“This will allow the church to stand for years to come,” said a spokesman for a church in Kazakhstan. Barnabas funded crucial repairs to this registered church building, paying a specialized company to seal the basement that had been flooded every spring for the past ten years by melting snow. The church, which includes converts from Islam, began over 30 years ago, with its members meeting in libraries and halls before they had their own church building. Give thanks for the completion of these vital repairs and pray that the building will develop as a center where Christians can grow spiritually and in number in the years ahead.
One of the ongoing difficulties facing Christians in a certain Central Asian country is burial. Local Muslims will often not allow Christians to be buried in the cemetery, especially if the deceased is a convert from Islam. This causes some danger and a great deal of distress to the Christian relatives of the bereaved and other believers. Pray that the Lord will intervene and smooth the way for His children to be laid to rest peacefully, which is very important in the local culture. Pray also that the bereaved will take comfort in the knowledge that their loved one will be raised imperishable in a new spiritual body and that through the Lord Jesus Christ “death has been swallowed up in victory” (1 Corinthians 15:42-56).
Please continue to pray for Barnabas Aid’s The Shepherd’s Academy (TSA), which is our program of theological education for grassroots church leaders in the Global South who otherwise may not be able to access such training. This vital ministry is expanding, God willing, into the Central Asian region in 2024, where there are many new believers and few trained leaders. Ask that the Lord will use TSA to equip the under-shepherds of Christ’s flock in Central Asia, and elsewhere, for their God-given calling.
Lord Jesus, our Good Shepherd, we are so thankful to be part of Your flock, wherever we are in the world. Please work through those You have called to lead Your people, especially in places of poverty, discrimination and pressure. Give them wisdom and courage, especially as they can expect to be main targets for persecution by those who are hostile to You. We pray You will help them follow Your example, as the Chief Shepherd, so that they may be a channel of blessing to Your suffering people and will receive an unfading crown of glory. (1 Peter 5:4)
"I have learned not only to preach the Gospel, but to live the Gospel,” said a recent graduate from a theological seminary in Pakistan, which is part-funded by Barnabas. “I understand the importance of relying on the Holy Spirit for effective ministry,” recounted another. Give thanks for the knowledge and wisdom that has been given to these graduates through their studies. Pray that they will continue to grow in Christ-likeness, and will be powerfully used by God to build up His people in Pakistan.
A general election will be held in Pakistan the day after tomorrow, February 8. Pray that there will be no violence, and that Christians will be able to vote without fear or intimidation. Ask that the Lord, in His mercy, will raise up a new government that will promote better treatment of Christians and the other non-Muslim minorities and will work towards peace and stability in the country, as well as improving the economy. The country has been wracked by spiraling inflation, which peaked at 38% in May 2023. Christians in Pakistan are among the most impoverished, and religious minorities are at particular risk of violence at times of political turmoil.
Eight families (about 60 people) have been expelled from their village in Laos, because they left the traditional spirit cults of their fellow-villagers and decided to follow Jesus Christ. The expulsion order was made on October 4, 2023, and the families were given 30 days to find themselves new homes outside the village. They began by trying to build temporary houses, using materials they found in the forest. Pray that the Son of Man, who had nowhere to lay His head (Luke 9:58), will enable our brothers and sisters to find a safe place to live and ways to support themselves.
Laos is almost bankrupt and its government has ordered rice-growing regions to hand over their land to Chinese investors to grow water-melons for export, thus bringing in foreign currency. That means there is now only one rice harvest per year (December) and rice prices have risen, hurting the rural poor, amongst whom are many Christians. The December 2023 harvest was badly affected by a freak torrent of heavy rain which washed away large areas of rice in the fields. Ask for God’s blessing on various agricultural projects which Barnabas helps to support, providing income for Christian farmers.
The village chief and village authorities in Tabong village, Sa Mouay district, Laos, have dismantled and destroyed the home of an extended Christian family of seven people. Then they had the family locked up at the police station and banned the three sons (aged 7 to 10) from attending school. This persecution was inflicted on the family because they insisted on their right to follow Christ. At the time of writing, we do not know whether the family are still in detention, where they are living if they have been released, or how they are supporting themselves – but the Lord knows. Please lift up in prayer Umvang, his wife Ter, brother Vuang, sons Alin, Veoy and Soulin, and his 3-year-old daughter Rebecca.
Next Wednesday (February 14) the population of Indonesia will go to the polls to elect a new president. The current president, Joko Widodo, who has done much to combat Islamist extremism and to help Christians, cannot stand for re-election because he has completed the maximum allowed two terms in office. Ask that the Lord’s hand will be over events on Wednesday. Pray that whoever He allows to take the highest position in this, the fourth most populous nation in the world and which has more Muslims than any other, will govern with wisdom, compassion and justice.
