Urgent Prayer
Cyclone Daniel hit the city of Derna in Libya on Sunday, September 10. As of September 14, the Libyan government has confirmed 8,000 dead, with another 10,000 missing. Thousands have entered a Christless eternity, and millions more are processing their grief without the hope of the gospel.
Let us pray together for the Lord to have mercy on the people of Libya, filling them with lasting hope.
Download a presentation (PowerPoint) to use in your church or small group.
(pah-HAHR-ee) - The Upper Pahari peoples live in high-altitude, desert areas that are difficult to reach and even more difficult to live in. Throughout these regions, there are no healthy churches nor is there a harvest of laborers to train, equip, or partner with to reach them. Currently, a few believers are engaging them with evangelism. Please pray for more harvest laborers to come and serve among these Hindu, Muslim, and Buddhist peoples. Pray for the gospel to take root among the peoples of the Upper Pahari region.
The Theological Education Team writes: "Many of our books at the Christian Leadership Institute of Rwanda date from before 1994, the year of the genocide in Rwanda. Please pray that we will be able to get new resources or recover our old books."
"Please pray for God to send more personnel to work with us here. We have requested semester, one year, two to three year, and long-term folks to come and work with us. We have a student center. Our focus is to see people saved, baptized and discipled for His glory!"
(RYN, RUE-er) - Digital Engagement is going well in Germany. The most recent advertisement has run for two months, garnering multiple spiritual conversations and gospel shares. Each advertisement is a Scripture video clip and an impelling question for seekers. Pray that the broad sowing of the gospel will harvest good connections offline and disciples who will continue to plant His church throughout Germany.
In a northern valley, there are very few believers. Recently, a visiting believer shared from the New Testament with leaders in a village in that valley. Pray that the seeds sown will bear fruit in the village and that the leaders will seek truth and follow Jesus. Pray for the believers living there to be bold and to follow up with the seekers.
Aisha's phone rang beside her. Her neighbor was calling again, but she couldn't answer. She was trapped under the rubble of her home. Her legs were wedged under a large piece of wall and all she could do was call out. She didn't know the devastation outside or the feet of rubble that she was buried under. A stream of light poured in; someone had heard her and dug with their bare hands until they reached her. The fresh air felt good to breathe. More people joined in and eventually, Aisha was removed from the debris and transferred to a local hospital. She could feel nothing from the waist down and was told by doctors that she may never walk again. However, a local believer prayed with her, and miraculously she was able to place some weight on her legs and feel nerve pain. This believer also shared the truth with her. May Aisha believe in the God who brings healing and does miracles.
Please pray for Natalie. She is following the faith of her ancestors, except with increased zeal. While she is trying to please God, she has been caught in a religion of lies. Pray that she will sense the Holy Spirit wooing her. Pray that the veil will be removed and that she will be free of the false religion and follow the one true God in spirit and truth. "But when one turns to the Lord, the veil is removed. Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom" (2 Corinthians 3:16-17 ESV).
Please pray for a special conference that will happen on September 25-26 regarding sending Mexican believers to the nations. This will be a gathering of 20 leaders who are going to be serving as missions catalysts to promote missions in the Mexican churches. Baptist representative Charlie Janney will have a time to speak to this group. Pray that he will be able to encourage them through sharing the ways that they can partner with the International Mission Board to complete this task.
"Please pray with missionaries for a spiritual breakthrough and for Korean youth to love and follow Jesus. Missionaries are visiting churches every week to introduce the IMB's Global Mission Partners (GMP) initiative. This program trains Korean believers to do missions in other countries with IMB teams. Recently, they visited a church whose pastor was dedicated to university ministry for over 20 years. He told the missionaries he was convinced that the GMP experience for young people could be the spiritual breakthrough needed to reach the young generation, impacting lostness in Korea and the world. Immediately, the pastor became an active partner in introducing the GMP ministry to nearby churches and to churches in other major cities. In one week alone, missionaries connected with pastors from seven churches through this new partner. Thank God for this faithful pastor, and please pray for blessings on him and his church. Please also pray that more churches will hear about the GMP program and that members will participate. Let's join this pastor in praying for spiritual breakthroughs in Korea and in the world through the GMPs' ministry."
Please continue to pray for Leah, a Global Missionary Partner serving in a part of the world that is challenging for believers. Please pray for her team as they share the gospel with friends and acquaintances from another religion. Religious divisions there have risen to international status and are seen as possible threats in Leah's country of service. Religious holidays carry warnings of reprisals against perceived and real injustices. Pray for wisdom, boldness, and courage in sharing the gospel and teaching local believers to do the same. Leah writes: "But hearing this news (of possible threats), I'm not fearful because I know that God is with me and that I am willing to be a living sacrifice for His purpose. We don't know what's going to happen, but this risk is part of saying "yes" when God called and sent me here. So be it." "Father, please help Leah and the local believers to be strong and courageous. Help them not to fear, for You, the Lord their God, go with each of them. You will not leave them or forsake them. In Jesus' name, Amen."
(BEE-ja) - The Beja are often looked down upon. They are the brunt of jokes and have been overlooked for jobs because of their ethnicity or tribe, even in their own country. Over the past 30 years, their way of life has been turned upside down as their seasonal grass and waterways have changed course due to droughts, the building of dams, and other factors. Having one's wealth come from herding animals is no longer an obvious or prosperous way of life. Many are now forced to integrate into the local society more and more, so there are new generations of Beja children who are going to school for the first time in their family's history. There are neighboring tribes living in the same cities and towns, many of whom are believers in Christ. These near-culture believers have the opportunity to speak into the lives of these children and their Beja families. Pray for God's people to have a clear calling to reach the Beja. Ask Him to equip them in knowing how to share the gospel and live their lives among the Beja. Also ask God to soften the hearts of the Beja so they may run to the Savior.
(BAH-soo-too) - The Mountain Basotho face unique challenges, including unemployment, extreme cold during winter, and high rates of education exclusion. These challenges have been recently exacerbated by increased gang activity, adding another layer of violence on top of existing issues of domestic violence. Pray that Jesus will stand in opposition to every attempt to organize gang loyalty. Pray that the heart of every young, fatherless boy will find his identity in and pledge his allegiance to Christ alone. The evil one preys on the vulnerable in particularly gruesome ways, so ask that every evil effort will be thwarted by gospel illuminating kingdom advancement. A Great Commission Christian couple partnering with the Basotho Team writes: "We appreciate everyone who stands with us as we focus on the orphans in the highlands of Lesotho. Pray for the Basotho to be able to say with sincerity that there is indeed light pushing back darkness and people are coming to faith in Jesus. Please don't stop praying!" "Father of the fatherless and protector of widows is God in his holy habitation. God settles the solitary in a home; he leads out the prisoners to prosperity, but the rebellious dwell in a parched land" (Psalm 68:5-6 ESV).