Greetings from Mission Network News, a daily news service of Cornerstone
University of Grand Rapids, Michigan, USA. This is your weekly Mission
Network News prayer bulletin. Here are your weekly prayer items. Please
pray over them during your personal devotional time and at your church
prayer meeting.
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Who will run the new Libya now? Libya (MNN) -- With Libya united to
topple Muammar Gaddafi, the question upon his death is: Whose revolution
was it? There were multiple heavily-armed militias fighting together to
remove the regime, and now that the smoke is clearing, they've laid
claim on a territory and cause. Carl Moeller with Open Doors says there
is reason to be concerned. "There are indications that many of the
elements of the revolution to overthrow him were funded, fueled, and
inspired by extremists. The question is: 'Is the new transition that we
receive going to do any better for religious liberty, Christians, and
basic democracy than what we had before" The insecurity of the future
has many Libyans asking deeper questions and looking for hope. As a
result, "The number of our Bible deliveries and Scripture deliveries has
been greater than in the previous whole nine years of work in that
area," says Moeller. "So we see a tremendous upswing in the desire for
people to have a copy of God's Word and maybe hear the Good News message
of Christ." * Pray that the hunger for God and His Word will continue to
increase in Libya, as well as world-wide. * Pray that the changes in
Libya will accomplish God's ultimate purposes and exalt Him among the
nations. (FULL STORY: http://www.mnnonline.org/article/16380)
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Death toll rises from Turkey quake Turkey (MNN) -- Rescue workers used
both bare hands and heavy machinery to dig into the rubble of Sunday's
massive quake in Turkey. The 7.2 magnitude quake rattled the parts of
Turkey near the Iranian and Kurdish borders. Nearly 300 died and 1300
injured, and many thousands more were homeless when buildings collapsed.
IN Network's Rody Rodeheaver says the death toll is likely to rise as
time passes. "Our director there is assessing the situation. We're
making calls and connecting with the various believers in churches. My
guess would be that those folks will be helping out in a very strategic
way." Their church planting team has responded before to similar
disasters in Turkey, and they will again. "We are called to minister and
to bear the burdens of people, because I think that's part of being a
believer--that's part of sharing the Gospel of Jesus Christ is being
there to heal wounds and to bring a cup of cold water." * Ask God to
send the funds and the right people to meet the needs of the survivors.
* Pray for wisdom and strength for ministry leaders. * Pray for
continued open doors for the Gospel. (FULL STORY:
http://www.mnnonline.org/article/16385)
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Hope is fading as Turkey searches for quake survivors Turkey (MNN) -- As
of Tuesday, the death toll from the 7.2 magnitude quake in eastern
Turkey was over 400 and rising. Hope is fading for those survivors yet
unreached in the rubble. Immediate needs are for food, water, and
shelter in below-freezing temperatures. In light of more than 200
aftershocks,Pat Melancon with Baptist Global Response says, "In the
past, when earthquakes happened and the aftershocks started, people
refused to sleep in their homes, even if their homes were structurally
sound. So what our teams have done is to go in with tarps, plastic
sheeting, and blankets." BGR has an assessment team on the ground right
now. Recovery will take a long time. Pray for wisdom for the team and
strength for the workers. Also "pray that this would be a very great
opportunity for Christians to step in, to minister to the needs that are
there, and leave in the memory of those survivors not just the fact that
they've been impacted because of their demolished homes or the death of
loved ones, but that they've been impacted by the Gospel." * Ask God for
Gospel opportunities. * Pray for the resources to meet the needs. (FULL
STORY: http://www.mnnonline.org/article/16390)
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Flooding closes second airport, threatens Compassion Thailand (MNN) --
Government response to flooding in Thailand could mean devastation for
Compassion International families. Flooding has already killed over 360
people in Thailand, and in the government's attempt to prevent more
flooding damage, Kathy Redmond says Compassion kids are in danger.
"They're trying to open up waterways and that sort of thing to lessen
the flooding. But unfortunately, we have a lot of projects in the way
where they would be opening up those areas." But exactly who would be
affected by flood waters if they were diverted this way? "There would be
about eight projects, and our projects have about 250 kids on average."
Water would flood the already affected project areas. However, "A lot of
the times the flooding can be the least of our issues--it's what comes
after the flooding," says Redmond. That could include disease, house
rebuild, and significant relief work. So far, Compassion doesn't know
what the government will choose to do. Pray with them as they seek to be
Christ to these kids and government officials. * Pray for God's hand of
protection over Compassion staff and the children under their care. *
Pray for Compassion workers to respond with the love of Christ to
government officials and families. (FULL STORY:
http://www.mnnonline.org/article/16398)
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Turkey earthquake crisis a 'very dangerous time to share the Gospel'
Turkey (MNN) -- Christian teams are still responding to the massive
earthquake that killed over 500 in Turkey on Sunday. In crises such as
these, believers often get excited to share Christ's hope with victims.
But Pastor Karem Koc, who was saved in The Evangelical Alliance
Mission's St. Paul Cultural Center, has a surprising warning: "This is
actually a very dangerous time to share the Gospel." Koc knows from
experience. In 1999, a similar earthquake hit Turkey. As Christians
distributed aid, they also gave Bibles. The effect: years of outreach
efforts were undone. "People think that you are helping them without
really any expectation. And as soon as you share the Gospel or give the
Bible to those people, they really get offended. In our country, people
are already offended by the Gospel itself, so we are very careful how we
do this." Koc is advising ministries to just simply serve for now. "It's
a great time to make some friends; help them, serve them, and just be
the light that the Lord wants us to be." Pray for other opportunities
later on. * Pray for wisdom for believers as they respond to this
devastating crisis. * Pray that God's Spirit will draw many Turks to
inquire about Christ as His love is demonstrated through the loving
service of Christians. (FULL STORY:
http://www.mnnonline.org/article/16398)
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Mission Network News is dedicated to keeping Christians informed about
missions and evangelism around the world. Our goal is to help you become
engaged in missions through praying more effectively, giving or going to
the field short or long term. Thank you for your dedication and heart
for world missions. Your prayers are greatly appreciated. May God richly
bless you as you serve Him today! In His grip, Greg Yoder, Executive
Director Mission Network News 1.800.284.9361 616.942.1500
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