AUSTRALIAN PRAYER NETWORK NEWSLETTER
Religious Liberty Prayer Bulletin | RLPB 181 | Wed 17 Oct 2012
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PAPUA (formerly Irian Jaya), EASTERN INDONESIA: SWEEPING WAMENA
– plus update on Pakistan
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by Elizabeth Kendal
The Dutch first brought the gospel to Dutch (West) New Guinea, along with
health care and education, gradually transforming the coastal towns. When
Mission Aviation Fellowship USA (MAF USA) arrived in the mid-1900s, the
previously inaccessible interior was opened to pioneer missionaries,
several of whom lost their lives in the service of the gospel. In a
relatively short space of time (in history), endless tribal war and
shamanism came to be replaced with worship of the Lord – Papua was
transformed. When Indonesia gained independence in 1949, the Dutch
retained control of Irian Jaya believing the Melanesian Christians were
simply too distinct from Javanese Muslims to be under Indonesian rule.
Indonesia, however, invaded the resource-rich region in 1961 and, with the
complicity of the UN and USA, annexed it in 1969. Ever since, Papua’s
Melanesian Christians have suffered while their spectacular land has been
militarised, exploited, colonised and Islamised. This is the slow genocide
of a Christian people. The West ignores this, deeming good relations with
Indonesia to be more in line with Western economic and geo-strategic
interests. Surely God is not pleased.
West Papua National Committee (KNPB) is a pro-independence advocacy group
committed to peaceful activism. Because ‘Special Autonomy’ has failed, the
KNPB is calling for the UN to oversee a referendum on self-determination.
In early June Indonesian soldiers rampaged though the KNPB stronghold of
Wamena, the largest town in the central highlands. Then on 14 June
Indonesian police shot KNPB deputy, Moses Mako Tabuni, in a Jayapura
street. Shot in the hip, he died in police custody en route to hospital.
Police allege Tabuni was ‘resisting arrest’, but human rights groups doubt
this and local witnesses deny it. UK-based Papuan activist Benny Wenda has
labelled it an ‘assassination’.
On 29 September, after a couple of minor bombing incidents, Indonesian
authorities launched a sweep through Wamena and its surrounding villages.
They claim they found explosive materials in the homes of KNPB members,
nine of whom have been arrested. Papua is a deeply Christianised culture
and many Papuan civic leaders are also church leaders. One such leader,
the Moderator of the Papuan Baptist Church, Reverend Socratez Sofyan
Yoman, is certain the bombings were the work of Indonesian security forces
who are now using them to justify launching anti-terror operations against
peaceful, pro-independence activists. Human rights monitors agree with
that assessment. The director of the Papua branch of Institute for Human
Rights Study and Advocacy, Ferry Marisan, comments: ‘We observed their
[KNPB’s] activities in Papua . . . they never staged violent acts, let
alone kept firearms or explosives.’ Actually, the activities attributed to
the Indonesian security forces are their all-too-familiar modus operandi.
Driven by racial and religious hatred and greed, the Indonesian security
forces (who make a lot of money in Papua) routinely provoke or fake Papuan
separatist incidents to justify launching vastly disproportionate, violent
anti-terror measures against the separatists.
Indonesian police, the Australian-trained anti-terrorism squad Detachment
88 and the TNI (Indonesian military) have been sweeping Wamena and
surrounding villages, forcing thousands of Papuans to flee into the bush.
On 10 October one pastor, who hopes his presence with the displaced will
provide them with a degree of protection and a means of communication,
made an urgent appeal for prayer.
Mass rallies protesting Indonesian repression and human rights abuses will
be held across Papua on Wednesday 24 October.
PLEASE PRAY SPECIFICALLY THAT GOD WILL –
* intervene for his displaced and traumatised people; may he in
indignation fight for them and compensate them, and in love gather,
lead, carry and comfort them. ‘Behold, the Lord GOD comes with might,
and his arm rules for him; behold, his reward is with him, and his
recompense before him. He will tend his flock like a shepherd; he will
gather the lambs in his arms; he will carry them in his bosom, and
gently lead those that are with young.’ (Isaiah 40:10,11 ESV)
* magnify, sharpen and empower the voices of Papuan church leaders who
risk their lives to speak out against cruelty and injustice; may their
words not only enter ears and be heard, but pierce consciences and
compel action.
