Hot spots to PRAY for:

BOTSWANA

• Promiscuity & Aids: 

A rapid declining population due to an overwhelming pandemic of aids. Predictions indicate that the population will be below 800 000 (50% of 2006) in 2016 – 50 years after independence.

• Reversal of moral decline:

In some rural areas as many as 90% of all childbirths are illegitimate. 50% of students and 40% of population are HIV/Aids infected. 70% of deaths are accounted to HIV/Aids

• Orphans and parentless households:

Due to the promiscuity and moral declinemany children are left orphans and grow up in households without parental guidance – with all the ramifications of such a situation.

• Revival vs Nominalism:

The Tshwanas were the first of the sub-Saharan African nations to respond to the Gospel. A proliferation of missions activities – seeking favour from tribes – lead to big scale nominalism; manifesting in moral decline etc. A real need for Spirit driven revival.

• Syncretism:

Nominalism, the growth in traditional ethnic and unaffiliated churches became fertile soil for personal focus and blending of culture and dogma.

• 5 Protestant Theological Colleges:

For more enrollments towards equipping preachers over a wide spectrum to be Biblical trueful servants of the Lord.

Hot spots to PRAY for:

BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA

Area: 51,129sq km; south-eastern Europe, bordering Adriatic Sea & Croatia; mountainous Balkan state bracketed by Serbia-Montenegro & Croatia.

Population: 4.6 million.

Capital: Sarajevo 582.000.

Peoples: Slav 88% comprising Bosnian Muslim 50%. Croat 18%. Serb 20%.

Other: 12%. Literacy: 86%.

Religion: Religious freedom is more theory than practice. Muslim 60%; Christian 35%, Other 5%.

Challenges for Prayer:

• The tragic three sided war between Serbs, Croats, and Bosnian Muslims caused immense damage & loss of life. Pray for greater wisdom and foresight on the part of world and Bosnian leaders in implementing a workable peace & a viable future.
• Bosnian refugees are scattered around the world and also in Bosnia itself. Pray that they might find healing for their deep psychological wounds, peace with God & with one another through faith in Christ & willingness to forgive the perpetrators of their misery.
• The miniscule evangelical witness has grown since 1991. Evangelicals have gained credibility as the only ones to bridge the gulf between ethnic groups. Pray for the few believers & their witness in this war-torn land, together with massive population movements.

The Unreached:

• Only a very small percentage of the population has ever been clearly presented with the claims of Christ & the need for personal repentance & faith.
• The Bosniak Muslims — from only a handful, the number of believers in Jesus has grown to 300-400, but most are unreached.
• The Serbs — Pray for their eyes to be opened to the message of peace in Jesus.
• The largely Muslim Gypsy and wholly Muslim Turkish minorities have only a few specific ministries directed to their evangelisation.
• Student Ministry. By 2000 there were 30.000 students in Sarajevo. In 2000 a new ministry was begun. Pray for lasting fruit.

Hot spots to PRAY for:

The Persecuted Church

IRAN:

Iran is the 3rd worst persecutor of Christians. Many Iranians feel frustrated by Islam 30 years after the Islamic Revolution.

Pray for:

• Guidance for the increasing number of converts from Islam.
• The protection of mind and body of the Christians in prison or under surveillance and for their families.
• Those seeking to provide Bibles, training and encouragement to ±125 000 believers from Muslim background.
• Protection for the secret believers from the hostile attacks by family, community and the authorities.

EGYPT:

Evangelical churches are under constant pressure from the government. Muslim judges often use Sharia law to discriminate against Christians.

Pray for:

• The church as it supports and encourages those becoming Christians from a Muslim background. Pray for converts to stand strong in the midst of pressure from families on them to return to Islam.
• All involved in Christian satellite TV and Christian Arabic websites.
• In 2008 the Supreme Court upheld an appeal allowing a Christian to change his religion on his ID card from Muslim to Christian. Pray for many more such rulings.
• The distribution of Bibles to children, Christian and Muslim, via the United Bible Society and others.

Hot spots to PRAY for:

The Persecuted Church

Focus: The children of the suffering church in the Muslim world.

• In many countries the children have no access to Bibles or Christian materials.
• They live in fear of terrible things happening to their parents because they are believers.
• They daily live in danger and cruelty under authorities that oppose the Christian faith.

Pray for:

• The children in the Muslim world – that many will get to know Jesus as Saviour.
• Children and adults to grow stronger, bolder and deeper in their faith.
• Protection of Christians in persecuted countries.
• Whole families to come to faith
• Single believers in Muslim families - they are rejected, often murdered by family members.
• Children whose fathers are in prison because they preach Christ.
• Thousands of traumatized children in war areas – Iraq, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Palestine
•  Mothers of Christian families in persecuted areas, having to comfort her children.

What can we do:

1. PRAY
2. GIVE Contribute to the project by OPEN DOORS to provide 10 000 Bibles for the children in the persecuted church. Every R40 will place a Bible in the hand of a child.

These children are the future of the church in some of the most dangerous countries of the world.

What are you willing to sacrifice to be able to give a Bible to a suffering child?