Prayer Diary January - February 2015

8/9/2019 Prayer Diary January - February 2015

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JANUARY /FEBRUARY2015


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Thank you for your prayers for ourpersecuted brothers and sisters inChrist, which make such a differenceto them. We sometimes have tochange or omit their names forsecurity reasons, and we have only

limited space to share their stories.But the Lord knows the people andplaces we are praying about. Thankyou for your understanding.

Please do not feel limited by thespecifc prayer requests, but pray asyou feel led. On each Sunday we haveprovided a set prayer; please feel freeto use these in their current form, toadapt them as you prefer, or to usethe information they contain to frameyour own prayers.

January

THURSDAY 1 As Iraqi Christians lookahead to the coming year, the futuremust seem very uncertain. Theprevious twelve months saw thesudden rise of Islamic State (IS) andits rapid seizing of territory causinghundreds of thousands of Christiansto ee their homes to escape its brutalanti-Christian rule. The homes they

were in last 1 January have now beengiven to IS ghters, and realistically itis doubtful that the Christians can everreturn to their ancestral lands. As they

wonder where they will be a year fromnow, pray that they will cling to thepromises of Scripture and know that“the Lord your God will be with you

wherever you go” (Joshua 1:9).

FRIDAY 2 Pray for the safe arrival of astate-of-the-art tented village in IraqiKurdistan, due in mid-January. The

tents, which were previously used by the British army in Afghanistan,are being transported by truck and

will provide a safe, warm home for600-1,000 displaced Iraqi Christians.The complex also contains washing

machines, showers, toilets and alarge meeting space, and each tent isequipped with air-conditioning andheating. Pray that “Sawra Village” will

bring hope to the displaced Christiansand a place of rest and peace from

where they can restart their lives.(“Sawra” means “hope” in Assyrian.)

SATURDAY 3 “They have turned it intoa mosque!” Archbishop NicodemusDaoud of Mosul, Iraq, broke downand wept as he uttered these wordsabout his cathedral, now under thecontrol of Islamic State (IS). When ISmilitants were just 300 metres fromhis residence, he had nally left the

city, and joined 160,000 or more IraqiChristians who had already ed fromIS’s advance to the relative safety ofIraqi Kurdistan. He also said he had

Former British military tents, provided byBarnabas Fund, will provide shelter for up to1,000 displaced Christians in Iraq


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learned how true it is that treasurein heaven is far more importantthan possessions on earth, and thisis what he preaches to the displacedand dispossessed Christians. Praythat God will strengthen all displaced

Iraqi church leaders, so they in turncan strengthen the faith of theirtraumatised congregations.

SUNDAY 4 Dear Lord Jesus, we prayto You today for our courageousbrothers and sisters in Egypt who havekept the flame of the Christian faithburning in their land for 2,000 years,despite generations of discriminationand persecution. We praise You thattheir witness has drawn many to Youdespite knowing the suffering thatis likely to follow. We pray also forPresident al-Sisi, who has expressed adetermination to improve the situationof Egyptian Christians. Please guide

him in ways of righteousness, justiceand peace and use him to be a blessingto Egypt and all its people.

MONDAY 5 Lift up in prayer theEgyptian parliament, as they intendto vote early this year on a proposedlaw that will remove restrictions on

building churches in Egypt. According

to Egypt’s new constitution, passed a year ago, parliament is required in itsrst session to issue a law “regulatingthe construction and restoration ofchurches in a way that ensures thatChristians perform their religious ritesfreely”. Under current laws, Christiansstruggle to meet the legal requirements

when attempting to build a church,

which include being 100 metresaway from a mosque and receivingpermission from the head of state. Praythat the law will pass and that Egypt

will uphold its constitution, whichgreatly improves religious freedom inthe country.

