Numbers

I like numbers. Numbers give me a reality check when ideas take me beyond the horizon. Numbers tell stories. Numbers can hide the truth or expose the truth. The right set of numbers help me sleep at night. The wrong set--well, sleep doesn't come so easy. Here are some numbers. They are important. But what do they tell us? What are the stories behind the numbers? I am especially interested in how the first and last numbers were calculated.

126
Number of Christian missionaries murdered throughout the world since 1999
25
Christian missionaries killed in Columbia since 1999, making it the most dangerous country on earth for Christian ministers
16,600
Number of Korean missionaries stationed around the world in 173 countries since 2006
173,000
Estimated number of Christians killed for their beliefs around the world in 2006.