Afghanistan - Urgent Prayer for Release of Afghanistan Brothers and for the Country
Here is a report from contacts inside Afghanistan: “Two Afghan Christian brothers have been arrested and are in prison. Said Musa is in Kabul, and Assadullah is in Mazar-e-Sharif.
Assadullah was on trial on January 4th. He was told that either he return to Islam or be sentenced to death. He is alone and has no lawyer. Pray for Assadullah! If you have any connections with Parliamentarians or Human Rights organizations in your country, please contact them on behalf of our helpless brother.
As for Said Musa, high officials have given the assurance that Said’s life is not in danger anymore as he has been moved. At least we know that Said´s case is being considered by top officials in the Afghan Government, including Karzai, He seems to be trying to find a way to judge him for "causing problems" and not for apostasy. Because of hardliners in his government, Karzai is trying to find a "diplomatic" way to release Said. There are letters coming from Said written in prison which show that he is doing well, is strong in his faith, and is witnessing.
Pray for Asadullah and Said Musa!
PRAY for PEACE and an END to the WAR
from New York Times, December 17, 2010
As the Obama administration reviews its strategy in Afghanistan, residents and even a Taliban commander say the surge of American troops this year has begun to set back the Taliban in parts of their southern heartland and to turn people against the insurgency - at least for now.
The stepped-up operations in Kandahar Province have left many in the Taliban demoralized, reluctant to fight, and struggling to recruit, a Taliban commander said in an interview this week. Afghans with contacts in the Taliban confirmed his description. They pointed out that this was the first time in four years that the Taliban had given up their hold of all the districts around the city of Kandahar, an important staging ground for the insurgency and the focus of the 30,000 American troops whom President Obama ordered to be sent to Afghanistan last December.
A member of the NATO-led force in Afghanistan was killed on Dec 19, taking the total number of foreign troops killed in 2010 to 700, by far the deadliest year of the war since the Taliban were toppled in 2001. A total of 521 foreign troops were killed in 2009, previously the worst year of the war, but operations against the Taliban-led insurgency have increased dramatically over the past 18 months. About 2,270 foreign troops have been killed since the war began, roughly two-thirds of them Americans.
Thanks for your prayer and intercession for this country!
Sudan January 9-12 Critical Referendum
The World Evangelical Alliance (WEA) called for a ‘Global Day of Prayer’ for Sudan on December 5, 2010, to reverse the growing tensions between Khartoum and South Sudanese forces. While a general peace is holding, incidents like an aerial bombing of Southern territory, threatens to discourage voting at the January 9, 2011, referendum on Sudan’s future and Southern independence.
For more than a century, warfare and famine plagued the people of Sudan. A century of British colonial exploitation was replaced by forty years of domination by Khartoum. Two civil wars followed 1956 independence leading up to the pivotal events in 2005. The divine breakthrough occurred in the midst of the Sudan Prayer Initiative on January 18, 2005, as 400 church leaders gathered in Khartoum to pray for peace. In less than a day, the Lord moved on the hearts of Northern and Southern leaders to meet and sign the Comprehensive Peace Plan.
We trust the outcome to God and whether the people decide to separate or remain united, Sudan will be changed forever. WEA Secretary General Dr Geoff Tunnicliffe has been in conversation with senior church leaders in Sudan. They said the number one thing the global church could do to help was: “pray, pray, pray”.
In addition, a prayer leader friend from World Vision has sent these requests:
“It is evident from different media outlets that tension between leaders in the north and south is building and people's anxiety growing…8 million people are likely to be affected in both the North and South of the country. Already, 2.8 million of this number is Internally Displaced Peoples (IDPs) in both the North and South. A worst case scenario could have social, political and economic ramifications for neighboring states like Uganda, Kenya and Ethiopia, and these have already been alerted and are making early action arrangements.”
Please pray for Sudan:
1. For peaceful and fair referendum on January 9-12, 2011.
2. That the results of the vote will be accepted by the Sudanese government and the international community.
3. That the religious liberty of all people will be respected and safeguarded.
4. For the rebuilding of infrastructure and social services post referendum.
5. For the church and their role in reaching out and promoting peace in Sudan.
For more details and specific prayer requests please visit the website: http://www.worldevangelicals.org/sudan/prayers/
The World Evangelical Alliance is made up of 128 national evangelical alliances located in 7 regions and 104 associate member organizations and global networks. The WEA is the world’s largest association of evangelical Christians serving a constituency of 420 million people. The WEA is a voice to governments, media, and other faith communities and holds consultative status at the United Nations. Contact: WEA Communications, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Prayer Highlights from IPC Chairman John Robb
Greetings in Christ as together we seek God’s heart, listen to His Word, and follow His direction for this new year of 2011!
The Messiah—I have mentioned before this very strategic film project that some Christian friends in Hollywood are currently working on. Here are some prayer concerns that they have sent for us:
- That the Lord will give us wisdom and guidance as the leadership team continues to make decisions about the film and those who should be involved.
- That God will help us finalize preparations for funding and that He would open up the necessary doors to fully fund the film.
- That the Lord will prepare the hearts of those that are meant to be involved in The Messiah film.
- To protect the film from those that would want to stop the message of the Gospel from going out. That God will protect all of those involved with the project and their families.
- For God to bring divine appointments and introductions of key leaders, investors and influencers from around the world.
- That the Lord will prepare the ground for The Messiah to reach the ends of the earth and for the hearts of people to be ready to hear the message of the Gospel.
May I ask you to please continue to pray for breakthrough in these ongoing concerns:
- In the Mexican government’s war with the drug cartels and the political changes we long to see in the very oppressive state of North Korea. (For more information, click links in above index.)
- For the national prayer event in Burma (Myanmar), January 12-14, that leaders will be able to take part from all over the nation and be inspired to pray unitedly and effectively for its freedom from oppression and transformation.
- For the World Prayer Assembly prayer and planning retreat in Jakarta, Jan. 23-27, that a strong, united and well-coordinated team will jell and be able to work hard and well together to bring off this huge and complex event scheduled for May, 2012 (www.worldprayerassembly.com for more details).
Also included below in the Egypt bombing update is a personal letter from a dear brother in Egypt who shares his thoughts.
Deep thanks in the Lord,
John Robb
Cuba: Church growth exploding
Cuba is seeing one of the fastest church growth rates in the world - the Southern Baptist International Mission Board (IMB) says that this is evidenced by the fact that there just aren't enough churches to hold all the believers. In 1960, Cuban Baptist churches numbered 210. Growth was slow over the next three decades, increasing that number by just 28. However, within the last 20 years, a church-planting movement began sweeping the island nation. Today, according to the IMB, the number of Cuban Baptist traditional churches, missions, and house churches exceeds 6,200. Church growth is surpassing the speed of construction for places of worship, which leaves some of the congregations worshipping in houses, garages, yards or on rooftops. The leaders also find they need tools to cope with the other needs of their burgeoning congregations. So, IMB missionaries regularly form teams to help train and disciple new leaders. Praise: the Lord for the growth of His Church in Cuba. (Eph.3:21)
