BRAZIL
February 2018
EVERYONE IS WITHIN HIS REACH by In ter n ation al P re s i de nt D i ck Ea st m a n
“There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.” — Galatians 3:28 (NIV)
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n my years with Every Home for Christ, I have had the privilege to travel around the globe over 120 times. I have visited thriving metropolises, where people with incredible wealth and influence conduct their business, and jungle communities, where people subsist from the land and literally live in the trees. I have met people rich and poor, educated and uneducated, powerful and marginalised. The world is a remarkably diverse place. But despite these many differences, there is one quality that joins everyone together. No matter who they are, where they live or what their situation is, everyone needs Jesus — and everyone is within His reach. At the foot of the cross we are all the same. The diplomat in New York City and
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the juvenile offender in Brazil both come to Jesus emptyhanded, and both receive the abundance of His grace. He is the Saviour of all. This is what drives our pioneer missionaries to reach every home in their nations. They will never visit a home where the people inside are beyond Jesus’ reach. This is something to celebrate, but it also means that we have a big responsibility. Everyone must hear the Good News of Jesus’ love and have an opportunity to know Him personally. As you read this issue of Every Home magazine, I hope you’ll rejoice with us that we are all one in Him. We may live in different cultures and speak different languages but, if we have placed our faith in Jesus, we are all part of the same diverse family. And what a beautiful family it is.
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Brazil by Josh Skaggs
“...we climbed back in the van, leaving behind a group of teenage boys who would finish their lessons, eat dinner, go to bed and wake again in locked cells.�
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e were already behind schedule when Pastor the exited Carlos highway and parked beside a high cement wall ringed with barbed wire. In broken English, he explained to me that he wanted to drop off some gospel literature B r a at the juvenile detention centre. He added, "We just go in - a quick visit". After being buzzed in through a heavy door, we emptied our pockets and passed through a metal detector. I deposited my smartphone in a bin, feeling as if I were leaving behind a lifeline. I had never visited a prison before. A guard patted me down and, playing on my uneasiness, asked, "Would you like to get a room in our halfstar hotel?" We were escorted down a yellow hallway to a room where boys in gray sweatshirts and sweatpants sat at desks. They eyed us as we entered. Some had braces, some had acne, and all looked remarkably young. I had difficulty imagining what crimes they had committed. Their teacher paused instruction while Pastor Carlos conversed quietly with her in Portuguese. I was shadowing Pastor Carlos to observe how he partnered with Every Home for Christ to disciple new believers in Brazil and, even though he dropped off EHC gospel booklets at the front desk for an upcoming outreach, I felt like we were going off script. Without warning, Pastor Carlos turned and gestured to me in a way that said "go ahead". I felt my pulse quicken. "What?" I whispered.
Gladson, our translator, told me, "He wants you to preach". "Now?" Pastor Carlose smiled broadly. I wanted to pull him aside for a conference, but I was aware of the boys' eyes on me. So I turned z i l to face them. Haltingly, pausing after every line to allow Gladson to translate, I stumbled through a rough presentation of the Gospel. Thirty minutes later, we climbed back in the van, leaving behind a group of teenage boys who would finish their lessons, eat dinner, go to bed and wake again in locked cells. I had done my part and preached the Gospel to them, but I was disheartened by the reality of their situation. What if nothing I'd said makes any difference? It was a question I'd ask myself a lot in recent months. Back home in Colorado Springs, I'd spent a year working with a 12-year-old boy named Caiden, who had been placed in foster care after his Mum and Stepdad fled arrest for selling illegal drugs. Every week, Caiden and I got together to look over his homework, go on hikes and eat out.
Pastor Carlos (right) stands with Luis Eduardo, a former drug addict whose life was transformed after enrolling in a Christian rehab centre and studying Nova Vida, an EHC discipleship curriculum. Luis now uses this course to disciple other recovering addicts.
“Don’t give up. Your faith will lead you to victory.” This encouragement is painted in Portuguese on the wall of a drug rehab center where EHC workers disciple recovering addicts.