TUESDAY 6 Hundreds of EgyptianChristians took to the streets in

Samalout, Minya province, on 16September to pressurise police intonding a 37-year-old Christian woman,

who had been abducted two weeksearlier. Christian women and girlsare very vulnerable to abduction byMuslims, and the police will seldom actto rescue them. Pray for all Egyptian

women now being held against their will in Muslim homes, most likely after being forcibly converted to Islam andmarried to their abductor. Pray thatthe Comforter, the Holy Spirit, willremind them of all that they know ofGod’s Word and strengthen them intheir Christian faith (John 14:26).

WEDNESDAY 7 “Continue to rememberthose in prison as if you were together with them in prison, and those whoare mistreated as if you yourselves

were suffering” (Hebrews 13:3). ThreeChristian converts from Islam werearrested in Iran on 27 September

by intelligence ofcers. The men,Shahram Ghaedi, Heshmat Shaei and

Emad Haghi, are believed to have beentargeted because of their involvementin a “Jesus Film” project. Please, Lord,

be with Shahram, Heshmat and Emadthroughout their imprisonment anduse them there for Your purposes and

Your glory.

THURSDAY 8 Pray for the two men inKazakhstan who have been given a ten-day prison sentence for distributingChristian literature. Kazakh authoritiesconscated 252 Christian books


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from them, including Jesus: Morethan a Prophet. This particular titleunderwent “expert analysis”, whichclaimed that the book contained“elements inciting religious hatred anddiscord”. The two men, Vyacheslav

and Zhasulan, were also ned theequivalent of four months’ average

wage in Kazakhstan for repeatedlydistributing religious literature withoutstate permission. Pray that Christianin Kazakhstan will continue to havecourage to obey the Lord’s commandto witness for him (Acts 4:19-20).

FRIDAY 9 Three months agoKyrgyzstan’s State Commissionfor Religious Affairs announced aproposal to tighten the country’salready very repressive religion law.Under the proposal all religiousorganisations will be required tore-register with the authorities, and

the number of founding membersrequired for organisations seekingregistration will rise from 200 (alreadya difcult target for rural churches)to 500. There would also be harsherpunishments for those convicted oftaking part in unauthorised religiousactivities. Please pray that Christiansin Kyrgyzstan will be strong and

courageous, not afraid or dismayed,as they face a deteriorating religiousliberty situation (Joshua 1:9).

SATURDAY 10 Give thanks that a three-day camp in Central Asia last year,

which Barnabas funded, provided aprecious learning time about God’splan for families. The ten participating

couples, all Christian converts fromIslam, had unwittingly continuedin their Muslim customs and mind-sets. As unregistered home churches

are forbidden to gather togetheropenly, the church leaders struggle tond opportunities to teach convertsChristian family values. Afterwardsthe ten couples felt so empowered

by what they had learned that they

started teaching other families – bothChristian and Muslim – about godlyfamily relationships. Pray that theteaching may continue to spread.

SUNDAY 11 Heavenly Father, we liftup Christians in Uzbekistan who arepersecuted simply for having Christianliterature in their homes. We pray forthem that they will have peace in theirhearts day by day, despite knowingthat at any time police could raid theirhome. Please bless Artur who wasned 50 times the minimum monthlywage. Bless Maksim and Tatyana whohad 65 books (including children’sBibles) seized in a raid. Bless Aleksei

and Diana whose home was raidedby twelve police ofcers takingtwo Braille Bibles, other literatureand a laptop. May they count theirpersecution pure joy, knowing thatthe testing of their faith producesperseverance and maturity.

Christians at worship in UzbekistanImage Source: Kevin Hamm, Flickr


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MONDAY 12 Lift up in prayer AasiaBibi, a Pakistani Christian mother,

whose appeal against her convictionunder Pakistan’s “blasphemy law”

was rejected and a death sentenceconrmed at the Lahore High Court

on 16 September. She has been inprison since being falsely accusedof deling the name of Muhammadduring an argument with Muslimco-workers in 2009. Please praythat Pakistan’s Supreme Court willoverturn her conviction and that she

will be released.

