Prayer Calendar. June 2015 SRS. Central Asia

Transcription

1 1 Prayer Calendar June 2015 SRS Central Asia Pray for the Central Asian Church during Ramadan: o Millions of Muslims in Central Asia are trying to find peace with God while ignoring the Son of God, Jesus Christ. Pray for the opportunity of our brothers and sisters in Christ to demonstrate the love and grace of Jesus to Muslims. Pray for God's protection of the Persecuted Church in Central Asia. One of the main sources of persecution is growing radical Islam. It is known that hundreds of followers of radical Islam in Central Asia are fighting in Iraq and Syria on the side of Islamic State. Many of them are going to fight against the infidels after they return home. Kazakhstan Please continue to pray for Rakhym Presbyterian Church (not real name) in Almaty, Kazakhstan. The pastor and members of this church were forbidden from holding religious activities and leading worship and Sunday services in their building. According to the new religious law of Kazakhstan adopted in 2012, it is forbidden to conduct religious activities in buildings intended for residential use. The Rakhym Presbyterian Church building is officially in the housing fund, which means that it is intended for habitation. To take the building out from the housing fund or change the purpose of the building from the housing purposes into religious purposes is a large and difficult process. Unfortunately, the process can drag on for years and many churches already have been denied. These either get closed or go underground. Recently, the pastor of Rakhym Presbyterian Church was summoned to visit the Akimat (city administration), where he was told that the ban on religious activity was legitimate and the church had no right to continue their religious activities. Please pray to God that he would give the church the ability and opportunity to continue their church activities. Kyrgyzstan Please pray for Brother Torgay* (31). Torgay is a Muslim Background Believer who is currently a member of a Baptist church in Kyrgyzstan. Three years ago, after he prayed to receive Christ and shared his new faith in his village, neighbors and relatives accused him of betraying the faith of their fathers. His relatives tried to punish him by beating him, but Torgay escaped. Later, his parents kicked him out of the house and told him that he should not even think to come back until he will deny Christ and return to Islam. After this happened, Torgay left home and went to live and work in another city. He often called home, but his parents told him that while he is a Christian, he is not their son! Last week, he decided to visit his parents and come home. It was the first time in two years. Torgay bought gifts for his relatives and went home to his parents, but when he came he was asked if he had renounced Christianity. He replied that he had not denied Jesus and continues to live by faith. Hi parents kicked him out of the house just as they had two years ago. Torgay is asking us to pray for his situation, but at the same time, he stated that despite the fact that his father has not spoken to him for two years now, his Heavenly Father speaks to him every day and continues to love Torgay and take care of him! Please pray for the hearts of Torgay s parents, so they will be

2 2 softened and they will accept their son. Pray also for Torgay and his faith, that his faith will get even stronger, despite the circumstances of his life! Turkmenistan Please pray for the Church in Turkmenistan as the persecution against the Protestant Church has escalated. We have recently learned that some of the believers, members of local churches, were called to the police or visited by members of the secret police and warned that they were aware of Christian activities in the country. Thus, after holding a charity concert for people with physical disabilities, Brother Mansour*, a local believer, was called by the secret police and was asked many questions regarding his church, the people involved in the church, those who organized the concert, and those who sponsored the church. At the end, Mansour was warned that the police officers would search his home. Mansour replied that they could come to his home at any time, since he does not have anything that is forbidden. Please pray for the Church of Turkmenistan in this difficult time of pressure and persecution! China Please pray for Sister Judy as her family has arranged a marriage for her again. She will marry a Muslim man. Judy is a new MBB and she is not ready to share her new beliefs with her family yet. o Arranged marriage is still very common among Muslim ethnic groups in China. Judy divorced once when she was 20-years-old because her ex-husband became physically abusive. As she will move to another town that is known to have strong Islamic influence and as she will be far away from other MBBs and Christians, it s a reasonable concern that her new beliefs might not survive in this new marriage. o Please pray that Lord will guide Judy to find other brothers and sisters in this new town and continue to grow in her faith. o Let s pray that God will protect her, bless her marriage, and use her to transform her husband and her family. o Please pray that God will strengthen her and show her the right timing and words how to share gospel with her family. Please pray for Brother Arthur while he is leading a small MBB group and living with other two MBB single men. He expressed his struggles: Sometimes I don t know how to lead this group, and the two MBBs tend to be self-centered. o Without enough discipleship training and indigenous role models, he has been experiencing spiritual drought and mental tiredness for a couple months. Now he has unusual stomach pain. o Let s lift up Brother Arthur s physical, mental, and spiritual health. o May the Lord heal this pain in his stomach and comfort him when he is discouraged while disciplining MBBs. o Please pray that Brother Arthur will benefit from our discipleship training program. Please pray for Brother Lion, a Chinese missionary who serves among Muslims in China. Brother Lion shared the gospel with two Muslim families last week and they decided to believe in Jesus, but the next day they renounced their faith. It happens a lot, Brother Lion said. We just need get used to it instead of being discouraged. o Please pray that God will lead Brother Lion to find more people with good soil among the Muslim community. o Let s pray for Brother Lion, that he will continue to have perseverance and faith in God when he is discouraged. May Lord comfort him when he experienced loneliness on the field.