As weeks turned into months, I grew to care for him more deeply than I’d thought possible. Caiden and I talked a lot about God, and together we dreamed of the kind of person he would like to become. He told me stories about his family, some of which were funny and some of which were tragic — often in ways he didn’t recognise. I often would drop him off at his foster home and drive home in tears, begging God to reach into his situation. Often I feared that things were only getting worse. I’d get a call that Caiden had hurled a rock through a window or been suspended for cussing out a teacher, and a sense of dread would settle on me. The trauma Caiden had experienced marked him deeply, and I feared these minor infractions would only escalate with age. On especially bad days, I imagined Caiden succumbing to his family history and landing in prison. My trip to Brazil came two weeks before Caiden moved to a new home in another state. I knew I probably wouldn’t see him again, and I wondered if anything I’d done would make a difference. As I climbed into Pastor Carlos’ van and drove to the outskirts of São José dos Campos, I tried to push Caiden from my thoughts and
focus on reporting. Pastor Carlos is a tall, white-haired man with an ever-present smile. I liked him immediately. While he steered the van down a steep road, I jostled to and fro in the seat behind him, propping open the sliding door with my leg so I could snap photos of the dilapidated houses we passed. Pastor Carlos explained that this was an incredibly dangerous neighbourhood and that we would not even have been allowed to enter if certain watchmen along the way had not recognized him and allowed us through. After interpreting this information, Gladson nervously asked me to close the sliding door. The entire neighbourhood was run by drug lords, some of whose kids Pastor Carlos was discipling. He called it his “project,” as if ministering to some of the poorest kids in São José dos Campos was something he did in his spare time. As we arrived for the night service, kids converged on us from every direction. Pastor Carlos and his team of volunteers had been working in this neighbourhood for years, offering after-school help, teaching practical skills and leading Bible studies.
The kids ranged from elementary age to high school, and nearly all came from poor families with drug problems and criminal records. As they gathered around us, talking over each other in Portuguese, I realised with a rush where I was — caught in a throng of kids like Caiden. “Can I interview them?” I asked Pastor Carlos. Matheus and Kaua sat opposite me and fidgeted as if they might be in trouble. I was fidgety too. I’d typed up a list of questions the night before, but the interview suddenly took on unexpected gravity. The two boys were a few years older than Caiden, and their situation was worse. Matheus had a history trafficking drugs and stealing, and Kaua’s older brother was in prison. I was sure they had seen things that would turn my stomach, yet they sat across from me awkward and gangly as any teenager I had ever met. I warmed them up with some easy questions. We talked about soccer and what they did in their free time, and when they seemed comfortable, I forged into deeper territory. They had been working through "Nova Vida" (New Life), an EHC discipleship curriculum used throughout Brazil. Earlier that day, I had picked up a copy of this paper booklet and was struck by how small and flimsy it felt. It reminded me of all the words I’d said to Caiden — words that were wellintentioned and filled with Scripture, but felt too weak to challenge the difficulties he faced. I asked Matheus and Kaua if studying "Nova Vida" had changed their lives in any way, and they both said that it had. But nods of agreement weren’t enough. I needed to know how the Gospel had changed them. Matheus replied first. “It matters to
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me — the resurrection — because God can save the worst people, the people who have the biggest problems in life.” At 16 years old, Matheus spoke with the authority of someone who had already experienced forms of death and resurrection in his own life. “Sometimes it’s hard,” he said. “Because there’s a temptation. It’s difficult to control. But everybody has a choice. You can choose which way you can go. I would like to have a good life with my dreams.” I momentarily lost my train of thought, caught off guard by the simple beauty of his answer. Turning to Kaua and fumbling for a new question, I asked what his favorite Bible verse was. He said, “The one in John that says that God so loved the world that—.” He stopped and laughed nervously.“I forget the rest!” Next, I sat with Judy, who met my eyes with a solemnity that made her seem older than her 13 years. She told me how much she had changed since choosing to follow God. “Every time I go to church, I sit down and I feel that God is present with me,” she said. “It’s changed me a lot, because before I used to fight people.” Boys teased Judy relentlessly at school, and she used to react violently. “I would lose my mind and then I would hit them,” she told me. Judy started coming to the project, and Pastor Carlos guided her through "Nova Vida". As she discussed the Bible with Pastor Carlos and her peers, she experienced a change that daily trips to the principal’s office hadn’t achieved. She found the inner resilience to turn away from violence. “I am a completely different person,” Judy said. She smiled for a photo, but her eyes were still sobre. She had spent that week looking for her brother who disappeared
for three days after getting involved in drugs. He returned a few hours before our interview, but the ordeal had troubled Judy. I stayed behind as she joined her friends in the next room. Composing my notes, I wondered how to tell these stories when I returned home. These kids’ testimonies were complex, refusing easy conclusions. To pretend that the Gospel solved all their problems would be a disservice to the ongoing challenges they faced. But in the midst of those problems, God’s power was unmistakable.
