A missionary’s message: ‘There is much happening right now. Persecution and hardships abound, yet our Mighty Lord reigns over it all! One member of our team and his young family have been receiving threatening messages due to their ministry work, and we have had to relocate them to a new city. Pray with us that they will remain safe and be able to continue their work for the Lord. Another team member was arrested crossing a border between Jordan and Lebanon. Pray with us for favour before the judge and for a quick resolution to the false charges. Despite these hardships, our team has also reported many praises of how God has been at work. A sewing workshop will take place this week to train persecuted women, providing skills to help sustain them and their families. We praise God for this opportunity to serve these women and offer training, hope and a way forward with dignity.’

Myanmar’s military has murdered civilians and used them as human shields. Soldiers have attacked homes, refugee camps, and even churches in Karenni State. The actions may amount to war crimes. The group Fortify Rights says the military has committed these crimes with internationally supplied weapons. They urged the UN security council to impose a global arms embargo on Myanmar. It has been just over a year since the military seized power from elected officials. Civilians are learning how to fight back. They are being more strategic and using more guerrilla warfare tactics. A defector from the military, who fled with his family to India last year, reported heavy military casualties while fighting civilian rebels in the Chin state. Leaked documents describe soldiers being attacked by as many as a thousand rebels at a time. Pray for Myanmar’s fighting to give way to peace and justice.

Iranian-backed Hamas and PIJ are the two largest groups in the Gaza Strip, but they are not trying to improve the living conditions of their people. They have brought war and destruction on the strip by firing rockets towards Israel, forcing Israel to strike back to defend itself. Instead of building schools and hospitals, the leaders have invested tens of millions of dollars in a tunnel network along the border to attack and kill Jews. Hamas and PIJ leaders don’t live in Gaza; they lead luxurious lives in Doha, Istanbul, and Beirut, and call Palestinians to pursue the fight against Israel from their gyms, jets, and jacuzzis. Some have finally realised that their leaders care only about their personal interest and the well-being of their families and are enjoying the good life. Pray for Palestinians to remove their leaders and move forward with their lives.

At least eight Westerners have been arrested in Afghanistan during different incidents in the last two months, marking a sharp escalation of Taliban actions against Westerners living in the country. No formal charges have been lodged against the six British citizens, one of whom is an American legal resident, and one US citizen. Afghanistan’s former vice-president tweeted that nine Westerners had been ‘kidnapped’ by the Taliban, naming journalists Andrew North, formerly of the BBC who was working for the United Nations refugee agency (UNHCR), and Peter Jouvenal, who has worked with the BBC and CNN. The reason for each of the specific detentions is unclear, and they are not thought to be related. Peter's family believe he is detained in error. He was working openly, having frequent meetings with Taliban officials to discuss investments in Afghanistan's mining industry. Peter suffers from high blood pressure and needs medication.