France: Macron v unions
15 Sep 2017
French unions are famously radical and resistant to reforms. On 12 September rail workers, students and civil servants protested in cities from Paris to Toulouse against loosening labour regulations, seen as a key public test of the president’s reformist resolve. Police said there were 24,000 protesters in Paris; stone-throwing activists clashed with police, who responded with tear gas. Four thousand strikes were called around France by the country's biggest public sector trade union, the CGT. The numbers were, however, well below protests against another labour reform last year.
Caribbean: recovery after Irma
15 Sep 2017
Hurricane Irma only grazed Havana, but it remains largely still in the dark. It could take weeks for the power to be fully returned. The damage and loss across the Caribbean is immense. Pray for those who are now trying to return to some semblance of normality, as they pick up the pieces after the hurricane ripped through their homes and communities. Pray for well-thought-out networking between those who are working to deliver practical aid and counselling to survivors of this disaster. Pray for the availability and delivery of materials needed to reconstruct buildings. Pray for medical aid, to deal with the health issues arising from stagnant fetid water. Pray for the policing of areas where looting has been taking place. Pray for those who lived in the now non-existent fishing villages to have the help needed to restore their livelihood.
Myanmar: ‘ethnic cleansing' and mission
15 Sep 2017
On 11 September the UN human rights chief called the military operation targeting Rohingya Muslims ‘a textbook example of ethnic cleansing’, and urged the government to end its current cruel ‘security’ operations. High-profile individuals have publicly criticised Nobel Peace Prize winner Aung San Suu Kyi for doing virtually nothing to stop the killings and destruction in her country, and 400,000+ people have signed an online petition calling for her to be stripped of her award. Myanmar has a history of violence against minorities, including Christians. Many people are held captive by widespread drug use, spiritism, occult beliefs, and astrology. 84% of the population, including the Rohingya, have still not heard the name of Jesus. Even so, in recent years, there has been a growing openness to Jesus, especially among Buddhist monks. Prayers can change their physical and eternal reality. See
Asia: the persecuted Church
15 Sep 2017
Many Christians leaving Islam in Saudi Arabia are handed over to their relatives and vanish, never to be heard from again. To leave Islam is seen as a great source of shame to families and communities in Islamic nations. Christians in closed Islamic countries often feel they have no choice but to flee the oppressive regimes. And yet there are Muslims in Saudi Arabia, Iran, and other Islamic states who are risking their lives to follow Jesus. Pray for protection for these secret believers; may they grow in their faith. Globally, persecuted Christians face stark dilemmas every day. ‘Can we practise the Christian faith without telling anyone?’ ‘How can we worship and evangelise without incurring the wrath of the mob?’ ‘Can we live out our faith in society when the eyes of the government are everywhere?’ ‘Can we get to a place where our house or church will not be bombed tomorrow?’
Patrick Mitchell began transgendering to become a girl when he was twelve, then changed his mind two years later and will now be undergoing surgery to remove breast tissue that grew as a result of taking oestrogen. He gave a TV interview to explain how being called a girl actually made him realise he was comfortable as a boy. Walt Heyer, founder of SexChangeRegret.com, said ‘Patrick’s story is more proof that the trans-activist doctors go forward recklessly with transgender treatments, but have no way of verifying who is transgender and who is not. What we do know is that through persistent affirmation by parents, doctors and schools, we can cause children to think they are transgender.’ Transgenders undergo hormone injections and irreversible surgeries to feel better, yet surveys reveal that they attempt and commit suicide at an alarming rate, even after treatment. One UK survey showed almost half of transgender children have attempted to kill themselves. See
Iran: God’s love for the Middle East
15 Sep 2017
In countries where shame is used as a tool to change people’s behaviour, the love of Christ has a powerful effect. That’s what is behind Mohabat TV, a Christian satellite television ministry to Farsi-speaking people. Dr Mike Ansari says, ‘Mohabat is a Farsi word, meaning Agape love. Our audience is the Farsi speakers of Iran, Afghanistan, and Tajikistan. When people talk about love, it really resonates through that culture. It’s a culture of honour, it’s a culture of shame. It’s a culture where love really speaks volumes, so what better name for our ministry than the love of the Father for His children?’ Mohabat TV strives to present the Gospel in a ‘non-threatening, non-political’ way; it partners with eighty ministries who supply programming, distribute Bibles, and help believers connect with each other.
Port Elizabeth, South Africa, will have its first Walk For Freedom on 14 October. The walkers will join people in hundreds of other cities across fifty nations, who will be participating in this global anti-human trafficking fundraising and awareness campaign. Between 8am and 12pm people will be dressed in black, walking silently, in single file, in popular locations such as the Eiffel Tower and the Hollywood Walk of Fame. They all have one thing in common: a desire to abolish slavery in a world where millions are enslaved as a result of the $150-billion human trafficking industry.
Venezuela: food shortages and poverty
15 Sep 2017
Despite being an oil-rich country, Venezuela has record levels of child malnutrition as it experiences severe shortages of food and an inflation rate of over 700%. The crippling economic crisis means that eating meat is a luxury for many, but the government believes it has the answer with a plan to breed and consume rabbits - ‘because rabbits breed like rabbits’, as President Maduro joked on state television when introducing the idea. A recent survey showed that nearly 75% of the population lost an average 19 pounds in weight from lack of proper nutrition because of poverty. Maduro said people needed to understand that the rabbit is not just a pet, it is 2.5 kilos of meat with high protein and no cholesterol. The IMF said voracious inflation will climb to 720% this year. Poor Venezuelans spend 10% of their income to buy a kilo of meat. See also