Syria: Alewite people in Latakia
Located on the Mediterranean Sea, Latakia is a port city of Syria. Its population of 340,000 includes a large community of Alewite people. Alewite Islam is a sect of Islam that is related to Shia. They place an emphasis on their trinity: Muhammad; his nephew and successor, Ali; and Salman al-Farisi. They believe in reincarnation and take part in a ‘mass’ involving bread and wine. They have their own religious book. Among Muslims they are regarded as heretical because of their beliefs and practices. We can pray, ‘Lord, would you use the Alawites and their idea of the trinity to show them that the Father, Son, and Spirit are the true Trinity, the Bible is the only true Word of God, and Jesus Christ is the only way to salvation. In this important port city, use this sect of people who have been rejected to bring Your truth to that city and country.’
Haiti: a failed state?
Haiti has been an epicentre of suffering for many decades. Now the people are being suffocated by dangerous, powerful gangs as the downward spiral into a failed state intensifies. Haiti’s last ten elected senators stepped down in January, so there is no functioning government. There is anarchy as armed and violent gangs rule the streets. Deploying a special international force to Haiti could bring desperately needed respite, but analysts believe that without a long-term political solution any new stabilisation measures have little chance of putting a stop to the carnage. Nearly 25% of the total population of the neighbouring Dominican Republic is made up of Haitian; over two million of them are there illegally. The UN recently called for military intervention in Haiti. Missionary Doug Burbella says there's only one way things will improve. ‘Apart from military intervention from another country, I would say a good, old-fashioned revival would be the only thing that could turn this country around.’
USA: tornado devastates Mississippi and Alabama
Mississippi has declared a state of emergency. Rolling Fork has been almost entirely wiped out. Dozens are dead. One man survived after sheltering in his bathtub. The lush farmland surrounding Western Sharkey County is completely untouched, but when you reach Rolling Fork, a rural town with a fifth of the 2,000 families living in poverty, nearly all homes are flattened, and the rest are damaged by the furious tornado. Trucks were lifted onto houses, trees uprooted, and power lines brought down. The next day dazed survivors could be seen walking around in shock. But soon it was a hive of activity, with clean-up operations and volunteers opening stations to distribute sandwiches and water. Pray for the communities grappling with destroyed homes and possessions, for those in damaged buildings without electricity. Pray for those mourning the dead. Pray for adequate government support to provide homes for the homeless and rebuild the infrastructure.
Louisiana revival in 19th week
What started as a four-day revival event on October 16, 2022, at the Old Zion Baptist Church in Hammond Louisiana has blossomed into 19 weeks of revival, and it shows no signs of stopping. On the first night of the revival, there were only about 125 people in attendance. But 34 people gave their hearts to Jesus Christ. By the fourth night, the gymnasium was packed. Then evangelist David R. Harrison of Voice of Hope Ministries set up his 2,500-seater tent in Hammond in order to help accommodate the large crowd. Brian Lester, Harrison's assistant, said there are signs of the revival continuing. ‘It's only gaining momentum.’ Lester reported, ‘in 19 weeks, over 1,300 have been saved, and countless other lives have been changed.’ He also credits the Asbury Awakening for making even more people want to experience a local revival. Hammond’s services are also live-streamed on Facebook.
