WEC Pray - Spring 2017

THE WEEK-PER-VIEW PRAYER GUIDE OF WEC INTERNATIONAL Myanmar – pray for persecuted Christians page 3 Neighbours Worldwide – reaching Leicester page 7 Pray for WEC in the Gambia page 16

PRAYER FUEL FOR REACHING HED THE UNREAC 2017 wec-uk.org

SPRING

He is risen!

Let’s celebrate Jesus’ victory and pray for the millions yet to hear of it page 17

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K U C WE

EDITORIAL

Prayer makes an impact A pastor was leading a time of prayer in his home, adjacent to the church building. He and the church members were deep in fervent prayer when suddenly they heard an angry mob attacking and G PRAYER FUEL FOR REACHINTHE UNREACHED SPRING 2017 ransacking the church building next door.

The mob had come from across the road, where they’d been meeting according to their own religion. But they’d felt disturbed and unable to fulfil their religious practices.

Thankfully the Christians managed to get away unharmed before the mob then entered the pastor’s house and destroyed things there too. It He is risen! was a frightening experience for them.

K.ORG WEC-U What intrigued me, when I heard this, was that the people who WEC UK exists formed the mob somehow knew that their own praying and religious activity were being disturbed by the Christians across the road — and to take the they wanted to stop it. They knew it was the Christians in prayer who good news to the peoples and nations were disrupting things! who have yet to hear This is a real, practical example of prayer impacting the spiritual it: the good news climate and disrupting other spiritual powers. that Christ came to Knowing the impact of prayer, it’s perhaps not surprising then that a bring forgiveness of worker in South Asia, after moving to a new town, wrote, “I feel God has sins and peace with called me to battle in prayer for this needy town, where there are very God, and to displace few workers. Please pray with me as I walk the streets seeking God’s hatred with love. presence and blessing for the people here.” wec-uk.org Let’s take the information in this last edition of WorldwideXtra and facebook.com/WECUK use it in prayer to impact the spiritual climate of the places mentioned. twitter.com/wecuk Let’s not underestimate the place of prayer and what we’re involved in.

Again, I want to thank John Gravett for all his work in putting WEC UK together the material in this edition.

PO Box 6461

Coventry God bless you and stir you as you pray through WorldwideXtra.

CV3 9NR Jeremy Ellis, WEC UK prayer mobiliser THE WEEK-PER-VIEW PRAYER GUIDE OF WEC INTERNATIONAL

Myanmar – pray for persecuted Christians page 3 Neighbours Worldwide – reaching Leicester page 7 Pray for WEC in the Gambia page 16

wec-uk.org

!!

Let’s celebrate Jesus’ victory and pray for the millions yet to hear of it page 17

WorldwideXtra

PRAYER NEWS Jeremy Ellis and John Gravett ART EDITOR Chris Lawrence email design@wec-uk.org To get in touch please email worldwide@wec-uk.org WorldwideXtra desires to cover all of God’s world in prayer.

WEC does not necessarily work in the countries mentioned.

Unless otherwise marked scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version Anglicised. Copyright ©1979, 1984, 2011. Used by permission of Hodder & Stoughton Publishers. All rights reserved.

WorldwideXtra is produced by WEC Media & Communications, Coventry. Printed by Custard Apple Print, Bradford, on responsibly sourced paper. Please recycle this magazine.

Donations towards the cost of production are gladly received.

Copyright © WEC UK 2017. Permission is granted for the reproduction of text from this publication for WEC UK’s promotional use. For all other uses please contact us.

WEC International is a registered charity in England, Wales & Scotland, numbers 237005 & SCO37715.

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THANK YOU

Financial receipts to the WEC UK Finance Office for the months of Sept-Nov 2016 Total receipts: £468,178 Designated gifts: £159,343 Personal support: £255,058 We thank God for his faithful provision.

All correspondence about financial gifts for WEC International or for WEC workers should be addressed to: Finance Office, WEC International (UK), PO Box 6461, Coventry CV3 9NR. T 01753 278109 E finance@wecuk.org Please state if a gift is to be designated for an individual, ministry or project. Cheques should be made payable to ‘WEC International’.

WEC-UK.ORG

29 January–4 February

PRAYER NEWS

Myanmar

➜ Pray for the continuing growth of the church.

While the majority of believers still come from certain ethnic minorities, there is an increasing response from the buddhist majority, particularly monks. Momentum in evangelism is building as an indigenous missions movement begins to flourish.

➜ Pray for those who are

trying to present the gospel in a culturally acceptable way.

Urban and rural poverty are endemic to Myanmar. Hidden behind wealthier houses in the city of Yangon are side roads cluttered with bamboo shacks.

