Barnabas prayer November December 2014

BARNABAS FUND – AID AGENCY FOR THE PERSECUTED CHURCH

www.barnabasfund.org

prayer

NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2014

to help you pray for the persecuted church

NOVEMBER 1 - 3

Thank you for your prayers for our persecuted brothers and sisters in Christ, which make such a difference to them. We sometimes have to change or omit their names for security reasons, and we have only limited space to share their stories. But the Lord knows the people and places we are praying about. Thank you for your understanding.

Please do not feel limited by the specific prayer requests, but pray as you feel led. On each Sunday we have provided a set prayer; please feel free to use these in their current form, to adapt them as you prefer, or to use the information they contain to frame your own prayers.

November Saturday 1 “If they persecuted me, they

will persecute you also,” said the Lord Jesus (John 15:20). According to the Pew Centre for Research, Christians face religious oppression in 151 of the world’s countries, whether direct or indirect. On this Barnabas Day of Prayer for the Persecuted Church, let us remember our brothers and sisters facing tremendous pressures of all kinds because of their faithfulness to Christ and help them with our prayers (Philippians 1:19).

2

BARNABAS PRAYER NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2014

Sunday 2 Heavenly Father, we pray to You for our Christian brothers and sisters in north-eastern Nigeria, who are so vulnerable in the face of attacks by Boko Haram militants.

We remember especially those who used to live in Madagali, in Adamawa state, until their town was seized by Boko Haram two months ago. We think of those who were betrayed into the hands of Boko Haram by their neighbours pointing out Christian homes or places where Christians had hidden. We bring before You those who saw their menfolk beheaded, and women forcibly converted to Islam. We cry out to You to intervene and bring an end to the murderous attacks

by Boko Haram. We pray for all the thousands of Nigerian Christians who have suffered in similar attacks that they will not lose hope or faith in You, but will know Your peace which passes understanding.

Monday 3 “The cathedral in Damaturu

now has only about 40 members instead of 450 members. The church in Potiskum now has only about 15 members instead of 500 members… the southern part of [Yobe state] is still very dangerous and most of the churches here have closed down.”

A senior church leader in Nigeria wrote to Barnabas Fund in August about the impact on the Church of Boko Haram’s violence.

Nevertheless Christians were still holding worship services every Sunday, discipling the young people and even commissioning

NOVEMBER 4 - 7

pastors. Praise God for such perseverance, and pray that a Christian presence and witness may remain in north-east Nigeria.

Tuesday 4 Please pray for Christians in

northern Cameroon, where Boko Haram is terrorising people, especially Christians and security forces, just as in neighbouring Nigeria. The Islamist militants openly declare themselves to be Boko Haram, and issue threats by letter, including to pastors telling them they must leave. Two pastors were killed in the village of Assigashia on the night of 25-26 August, which has caused great distress and consternation. The Cameroonian Christians ask for prayer that God will bring peace and security, that the kidnapped will be released, that believers will stand firm despite being targeted, that God will comfort the traumatised, and that church leaders will know how to prepare their people for persecution.

Wednesday 5 Pray for eight Cameroonian missionaries who have been harshly reminded of the cost of sharing the Gospel in their country during a training seminar to equip them for ministry. Barnabas had helped to fund a series of seminars, and on the final day of the last seminar they heard that Jean-Marcel Kesvere, another Cameroonian missionary, who had been planning to attend the seminar with his wife, had been kidnapped by Boko Haram and that his body had been found earlier that day. Give thanks for the response of the missionaries, who expressed their willingness to suffer similarly for Christ, and pray that their work will bear much fruit (John 12:24).

Thursday 6 Churches in Christianmajority Burundi are facing the unfamiliar situation of political restriction by their own government because of a new law passed in August that requires each church to have at least 500 members and a proper building.

Congregations have a year in which to comply with the new regulations. Although intended to reduce some scandalous practices, the law is strangely reminiscent of the strict regimes of Central Asia. Pray that religious liberty will be maintained in Burundi, both for Christians and for the small minorities who follow other religions.

Christians in Burundi now face government restrictions on their churches

Friday 7 Pray for the friends and family of Beatrice Mukashaka, an 18-year-old Christian woman, who was hacked to death in a savage attack by Muslims during an overnight prayer meeting at a church in Uganda. A group of around 20 Christians had gathered at the church in Kyegegwa district for their regular Friday night prayer session when armed Muslims burst into the building at around 2am. Please pray for all who mourn for Beatrice and that the assailants will be brought to justice.

