WORLD LEADERS - “Therefore I exhort first of all that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks be made for all men, for kings and all who are in authority, that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and reverence” (1 Timothy 2:1-2). Please pray today for President Bashar al-Asad of Syria (eastern end of Mediterranean Sea).

ORAL PEOPLES STRATEGY: WEST AFRICA - “We praise God for how He is using our Oral Peoples Strategy Team in training national believers! One of our team members was able to go and train a group of leaders using stories from the Book of Mark. We received news that one of those leaders invited 35 churches in his association to join him for a three-day storying evangelism training in the village. He planned for 200 participants, and 750 showed up! After being broken up into groups of 10 and taught the ‘Parable of the Sower,’ they went out into two villages where there are no churches, spoke to almost 900 people, and led 145 to pray to receive Christ. The second day, they spoke to more than 1,200 people and led 183 to Christ. Two new churches have started out of this effort. Please pray for these churches and the pastor who will follow up with this new work. Continue to pray for our Oral Peoples Strategy Team as we share God’s Word and train others in storying methods to share the Good News!”

PEOPLE OF PEPPER PORT IN INDONESIA - Imagine if you were telling people about Jesus every day but no one showed any interest! That’s the way it is with believers in Pepper Port. Many are meeting people every day and telling them the Good News, but it’s rare that anyone shows an openness. This is discouraging, to say the least. Pray for believers to keep their focus on Jesus, to be filled with the Spirit as they witness, and to find their joy in knowing Christ. Also pray for the hearts of people in Pepper Port to be softened, and ask for the Father to draw them to Jesus.

HOKKIEN OF EAST ASIA AND BEYOND (HAWK-in) - Praise God for a team of local Hokkien Christians in a Southeast Asian community who are ministering to a large neighborhood of very poor Hokkien families. It’s a tough area with many needs, but nothing is too difficult for God and lives are being transformed. One of the young couples who is now involved in the work is actually a product of this ministry. The team is currently praying for a full-time co-worker to join these local business families. Pray that God will call out workers into this harvest field and provide all that is needed.

hokkien@pobox.com

AMHARA OF ETHIOPIA (ahm-HAR-ah) - Ethiopian Easter fell on May 2 this year. From Palm Sunday to Easter, the “JESUS” film was shown to more than 2,000 people in four different locations. Please ask the Holy Spirit to continually bring to the viewers’ minds that which was seen and heard in the film. Pray that He will open blind eyes and give light to darkened minds concerning who Jesus really is and what He has done for them. Pray that people will understand God’s great gift of forgiveness and grace through Jesus, and that salvation can never be earned by good works or by following Orthodox rules and traditions. Pray for many people to be born again and enter God’s kingdom.

HINDU PEOPLES OF MYANMAR - Please lift up a believing family in the midst of transition. Please ask for good health, for the children to settle in well, for them to find a place in the community, and for doors to open for them to make new relationships. Ask that they will find favor with local officials and develop good relationships with like-minded friends.

LAST FRONTIER - “We rejoice over a mother in a Last Frontier people group who has been hearing truth from workers for several months and has decided to put her trust in Jesus and be baptized! Pray that workers will help her learn to lead a faithful, obedient life. She has children, family and friends who need to hear about her new life. Pray that she will be bold to share with all of them.”

CONCHUCOS QUECHUA OF PERU (cohn-CHOO-cohs KEH-choo-ah) - “Please pray for the district of Llama. During a research project last year, our Ancash Quechua Team identified that district as having no known evangelical presence. Due to the remoteness of the area, prior church-planting efforts had been abandoned. Please also pray for our team as we make plans to begin work there. Ask for discernment as we develop a strategy to reach the district of Llama. Pray also that we will locate ‘people of peace’ (Luke 10:6) with whom we can begin working in that area.”

CHINESE OF WESTERN NORTH AMERICA - Please intercede for summer volunteers who are serving the Chinese throughout Western North America. Pray that they will boldly share the Gospel. Ask the Lord to draw many to Himself through summer camps, retreats, and outreach activities.

PEOPLES OF THE GARDEN ROUTE, SOUTH AFRICA - Last month you were asked to pray for the International World Changers 2013 project in the Bongolethu community of Oudtshoorn, South Africa, a partnership project of American and South African students. The Garden Route Evangelism Area Team shares this initial word: “Rejoice with us over the many young people who gave their hearts to Christ. Thank God for the encouragement given to Klein Karoo Baptist Church. Let us give all glory to God for new friendships among our American and South African IWC participants. Praise God, as He stretched each person to boldly share his or her faith in a new community. We celebrate and look forward to what the Lord still has in store for all IWC participants around the world. Look out world, these students are going to ‘radiate’ Christ’s love in ways yet to be seen! ‘I will make you as a light for the nations, that my salvation may reach to the end of the earth’ (Isaiah 49:6). Be assured, more details will follow.”

THEOLOGICAL EDUCATION IN UGANDA - Uganda Baptist Seminary (UBS) currently has approximately 500 church leaders enrolled in 16 theology classes. In 2012, UBS students led more than 28,000 people to Christ and started 66 new churches. On April 26 and 27 of this year, UBS had two graduations of 66 students from Diploma and Advanced Diploma of Theology classes and celebrated its 25th anniversary. Of these graduates, 45 are from Uganda, 11 are from Kenya (six of these from the highly Muslim coastal area), five are from Tanzania, three are from the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and two are from Rwanda. Pray for these church leaders who have persevered through their seminary studies as they return to serve in the harvest fields in their home areas.