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 Pierre Nkurunziza of Burundi (central Africa, east of Democratic Republic of the Congo).

AMERICAN PEOPLES. During the month of November, churches on a major Caribbean island will be celebrating an Evangelistic Festival. This will involve Christians going outside the church walls to reach people for Christ in the streets, at community gatherings, at meals, during hospital visitation, and by reaching out to the hurting. Please pray that God will anoint the Christians with the power of the Holy Spirit as never before to see where God is working in reaching hundreds of people for Christ during this time. “Behold, I say to you, lift up your eyes and look at the fields, for they are already white for harvest!” (John 4:35b, NJKV).

NORTHERN CHILENOS OF CHILE (chee-LAY-noh). In November, missionary Jerry Coy will be working with five national believers in leading a spiritual retreat for professionals in La Serena, a city of more than 200,000 people. A growing Baptist church and more than 15 small groups will participate. Ask God to motivate many hearts to reach out in their communities with the message of Jesus. Jerry also asks you to pray as he takes a volunteer team from Oklahoma to several strategic areas in northern Chile. This team is seeking to develop a long-term partnership with missionaries in northern Chile in order to start and help grow churches in this rugged and isolated region.

RUSSIANS OF VLADIVOSTOK, RUSSIA. Vladivostok (pronounced vlah-dih-vah-STOK) is a city of approximately 700,000 and is Russia’s primary port on the Pacific Ocean. Its closest neighbors are North Korea and China. The primary industries are fishing and transport; many cars are imported directly from Japan and shipped from here throughout Russia. The primary religion is Russian Orthodox, and the evangelical Christian population is less than 1 percent. There are currently four Baptist churches in Vladivostok. Please pray for the salvation of the Russians of Vladivostok.

prayer@teamvlad.com

NORTH AFRICANS OF PARIS, FRANCE (PAIR-is). A is a youth living in greater Paris. He has had a great deal of difficulty finding steady work. Most of the time A spends the day sitting in a neighborhood social center, passing the time by talking with others his age. They, too, have had difficulty finding work. Volunteers from the United States will be working with Team Paris this week, hoping to make a difference in the lives of youth like A. Please pray for them as they spend time in the social center visiting and sharing Christ with the youth. Ask the Holy Spirit to enable the translators and to give these volunteers a spirit of boldness. Pray that A and others like him will experience salvation by grace.

ENGAGING CHURCHES - WEST AFRICA. “Please be in prayer for the Wrightsdale Baptist Church team of Peach Bottom, Pa., as we continue the work with the SA people group in Guinea. Please pray for safety in travel, good health for the whole team, and a sensitive heart to the moving of God’s Spirit. Pray for stability in the country so that our teams can enter and travel with ease. Also, please lift up the SA people in prayer, asking that their eyes will be opened and that God will move among the people.”

JOLA-FONYI OF SENEGAL AND THE GAMBIA (JOH-luh-FOH-nyee). Thank you for praying for A. and J. from Diouloulou. They continue to follow God’s leading in the phrase “All Senegal for Christ!” resulting in two more men accepting Jesus as their Savior and being openly baptized. Because of your prayers, these men continue to grow spiritually and are passing God’s Word on to others through four Bible studies. Please continue to pray for this new church start, and also pray for the partnering church in Idaho as they come in November to encourage these four men in Diouloulou and to seek God’s will in picking a new village for their church to adopt, to start over in giving out the Gospel in a place where there is not any mission work established.

LOZI OF ZAMBIA AND NAMIBIA (LOH-zee). Wouldn’t you want to live near a river? You would think that because the wide Zambezi River and its wider floodplains snake through the Western Province of Zambia, most Lozi people would want to live near the riverbanks where fresh, cool water is abundant. But a singular road, half-paved and “half-mess,” also winds its way through the Lozi’s homeland, and many of them choose the “riches” of the road. The road offers accessible transportation, goods from small trucks, and more frequent visits from family members. Lozi pastor H recently moved from another district back to his father’s village--right on the road! H and his wife now have the overwhelming task of building a new house, finding and preparing a field before the rains come, and learning to live so far from the river. When missionary Daniel Scott asked H about his recent move, the shorter Lozi man replied, “This area is difficult. Water is so far away!” Even as the pastor’s family struggles to walk so far each day for a bucket of water, pray that streams of Living Water will flow from them to their neighbors on the road. “Jesus, You are the Living Water. May your Living Water encourage the pastor each morning. We ask for a leak-proof home, for an abundant maize crop this year, and for the safe delivery of the pastor’s baby this month.”

