(OOZ-beks) - Please pray for the gathering of a small group of local pastors and leaders who will now begin a year-long internship under the guidance and support of a Central Asian church in a neighboring country. This year will include much time studying, several weeks of meetings, and very practical hands-on practice for these men as they learn to handle and preach the Word to their local church. Pray for their love and reverence for God's Word to grow as they learn to handle and preach it for God's glory. "Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who has no need to be ashamed, rightly handling the word of truth" (2 Timothy 2:15 ESV).
(pun-JAH-bees) - Mariam is a Muslim woman. She's not from a wealthy family, and to provide a better life for her, her father arranged a marriage for her when she was only 14 years old. After the marriage, she quickly found herself pregnant and in need of prenatal care. Her husband brought her to a hospital, and it was there that Mariam met a follower of Christ who shared the gospel with her. She didn't put her faith in Christ in that moment, but Mariam did begin a friendship with that believer. They started meeting regularly and studying God's Word together. Mariam has a lot of questions. She's very open to the message of the gospel but is afraid to fully commit her life to Christ. She has expressed her fear that if she follows Jesus and leaves Islam, then her husband will abandon her and her family will not take her back. Please pray for Mariam and many others like her who truly have to count the cost of following Christ. Ask the Lord to work in her heart, drawing her to Himself, and pray that she will put her faith and trust in Christ alone, no matter the cost.
"In October 2023, we first asked you to join us in praying for Zul, a young boy who has megalocephaly and was hardly able to use his arms, let alone walk and talk. Since then, his family has heard the gospel several times from our team. He recently experienced a seizure, and the family's first call was to our team to come pray for him in the name of Jesus because they know that Jesus is able! Since the seizure, Zul has been able to start moving himself around, taking care of himself, and holding his head up. He has such a personality. Keep praying for God to heal him. Pray for Zul and his family to fully trust in Christ alone for salvation."
The Panama Mobilization Team writes: "Pray for us and our ministry partners as we use this month to prepare for trips in 2025. Pray that we will be involved in the ministries that God desires and that He will use these trips to reach others for the gospel as we seek to connect the people of the region of Chiriqui, Panama, to churches in the United States."
Family members with special needs are often hidden in Northern Oasis. The shame to a family is great in a place where proper social etiquette and worldly success are highly valued. Doors are opening to this underserved population, and believers are walking through them with compassion and unconditional love. Through programs specifically adapted to each person's need, those with special needs are gaining confidence as their skills grow, and they are building healthy life rhythms. Their families are finding a supportive community where they are welcome and safe. Please pray for wisdom and endurance for those running these programs as they evaluate where best to invest their time and resource. Pray that the love of Jesus, in both word and deed, will be shared with this community.
War has been rampant in northern Mozambique for seven years now. For many, this news is "old news," but for those who have lost family members, homes, fields, or livelihoods, this news can never be forgotten, especially since the war is still continuing. Please lift up the more than 700,000 misplaced people groups of northern Mozambique. Pray that God's good news will get to every refugee camp, and pray that every heart will have an opportunity to receive Jesus. Please pray that brothers and sisters in Christ will be called to go out to these hard places and share the message of hope with a broken people.
Last month, you were asked to pray for Aisha, who had been struggling at work. Since then, she made the decision to resign from that job and seek another opportunity. For Aisha, this decision has been very difficult, and she is often second-guessing her decision. Please pray for Aisha during this very difficult time. The Father is in control of all things, and He loves Aisha in a way that no other person on this earth does. Pray that Aisha will feel God's love for her, and ask that in her anger, pain, and sadness, she will see that God sent His Son into the world to experience that same anger, pain, and sadness. He understands where she is right now, and He wants to restore her brokenness with hope, mercy, and peace. Please pray that Aisha will see Jesus in a way that she never has before: that He came to save her and that no matter what she has done, Jesus accepts and loves her.
(hah-NOY) - Like a farmer mindfully examining their field to prepare it just right or an architect looking to the skies where their sketches turn into skyscrapers, all important endeavors need vision. Any ministry, especially at one of Vietnam's leading universities must begin with a God-sized vision. Please pray for an emerging partnership between a believing professor named Nguyen and relationships with students of peace. Pray for a group who will act as gospel forerunners on this campus. It will be extremely hot and noisy. Please pray for these believers to follow the Spirit's leadership no matter what. Pray for wisdom and endurance for them as they will pursue creative ways to engage students, hoping to then reach other Vietnamese people.
(HAHK-uh) - Pray that Baptist churches in Taiwan will begin the new year by establishing a Hakka network, starting with churches in heavily Hakka-populated areas and then expanding to churches with Hakka members whose families have not heard or trusted in Christ. Eleven churches could possibly become part of this Hakka outreach network. Ask God to further burden the hearts of these pastors and church leaders, for wisdom to reach out to Hakka communities in a culturally relevant way. Please pray also for Hakka family members to be open to hearing the gospel. May they respond positively to the gospel and become disciples of Christ.
(DER-bun) - Daniel is an asylum seeker from Burundi who is living in Durban, South Africa. Like many other refugees, he is often a target of xenophobia and persecution by South African individuals and the authorities. Recently, he has undergone some traumatic events, including having to spend some time in jail until a human rights lawyer was able to get him released. He was in church again the very next Sunday and read before the congregation the memory verse that the church is learning together: "Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go" (Joshua 1:9 ESV). Pray that wrongful persecution and mistreatment of legal asylum seekers will stop. Pray for Christians like Daniel to remain strong in the face of persecution.
A strong earthquake struck the Tibetan region of China Tuesday morning, killing over 100 people and injuring hundreds more. Please pray that God will stir the hearts of Chinese and Tibetan believers to respond to needs around them. Most Tibetans are Buddhist and will see this earthquake as a result of their own bad karma. Ask God to bear fruit through the tragedy and bring about worshipers of Jesus as the gospel is proclaimed. Pray that Tibetans will recall past encounters with the gospel and be open to more encounters during this time of difficulty. Pray that Tibetan believers from a Buddhist background will be bold and intentionally seek to meet needs in their immediate context and communicate the gospel to their own people. Pray that spiritual strongholds will be shattered and that the gospel will change the hearts of those affected. Pray that God will cause doubts to arise in Tibetan people's minds about their Buddhist beliefs and practices. Ask that God will reveal Himself to those suffering and that people will respond in faith when they hear the good news.