Mexico’s most wanted man, Joaquin "El Chapo" (Shorty) Guzmán, the notorious leader of the Sinaloa drug cartel that has been blamed for thousands of homicides, was indicted April 2012 in El Paso along with 23 others on federal charges.
Guzman is the boss of the Sinaloa Federation, the 5 foot 6 inch son of a poor rural family. Despite having virtually no formal education, Forbes estimates Guzman is worth more than $1 billion. He has been declared the most influential trafficker in the world.
Guzman is infamous for the smuggling of cocaine from Columbia, and heroin from Southeast Asia. His organization also produces their own brand of heroin. U.S. law enforcement have identified Sinaloa Cartel distribution centers in Arizona, California, Texas, New York, and Chicago, where street gangs such as MS-13 and the Mexican Mafia distribute the drugs.
Guzman has eluded capture for more than a decade, is known for coming up with original ways to smuggle, like putting cocaine in fire extinguishers, and is suspected of helping Mexicans and Colombians launder as much as $20 billion in drug profits. Guzman is the heart of the drug war, perpetuating the image of the bulletproof bad guy.
Guzman's influence is reportedly deeply imbedded in the political structure of Mexico, even spilling over to the United States. Guzman's typical plan is to recruit a low-level official and continue to pay that person as he rises through the ranks. Once an official or politician is on a cartel payroll, he is subject to blackmail should he stop cooperating. And it goes beyond cash; it can also involve murder. Whatever the relationship entails, once a cartel gets its hooks into a person, it tends not to let go -- and the person thus entangled has little choice but to continue cooperating, since he can be subject to arrest and political or financial ruin or even assassination if he is caught.
U.S. law enforcement officials say that no other cartel has the international cocaine distribution networks of Guzman's Sinaloa Federation, which is also making a major push into methamphetamines in Mexico and Central America. He has a $7 million bounty on his head in Mexico and the U.S., and teams of law enforcement agents from both countries are devoted to his capture.
PRAY:
1. We call upon You, Almighty God, for the capture of Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman (Sinaloa) (Hebrews 4:13 & Job 12:22).
2. That all communication fail within Guzman's ranks that keeps him one step ahead of capture.
3. That the Lord will shine His light on the whereabouts of Guzman, and on all those in the cartel's leadership.
4. For supernatural wisdom, breakthrough and protection for all law enforcement that are working to take down Guzman.
5. That the Lord would send His mighty heavenly army to arrest Guzman, bringing law enforcement to the right place at the right time for Guzman's capture.
PRAISES!
Seven members of Mexico's Zetas cartel were arrested Tuesday after a U.S. indictment accused a total of 14 cartel members of laundering drug money through the breeding and racing of American quarter horses in the United States, authorities said. Los Zetas leader Miguel Angel Trevino Morales, 38, and his two brothers were named in the federal indictment, and brother Jose Trevino Morales, 45, and his wife, 38-year-old Zulema Trevino, were among the seven arrested, federal authorities said. The 14 defendants were charged with a conspiracy using horse racing and breeding to launder the cartel's drug money, authorities said.
A member of Mexico's Los Zetas drug cartel suspected of running piracy operations for the criminal organization was arrested earlier this week, the Defense Secretariat said Thursday. Gregorio Villanueva Salas, known as "The Czar of Piracy," also faces charges in connection with several grenade attacks. Villanueva was arrested by army troops on Monday in Monterrey, the capital of the northern state of Nuevo Leon, along with three other members of the gang. Villanueva was "one of the principal operators" of Los Zetas, a drug cartel notorious for dismembering its victims, Defense Secretariat spokesman Col. Ricardo Trevilla said.
Do you ever feel weary or burdened after hearing yet another report about the continual onslaught of sexualized messages in our children’s schools? And finding out how well-funded all the sexual advocacy groups targeting our classrooms with their messages are certainly doesn’t make things any easier. Well, I have some good news for you: This week we’ve got a refreshing story to share with you that will encourage your heart.
These brave parents and local school board members in Erie, Illinois – a town of only 1,600 people – are resisting pressure from national activist groups and liberal media.
They made their voices heard after discovering plans to introduce materials from GLSEN – the Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network – into their elementary school, which serves children between the ages of 4 and 9.
The good news is, the school board listened to the parents’ concerns and voted 5-2 to reject the GLSEN material. But as a result, the gay-activist groups have launched a national campaign to pressure the board into reversing its vote.
However, the school board says it’s not changing its vote, no matter what GLSEN does. Parents and citizens in this community are standing firm for their kids, their schools and their community values. Those actions are having a ripple effet that will empower other parents nationwide.