Many of the families living here have come from country villages. In the village they were rice farmers, but in order to pay for fertiliser or seedlings, they got into debt. They simply could not produce enough rice to survive and make even a small profit, so they were forced to leave the village and go to towns to look for work. Because

WEC-UK.ORG

» Free from oppression Myanmar, also known as Burma, was long considered a pariah state while under the rule of an oppressive military junta from 1962 to 2011. The generals who ran the country suppressed almost all dissent – symbolised by the house arrest of opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi – and stood accused of gross human rights abuses, prompting international condemnation and sanctions.

A gradual liberalisation process has been under way since 2010. The country is expected to see a major shift after the government changed hands early in 2016.

In May 2008 Cyclone Nargis left thousands dead, millions homeless, and acres of land devastated.

Would you join us in prayer for the Lord’s kingdom to be established in Myanmar? Contact us: info@wec-uk.org

to needy urban areas previously neglected by government.

of the debts they face, returning home is not possible.

➜ Pray for these families to find safe, home-based industries to work within. ➜ Pray for groups of Christians to be given access

Chinh LeDuc/unsplash.com

Buddhism has special status in Myanmar and is the dominant religion. Freedom of religion exists, at least according to the constitution, and Christianity and Islam are strong minority groups. The combination of ethnic, political and religious differences along with violent opposition means that some christian minorities have encountered suffering and persecution.

➜ Fisherman Pray for the people of Myanmar

More than 150 ethnic groups live in Myanmar, each with its own distinct language, culture, and worldview. The largest group, the Bamar people, number more than 30 million, while the smallest is barely in the tens of thousands.

➜ Pray for the predominantly

christian ethnic groups, the Karen, Kachin and Chin, that they would faithfully live out the gospel. ➜ Pray for the Holy Spirit to bring repentance and revival to the church in Myanmar, for a love for the Word of God, and for God to break down divisions of suspicion and rivalry. ➜ Pray for whole families to come to know Christ.

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PRAYER NEWS

5-11 February

Reimagining WEC UK Since WEC was founded in 1913, the world has changed enormously. So have the culture and make-up of the UK Church, and also the challenges we face in fulfilling the Great Commission.

Having a flexible structure and being adaptable to changes within society and the Church are essential for effectiveness in the work of evangelism.

This desire for greater effectiveness has motivated the restructuring of WEC UK that has been taking place over the last two years, and is still ongoing. The emphasis is not on buildings but on people, and how a family of many different workers can be more effective in the work of the gospel.

One integral aspect of this restructuring focuses on how workers are encouraged, supported and helped in their task of seeing the unreached reached. Member Care is the ongoing preparation, equipping and empowering of missionaries so that they can remain healthy, resilient and effective in their life and ministry in God’s service.

Member Care addresses all aspects of the well-being of missionaries and their dependents. It includes spiritual, emotional, relational, physical and economic matters.

Member Care seeks to empower missionaries to make healthy choices by offering ongoing training and resourcing in all these areas. It seeks to be preventative as well as

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Rémi Walle/unsplash.com

» Aiming for effectiveness

➜ Helping

hand Pray that we will care for ourselves and others

restorative. It is integral to all aspects of mission. It begins with selection and continues throughout the missionary life cycle through re-entry to retirement.

The WEC UK member care model has Master Care at its heart, referring to the need to continually refresh and deepen our relationship with Christ.

The priority for any follower of Christ is to cultivate their relationship with the Lord.

be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.” (Eph 3:16-19) Self Care is the backbone of the WEC model, the basic principle being that each worker should take the initiative for certain things themselves. This is followed by Sender Care where support and help is provided by the Member Care and Personnel Hub, now based in Coventry.

➜ Pray for those providing

➜ Pray for workers known

support and advice, that they may be in a good place themselves for helping others. ➜ Pray for those receiving particular help and support at this time.

“I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith . . . that you may

“And this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight . . . filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ – to the glory and praise of God.” (Phil 1:9-11)

to you that, day by day, they will become more Christlike.

WEC-UK.ORG

PRAYER NEWS

12-18 February Japan

The task facing Christians in Japan is certainly challenging.

Japan is a country with borders wide open for missionaries to enter but the hearts of the people are largely closed.

In the last 150 years, since Japan opened up to the outside world, only a few, around 0.3% of the population, have become Christians. The Church does amazing things with its limited resources: training pastors, producing home-grown praise songs, making evangelistic TV programmes, even sending missionaries overseas.

WEC works closely with the 15 churches that have been planted since arriving in 1950.

Most of these churches are now under Japanese national leadership. With complete freedom to evangelise, almost anything can be tried as a means of reaching people.