Above: Judy musters a smile for a photo. Only 13 years old, Judy has found the strength to resist violence and drugs through the power of the Gospel. Right: Matheus studies the Bible with his friends, as Pastor Carlos leads them through an EHC discipleship curriculum.
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These young men and women had encountered the Gospel, and they were transformed by its power. Their neighbourhood was still dangerous, and their homes were still broken — but their lives had changed. They had faith, and that faith changed everything. During my visit to the juvenile detention centre, a boy ran up to Pastor Carlos and gave him a big hug. They spoke rapidly in Portuguese, interrupting each other like old friends catching up. Later that day I asked Pastor Carlos who the boy was. “Tomás was a part of my project,” he responded, and then he laughed. “He didn’t listen!” This offhand remark — that Tomás hadn’t listened to Pastor Carlos’ message and had therefore ended up in a juvenile detention centre — bothered me at first. I thought of my worst fears for Caiden and wondered how Pastor Carlos could appear so unperturbed by Tomás’ sentence. One week later, my perspective shifted. I was back at work in the United States when I received an email from Brazil, giving some updates on various Christ Groups and outreaches I’d visited. As if it were an afterthought, the message included one final update. Pastor Carlos had received a call from the juvenile detention centre, informing him that 60 young men had requested discipleship. The facility’s overseers had granted Every Home for Christ open access to lead discipleship courses for its prisoners. My mind went to Tomás, the one whose story — by all appearances — didn’t have a happy ending. I realised that I had misread his situation. His story wasn’t over and neither was God’s pursuit. God’s love sought Tomás in one of the worst neighbourhoods in São José dos Campos, and when he chose the wrong path, God’s love followed him into a juvenile detention centre. He would never escape God’s pursuit. Months have passed since I said goodbye
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to Caiden. I miss him every day and wish I could be with him to see his story unfold. I want some kind of assurance, a guarantee, that he will choose the right path. Instead I have faith; a faith that God is working in every circumstance. It was this quality of faith that most impressed me about Pastor Carlos’ ministry. He knew the terrible situations his kids faced, but he worked among them with unflinching belief in the Gospel’s power. I wanted to know how. While we were visiting his project, I pulled Pastor Carlos aside and asked, “Knowing how difficult it is for a community like this to change, do you ever get discouraged?” In response, he told me a story. Earlier in the year, his kids had complained that the unpaved roads in their neighbourhood kept Pastor Carlos from visiting during the rainy season.Pastor Carlos encouraged them to pray and construction workers showed up soon after to pave all the roads. They started with a random side street — the street where the kids met and prayed. Clearly, Pastor Carlos wasn’t interested in talking about discouragement. He was more interested in talking about God’s power, which he had seen time and time again. I noticed tears filling his eyes.“ Maybe I won’t see it,” he said. His voice wavered while his smile held. “But someone will see the fruit from this seed. I’m going to plant, and someone else will harvest.” Those words have stayed with me. All around the world, in neighbourhoods most of us will never see, among people we will never meet, EHC missionaries are sharing the Gospel. Finding people on the outskirts — the ones who thought they were beyond anyone’s reach — they join in God’s relentless pursuit. He keeps rescuing, so they keep going. He keeps redeeming, so they keep believing. Even when they can’t see the fruit of their work, they know God’s salvation is sure. He never stops rescuing.
