Prayer Diary November - December 2014
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Transcript of Prayer Diary November - December 2014
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8/10/2019 Prayer Diary November - December 2014
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BARNABAS FUND AID AGENCY FOR THE PERSECUTED CHURCH
to help you
pray for the
persecuted church
www.barnabasfund.org
prayer
NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2014
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pastors. Praise God for such perseverance,
and pray that a Christian presence and
witness may remain in north-east Nigeria.
Tuesday 4Please 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 declarethemselves 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 thenight 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 thekidnapped will be released, that believers will
stand rm despite being targeted, that God
will comfort the traumatised, and that church
leaders will know how to prepare their peoplefor persecution.
Wednesday 5Pray for eight Cameroonianmissionaries 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 thenal 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 beenkidnapped 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 similarlyfor Christ, and pray that their work will bearmuch fruit (John 12:24).
Thursday 6 Churches in Christian-
majority Burundi are facing the unfamiliar
situation of political restriction by their own
government because of a new law passedin 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 scandalouspractices, 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 smallminorities who follow other religions.
Friday 7Pray for the friends and family
of Beatrice Mukashaka, an 18-year-oldChristian 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 hadgathered 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 whomourn for Beatrice and that the assailants
will be brought to justice.
NOVEMBER 4 - 7
Christians in Burundi now face
government restrictions on their churches
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Saturday 8We 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 aneventuality, 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 ed the region when Islamist radicalstook 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 9Dear Lord Jesus, we ask
Your blessing on the thousands
of Eritrean Christian refugees who
have ed from escalating anti-
Christian persecution in their home
country, and are being detained in
prisons in Egypt. Because they are
Your followers, they face horric
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).
Monday 10Give thanks that ten Egyptian
churches destroyed in anti-Christian attacks
last year have now been reopened. Around
60 churches across Egypt were attackedby 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 torebuild 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 continueand that the Lord will protect His people in
Egypt, especially while they are still meeting
in damaged buildings.
Tuesday 11 Lift up in prayer Christiansliving 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 ofchurch buildings is one of the most common
reasons behind anti-Christian attacks
NOVEMBER 8 - 11
Scores of Egyptian churches were
attacked following the removal ofMohammed Morsi
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by Muslims in Egypt. Restrictions on the
building of churches, a cause of hardship
for Christians for many years, were lifted in
Egypts recent new constitution. Pray thatthe 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 ArmiaBoulous, previously known as Mohammed
Hegazy, remains in prison. He was re-
arrested on 4 December 2013, charged with
defaming Islam after he led a public lawsuitto change the religious afliation listed on
his national identication card from Muslim
to Christian. Please pray that there will be
genuine religious liberty for Christians froma Muslim background as well as those born
into Christian families.
Thursday 13Hardline 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 suchgroup, 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 takeheed, the group would take rmer action.
Pray for Christians in Sri Lanka who face
opposition from their neighbours, and ask
God to protect them from further violence asthey seek to maintain their witness(Acts 4:19-20).
Friday 14Pray 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 hadgathered 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 peoplesurrounded the house and began shouting
abuse. Breaking through the security fence
around the property, some burst into the
house and attacked those inside, whileothers used poles from the fence to smash
the pastors 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 inNepal. 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, anact considered a criminal offence in Hindu-
majority Nepal. After numerous petitions to
the Nepali government, Pastor Bhote was
released on 17 July after serving less thantwo years of a twelve-year sentence. Pray
that Nepali Christians will remain faithful in
the face of growing Hindu extremism.
Sunday 16Lord Jesus, we pray to
You today for Pastor Tandin Wangyal,
who has been given a prison
sentence of almost four years in thesmall nation of Bhutan, only because
he received funds from outside the
5
NOVEMBER 12 - 16
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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 ne 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. Theyattempted 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 willprotect and heal His people.