BARNABAS PRAYER NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2014

3

NOVEMBER 8 - 11 Saturday 8 “We had this feeling that jihadists wanted to wipe out any trace of Christianity in the north of Mali. But God in His goodness has not allowed such an eventuality,� said Dr Yattara, the president of the Baptist Church in northern Mali, to World Watch Monitor in September. He was describing how most of the Christians who had fled the region when Islamist radicals took control in 2012 have now returned to their homes after French troops ousted the Islamists. Many church buildings were desecrated, looted or severely damaged, but the Christians are determined to resume their ministries. Praise God for the continued Christian presence in northern Mali, for the courage of the Christians and for the religious liberty that they have under the law.

Sunday 9 Dear Lord Jesus, we ask Your blessing on the thousands of Eritrean Christian refugees who have fled from escalating antiChristian persecution in their home country, and are being detained in prisons in Egypt. Because they are Your followers, they face horrific treatment. We pray especially for women and men who have been raped in prison, and for those who have been kept chained for months, suffering hunger, torture and abuse.

You said that You had been sent to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and to set the oppressed free. Please free these faithful ones, who suffer for Your Name (Luke 4:18, 21).

4

BARNABAS PRAYER NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2014

Monday 10 Give thanks that ten Egyptian churches destroyed in anti-Christian attacks last year have now been reopened. Around 60 churches across Egypt were attacked

by Islamists in the summer of 2013. The assaults were provoked by the ouster of former president Mohammed Morsi of the Muslim Brotherhood. Although the current Egyptian government has promised to rebuild all the damaged churches, most of the Christians have not yet received aid and some are worshipping in ruined buildings.

Pray that the rebuilding process will continue and that the Lord will protect His people in Egypt, especially while they are still meeting in damaged buildings.

Scores of Egyptian churches were attacked following the removal of Mohammed Morsi

Tuesday 11 Lift up in prayer Christians

living in Minya, Egypt whose homes were attacked on 5 August by local Muslims. The violence broke out after Muslims learned that believers in Yaacoub planned to build a new church. Opposition to construction of church buildings is one of the most common reasons behind anti-Christian attacks

NOVEMBER 12 - 16

by Muslims in Egypt. Restrictions on the building of churches, a cause of hardship for Christians for many years, were lifted in Egypt’s recent new constitution. Pray that the assailants will be brought to justice and that the plans for the local church building will continue.

Wednesday 12 Since General al-Sisi

became President of Egypt in June, Christians in the country have felt the pressure upon them ease off somewhat.

However, a convert from Islam, Bishoy Armia Boulous, previously known as Mohammed Hegazy, remains in prison. He was rearrested on 4 December 2013, charged with defaming Islam after he filed a public lawsuit to change the religious affiliation listed on his national identification card from Muslim to Christian. Please pray that there will be genuine religious liberty for Christians from a Muslim background as well as those born into Christian families.

Thursday 13 Hardline Buddhist groups in Sri Lanka are becoming increasingly militant, and in two recent incidents Christians were hospitalised with injuries sustained in mob violence. The General Secretary of one such group, Ravana Balaya, which launched an anti-Christian campaign on 15 July, said they would “advise” Christians to halt their activities but, if the Christians failed to take heed, the group would take firmer action.

Pray for Christians in Sri Lanka who face opposition from their neighbours, and ask God to protect them from further violence as they seek to maintain their witness (Acts 4:19-20).

Friday 14 Pray for a Sri Lankan pastor who

was knocked unconscious in a raid on his home. His family and four other Christians present were also attacked. They had gathered there for a meeting with the police about an incident the previous day in which the four had been threatened for holding a prayer meeting in their home. As they waited for the police to arrive, about 150 people surrounded the house and began shouting abuse. Breaking through the security fence around the property, some burst into the house and attacked those inside, while others used poles from the fence to smash the pastor’s van. Pray for this pastor and those with him, that the Lord will restore their health and strength and give them all courage to continue to meet for fellowship.

Saturday 15 Give thanks to the Lord for the

release of Pastor Chhedar Lhomi Bhote in Nepal. Pastor Bhote (now 37) was arrested after a mob of Hindu militants burned down his home in north-east Nepal. They claimed that they saw him killing a cow, an act considered a criminal offence in Hindumajority Nepal. After numerous petitions to the Nepali government, Pastor Bhote was released on 17 July after serving less than two years of a twelve-year sentence. Pray that Nepali Christians will remain faithful in the face of growing Hindu extremism.