TOGO
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IMAGINE WHAT IT WOULD BE LIKE TO HAVE NO HEALTH SERVICES - NO DOCTORS - NO MEDICINES - NO HOSPITALS - NO DENTISTS - NO BIRTH CLINICS - NO WAY TO RELIEVE PAIN AND SUFFERING AND DISEASE. THIS WAS THE LIFE FOR MEN, WOMEN AND CHILDREN LIVING IN MIDAWAKOPE IN TOGO BEFORE EVERY HOME FOR CHRIST/GLOBAL CONCERN BUILT A MEDICAL CLINIC! Last year, as a result of the Togo Every Home for Christ/Global Concern Medical Clinic, lives were changed. No cases of malnutrition were noted among children under five years and there was also a 52% reduction in HIV prevalence throughout the community, no people testing positive out of the 23 HIV screening tests undertaken. Regarding malaria disease, the distribution of 72 mosquito nets to pregnant women during their prenatal consultation resulted in a decrease of 280 malaria cases. The clinic treated elderly people, orphans, children and people with disabilities as well as providing pre-natal and post-natal consultation and a birth clinic. As a result there were no maternal or child deaths. The clinic also started the construction of the medical staff accommodation which is a source of incentive for the staff to stay and offer quality care to this community. Regarding these achievements, we can say that the clinic project is on track to meet its objectives of sustainability. This clinic is wellaccepted in the community with the mayor and his officers giving technical support.The medical staff received regular support from Vo district hospital and the project engaged an architect and a local construction company for the design and construction of staff housing so that doctors and nurses could always be on hand for emergencies and shift work.
Mrs Agbobe Soameto lives in this village pictured below, which is typical of the villages being helped by the Every Home for Christ/Global Concern Medical Clinic. In the past, before this Every Home for Christ/Global Concern medical clinic was built, she used to self medicate with herbs and local treatments bought at the markets. She said that old people simply died in ignorance without any medical care. Now, with a medical clinic close to her village, many things have changed. Mrs Agbobe said - “Last year, some of my children benefited from free health
care initiated by the Every Home for Christ/Global Concern clinic and now I go quickly to the medical clinic whenever my family is ill. I am now pregnant and I have already attended the clinic several times for pre-natal consultations. I will deliver my baby at the clinic at the end of the pregnancy. Thanks to the clinic project for building the capacity of the community and helping orphans, people with disabilities and school boys and girls to have free health care.�
United Nations headquarters, New York City.
Losing Everything to Find Jesus G u a m by Rob Stennett
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ost of us have had a dream job we’ve striven for. Maybe it’s performing the lead role in a Broadway play, playing shortstop for the Red Sox or serving as a Justice on the Supreme Court. But what happens if we achieve our dreams — and still feel empty inside? When Emy Sanchez earned a position as Guam’s representative at the United Nations headquarters, she fulfilled a lifelong dream. As Deputy Permanent Representative in New York, she served the second highest official in her country and was at the epicentre of conversations that were impacting the world. “I enjoyed an extravagant life of being a woman who served the top-ranking diplomats at the U.N.,” Emy remembers. Emy should have been thrilled but she felt like something was missing. It was a still, small whisper she couldn’t shake and it led her to an unthinkable decision.
As Deputy Permanent Representative, Emy Sanchez served some of the top-ranking diplomats of the U.N.