* effect a breakthrough to prevent genocide and restore the dignity of
his people, that the LORD might be praised and glorified in Papua.
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SUMMARY TO USE IN BULLETINS UNABLE TO RUN THE WHOLE ARTICLE
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SWEEPING WAMENA (in PAPUA,EASTERN INDONESIA)
Papua’s Melanesian Christians suffer under Indonesian rule as their land
is militarised, exploited, colonised and Islamised by Javanese Muslims.
This is the slow genocide of a Christian people. Driven by racial and
religious hatred and greed, Indonesian security forces routinely provoke
or fake Papuan separatist attacks to justify launching violent anti-terror
measures against Papuan civilians. Since June, Indonesian security forces
(including Detachment 88) have been ‘sweeping’ Wamena, the largest town in
the central highlands, on the pretext of fighting terrorism. Thousands of
Papuan civilians have been driven from their homes into the inhospitable
jungle. Nine members of the pro-peace, pro-independence advocacy group,
the West Papua National Committee, have been framed as ‘terrorists’.
Church leaders are appealing for help, and especially for prayer.
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URGENT UPDATE
* PAKISTAN: ANOTHER CHRISTIAN CHILD FRAMED
Ryan Stanten (16) lives in the middle class district of Mobina in Karachi.
As the only Christian in his class at school, Ryan is regularly pressured
by Muslim classmates to convert to Islam, something he steadfastly refuses
to do. On Tuesday 9 October Ryan received a text message on his mobile
phone for forwarding to Muslim friends. He forwarded it to his Muslim
school friends without bothering to read it and suddenly he was being
accused of blasphemy. The family fled that night. The next day local
Muslims, led by a local Islamic cleric, thoroughly ransacked the family’s
home, dragging out and burning all their property, despite it being in a
supposedly secure compound. No-one has been arrested. The family’s name
has been put on an Exit Control List so they cannot leave the country.
This is NOT the handiwork of the Taliban! It is the work of Muslim school
‘friends’ and middle class ‘neighbours’ with the tacit approval of the
State. Please pray for Ryan Stanten and his family, and for the Church in
Pakistan.
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With persecution escalating and intensifying globally, please consider
participating in International Day of Prayer (IDOP) for the persecuted
church in the week 4-11 November. ‘For we wrestle not against flesh and
blood . . .’ (Ephesians 6:12). Critical Prayer Requests (CPR) can be found
at http://criticalprayerrequests.
To view this RLPB with hyperlinks, visit the Religious Liberty Prayer
Bulletin blog at http://rlprayerbulletin.
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We suggest that churches and fellowships using the above Summary might
also provide a copy of the listed prayer points to be used in their
worship by people who are leading in prayer.
For more information, updates and helpful links see Elizabeth Kendal’s
blog ‘Religious Liberty Monitoring’ <http://elizabethkendal.
by Elizabeth Kendal
WELCOME to the intercessors who have joined the list this month.
It was for the ‘sick’ / sinners that Jesus came, not for the ‘well’ /
righteous (Mark 2:15-17). And it is by his stripes that we are healed
(Isaiah 53:5). Pray that these troubled lands will know spiritual
awakening; that the LORD may come with healing in his wings (Malachi
4:2). All the while keep praying for the Church, that she might not
only endure, but through Christ, overcome (John 16:33).
SEPTEMBER 2012 UPDATE – During September we prayed concerning . . .
* A SAUDI CONVERT named Maryam (RLPB 175), who had fled the kingdom for
liberty and sanctuary in the West. According to the Saudi Gazette,
Interpol has been enlisted to help track down the ‘girl’ who Saudi
authorities claim is a victim of traffickers. A Lebanese Christian man
(50) is accused of ‘coercing’ Maryam (28) into Christianity, while a
Saudi man is accused of helping ‘smuggle’ her out of the kingdom. They
were due to face court on 15 September. No update is available.
* RIMSHA MASIH & YOUCEF NADARKHANI (RLPB 176), who both walked ‘free’ from
prison on the weekend of 8-9 September, yet remain seriously imperilled.
UPDATE: Rimsha’s case has been referred to a juvenile court; the next
hearing is set for 1 October. Though Rimsha will doubtless be
exonerated, due primarily to her age and mental capacity, her life is
still gravely endangered. Pray for her. Pray also for Asia Bibi, a
Christian wife and mother of five, who languishes in jail, sentenced to
death for insulting Islam. Two Pakistani politicians have been
assassinated while trying to defend her.