3 3 SEA Indonesia Around 230 million Muslims in Indonesia will be fasting during Ramadan month in the hope that their sins will be washed away. Please intercede that they may find the Truth during this special month and for Indonesian churches to be able to share with them the message of true forgiveness of sins. Also pray for peace and security as some radical groups tend to enforce sharia laws during the fasting month. Please pray for an Islamic Awareness Seminar that will be held this month. Pray that through it churches will learn to love and reach their Muslim neighbors. We also plan to facilitate an advocacy meeting that brings together lawyers and religious freedom activists. Kindly pray for a fruitful gathering as many Indonesian churches desperately need legal assistance in the light of rampant church closures and attacks. Malaysia Continue to pray for Muslim Background Believers who daily face the danger of their faith in Christ being exposed. Should their secret be known by religious authorities, they will be persecuted until they renounce Christ and return to Islam. Some have succumbed to that pressure. Pray that, like Peter who denied the Lord three times, they will be filled with genuine remorse. Pray for the Lord to restore their faith back to Him. The state government of Kelantan has been adamant about the implementation of hudud laws (Sharia penal code) to curb crime in the state. They refused to hear any dissenting voice even though a survey in February stated that 84% of the respondents felt that the state government should focus on nation s development issues. The polls also found out that 58% of Malay Muslims were not ready for the hudud. Pray for the leaders in the state to heed the voice of its people. Brunei The Ministry of Religious Affairs is strongly promoting Islamic evangelism across the country. They are targeting to convert 2,000 people this year. At the same time, the government is curtailing the rights of Christians in practicing their faith, like the recent public ban of Christmas celebration last December. Pray for the Sultanate government to realize that such double standards will do more harm than good to the country. Bruneian believers need to develop a strong faith and boldness in God in order to fulfill the Great Commission in spite of aggressive Islamization and unfair bans. After all, everything is possible for one who believes. (Mark 9:23b). Pray for Christian leaders and believers as they learn to do this and balance that boldness with cautiousness in all their religious activities. Maldives The rule of law and human rights in the Maldives have been severely damaged by the Criminal Court s sentencing of former President Mohamed Nasheed to 13 years in prison on terrorism charges, claimed NGO Maldivian Democracy Network. The decision was primarily driven to silence opposition. Pray for the small number of believers that they will not shudder in fear in light of human rights abuses, but instead be bold and confident in standing up for Christ within their community. There will be joint efforts to undertake a research on the country, the few believers, and their needs. Please pray for the Lord to reveal what no eye has seen and no ear has heard (1 Cor. 2:9). Bangladesh