Gospel choirs in many churches bring together people who like to sing: christian and non-christian. l Catherine Porter (UK) plays her harp at concerts and takes time one-to-one with people still displaced following the terrible tsunami of 2011. l Peter Chu (Hong Kong) runs karate classes. l At Christmas Chungkyu Lee (Korea) dresses as Santa and gives out presents to his neighbours. l Shuichi and Elaine Kitamura (Japan/Australia) run film outreach events.

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» Good news for Japan Population: 125 million Fewer than 2 million Christians Fewer than 600,000 evangelicals How do you go about presenting the gospel in a country ... where very few people lack the basic essentials, where the population is well-educated with 100% literacy, where there is top-quality medical care, where people are very busy, where secular thinking prevails, where religion is pushed to the side and regarded as old-fashioned, where there are temples everywhere, together with a nagging superstition, where Christianity is regarded as foreign and irrelevant, where the language is reckoned as one of the most difficult for Westerners to learn?

l Bee Choo Ong (Singapore) trains christian students to mentor others. l Edi Wilson (UK) teaches in a christian international school. l Peter Wilson (UK) conducts christian weddings in hotels. l Dean and Lilian Kim (Korea) open the church building to elderly people for coffee.

Dean takes his Korean class students on trips to Korea. l Kinfai Choy (Hong Kong) has been meeting other men at a men’s cooking class. l Hongyun Cheon (Korea) works with a story-telling club. l Priscilla Kok (Hong Kong) is part of a kung-fu club. l John and Samantha Tan (Singapore) systematically

prayer walk their city.

The potential openings for meeting people in Japan and witnessing to Jesus are almost endless.

➜ Pray for these workers and

the methods they are using to reach out with the gospel, that they will bear fruit. ➜ Pray for a greater openness among the Japanese people. ➜ Pray for encouragement for Japanese Christians, who often belong to very small churches. ➜ Pray too for more missionaries to take advantage of Japan’s ‘open door’. “... pray for us that the message of the Lord may spread rapidly and be honoured ...”

(2 Thess 3:1)

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PRAYER NEWS

19-25 February

Worldwide—pray for our workers “The key to the missionary’s difficult task is in the hand of God, and that key is prayer, not work – that is, not work as the word is commonly used today, which often results in the shifting of our focus away from God. The key to the missionary’s difficult task is also not the key of common sense, nor is it the key of medicine, civilization, education, or even evangelization. The key is in following the Master’s orders – the key is prayer.

‘Pray the Lord of the harvest ...’ In the natural realm, prayer is not practical but absurd. We have to realise that prayer is foolish from the common sense point of view. ” Oswald Chambers

Pete and Zanne Joy, Northern France / Belgium: Pray for those we are discipling, from a variety of backgrounds; that they would embrace Christ’s mission and start a movement of disciple makers, transforming their families, communities and nations. Together, with the Holy Spirit, they can do this better than we can.

Petr and Veronika Tichy, Czech Republic: Please pray that the addicted men coming to our Betel centre would be changed by the power of the gospel. Pray that some of them would become leaders and help others to break free from addiction.

Adam and Nicola Lowe, UK: Pray that we will be effective in our ministry of mobilising,

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Patrick Fore/unsplash.com

» Prayer is the key

➜ Let's pray Thank you for your prayers for our workers

processing, training and sending short term workers.

Pray that those workers will deepen their relationship with Christ, develop a missional heart, and bless those they serve.

Ian and Carminha Speirs, Leeds, UK: Praise God for the growing number of Iranians turning to Christ. Please pray for those in deep depression who need extra help and counselling. Pray too that our home will be a place of outreach and refuge.

Workers in the Far East: Pray for the buddhist monks and nuns in our town to encounter Jesus through dreams and visions as well as through reading the scripture portions that have been left with them

over the last seven years. Pray that they would become people of influence for the Kingdom.

Ruth Priestley, Bourofaye Christian School, Senegal: The verse we chose for this year is ‘More of him, less of me.’ (adapted from John 3:30) and this is our prayer as a leadership team, for our staff and children. May we be looking to him and his desires for the school, not our own.

Please pray for wisdom in my teaching and also in leading the primary department.

Matt and Rachel, Australia: Pray as we continue to adapt to Australia and get to know churches in Perth. Pray for wisdom as we serve churches and enable those of all ages from the church to engage with missions and get more involved.

Chris Lawrence, UK: Pray that the Comms team will promote and effectively communicate the work of WEC to the UK Church in creative and helpful ways.

WEC-UK.ORG

26 February–4 March

PRAYER NEWS

UK—Neighbours Worldwide

➜ Thank God for the many

asylum seekers from all over the world who are coming to Jesus. ➜ Pray for God's peace and deep healing as they process the traumas of the recent past. ➜ Pray for peace as they wait months, and even years, for their cases to be heard, and pray their applications will be resolved with justice. ➜ Pray that asylum seekers will have boldness and vision to reach out to others.