* THE FILM RIOTS (RLPB 177), which are being used to justify calls for
international criminalisation of criticism of Islam.
UPDATE: CHRISTIAN SECURITY
PAKISTAN – MUSLIMS TEAR UP BIBLES, BURN CHURCH, BEAT BOY. On Friday 21
September a mob of several hundred Muslims attacked St Paul’s Lutheran
Church in Mardan city, some 60km north-west of Peshawar, as they
returned from a rally against the film ‘Innocence of Muslims’. Security
had been provided, but it could not hold off the attackers who had come
armed with kerosene and guns. The Muslims broke into the church,
desecrated the altar and tore up Bibles and prayer books. They then set
fire to the property, holding off fire-fighters so that the 82-year-old
church, its adjoining school, library, computer lab and four clergy
homes, along with several cars and motorcycles, were all totally razed.
The Muslim mob also beat and hospitalised Zeeshan Chand, the 17-year-old
son of a pastor. Islamic belligerence is escalating and Christians are
understandably fearful.
UPDATE: FREEDOM OF SPEECH The 67th sitting of the United Nations
General Assembly (UN GA) is under way in New York. High on the agenda is
whether the right to freedom of speech includes the right to criticise
religion (specifically Islam). The Organisation of Islamic Co-operation
(OIC), along with its allies and lackeys, are arguing that violent
Islamic rioting is the unfortunate yet unavoidable consequence of
‘defamation’ of Islam. Once ‘defamation’ or criticism of Islam is
re-branded as incitement (already criminal), the OIC and its supporters
will insist that legal instruments and protocols be established so that
UN Resolution 16/18 can be implemented and those who ‘defame’ or
criticise Islam can be arrested and punished. [UN Resolution16/18, which
equates ‘defamation’ with incitement, was passed in the UN Human Rights
Council in March 2011.] All the while the OIC will insist that this is
not to protect Islam from criticism, but to protect the world from
Islamic violence.
World leaders must reject this blame-the-victim, schoolyard-bully
reasoning, for it will lead simply to the Islamisation of human rights.
The Qur’an says that if we do not forbid what Islam forbids, then
Muslims are ordered to fight us until we do (Sura 9:29
http://quran.com/9/29 ). It also states that we shall all submit, if not
willingly, then by force (Sura 13:15 http://quran.com/13/15 ).
UPDATE: AWAKENING According to Middle East Media Research Institute
(MEMRI) several Arab writers have stepped up to criticise harshly the
uncivilised behaviour of the rioting mobs, blaming Arab and Muslim
society for this backwardness. One Arab writer asked, ‘How would
Christian society respond [to an offensive image]? What would its
discourse [in response to such an offence] be like? [The image] would
likely evoke cold and mocking responses. The Christian intellectual
would smile and launch a scathing criticism within Christian society
… How can we convince the Western citizen that this religion [Islam]
is respectable, when all he sees is extremism and terrorism?’ Pray that
Muslims will seek and find the truth that will set them free.
With the highly offensive, blasphemous art of Andres Serrano due to go
on display in New York from 27 September, pray that Christians will
respond rightly with exemplary God-honouring, Christ-glorifying,
Spirit-led answers.
‘But I [Jesus] say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you,
do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you
and persecute you’ (Matthew 5:44 NKJV).
‘. . . always be ready to give a defence to everyone who asks you a reason
for the hope that is in you, with meekness and fear; having a good
conscience, that when they defame you as evildoers, those who revile your
good conduct in Christ may be ashamed.’ (1 Peter 3:15b,16 NKJV)
SEPTEMBER 2012 ROUND-UP – also this month . . .
* IRAQ, KIRKUK: AFFLICTED BUT NOT CRUSHED On Sunday evening 16 September
a bomb hidden in a bag exploded at the door of the Chaldean Catholic
cathedral in Kirkuk. Fortunately nobody was injured and only material
damage was sustained. The following Saturday some 150 Christian youths
held a day of prayer and fasting where they asked the Lord for peace in
Kirkuk and across Iraq. The Chaldean archbishop, Msgr Louis Sako,
commended the youths, noting that the church in Iraq may be afflicted, but
it is not crushed (2 Corinthians 4:8). At the end of the day, other
believers joined the youths in a celebration of the Lord’s Supper. Pray
for the Church in Iraq.