TUESDAY 13 Remember Christiansin northern Cameroon whosecommunities have been attackednumerous times by Boko Haram. Forexample, in September 2014, twoseparate raids on the northern villageof Tourou and its surrounding area left26 Christians dead. Among those killed

were a Christian worker and the son of apastor. Eight churches had to be closed

because of the destruction and ve believers’ homes were burned down.Pray for those who have been bereaved,that they will know God’s comfort.

WEDNESDAY 14 “Benjamin”, aCameroonian secret believer from

a Muslim background, was falselyaccused of being a member ofBoko Haram. The man’s uncle haddiscovered Benjamin’s conversionand forced him out of his job as aninsurance agent, so Benjamin had edto live with his brother. Eventuallyhis brother noticed that Benjamin

would not join in Islamic prayers. Soon

after this, Benjamin was arrested byCameroonian soldiers, beaten, torturedand imprisoned because of a tip-offthat he was a member of Boko Haram.

Pray for his release and restoration tofull health. Barnabas Fund is assisting

with some of his legal and other needs.

THURSDAY 15 Thousands of Christiansin northern Cameroon have been

displaced because of the brutality ofBoko Haram. Repeated raids by theIslamist group have forced many toee with nothing but the clothes ontheir backs. Displaced Christiansare living in appalling conditions.

An estimated 15,000 people weresharing just two water supply points inMinawao. Food and medical support isalso insufcient; more than 100 peopledied in one month from malnutrition.

Ask our heavenly Father to give Hisfaithful children in Cameroon theirdaily bread and other needs.

FRIDAY 16 In September Islamic State(IS) militants laid mines around a

church in Deir al-Zour, Syria, anddestroyed it with a blast that resonatedthrough the city. Constructed in1989-1990, Holy Martyrs churchcommemorated the Armenian and

Assyrian genocide which peaked 100 years ago. Its compound included amemorial and a museum, containingnot only documents about the genocide

but also the remains of some of its victims. Many refer to Deir al-Zouras the “Auschwitz of the ArmenianGenocide” because hundreds ofthousands of Armenian and AssyrianChristians were forcibly removed fromtheir homelands in Ottoman Turkeyand marched across the desert to Deiral-Zour, with huge numbers dying on

the way. Pray for Christians in Syriareeling from the shock of this eventand the savage message conveyed byIS’s choice of target.


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THURSDAY 22 Give thanks that sixof seven imprisoned believers werereleased in Laos on 3 October after

being detained for ve days. TheChristians had been eating lunch atthe home of Pastor Sompong Supattoafter morning service when they werearrested by village security ofcialsand police ofcers. However, weeksafter his arrest, it was reported thatPastor Sompong was still in custody,handcuffed and his legs in stocks. Lift

up Pastor Sompong in his sufferingand pray for his release.

FRIDAY 23 Six Hmong Christianfamilies in Laos were forced toleave their homes in Ko Hai village,Khamkeut district last year becausethey refused to deny Christ andreturn to the animist beliefs of most

of the villagers. Two of the men hadalready been detained for a month,in an effort to make them renouncetheir Christian faith. The families nd

it difcult to support themselves inthe new village where they are nowliving, as their farm and land are in theold village. The elderly head of onefamily died soon after being relocated,

which friends think is because of the

distress of leaving his ancestral home.Praise God for their faithfulness andpray that they will nd hope in Hisspecic promise of eternal life for those

who have left elds for Christ’s sake(Matthew 19:29).

SATURDAY 24 On 23 October believersin Vietnam’s capital, Hanoi, held aprotest outside an ofcial buildingdemanding that local authorities stopconstruction work on land that legally

belongs to a church. Church memberssaid that the authorities’ move to llin an 18,200 square metre lake onchurch land is in violation of the law;they believe that this action was taken

in order to reduce the inuence of thechurch in the region. Pray that thegovernment will cease its harassmentand that Christians will be given truefreedom of religion.