International Postgraduates “Hello my dear Good Samaritan!

I'm the lost sheep... Have you read those parables in the Bible?

I love them!”

That was a text message from a student of “English Through the Bible”, a special English language course.

Through English lessons the spouses of international postgraduate students are being shown the love of Jesus are invited to find out who he is.

WEC-UK.ORG

»The world is on our doorstep About six years ago, members of Neighbours Worldwide travelled from Birmingham to Leicester to pray and ask God to establish a WEC team in the city. In answer to those prayers there is now a small WEC team in the early stages of becoming established in Leicester.

Those in the team have identified three groups of people they would like to focus on: asylum seekers, postgraduate international students, and the settled population of Leicester – Hindus, Muslims and Sikhs – many of whom have lived in the UK for over 30 years.

➜ Pray that postgraduates

will have chances to connect with God's people while they study in the UK. ➜ Pray for their spouses who come to English lessons, especially those who attend the ‘English Through the Bible’ Nina Strehl/unsplash.com

Asylum Seekers A team member writes, “32 people of 12 nationalities attended our recent picnic. Many were from our church’s international community, but some were friends they had brought along. Our challenge is to disciple the believers and encourage them to keep reaching out to other asylum seekers in Leicester, while developing ways in which those who are drawn in by what they see, can be brought to Jesus.”

course, that God will reveal Himself to them. ➜ Pray for courage, boldness and peace for those who will consider committing their lives to Jesus.

The Settled Population Team members are developing friendships with individual families they meet in their neighbourhood, but would like guidance from God about bigger initiatives, such as door-to-door work, to reach the settled communities of Leicester.

➜ Pray that God will deepen

and use the friendships we have already made – with some hindu neighbours, a Turkish family, and a Gujarati muslim family.

God has led one team member to Leicester to focus on Somalis.

➜ Heads up Pray for and

reach out to your neighbours

➜ Pray for openings into this community.

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PRAYER NEWS

5-11 March

Thailand—Wingspan The Spirit of God is re-energising the prayer lives of many Christians and restoring passion for prayer that makes a difference in the world. Many are praying for missions from their homes, work places, and church gatherings. Among this growing company of pray-ers are those who want to take a courageous step beyond praying for nations from a distance. They want to be pray-ers who GO. Wingspan is a ministry within WEC International, based at the Global Harvest Prayer Room in Chiangmai, Thailand, and focused on prayer mobilising, teaching and training designed to: l Shape lifestyle prayer growth. l Sharpen strategic prayer for Kingdom advance. l Serve a movement of pray-ers who GO. There are prayer adventure opportunities for people who want to be part of a movement of pray-ers who GO: That is, people who believe prayer is the cutting edge for advancing Christ’s Kingdom in the world, and are willing to relocate in order to do their praying in or near an unreached nation or people group. Here are two such opportunities: Join a church planting team as a prayer worker Prayer is core practice for all followers of Christ, but some have a desire and leading from God to do the work of prayer as their main assignment for him.

They might not be gifted evangelists, church planters or

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Aaron Burden/unsplash.com

» Pray-ers who GO

➜ Bow the

➜ The development of

knee Wingspan resources to train front-line focuses on prayer workers. prayer mobilising Become part of a ‘Gateway Prayer Team’ (GPT) This is an opportunity for pray-ers who GO to be part of a prayer team focused on the Bible teachers, but want to nations, church planting serve Christ’s mission as prayer ministries and workers in a workers. Pray-ers who GO are region. The immediate plan is able to join front-line church for a team praying into the planting teams for an 10 nations of ASEAN (The adventure in onsite prayer Association of Southeast Asian ministry that includes learning Nations*). ASEAN has six of the the culture and spiritual world’s top 10 buddhist nations, make-up of the target people, so a harvest breakthrough will and praying for them as well as have a major impact in the for the workers and ministries buddhist realm. of the church planting team. ➜ Pray for five prayer workers

Pray for: ➜ People with a heart for prayer and Christ’s mission, who will say, “YES!” to being pray-ers who GO. ➜ Local churches to see the urgency and strategic value of sending pray-ers who GO to front-line places (short or long term).

needed now for the ASEAN Gateway Prayer Team at the Wingspan base in Chiangmai, Thailand. Ask the Lord to send people with a heart for Asia and for harvest breakthrough in the buddhist world. *List of ASEAN members: Thailand, Cambodia, Laos, Vietnam, Myanmar, Malaysia, Singapore, Philippines, Brunei, Indonesia.