“I came to realise that I needed to leave my job in foreign affairs and continue to search for something to fill the gap in my life,” Emy says. “Something was still missing.” She left her job, thinking she might be able to find fulfillment through further career training in Hawaii. It was during this time that she met Saki, a missionary with Every Home for Christ. Over dinner with a mutual friend, Saki began to share his story of faith, telling with a broad smile how Jesus had changed his life. “His testimony was so powerful and inspiring,” Emy recalls. “He encouraged me to start reading the Bible and that is when I began really wondering about God.” Emy grew up in a religious family but she had never known a personal relationship with God. A few nights after speaking with Saki, she went into her room and prayed for the first time. Emy opened her Bible to Isaiah 43:11 and read, “I, I am the Lord, and besides me there is no saviour” (ESV). The words shook her, giving her a fearful sense of God’s reality. In the quiet of her own room, Emy experienced something that changed the course of her life — God’s presence. Then she received an unexpected invitation. The president of Guam contacted her to request that she return to New York and resume her work with the United Nations.
EHC base in Yap. Emy stayed here for six weeks for an intensive time of seeking God’s presence.
Everything was set up — all she had to do was say yes to her dream again. But God was putting a new vision in her heart, and after a time of prayer, she turned down the job. “I decided to follow God even though I was scared at times,” Emy says. “I did not know what I was really getting myself into.” Seeking discipleship, Emy travelled to an EHC base on Yap, a small island in the Pacific Ocean. She had gone from the epicentre of the world in New York to the far corners of the earth in Micronesia to seek the meaning that had evaded her for so many years. Amani Lalabalavu, EHC National Director of Guam, helped Emy build solid foundations in her faith. It was the beginning of a close relationship with God. “When God spoke to me,” Emy says, “it was so overwhelmingly beautiful — beyond description. For the first time in my life, I felt deeply and intimately loved by God.” Emy planned to stay in Yap for two weeks but instead stayed for six. Joining an EHC outreach, she visited the home of a high-ranking diplomat.
The diplomat’s wife answered the door, and when she found out that Emy had come to preach the Gospel, she angrily turned her away. Emy felt humiliated. Only a few months before, she had served in higher positions than this woman’s husband, but now she had no job title or status. Her bank accounts g u a m were dwindling, and by worldly standards, she had lost everything. “For the first time in my life, I had nothing — only God,” Emy says. She gave up her initial dream but found a greater dream in God. It gave Emy an unexpected sense of freedom, a new confidence to follow God wherever He led. After her season of discipleship in Yap, Emy moved to Palau and got a job as a high school teacher. Since surrendering herself to Jesus, her life has changed completely. “I feel so strong, like I can overcome anything,” she says. “I know where I stand in this world. I know who God is to me, and who I am to Him.” Emy thought she had her life figured out. She thought she had achieved her dream, but God gave her a life she’d never imagined — a life with Him.
You help change lives like Emy’s when you give using the accompanying envelope
Australia: PO Box 168 Penshurst NSW 2222 Telephone: (02) 9570 8211 Facsimile: (02) 9570 4738 New Zealand: PO Box 31-260 Milford North Shore City 0741 Telephone: Free call 0800 900 200 Facsimile: 0061 2 9570 4738 www.everyhome.org.au E-mail: ehc@everyhome.org.au www.everyhomeforchrist.org.nz
FEBRUARY 2018 Bible Readings: This month the daily text will be taken from 2 Samuel. For those wanting to do the one-year Bible reading program these chapters are in brackets.
As plans are being considered to visit every house in Australia and New Zealand with gospel literature, pray God will make this possible.