4 4 In Bangladesh, 40 children from disadvantaged and vulnerable Christian families are privileged to live, learn, and grow with love and care in Open Doors sponsored Children Home. Pray that each child in this home may find Jesus as his or her best friend at an early age and develop godliness as they grow older. Most Muslim background churches and tribal churches need clear understanding on basics of Christianity, especially on the Christian worldview. Especially the new believers find it hard to tell the difference between their new and former faiths. Pray for the Lord to use Open Doors ministry to bring spiritual help to these believers so that they can follow Christ with all their mind, heart, and soul. Southern Philippines When 15-year-old MBB Aldrin Mujilun was on his way home, a Muslim neighbor suddenly slapped him on the face, telling him he deserved it because he chose to be a Christian. This pained Aldrin and his family and now they find it difficult to live in their community. Please pray that God would heal Aldrin from this trauma. Ask God to open the eyes of their neighbors to the Truth. There has never been a strict imposition of dress codes in Margaret s* town in Mindanao. However, with the impending implementation of the Bangsamoro, drastic changes are taking place, beginning in her school. To Margaret s surprise, the school principal one day announced that every girl in her school is now required to wear the Muslim hijab (veil). Pray for Margaret as she adjusts to her new situation. Bhutan Hannah*, a Christian worker and pastor s wife from Bhutan, is desperately sick. She has a great heart for children, but is suffering now from severe bleeding. She has already undergone a couple of surgeries. Pray for her healing as she continues to seek medical help. Pray for the salvation of His Majesty King Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck and his wife, Queen Jetsun Pema. Myanmar Praise the Lord for providing for the new literacy center now being used by Myanmar s displaced Muslimbackground believers. Pray that these MBBs will be excited to learn how to read and write, so they can have a deeper grasp of the Word, and also so that they can contribute more to their wider community. Many believers who have been kicked out by their families and communities have no place to go. Pastors, though glad to take them into their churches, are also being depleted of their resources. Ask God to provide a place for these believers and financial resources for these pastors so they can better take care of those entrusted to them. Sri Lanka Our church partner from Sri Lanka reports that last January, five pastors from Puttalam, western Sri Lanka were summoned by authorities and reprimanded for having illegal places of worship. However, there is no law in Sri Lanka that requires the registration of places of worship. Pray for God s wisdom to be with these pastors. Pray, too, for their congregations to stand strong. Pray for God to turn the hearts of Buddhist extremist group, Bodu Bala Sena around so that they would stop perpetrating such an intense hatred to minority religious groups. Laos Police have been tracking the movements of pastors and church leaders in Laos. Please pray that the believers would be more mindful of their actions so as not to further offend local authorities.

5 5 Since July 2013, eight families from Xieng Khouang province have been consistently stopped by the police from doing any Christian activity. The police also prevented these families from adding any more Christians to their number. Pray for these families to be granted freedom to worship in their village. Pray too that the Good News will flourish despite the government s efforts to hamper this church s growth. Vietnam Pastors from Hanoi say the government is planning to revise the restrictive Decree 92 in a move towards greater religious tolerance. Please pray for God to give them wisdom and an open heart as they go through this process. Pray, too, that the Christians in Vietnam will ultimately be given freedom to worship. In Than Hoa Province last Christmas, many meetings were surrounded by the police and people were prevented to attend, Fong* tells Open Doors. Pray for God to continue to protect believers in Vietnam. Nepal Hindu purists say the growth of Christianity in Nepal is attributed to monetary inducements. Pray for the Lord to reveal the Truth to them that conversion comes not as a result of bribery, but from the death and resurrection of Christ and the work of the Holy Spirit. Andrew Sparkes, the British ambassador to Nepal, has been accused of helping out Christian missionary organizations because of a statement he wrote that espoused freedom of religion: We encourage you to ensure that the right to change religion is protected and that the right to hold opinions and to express them freely will remain strong, Sparkes wrote in Republica Newspaper. Now, Hindu conservatives are urging the British government to remove him from office. Please pray for greater religious tolerance in this country. Colombia Please join in prayer for the peace dialogues in Havana. There, the government and the FARC are negotiating and reached an agreement. The FARC decided to stop recruiting children younger than 15 years and to stop placing land mines. These steps are considered a positive step forward. Pray that all who are discussing in Havana will be focused on peace for the country. Pray for those who are Christians, that they will find wisdom from God. Among indigenous people, complaining is a common thing. Please pray that those who become Christians can show a biblical example to their community. Pray that God will speak through His Word also. Pray for the new children in the Children s Center of Open Doors. This year, the center welcomed 16 new children. Pray that these kids will feel at home. For indigenous tribes, witchcraft is a common way of targeting people who oppose them. Some Christians face a lot of troubles and illness because of the spells and curses indigenous people cast on them. Pray for strength and power to battle against the enemy. Pray for Julian Medina and his wife Adriana. They are missionaries who work among the Arhuaco tribe. It s a very difficult region to enter. The daughter of the couple has been attacked at school because of her faith. Pray for protection and unity within the family. Mexico Please pray for the Christians from the Cuauhtémoc Cardenas community. They suffer a lot under the provocations and insults from their community. Pray that the SSTS training strengthens them to respond in a biblical way to persecution. The church in the state of Veracruz suffers under the hostile presence of the organized criminal bands.

