UKRAINE: The leader of Eastern Orthodox Christians worldwide recognized the independence of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine.

If anyone at Church of the Good Shepherd in Afrin celebrated President Donald Trump’s decision to pull troops from Syria, they weren’t Christians. The church was emptied of its regular worshippers when a militia backed by Turkey invaded a year ago, setting fire to the church in a once-multiethnic and peaceful city barely 70 miles from the U.S. base at Manbij. The church became a jihadist war room, as Sharia law and the Turkish language took over in Afrin.

SYRIA: Undermining President Donald Trump’s claim of having “defeated” Islamic State (ISIS) in Syria and his announcement to withdraw U.S.

SYRIA: A Wednesday morning tweet from U.S. President Donald Trump declaring “victory” over ISIS in Syria once again has thrown into question U.S. policy. Because ISIS clearly is not defeated in Syria, the White House decision to withdraw 2,000 U.S.

CHINA: More than 60 police officers stormed a children’s Bible class Saturday morning to launch a raid shutting down Rongguili Church in Guangzhou. The church was founded by the late Samuel Lamb and became the third prominent Protestant church in China closed in recent months.

SYRIA: U.S. President Donald Trump spoke Friday morning by phone with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, and the two leaders, according to Reuters, “agreed on the need for more efficient cooperation over Syria, without giving details.” Tension at the Syria-Turkey border has spiked this week, with Erdogan threatening direct military action against U.S.-allied Kurdish militias near an area where U.S. ground forces are based.

This Christmas season I’ve been asked to #GiveLuv and #doublethelove and more. The time from Giving Tuesday to New Year’s Eve represents for many U.S. nonprofits a make-or-break fundraising opportunity. Punching a button in tangible support of a good cause helps both giver and receiver.

But problems arise with the ease of internet giving, and one is accountability. Willing donors see slick appeals in their social media accounts, give, and go away. Behind the campaigns, it’s harder to know how the nonprofits manage their money, and whether the message matches the work.