SUNDAY 25 Dear Lord Jesus, we askyou to comfort the grieving relativesof the Nigerian school-boys killed in

suicide bomb attack at a Christianschool in Potiskum, Yobe state, inNovember. At least 47 died and manymore were hurt as they gathered formorning assembly. Please lay yourhealing hand on the injured and restorethem to full health. Please touch alsothe hearts of those who planned thisattack and encouraged the suicidebomber to do it, leading them torepentance and a true understandingof what pleases God.

“I feel safe and love to sing songs to Jesus,”said a Karen child from Burma about her lifeat a Barnabas-funded children’s home


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MONDAY 26 Christians in north-easternNigeria are in extreme danger ofattack as the Islamist group BokoHaram seek to expand control in thearea. The predominantly Christiancity of Mubi was seized by Boko

Haram on 29 October and its name was changed to Madinatul Islam, which means “City of Islam”. Itis apparently intended to be BokoHaram’s headquarters. Residents

were trapped, churches and homestorched, and there were reports thatChristians were tortured and killed.Christians were given three options:leave, convert to Islam, or be killed.Some 13,000 people ed the city. Cryout to the Lord for believers who aretrapped, bereaved, injured, destituteor homeless because of the attack.

TUESDAY 27 “We need help. Our peopleare dying.” Pastor Ayo Oritsejafor,

president of the Christian Associationof Nigeria, spoke out about BokoHaram’s attacks. “I believe as bad asthe situation is, with God, all thingsare possible. I know that there isGod. He will not forsake us. We haverestrained our people so much and

we will continue to restrain them.But I beg Nigerians not to let this

continue.” Pray that the Nigerianmilitary will succeed in freeing theterritory that Boko Haram has seized.Pator Oritsejafor also appealed toNigerian Muslims: “You defeat anideology with a superior ideology.Boko Haram will not listen to me. I

want to make an appeal to our Muslimclerics and Muslim political leaders to

come together and see how they canhelp us solve this problem.” Pray thatmoderate Muslims will condemn thecruelty and violence of Boko Haramm,

despite the risk that they themselves will face by speaking out.

WEDNESDAY 28 Attacks by MuslimFulani herdsmen against Christians inNigeria are increasing at an alarming

rate in Kaduna state and Taraba state.On 14 September Christians werekilled and homes were burned inTunari village, in the Wukari area ofTaraba state. An estimated 20 men,

women and children died in the attack. A similar incident occurred in Kadunastate where one person was killed andthree others seriously injured in anassault by armed Fulani herdsmenas worshippers attended a morningchurch service in the village of UngwanPowpow. Pray that God will comfortthe victims’ families and that He will

bring their assailants to justice.

THURSDAY 29 Give thanks to the Lord

that four Nigerian schoolgirls, whohad been kidnapped by Boko Haramsix months earlier, managed to escapefrom a camp run by the Islamist groupin Cameroon. They were part of agroup of around 270 kidnapped fromtheir school in the predominantlyChristian town of Chibok, BornoState, on 14 April. They walked west

for more than three weeks until theyarrived, starving and traumatised, ina Nigerian village. Pray that God willprotect these girls and their familiesand that the rest of the kidnapped girls

will make it home safely. Boko Haramclaims that all the kidnapped Chibokgirls have been converted to Islam andmarried off.

FRIDAY 30 Thank the Lord that a fooddistribution funded by Barnabashelped 2,000 Christian families in


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famine-stricken western Kenya survivelast year’s drought. Each familyreceived 16kg of maize, 3.3kg of beans,cooking oil and salt. Women greetedthe food relief trucks arriving at theirchurch enthusiastically with song

and hands raised high. And children who had been lying on the groundfrom weakness and hunger were soonnoticeably better after drinking themilk given to them while the fooddistribution was in progress. Pray thatthe Lord will bless the region this year

with a bountiful harvest.

