Compass Direct News (www.compassdirect.org) reports that in December and January, Iranian authorities reportedly released 62 of the 120 Christians arrested for their faith as well as one held in prison since June of 2010. Iranian religious and political figures acknowledged the existence of home fellowships and called them a threat to the state. Some were released on bail that range between a few thousand dollars to the deed on a house. Elam Ministries (www.elam.com) reported that some Christians reported solitary confinement and harsh interrogation. Christian Solidarity Worldwide (www.csw.org.uk) reported that 45 Christians were detained for one night in several towns and cities as part of a policy of harassing non-Muslims. “Silence is the worst thing about the situation of Christians in Iran. The Christians in Iran suffer from the silence of the international community.” Many are put to death secretly, but if news is made about a situation, there is reluctance.
The BBC reported that recent Tehran street protests were broken up by riot police and militia on motorcycles. Protests came a day after websites closed to opposition leaders Mir Hossein Mousavi and Mehdi Karroubi, and both are said to have been jailed.
Please pray: for the safety and release of Christians persecuted and imprisoned in Iran; for the increased faith and courage of all believers; for the government to be reformed so that political and religious freedoms are upheld for all.
International Christian Concern (ICC) learned that Said Musa, an Afghan Christian who was arrested in May and scheduled for execution in February for his conversion to Christianity, was released from prison in late February after aggressive international diplomacy. He is now safely out of the country and will be re-united with family. However, Shaoib Assadullah, also an Afghan Christian, is still behind bars for giving a Bible to a man who later reported him to authorities. He faces the same charges of apostasy (leaving Islam) with the death penalty.
Please pray: give thanks to God for Said Musa’s release from prison; continue to ask for the release of Shaoib Assadullah; for Afghan Christians to not fear death and to remain faithful, and for ultimate religious freedom in Afghanistan.
At least 20 people were killed and dozens wounded in heavy fighting in Mogadishu, Somalia’s capital, in late February when African Union peacekeeper forces attacked an extensive underground fortification system of trenches and tunnels used by Islamist insurgents. The African Union’s official mission is to protect Somalia’s weak transitional government. Shabab, one of the biggest insurgent groups, are among those that rule large sections of southern Somalia and clan militias loosely control the rest. Some of the mortar shells hit camps of the internally displaced people who had been living in bubble-shaped shelters made of twigs and plastic sheets after their homes had been destroyed.
Please pray: that the insurgents will be weakened and overthrown; that Somalia will have peace and an ability to rebuild; for the government to take increased control of the country, and for Somali Christians to find favor with the new government.
Compelling video feeds of important prayer concerns are accompanied by prayers that you can join in with at Prayercast (www.prayercast.com). “It is our hope that not only would individuals be spurred to heartfelt prayer through Prayercast’s online resources, but also that small groups, churches and organizations would use them in corporate settings to unite in prayer.” One can also post online personal prayers for various countries.
On January 23, 2011, a force of 250 Burma Army troops entered the Manarone area of Ta Naw Tha Ri Township in southern Karen State where many Karen families were hiding. These Burma Army troops fought against the Karen National Liberation Army (ethnic pro-democracy resistance) from January 24-26. On January 27th, the Burma Army burned down 6 houses of the Karen families. On the 28th, 17 houses and a school were burned. There are 236 people from 28 families displaced. Such occurrences are quite frequent in the ethnic conflict going on inside the country. Please pray: for the safety of Karen and other ethnic families suffering as a result of this ongoing war; for the provision of food, shelter, and education; for peace to come to the land and that God’s values would reign supreme.
March 13, 2011, is the Global Day of Prayer for Burma—praying for peace, justice, and religious freedom for all the peoples of Burma.
This is an international network of Bible schools, campus ministry organizations, denominations, and mission sending agencies, serving a grassroots mission mobilization initiative among today’s emerging generation toward the fulfillment of the great commission in our lifetime.
SVM2 offers many materials and proven methods for catalyzing the Student Mission Movement and is “enthusiastically” endorsed by the Lausanne Committee for World Evangelization. Please visit www.svm2.net and guide Christian students in your area to this valuable resource. Please pray: for God to lead students to this site as well as to personally call many into missions; pray for this ministry to effectively support, educate, and equip these students.
For the past couple of years, there has been much discussion among prayer leaders about the use of Internet technology for prayer mobilization. Many ministries want to develop web-based tools that will leverage the broad outreach and interactive communication that Internet technology can provide. Prototypes like Global Prayer Connection www.globalprayerconnection.com have been created, but more collaboration is needed to further explore possibilities.
