As it prepared for the potential devastation of an impending hurricane, the nation of Puerto Rico has been hit with an additional natural disaster in the form of a large earthquake.

According to the U.S. Geological Survey, the quake registered at a sizeable 6.0 magnitude on the Richter scale, with the epicenter being located just over 40 miles northwest of the island.

At least seven aftershocks were felt at over 4.0 magnitude in the hour following the earthquake – thankfully, however, no serious damage to infrastructure has been reported at this point, and no injuries have been logged.

“We hope everyone is well. … It is important to remain calm during these natural events to guarantee security,” Puerto Rico Gov. Wanda Vazquez tweeted Monday, according to ABC News.

The Puerto Rico government ordered a nationwide shutdown of schools on Tuesday in anticipation of Hurricane Karen, which has now been downgraded to a tropical storm. Though the threat to life has been lowered significantly, officials from both Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands have continued to issue public safety warnings.

“Don’t take the storm lightly,” U.S. Virgin Islands Governor Albert Bryan Jr. told CBS News. “It will start to throw massive rain.”

Indeed, a dramatic rescue occurred on the island of Vieques, with Puerto Rico’s National Guard completing a…

An earthquake measuring 5.8 on the Richter scale has rocked Pakistan, causing the deaths of at least 19 people. The epicenter of the shock was felt very close to the city of Mirpur, in the contested region of Kashmir.

Images have emerged of houses completely destroyed and main highways cracked down the middle. While final numbers on the dead and injured have not yet been determined, it is understood that children are among the victims, according to the BBC.

Kashmir is a contended territory with both Pakistani and Indian regions and has recently fallen victim to a military offensive at the hands of Indian troops. The village of Sahankikri was one of the worst affected, with almost all the 400 houses suffering damage. “We are shelterless now,” said local resident Shamraiz Akhtar, according to the Guardian.

“I was sitting in my shop when suddenly the walls started swaying,” another victim explained. “I knew that it is a strong earthquake. The moment I came out of my shop, its roof caved in.”

Despite the severity of the quake, the chairman of the National Disaster Management Authority (NSMA) hinted at a lower death toll and urged calm.

“I can confirm 10 deaths and the number of wounded is 100,” Lieutenant General Mohammad Afzal detailed. “Things are under control.”

“Our whole concentration right now is to accelerate the rescue operation,”…

An estimated one million students from around the world will gather around flag poles on Wednesday, Sept. 25 this year as part of the annual ‘See You at the Pole’ event.

See You at the Pole is a worldwide event that encourages students to pray together at their schools. 

This year’s theme is based on 2 Chronicles 7:14, “… if my people who are called by my name humble themselves, and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land.”

Organized and led by students, SYATP is “about one simple thing—STUDENTS in PRAYER.” Students can participate by praying on Sept. 25 at 7:00 AM their local time or pray in unique ways, places, and times during the Global Week of Student Prayer, which is Sept. 22-Sept. 28.

Each school’s SYATP vary. Leaders can choose to include student-led worship, Bible readings, prayer in large and small groups, or even have a student give a message in their time gathered around the flagpole.

To publicize the event, students can put up posters, text their friends, or purchase SYATP promotional resources. Anyone interested in hosting the event at their school can also download a planning guide to ensure SYATP goes without a hitch. Because the event is student-led, before school hours, and outside of a school building, students have…

The United States joined 18 other countries Monday in urging the United Nations to stop using terms like “sexual and reproductive health” in U.N. documents and resolutions, saying such phrases unite rather than divide member states.

U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar read the joint statement during a meeting on universal health coverage. 

“Such terms do not adequately take into account the key role of the family in health and education, nor the sovereign right of nations to implement health policies according to their national context,” Azar said, reading the statement. “There is no international right to an abortion and these terms should not be used to promote pro-abortion policies and measures.

“Further,” Azar said. “we only support sex education that appreciates the protective role of the family in this education and does not condone harmful sexual risks for young people.”

The other countries that joined the statement were Bahrain, Belarus, Brazil, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Egypt, Guatemala, Haiti, Hungary, Iraq, Libya, Mali, Nigeria, Poland, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, United Arab Emirates and Yemen. Together, they represent 1.3 billion people, Azar said.

The 19 nations “support programs to improve the health, life, dignity, and well-being of women, men, children and families,” Azar said. But the…

A Christian missionary living in the Middle East says God is moving among Muslims in miraculous ways, including through “dreams, visions and personal visitations” by Jesus.

The missionary, known only as “Yazid” to protect his safety, spoke via voice call Sept. 18 during the “Something Needs to Change Simulcast” hosted by David Platt, pastor of McLean Bible Church in Virginia.   

Yazid and his wife serve in a “highly restricted” area where Islam is the majority religion and Christians face death for spreading the gospel, Platt said. Nevertheless, the God of the Bible is moving among Muslims, Yazid said during the simulcast. 

Yazid told the story of a Muslim man who lives about 50 kilometers (about 30 miles) outside a Middle Eastern city who had an encounter with Jesus.   

“This man,” Yazid recounted, “said this to us when we visited him: ‘A man wearing all white knocks on my door every night, and I couldn’t look at him because his face was so shiny and bright. When he would come inside, he asked me to write down what he said. And as I wrote, I would fall asleep and then the next night, he would come again.’”

The visitations took place regularly for a month, the man told Yazid. Yazid asked him: “What did you write? May I see your notebook?”

“He showed me his notebook,” Yazid said. The notes…