SATURDAY 31 On 9 October, asfour Christian men met to pray inan unnished church building inTanzania, masked men with machetesattacked, killing one Christian and

seriously injuring another. DionizNg’wandu, 31, died in the attack,leaving behind a wife and two children,aged four and two. Before this incident

church members had been receivingthreats from Muslims, who had vowedto reduce the number of Christians inthe area. Despite government efforts,attacks against Christians in Tanzaniaare on the rise. Please pray for the

widow and children (aged four andtwo) of Dioniz Ng’wandu, 31, who diedin the attack, and for the full recoveryof the injured believer.

FebruarySUNDAY 1 We thank you, Lord, forthe public commitment made bythe Prime Minister of Nepal, SushilKoirala, that religious freedom will beupheld in the country’s long awaitedconstitution. We pray that this willbe an encouragement to our brothersand sisters in Nepal’s growing Church,who are often discriminated against

by the Hindu majority. Please protectYour people in Nepal and guide PrimeMinster Koirala and all other decision-makers in Nepal to ensure that hispromise about religious freedomis kept.

MONDAY 2 Pray for the Sri Lankan believers in the Matale District, as

local authorities threated to demolisha temporary shelter being used by achurch for worship services. Duringa meeting, the chairman of theprovincial council lashed out at thepastor and said that he would ensurethat the shelter was demolished andthat the church’s plan for a permanent

building would never be approved. The

church in question was established 17 years ago, and according to Sri Lankanlaw, there is no legal requirementfor places of worship to obtain

Hungry Kenyan Christian children drinkingmilk provided by Barnabas


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registration. Pray that the Lord willprotect His Church in Sri Lanka andthat Christians will be granted truefreedom of religion.

TUESDAY 3 Two Christian workers in

Polonnaruwa District, Sri Lanka wereon their way to visit a Christian familyin Siripura village on 22 October but

were stopped by a mob of about 300 villagers led by three Buddhist monks who stood outside the Christianhome to prevent the visitors gettingthere. They shouted threats to warnthem against entering the village.Many Christians in Sri Lanka areencountering opposition like this.Pray that their Christ-like responsemay soften the hearts of those whopersecute them.

WEDNESDAY 4 Give thanks to Godthat the Bilaspur High Court in India

has opposed a ban on non-Hindumissionaries entering villages inthe Bastar district of Chhattisgarhstate. The ban had been agreed to

by more than 50 local assemblies inBastar; however, the ChhattisgarhChristian Forum led a petition withthe High Court to oppose the ban.Despite the High Court’s stance,

the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP),a militant Hindu fundamentalistgroup, demands that the ban is fullyimplemented. Pray that the Lord willprotect His Church in India, especiallyin Chhattisgarh state where Christiansare under great pressure.

THURSDAY 5 Twelve Christians wereinjured during an attack by a groupof Hindu extremists in the Bastardistrict of India’s Chhattisgarhstate on 20 October. A group of 40

Christians were attacked by around50 assailants with knives, sticks andaxes. The Christians had gathered inMadota village for what was intendedto be a mediation meeting to resolverising tensions with the local Hindu

community. Upon arriving there wasno one from the district administrationto greet the Christians; instead, they

were ambushed by militants. Eleven ofthe twelve injured were hospitalised.Pray that the Lord will heal those who

were injured in the attack and that theassailants will be brought to justice.

FRIDAY 6 On 4 November, a group ofeight Christians meeting in a churchin the village of Kotla in MadhyaPradesh state, India were attacked byHindu radical Bajrang Dal activists.

After being stripped and beaten bytheir attackers, the Christians werethen arrested by the police. The

Hindu radicals told police that theChristians were planning forcedconversions. In August 2013, theMadhya Pradesh Freedom of Religion

Act was toughened and has often beenused to make false accusations offorced conversion. Pray that IndianChristians will not be intimidated and

will continue to proclaim the Gospel.

SATURDAY 7 Thank God that a church building in Bangladesh, erected withhelp from Barnabas Fund, has giventhe poor and needy rural congregationa precious place of worship andimproved many relationships. Before,the village’s 85 Christians wouldmeet for worship in front of each

other’s houses, while in the rainyseason they could not meet at all. Thecongregation feel that the buildinghas brought them a greater unity. It


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has also improved relations with theother villagers, because the churchpremises are used for communityactivities such as pre-school classesand vaccination programmes.

