AUSTRALIAN PRAYER NETWORK NEWSLETTER

* THE PIED PIPER OF THE SHANTY TOWN LEADS HIS FOLLOWERS TO JESUS

* NIGERIA: PERSECUTION, ELECTIONS AND LOOMING STRIFE

* DRUG GANGS TERRORIZE MEXICO

* U.S. SUPREME COURT RULES IN FAVOUR OF BAN ON PARTIAL BIRTH ABORTION

* CHRISTIANS AROUND THE WORLD OFFER PRAYERS FOR VIRGINIA TECH

* HEALTH UPDATE ON PASTOR WINKIE PRATNEY

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THE PIED PIPER OF THE SHANTY TOWN LEADS HIS FOLLOWERS TO JESUS

Keith Holder could very easily be called the Pied Piper of the Shanty Town. Children just naturally flock to him. As he walks through suburban San Jos ©, kids dart out of buildings to say hello, teenagers come up to shake hands and pat him on the back, little girls shyly put their arms around him and give him a hug.

“I love these kids,” he says. “I have a great relationship with them.” That goes without saying. The youth of this sprawling slum turn to him for advice, counsel, encouragement and, occasionally, financial help. “It’s all about relationships,” he muses as one boy thanks him for providing financial assistance getting his immigration papers in order.

The majority of residents are Nicaraguan immigrants who came here seeking a better life than would be available to them back home. However, without proper papers, getting a job at a decent wage is difficult if not impossible. Keith knows that, and he knows that along with proper documentation, an education is crucial to breaking the cycle of poverty.

“With the money donated by people in England and the United States, we provide uniforms and school supplies to around 450 children at the beginning of each school year. Later, walking through the shanty town, Keith is besieged by children, teens and mothers who want to share their struggles with him, seek advice or simply receive a word of encouragement.

Stopping by one house, he turns into a tough father, letting one teen-aged youth know of his displeasure that he has dropped out of school. But, then turning softer, he puts his arm around the boy’s shoulder and gently explains that he has arranged for a restaurant owner to hire him several hours a day. The boy seems moved by the pastor’s generosity. “He wants to be a chef so this will be a good way to help him get a foot in the door,” Keith explains.

Several blocks away a small child tugs at Keith’s shirt. “I want you to see my house,” he pleads. Keith takes a few minutes to follow the lad along atwisting, muddy path between shacks to a small room no larger than 8 x 10 square feet which serves as a home for four people. Keith looks around the cramped shack and comments that she cooks for the family on a small burner in the corner. “That is, when they have food,” he remarks. “Right now they only have one egg in the house. We will send some food here this afternoon. What’s even more tragic is that she was extorted to be able to live there,” Keith explains. “A mafia charges each family to live here, even though the property belongs to the government. This family paid about $70 to be able to squat on the property.”

Originally from London, England, Keith Holder 14 years ago settled in Costa Rica to begin work in three shanty towns surrounding the capital. Today there are four Costa Rican staff working with Keith to carry on the ministry. Keith seems energized by his encounter with so many people who look to him for help. “I have a fabulous relationship with the kids,” he exclaims. “It’s all built on relationships-long term relationships. As my co-workers and I meet people, they know us and trust us, and then they feel free to come to us when they need help. And, they trust us when we talk to them about Jesus Christ. One of the main points of the relationship is that they will know Jesus.”

The missionary says he not only needs contributions to keep the program going, he needs a few good people to help out with administration, publicity and development in the San Jos © office. “We could use people who would be willing to raise their own support and come here for two to three years to help out,” he says. Meanwhile, he carries on much of the work himself, dreaming up new plans and strategies as he walks along drawing a larger and larger crowd that follows this pied piper of the shanty town.

More information about the ministry can be viewed at http://www.edplusint.org or by writing to

Source: Kenneth D. MacHarg, Missionary Journalist

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NIGERIA: PERSECUTION, ELECTIONS AND LOOMING STRIFE

Christians have been appallingly persecuted in northern Nigeria recently with churches burned, children kidnapped by Islamists and Christian believers killed. Such persecution is not uncommon in Nigeria, where human rights groups estimate at least 15,000 people have died in religious or ethnic fighting since 1999 when elections returned Nigeria to democracy after three decades of almost continuous army rule. The population of Nigeria is approximately 140 million people who are split into about 250 ethnic groups and divided roughly equally between Muslims and Christians.

However on 21st April Nigerians will go to the polls to vote for a new President. This will be the first time power will have passed from one elected president to another, but the situation looks ominous. The major parties have nominated Muslim flagbearers from the northern part of the country in the spirit of an unwritten agreement by the political elite that the presidency alternates between the largely Islamic north and the predominantly Christian south. President Obasanjo’s PDP party has put forward Obasanjo’s favoured candidate, the sickly and reluctant Umaru Musa Yar’Adua. Because he is so quiet, many believe Yar’Adua, governor of Katsina State which implemented Sharia in 2000, is little more than a puppet.

There are two other main contenders: the pro-Sharia Islamic hardliner, retired general and former military dictator Muhamadu Buhari who lost to Obasanjo in 2003; and Obasanjo’s Vice President Atiku Abubakar, also a Muslim. Buhari has strong support in the Muslim north but little elsewhere. As Vice President, Abubakar was assumed to be the natural successor, but a major spat between he and Obasanjo has placed his candidature in the balance.

