| | Dutch remember American sacrifices in WWII | | Curated for you byCP Editors | | Good afternoon. It's Monday, May 30, and today's Memorial Day headlines include how the Dutch people continue to honor U.S. war heroes, details of a rare meteor storm that is expected tonight, and how one of the Uvalde child victims used social media to spread the Gospel. | | Located in the town of Margraten, near the famous Cologne-Boulogne highway built by the Romans and used by Caesar and other historical figures, the Netherlands American Cemetery and Memorial is the only American military cemetery located in the Netherlands. Spanning nearly 66 acres, the cemetery includes a burial area divided into 16 plots, where more than 8,300 American soldiers—most of whom lost their lives nearby—are laid to rest amid a sea of white crosses, ornamental cherry trees and flowering rhododendron shrubs. Their headstones are set in long curved rows, many of them adorned with American and other flags in honor of their service and sacrifice. A wide, tree-lined mall stretches out to the flagstaff that crowns the cemetery's crest. | | Every grave has been adopted by a local citizen. "The local population had a very warm and friendly connection with their liberators," the Foundation for Adopting Graves American Cemetery Margraten's Ton Hermes told The Christian Post. When a resident received the news that "their soldier"—the soldier they had staying in their home, those who ate and drank with them—was killed, Hermes said they adopted his grave as if he was a part of their family. Read more. |
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| Sky gazers hoping to see rare meteor storm to cap off Memorial Day | | Astronomers say Americans may get to see a rare meteor storm on Monday night. The storm is expected to be the brightest in years, with shooting stars filling the sky. Each year, the Earth moves through the debris stream from the defunct comet 73P/Schwassmann Wachmann 3, or SW3. And a rich field of the debris from the comet, which splintered into countless pieces in 1995, may intersect the Earth on Monday night, resulting in a brief but intense meteor shower over North America, AccuWeather reported. If it occurs, it may last only about 30 minutes post-midnight Monday, from 12:45 to 1:17 a.m. EDT, the American Meteor Society said. Read more. | | 9 year-old victim shared Gospel on TikTok before she was killed by Uvalde shooter | | One of the 19 children killed by a teenager at Robb Elementary School in Texas last week, Ellie Garcia, would pray out loud every night and share the Gospel on social media. In a TikTok video shared by her father on Facebook, Garcia said, "Hey, guys. I just wanted to give you a little catch-up. Jesus. He died for us. So when we die, we’ll be up there with Him. In my room, I have three pictures of Him." Her father, Steven Garcia, said his daughter loved to pray and shared a photo from January of the little girl laying on her bed with her hands folded in prayer. "Caught my Ellie Gee in the middle of her talk with our almighty… I love you baby girl and I love the way you pray," he wrote at the time. A GoFundMe for the Garcia family has raised more than $128,000 as of Monday morning. Read more. | | Watchdog's investigation results in Florida abortion clinic's closure | | Approximately two years ago, pro-life watchdog Reprotection launched an investigation into a Florida abortion clinic's procedures. Two years later, the facility has closed, with Florida's Agency of Health Care Administration issuing an order to suspend the license of the American Family Planning abortion facility in Pensacola, revealing the facility failed to follow standard emergency medical protocols and laws, putting patients' safety at risk. Multiple women experienced extensive bleeding and other severe complications. In one such example, a woman who had an abortion "required repair of uterine perforation, a colon resection, a colostomy, a sigmoidectomy, and a cystoscopy." The clinic did not report the complication or any of the others to the agency, as required by law. Read more. |
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| On Memorial Day, Christians should understand the sacrifice for freedom | | In this op-ed, David Jeremiah discusses Memorial Day, Jesus' sacrifice for humankind and why Christians must work to avoid becoming complacent and losing perspective. Explaining the importance of remembering we are not entitled to anything, Jeremiah concludes, "On this Memorial Day, pause and be sure you haven’t taken these heroes for granted. Think of those in your family or in your circles who have given their lives for us. Remember the brother who was lost at such a young age, or your neighbor’s father, or your friend’s son or daughter. And as we spend this holiday with family and friends, it’s a good opportunity to teach our children about these modern-day heroes. None of their sacrifices were in vain." Read more. | | Memorial Day in a maddening world | | Memorial Day is not about mattress sales or picnics—it is about true courage and ultimate sacrifice. Since 1775, over a million people in the United States have given their lives for our freedom. At a time full of uncertainty due to war, inflation, gun violence, sexual abuse and more, Memorial Day may just be the key to healing that the U.S. so desperately needs, writes Andrew Moroz. "Life, as God intended for it to be, is not simply about our personal wellbeing but the flourishing of all humanity. The men and women who’ve courageously given their lives on the battlefield understood this," Moroz explains, saying it is time for Americans to follow their example and to serve as Jesus served. Read more. |
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| Thousands of sponsors have been Chosen! Are you in? | | You may be familiar with child sponsorship. Through Chosen, World Vision’s new invitation to sponsorship, it’s the child who gets to experience the joy of choosing. This is what it means to be #chosen: | | Rosemary, who lives in Kenya, was not used to choosing. She and her grandmother and brother barely had enough food to eat, and she had to walk an hour to collect dirty water. But then Rosemary got to choose her sponsor, and she chose Regis. She said, "I chose [you] because you look smart." | | Being chosen by Rosemary reminded Regis of how his mother picked him from photos when he was adopted from an orphanage in India. For Regis, being chosen, both as an orphaned child and now as an adult, is a reflection of God’s love. "This is a good reminder of Jesus," Regis said. "He has not forgotten me. He hasn’t forsaken me. He continues to love me." | | Get more of Regis and Rosemary’s story — and sign up to be #chosen! — at worldvision.org/chosen. | | |
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| Church administrator charged with stealing $360K from congregation, food pantry, youth ministry | | Chanell Easton, a 36-year-old wife of a former police chief, has been charged with wire fraud and aggravated identity theft for stealing more than $360,000 from her church in California when she was an administrator between 2013 and 2018. U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert said in a statement that a federal grand jury in Sacramento charged Easton, now of Oklahoma City, with 22 counts of wire fraud and two counts of aggravated identity theft for a scheme to embezzle funds of a church in Yuba City. Easton was arrested last week. Read more. |
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