SUNDAY 8 Lord God, we cry out to youfor the family and friends of ShehzadMasih and Shama Bibi, a Christianhusband and wife, who were brutallykilled in November by a Muslim mob ina Pakistani village near the town of KotRadha Kishan. The couple were beaten

and then burned alive in a brick kilnfurnace after local media reported thatShama had burned pages of the Quranand thrown them in a rubbish bin. Weask that You will bring good even outof such horric suffering, and that theoutcry in Pakistan about this incidentwill lead to a lasting improvement inthe situation of Christians.

MONDAY 9 Praise the Lord that an Argentinian pastor survived anattempt on his life. Marcelo Nieva

was shot multiple times by gunmenas he drove through the city ofRio Tercero on 21 October 2014.Marcelo’s outreach to support victimsof domestic abuse, sex trafckingand drugs had made him an enemy

of many, and his lawyer expressedconcerns over his and his church’ssafety as he recovers in hospital.Please pray for Marcelo’s physicalhealing, for the church’s protectionand that his ministry will be able tocontinue.

TUESDAY 10 A law passed in Bolivialast year requires all churches andnon-prot organisations to re-registertheir legal charters. They will nowhave to hand in detailed data of theirmembership, leadership and nances.Furthermore, they will have to comply

with a new administrative structure based on the worldview and beliefs

of the indigenous Aymara people.Please pray for the Christians who arechallenging this law through Bolivia’s

judicial process. Pray that they will be watchful, stand rm in their faith, becourageous and be strong(1 Corinthians 16:13).

WEDNESDAY 11 Cuban pastor Mario

Felix Lleonart Barroso and his wife Yoaxis Marcheco have been repeatedlyharassed by the authorities. Yoaxis

was arrested on 16 October andthreatened with imprisonment. She

was told to stop having contact with“counter-revolutionary elements”,an accusation that was also levelledagainst her husband earlier in the

month. Pray that the Lord will protectRev. Barroso and his wife and that theCuban church will be granted completereligious freedom.

This Bangladeshi congregation feels agreater sense of unity as they can meettogether in their new building


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THURSDAY 12 Lift up in prayer thoseaffected by a grenade attack on achurch in the southern Philippineson 8 October. Felomina Ferolin, a54-year-old nurse, and teacher GinaCabilona, 39, were killed in the attack,

which targeted a mid-week service. At least 40 worshippers were insidethe building when two men on amotorbike red a grenade launcherat the door of the church in Pikit, onthe island of Mindanao. Three injuredChristians were hospitalised, one in acritical condition. Pray that the Lord

will comfort the surviving familiesand that the assailants will be broughtto justice.

FRIDAY 13 Pray for the FilipinoChristians living in Zamboanga City,Mindanao who narrowly escaped anattempted bomb attack on 11 October.The improvised explosive device

was defused at the scene by securityforces with no reports of injuries.Many Muslims live in Mindanao,

which has been suffered decadesof violence by Islamist militantsseeking greater autonomy. Membersof two other militant Islamist groupsin the Philippines, BangsamoroIslamic Freedom Fighters and the

al-Qaeda-linked group Abu Sayyaf,have recently pledged allegiance tothe militant group known as IslamicState, which is persecuting Christiansin Iraq and Syria. Pray that the Lord

will continue to protect His people inthe Philippines.

SATURDAY 14 Pray for Christians inthe southern Philippians as the largestIslamist rebel group, the Moro IslamicLiberation Front (MILF), announcedthat it will be forming a political party

called the United Bangsamoro JusticeParty (UBJ). This agreement followsa decades-long Muslim insurgencyfor an independent Islamic state,in which Christians were targetedin violent campaigns. Pray that the

creation of a semi-independent Islamicregion called Bangsamoro will notlead to Christians in the region beingoppressed or discriminated against.The mayor of Wao, a predominantlyChristian town on Mindanao, hasasked that his town be exempted fromthe Bangsamoro government and therule of sharia law.

