There are almost 20,000 ordained ministers in England; in Iraq there is just one, Rev Faez Jirjees, the parish priest at St George's church in Baghdad. Christians make up about 1% of Iraq’s population, but most fled when IS were at their most brutal. Despite being bombed several times, St George's became a hub for interfaith relations, providing healthcare to Christians as well as Shia and Sunni Muslims at its clinic, dentists, pharmacy, laboratories, a nursery, primary school and a 'hope centre' that helps train young people with vocational skills for jobs. Rev Jirjees' parents dedicated him to become a priest as a child, and he served in the Anglican church close to his house as a boy. Pray for the congregation of 300, who worship in a church protected by concrete bollards, security gates, and armed guards. Pray for the Christians fearful of returning to war-torn Iraq.

Chad’s defence minister has said that a landslide at an illegal gold mine had killed about thirty people in a region near the Libyan border early on 24 September, and more victims might still be buried in the rubble. There has been rapid growth in illegal mining in recent years, often by refugees from Sudan looking for quick money to head to Europe or by rebels fighting the army. Unsafe methods and a lack of oversight mean that accidents are common at such mines across Africa, where impoverished communities seek a share of the vast resources that are usually dug up by international companies, processed and sent overseas. As gold surges, so does illegal mining across Chad, South Africa, Ghana, Zimbabwe and Nigeria - bringing crime, danger and risk to fragile environments.

Yassine, a Muslim boy, had recurring dreams of a bright light and a voice saying, ‘I am the way, the truth, and the life.’ He said, ‘This was not a normal dream to me because I had never heard this phrase before. I had no idea it was from the Bible.’ Several years later, when he was given a Bible and started to read it, he found the same words. So he looked for a church - a daring step in a country that is 99% Muslim. ‘I went to church and learned more about Jesus and Christianity. I soon truly knew that Jesus was the person in my dreams.’ To read his testimony of his walk towards mission work, click the ‘More’ button.

Flying over the Bahamas, a helicopter was dropping supplies, when a passenger pointed out a destroyed village and asked if people could possibly still be alive there. They had flown over it several times and had not seen any people or movement, but on the next run they felt an urge to fly closer and land, to check out their passenger’s suspicions. Then forty people climbed out of overturned vehicles and rubble where they had been sheltering, and ran to the team, who quickly gave food, water, tents, and other supplies to these ever-so-grateful and elated survivors.