Sunday 16 Lord Jesus, we pray to You today for Pastor Tandin Wangyal, who has been given a prison sentence of almost four years in the small nation of Bhutan, only because he received funds from outside the BARNABAS PRAYER NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2014

5

NOVEMBER 17 - 21 country to help support his ministry.

We give thanks that Pastor Thapa, who received a sentence of more than two years just for taking Pastor Tandin to a Christian seminar, has been able to pay a fine instead.

We ask that You will sustain our brothers at this time, reminding them that You Yourself know what it is to be arrested, tried and unjustly sentenced. May their faith not fail.

Monday 17 Cry out to the Lord for a group of Christians attacked in Boldipukur, Bangladesh. Around 50 Muslim attackers attacked workers at the church about 2am on 7 July and seized valuable items. They attempted to rape female church workers.

Police arrested twelve people in connection with the robbery. Pray that the assailants will be brought to justice and that the Lord will protect and heal His people.

Tuesday 18 Christians in Bolivia have launched a campaign against new government regulations that could result in the dissolution of religious organisations.

On 30 July the National Association of Evangelicals of Bolivia presented a Petition of Unconstitutionality to the country’s Constitutional Tribunal, seeking the repeal of Law 351. This law requires all religious organisations to reapply for legal standing and submit information on their leaders, members, activities and assets. If an organisation fails to submit the information, its legal registration could be revoked. Pray that this legislation will be repealed and that Bolivia will maintain religious freedom.

6

BARNABAS PRAYER NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2014

Wednesday 19 According to Christian

Solidarity Worldwide, there were 170 religious freedom violations in Cuba in the first half of this year. These included government authorities beating Christian pastors and church workers, dragging women away from Sunday services and enforcing arbitrary detentions, church closures and demolitions. Pray that the Lord will protect His Church in Cuba and that the Cuban government will establish religious freedom, allowing Christians to serve Him without fear (Luke 1:74).

Thursday 20 Thank the Lord that on 7

August the well-known Chinese Christian human rights lawyer Gao Zhisheng was released from prison. Gao, who has been outspoken about the need for greater religious liberty in China, has been in and out of prison since 2006. In 2008 he was even nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize for his efforts. During his latest imprisonment Gao Zhisheng experienced malnutrition and physical and psychological abuse. Please pray for Gao Zhisheng that he will recover from his years of hardship (Joel 2:25).

Friday 21 On 21 August Chinese Pastor

Zhang Shaojie was informed that his appeal against a twelve-year prison sentence had been refused. Zhang Shaojie had been a pastor at a state-sanctioned church and had worked with some of his church members to petition the government on behalf of disadvantaged groups, including Christians and migrant workers, in a land dispute. He was charged with “gathering a crowd to disturb public order”. Please pray for Pastor

NOVEMBER 22 - 25

Zhang Shaojie that God will use Him for His purposes in the long years to come in prison.

Saturday 22 Praise the Lord for the

1,226 houses built or repaired so far by Barnabas Fund for persecuted Christians living in Kandhamal, which is in the Indian state of Orissa. Hindu extremism is posing an increasing problem to the Christian minority in India. Orissa state was the scene of severe anti-Christian violence in 20078, resulting in around 60,000 Christians being made homeless. Pray for the speedy completion of the next batch of 305 houses currently under construction, and pray that Christians will no longer be the subject of violence from Hindu extremists.

An Indian Christian family outside the house that Barnabas has built for them in Orissa

Sunday 23 Almighty God, we pray for Christians and other non-Hindus in India, who have faced increasing pressure and violence since the Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party gained political power on 26 May. We pray for the victims of over 600 attacks on Christians and Muslims in the following three months. We ask that you will guide Prime Minister Narendra Modi to

ensure that he upholds the religious liberty enshrined in the Indian constitution. Please also guide our Christian brothers and sisters with Your wisdom to know how best to respond to the developing situation in a Christ-like way.

Monday 24 A Christian school and hostel in Madhya Pradesh state, India, became flooded after the authorities demolished a wall at the site on 23 July. A district official claimed the demolition was necessary in order to prevent flooding in a nearby housing colony. The school’s principal, however, has said that the colony was not in danger and that the local ultra-nationalist Hindu community had exerted pressure on the local government. Spectators who rushed to view the demolition shouted slogans often used

by Hindu extremists. Please pray for this school and for all the Christians in India who are facing increased pressure in the areas where Hindu extremism is on the rise.

