NIGER — Pray for three children who were brought to our producer after having been abandoned. Our producer agreed to take in the children, and the church has rallied to provide support—helping to supply food and raising funds so that the children can once again attend school. Pray that the Lord will be at work in the lives of these children, and pray that the community will see this Christlike care as a positive testimony.
NEPAL — Words of Hope Nepal team members were recently able to participate in the Nepali Reformed Churches’ annual conference. This is a great time for furthering church planting initiatives in the country. Many of the pastors who attended are leading churches in areas where Christianity is resented and even persecuted. We give thanks that ten new evangelists and church planters were commissioned at the conference.
ENGLISH — Pray for readers who are working their way through reading the Bible in a year, either through the Words of Hope’s app, email prompts, or the print book. Pray that they would be encouraged to continue on, even if the reading commitment feels too much at times. Pray that the Holy Spirit would speak to their hearts in new ways as they explore all of what Scripture has to say.
TURKEY — A man named Everette wrote to our team in Turkey, asking how to become a Christian. When he was asked why he wanted to change religions, Everette said that he was done with Islam. Our team, realizing that it was not enough to simply want to change religions, chose to interact with Everette more. They sent him a Bible and called him. Pray that through these ongoing contacts, Everette will come to know Christ personally.
BHUTAN — The Election Commission of Bhutan issued a notice that, because of election processes, there were to be no meetings, seminars, or religious gatherings from November 1, 2023 until January 31, 2024. Our Bhutanese team reluctantly agreed to comply by temporarily stopping their church gatherings, weekly Bible study, and women’s fellowship. Pray for the team as they start up their in-person meetings again this month.
IRAN — Give thanks for new children’s programming that our Persian ministry team is working on. Children are the next generation of the church, and our team is dedicated to providing media content that will help them grow in their faith alongside their parents. Pray for them as they grow up in a world that is hostile to their beliefs and that restricts their freedoms. Pray that within their lifetimes they will come to experience freedom of religion.
ALBANIA — The first quarter of the Words of Hope Albania devotional features an entire month of devotionals written by Albanians for Albanians. Thanks be to God! This was the goal of the devotional writing workshop that Words of Hope hosted in Albania last year. God is faithful. It is very exciting to see the Albanian people taking ownership of this project. Pray that these devotionals will speak to the hearts of all who read them.
INDIA — A police officer in India was struggling with alcoholism. After the death of his father, the police officer began to drink even more heavily than before, and his health declined. The Words of Hope team brought the man to the hospital and also shared the gospel with him. Since that time, his life has been transformed, and he is now attending the church. We give thanks for God’s blessings.
INDONESIA — We give thanks that members of the Words of Hope team in North America were recently able to visit the team in Indonesia. What a privilege to witness the ways that God is at work in other parts of the world! Radio programs are working together with newer media formats like YouTube to reach the next generation of followers for Jesus Christ. Programs are being translated into many smaller tribal languages to reach communities across the islands.
UGANDA — Remember a program listener named Mabel in your prayers. Mabel’s husband abandoned her because she refused to convert to Islam. Then, her entire neighborhood was swept away due to extreme flooding. She was in a state of despair, but Words of Hope Uganda programs about having patience in affliction encouraged her. She now leads a group of 126 women in Bible study and prayer.
SOUTH SUDAN — The team in South Sudan has added programs on quality education, culture, inter-tribal marriage, and nationalism. The goal of these programs is to change the mindset of the people from one of tribal division to a spirit of celebrating their nation and promoting education. The programs encourage unity, love, and peaceful coexistence. Marriages across tribes will help communities better understand each other.
NEPAL — A recent series of programs focused on vocational worship. The programs sought to bridge the gap between work and worship by showing that God, who created the world and everything in it, is still deeply concerned with our daily lives. “We believe the series has helped many of us to understand our Christian vocation,” says our Nepali ministry director. “Our calling from the Lord is to bring his Lordship into every sphere of our daily engagement with the world.”