* NIGERIA: GOOD NEWS & BAD
GOOD NEWS – The Nigerian military Joint Task Force (JTF) has had some
significant successes against Boko Haram. On Monday 17 September, in a
joint operation in Kano with State Security Services (SSS), Boko Haram’s
spokesman and media co-ordinator, Abu Qaqa, was killed and two senior
leaders were captured. The next day the JTF seized control of Boko Haram’s
command and control centre in Kano. The heavily booby-trapped hideout was
full of bomb-making equipment, weapons, motorbikes, computer equipment, a
generator and numerous Islamic religious books. On 20 September the JTF
reported it had killed two senior Boko Haram militants in Maiduguri and
uncovered a well-equipped operations base and a substantial weapons cache
that included 39 primed Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs). On 23
September, after a gun battle in Damaturu, a JTF operation culminated in
the death of 35 militants, the arrest of 60, and the recovery of a large
cache of weapons. On 25 September one senior Boko Haram leader was killed
and 156 militants arrested in a JTF operation in Adamawa. A huge weapons
cache was recovered, including some 300 IEDs. Please thank God and
continue to pray for a breakthrough against Boko Haram.
BAD NEWS – On Sunday night 2 September Boko Haram militants, armed with
explosives and petrol bombs, torched the Church of Christ in Nigeria
(COCIN) in Marte, 140km north of Maiduguri. At 9am on Sunday 23 September
a suicide bomber drove to St John’s Catholic Church in Bauchi intending to
detonate his explosives inside the church grounds. However, all cars and
worshippers were being screened for security at barricades well outside
the church perimeter. Realising he would not gain access to the church the
bomber rammed his car directly into the queue of worshippers and
detonated, killing a woman and an eight-year-old boy, and wounding a
further 48 people. Please continue to uphold the Nigerian Church in
prayer. This is very much a spiritual battle.
* SOMALIA: GOOD NEWS & BAD
GOOD NEWS – Kenya, Somali and African Union troops are making great gains
against al Shabaab. A battle is presently raging for the stronghold of
Kismayo. Please continue to pray for a breakthrough against al Shabaab.
BAD NEWS – The battle has displaced many thousands of Somali civilians; it
has also forced al Shabaab to retreat north towards Gedo, where the
Somali, Kenya and Ethiopia borders meet. This could lead to an escalation
in terrorism and revenge killings, particularly over the border in
Mandera, Kenya. Also, Kenyan Christian aid workers Janet Kanga, Martin
Kioko and Abdinoor Boru remain in captivity (see RLPB 174). The three were
serving with International Aid Services when they were taken hostage on 11
July 2012. Pray for God to sustain, protect and deliver them. Pray for
the remnant Church in war-ravaged Somalia.
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To view this RLPB with hyperlinks, go to Religious Liberty Prayer Bulletin
blog at http://rlprayerbulletin.
- PRAYER ALERT AS VIOLENT PROTESTS SWEEP THE WORLD
- MUSLIM BROTHERHOOD STARTS CRUCIFIXIONS IN EGYPT
- JORDAN CLOSING DOORS TO CHRISTIAN REFUGEES FROM SYRIA
- PRAYER VIGIL SHUTS DOWN U.K. BROTHEL
- ARIZONA DAY OF PRAYER VICTORY
- SOUTH KOREAN TAXIS DRIVE PASSENGERS TO CHRIST
- TENS OF THOUSANDS TO PRAY FOR THE HUNGRY AT WEMBLEY STADIUM
PRAYER ALERT AS VIOLENT PROTESTS SWEEP THE WORLD
An incendiary film, Innocence of Muslims, has unleashed violence in many countries across the world. The violence has claimed the lives of Ambassador Chris Stevens, a high ranking American diplomat and many others. There is heightened tension in the Middle East in particular, with protestors carrying semi-automatic weapons and petrol bombs. The charred remnants of the embassy building in Benghazi, Libya, street fights involving improvised incendiary weapons in Cairo, Egypt, and thugs murderously brandishings emi-automatic guns in the Sinai Peninsula appeared more like an apocalyptic movie. As the world watched in shock, violence escalated.