Tuesday 25 On 16 July, a church in

the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh was attacked by Hindu extremists. The church in Bulandshahr district was stormed by a mob armed with hammers and hockey sticks and led by the area coordinator for the militant Hindu organisation Bajrang Dal. At the time of the attack the pastor and church members were engaged in a Bible study.

The pastor’s young daughter was amongst those beaten, and the cross on the roof was demolished. Pray that God will heal the victims’ wounds and that the assailants will be brought to justice.

BARNABAS PRAYER NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2014

7

NOVEMBER 26 - 30 Wednesday 26 Lift up Christians in the

Bastar district of Chhattisgarh state, India who have been ordered by the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) organisation to leave their villages “or suffer the consequences”.

The VHP is part of a network of extremist Hindu groups in India that perpetrate attacks against Christians and other minorities. More than 50 local councils in Bastar passed orders banning the entry of non-Hindu missionaries, but this was challenged in September by the Chhattisgarh Christian Forum who argued in the High Court that noone could stop the entry of Indians to villages on Indian soil. Pray for a legal ruling that will reinforce freedom of religion and allow the Gospel to be preached freely in Bastar. Pray that God will protect His people and that He will halt the advancement of VHP agendas.

Thursday 27 Pray for schools in Gujarat state, India, as the government has introduced nine school textbooks that strongly reflect the Hindu nationalist ideology of Hindutva and subtly denigrate non-Hindu religions. The books, which have been introduced in more than 42,000 schools, were written by activist Dina Nath Batra, a retired teacher known for his radical Hindu nationalism. Lift up in prayer the Christian students in these schools. Pray that they will be strong in the Lord as they face likely hostility in the classroom.

Friday 28 Lift up in prayer the Christians

who were injured when Hindu nationalists disrupted a prayer meeting in Coimbatore, India, on 3 August. The believers were gathered at the home of Mr Bagavathi, a

8

BARNABAS PRAYER NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2014

local Christian who had asked the pastor, Simon Stanley, to pray for his twelve-yearold daughter’s broken hand. Ten assailants broke into the house, barred the door from inside and beat the believers with iron bars; some of the victims were hospitalised. Pray that the Lord will heal His people and that the assailants will be brought to justice.

Saturday 29 Mehdi Vazari, a graphic

designer aged 28, and Amir Khan, a music graduate aged 27, are both Iranian converts from Islam to Christianity. They were arrested at the home of another Christian where they had gone to meet for prayer and Bible study.

Please pray for our brothers now in GhezelHesar prison and for dozens of other Iranian believers in jail. Pray that the Lord will enable them to count it all joy (James 1:2).

Sunday 30 Heavenly Father, we pray for Iranian church pastors currently in prison because of serving You. We lift to You Pastor Behnam, in solitary confinement, afflicted by serious health problems, and facing at least 18 charges and a possible death sentence. We lift to You Pastor Matthias, accused of the crime of “spreading corruption on the earth”, which carries a death sentence.

We lift to you Pastor Saeed Abedini from America who has received death threats from ISIS militants held in the same prison. We lift to You Pastor Farshid, held in the same prison as Pastor Saeed. We pray for their congregations left leaderless and desolate. Please be for each

DECEMBER 1 - 5 one their refuge and strength, a very present help in time of trouble (Psalm 46:1).

December Monday 1 Cry out to the Lord for the

estimated 200,000 Iraqi Christians and other minorities who have been displaced from their homes due to attacks by the Islamist militant group ISIS (also known as the Islamic State). Pray for all the displaced people, who have mostly lost everything they possessed. ISIS wants to eliminate Christianity in the territory they control.

Please pray for the Christians still living under its brutal rule. Ask God to protect them and give them courage and a hope for their future.

Tuesday 2 Give thanks to the Lord

that, through the generosity of Barnabas Fund supporters, over 30,000 displaced Christians in northern Iraq are being assisted through four local partner organisations on the ground. By funding the distribution of food, blankets, hygiene items and other basic needs, Barnabas has enabled them to survive their first months of displacement. But their needs will be greater

now, as the Iraqi winter has set in. Pray that God will provide.

Wednesday 3 Pray for hundreds of Christian, Yazidi and Turkmen women held in Badush Prison in Mosul, Iraq by ISIS militants. The women are reported to be raped daily unless they agree to convert to ISIS’s brand of Sunni Islam. The UN estimates that there have been roughly 1,500 Iraqi women and children from the Christian and Yazidi communities abducted

by ISIS and then forced into sexual slavery.

