Guatemala: thousands flee as volcano erupts
22 Nov 2018
Almost 4,000 people have been evacuated from the slopes of the Fuego volcano after it began erupting on 18 November, with ash and lava spewing from its crater. This comes five months after almost 200 people were buried by volcanic ash and mud during a violent eruption. That eruption generated pyroclastic flows - fast-moving mixtures of very hot gas and volcanic matter - which engulfed whole communities. Volcanologists say that this time, lava is rising 500m above the volcano's crater. The ash cloud towers one kilometre above the 3,763-metre tall volcano. Fuego is one of Latin America's most active volcanoes.
Greetings and blessings from Bulgaria.
I’m writing this e-mail with a bit of a sadness since after many of our prayer efforts and political activities, we are heading straight back towards communistic regime regarding out religious freedom!
We expresses concerns over the current draft law put forward by Bulgaria’s parliament aiming at amending the Religious Denominations Act. If approved in its current form, it threatens to force evangelical churches and institutions to close or face unbearable and discriminatory administrative burdens.
The draft law which passed in first reading in parliament on October 11, 2018 has implications on the funding and financial management of religious communities as well as on the training and appointing of clergy. Should the law pass, existing theological seminaries are at risk of shutting down, evangelical church pastors may no longer be able to conduct worship services, and the acceptance and use of donations will be subject to government approval and limitations.
It puts unjustified and disproportionate restrictions on the right to freedom of religion or belief and is in direct violations of the democratic principles enshrined in Bulgaria’s constitution and in the legislation of the European Union, of which Bulgaria is a member since 2007.
Here is a summary of the main problems with the proposed legislation:
Only Bulgarian citizens will be able to carry out liturgical activity if they have had theological training in Bulgaria or their foreign school is approved.
Only Eastern Orthodox & Muslim believers will be able to train clergy and run schools.
A foreigner will only be able to preach if doing so with a Bulgarian ordained minister.
Foreign donations will only be allowed for building construction or social aid and will need government approval. No salaries of pastors for example could be paid from abroad.
No religious activities can take place outside of buildings designated for them.
Only religious groups with +300 people will have legal status.
We would like to ask you urgently to pray and encourage others to pray. There are other things that you can also do to help. All of this should be done in the next few days.
Contact the Bulgarian embassy in your nation and write to the politicians in Sofia. Write a short letter/email explaining the main problems in the proposed legislation as outlined above. Politely but firmly ask why Bulgaria would introduce legislation that is so excessive and also harmful to all faith communities. Demand that the legislative proposal be scrapped.
For those in EU Member States, write a short letter to the MEPs of your nation, explaining the main problems in the proposed legislation and asking them to speak urgently to their Bulgarian colleagues to ask why Bulgaria would introduce legislation that is so excessively controlling and would cause great difficulties for all faiths
External links with more information:
https://www.worldea.org/news/4905/wea-expresses-concern-over-bulgaria-draft-law-jeopardizing-religious-freedom
http://www.europeanea.org/index.php/press-release-new-religion-law-in-bulgaria/
http://evangelicalfocus.com/
Please Pray:
Pray: for Bulgarian Christians to have a voice
Pray: for the legislation to be voted down
Pray: for better relations between Church and Government
Pray: for the Spirit of Antichrist to be bound
Three nations to pray for right now
21 Nov 2018
2018 has seen a growth in the persecution of Christians, in some cases with a significant increase. There is a battle going on as more people embrace the Gospel. Here are three nations to pray for – two facing persecution and the third traumatised by civil war.
CHINA
- New regulations on religious affairs were introduced in February of this year. Persecution has intensified – churches have been demolished and crosses destroyed, some churches are seeing pictures of Jesus replaced with pictures of President Xi.
- In the western Xinjiang region over a million Uighurs have been put in “re-education centres”. This is a non-Chinese part of China and there are a heavy army and police crackdown. Christian friends just returned from Xinjiang report that Christians have also been sent to the camps. They cite the case of a Christian friend whose husband has been returned to his country of birth and the wife has been imprisoned for 18 years with no charges so no appeals can be made about her sentence.