6 6 Open Doors Mexico has been invited to join a meeting of pastors and leaders who work in the indigenous community in Oaxaca. Pray that the meeting will be fruitful and that both teams will be encouraged. MENA/PSW Note for the honoured OD Development prayer point collectors; For 2015 in the Middle East region, we d like to make a start in raising more prayer for the persecutors. We noticed that until now, a lot of Middle East prayer points were mostly focused on the body of Christ ; however, Jesus clearly asks us to pray for those who persecute you. So we re aiming to be praying more and in a positive way and wording for those who don t know the Light of Jesus yet and persecute Him. Algeria The threat of Islamism and Terrorism is like a sword of Damocles over Algeria. Pray that the population seeks the truth in Jesus, especially during this time of Ramadan. Pray also for the Christians, that they can be salt and light in the whole country of Algeria, also in remote places. A new minister for religious affairs took office during May 2014 in Algeria. Please pray for this minister and pray that the Christians in Algeria will not be hindered by policies and regulations, but instead will benefit from a minister responsible for religious matters. The church continues to grow in the country and absorbs new believers. Please pray that the new believers can steadily grow with our Lord Jesus. Pray also for the church leadership, so they receive wisdom through the Holy Spirit in how to disciple believers in their newfound faith. Mauritania The Islamic Republic of Mauritania is lost on the western edge of the Sahara Desert. Old ways die hard in a country where Sharia Islam is the law and extremism is on the rise. While the enforcement of harsh religious laws has been lax, it s still illegal and difficult to follow Jesus freely, especially as a local. Yet ironically, the greatest threat to the church is probably the high levels of corruption and rice Christianity seen. Pray this Ramadan for a new movement of righteousness and freedom for this forgotten land. Libya Pray for visions and dreams for people searching for the true character of God during this Ramadan. And please continue to pray with local believers for a diminishing of the violence in the country during this time of Ramadan Pray for believers who struggle with how to behave during Ramadan. They don t know if they should participate in all the meals and breaking of the fasting during this period, or if they should stay away from it altogether. Tunisia Pray for Mariam*, a young girl who is kept in her house because of her new found faith in Christ. Pray for her protection, especially during the Ramadan time when she will experience more pressure. Pray for wisdom in behavior of Christians during Ramadan. They often feel they don t need to fast. This can lead to strong reactions from people around them. Pray for visions and dreams for people searching for the true character of God during this time.

7 7 Iraq We want Iraq, but Iraq doesn t want us! is what a Christian refugee said. It is tragic to live with the feeling when your home-country doesn t want you. Pray for the Iraqis that God the Father will give them a sense of belonging. Open Doors aim is to strengthen what remains. As more and more people are getting ready to leave Iraq, this is a main question in our prayers: What is going to happen to the Church? It is not only members leaving leaders are leaving as well. Pray for peace in the hearts of people and pray that they will be filled with love for the ones who have perpetrated these horrors in their midst. Syria Still more Christians are fleeing their homes inside Syria. One believer said: Our grandparents were massacred and the ones who survived had to leave their homestead, our parents were massacred and the ones who survived had to leave their homestead, and now it s our turn. Pray for the people of Syria at this time. Pray for the Holy Spirit to console His People. The violence against innocent people in Syria is much worse than ever before and the hatred has no limits. What can we as a church do to help people with their traumas, with their nightmares, with their loss of everything? Pray for the leadership of the Church, that they will stand strong and preach the Word with conviction. Praise God for all the church leaders, whether protestant or from the so called traditional churches who are still in place. They are an amazing group of saints. Lebanon The flow of refugees from Syria into Lebanon does not stop. Pray for the people of Lebanon, that they will be able to turn on love instead of bitterness and hatred when they think of the many who compete for their own livelihoods. Pray also that Lebanese and refugees will not succumb to fear at this time and panic. People who have never talked about emigration have started doing so now. Pray that the Church will be able to continue its tremendous work for the refugees and that many of them will receive the Grace of God in their lives. Arabian Peninsula Because of the high level of sensitivity, the points below combined under Arabian Peninsula are from the countries Saudi Arabia, Yemen, Oman, United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Bahrain and Kuwait Ahmed*, who has seemed disillusioned about any particular religion, accepted a copy of Josh MacDowell's More than a Carpenter in Arabic. Pray that the evidence for truth of Jesus' character and words will stick in Ahmed's heart and bring him to faith. Pray for Muslims in the Arabian Peninsula to question deeply the teaching of Islam, especially now they strongly fear Islamic State (IS). Pray that this face of Islam will make whole families eager to find the Truth, and pray that they will recognize the Lord Jesus as King. Yemen Pray that the Lord will protect His children in Yemen in this period of uproars. Pray that during turmoil, Christians will be able to show the face of the Lord Jesus and act as instruments in God's hand to help many know the Lord Jesus as their Saviour and Refuge. Qatar

