By Melissa Wuske

Centenarian Breaks Cycling Record

In 2012, Robert Marchand, a Frenchman, set the world record for the farthest a 100-year-old has biked in an hour: 16 miles. This year he set out again, biking farther in one hour than any 105-year-old ever: 14.08 miles. Marchand, however, believes he could’ve done better. “I did not see the sign warning me I had 10 minutes left. Otherwise, I would have gone faster, I would have posted a better time,” he said. “I’m not tired. I thought my legs would hurt, but they don’t.”

“Setting goals for himself is part of his personality,” said Marchand’s coach. “If he tells me he wants to improve his record, I’ll be game.”

Does Race Affect Christians’ View of Discipleship?

According to a study by Barna Research, black and white Christians view discipleship differently. Black Christians are more likely to view their spiritual growth in the context of community, while white Christians have a more individual approach.

Nearly 40 percent of black believers surveyed were being mentored by another believer and more than 25 percent were mentors themselves. Not quite 20 percent of white Christians were mentored and 17 percent served as mentors. The study highlights the benefits of a more collective approach, as more black believers stated they were engaged in spiritual disciplines like Bible reading and that their faith had an impact on their families and communities.

“In a mentoring small group, your learning is going to be enhanced because you’re not just hearing the philosophy of one person,” said Natasha Sistrunk Robinson, a mentoring coach, “rather you are drawing near to God by sharing in the diverse experiences of the group. When we mentor people and intentionally make disciples in this way, we also create safe places for people to learn and grow, to love and be loved well.”

Prize for Life-Saving Surgeon

Jason Fader grew up in Kenya, the son of medical missionaries. Now he is one of 13 surgeons in the nation of Burundi. In Burundi, where 75 percent of the population is malnourished, Fader performs surgeries and trains other medical professionals. “Jason is doing surgeries that no one else has done before in Burundi,” said fellow doctor Rachel McLaughlin. “The students haven’t had a chance to see it. He’s teaching them surgical skills. He’s teaching them surgical management. And the students love it.”

Fader recently received the $500,000 Gerson L’Chaim prize for outstanding Christian medical service to help continue his work. “Literally hundreds of people will walk because of this prize,” Fader said. “Thousands of people will be cared for. And tens of thousands will be helped by the doctors we train here.”

Necklace Similar to Anne Frank’s

Archeologists excavating at the Nazi camp Sobibor in eastern Poland have found a necklace nearly identical to the one Anne Frank had. The necklace, they believe, belonged to Karoline Cohn, and now researchers are trying to see if the two girls were connected. Frank died in Bergen-Belsen camp in northern Germany in 1945.

Sobibor was shut down after an uprising in 1943, and the Nazis razed it to prevent detection of their crimes. Those working on the site today have uncovered the gas chamber. Prisoners at Sobibor were often gassed immediately rather than being put to work before being killed.

“These recent findings from the excavations at Sobibor constitute an important contribution to the documentation and commemoration of the Holocaust and help us to better understand what happened at Sobibor, both in terms of the camp’s function and also from the point of view of the victims,” said Havi Dreifuss, of Yad Vashem’s International Institute for Holocaust Research.

Melissa Wuske is a freelance editor and writer. She and her husband, Shawn, live and minister in Jamaica Plain, Massachusetts. Find her work online (melissaannewuske.com).