Ask our Heavenly Father to have mercy on each one of these women and children and to deliver them from evil.

Thursday 4 An Uzbek Christian who had converted from Islam died earlier this year and was buried. The local Muslim leaders banned any Muslim from attending the man’s funeral. But one of his work colleagues, a radical Muslim who had been struck by the Christian’s words and way of life, attended the funeral anyway, ignoring all the threats and warnings. She was puzzled by such a hostile reaction to a man she knew to be “God-fearing”. At the funeral she heard the Gospel and decided to give her life to Christ.

Pray for “F.” as she is now being discipled and growing in her new faith, that she will be strong in the face of opposition from the Muslim community.

Friday 5 Thank the Lord that, with the help

Barnabas is helping 30,000 displaced Iraqi Christians

of Barnabas Fund, two house churches in a strict Central Asian country were able to purchase coal-powered generators. Winters there are harsh, and the power supply can BARNABAS PRAYER NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2014

9

DECEMBER 6 - 9

be erratic. This particular congregation used to meet in a church building, but in 2009 their permit to assemble was revoked and seven of their members were questioned at the police station. Since then the church has had to meet in members’ homes. Pray that the Lord will continue to bless their ministry and that the generators will allow the church to continue to expand despite opposition from the government.

Saturday 6 “It is not typical for a man to show or talk about his weaknesses and admit them. These days the fear and pressure from the authorities and the Muslim world reveal the condition of my heart.”

A Christian leader in Central Asia shared frankly in a letter the way in which the constant pressure he faced was wearing him down. He wrote how, having finally recognised his fears and defeats, he had then received encouragement from the Lord through the words of 2 Corinthians 1:1-10.

Pray for our brother “M.T.” and the countless other Christians around the world living with ongoing opposition that the Father of compassion and God of all comfort will draw close and comfort them in all their troubles.

Sunday 7 Our Father in Heaven, we lift up our brothers and sisters serving sentences in labour camps in North Korea, whether foreigners like Kenneth Bae from the USA, or the far greater number of North Korean believers whose names we do not know but You do. Please pour out Your grace into their lives as they suffer hunger, exhaustion, pain 10 BARNABAS PRAYER NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2014

and imprisonment for the sake of Christ. May they continue steadfast in their faith, loving their enemies and praying for their persecutors.

May their Christ-like lives draw other North Koreans to You. Monday 8 Wao, a predominantly Christian

town on the island of Mindanao in the Philippines, is protesting against its inclusion in the new semi-independent Islamic region of Bangsamoro. Wao’s mayor, Elvino Balicao, is seeking exemption from the Bangsamoro government and its Islamic law and has asked that the town remain under the central government. He said that the town is 83% Christian and that local churches support exemption from Bangsamoro. Wao is in the centre of the Muslim-majority province of Lanao del Sur. Pray that the Lord will protect His people and that Wao will gain exemption from the Bangsamoro government.

Tuesday 9 It is just over a year since

Typhoon Haiyan swept across the Philippines, wreaking terrible destruction. Since then Barnabas has provided 1,920 shelter kits with

This new fishing boat for a typhoonaffected Christian family is called “Jehovah Jireh” (the Lord will provide)

DECEMBER 10 - 13

galvanised iron sheets, wood, nails and tools to help people rebuild their homes. We have also given 70 families fishing boats and nets, and helped hundreds of other families to start livelihoods with micro-businesses ranging from guitar-making to coconut-carving. Pray that the new small businesses will thrive and that the memory of the dreadful ordeal of the typhoon will strengthen the Christians’ faith and trust in God. Wednesday 10 Pray for 27 Christians, believed to be from various Asian countries, who were detained overnight by the Saudi authorities on 5 September for worshipping at a private home in Khafji. The home had been under surveillance since a neighbour had reported suspicious activities there.

Pray that the Lord will protect His people in Saudi Arabia, where it is illegal to practise a non-Islamic religion in public but supposedly permissible to do so in private.

Thursday 11 School text-books in Turkey

are still teaching that the Armenians and most other Christian minorities of the Ottoman Empire a century ago were agents of enemy foreign powers such as Britain and Russia. This, the books say, was the reason for what they call the “necessary deportation” of the Christians. Turkey still does not accept blame for the deaths of at least 1.5 million Armenian and Assyrian Christians, many massacred or dying of deprivation as they were force-marched out of their homeland.