Tuesday 18Christians in Bolivia havelaunched 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 Petitionof Unconstitutionality to the countrys
Constitutional Tribunal, seeking the repeal
of Law 351. This law requires all religious
organisations to reapply for legal standingand submit information on their leaders,
members, activities and assets. If an
organisation fails to submit the information,
its legal registration could be revoked. Praythat this legislation will be repealed and thatBolivia will maintain religious freedom.
Wednesday 19According to Christian
Solidarity Worldwide, there were 170
religious freedom violations in Cuba in
the rst half of this year. These includedgovernment authorities beating Christian
pastors and church workers, dragging
women away from Sunday services and
enforcing arbitrary detentions, church
closures and demolitions. Pray that the Lordwill 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 20Thank the Lord that on 7
August the well-known Chinese Christianhuman 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 waseven nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize
for his efforts. During his latest imprisonment
Gao Zhisheng experienced malnutrition and
physical and psychological abuse. Pleasepray for Gao Zhisheng that he will recover
from his years of hardship (Joel 2:25).
Friday 21On 21 August Chinese PastorZhang 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 hadworked with some of his church members
to petition the government on behalf of
disadvantaged groups, including Christians
and migrant workers, in a land dispute. Hewas charged with gathering a crowd to
disturb public order. Please pray for Pastor
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Zhang Shaojie that God will use Him for His
purposes in the long years to come in prison.
Saturday 22Praise the Lord for the1,226 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 Christianminority in India. Orissa state was the scene
of severe anti-Christian violence in 2007-
8, resulting in around 60,000 Christians
being made homeless. Pray for the speedycompletion 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.
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 threemonths. 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 24A Christian school and hostel
in Madhya Pradesh state, India, became
ooded after the authorities demolished a
wall at the site on 23 July. A district ofcial
claimed the demolition was necessary inorder to prevent ooding in a nearby housing
colony. The schools principal, however,
has said that the colony was not in danger
and that the local ultra-nationalist Hinducommunity had exerted pressure on the local
government. Spectators who rushed to view
the demolition shouted slogans often used
by Hindu extremists. Please pray for thisschool and for all the Christians in India who
are facing increased pressure in the areas
where Hindu extremism is on the rise.
Tuesday 25On 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 mobarmed 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 churchmembers were engaged in a Bible study.
The pastors young daughter was amongst
those beaten, and the cross on the roof
was demolished. Pray that God will heal thevictims wounds and that the assailants will
be brought to justice.
NOVEMBER 22 - 25
An Indian Christian family outside the
house that Barnabas has built for them
in Orissa
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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 leavetheir 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 passedorders 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 no-one 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 Hewill halt the advancement of VHP agendas.
Thursday 27Pray for schools in Gujaratstate, India, as the government has
introduced nine school textbooks that
strongly reect the Hindu nationalist ideology
of Hindutva and subtly denigrate non-Hindureligions. 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 Hindunationalism. 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 28Lift 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
local Christian who had asked the pastor,
Simon Stanley, to pray for his twelve-year-
old daughters 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 29Mehdi Vazari, a graphic
designer aged 28, and Amir Khan, a music
graduate aged 27, are both Iranian convertsfrom 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 Ghezel-
Hesar prison and for dozens of other Iranianbelievers 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 connement, aficted 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 fortheir congregations left leaderless
and desolate. Please be for each
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one their refuge and strength, a
very present help in time of trouble
(Psalm 46:1).
DecemberMonday 1Cry out to the Lord for the
estimated 200,000 Iraqi Christians andother 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 everythingthey 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 protectthem and give them courage and a hope for
their future.
Tuesday 2Give thanks to the Lordthat, through the generosity of Barnabas
Fund supporters, over 30,000 displaced
Christians in northern Iraq are being
assisted through four local partnerorganisations on the ground. By funding
the distribution of food, blankets, hygiene
items and other basic needs, Barnabas has
enabled them to survive their rst months ofdisplacement. But their needs will be greater
now, as the Iraqi winter has set in. Pray thatGod will provide.