WEC-UK.ORG

PRAYER NEWS

12-18 March India—Holi

➜ Pray that the millions who

take part in the festivities will be caused to reflect on what they are doing and its meaning.

Underlying the festivities is the

WEC-UK.ORG

» Festival of colours Holi is a major hindu spring festival, also known as the ‘festival of colours’.

When we think of the hindu world, our minds turn to India because it is there that 900 million of the world’s 960 million Hindus live. Holi is a big event across India, and amongst Hindus in other countries around the world too.

The date of Holi is different every year. In most of India, Holi is celebrated the day after the full moon in March. However, it is celebrated a day earlier in some parts of eastern India.

This year, Holi is on Monday 13 March.

celebration of the victory of good over evil.

“The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.” (1 Cor 15:56-57)

➜ Pray that those celebrating may become aware of Jesus’ victory over sin and death.

➜ Pray for spiritually blind Maxime Bhm/unsplash.com

Holi has many purposes. Firstly, it celebrates the beginning of spring. It is a time of enjoying spring's abundant colours and saying farewell to winter.

It also has a religious significance. Different legends from hindu mythology are associated with Holi. Some legends are more significant than others in some parts of India. For example, in south India, people follow the tradition at Holi of worshipping Kaamadeva, the love god of Indian mythology.

Prior to Holi, the market places are extra busy with people shopping in preparation for the festival. Special foods are prepared at home for Holi.

On the eve of Holi, bonfires are lit in the important centres of towns and cities. Wood for burning on these bonfires will have been collected for weeks before the festival.

In Jaipur, India, on the eve of Holi, there is an ‘Elephant Festival’ in which brightly decorated elephants process through the streets. Elephant beauty contests, folk dances, and tug-of-war contests between elephants take place.

At Holi, revellers throw coloured powder at each other, spray colour, and pour coloured water over each other. It is a very bright and colourful scene.

eyes be opened to this truth.

“Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”

(John 8:32)

➜ Pray for those working in

hindu communities, that they will be lights in the darkness.

(Matt 5:14-16)

“Do not bring before God small petitions and narrow desires, but remember as high as the heavens are above the earth, so high are his ways above your ways and his thoughts above your thoughts.

Ask, therefore, after a God-like fashion. Ask for great things, ➜ Colourful Pray that spiritually for you are before a great blind eyes will open throne.” C H Spurgeon

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PRAYER NEWS

19-25 March

Worldwide—diaspora peoples According to the UN, the number of people living in a country other than the one of their birth reached 244 million in 2015. God is doing something through diaspora – the individuals and peoples who have been scattered through migration. What Scripture shows from Genesis to Revelation is that the Sovereign God moves people from one place to another so that he might be known.

“From one man he created all the nations throughout the whole earth. He decided beforehand when they should rise and fall, and he determined their boundaries. His purpose was for the nations to seek after God and perhaps feel their way toward him and find him – though he is not far from any one of us” (Acts 17: 26-27, NLT).

A diaspora is a scattered population whose origin lies within a smaller geographic locale. Diaspora can also mean the movement of the population from its original homeland.

Diaspora has come to refer particularly to historical mass dispersions of an involuntary nature, such as: the exile of Jews from Judea, the fleeing of Greeks fleeing after the fall of Constantinople, the African trans-Atlantic trade in African slaves, the southern Chinese or Hindus of South Asia during the ‘coolie’ trade, the Irish during and after the Great Famine, the displacement of Palestinians in the 20th century and the movement of Syrians and Iraqis as a result of war in the 21st century.

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» 244 million people

➜ On the

buses Many peoples are on the move due to upheaval in their home countries

➜ Pray for Christians who

have been scattered to boldly share the gospel wherever they go. “and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” (Acts 1:8)

➜ Pray that diaspora people

might experience compassion and friendship in their host countries.

“When a foreigner resides among you in your land, do not ill-treat them.” (Lev 19:33)

➜ Pray that the Church will

become more Christ-like as she seeks to respond effectively to the opportunities and challenges of diaspora.

Below is an extract from a prayer on the Global Diaspora Prayer Hub.* ➜ Let’s use these words to pray for those diaspora peoples in the news today:

“Lord, the news articles and images of suffering migrants have broken our hearts. You know each individual; you have numbered the hairs on their heads. They are neither statistics nor symbols to You, their Maker. Comforter in sorrow, reveal Yourself, Your power to heal, and Your unfailing love.

Lord, for the migrants who are now on their journey — whether crossing the Sahara, the Mediterranean, the Bay of Bengal, the South China Sea or Mexico — we ask that You would make them aware of Your presence, Your power, and Your protection. Emmanuel, may You be their hope and their refuge.