Next year, 2015, is the 100th anniversary of the worst year of the Armenian and Assyrian Genocide. Please pray that the innocent suffering of these faithful believers

will be recognised by every country and that the world will resolve never to let such a genocide happen again.

Friday 12 Praise God that local police in

the village of Tehsil Summodri, Faisalabad District, Pakistan acted to withdraw false allegations of blasphemy against 31 Christians and 23 other villagers. The allegations under Section 295-C of the Pakistan Penal Code (which carries a mandatory death sentence) were made on 2 September when Christians were ploughing a piece of land given to them for free by its Muslim owner to extend the local Christian cemetery. A group of Muslims accused them of desecrating Muslim graves. The police investigation revealed that the land had been a Muslim cemetery many years earlier but the graves had been moved elsewhere. They changed the charges to the lesser ones under Section 297 (which carries a maximum prison sentence of one year or a fine). It is very unusual for the Pakistani police to defend the rights of Christians in this way. Pray that others will follow their example.

Saturday 13 Lift up the Christian lawyers

in Pakistan who represent Christian victims accused under the notorious “blasphemy” law. Many lawyers in Pakistan are not willing to represent those who have been accused of blasphemy due to the threats they themselves face from Islamist extremists if they do so. Barnabas Fund supports a group of Christian lawyers who make these cases their focus. They also help victims of other types of persecution, such as converts BARNABAS PRAYER NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2014

11

DECEMBER 14 - 17

from Islam. Pray for the safety of these lawyers and for their success in the courts as they seek to right injustices against the Lord’s people.

Sunday 14 Lord Jesus, we pray today for Christian mother Aasia Bibi as she endures a lengthy ordeal at the hands of the Pakistan justice system, imprisoned for five and a half years and on death row for more than four years, all because her Muslim co-workers falsely accused her of blasphemy. You know all her hopes and fears. You know how many times her legal appeal has been scheduled and then postponed at the last minute. Make very real to her Your words, “Do not let your hearts be troubled,” and protect her in prison.

May she have good relationships with prison staff and fellow inmates.

Comfort her husband and children.

Guide her legal team and the Pakistani courts that she may be given justice soon (John 14:1).

Monday 15 On 8 September the Nigerian town of Michika, Adamawa state, was targeted by Islamist militant group Boko Haram. The Kamwe people, who live in the area, are 95% Christian. “They came and devastated Michika town today, burning and shooting. As I’m writing now there is no single person in the town of Michika, everybody has run for his or her dear life, hence I cannot tell you the level of damage now. Keep praying for us,” emailed one Kamwe Christian as events unfolded. It 12 BARNABAS PRAYER NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2014

later emerged that scores of people had been killed, abducted and injured, and churches and a Bible school were reported destroyed. Lift up those who have lost loved ones and livelihoods in this attack. Pray for God’s protection over those who have been abducted and pray that all of the victims will remain strong in their faith.

Tuesday 16 At the time of writing, over 200 Nigerian schoolgirls kidnapped by Boko Haram in the middle of the night of 14-15 April are still missing. Most of them are Christians. Since their daughters were abducted from their school in Chibok, Borno state, eleven of the girls’ parents have died, some after heart attacks and stress-related illnesses. Other relatives have organised themselves into a grassroots protest group, which has attempted to maintain pressure on the seemingly inactive government. The protest group has endured harassment and intimidation from police. Please pray for the girls and their parents that the Lord will strengthen and uphold them (Isaiah 41:10).

Wednesday 17 Lift up in prayer our

brothers and sisters in South Sudan who are suffering from hunger and civil war.

Extreme drought and violent civil conflicts have prevented farmers from planting crops or tending their livestock; therefore, for the second time in a row, there will be no harvest in areas of the country. The UN is expecting an official famine to be declared in late 2014 or early 2015. Pray that the Lord will protect and provide for His people in South Sudan. Pray for peace and suitable weather for agriculture.

DECEMBER 18 - 21 Thursday 18 Tanzania is in the process of drafting a new constitution, with the help of a 600-member Special Constitution Assembly created for this purpose. The Special Assembly is 53% Muslim although Muslims are only 36% in the overall Tanzanian population. The Muslim members have proposed many Islamic elements for the new constitution, including sharia courts (called Kadhi courts in East Africa). Pray for Christians seeking to raise awareness of these vital issues amongst the non-Muslim population and that the new constitution will be neutral with regard to religion. Pray that Christian politicians will not yield to Muslim demands simply through fear or because they seek the votes of Muslims. The vote on the new constitution is scheduled for after the general election in October 2015.

