BHUTAN — A Bhutanese church leader shared the following update with us: “It’s been many months that I am getting the privilege to share the Word of God during Sunday fellowship in our local church. I am preaching mostly from Words of Hope’s YouTube sermons because they are not only consistent, but also very relevant and needful. I could see how the believers are growing in Christ by applying the truth from the Scriptures and showing love to one another.”
IRAN — Pray for all of the two dozen attendees of a recent Words of Hope Persian Conference. Conferences like this one are pivotal experiences, both for the learners and the teachers. Pray that each person would grow in their faith as a result of this time spent worshiping, praying, and studying Scripture together. Pray also that we will be able to expand the number of conferences we offer in the next year.
SOUTH SUDAN — Please pray for a man in South Sudan whose three sons died as a result of revenge killings. He listened to a Words of Hope radio program about peace and reconciliation and heard Romans 12:19: “Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, ‘Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.’” He has since talked with the radio producers, has sought forgiveness, and has accepted Christ as his Savior.
NEPAL — Pray for our team members and for those they are serving during the ongoing suffering in Nepal due to COVID-19. Our team has been serving food to people in the streets. They report that the situation there is worse than it was last year during the first wave of COVID-19. They are feeding as many as 80 people per day. They are also packing boxes of food and traveling by motorbike to distribute to people in need.
INDIA — Please join us in praying for five house churches in India that are meeting in temporary shelters made of dried palm leaves. The monsoon season has already started there, and these shelters are no longer sufficient. These people survive on small daily wages that do not allow them to finance more permanent structures. Pray for provision for these Christians so that they can have brick walls and roofs for their churches.
ENGLISH — Pray for the ongoing development of a new Sunday School curriculum. The team has finished filming the video content that will accompany the curriculum, and the goal is to have the resource available for churches this fall. Pray that this resource will be a help to churches who are seeking to lead young people to grow in their faith and understanding of the global church.
ALBANIA — The Words of Hope Albania team produces a television program called “The Truth I Hold” which tells the stories of Albanian Christians. Our director shares: “We thank God for his people, and for what he has done in us—that we can share our stories and influence those who hear them. Please pray that more people will be able and willing to listen to these programs online or watch them on television.”
TURKEY — Our Turkish director shares this update: “We send warm greetings to all of our friends and family who support us with their prayers and their faithful financial support. We trust you and your families are staying healthy and protecting yourselves from the virus by being vaccinated.” He says that in Turkey they are not out of the woods yet in regards to COVID-19, as they are currently grappling with a third wave of the virus.
NIGER — Our Gourmantche broadcaster sends the following update from Niger: “I give thanks to God who always gives me the strength to prepare and record broadcasts. It is not easy, but the Lord gives me the strength and courage to go forward with joy. Pray for my family and our area in general—for safety. We occasionally hear heavy gunfire at night. This does not allow us to sleep peacefully.”
INDONESIA — Pray for Words of Hope’s ministry partnership with YKB in Indonesia, and for the team working there. They have 19 full-time staff, 3 part-time staff, and 185 volunteers! Pray for expanded distribution of their daily devotionals, which has seen a drop in readership during the pandemic. Currently about 13,000 people subscribe to either hard copies or emailed versions of the devotional, as well as some churches and schools.
BHUTAN — Give thanks that our Bhutanese team has seen an increase in viewership of their videos when they post them on Facebook! After some discouraging months of low interaction on YouTube, this comes as a welcome confirmation for their efforts. They plan to continue recording sermons and Christian music for video sharing on Facebook, and will begin paying to boost their page and post views as well so that thousands more people can see them.
UGANDA — Pray for the country of Uganda as they are experiencing aggressive and sustained growth of the COVID-19 pandemic. In just a few weeks, the reported number of cases went from 100 to 1700. With this steep rise, they also began experiencing an increase in deaths, and a 17% positive test rate. Experts are concerned that the pandemic there is only gaining speed. Please pray for protection for the country, and for each of our staff and their family members.