May You lead them and their families to the land of rest.” *http://www.globalprn.com/ prayer-resources/the-diaspora/

WEC-UK.ORG

PRAYER NEWS

26 March–1 April Europe

”The contribution of missionaries and mission agency leaders across Europe in the wake of the UK referendum result has been to encourage European Christians not to lose hope in a God who continues to call men and women to serve him in advancing the gospel of Jesus Christ to the ends of the earth.

“If the current situation has encouraged mission agencies in Europe to ask questions again about their core business and the values of service, radical availability, and sacrifice that shape this, then God will continue to be glorified, even in the midst of political turmoil and uncertainty. Pray for the light of Christ to continue shining in Europe.”

Darrell Jackson1

» Brexit The UK intends to withdraw from the European Union in a process commonly known as Brexit, prompted by the result of the June 2016 referendum in which 52% of those who turned out voted to leave the EU. The separation process is complex, causing political and economic changes for the UK and for the other countries in Europe. On 2 October 2016, the British Prime Minister, Theresa May, announced that she would invoke Article 50 by the end of March 2017, meaning that the UK would be on course to leave the EU by the end of March 2019. come true.” Lyndall Bywater, UK Boiler Room leader2 What are the issues in today’s news, concerning the UK and Europe? Let’s turn these into prayer.

situation will be used by God for the good of the gospel.

are involved and playing a strategic role at this time.

“your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.” (Matt 6:10)

“I urge, then, first of all, that petitions, prayers, intercession

to continue shining in Europe.

WEC-UK.ORG

➜ Pray that the current

➜ Pray for those leaders who

➜ Pray for the light of Christ

“Transition and turmoil can be the best catalysts for new possibilities to become reality.

The status quo abhors the new, but transition positively laps it up. What new things do you long for for our nation and Europe? This might just be the moment you see those dreams

and thanksgiving be made for all people — for kings and all those in authority ...”

(1 Tim 2:1-2)

➜ Take this opportunity as Pedro Lastra/unsplash.com

The outcome of the UK referendum has implications for everyone in Europe — for refugees and the movement of European citizens, but also for christian workers throughout Europe and for the furtherance of the gospel.

➜ On the lookout France is a key EU nation

well to pray for the different countries that make up the EU. They are: Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden and the UK. Sources: 1. https://www.lausanne.org/content/ lga/2016-09/brexit-impact-europeanmission (accessed 18 October 2016) 2. http://www.24-7prayer.co.uk/ how-to-pray-for-the-eu-referendumresults/ (accessed 18 October 2016)

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PRAYER NEWS

2-8 April The Gambia

Opportunities to bring the message of salvation to the Gambia may be gradually closing. In November 2015, the President declared Gambia to be an islamic state and, while this decision is yet to be ratified by the country’s parliament, it is only a matter of time.

This is the latest indication of rapid and ongoing islamisation.

But a worker in the Gambia writes, “Never have we had such an opportunity to get the message out there so quickly. Mobile phone technology means that many can easily access the information in private and without fear of persecution.”

“But the word of God continued to spread and flourish.” (Acts 12:24)

WEC Gambia is a multicultural team of some 45 members from 12 nations. Traditionally, the Good News has been communicated through working in medicine, adult literacy, Bible translation, agriculture, education and training, and mainly focused on the Mandinka, Jola, Fula and Wolof peoples, who together make up the majority of the two million people living in the Gambia today.

We praise the Lord for all who have heard the Good News and have come to him through such means, but there are still tens of thousands who have yet to hear the gospel in a manner that they can understand and respond to.

Modern technology is opening up another avenue that could

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Kash Goudarai/unsplash.com

» Gospel opportunities

➜ High tech

Smart phones provide a platform for sharing the gospel

have a profound impact. One worker writes, “We fervently believe that it will be possible to get a coherent gospel message to everyone in this needy land within the next couple of years.”

Mobile phones are in demand the world over. In richer countries, the demand for the latest phones and desire to regularly upgrade has led to a flood of smart phones into Africa. It’s these phones that are providing the platform for reaching many more with the gospel.

It is possible to have the Bible text and an audio Bible on these smart phones, as well as literacy and Bible teaching materials, in all four of the

major languages that WEC is working in. The plan is to prepare this material so that it can be distributed on mobile phone memory cards, downloaded from the Internet, broadcast on the radio, or distributed using Bluetooth and other related technologies.

Many people with different skills are required to make this happen. Workers are needed to build websites, to help with preparing the material, and to give training on how best to get this material out to where it’s needed, as quickly as possible.

➜ Pray that these people will soon come forward. ➜ Pray that this gospel material will impact many people and bring them to a transforming knowledge of Jesus.

“Therefore, if any one is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has passed away, behold, the new has come.”