If you have concerns about whether this type of curriculum is headed to your local schools and how you can respond, you’ll want to check out www.truetolerance.org. This online resource provides examples of homosexual-themed classroom materials to be aware of, as well as tips on how to respond to efforts to introduce them in your children’s classrooms in a loving, fact-based way.
For faith and the family,
Dear friends,
About a week ago I wrote you to let you know about the special prayer guide, 30 Days of Prayer for the Muslim World. This guide will help you (and others you know or lead) to pray with informed hope for Muslim people—in your community or anywhere in the world.
As you know, Muslims observe a 30-day period of fasting and prayer every year that they call "Ramadan." It's an ideal time to pray for God's purposes of love to be fulfilled in their lives and families. This prayer guide is timed to give you ideas and information to pray during these same 30 days (July 20 - August 18) with Christ-like sensitivity and relevance.
I'm writing to remind you to order. We've had to re-order from the supplier several times because of the significant response. We were told yesterday that only a few hundred of the children's version are left. So order soon! The starting date (July 20) is just a few weeks from now.
If you haven't already done so, check out a few sample pages of this beautiful, full-color resource by going to our website (www.waymakers.org/30-days.html).
WayMakers has made it easy to order from our website or by phone. The cost begins at $3 for a single copy ($3.50 for children’s) with discounts as great as 60% when ordered in quantity. Check out the details online at www.waymakers.org/30-days.html or call us at 512.419.7729.
During a regional session at the recently concluded World Prayer Assembly, which held at Jakarta, Indonesia, from the 14th to the 18th of May, 2012, at which Pastor E.A. Adeboye was one of the International speakers, the over 25 delegates from Nigeria, after an exhaustive discussion about the situation in our country, resolved to call the Church in Nigeria to a one year transformational prayer campaign commencing from 1st August, 2012 to 1 July 2013. This urgent call to prayer is necessitated by the myriad and intractable problems facing our nation, some of which are underlisted below:
1. The high rate of insecurity, especially the bombing of the Boko Haram sect and the attempt to destabilize the nation.
2. The looming prediction by the CIA and other western organisations that Nigeria would be a failed state by 2015.
3. The feverish pitch and inflammatory comments which the 2015 national elections is already generating and what it portends for our democratic system.
4. The ever-increasing rate of unemployment in the country without any solutions in sight.
5. The cancerous problem of corruption in our society, the hypocritical and cosmetic treatment which successive leadership give as panacea to the problem.
6. The fallen standards of education and mass failure during WAEC and NECO exams by our students.
7. The total neglect and marginalization of the less privileged, the poor and those with physical challenges in our society.
8. The absence of any assuring engagement and rehabilitating plans for our youths and children.
9. Inter-ethnic and inter-religious religious conflicts in Jos, Ebonyi and Adamawa states.
10. Political thuggery, arson and assassination of opponents.
11. Erratic power supply despite the colossal amount spent on the Independent Power Projects.
12. The fuel subsidy, pension scam, and billions of naira fraud they have unearthed.
13. A self-centered National Assembly whose actions are so unpatriotic and uninspiring.
14. An inefficient judiciary that is allegedly ridden with corruption, where justice is most times delayed or denied.
15. The prevalence of ritual killings and occultism in politics and governance in the land.
16. The kidnapping of people has fast turned to a profession and the raping of women and teenage girls.
17. Our roads and highways are littered with carnage; we lack maintenance culture on virtually all our infrastructure.
We are not unmindful of the fact that this call to National repentance and prayer is a huge prayer task. Critics of prayer would ask what impact prayer has made on our national life. Others would say, have our problems not increased and worsened because we simply pray when we should be working or thinking strategically about how to solve our problems. Suffice it to say, that without prayer, Nigeria would not be where she is now. Prayer does not negate real hardwork as a means of solving societal problems. At all times, the Church has the mandate to pray for all men, and for those on authority, no matter how good or bad the times may be. We have a divine responsibility to pray for the peace of our nationa, our leaders and the Church.
Daily and weekly prayers should be held in groups, churches, cities and should cover such areas as:
1. The Nation – the economy, families, the youth and children.
2. The Seven Mountains (spheres of the society) which comprises politics and governance, the Church, Arts, Media and Entertainment, Business and Commerce, the Family, etc.
3. Global Institutions and Events – the global economy, wars, victims of natural disasters, terrorism, environmental challenges, etc.