PRAY EVERY DAY
8,284,648 houses
1,561,956 houses
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PRAY FOR YOUR FAMILY Sons, daughters and grandchildren, plus others to come to Christ. Get a piece of paper and write down their names.. Get their photos and pray everyday for their salvation/eternity without Christ is a long time! 2 Samuel 4 (1 Timothy 4 -6) DIPLAVE POKHREL Praise God that Diplave has been granted a Visa for 2 years. Please keep praying for Diplave to get an Australian Permanent Residency Visa as soon as possible. 2 Samuel 5 (2 Timothy 1:1 to 2:13)
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CHRISTINE RAINER Please pray for Christine Rainer, the wife of one of our former EHC Board Members. She has recently had a large, fast-growing cancerous tumour removed from her groin and is recuperating. However the latest scan shows that the cancer has now spread to the muscle and she will need radiation. Christine has asked that we join our prayers with hers that the Lord would miraculously heal her of this cancer. 2 Samuel 6 (1 Corinthians 15) CREATIVE ACCESS In two districts, there are no roads to access remote villages. Our workers rarely have access to small planes and, therefore, hike or ride yaks, horses or donkeys to reach these small villages high in the mountains. Please pray for our workers as they labour to share the love of Christ. 2 Samuel 7 (2 Timothy 2:14 to 4:22) ZIMBABWE Pop. 16,150,000 Map. 9 Even in the wake of a transitioning government, new believers are coming to Christ, being baptised and finding a new home in the Body of Christ. Please pray for the peace of God to reign over Zimbabwe so that the Gospel may continue to go forth in power. 2 Samuel 8 (1 Peter 2:11 to 4:11)
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ARMENIA Pop. 2,900,000 Map.104 Recently our team went to a neigbouring country to do organised gospel programs for kids in school. The program is planned for 10 additional schools. Please join our prayers for both the students and their parents to be reached by the Gospel. 2 Samuel 8 (1 Peter 4:12 to 5:14) CREATIVE ACCESS One of our volunteers was severely beaten. Please pray that God not only heals this man's body, but will use this circumstance to bring glory to the name of Jesus. 2 Samuel 9 (2 Peter 1) MEXICO Pop. 127,500,000 Map.178 "Evangelism is not a once-a-yar activity, it is a permanent activity," says Pastor Curtis in Mexico City. "The challenge is to always continue evangelising". Please pray for a fresh passion to fall on the Church in Mexico. 2 Samuel 10 (2 Peter 2) CREATIVE ACCESS Please pray for our director in this closed nation, who will be leading an evangelism training seminar on a nearby island. Pray that God will stir the hearts of local believers to be bold in sharing their faith. 2 Samuel 11 (2 Peter 3) FRANCE Pop. 66,600,000 Map. 89 For several months, our team and participating churches have striven to reach 180,000 new homes with gospel messages. As our team shares the love of Jesus with these homes, pray that God will show Himself to these families in mighty ways. 2 Samuel 12 (1 John 1-2) CREATIVE ACCESS Please pray for the future of this closed nation. Shifting political power may lead to greater religious tolerance. Pray that God will work in the hearts of these leaders so that the Gospel may be proclaimed where His name is not yet known. 2 Samuel 13:1-15 (1 John 3-4)
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HONDURAS Pop. 9,100,000 Map. 182 With boldness and courage, members of the Noah's Ark Church took the Gospel to one of the most dangerous neighbourhoods in the capital city of Tegucigalpa. Please pray this church continues to reach souls with the life-changing news of Christ. 2 Samuel 13:16-39 (1 John 5)
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TANZANIA Pop. 55,600,000 Map. 16 "We saw souls embrace salvation, sick people receive healing and others delivered from evil," says one outreach team member who just returned from a trip to Kibaha and Masasi. Please pray that the Gospel will continue to change lives throughout Tanzania. 2 Samuel 14 (2 John)
MICRONESIA Pop. 100,900 Map. 165 Praise God for His faithfulness in the harvest! When our team visited a hospital with gospel messages, eight people gave their lives to Christ. Please pray for these new believers to grow in faith, asking that they can be an encouragement to others in the hospital. 2 Samuel 19:27-34 (Revelation 8:6 to 11:19)