(2 Cor 5:17, RSV)

WEC-UK.ORG

PRAYER NEWS

9-15 April

Worldwide—Easter

➜ Pray for spiritually blind eyes to be opened to the truth.

“No one has the right to hear the gospel twice, while there remains someone who has not heard it once.” Oswald J. Smith For millions, the Easter events are still completely unknown.

They haven’t heard. They just don’t know about the life, death, resurrection and ascension of Jesus. And they wouldn’t know who to ask or where to go to find out.

Every day tens of thousands of people in the world die, without having ever heard the gospel of Jesus Christ.

» Life-changing truth “And having disarmed the powers and authorities, he made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross.” (Col 2:15) “I am the Living One; I was dead, and now look, I am alive for ever and ever! And I hold the keys of death and Hades.”

(Rev 1:18) “And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins ... But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep.” (1 Cor 15:17-20) “After his suffering, he presented himself to them and gave many convincing proofs that he was alive. He appeared to them over a period of forty days and spoke about the kingdom of God.” (Acts 1:3)

already gone and who use the opportunity of Easter for special events – for evangelism Jacob Meyer/unsplash.com

Around the world, many people deny the biblical account of the Easter events. Some will say that it wasn’t Jesus on the cross; others will say that Jesus didn’t actually die but was taken down, simply appearing to be dead; and others will say that there was no resurrection as it’s described in the Bible.

“The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel that displays the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.” (2 Cor 4:4)

➜ Pray for those who have not

heard: who are as yet unreached. ➜ Pray for more workers who will go and declare the life-changing victory of the resurrection.

“The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few.” (Matt 9:37)

➜ Pray for those who have WEC-UK.ORG

➜ Cross Give thanks for

the life, death, resurrection and ascension of Jesus

or to encourage and build up believers. ➜ Pray for believers in difficult situations, that they may be encouraged and not lose heart. “... fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith.

For the joy that was set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured such opposition from sinners, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.”

(Heb 12:2-3) “Thine be the glory, risen conquering Son, Endless is the vict’ry, thou o'er death hast won.”

Edmond Budry

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PRAYER NEWS

16-22 April Latin America

In Latin America, WEC teams are mainly involved in two areas of ministry: evangelism and church planting among indigenous ethnic groups, and mobilising for missions.

In Mexico and in the Amazon basin of Brazil, our teams are reaching out to 16 ethnic groups. In some of them we can see an amazing response to the gospel – people beginning to follow Jesus and to form groups of believers.

In other parts of Mexico, Brazil, and approximately 20 Spanish-speaking countries of Latin America the focus is on mobilising, training and sending missionaries, in cooperation with local churches.

In the Amazon region of Brazil a total of 13 ethnic groups have been identified as some of the least reached in the whole country. After years of sowing, there are now significant numbers of believers in some of these groups, forming churches of up to several hundred believers. In other indigenous communities, only a few have decided to follow Jesus, amidst considerable persecution.

What is encouraging is that indigenous groups with a good number of Jesus, followers are reaching out to others with no or few believers.

➜ Pray for more workers for the harvest in this area.

In Mexico and Brazil, the mobilising and sending of national workers already has a

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Pablo Wilson

» Amazing response

➜ Gathered

El Monte runs camps for young people

long history. In each country, WEC runs a training centre for cross-cultural work.

➜ Pray for more workers to

staff these centres. ➜ Pray for nationals with a call for cross-cultural ministry.

Mexico’s El Monte ministry is something very special.

El Monte is found on a huge property, about two hours’ drive to the southwest of Mexico City. This is a venue for camps and events throughout the year. Some have an evangelistic emphasis, others offer information or counselling in the area of missions, pastoral ministry and marriage enrichment. Over the years, El Monte has seen about 1,000 people of all ages and backgrounds who have decided

to follow Jesus, while others have re-dedicated their lives to the Lord for life-long service.

WEC Latino is the youngest ministry on this continent.

The goal is to mobilise, train and send into the Spanishspeaking world people who feel called to serve Jesus in cross-cultural missions. The administration is decentralised: there are no local HQs and the course for new candidates, rather than always being offered at the same place, can take place in any country, according to the need.

➜ Pray for more Latin

Americans to join WEC – the potential is enormous.

“Don’t you have a saying, ‘It’s still four months until harvest’?

I tell you, open your eyes and look at the fields! They are ripe for harvest. Even now the one who reaps draws a wage and harvests a crop for eternal life, so that the sower and the reaper may be glad together.”

(John 4: 35-36)

WEC-UK.ORG

PRAYER NEWS

23-29 April Laos

WEC-UK.ORG

» Potted history The Lao kingdom was created by King Fa Ngum in the 14th century. Laos became a French colony during the late 1800’s and was granted independence from France in 1954.

