sins into the sea. the jewish people on the first day of rosh hashanah will take some bread and they will go to a body of water and they will throw the bread into the water as a sign of god taking their sin and casting it into the sea. >> gordon: the best known tradition is the blowing of the ram's horn, the shofar. twice the bible talks about a shofar sounded by god himself. the first time was on mt. sinai as the israelites prepared to enter their covenant with god. the second time will be at the return of the messiah. >> i believe that was god's original intent when he gave this special time to moses, a time of blowing trumpets, blasting trumpets, to look to the final trumpet that will be sounded when ushuaia appears in the sky. >> gordon: he says this jewish holiday can also be a celebration for christians. >> the question is: how can christians celebrate, al with jewish people, rosh hashanah? i think, first of all, they can fast and they can pray and they can, during these 10 days of awe can be a time of believing god for revival within israel, within the jewish world. it can be a time of intercession for the jewish people to know their messiah. i think, also, a great way to celebrate this holiday is to look to the coming of ushuaia. i think it is a time for christians and jews to look to heaven and say, come, ushuaia, come, we long for your returning. ♪ >> wendy: i love what he said. they tried to kill us, god rescued us. let's eat. >> george: so middle eastern. so jewish. >> wendy: i love it. they enjoy life. >> george: we here at christian world news wish all of our jewish friends happy rosh hashanah. >> wendy: and you can do the same on our facebook page. so check it out. we'll be right back. i think it's important for young pmople to have a mentor. a mentor can be a regular everyday person, it's just somebdy there to help the child. knowing that i've had an influence on chad makes me feel great. by having a mentor, he has someone to bounce ideas off of, he has someone to also challenge him, and help him see a vision for the future. what you'll get out of it is just the satisfaction of knowing that you've helped somebody. s. become a mentor. . >> george: and finally today, "operation blessing" is helping kenyan families fight hunger and poverty. >> wendy: that's right. this is the missah village in kenya. o.b. drilled a solar-powered well and provided materials for drip irrigation. they didn't have any water before. they also fenced in farm property to keep wild animals out, like lions and tigers, and trained villagers to grow drought-resistant crops. the village women recently harvested a successful crop of tomatoes that can be sold at the local market. >> george: "operation blessing" doing great things around the world. >> wendy: absolutely. would love to visit and check it out ersonally one day. >> george: until next >> you know, you probably know who created you, but do you know why? by that i mean for what specific purpose were you created? well, we're talking about that destiny with dr. tony evans right now on "significant insights." real-time closed captioning provided by u.s. captioning company. >> hello and welcome to "significant insights." as usual, it's good to have you with us. today dr. tony evans joins us once again. you know him as the multitalented pastor, speaker and founder of the church in dallas, texas. he's also the president of the

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