4. The Church – the leaders, unity in the Church, revival in the church, the persecuted church, missionaries, etc.
5. Africa – regional organisations like ECOWAS, natural disasters like famine, wars, coups, poverty, diseases, etc.
6. The Unreached People Groups and the 10/40 Window.
For us to make success of this prayer project, we call on all Churches and Christians to commit themselves to a one-day fast once a week. We also implore church leaders, ministry leaders and intercessors to introduce creativity, varying patterns of prayer, from time to time so as to enliven the prayers during this one-year period. Men, women, youths and children should be sensitized and made to be involved in this prayer.
For more information, please contact Austen Ukachi (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.)
In early June, three Muslim young men on Ramree Island reportedly raped a Rakhine Buddhist woman. After the story was published a mob of angry Rakhines attacked a bus of Muslims in central Rakhine State killing ten. A Karen/ Rakhine Christian worker witnessed these deaths. Riots then broke out across central and Northern Rakhine State killing hundreds, leaving 90,000 Internally Displaced People (IDPs). On July 2, three Rohingya women were killed for simply attempting to purchase food at the central market in Sittwe. Leaders of the Rakhine Buddhist Background Believers Movement have been threatened by Rakhine Buddhists for providing aid to their Rohingya Muslim Background friends.
Conflict Background
The Buddhist Rakhine and Muslim Rohingya's latent religious tensions were aggravated by the successive Burmese Dictators. Crusading Buddhist monks as well as Jihadist Muslims have added to the already explosive situation. In 1982 the Dictators officially denied citizenship to the Rohingya this resulted in another round of Muslim/Buddhist riots and the expulsion into Bangladesh of hundreds of thousands of refugees. Bin Laden claimed to have warriors from Afghanistan to Arakan. Today the 2 million Rohingya are some of the most persecuted people in the world. Nearly half have fled to Malaysia, Saudi Arabia, Europe and Bangladesh. In Rakhine State many Humanitarian Aid groups like the UNHCR and Doctors without Borders have provided aid primarily to the Rohingya. This perceived imbalance in aid has caused more resentment and tensions. If Rohingya leave Rakhine State they cannot return without significant bribes.
They are also denied movement inside Rakhine State. The Bangladesh government repeated pushes Rohingya back into Burma every time they try to seek refuge. Every time disaster or emergencies have happened in Myanmar we have seen a new surge of multiplication of disciples and churches. Jesus is an expert at turning crucifixion situations into resurrection situations.
1. Pray that the 250 Rakhine House Churches double in the next year. Pray that the Rohingya would find the Promised Land in Jesus, Isa Al Masih, and pray for the protection of hundreds of Rohingya believers currently meeting in several networks.
2. Pray that the 250 Rakhine Churches scattered across Rakhine State would have enough food, shelter, and security. Several Rakhine believers have been killed in the recent clashes between the Rohingya/Rakhine fighting. Pray for the Rohingya as they are one of the most oppressed peoples in the world.
3. Pray for a sister who is the coordinator of 200 church leaders and for a brother who leads hundreds of his Rohingya networks to study the gospel of Luke in their homes
4. Pray that God would provide the children in Rakhine State with an abundant supply of food.
5. Pray for a brother who leads hundreds of his Rohingya networks to study the gospel of Luke in their homes.
6. Pray for unity in the Body of Christ in Rakhine. They have been extremely fragmented at times due to competing for outside resources.
To help provide Emergency Aid to the Current Relief Situation in Rakhine State through the hands of the Rakhine Buddist Background Believers’ Movement and the Rohingya Muslim Background Believer’s network, please donate through www.lastfrontiersinternational.com
“There are both some hopeful things coming out of the North and the ongoing difficulties...
On a positive note, it seems that China is seeking to do more in the way of investment in North Korea which will help the economic situation some… We are also beginning to see some hopeful signs that Kim Jong Un may really be interested in opening up to other foreign investment and creating a more open business environment. If he does follow through on this, it could mean not only a better life for the people but also gradual lessening of repression and restriction as happened in China (although China still has a long way to go.)
On the negative side: The country has beefed up their identity card system to make it easier to control people, especially those who have been involved with activities that the government frowns on. Four North Koreans returned from China were recently executed and a number more put into prison camps.
We also have the increasingly serious drought situation in the North, especially in the main bread basket area of Hwanghae Do where farmers have just about given up on this summer's crops and beggars have been dying of starvation. The drought has even affected the capital where many residents are having difficulty getting water.
It has not been easy for people in China and elsewhere seeking to help those leaving NK in search of food or a better life. Four South Korean activists have been detained in China for a few months now although there are hopeful signs that they may be released. An activist has also recently been arrested in Vietnam as well.