It began with the circulation of an offensive film trailer in Egypt. The film was made in the Los Angeles area by a man identified by Associated Press as Nakoula Basseley Nakoula. The film first began making the rounds on YouTube in July. The disparaging film portrays the Prophet Muhammad as “awomanizer, a homosexual and a child abuser.” It is being reported that the acting crew were kept in the dark about the end product of the film and the name Muhammad and every derogatory reference to Islam were dubbed into the audio track of the film, post production. Later the film trailer was dubbed into Arabic and publicized by two hardline Islamist television channels in Egypt.
Protests against the film quickly erupted on the streets of Cairo and began to spread like an untamed wildfire to nearly two dozen other countries in the region, including Libya, Tunisia, Yemen, Sudan, and Lebanon. In a region of the world where independent broadcasting and “first amendment rights” areas alien as a snow storm in Summer, an easily aggravated section of society wrongly sees the United States government as being involved in the making and publishing of the film. And hence the anger rapidly shifted from the filmmaker(s) to the United States itself.
Every slight, intended or incidental, is met with a response that is fierce and violent. However not all the violence stems from an obligation to defend their faith. Some of it can be attributed to “political grandstanding” where eager politicians make use of a misguided and poorly informed population. An idea further substantiated by the fact that the film trailer was released so close to September 11 an anniversary that is as charged in the Muslim world as it is in the United States. “One misguided extremist in America made the video, and another lot of misguided extremists in the Arab world picked on it” said a writer in the Economist.
This utter lack of responsibility from the filmmaker and the crazed crowd has resulted in the loss of lives. The lives of peacemakers like Ambassador Stevens and three other embassy workers along with the lives of Libyan security personnel were needlessly lost. The lives of those caught in the crossfire were exchanged for conniving grandstanding and uncontrollable wrath. Another cause for considerable concern is the plight of the Christian population in the region. There already exists religious tension among Muslims, Christians and Copts in Egypt. They are targets of sporadic acts of violence and Christians fear for their safety in the wake of the film trailer and the ensuing violent protests.
There is indeed much to be learned from this demonically charged incident. It is a lesson in maturity and responsibility we should all strive for because the actions of the one do affect the many. And the actions of the many affect the nations of the world. Much prayer is needed.
Please pray for:
* God’s peace to wash over these troubled nations. Pray too for the protection of Christians throughout the region and for the safety of the innocent, nationals and expatriates in the region. Pray God’s comfort for those whose loved ones were needlessly murdered.
* God to free those who are held captive to the deception and delusions of Islam. Pray that God would open the hearts and minds of the people in the region to hear His Word and accept Jesus Christ as their Saviour and Lord.
* Muslims to be healed and delivered from the spirit of offense. Pray they learn to forgive those who have failed or offended them.
Source: Windows International Network
MUSLIM BROTHERHOOD STARTS CRUCIFIXIONS IN EGYPT
The takeover of Egypt by the Moslem Brotherhood has run amok, with reports from several different media agencies that radical Moslems have begun crucifying opponents of newly installed President Mohammed Morsi. Middle East media reported that during a recent rampage, Moslem Brotherhood operatives “crucified those opposing Egyptian President Muhammad Morsi naked on trees in front of the presidential palace while abusing others.” Raymond Ibrahim, a fellow with the Middle East Forum and the Investigative Projecton Terrorism, said the crucifixions are the product of who the Middle Eastern media call “partisans.”
“Arabic media call them ‘partisans’ of the Moslem Brotherhood,” Ibraham said. Ibrahim also says the victims can be anyone, including Egyptian Christians. “It’s anyone who is resisting the new government,” Ibrahim said.”In this particular case, the people attacked and crucified were secular protesters upset because of Morsi’s hostile campaign against the media, especially of Tawfik Okasha, who was constantly exposing him on his station, until Morsi shut him down.” Ibrahim said extra brutality is reserved for Christians, but the crucifixions are because of Islamic doctrine and are required by the Quran. The time and other details about the crucifixions were not readily available.
Centre for Security Policy Senior Fellow Clare Lopez cited chapter and verse from the Quran to explain that crucifixions are not simply normal for Islam, they’re demanded. “Crucifixion is a hadd punishment, stipulated in the Quran, Sura 5:33, and therefore an obligatory part of Sharia,” Lopez said.”It’s been a traditional punishment within Islam since the beginning, even though it’s not exclusively Islamic. The Romans used it too. “So, the Egyptian Moslem Brotherhood is using it for shock value and to cause fear as a means of controlling the people” Lopez said.
