Looking Out Looking Up
Iran
On June 12 after an unusually bitter campaign, voters went to the polls to choose a new president. Less than two hours after the last of some 40 million paper ballots were cast, the authorities announced that President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad had been re-elected with more than 60 percent of the vote. This prompted mass protests by demonstrators who claimed that he had stolen the election.
Ahdmadinejad's main challenger, Mir Hussein Moussavi, a former prime minister with a reputation for honesty and competence, called on supporters and fellow clerics to fight the election results.
Protesters poured into the streets for the largest demonstration since the fall of the Shah. But after a few gestures toward compromise, the country's supreme ruler, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, harshly denounced the demonstrations and turned loose the police.
Days of street battles followed, in which at least 17 people were killed, including a young woman, Neda Agha-Soltan, whose death was captured on video and became a worldwide rallying point. Hundreds of opponents were jailed, and the protests dwindled. The election was certified by the country's Guardian Council and praised by Mr Ahmadinejad as the "freest'' in the world. (Extracted from The New York Times, 13 June, accessed on 14 July at nytimes.com)
Pray for wisdom and prudence for the protestors and their leaders who must decide their course of action, for the Church and its leadership which must endure this time of turmoil.
Pray for the Lord to reveal Himself to the spiritually hungry Iranians as the only true source of hope, for a spiritual awakening among them. Pray for Christian leaders, evangelists and broadcasters for wisdom on how best to reach the various regions and communities, and for their continued courage and perseverance. Pray the Iranian people will again have a ruler like Cyrus of the Old Testament who acknowledged the God of Israel as the only true King.
Pray especially for the Iranian women, that they will experience true liberty that only Christ can bring. Pray for those suffering domestic violence and abuse, and pray for female Christian workers for wisdom on how to introduce the Gospel to these women.
May the Gospel continue to spread through the country through family network.
North Sudan
Enabling Christians to support themselves in contexts where they face discrimination or hostility is an important part of the work of Barnabas, a ministry to the Persecuted Church. One way to do this is to equip them with skills they can use for income-generation. A grant of 5,000 pounds to a Christian ministry in North Sudan contributed to the costs of a five-month training programme for 100 women to teach them tailoring. Each woman was also given her own sewing machine. This is the seventh such course, and those who have already been trained testify to how their new skills have changed their lives. Many are pastors' wives, and the increase in the family income from the sewing frees their husbands to give more time to serving the Lord.
The skills learned and the sewing machines given are especially vital for widows who have no one else to provide for them or their children.
Many have also been greatly blessed by the Bible studies held before each sewing class and have had their faith renewed and strengthened, giving them peace in the midst of all the difficulties they face. (From barnabas aid, July/August 2009.)
Praise be to God for this ministry of Barnabas to empower the needy for self-reliance. Pray that the funds needed to run the ministry will always overflow from the generosity of His financially-able children.
Continue to pray for our sisters in North Sudan that God will grant them special strength as they juggle their many challenges. May they reflect the beauty of God's grace and holiness.
H1N1
On July 13, the World Health Organisation said the new flu virus was "unstoppable" and promptly gave drug makers a full go-ahead to manufacture vaccines against the pandemic influenza strain. Countries everywhere are now scrambling to get hold of the vaccines. As the pandemic continues to spread, pray that this will provide an occasion for the Gospel to also go forth through all the corners of the earth. |