250,000 children in S. Sudan are thought to be facing acute undernourishment (CC BY 2.0 / European Commission DG ECHO)

Friday 19 Pray for a Christian mother from

Zanzibar, Tanzania, called “Joyce” and her eleven-year-old son “Daniel” whom she has raised as a Christian. Daniel’s father converted to Islam and announced that Daniel also had become a Muslim. In May Daniel was seized by local Muslims while playing outside with other children, and hidden in the home of a sheikh. Joyce has

been to all the authorities, both secular and Muslim, but cannot get her son returned to her, even though the law is on her side. Her own home was attacked and she has fled to the mainland for safety. The High Court has ruled that Daniel must be returned to his mother, but up until the time of writing the Zanzibar police have simply ignored this. Pray that the Tanzanian authorities will restore this young Christian boy to his mother’s care.

Saturday 20 Give thanks that 50 Christian women from a Muslim background in Kenya are becoming self-sufficient with help from microloans from Barnabas Fund. The women were all living in a state of poverty after their Muslim communities rejected them for deciding to follow Christ. Over the course of six months, they received skills training and then a small loan. Pray that their businesses will continue to prosper so that the women can become completely financially independent. Ask the Lord for protection and grace for them to shine for Him in the Muslim communities where they live.

Sunday 21 Thank you, Lord, for answered prayer for five Christians from Laos who had been arrested and accused of murder. We rejoice that Mrs Kaithong, Mr Puphet, Mr Muk, Mr Hasadee and Mr Tiang have been found not guilty regarding the death of a sick woman who went to her local church for prayer and became a Christian. We thank you, too, that the eight grown-up children of the woman who died BARNABAS PRAYER NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2014

13

DECEMBER 22 - 26 have remained firm in their new Christian faith. We ask You, O God of justice, to help also the many other Christians around the world facing unjust accusations because of their faithfulness to You. Monday 22 The government of Laos appears to be seeking to eliminate any Christian presence in this Buddhist-majority nation with a Communist government. Praise the Lord for the courageous Christians who suffer bravely for their Lord, and really know what it is to deny themselves, take up their cross and follow Him (Luke 9:23). Pray that their witness will draw others to the Lord.

Tuesday 23 Please pray for a Christian hospital in Gaza that was able to continue functioning all through the fighting in the summer, carrying on its work even though half the hospitals in Gaza were damaged or destroyed in the violence. Huge numbers of patients suffered injuries, trauma or illnesses related to lack of sanitation, water or food.

Thank the Lord for this witness. Please also pray for the few Christians remaining in Gaza that the Lord will comfort and strengthen them in the strongly hostile environment in which they live.

Wednesday 24 Lift up in prayer a Christian

school in Bethlehem that is supported by Barnabas Fund. The school opened in 2003 with just 15 pupils and now has 460. Thanks to Barnabas Fund’s ongoing support even the poorest Christian families can send their children there and only pay minimal fees.

Give thanks for the Lord’s protection during

14 BARNABAS PRAYER NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2014

the turmoil and violence of the summer months. Ask that He continues to bless the school, its teachers, other staff and children.

One girl, who has been attending the school since it began, said, “I cannot think what my life would have been if I was not in this school. We acquire knowledge, we learn to behave and most of all, we understand the meaning of life through the Lord.”

Christmas concert at a school in Bethlehem that Barnabas Fund supports

Thursday 25 As we remember the coming

into the world of our Emmanuel (God with us), pray that His presence will be very real to Christians who suffer today for His Name, to those enduring hardship and abuse in prison, those who will go hungry today because of discrimination and injustice, those who face taunts and hostility daily at work or school, and those who are subject to pressure to convert to another religion.

Friday 26 Remembering that the infant

Lord Jesus Himself fled from threats of violence with His parents, pray for the Pakistanis from various persecuted minorities who had sought asylum in Sri Lanka but are now being deported back to

DECEMBER 27 - 30

Pakistan. This is happening despite protests by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees. Those being deported include Christians, Ahmadiyyas and Shia Muslims, all of whom are vulnerable to persecution in Pakistan. For example, any Christian who has been accused under the “blasphemy law” is at extreme risk of being murdered even if they have been cleared of the charges. Pray for their protection.

mother who had no proper roof over her head. We pray for these mothers and babies that you will provide for them, and for all the group of grieving Christians, filled with the pain of leaving the place they love and have grown up in. Please give hope and comfort to each one and give them the assurance that You are in control.

