Need some good news for a change? For the Colson Center, I’m John Stonestreet with The Point.

Forget North Korea, terrorism, and political correctness for a minute, because, “2017 is likely to be the best year in the history of humanity.” Wait—come again?

Yes. In the New York Times, Nick Kristof tells about John Brimah, a Liberian who caught leprosy as a boy. He was banished by his family, but rescued by a Christian missionary. Brimah was cured, educated by other missionaries, and eventually opened a leprosy hospital.

His story is part of a much bigger story: the decline of disease and poverty worldwide—what Kristof calls “the best news no one knows about.” Since 1990, 100 million children have been saved through vaccinations and improved health care. For most of history, 90 percent of the world’s population lived in extreme poverty. Today, it’s less than 10 percent.

And this isn’t the first time Kristof has written about the importance of Christian missionary activity in Africa. It’s great to see another positive mention in the New York Times about the faithful in action.

Thanks for the good news, Mr. Kristof.