Lopez includes a warning for Egypt’s Christians. “I expect things will continue to deteriorate – just as they did for Germany’s and Europe’s Jews from the 1930s onward,” Lopez said. “The Christians are in serious trouble, because the Quran in Sura 9:29 commands Moslems to wage war against them and subjugate them, and they’re also identified with the hated West and the U.S.” Lopez said. “These are Islamic hardliners who do everything by the Quran. The Quran says, ‘the penalty for those who wage war against Allah and His Messenger is none but that they be killed or crucified or that their hands and feet be cut off from opposite sides or that they be exiled from the land,” Lopez said.
Pray for Egypt to once again embrace the truth of Jesus Christ as Lord and Saviour. Jesus and His family used Egypt as a place of refuge from Herod according to Matthew 2:13. Pray for the Coptic Christians to find refuge and that the leaders of Egypt will see the error of persecution in all of its many forms of expression through Islam. “Now when they had departed, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream, saying, ‘Arise, take the young Child and His mother, flee to Egypt, and stay there until I bring you word; for Herod will seek the young Child to destroy Him.” (Matt 2:13)
Source: Intercessors for America
JORDAN CLOSING DOORS TO CHRISTIAN REFUGEES FROM SYRIA
The situation in embattled Syria is getting worse for Christians. That’s what a contact in Syria told Open Doors. “The Christians who have a way out of the country are leaving, but unlike the time after the fall of Saddam Hussein in Iraq, when hundreds of thousands Christians fled Iraq, the surrounding countries have closed their doors to Syrians,” the contact says. For the Syrian Christians who want to flee the country during the civil war, there are not many possibilities left. They are trying to flee to countries which have a degree of freedom of religion, but Jordan and others have closed their borders to them.
The contact adds: “Only Lebanon is still a way out. Whoever has the money and the ability to leave is leaving, especially from Aleppo. There are rumours in the country that the number of Christians has decreased significantly with hundreds of thousands fleeing.” The population of Syria is an estimated 22.5 million. In 2011 Open Doors estimated the number of Christians to be at least 1.6 million. “We don’t believe hundreds of thousands of Christians have left the country,” the spokesman for Open Doors says in reaction to the mass exodus rumours. “Among the Internally Displaced People, there are a number of Christians, but they certainly don’t number hundreds of thousands.”
According to the Syrian contact, the Christian leaders are “still standing strong.” He adds: “The pastors and leaders want to stay for now and want to encourage their congregations. Some of them have received advice from recently emigrated relatives to leave. But they are refusing, wanting to stay and help others.” Open Doors USA president and CEO Carl Moeller notes that “churches are reaching out to others and serving faithfully in Syria. The message of the gospel is being spread and people are more receptive to it. Praise the Lord that He is working in the midst of violence and chaos. Continue to pray for the brave believers in Syria.”
Source: Charisma News
PRAYER VIGIL SHUTS DOWN U.K. BROTHEL
Elyse knew she needed to do something. After having been in a busy community outreach program at Operation Mobilisation for the last 9 months, her world was turned upside down by a DVD she watched one night. On the subject of human trafficking, the DVD talked about the fact that just having sympathywas not enough,” says Elyse. Action was necessary. Elyse told her teammates about what she had heard, and all three felt they should do something in response. Jumping into the car, they headed to a brothel 10 minutes away.”We got there and our plans that night were just to go out and pray,”explains Elyse. “But we soon realized it was more serious than we knew.”
The three stood across the street from the brothel and prayed for those inside. “At that point,” says Elyse, “we decided we were going back every single night.” Thus began a month of prayer, with the group posted across the street from the brothel each night, praying for those inside. “As we prayed there was this sense that “We are not alone in this,'” says Elyse.”Even when pimps were angry and telling us to leave, I had no reason to be afraid. God was in our midst.” One particularly painful night came one week into prayer when the team witnessed young girls being delivered to the brothel. “It’s the difference between watching a documentary and seeing it right before your eyes,” says Elyse.
A month after praying began, the signs were removed, a notice was put on the door and the brothel was shut down. The team couldn’t believe it at first. Elyse smiles as she remembers her team’s response. “We were kind of like ‘Whoa! It actually worked!'” Human trafficking can sometimes make people feel helpless. “You just feel like you’re their only voice,” says Elyse.”But I saw myself as important in this. This was my role.” In the United Kingdom, there are untold numbers of human trafficking victims. Please continue to pray that more brothels would be permanently shut down, and for people involved in all aspects of human trafficking to meet living hope is Jesus Christ.