8 8 Pray for a breakthrough of God's Holy Spirit in Qatar. Pray for the rich in the country, that they will get fed up with the emptiness of wealth and will seek and find the Lord Jesus as the Way, Truth, and Life. Pray that many Qatari will ask foreign Christians in their country about their faith and Bible and that Qatari will start groups to study the Bible. Iran During Ramadan, our brothers and sisters living in Iran are faced with added pressures. Remember them in your prayers and pray that the Lord dwells in them and fills them with His perfect peace. Pray that today as the sun sets and feasting begins for Muslims during Ramadan, Christians will generously share what little food they have with their neighbours in need. Pray that the Holy Spirit makes Himself known to those who are seeking God. Often Jesus reveals Himself to those who are seeking for the True God during Ramadan. Christians in Iran face many pressures; pray that the Lord fills them with a child-like trust and joy. There are testimonies of Iranian prisoners coming to Christ because of the testimonies of Christian prisoners. Father, we pray for those who are in prison. Fill them with Your Holy Spirit. Pray for the more than 80 detained Christians. During Ramadan, prison life is even harder due to the lack of food and water, especially now that Ramadan is in the hot summer months. Israel & Palestinian Territories Pray for our brothers and sisters from a Muslim background. Taking the step to obey Jesus and follow Him in their lives is a big one; however, continuing to follow in His footsteps is an even bigger challenge as it requires courage and perseverance, especially during this time of Ramadan. Pray also for the Church to be faithful to them, to encourage them, and receive them as brothers and sisters in faith. Thank God for students that graduate. Bethlehem Bible College, Nazareth Evangelical College, Israel College of the Bible (to name some) are celebrating the end of the academic year. Pray for the students as they search for a job or a ministry to serve with. Pray for those in leadership in Gaza. The situation is still very difficult, both physically as well as psychologically. Materials to rebuild the damaged buildings are scarce. But also to overcome the psychological damage, the trauma, is very hard for the people. Pray that Christians will be able to receive God s comfort and blessing, and that in return, they will be a source of hope and blessings to their neighbours. During Ramadan, some Muslims are eager to discuss their faith with people from other religions. However, Arab churches in Israel are sometimes afraid to receive Muslims who have questions about Christianity. Pray that the Lord will give them courage, discernment, and above all love for their Muslim fellow citizens. For Muslims it often feels safer to talk about faith and religion with people outside of the Arab community. Praise the Lord that He also uses Jewish messianic believers to tell Muslims about Christ. Pray that He will make more of the Messianic Jewish believers ready to testify to their faith to the Muslims they meet. North Korea Please thank the Lord for a group of Christians who was able to meet with each other for the first time in many years. Thank the Lord for His loyalty and giving this joy to the local believers. Pray for the secret church in prisons and camps. Many Christians have to trust in the Lord and hide their faith from guards and fellow prisoners who could be spies.