Global Prayer Connection was first commissioned by IPC in partnership with two technology companies, Simon Solutions and Liquidus Tech. The purpose for developing this prototype was to help intercessors catch a glimpse of the capabilities of Internet technology for local, national, and global prayer mobilization. Our overall purpose is to bring together experts in Internet technology, mobile communications, and prayer strategies with the goal of developing a sophisticated prayer networking tool that will help intercessors connect and mobilize for targeted intercession in real-time.
We already have in place web developers who are experts in hardware/software design and Internet security. These experts have the capability of building whatever is needed. We also have a small group of prayer leaders who want to see this project become a reality. What we are lacking is the proper amount of resources to build and maintain the global network, which intercessors around the world could use free of charge. For several months we have also been part of conference calls orchestrated by Phil Miglioratti of Mission America. Representatives from different technology companies have been discussing the challenges associated with developing prayer networking tools. We all agree that our greatest challenge is not technology development, but consensus among prayer leaders as to how technology can benefit all prayer ministries. If all things could come together in a timely fashion, a powerful global prayer network with the following features could be up and running in a matter of months:
• Keeps intercessors well-connected, informed, and engaged in a safe and secure environment.
• Enables intercessors with like-passions to easily connect in small groups and work together.
• Makes it easy to orchestrate 24/7 prayer and mobilize intercessors for specific assignments.
• Instantly send private messages and broadcast prayer bulletins to large groups.
Now is the time for prayer leaders and ministries to come together and discover new ways to partner together. The reality of millions of intercessors united in global intercession in real-time can happen if people are willing to work together. For more information on how to get involved or to contribute financially, please contact Mike Simon This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
“He will give you the desires of your heart” Psalm 37:4. A friend of IPC reports…“It was in my heart to go to Sri Lanka and China to open the Bible College. Now I know that my desire is a dream for God.” While traveling in Taiwan in February, God told our friend to visit Sri Lanka, the country of his birth. He went to India to open a Bible College and then went on to Colombo, Sri Lanka. War had ended, but foreigners were forbidden. Special permission from the Army Chief was required and would take a week for approval. Most applications are rejected. Our friend prayed for a miracle, and it came! Permission was granted within a day to travel by air and land.
The journey started with a heavy burden (like Nehemiah). The land was beautiful but now is like a graveyard with dry bones. God spoke to our brother… “’The wall is broken…the gates are burnt with fire. You are my Nehemiah. What are you doing? Cry out for your own people…your own city…I have blessed you. Now you bless your people. Don’t forget your land where you were born.’ I was watching through the window of the helicopter, and my heart began to weep because now the land is empty with the cry of innocent children.” Hundreds of children used to be in the Children House of Prayer (CHOP) programme in Jaffna and a few villages, but almost every village was empty. In a small church, 12 children were found praying and worshipping, crying out for mercy on the land, healing of the people, and saving the nation. Our friend visited a refugee camp where 50 children gathered for free tuition—children who had lost both or one parent. Now 400 children are in the support programme of our friend’s ministry.
From Jaffna, he traveled 10 hours observing that nearly all homes he passed had no doors, windows, or roofs. Most had bullet holes on the walls. He stopped in Vanni to worship in a small church with broken walls and an altar filled with bullet holes. People had lost arms and legs. Almost every child had lost someone in his/her family. The two villages used to have 250,000 but now have 20,000. People began to tell their stories; none could keep quiet, crying aloud in anguish and pain.
No media or foreigners are allowed, and there were so many untold stories. “Lord, no more war…we need peace…bless Sri Lanka…children…come out from your empty tombs…our God is alive”—this was our friend’s prayer until he reached Colombo. Having met a pastor and asking if he had any needs, the pastor said, “I had only one old bicycle, and I lost it during the war. If I get one bicycle, I can travel a hundred miles and pray for people and win souls.” Our friend took him to a shop and bought a new bicycle for him. The pastor took our friend’s hand and started blessing him. He said, “This one cycle is enough to bring 1,000 people to Jesus.” When our friend was in Colombo, he prayed with pastors and ministers until 2:30 a.m. … There is now a commitment to raise 2,000 children intercessors in Sri Lanka!
Our brother is now going to China with a burden to build a “Wall of Fire” through children’s prayers. He asks for our prayers. He writes: “It is Time to see the Revival. Let us cry to our Heavenly Father. Please pray that He will raise up an army of children intercessors in Sri Lanka and open Children’s House Of Prayer in every city and rebuild the churches. Pray that these children will be healed by the Father’s Love and have proper food and shelter. Pray that he and others may be able to start and support orphanages that lost their dear ones in the war. “I was hungry, you gave me food; I was thirsty, you gave me to drink; I was naked, you clothed me; I was sick, you looked after me…Whatever you have done to these little ones, you have done to me,” says Jesus. Please pray for his trip to China. As he wrote, “MY DESIRE IS HIS DREAM.”