BHUTAN — Give thanks for opportunities to speak in local churches and train up new church planters. In addition, the team in Bhutan now offers tutoring for school students on weekdays. On Saturdays, short Bible stories are shared with the children, as well as Christian songs and activities. Currently the team is working with 73 children. Pray that the training offered to both church planters and students will help to build the church in Bhutan.
SOUTH SUDAN — As much as two-thirds of the population of South Sudan may suffer severe food shortages next year during the months of April to July. Drastic fluctuations between floods and drought, in addition to ongoing conflict, are expected to make this typically lean season much harder than usual. Experts predict that the food shortage will be even worse than when the civil war was at its height several years back. Lord, have mercy.
ENGLISH — Pray for families, individuals, and church groups as they work through Words of Hope’s Advent Calendar this December. The goal of the devotionals and accompanying activities is to help people count down to Christmas in a purposeful and joyful manner. Pray that advertising efforts would be successful to share this free resource with as many people as possible.
TURKEY — An explosion that took place in a busy shopping area in Istanbul left at least 6 people dead and 81 wounded. Our ministry partner in Turkey writes: “As far as we know, none of our brothers were harmed in the incident, but panic broke out in several churches close to the site of the explosion. Please pray! May God comfort the families of the deceased and heal the injured.”
IRAN — Protests continue throughout the country of Iran. Individuals have been killed in these demonstrations against the regime, which in turn fuels more protests. Some have said they will keep protesting until the Islamic Republic is overthrown. Security forces are becoming exhausted as the protests spread. The official death toll so far is 304 people, including 41 children and 24 women, though many are afraid that the actual numbers could be much higher.
NEPAL — Over 60 church leaders recently gathered in Nepal for an annual conference. They had the joy of approving four new pastors for ordination—one of whom is currently serving at a Words of Hope partner church plant. Pray for the Words of Hope team as they continue writing devotionals and recording new radio programs. Pray for protection for them, as hostility against Christianity is increasing in the country.
INDONESIA — Pray for the Booming Youth listener’s community in Indonesia, that they may have a firm faith to face every challenge they encounter. Pray that these young people will be the salt and light of Christ wherever they go. Pray also for our translators, that they will be given good health. Their translation services are essential in order to adapt programs into the different languages in the region.
UGANDA — Give thanks that 500 young people have registered to attend a youth mission week in Uganda. Many prayers for healing and deliverance have been answered during such gatherings. Pray that the faith of these young people will grow as they see the ways that God is at work in their lives. Pray that the team would be able to find more programmers to record for the radio in the many languages that Words of Hope works in.
IRAN — Please pray for the Words of Hope Persian ministry team as they continue to minister to people inside the country of Iran during this difficult time of fear and protests. It is very hard for the team to see their fellow Iranians suffering. Pray that the Holy Spirit would give them the right messages to share to bring encouragement and hope. Pray that the Iranian people would be freed from the oppression under which they have been living.
INDIA — The team in India had an opportunity to minister to people living in a Mother’s Home near their office. Such homes provide care and lodging for destitute children, elderly women, and mentally ill individuals. The Words of Hope team distributed school supplies for the children at the home to equip them for their school lessons. Pray that these community outreach opportunities show the love of Christ in practical ways to those who need it most.
ALBANIA — Pray for plans and preparations that are underway for an Albanian devotional writing conference that will be held early next year. Pray that the right people would hear about the conference and plan to attend. Currently the devotional in Albania is a translated version of the North American devotional, but the goal is to integrate more writing from Albanian Christians writing devotionals for their own context and people.
NIGER — Give thanks that our Hausa producer was able to attend a time of training in Nigeria. It was a great experience for him, and he gives thanks to God for the privilege. While away, he realized that it would be helpful to have a ministry backup person in Niger to receive feedback from listeners and answer their questions related to our radio programs. We give thanks that a young pastor has now agreed to partner with us in this backup role.