Source: Charisma News
ARIZONA DAY OF PRAYER VICTORY
Governor Jan Brewer has lauded a decision by Superior Court Judge Eileen Willett to dismiss a challenge to the constitutionality of proclamations designating an Arizona Day of Prayer. In March 2010, the Freedom from Religion Foundation filed suit in federal court regarding Day of Prayer proclamations issued by Governor Brewer. That challenge was dismissed in December 2011. Subsequently, the Freedom from Religion Foundation re-filed in Arizona Superior Court. Now, that challenge has also been roundly dismissed by the court, which found that the group has failed to demonstrate any injury caused by the prayer proclamations and, therefore, lacks standing to sue.
Just as with the National Day of Prayer, the Arizona Day of Prayer is an entirely voluntary event. Citizens are free to commemorate the occasion – or not commemorate it – in whatever way they feel is appropriate. Every President since 1952 has signed a National Day of Prayer proclamation, and Governors of all 50 states issued similar proclamations in 2011. Most recently, Governor Brewer proclaimed May 3, 2012, as this year’s Arizona Day of Prayer. In a statement Governor Brewer said “I applaud the Arizona Superior Court for rejecting this lawsuit, which was little more than another sad attempt to stifle an American tradition.”
“Uniting in prayer is a custom as old as our nation itself. For centuries, millions of Americans of every race, creed and colour have come together in voluntary prayer to seek strength and wisdom. This is an American right and tradition, and one that I’ve proudly marked each year I’ve been Governor by proclaiming an Arizona Day of Prayer” Governor Brewer said. In these troubled times, it is more important than ever that we have opportunities such as this to freely and voluntarily come together in seeking courage and guidance from a Higher Power. I thank the court for dismissing this baseless suit, and will continue to vigorously defend our ability to commemorate an Arizona Day of Prayer.”
Source: Christian Newswire
SOUTH KOREAN TAXIS DRIVE PASSENGERS TO CHRIST
Taxi drivers in Busan South Korea are collecting not just earthly fares, but heavenly rewards as well. When Hyun-sook Han caught a taxi home from grocery shopping last year, she had no idea just how far that decision would take her. Her driver was a Christian, who shared the gospel with her and invited her to church.” After shopping, I grabbed a taxi. She asked me go to church. So I went,” Han recalled. Moon-ja Kang, the private taxi missionary who made the invite, said she was happy Han accepted.” Kang said “Because of that taxi ride, Han accepted Christ into her life. Kang is one of 450 Christian drivers who belong to the Missionary Taxi Club in Busan South Korea.
They have devoted themselves to telling their passengers about the Lord by playing Christian radio programs and through personal testimony.” Each day we spread the gospel on the road,” said the group’s president, Myeong-Woong Ban. “If a driver gives us the name of any contacts they make, we’ll pray for them, embrace them in our heart, and have them connected to a church so they can get to know Jesus.” The taxi missionaries see the streets of Busan as a mission field. Their goal is to deliver all of their passengers safely to an eternal destination. “I consider serving God as my primary job, and the rest of what I do in this world, secondary,” explained driver Gil-hong Jin.
Source: Mission News
TENS OF THOUSANDS TO PRAY FOR THE HUNGRY AT WEMBLEY STADIUM
One in seven people go to bed hungry every night even though there is enough food in the world for everyone, says UK-based Christian relief and development agency Tearfund who will lead prayers at next weekend’s National Day of Prayer in Britain to ask God to show us how we can do our part to end hunger. The National Day of Prayer on September 29th will feature a time of prayer for the 1 billion people going hungry all over the world. The changing climate and a lack of education means that many farmers in thirdworld countries are struggling to grow enough crops to feed their families.
Tearfund are seeking to help them to adapt their farming to the changing climate and are calling for the global Church to come together in prayer to change lives. Tearfund’s Director of Integral Mission, David Westlake said “As Christians we have a responsibility to challenge the injustices of hunger and poverty, and prayer is a powerful way to do that.” “I have admired Tearfund for many years because it’s a movement that encourages the local church to engage in the transformation of communities all over the world,” said Dr Jonathan Oloyede, convener of the National Day of Prayer.”Tearfund does not just give handouts; they are committed to work with the potential people already have.”
Source: ASSIST News Service
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