Hot spots to PRAY for:

BELIZE - Caribbean, Gulf of Hondur

Population: 307 000
Religion: Roman Catholic 50%, Protestant 27% Including 14% Evangelical, None 9%, Other 14%

Prayer pointers:

1. Belizeans are largely professing Christians, but nominalism & syncretism are common.
2. Evangelicals have steadily grown from 4.6% in 1960 to 14% in 2000, but:
   
   • Few full-time workers, most must work part-time due to lack of congregational support.
   • Much evangelism but little evidence of ‘converts’ in the churches, because of poor follow-up
3. The least-reached:
   
   • The Mayan peoples — there are a few Nazarene and Mennonite believers.
   • The Garifuna have had their own NT since 1983. Their strong animistic culture has only been marginally penetrated (CoN, Brethren). There are some Nazarene and Brethren believers among them.
   • The Chinese have increased through immigration from China, Hong Kong and Taiwan, but only a few are evangelical believers.
   • The East Indians are almost entirely Muslim or Hindu.
4. Cultural diversity and denominational variety make unity and common goals for Christians difficult to attain. Pray for:
   
   • The Mennonites, Belize has a higher percentage of Mennonites than any other country. Pray for revival in their communities.
   • Effective fellowship between Spanish- & English-speaking believers in united nation-wide initiatives for the Kingdom.

News Flash:

IRAN: DESPITE DETERIORATING HEALTH, TWO WOMEN STAND FIRM

Prayer for two Christians in Iran is a matter of life or death. Todd Nettleton with Voice of the Martyrs Voice of the Martyrs says, “The goal of the justice system there, using the term ‘justice’ very loosely, is to pressure them and make them so miserable that they will deny their faith in Christ and return to Islam.”

In March, officials incarcerated Maryam Rustampoor and Marzieh Amirizadeh in one of Iran’s worst prisons. Their health has deteriorated in the harsh conditions. Marziah needs prayer for a critically infected tooth. “Right now, they’re simply treating her with pain medication instead of treating her with anything that would fight the infection” These women have witnessed boldly for Christ and refuse to renounce their faith.

Ask God for miraculous healing for these brave women. “We’re also calling on people to send them letters of encouragement and to send letters to the Iranian government asking that they be released.”

Hot spots to PRAY for:

The State of Bahrain - Arabian Gulf

Area: 691 sq km
Population: 728 000
Capital: Al-Manámah 155 000
Geography: Group of one larger & 34 smaller barren islands in the Arabian Gulf between Qatar Peninsula & Saudi Arabian mainland.
Religion: Islam official religion; All Bahrainis considered Muslim; No evangelism is permitted. Islam 81% Christian 9% including Evangelical 3.1%;. Other 10%

Prayer pointers:

1. Bahrain is a political & spiritual key for the whole Gulf area. Islam impacts life less comprehensively that in surrounding states. Pray that democratic & religious freedoms might be fully implemented.
2. Bahrain has provided a good base for Christian ministry for over a century. Pray that this may continue and that there may be fruitful witness from the tactful witness of believers.
3. The largest Arab Christian community is here and there are several informal networks among these believers. Pray for them & their witness. Pray for the Arabs to turn to Jesus.
4. Amongst the large expatriate community, predominantly from South & East Asia and also the west, are a considerable number of active Christians meeting formally & informally. Pray that individuals may have courage & wisdom to share their faith outside their own cultural group.
5. Media Ministries:
   
   • Christian Radio: FEBA Radio broadcasts in Arabic into the Gulf region.
   • Christian Literature: The Christian bookstore in Manama is well visited and has a Gulf-wide distribution.

Hot spots to PRAY for:

People's Republic of Bangladesh

Area: 143.998 sq km
Population: 156 Million
Capital: Dhaka 12.6 Million
Religion: Muslim 83%, Hindu 16%, Other 1% including Evangelical 0.8%

Prayer pointers:

1. Relative openness to the gospel despite continued opposition. Pray that openness may increase & yield abundant harvest.
2. Downward spiral of poverty & suffering cannot be reversed without good, honest leadership for the nation. Pray for political stability & constitutional freedom of religion.
3. Church Growth: Pray for growing churches which have set bold outreach goals for the future; Pray for missions & church planting despite opposition to the Gospel; Pray that tribal churches may become strong, mature & full of missions vision; Pray that Hindu Christians may be able to be effective witness to their own people.
4. Bengali People by far the largest unreached people Group in the world; was to these People that William Carey went as a missionary. Pray for openness to the Gospel; for cultural relevance without compromise of Biblical truth.
5. 98% of the population are Bengali, among them many different tribes. Muslims and Hindus have distinct cultures and languages.
6. Young people are strategic over half the population being under 16 & students numbering more than 700.000.
7. Missions have been welcomed for social upliftment programmes. Too few are involved in evangelistic outreach & church planting. Pray for increased opportunities to fulfill their primary calling.