Saturday 27 At the time of writing,

Monday 29 In Syria, the Battle for

Sunday 28 Heavenly Father, we bring before you the Christians of northern Iraq who have suffered so much this year. We remember particularly the last group of Christians who fled from the town of Bartella and made their way east to find safety in Erbil. Six babies were born during the difficult journey. Father, we remember how your own Son was born at the end of a journey to a

Tuesday 30 The substantial Armenian Christian population of Syria are mostly descendants of Armenians who fled to Syria to escape from the Armenian Genocide, which peaked in 1915. The attacks of Islamist groups in Syria, which they now face, seem to them like another genocide.

But praise God for their courage and determination. When the mainly Armenian town of Kessab and its surrounding villages were attacked the inhabitants fled for safety

Islamists have been spraying graffiti on the walls of churches in Lebanon telling them that “ISIS is coming”. Refugees within Lebanon near the Syrian border have been shelled by ISIS forces. Lebanese Christians near the Syrian border are standing guard in the hills each night to protect their villages.

Reports say that ISIS fighters are already present in the country. Pray that the fragile peace that Lebanon has enjoyed in recent years may not be destroyed and that this relative safe haven for Middle East Christians will be protected. Pray that ISIS will be turned back long before it can destroy the Christians of Lebanon.

Aleppo has been raging since 2012, and its people have suffered dreadfully in the neighbourhoods that have been besieged and shelled for long periods. For some time it was the Syrian army against the rebels, but this summer ISIS militants also got involved and seized a number of villages around Aleppo from the rebel forces and yet were repelled from Aleppo itself by the army. Please pray for the Christians and all other innocent civilians in Aleppo, whether in rebel-held areas or government-held areas, who have suffered appalling deprivation and trauma for a very long time. Pray that Christians will be salt and light in this terrible situation.

BARNABAS PRAYER NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2014

15

DECEMBER 31

to Latakia. After the Syrian army had liberated Kessab, the Armenian families began to return to their homes, even though there was no electricity or water and they had to go back to Latakia every night to sleep. Elsewhere, when the situation in Homs stabilised, an Armenian congregation wanted to repair their church building first, but their church leader urged them to focus on making their homes habitable again. Pray that they may remain strong in the Lord.

New Zealand PO Box 27 6018, Manukau City, Auckland, 2241 Telephone (09) 280 4385 or 0800 008 805 Email office@barnabasfund.org.nz

Wednesday 31 The Western New Year,

like Christmas, is often a time of increased attacks on Christian minorities in other parts of the world. This is because it is believed to be a Christian festival. Pray for the protection of our brothers and sisters all around the world at this time. Though they may feel few in number, weak and vulnerable, pray that they will take comfort in the words of Elisha that “those who are with us are more than those who are with them” (2 Kings 6:15-17).

Australia PO Box 3527 Loganholme QLD 4129 Telephone (07) 3806 1076 or 1300 365 799 Fax (07) 3806 4076 Email bfaustralia@barnabasfund.org

Northern Ireland and Republic of Ireland PO Box 354, Bangor, BT20 9EQ Telephone 028 91 455 246 or 07867 854604 Email ireland@barnabasfund.org Scotland PO Box 2084 Livingston EH54 0EZ Telephone 07722 484742 Email scotland@barnabasfund.org

International Headquarters The Old Rectory, River Street, Pewsey, Wiltshire SN9 5DB, UK Telephone 01672 564938 Fax 01672 565030 From outside the UK Telephone +44 1672 564938 Fax +44 1672 565030 Email info@barnabasfund.org

UK 9 Priory Row, Coventry CV1 5EX Telephone 024 7623 1923 Fax 024 7683 4718 From outside the UK Telephone +44 24 7623 1923 Fax +44 24 7683 4718 Email info@barnabasfund.org

USA 6731 Curran St, McLean, VA 22101 Telephone (703) 288-1681 or toll-free 1-866-936-2525 Fax (703) 288-1682 Email usa@barnabasaid.org

www.barnabasfund.org Front Cover: Displaced Iraqi Christians in Erbil, in the autonomous region of Kurdistan Barnabas Fund is a Company registered in England Number 4029536. Registered Charity Number 1092935 © Barnabas Fund 2014 16 BARNABAS PRAYER NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2014