Lao revolutionary forces backed by Vietnam later ‘liberated’ Laos from its pro-West government. The Lao People’s Democratic Republic was born on December 2nd, 1975. A single-party government has ruled since that time.

Laos is most closely tied to Vietnam and is one of five remaining self-professed communist countries in the world. The Lao constitution guarantees freedom of religion, but this is narrowly restricted by Article 9 which forbids any social or religious disunity.

to Christ. A few days later the three were released.

➜ Pray that there will be a

revolution of grace in the prisons of Laos. ➜ Pray that people who are saved in unusual places like Peter Hershey/unsplash.com

From time to time the communist government of Laos cracks down on the unauthorised assembly of people. As a result, a house church in the capital, Vientiane, was raided and three young men who were leading the mid-week meeting were arrested.

When the three young men were put in prison they expected to be beaten by the other prisoners – standard fare for anyone newly arrived – to make it clear that they were to be in submission to the other prisoners. However, when they entered the prison compound, the chief prisoner, a notorious criminal, stepped forward and told the other prisoners. “These boys are not to be touched.

They are under my care.” So no one beat them up.

Later the three knelt to pray and as they prayed, the chief prisoner came up to them and asked them what they were doing. “Praying to God – Jesus,” they explained. The chief prisoner told them to tell him about Jesus, so they did, going from Genesis through to Revelation. As they told the story of Jesus, this hardened criminal began to cry. “I am an evil man,” he explained, “I have been in jail seven times and nothing moves me. But now you explained the story of Jesus, I cry. My dad and mum were Christians. Please tell me how I can be saved.”

Right there, they led the man

prisons will integrate into the Church once they are released. ➜ Pray that the Church in Laos will become a mighty force in the country, resisting and defeating criminal activity by the power of Christ. ➜ Pray that the Lao Church will continue to grow and multiply among all the language groups in Laos. ➜ Pray that the gospel will penetrate every level of Lao society and heal the values that sin has broken.

The boxout, story and testimony on this page are reproduced with permission from I Love Laos: A Prayer Guide for the People’s Republic of Laos published by OMF International.

➜ Tropical Pray for the people of Laos

Survey ➜We want to hear from you.

Don’t forget to fill in our survey on pages 9-10 and return it to us. Thank you!

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WE GIVE THANKS FOR DR HELEN ROSEVEARE

“Jesus is worth it!”

Dr Helen Roseveare, who has died aged 91, was a missionary doctor in the former Belgian Congo whose traumatic experiences during the Simba Rebellion paved the way for a worldwide ministry of writing and teaching.

In loving memory ... we give thanks to God for Helen’s years of faithful service

Born into a middle-class High Anglican family, Helen Roseveare made a commitment to Christ at Cambridge University in 1945. Shunning a lucrative career at home, she sailed for the Congo in 1953, setting up a hospital and medical training centre in Ibambi before renovating a disused leprosy clinic in nearby Nebobongo. Working with local Africans, she built this into a 100-bed hospital and training centre, and established 48 other local clinics.

All this was destroyed after civil war broke out in the newly independent Congo in 1964. Hundreds of expatriates and thousands of Congolese were executed. Helen was one of ten Protestant missionaries imprisoned for five months, and was raped and beaten. Yet her experience of God’s love in this trauma shaped her life and ministry ever afterwards. She often spoke of the “sheer privilege” of serving Christ even through pain and setback.

After time recovering at home, and a further seven years at a new hospital in Nyankunde, she settled in Northern Ireland in 1973. A string of books followed, notable for their profound Bible teaching and brutal honesty. She became a sought-after speaker, where she combined simplicity and humour with a passionate call to Christlike living. Many found her messages life-changing. Unusual at the time as a female speaker she was something of role model for young women and also served for many years as President of the Girls’ Crusader Union, a Christian youth organization.

Helen Roseveare continued these ministries well into her 80s. Her life has been portrayed in the 1989 film, Mama Luka Comes Home. She is survived by two sisters, Jean and Frances.

“Remember, the Lord has only one purpose ultimately for each one of us, to make us more like Jesus.

He is interested in your relationship with himself.”

“If you think you have come to the mission field because you are a little better than others, or as the cream of your church, or because of your medical degree, or for the service you can render the African church, or even for the souls you may see saved, you will fail. Remember, the Lord has only one purpose ultimately for each one of us, to make us more like Jesus.

He is interested in your relationship with himself. Let him take you and mould you as he will; all the rest will take its rightful place.”

— Helen Roseveare, Give Me This Mountain Dr Helen Roseveare, 1925 — 7 December 2016