Wednesday 3Pray for hundreds ofChristian, 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 ISISs brand of Sunni Islam. The UNestimates 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 4An Uzbek Christian who had
converted from Islam died earlier this year
and was buried. The local Muslim leaders
banned any Muslim from attending the mansfuneral. But one of his work colleagues, a
radical Muslim who had been struck by the
Christians words and way of life, attended
the funeral anyway, ignoring all the threatsand 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 5Thank the Lord that, with the help
of Barnabas Fund, two house churches in
a strict Central Asian country were able topurchase coal-powered generators. Winters
there are harsh, and the power supply can
DECEMBER 1 - 5
Barnabas is helping 30,000 displaced
Iraqi Christians
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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 thepolice 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 fromthe government.
Saturday 6It is not typical for a manto 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 sharedfrankly in a letter the way in which the
constant pressure he faced was wearing
him down. He wrote how, having nally
recognised his fears and defeats, he hadthen 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 ofcompassion 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 pourout Your grace into their lives as
they suffer hunger, exhaustion, pain
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 8Wao, a predominantly Christiantown on the island of Mindanao in the
Philippines, is protesting against its inclusion
in the new semi-independent Islamic region
of Bangsamoro. Waos mayor, Elvino
Balicao, is seeking exemption from theBangsamoro 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 thatlocal 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 peopleand that Wao will gain exemption from the
Bangsamoro government.
Tuesday 9It 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
DECEMBER 6 - 9
This new shing boat for a typhoon-
affected Christian family is called
Jehovah Jireh (the Lord will provide)
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galvanised iron sheets, wood, nails and tools
to help people rebuild their homes. We have
also given 70 families shing boats and nets,
and helped hundreds of other families to startlivelihoods 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 faithand trust in God.
Wednesday 10Pray 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 neighbourhad 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 supposedlypermissible to do so in private.
Thursday 11School text-books in Turkeyare 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 reasonfor 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, manymassacred 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 andAssyrian Genocide. Please pray that theinnocent suffering of these faithful believers
will be recognised by every country and that
the world will resolve never to let such agenocide 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. Theallegations under Section 295-C of the
Pakistan Penal Code (which carries a
mandatory death sentence) were made
on 2 September when Christians wereploughing 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 Muslimgraves. The police investigation revealed
that the land had been a Muslim cemetery
many years earlier but the graves had
been moved elsewhere. They changed thecharges to the lesser ones under Section297 (which carries a maximum prison
sentence of one year or a ne). It is very
unusual for the Pakistani police to defend
the rights of Christians in this way. Pray thatothers will follow their example.
Saturday 13Lift up the Christian lawyersin Pakistan who represent Christian victims
accused under the notorious blasphemy
law. Many lawyers in Pakistan are not willing
to represent those who have been accusedof 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 thesecases their focus. They also help victims of
other types of persecution, such as converts
DECEMBER 10 - 13
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from Islam. Pray for the safety of these
lawyers and for their success in the courts
as they seek to right injustices against the
Lords people.
Sunday 14Lord 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 ve 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 15On 8 September the Nigerian
town of Michika, Adamawa state, wastargeted by Islamist militant group Boko
Haram. The Kamwe people, who live in the
area, are 95% Christian. They came and
devastated Michika town today, burningand shooting. As Im 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 damagenow. Keep praying for us, emailed one
Kamwe Christian as events unfolded. It
later emerged that scores of people hadbeen 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
Gods protection over those who have beenabducted and pray that all of the victims will
remain strong in their faith.
Tuesday 16At the time of writing, over
200 Nigerian schoolgirls kidnapped by
Boko Haram in the middle of the night of14-15 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-relatedillnesses. Other relatives have organised
themselves into a grassroots protest group,
which has attempted to maintain pressure
on the seemingly inactive government. Theprotest 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 17Lift up in prayer our
brothers and sisters in South Sudan who
are suffering from hunger and civil war.Extreme drought and violent civil conicts
have prevented farmers from planting crops
or tending their livestock; therefore, for
the second time in a row, there will be noharvest in areas of the country. The UN is
expecting an ofcial famine to be declared in
late 2014 or early 2015. Pray that the Lord
will protect and provide for His people inSouth Sudan. Pray for peace and suitable
weather for agriculture.
