Displaying items by tag: Asia

Asia’s youngest democracy is grappling with political instability that has hampered efforts to reduce poverty, stamp out corruption, and develop its rich energy resources. Though the prime minister had tendered his resignation after failing to pass the budget several times, he withdrew his resignation to help lead the fight against the Covid-19 pandemic, and has called for a state of emergency while approving a $250-million fund to fight it. As this mostly Catholic nation recently celebrated Easter, we stand with them and declare that Jesus is ‘the resurrection and the life’ over East Timor. We declare that traditional and nominal religious following must be shaken off, and speak of a coming to life of real and loving relationship with the Saviour. See also

Delhi has 47.6oC temperatures and Churu in Rajasthan recorded 50oC in north India’s heatwave, which will last a few more days. The region also struggles with rising Covid-19 infections and swarms of locusts ravaging their crops. The temperatures are the highest India has seen in decades. Indian heatwaves in recent years have caused a number of deaths; there are no data yet on the impact of the current weather. Thousands of migrants are walking the highways after fleeing pandemic-ridden cities to try to return to their villages. Many have little food or water and will be among the most exposed to the sun and heat. In addition to that, the heatwave has affected efforts to combat the swarms of locusts. 100+ workers are using vehicle-mounted sprayers, pesticides and drones in the searing heat.

One piece of good news is that for the first time in twenty years an unusually rainy winter has nearly filled the Sea of Galilee. Israelis consider rainy winters to be a blessing. ‘We are very excited because of this. It is very good for all of us around the Sea of Galilee: for agriculture, for farmers, for tourists, for everybody’, said the head of Kinneret Urban Union. After five years of drought, it has risen 18 feet in 2019 and 2020. The rise has been remarkable. Israelis are excited about it. ‘I am thrilled. We still treat it like our lifeline even though we do not drink the water any more. When I see a full lake, I want to sing, I want to cry out with joy. I am amazed by the grace of God,’ said tour guide Rachela Dotan.

‘Man shall not live on bread alone, but by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God.’ (Matthew 4:4) The Philippines have been on lockdown for weeks, and many people are bringing aid to those struggling to meet daily needs. But one elderly man blessed the volunteers’ hearts when he asked for a new Bible instead of relief goods. His unusual request has been circling around social media. Dyn Nah shared her amazement on her Facebook page. She said that in a country full of citizens calling for relief aid, ‘here's to this man. May we be reminded that in this crisis, it is not only about the material things we need but also His Word as we walk through our everyday challenges.’

Yemen’s Saudi-backed government has accused the Houthis of covering up a large outbreak of coronavirus in areas that they hold, and has called for urgent global assistance to help their war-ravaged health sector deal with coronavirus. The United Nations warned that the country could suffer a ‘catastrophic’ food security situation due to the pandemic. The WHO said that the virus is spreading undetected among the population in the country, control of which is divided between the government in the south and the Houthi group in the north.

Super Cyclone Amphan, the strongest storm ever recorded in the Bay of Bengal, has devastated Bangladesh and India with sustained winds of 165 mph - equivalent to a category 5 hurricane. Up to 300,000 people in coastal areas are in immediate danger from deadly storm surges and flooding. Thousands are homeless. India’s worst damage is in West Bengal's coastal districts that were ‘pulverised’. Nearly every coastal district in Bangladesh was damaged. Evacuations across the region were complicated by the pandemic, as authorities tried to maintain social distancing rules. Pray for the thousands left homeless as Amphan heaps misery on coronavirus-hit communities, particularly the 14 million in Kolkata - situated in its direct path. Pray for those in mourning, the injured, and those clearing debris from impassable roads, rescuing flood victims and organising aid as heavy rains continue to fall on hard-hit areas.

Ahmad Quraisy (not his real name) was a commander of the feared Islamic State of Indonesia, a militant terror group. He has come a long way since he nearly blew up a Protestant church in Jakarta. Now, the 48-year-old former terrorist leads an underground movement in Indonesia converting Muslims to personal faith in Christ. His movement has grown into some 7,000 members, all of them former Muslims. They meet in house churches across the country, he revealed in an extensive interview. Leaving Islam remains a high-risk undertaking in the world’s largest Muslim nation. But, he says, ‘it was worth all the hardships we endured’. For his story, click the ‘More’ button.

The Xingguang house church refused to join the government-sanctioned Three-Self Patriotic Movement. On 3 May security officers burst into a house church gathering for worship. The men who were guarding the door were pinned down, and worshippers were forcefully dragged away. Calling the meeting illegal, the officers demanded that church members stop recording with their cell phones and then confiscated them. However, a short video clip has been made available Throughout the proceedings no warrant was presented. Some Christians were injured and one was hospitalised. Six of the worshippers were detained for several hours. The authorities issued an order officially banning their church gathering. Pray that the members of this church will find ways to continue encouraging one another and grow stronger in their faith.

A woman leads the fight against coronavirus in the Palestinian territories, while at the same time it has brought more violence and suffering to women. Umm Iyad travels to the northern West Bank to follow up on emergency procedures as part of the efforts to stem the outbreak of coronavirus. She has been heading the village council since 2017, and is now head of the emergency committee. She is also working on a community initiative to cultivate land and grow vegetables to achieve self-sufficiency for the villagers. However, during lockdown, statistics showed social workers across the Palestinian governorates have been dealing with increased victims of domestic violence. 40% of women have been subjected to emotional and mental abuse, and 31% to physical abuse. 60% of the victims have fled their houses, and 21% attempted suicide.

Any child sold for sex is a victim of sex trafficking. Since 2006, IJM South Asia has rescued 1000+ survivors from sex trafficking, seen over 500 criminals restrained and trained over 30,000 police, government officials, and NGOs. Sex trafficking survivors have described being beaten and forcibly injected with narcotics. This is continuing during lockdown. There is particular concern about the rise of online sexual exploitation of children during the pandemic. It is highly possible that seasoned human trafficking criminals will exploit the current situation. Please pray against this increased exploitation. Pray also for safety and security for the survivors of sex trafficking now thriving and living independently; many are now unable to work in lockdown and risk falling back into desperate poverty. Pray that IJM can maintain contact with these survivors in their network, and provide what is needed to keep them safe.