9 9 Pray for Christians who have been incarcerated because of their faith. Men, women, and children are suffering because they trust in Jesus. Pray that God will sustain them. Thank the Lord for a recent in-depth training for a group of North Korean refugees. They were strengthened and encouraged. Pray for Open Doors workers and contact persons who have experienced traumatic situations themselves. Pray that God will restore and heal them. AFS Prayer points related to the Ramadan: Cameroon The Far North region of Cameroon has been experiencing increased pressure and persecution from the Islamic sect Boko Haram. Several churches and homes of Christians have been destroyed, and many of these believers have been rendered homeless. Pray for protection, strength, and encouragement for the displaced brethren who have decided to hold on to Christ during Ramadan. Several displaced brethren are in need of basic amenities like foodstuff. Pray that they will not be drawn in by Muslims during Ramadan as they engage in charitable activities. Pray for wisdom and discernment for them as they live through this period. There are a number of MBBs who brave the odds to meet in small prayer groups and encourage one another, despite the insecurity that may loom for them. During Ramadan, please pray for these ones who have embraced Christ, that His spirit of truth encourages them. Pray that God will remove from them the spirit of fear and will clothe them with the spirit of love, power, and self-control. Chad Please pray that the Church in Chad would bring the message of hope to Muslims as they prepare to enter their period of fasting. Also pray that the integrationist Muslim spirit should not take root in Chad and that Children of God will be equipped to stand strong during the Ramadan period. Ramadan is a period during which Muslims seek the face of God. Pray that, at this time, they discover the love of the Lord Jesus. This is a period where Boko Haram may exploit to further harm people and the Church as the Holy War must be re-accentuated during Ramadan. Please pray for Christians who are often the main targets. The Ramadan is a period when the Wahhabi preachers in Chad preach every night in mosques and street corners. Pray that the Lord transforms hate preaching to preaching love to the glory of Jesus. This is equally a period during which Muslims seek to embrace new women. Pray that Christian girls are not diverted or distracted. Ramadan is a time when Muslims do not want to be in contact with authentic Christians, thus they become more aggressive. Please pray that links for Evangelization and testimony be established for Christ. CAR As the threat of Islam is on the rise, please pray for God to bring unity to His Church in the CAR and will empower them to carry on the true ministry of taking care of the widows and orphans. Pray that Seleka Muslims who are seeking God during Ramadan will discover the truth of Him through the unity and love that exists in the body of Christ.

10 10 Pray that the Anti-Balaka do not take advantage of the Ramadan period to attack Muslims and create further crisis. Pray especially for the neighbourhood KM5 in Bangui. Pray that God will work in the hearts of the people in the direction of peace and reconciliation. Pray against the massive Islamization of Central African women before the Ramadan period to support Muslims in Ramadan. Pray that the God of peace and reconciliation will show Himself to Muslims during this period in which they claim to seek God. Niger As a small minority, Nigerien Christians have always enjoyed relative freedom and cordial relations with their Muslim neighbours. But over the weekend of January 16 and 17, anger over Charlie Hebdo cartoons turned into riots and resulted in the death of at least three Christians and left around 68 churches and Christian institutions destroyed. We know of at least two women who were raped. The damage the Christian community suffered also included seven Christian schools, several Christian shops, and vehicles owned by Christians. Over 43 Christian homes were looted and burnt including about 18 pastor s homes. Despite these attacks, the Church in Niger desires to continue manifesting Christ to their Muslim neighbours. Pray that they would have the grace and wisdom to show the love and altogether worthiness of Christ during Ramadan in their society. Nigeria As thousands of people have died in brutal Boko Haram attacks across towns of north-eastern Nigeria, Christians and Muslims alike have seen the brutality of radical Islam. Christ s love stands in stark contrast to the gods of this age. While these gods expect their radical followers to take the lives of fellow humans to prove their allegiance, Christ showed His love by laying down His own life. Pray that many who will be sincerely seeking greater communion with Allah this Ramadan, will be found by Christ. East Africa In north-eastern and coastal Kenya, Muslim youths are being radicalised in great numbers. This radicalization is among other things fuelled by poverty due to the social crisis as the economy collapsed under continued terrorist related insecurity. Pray for the redemption of these young men and women who cause mayhem or even die in the mistaken yet strong belief that they are serving God. Children as young as 2-years-old are being indoctrinated in madrassas across the region. The early years we do not exaggerate if we say the early moments of the child s life are the best and most important periods to build up the aspects of faith in the child and instil the creed of Tawheed (Islamic Monotheism) and knowing Allah The Almighty in him, is the philosophy. Pray for the Church across East Africa to use every opportunity to proclaim the Gospel to children to lay the foundations that would protect them against Islamization later and could even bring in children of non-christian parents. Pray that the Lord would open Muslims spiritual eyes to the truth about the religion they have inherited from their forefathers and have been blindly following all their lives. They are forbidden/not encouraged to question the Quran because, Surah 5: A people asked such [questions] before you; then they became thereby disbelievers. Horn of Africa Across the Horn, the atmosphere is very tense over Ramadan. Pray the God s protection of His children in areas where they form the minority.

11 11 Open Doors is in contact with many Muslim background believers who have been kicked out of their families because of their choice to follow Christ. Please pray for them this Ramadan season to not feel isolated and lonely and that they would experience the nearness and comfort of our Lord.