SUNDAY 15 We praise and thank You,Lord, that Iranian Christian HomayounShokouhi was granted conditionalrelease from prison on 10 November2014 after his family had appealed.We pray for the two remainingChristians in prison from the group

in Shiraz arrested with Homayounon 8 February 2012, Mojtaba andVahid, that they will be sustained andstrengthened in the Lord. We asktoo that You will change the hearts ofthose in power in Iran, so thatholding house-church meetingsand sharing the Gospel will not bepunishable offences.

MONDAY 16 A shopkeeper in Lahore,Pakistan, has been selling shoes beendesigned to insult Christians. Theshoes were printed with crosses ontheir soles. In Pakistani culture, toplace anything on the ground is toinsult that object, and any symbol onthe sole of a shoe is considered deled.

Christians held demonstrations inearly October after it emerged thatpolice were reluctant to act. Pakistan’s“blasphemy law” lays down draconian


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punishments for anyone consideredto have insulted Muhammad or theQuran, but does not protect otherreligions. Pray that the downtroddenand despised Christians of Pakistanmight know the Lord as their shield,

their glory and the one who lifts theirheads high (Psalm 3:3).

TUESDAY 17 A Christian school inPakistan that Barnabas Fund built in2012 and continues to sponsor is liftingalmost an entire generation of localChristian children out of illiteracy andpoverty. Before the school opened, only10% of the Christian children in thearea were being educated. Now, thanksto the minimal fees the Christianschool charges, 80% are in school.

And the children no longer have toundergo the discrimination theyexperienced at other schools becauseof their faith. Pray that the remaining

20% of local Christian children willalso start attending the school and thatthe children will grow up to be strongambassadors for Christ.

WEDNESDAY 18 Continue to pray forMeriam Ibrahim from Sudan, nowliving in the USA with her disabledhusband Daniel and their two young

children. Although her convictionand death sentence for apostasy fromIslam was overturned in June 2014,some of her relatives appealed againstthe decision to free her. Her case hastherefore been brought before Sudan’sSupreme Court. Meanwhile Meriamhas launched a campaign againstreligious persecution to help those who

have been arrested because of theirreligion, saying, “There are others whoare in worse conditions in Sudan than

what I was in.”

THURSDAY 19 Ask God to protect thelawyers in Sudan who are representingMeriam Ibrahim, as they take hercase to Sudan’s Constitutional Court.They have received death threats fromIslamic extremists. In line with sharia

law, Sudanese law prescribes the deathpenalty for those who leave Islam. ButMeriam’s legal team will challenge thison the basis of Article 38 of Sudan’s2005 interim constitution which statesthat, “no person shall be coerced toadopt such faith, that he/she does not

believe in”. If the Constitutional Court were to decide that penalising apostasyis unconstitutional, it could open the

way to full freedom of religion forSudanese Muslims who wish to changetheir religion; pray for this outcome.

FRIDAY 20 Christians in North Koreaare brutally punished, along withtheir whole families, in the country’snotorious labour camps. Althoughlittle news of our suffering brothers

and sisters reaches the outside world,our Heavenly Father knows what theyneed (Matthew 6:32). Commit thesecourageous believers into His hands.

Meriam Ibrahim


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SATURDAY 21 Indonesia’s newgovernment, led by President Joko

Widodo, has promised to give equalrights to religious minorities. Newlaws will protect Christians and otherreligious minority groups from attack

and discrimination and will make iteasier for them to obtain permits to

build places of worship. Give thanks toGod for new hope for Christians andother minorities. Pray also forthe smooth implementation of thesenew regulations, which are opposed

by Islamists.

