BHUTAN — Pray for the leader of our Bhutanese ministry team. He has been traveling to remote areas where most of the population is either Buddhist or Hindu. He goes to these locations to offer in-person training for Christian pastors there. Pray that the pastors would be inspired and equipped to continue their ministry in these rural and mountainous areas where there are few Christians.
SOUTH SUDAN — Pray for the ongoing struggle of refugees in South Sudan. This troubled part of the world is hosting incredible numbers of refugees from neighboring Sudan, and also has its own internally displaced people. Currently South Sudan hosts around 330,000 refugees from Sudan, has 2 million internally displaced South Sudanese people, and 500,000 South Sudanese former refugees who have now returned.
TURKEY — Our partners in Turkey are working on producing a new program specifically geared toward young people. Young people often contact the radio station with questions, but the producers cannot answer all of the questions directly, since the law forbids proselytizing anyone under the age of 18 without parental consent. Instead, the team will begin producing animated videos addressing the questions they frequently receive.
IRAN — Tensions are high in the Middle East after Iran launched an attack on Israel. This was in response to a deadly airstrike that targeted the Iranian consulate in Syria. Pray for our Christian brothers and sisters living inside the country of Iran. They suffer in many ways at the hands of their government. We pray that lives would be spared during these times of conflict, and also that the people of Iran would be set free from oppressive rule.
KOSOVO — Members of our ministry team report facing opposition to their work and faith. In fact, one man shared that even his son has encountered schoolmates angrily demanding to know if he is a Christian. Generational animosity still exists between Christians and Muslims in Kosovo. This makes it a difficult place to share the gospel. Please pray for courage and winsomeness for our team members.
UGANDA — Every Sunday, the Words of Hope team in Uganda live-streams a church service. Ugandans are tuning into these services from around the world! Viewers from Australia, South Sudan, the United States, and Dubai all follow along on the YouTube channel as well as on social media platforms. This same church service has also been picked up by three national television stations.
INDONESIA — Please pray for Pastor H., Words of Hope’s Nias language program translator. He was recently hospitalized because of a heart attack. He is also being treated for hypertension. The team has found a backup person to create the videos for Pastor H. during this time so that ministry content can continue to go out. Please pray that Pastor H. will be restored to full health soon.
NEPAL — The team in Nepal recently conducted two Pastoral Formation training programs. A total of 24 people were able to participate. Those who attended are being trained to become future church leaders. We partner with Cross-Way Church in Nepal, who has developed specialized training curriculums for children, youth, women, pastors, elders, and deacons. Pray that these newly trained leaders would help to continue building the church in Nepal.
ENGLISH — Pray for Words of Hope’s devotional writers and editors. A new 365-day devotional book is in the works! The content is close to completion, and we are now entering into the phase of editing, layout, and design. Pray for each person who will have a role in helping to complete this devotional book. Also pray that the book will encourage the faith of each person who reads it.
NIGER — Our team reports: “The situation is still tense with some uncertainty about what the future holds for the government in Niger. The good news is that the sanctions from neighboring countries have been dropped, so the borders are reopening to trade. Unfortunately, prices are still high, and the most difficult time of the year is approaching—the hot and dry time that leads into the hot and rainy planting season. Food becomes scarce now.”
INDIA — We give thanks that our Garhwali language team recently had the opportunity to go on a trek through the mountainous region they live in. They distributed gospel tracts, New Testaments, and pamphlets about their social media programming. They got to pray for many individuals and families along the way. Pray that more of the people they visited would connect with Words of Hope’s ministry as a result.