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.
___________________________________________________________________
Peace talks fail between the Sudans
Sudan (MNN) -- The Sudans are teetering on the brink of war. The UN Security Council gave the two countries until August 2nd to reach a peace deal. Matt Parker with Kids Alive International says, "That deadline has now passed, and there has been no resolution. The talks have stalled." Secretary of State Hillary Clinton warned sanctions are possible if nothing resolves. There's disagreement over security, land, and oil resources, and no new talks are scheduled. Ongoing fighting is creating up to 4000 new refugees a day. That's extremely disruptive to Kids Alive projects in both countries. "We would have liked to [proceed] with the construction of a new children's home. That is our plan down in south Sudan, but we've had to delay that a little bit because of the current situation. We're monitoring things very closely. Obviously, our primary concern is the safety of our children and our staff." Kids Alive is committed to staying in the region. "As an organization, we are committed to sharing with these children the love of Christ."
* Pray for wisdom and safety for ministry leaders and staff.
* Pray for peace to be restored.
* Pray for cooperation among government leaders.
(FULL STORY: http://www.mnnonline.org/article/17525)
___________________________________________________________________
Syrian defections prove chaos reigns
Syria (MNN) -- Last weekend, the Assad regime took some serious hits in Syria. Assad and his family defected to Jordan, and there are reports that at least three other high ranking government officials also fled. Mark Lewis with the the Evangelical Free Church says, "The measures of uncertainty as senior government officials are leaving kind of point in the direction of destabilization," which could mean a long period of chaos. Chaos means humanitarian crisis. "On the Jordanian side, we're hearing that 1000 people a day are leaving Syria and crossing into Jordan. I would expect those numbers are probably similar in Lebanon, but I don't have any specific numbers." For now, their teams are focused on meeting survival needs of food, water, and blankets. However, "Our ministry partners are on the ground doing a whole lot of outreach and pre-evangelism, relationship building. Our hope is that, long-term, this will lead to a great church planting opportunity." Will you pray for them? There are also practical ways to help at our Web site.
* Pray that Christians will be able to reach out to the Muslim population in Syria.
* Pray that Syrian converts to Christianity will be a strong witness to their family, friends, and neighbors.
* Pray for strength, encouragement and peace for Christian laborers at work in Syria.
(FULL STORY: http://www.mnnonline.org/article/17527)
___________________________________________________________________
Iran backs Syria as civil war continues
Syria (MNN) -- With Iran solidly in Syria's corner, President Bashar al-Assad has vowed to purge his country of terrorists. This will only mean more violence in the country's civil war. Tom Doyle with e3 Partners says nobody knows how many Syrians have been affected by this conflict. "There are so many homeless right now. The government, obviously, is consumed with just survival right now, so it's not out building homes for displaced people. I've heard estimates of a million people." While numbers aren't certain, what is known is that Syrians are leaving the country in droves. E3 is helping Syrian refugees in Jordan and is making a difference. "One woman said, 'This was the first group--The Bible People (she called them)--who reached out to us with love. Everybody else was treating us like animals.' As we're meeting their needs, they're opening up spiritually and God is using this crisis for some good." $30 a month helps a family receive physical and spiritual food. We'll connect you at www.MNNonline.org.
* Pray that Christians in Jordan will have an impact on Syrian souls.
* Pray that more Christians will support this refugee work.
(FULL STORY: http://www.mnnonline.org/article/17535)
___________________________________________________________________
Church barely dodges bombing
Nigeria (MNN) -- Another Nigerian church just dodged a bomb explosion on Tuesday. The bomb was found at Revival Church in Central Nigeria and was safely removed. This discovery came on the tail of attackers who shot and killed 19 Christians in another church the day before. Carl Moeller with Open Doors USA says the attackers have an agenda. "This is an intentional effort on the part of the Muslim extremists to drive Christians completely out of the country." Open Doors is working with the Nigerian church rebuilding sanctuaries, replacing Bibles, and encouraging. "It's a daunting challenge because there's so much violence in the area. Open Doors is often the primary organization going in when others are coming out." The Gospel message is believers' ultimate source of strength and hope. Please be in prayer. "Pray for the church in Nigeria that they would pray for those who persecute them, not attack them. [Pray] that they would be able to rebuild and continue to bring the hope of Jesus Christ to their fellow countrymen."
* Pray for the rebuilding of communities.
* Pray for Christians to stand strong.
* Pray for the violence to cease.
(FULL STORY: http://www.mnnonline.org/article/17541)
___________________________________________________________________
More than 90 dead in Manila flooding, Christians reaching out
Philippines (MNN) -- Heavy monsoon rains have soaked Manila, Philippines this week. According to reports, 91 people were killed as 12 inches of rain fell on the city. Food for the Hungry (FH) has extensive work in the region. Peter Howard with FH says, "Manila is a city of about 15 million people. Over 50% of the city was flooded. At least 2 million people have been impacted, and 80,000-90,000 people are in shelters." Howard says they had no choice but to get involved because many FH staff members live there. "Our staff live in the metro Manila area, so they themselves were impacted. Their homes were flooded. Their family members and churches were impacted." Because the Philippines has a culture of volunteerism, FH is ready. "We have the people. We have the volunteers. The churches are ready to go. So as long as we can come alongside and support them with resources, they're going to take that out and spread the love of Christ through their acts of kindness and generosity into their communities." Support them through a link at our Web site.
* Pray that Christians will have an impact on the community as they help.
* Pray that Food for the Hungry and local churches can be a source of encouragement and hope, physically and spiritually.
(FULL STORY: http://www.mnnonline.org/article/17546)
___________________________________________________________________
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
---------------------------------------------------------------------
Mission Network News is in need of your generous support as we continue to encourage Christians to get involved in outreach. How about giving $20 a month to help keep this internet and radio service going? Go to http://www.MNNonline.org/donate/ to give.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
No comments:
Post a Comment