NAFANA OF COTE D’IVOIRE (nah-FAH-nah). Thank the Lord that I. was baptized in June, the first of several who have taken a baptism class. The others have delayed for various reasons. He says that it has been difficult because of family opposition, but he intends to stay the course. Please pray for God’s provision, perseverance and protection for him, and ask for his wife, B, and his family also to come to the Lord.

SAMOGHO (DUUN TRIBE) OF MALI (SAH-moh-goh/doon). “Praise the Lord!” writes a Samogho Team member. “In January of this year, I asked you to pray for a volunteer team from Texas who was serving among the Samogho people. Through this team, S became connected to J, the first follower of Jesus in his village. Through storying the Bible chronologically with J, S became a follower of the ‘Jesus road.’ Praise the Father with us, as J and I rejoice together in having a new brother! Please pray for S, as he has learned about baptism but is very afraid. Petition for boldness and for the spirit of courage to be placed on him. Pray for J, as he is testifying about how through the Father’s power, he overcame his fear and was baptized.”

2X PEOPLE OF CHINA. Tucked away high in the mountains of southwest China are the 2X people. For centuries they have lived difficult lives--farming the mountainous terrain to provide for their families and working to appease the many spirits they believe in, never knowing of the hope they have in their own Creator. Oppressed and impoverished, with limited Gospel materials, this group of nearly 1.3 million people is desperately in need of the good news of God’s mercy through Jesus Christ. Please pray for the salvation of the 2X people.

CHINA. China celebrated its 60th anniversary of communist rule on Oct. 1 with a spectacular parade of military might and civilian loyalty. Fireworks in the evening were even more elaborate than those of last summer’s Beijing Olympics. Yet with all of the progress of which the world’s most populous country can rightfully boast, its government still denies the existence of God. Pray for the souls of China’s 1.3 billion people, most of whom are still lost.

EAST ASIA PARTNERSHIP STRATEGIES. The East Asian Peoples make up approximately 21 percent of the world’s population; that is approximately 1.6 billion people. No matter how many workers IMB sends to the field, it is not enough to reach that many people. East Asia Partnership Strategies strives to partner churches with workers in East Asia to help them reach their cities and people groups. They cannot do it alone and need churches to come and work alongside them so that all may have the opportunity to hear and respond. Please pray that this ministry will be effective.

UNIVERSITY STUDENTS OF G CITY, EAST ASIA. Give thanks to the Lord that in September, in answer to your prayers, Christian students from overseas were able to make many new friends. Many of these friends speak English well, so there is not a big language barrier. During six parties with these new friends, the Christian students were able to share with approximately 40 people.

WA OF MYANMAR AND CHINA (wah). Pray that local Wa leadership will adopt a literacy program that places Wa believers as literacy teachers throughout all Wa areas.

wa@pobox.com

HINDI-SPEAKING BRAHMINS OF UTTAR PRADESH, INDIA. According to Hindu mythology, the Supreme Lord of the Universe established a system in which all human relationships would be ordered. From his head, he ordained the Brahmin (pronounced BRAW-min) caste, which is considered by Hindus to be the highest caste within Hindu society. Brahmins enjoy the distinction in Indian culture of being at the top of the pecking order. Their role from ancient times has been to master the Sanskrit language (which was the medium for writing the most sacred Hindu scriptures, the Vedas), to teach those scriptures, and to officiate over temple and life-cycle ceremonies. Today not all Brahmins serve in priestly roles. Many have found their way into government, military, educational and business sectors. Others have served as prime ministers and chief justices. They are generally characterized as very intelligent, affluent and influential citizens of India. Compared with the general population, they enjoy high literacy levels. They often excel academically and are gifted and natural teachers of science and mathematics. In many ways, they are the guardians of Hindu culture. Generally speaking, they wish to promote and protect ancient religious traditions and ways of life, as this ensures their position of power and influence in India. Brahmins often tend to be religious purists, abstaining from meat and dairy products, and taking great pride in this separateness. On the village level, the economic and educational distinctions between Brahmins and other castes may be somewhat blurred, yet they still enjoy a position of respect. Please pray for the salvation of the Brahmins.

PAKISTAN. “A series of trainings took place at the end of September for national partners on how to make and teach simple health lessons in rural areas. It is very difficult for outsiders to access these areas. Pray that the health lessons will be well received and will help improve the people’s physical needs and, at the same time, be an open door for the Truth to come into homes. Our hope is to meet spiritual needs as well as physical needs through health lessons.”

LAST FRONTIER. A Baptist house church established among a Last Frontier people group by an export labor returnee is facing continuous harassment from the local authority figure. Sometimes the authority hires local gangs to beat up the church leaders. Please pray for the believers of this new church to stand firm in their faith despite the persecution, and ask for God’s wisdom for the leaders in how to deal with this situation.