SUNDAY 22 Dear Lord Jesus, we pray forthe many expatriate Christians livingin Saudi Arabia, especially those fromAfrica and Asia who are treated worseby the authorities if they catch thempractising their faith. We pray alsofor Saudi converts from Islam – only

You know how many there are. Pleasecontinue to protect them from the deathsentence which Saudi law decrees forthose who leave Islam. Thank you forthe freedom we have to meet togetherto worship You without fear. Pleasesustain the faith of those in SaudiArabia who take such risks to meet

discreetly for prayer with other Chris-tians and of the secret believers whocan never have fellowship at all. Watchover their coming and going both nowand forevermore (Psalm 121:8). MONDAY 23 Praise God for the high-prole message brought before theHouse of Lords by the UK’s Prince

Charles in November. Lamentingthe suffering of Christians in theMiddle East and elsewhere, hecalled on Muslim leaders to raise

awareness about religious persecutionin Muslim-majority countries. Givethanks also that the case of Aasia Bibihas been discussed in the House ofCommons. Fifty-four British MPssigned a letter expressing their deep

concern about the injustice of thisPakistani Christian woman’s deathsentence for “blasphemy”. Pray thatBritish politicians will be prompted tofurther action.

TUESDAY 24 Many Iraqi Christian women and children have been takencaptive by Islamic State (IS) militantsand sold as slaves. IS released ashocking document that revealedthe prices of Christian slaves. Theseprices varied from 50,000 dinars(£27; €34; $43) for women aged 40-50 to 200,000 dinars (£107; €136;$170) for children aged one to nine.

Yazidi women are also being enslaved.

Sharia allows Muslims to take human beings as slaves as part of their war booty in the context of jihad. Praythat the Lord will protect all womenand children who are currently slavesin Iraq or elsewhere. Pray that theinternational community will act toset them free.

WEDNESDAY 25 Thank the Lord forthe generosity of Barnabas Fundsupporters and the untiring work oflocal churches in Iraqi Kurdistan,

which have provided food, hygienearticles, and other basic needs for tensof thousands of displaced Christians.In this region there is normallysnow lying on the ground in January

and February. Pray for the effectivedistribution of blankets and heaters tohelp the homeless survive the wintercold. Many had arrived in Kurdistan


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last year with only the clothes on their back after eeing from IS militantslast summer.

THURSDAY 26 Sixty converts from Islamin Burundi were greatly encouraged

by each other’s testimonies when theymet together for workshops funded byBarnabas. Sharing together, as well asstudying the Scriptures, helped equipthem to stand rm in their Christianfaith, even when facing violence andrejection by their Muslim familiesand communities. Pray that theymay continue strong in the Lord,remembering everything they weretaught and build themselves up in theirfaith (Jude 20).

FRIDAY 27 At the time of writing it was predicted that the food crisis inSouth Sudan might become a full-

blown famine in early 2015. Please

pray for the long-suffering people ofthis Christian-majority nation, whose

land was devastated by decades of civil war against the Islamic North as theSoutherners fought to prevent sharia

being imposed on them. Pray thatthe Church may play a leading role inhelping to bring peace and a measure

of prosperity to this desperately poorcountry. Due to the civil war, manyof today’s Church leaders have had

very little formal education. Pray thatthe Holy Spirit will equip them for thechallenging task God has given them.

SATURDAY 28 Pray for Barnabas Fund’s“Save the Christians of the MiddleEast” petition. Pray that it will beeffective in drawing the attention ofpoliticians and decision-makers to theplight of Christian in the Middle East,especially Iraq and Syria. Pray thatleaders of many Western countries

will intervene to protect Christianminorities in the Middle East, will

provide humanitarian aid and will welcome Christian asylum-seekers.

Burundian converts from Islam at a workshop that strengthened them in their faith


16/16

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For a list of all trustees, please

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Front Cover: Displaced IraqiChristians living in unfnishedbuildings in Iraqi Kurdistan

Barnabas Fund is a Companyregistered in England Number4029536. Registered CharityNumber 1092935

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© Barnabas Fund 2015

Documents

Prayer Diary January - February 2015