Weekly Prayer Updates Update 08/10/2012

vom groups weekly prayer updates "Prayer is the pulse of life; by it the doctor can tell what is the condition of the heart. The sin of prayerlessness is a proof for the ordinary Christian or minister that the life of God in the soul is in deadly sickness and weakness." - Andrew Murray "praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints" - Ephesians 6:18 VOM-USA Prayer Update for August 10, 2012 On Thu. Aug 09 2012 at 03:37 PM Moderator wrote: Laos--Officials Harass Two Hmong Churches Source: VOM Contacts Exodus 10:27-28 Officials in Laos have threatened members of two Hmong churches with expulsion from their villages and seizure of their property if they don't stop worshiping God. But a Hmong pastor in the area is encouraging the believers to stand firm in their faith. The church leader's own church has dwindled from 10 families to only five after officials revoked the Christians' residency permits in 2008. Without the permits, the Christians can't prove their Lao citizenship and their children can't attend school. When the pastor heard that a nearby church was facing similar threats, he immediately went to encourage the church members; other pastors had stayed away out of fear. The Christians are very sad and worried, and they aren't sure what will happen next. Pray for the members of these two churches and for the pastor who is encouraging them. Pray also that the officials' hearts will be softened toward God's people. Syria--Prayers and Bread Needed Source: VOM Contacts Psalm 69 A Syrian pastor wrote to tell us how encouraged he was to learn that many people are praying for Syria. He said his city still has electricity and water despite the continued fighting there. "The city is still closed, and hills of rubbish are spread everywhere," he wrote. "As for bakeries, few are open, but hundreds of people are waiting their turn and fighting for bread." It takes between five and 10 hours to get bread. The pastor wrote that one of his church members gave him several loaves as a gift. "You can imagine the gifts we are giving each other these days!" he wrote. His church has been meeting regularly, spending the entire service in prayer. "One of the very tragic situations is seeing people with some of their stuff on the sidewalks ... wondering what to do or where to go because they lost their houses or ran away because of the fights," he wrote. "Please keep praying for us." Pakistan--Christian Nurses Poisoned for Allegedly Breaking Fast Sources: VOM Contacts, Hindustan Times, Pakistan Today, www.christiansinpakistan.com Matthew 9:35-36 Eleven nurses were poisoned on Sunday, July 29, apparently for breaking the Ramadan fast. At least five of the nurses were reported to be in serious condition. Local Christians said the nurses were poisoned for drinking tea during the month of Ramadan, which Muslims set aside for fasting. The eleven trainee nurses, who live together at a hostel near the Civil Hospital in Karachi, were studying on the evening of July 29, when one of the women decided to make tea for the group in a common kitchen. After drinking the tea, all of them began to vomit and were rushed to the emergency room. According to VOM contacts, someone had been observing the nurses for the previous four days and poisoned them for breaking the Ramadan fast. Christian leaders in Pakistan are calling for a full investigation, while several hospital officials have denied that the poisonings could have anything to do with Ramadan. Middle East--VOM Project Pray for an imprisoned house church leader in one of the world's most restricted countries. VOM is helping provide him medical aid in prison. ************* • Printer-Friendly Format • Add the PrisonerAlert application on Facebook • Download the prayer application on the iTunes Store or the Android Marketplace • Download the photo issue application on the iTunes Store or the Android Marketplace • Digital versions of our books are available on the Amazon.com Kindle and Barnes & Noble NOOK bookstores: search for Living Sacrifice Book Company Suggested Links Persecution.com The Voice of the Martyrs official homepage. Find links to our programs, read news about recent events, and learn more about the organization. VOMBooks.com Order books, videos, and other materials related to the persecuted church through our secure online store. Like us on Facebook Become a fan of VOM on Facebook! Connect with other fans and discuss recent events. PrisonerAlert.com Write to a Christian Prisoner in their own language! Use our letter-writing template online to build your letter, and send it by mail to a needy Christian. Follow us on Twitter Follow VOM-USA on Twitter for updates and prayer requests. You are receiving this email because you subscribed to the Weekly Prayer Updates topic at www.vomgroups.com. If you have received this email in error or if you wish to unsubscribe, click here.

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Pray During Ramadan Posted: 10 Aug 2012 12:00 AM PDT Until August 18, when Ramadan ends, we will be specifically and intentionally praying for the 1.56 billion Muslims around the world.  We will not neglect the persecuted church during this time, but continue to intercede for them, especially focusing on those who live in predominately Islamic contexts around the world. Muslims are even more religiously fervent during these last 10 days of Ramadan because they believe them to be especially blessed. IN THE PALESTINIAN TERRITORIES Pray for Palestinian Muslims living in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip to place their hope in Jesus amidst the poverty, fear, poor infrastructure, and unstable government.  Pray for believers there to find favor as they intentionally reach out to their Muslim neighbors.  As people come to faith in Christ, pray that Christians would be unified, strong, and courageous in the face of familial, cultural, social, and religious opposition. The Palestinian Territories are number 44 on Open Doors’ World Watch List for persecution of Christians.  Information gathered from 30-Days Prayer Network’s Prayer Guide IN ISRAEL, JORDAN, SYRIA, & LEBANON Pray for the Druze people, a group of about 940,000 scattered around this area who adhere an exclusive, mystical offshoot of Islam.  Pray that they would be changed by personal encounters with the Living God as they submit to Him instead of the “esoteric mental exercise offered in their religion” (Joshua Project).  Pray for Christians to reach out to the Druze despite their isolationist tendencies and the negative reputation they have in the eyes of other Muslims.  Pray that they would exercise “faith working through love,” (Galatians 5:6) toward the Druze and that God’s miraculous power would show itself true in the face of the Druze’s mysticism. Information gathered from 30-Days Prayer Network’s Prayer Guide and the Joshua Project

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Pray During Ramadan Posted: 02 Aug 2012 11:00 PM PDT Until August 18, when Ramadan ends, we will specifically and intentionally pray for the 1.56 billion Muslims around the world.  We will not neglect the persecuted church during this time, but continue to intercede for them, especially focusing on those who live in predominately Islamic contexts around the world.  IN CHINA For Muslims: Pray that the millions of Chinese Muslims living on the outskirts of the Taklamakan Desert in Western China would see the light of Christ and look to Him for salvation.  Of the dozen people groups in this region, the largest is the Uyghur, numbering over 10.75 million and 99% Muslim (though most follow a folk Islam mixed with superstition). For Christians: There are about 7.5 million Han Chinese immigrants living around the Taklamakan, many of whom immigrated there recently.  Pray that the possible 850,000 Christians among them (75% of whom are in house churches) will be strong and intentional witnesses for Christ despite the animosity from the Muslim majority groups and the cultural, linguistic, and religious isolation they experience. IN LIBYA For Muslims: Pray that they continue to grow in the religious curiosity and openness that began with the fall of the Gaddafi regime.  Pray that they would humbly and honestly see Christianity for what it is and submit themselves to Jesus as King and Savior.  Also, pray for the government to guide the people of Libya to live in peace and freedom. For Christians: Pray that amidst the unrest and uncertainty, Christians would be present, steadfast, bold, wise, and intentional as they spread the gospel to their Muslim friends and neighbors.  Pray that through this newfound freedom and religious curiosity, many opportunities would present themselves and that believers would take full advantage to make disciples. The information for this post was gathered from 30-Days Prayer Network’s Prayer Guide (Jul 31 & Aug 3 entries), Open Doors’ World Watch List, and Joshua Project.  See their sites for more information.

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