Meanwhile, the most volatile region, the Niger Delta, is set to explode. A group calling itself the ‘Coalition of Niger Delta Forces’ has issued an ultimatum to the Nigerian government to withdraw its security forces from the Niger Delta or face war. Nigeria’s largest armed militant group is the Niger Delta People’s Volunteer Force (NDPVF). It is noteworthy that the leader of the NDPVF, Mujahid Dokubo-Asari (imprisoned in 2005 for treason), is a devout Muslim and vocal supporter of Osama bin Laden, with whom he reportedly has both financial and personal ties. The Niger Delta situation is yet another example of the union between separatism and Islamic imperialism.

PLEASE PRAY SPECIFICALLY FOR:

* comfort and peace for all the persecuted and fearful Christians in northern Nigeria where persecution is systematic and brutal.

* God to encompass his people amidst trials and terror, protecting them from hostile forces.

* the forthcoming elections, that God will raise up before the people his candidate, a ‘Cyrus’ whom God will use to lead this nation of some 140 million, half of whom are not Muslim, and most of whom just want peace, justice, equity, liberty and progress.

Source: Intercessors Network

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DRUG GANGS TERRORIZE MEXICO

An underworld war between drug gangs is raging in Mexico, medieval in its barbarity, its foot soldiers operating with little fear of interference from the police, its scope and brutality unprecedented, even in a country accustomed to high levels of drug violence.

In recent months the violence has included a total of two dozen beheadings, a raid on a local police station by men with grenades and a bazooka, and daytime kidnappings of top law enforcement officials. At least 123 law enforcement officials, among them 2 judges and 3 prosecutors, have been gunned down or tortured to death. Five police officers were among those beheaded.

Attorney General Daniel Cabeza de Vaca said a steadily rising tide of drug addiction within Mexico had spurred some of the murders, as dealers fought for local markets. Some experts say the Mexican police forces, weakened by corruption and cowed by assassinations, are simply not up to the task of countering the underworld feuds unleashed by the arrests of cartel leaders over the last six years. Honest police are trying to enforce the law rather than turn a blind eye to drug traffickers, but often pay with their lives, prosecutors say. A spokesman for the Acapulco police said, “It’s the most violent year in the last 50 years, and the acts are barbaric, bloody, with no trace of humanity.”

The effects are everywhere. Many local journalists have stopped covering drug violence for fear they may become targets themselves. Tourists used to spill across the border from Laredo, Tex but not anymore. It is simply too dangerous.

Church attendance is down, said the Rev. Alberto Monteras Monjar ¡s of Santo Ni ±o Church, because even a Sunday morning can be dangerous. “People used to sleep outside on the porch if it got too hot,” he said. “Not anymore. You stay inside, and you put three or four locks on the door.”

Source: Intercessors for America

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U.S. SUPREME COURT RULES IN FAVOUR OF BAN ON PARTIAL BIRTH ABORTION

In a long-awaited victory for those upholding the sanctity of life, the U.S. Supreme Court has voted 5-4 in favour of maintaining the 2003 ban on partial birth abortion.

Justice Anthony Kennedy, expressing the majority verdict stated that the opponents of the ban “have not demonstrated that the Act would be unconstitutional in a large number of relevant cases.”

Rev. Rob Schenck, President of the National Clergy Council, said in response to the vote, “We are grateful to God today that moral sense has prevailed at the court. This has been a long time coming and shows great promise for the future. Make no mistake, this is the beginning of the end for Roe v. Wade.”

Source: Washington Post

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CHRISTIANS AROUND THE WORLD OFFER PRAYERS FOR VIRGINIA TECH

Christians from all around the world are being asked to pray for those affected by the Virginia Tech shooting massacre. Christian workers inside the university have organized campus-wide prayer meetings to pray for comfort and strength for those having to cope with last week’s terrible tragedy.

“InterVarsity staff are trained to help students face life’s issues and find their hope in the promises of Jesus Christ,” said Alec Hill, president of InterVarsity, a major campus ministry, in a statement. “Our staff members ask for the prayers of Christians everywhere as they and their students deal with the impact of this tragedy.”

Franklin Graham, president and CEO of the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association (BGEA), issued a statement after the shooting saying “My heart is heavy with the tragic news of the deadliest school shooting incident in American history and our prayers are with the dozens of victims and their families during this horrible time. My prayer in this time of tragedy is that it will pull us together as a nation and focus our attention on those families who have suffered great loss and turn our eyes to the Prince of Peace, Jesus Christ.”

Source: Christian Post

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HEALTH UPDATE ON PASTOR WINKIE PRATNEY

Latest reports on the health of evangelist Winkie Pratney issued by his family, indicate he has turned a corner and is healing well. The majority of his infection, seems to have been taken care of, and he has come off both the dialysis machine and the ventilator which he was on. He has been taken off a few drips and his pain medication has been lowered. He is now talking and is drinking (with some assistance) liquids.

He is expected to be moved out of Intensive Care within the next day or so.

There are still health concerns over an infected surgical cut and he will need further surgery on his abdominal muscles upon his return home to New Zealand. He is expected to be allowed to fly back to New Zealand from Korea shortly.

Doctors have described his recovery as ‘miraculous’.

Source: WinkeyPratney.com

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