The people of North Korea need your prayers. Please keep praying.”
Many Afghans are very afraid that the Taliban will come back again and where they control areas inside Afghanistan. Pray that this would never happen again. This is an example how brutal they are:
Taliban execute a woman to send Afghans a grim warning of life without the West.
Video of the brutal killing is released on the same day as donors promise 10 billion pounds of aid after troop withdrawal in 2014. http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/asia/taliban-execute-woman-to-send-afghans-a-grim-warning-of-life-without-the-west-7923566.htm
An Afghan woman accused of adultery was executed by a purported member of the Taliban as a crowd of about 150 men looked on and cheered in a killing captured in video footage that surfaced at the weekend.
The slaying occurred just an hour’s drive from Kabul and is a grim reminder of the hard-line group’s brutality, under whose rule from 1996 to 2001 women suffered severe privations, including being banned from attending school. It also highlights the expanding presence the Taliban has throughout the country beyond their traditional strongholds in the south and east.
As international troops start to leave in advance of total withdrawal in 2014, concerns are mounting about whether the fledgling Afghan National Security Forces will keep insurgents at bay.
The video, obtained by Reuters, shows a woman in a shawl kneeling in the dirt. A turban-clad man approaches and fires on her at close range with an automatic rifle. Another man is heard saying, “Allah warns us not to get close to adultery because it’s the wrong way. It is the order of Allah that she be executed.”
The woman involved – either by consent or force – with two Taliban commanders was killed in order to settle a dispute between them, according to Parwan’s Provincial Governor Basir Salangi. According to Agence France Presse, the woman was a 22-year-old called Naliba. The fate of the Taliban commanders is not known.
“When I saw this video, I closed my eyes,” Mr. Salangi told Reuters. “The woman was not guilty; the Taliban are guilty.” The footage is thought to have been shot about a week ago. Mr. Salangi added that the Taliban have considerable influence in his province…
“Afghan women and girls were looking to the international community to protect the progress they have made in the last decade, and they have been let down. Some important steps have been taken, notably in a renewed commitment to their constitutional rights and better implementation of laws. But this is still not enough to entrench the fragile gains that have been made so far. There are not enough concrete steps or firm affirmations of how women will play a better role in the transformation phase of their country”.
Please pray for the safeguarding of women and children’s rights and the gains that have been made since the Taliban were overthrown. Pray that they will not be successful in regaining control over the nation to reestablish their tyrannical and oppressive rule.
Student Volunteer Movement II is a global movement focusing on mobilizing 100,000 new workers to the harvest among least-reached peoples from the student generation. The SVM2 Alliance is getting excited about the upcoming “21 Days for Global Harvest” prayer campaign to pursue God for spiritual awakening and global harvest. This campaign will take place from September 30 – October 20, 2012, with the theme “Let My People Go!” based on Exodus 8. Small groups of young adults from student ministries related to campus ministry organizations, Christian colleges/Bible schools and local churches will participate from many nations.
Very few prayer campaigns exist connecting the emerging generation of believers together with one purpose. “21 Days for Global Harvest” targets this age group with a united prayer emphasis for awakening across the student generation and becoming ignited with passion for global harvest.
It is important to have as many student ministries from as many nations involved in this prayer campaign. It is our hope to see 1,000 prayer groups praying for 387 unengaged, unreached people groups during the 21 days.
Would you and your organization or church commit to participating with this prayer campaign as a stakeholder network? This would include the following action steps:
1. Promotion – Among your constituency (Both Para-Church ministries as well as Local Churches and Denominations – the goal is to see prayer groups involved across the spectrum of the body of Christ)
2. Participation – Schedule it on the GDOP Annual Ministry Calendar
3. Partnership – Partner to Make the Prayer Campaign a Success
The “21 Days for Global Harvest” website will include your group as a stakeholder network with the prayer campaign.
An informational graphic email is available to help with promotion. This could be sent on to the group constituency as a means of promoting the campaign. In that email it will also state clearly where to obtain hard copy prayer guides and promotional posters for local churches, student ministries, etc.
To date, other stakeholder networks include International Prayer Council (IPC), IFES-Carribean, International Center for Evangelism, Church Planting & Prayer (ICECAP), Mission-Net Europe, Malaysian Center for Global Missions (MCGM), Latin Link, Moving In Action (MIA)-SA, ForMission-Niger, World Evangelical Alliance (WEA), Japan Antioch Mission (JAM), World Mission Prayer League.
I look forward to hearing from you about the possibility of organization or church serving in this important role as a stakeholder network for the “21 Days for Global Harvest” prayer campaign.