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Thursday 18Tanzania is in the process
of drafting a new constitution, with the help
of a 600-member Special Constitution
Assembly created for this purpose. TheSpecial 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 willbe 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 thegeneral election in October 2015.
Friday 19Pray for a Christian mother from
Zanzibar, Tanzania, called Joyce and her
eleven-year-old son Daniel whom shehas raised as a Christian. Daniels father
converted to Islam and announced that
Daniel also had become a Muslim. In May
Daniel was seized by local Muslims whileplaying outside with other children, and
hidden in the home of a sheikh. Joyce has
been to all the authorities, both secular andMuslim, but cannot get her son returned to
her, even though the law is on her side. Her
own home was attacked and she has ed
to the mainland for safety. The High Courthas 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 hismothers care.
Saturday 20 Give thanks that 50 Christian
women from a Muslim background in Kenya
are becoming self-sufcient with help from
microloans from Barnabas Fund. The women
were all living in a state of poverty aftertheir 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 businesseswill continue to prosper so that the women
can become completely nancially
independent. Ask the Lord for protection and
grace for them to shine for Him in the Muslimcommunities where they live.
Sunday 21Thank you, Lord, for
answered prayer for ve 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 thankyou, too, that the eight grown-up
children of the woman who died
DECEMBER 18 - 21
250,000 children in S. Sudan are thought
to be facing acute undernourishment
(CC BY 2.0 / European Commission DG ECHO)
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have remained rm 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 Laosappears 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 knowwhat 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 23Please pray for a Christian
hospital in Gaza that was able to continue
functioning all through the ghting in the
summer, carrying on its work even thoughhalf 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 inwhich they live.
Wednesday 24Lift up in prayer a Christianschool in Bethlehem that is supported by
Barnabas Fund. The school opened in 2003
with just 15 pupils and now has 460. Thanks
to Barnabas Funds ongoing support even
the poorest Christian families can send theirchildren there and only pay minimal fees.
Give thanks for the Lords protection during
the turmoil and violence of the summermonths. 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 whatmy 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.
Thursday 25As we remember the coming
into the world of our Emmanuel (God withus), 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 26Remembering that the infant
Lord Jesus Himself ed from threats
of violence with His parents, pray for
the Pakistanis from various persecutedminorities who had sought asylum in Sri
Lanka but are now being deported back to
DECEMBER 22 - 26
Christmas concert at a school in
Bethlehem that Barnabas Fund supports
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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 thecharges. Pray for their protection.
Saturday 27At the time of writing,Islamists have been spraying grafti 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 Christiansnear the Syrian border are standing guard in
the hills each night to protect their villages.
Reports say that ISIS ghters are already
present in the country. Pray that the fragilepeace 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 Christiansof Lebanon.
Sunday 28Heavenly 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
ed from the town of Bartella and
made their way east to nd safety in
Erbil. Six babies were born during
the difcult journey. Father, weremember how your own Son was
born at the end of a journey to a
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, lled 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.
Monday 29In Syria, the Battle forAleppo 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 thissummer 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 forthe 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 andlight in this terrible situation.
Tuesday 30The substantial ArmenianChristian population of Syria are mostly
descendants of Armenians who ed to Syria
to escape from the Armenian Genocide,
which peaked in 1915. The attacks ofIslamist groups in Syria, which they now
face, seem to them like another genocide.
But praise God for their courage and
determination. When the mainly Armeniantown of Kessab and its surrounding villages
were attacked the inhabitants ed for
DECEMBER 27 - 30
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safety 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 theyhad 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 rst,
but their church leader urged them to focuson making their homes habitable again. Pray
that they may remain strong in the Lord.
Wednesday 31The 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 tobe 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 Elishathat those who are with us are more than
those who are with them (2 Kings 6:15-17).
DECEMBER 31
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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
www.barnabasfund.org
Barnabas Fund 2014