SRI LANKA Pop. 21,200,000 Map.131 Please pray for the upcoming Seekers Conference. Our workers plan to gather all who have gone through our program and invite others as well. They will also be doing outreach in the local neighbourhood. Pray that this gathering will be successful. 2 Samuel 15:1-14 (3 John) PERU Pop. 31,800,000 Map. 217 Praise God that our team has partnered with 50 leaders from different churches in Peru to mobilise them in six cities on the Peruvian coast. Pray that God will bring unity to these partnerships and that the Gospel will run swiftly through their efforts. 2 Samuel 15: 14-37 (Jude) ETHIOPIA Pop.102,400,000 Map.29 Our Mobile Training Centre working in the city of Harar organised a campaign in one of the poorest areas in the city. Please pray that our workers will be able to bring the hope and life of the Gospel to those who are in need. 2 Samuel 16 (Revelation 1) CREATIVE ACCESS Workers in this closed nation are seeking a place of worship. "We are praying that God would provide a small piece of land to build a house of prayer and worship, and also for one guitar." Please pray that God would provide all that they need to bring glory to His name. 2 Samuel 17 (Revelation 2-3) EAST TIMOR Pop. 1,300,000 Map. 144 Batugade is a city heavily trafficked by travellers from nearby Indonesia. Intermingling cultures and beliefs come together to create an open atmosphere for sharing the Gospel. Please pray for the Holy Spirit to reveal Jesus to everyone who hears the Good News. 2 Samuel 18:1-17 (Revelation 4) HAITI Pop.10,900,000 Map.191 Please pray that God brings wisdom and direction to our team in Haiti. Our team is passionate about 2018 being another year of fruitful ministry and is eagerly seeking His guidance. 2 Samuel 18:18-33 (Revelation 5) SENEGAL Pop. 15,400,000 Map. 47 Please pray for God to pour out His blessing on the ministry taking place in Thiofior, a village. Pray that God uses our workers to open the spiritual eyes of people so that they turn their hearts and affection to Jesus. 2 Samuel 19:1-26 (Revelation 6:1 to 8:5)
GUINEA Pop.12,400,000 Map.45 Please pray for a seeker in the Mamou region who had an authentic encounter with Christ. He visited a local church and is now facing persecution from others. Please pray that the Holy Spirit will grow his faith and he'll make a decision to follow Jesus. 2 Samuel 20 (Revelation 12-14) CREATIVE ACCESS Local authorities intimidate individual believers to turn them away the faith. Two of our workers were summoned by police, who tried to force them to renounce Jesus. Pray that God will both strengthen our workers and soften the hearts of their oppressors. 2 Samuel 21 (Revelation 15-16)
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VENEZUELA Pop. 31,600,000 Map. 214 Please continue to pray for the social unrest in Venezuela. Pray that God will show His peace and love to individuals being hurt by violence and that many will turn to Him for hope. 2 Samuel 22:1-26 (Revelation 17-18) SWITZERLAND Pop.8,400,000 Map. 62 Please pray for the more than 30,000 residents of the Swiss canton of Vaud. Pray that God unifies our workers with partner churches to reach and disciple communities. 2 Samuel 22:27-51 (Revelation 19) LIBERIA Pop. 4,600,000 Map. 42 Please pray for the residents of Jacob Town, where witchcraft and secret societies exist. There are many priests and priestesses who are resistant to seeing the Gospel in this community. Pray that the Holy Spirit will penetrate their hearts with the love of Jesus. 2 Samuel 23 (Revelation 20) CREATIVE ACCESS Please pray for all those who heard the Gospel during two big outreaches that our team recently led. Pray that the Holy Spirit will continue to minister to their hearts and that many will come to know Jesus as their Saviour. 2 Samuel 24 (Revelation 21) COLOMBIA Pop. 48,700,000 Map. 215 The Neuvo Camino church brought the love of Jesus to a marginalised community through hot meals, haircuts and the preaching of the Word. Some who felt abandoned by the Church reconciled with God. Please lift up all who were reached in your prayers. 2 Samuel 24 (Revelation 22)
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PRAY FOR ISRAEL ROMANS 11:28