- The three self-movement who are registered with the government have been told that nobody under 18 can attend their services to stop “indoctrination.”
Pray for strength and boldness for those caught up in this situation and for God’s love to astound their persecutors.
INDIA
- Persecution is intensifying. Extreme Hindus have an aim to eradicate every Muslim and Christian from India by 2021. In some places, they seem to have support from the government and the police. Pastors have been killed and their own family accused of the murder despite eyewitness reports of Hindu extremists.
- This is also a time of unprecedented church growth with many testimonies of miracles and amazing moves of the Holy Spirit amongst young people. The remarkable children’s prayer movement is growing. One district had no Christians 10 years ago and now has 200 churches.
- Persecution is more likely in traditional rural areas and in the north but radical Hindus can, and do, arise anywhere.
Pray for God’s Holy Spirit to blow on his church. Pray for more of you Lord. More miracles, more conversions, more joy, more children and young people on fire for Jesus. Bless your remarkable people in India.
YEMEN
- Houthi Shia Muslim rebel movement seized large areas of Yemen in 2014 when a new president was appointed. The Houthis went on to take Yemen’s largest city Sanaa, forcing President Abdrabbuh Mansour Hadi into exile abroad.
- The conflict escalated dramatically in March 2015, when Saudi Arabia and eight other mostly Sunni Muslim Arab states - backed by the US, UK, and France - began air strikes against the Houthis, with the declared aim of restoring Mr. Hadi's government.
- The Iranians backed the Houthis and this impoverished nation became the surrogate battleground for the Middle East’s big players. The UN fears that up to 14 million Yemenis face famine.
Pray for peace and for food to reach the starving. Pray for people disillusioned with Islam to discover Jesus.
Steve Botham, Director of World Prayer Centre
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There is very serious and heavy fighting going on in many areas in the country. The defence minister Tariq Shah Bahrami said that battles are ongoing in at least ten provinces in the country and that the level of threats are beyond the capabilities of government.
The battles are currently simultaneous going on especially in these provinces: Ghazni, Uruzgan, Faryab, Jawzjan, Sar-e-Pul, Kunduz, Badghis, Baghlan and some other areas.
On Wednesday Afghanistan’s Lower House of Parliament summoned the heads of the security institutions for the second time in a week on the situation in the country, particularly on Ghazni and Uruzgan provinces (where many Hazaras live).
The defence Minister made this sad statement: “To be honest, the level of threats is very high and the current facilities available to security and defence institutions is not enough to repel these threats. Afghanistan’s enemies are plotting to bring us to our knees. The enemies and supporters of enemies (neighbouring countries etc.) of the people of Afghanistan including the backers of terrorists have made their final plots to break our back.”
Another statement from the Minister of Interior Mr Barmak shows their desperation: “the minister of defence and myself remain busy on the telephone until 2am and 3am (daily); we call here and there to this and that commander and get updates on the situations, and the commanders shout for help.”
The Taliban have attacked and conquered several areas of the minority Hazara Shia community and it is feared that they will commit many atrocities there. Often the Taliban killed Hazaras and even targeted their mosques and schools. Thousands of Hazaras are fleeing their villages and many have come also to the capital.
This situation is like a desperate cry, from the ministers and commanders on the field and the people that are suffering and we are wondering that how long the Army is able to push back the Taliban.
Please pray with us urgently and strongly:
- For the Lord to intervene in this very desperate and increasingly hopeless situation.
- That the Taliban Forces would be defeated soon and that the government troops will be able to defend their country.
- Especially now that they will be driven out of the Hazara areas and for protection of these vulnerable community.
- For wisdom for the government and especially the Defence Ministry and Army and that they will receive all the help they need.
Thank you for standing in the gap for this embattled country. This has gone on for so long but we believe that as we earnestly pray for this country, once again we will see a breakthrough and a defeat of this that try to destroy this country. We believe that even this situation will turn around as we pray!
More info: https://www.tolonews.com/index.php/afghanistan/ghazni-displaced-families-call-govt%E2%80%99s-help