Lord Jesus, we pray for our brothers and sisters in North Korea whose lives are constantly under threat because of their devotion to You. Thank You for those who daily deny themselves, take up their cross and follow You. Only You know how many Christians are worshipping you in secret and how many are imprisoned and tortured in labor camps and prisons. We pray that they will all be sustained by the encouragement of the Scriptures and the comfort of the Holy Spirit. We ask this in Your most holy Name. (Matthew 16:24-25)
International experts have warned of a “raging fire of brutality” in Myanmar, and accused the Tatmadaw (Myanmar military) government of “war crimes and crimes against humanity” including attacks on schools, hospitals and camps for internally displaced people. An estimated 4,000 civilians have been killed by the Tatmadaw since the military coup of February 2021. Among those suffering this brutality are believers in Christian-majority Karen, Kachin and Chin states, as well as the large Christian communities of Kayah and Shan states. Pray that there will be an end to the violence, and that all people in Myanmar will be able to live in peace.
A joint funeral service for 29 people, including 11 children was held in Myanmar. They had been killed in a Tatmadaw (Myanmar military) strike on a camp for internally displaced people (IDPs) in Christian-majority Kachin State. Fifty-six people were injured in the same attack. The victims had fled there from another IDP camp, to which they had gone after being forced from their original homes. The day of the funeral was marked by prayer meetings in other parts of the state. Ask the Lord to remind His people of their hope in Christ who said, “‘I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die” (John 11:25).
Praise God for the way in which the internet, apps and other IT enable Afghan Muslims to find and study the Bible. Even those who are illiterate can hear the Word of God being read aloud to them. By these ways, many have come to know Jesus Christ as their Savior and Lord. Pray that the new believers will grow in faith and that, if it is His will, the Lord will protect them from persecution. Pray also for the Christians who create the technology and follow-up enquiries from seeking Afghans, that they may have the wisdom of the Holy Spirit day by day.
Presidential elections are due to take place in Algeria in 2024, though no date has yet been confirmed. While Algeria’s economy is performing reasonably well, the country is at risk of Islamist extremism and the radicalization of young men in particular. The government has been cracking down on churches for the last few years. At the time of writing, 49 church buildings have been forcibly closed and only seven are left open. Pray that whoever wins the presidency will be given wisdom to deal with the challenges facing Algeria, and ask that the government will re-open churches and allow Christians to worship in peace.
The Lemkin Institute for Genocide Prevention issued a “red flag” warning on November 1, 2023, highlighting the risk of an Azerbaijani invasion of Christian-majority Armenia. Armenia is currently hosting nearly 120,000 thousand refugees who have fled the Armenian Christian enclave of Nagorno-Karabakh since it was seized by Azerbaijan in an attack on September 19. Ask our sovereign Lord to be the shield and deliverer of the Christians in Armenia. Pray that any plans to attack their country will not succeed (Psalm 140:6-8).
Four translations of the New Testament into languages spoken by tribal ethnic minorities in Bangladesh have recently been completed. Please pray that the Word of God will encourage, comfort, teach, rebuke, correct and train in righteousness the believers amongst the Tripura, Khuang, Kruck and Kol peoples as they read it in the language of their hearts (2 Timothy 3:16).
Heavenly Father, we lift to You those who are caught up in conflicts around the world, especially Christians who already endure persecution because they believe in You. Please protect Your Church in countries where enemies attack and besiege them even outside of war. We pray that You will strengthen believers living in such places and ask that You prepare them for the suffering they will face for the sake of Jesus Christ, in whose Name we pray.
At least 70 people, the majority children and the elderly, were killed in Burkina Faso’s Central-North region on November 5, 2023. Dozens of homes were burned during the attack on Zaongo village. It took place amid the ongoing jihadi insurgency that has brought devastation to a country that was once a bastion of religious tolerance. More than two million people have been driven from their homes during the eight-year campaign of violence by Islamist extremists, much of it targeted against Christians. Pray for the bereaved of Zaongo and ask that no more families will experience the loss of their loved ones. Ask the Prince of Peace to intervene to halt the bloodshed.
Cameroon’s Christian majority has been increasingly threatened by Islamist violence in the Far North, which borders Boko Haram bases in north-eastern Nigeria. Thousands have fled attacks targeting rural Christian communities, often finding refuge in neighboring Chad. Cameroon’s relative stability has been shaken by tensions between the majority Francophone region and the smaller Anglophone region in the south-west, where separatists have clashed with state forces. Resources have been stretched by an influx of refugees fleeing violence in the Central African Republic. Pray that the Church will respond to the multiple crises in unity and with a strong witness.
Chad has emerged as a center for jihadi violence with an estimated 3,500-5,000 Islamic State West Africa Province fighters having made their base in the Lake Chad area in recent years. The Christian minority, around 35% of the population, often suffers discrimination by the Muslim majority, especially in rural areas where Muslim herders try to seize land belonging to Christian communities. Christian converts from Islam are threatened to try to force them to return to Islam. Pray for protection for Christians in Chad, who also have to contend with natural disasters such as intense flooding. Ask that the Chadian Church will grow stronger through the adversity encountered.
In China, Christianity is still viewed as a Western religion and therefore is marginalized. Pray that Christian leaders, Christian values and Christian perspectives will nevertheless impact society in China. Pray also for Christians in China who are following online theological and ministry training courses. The geopolitical tensions between the US and China are leading both nations to block their online meeting platforms and social media, making it difficult for the Christians to pursue their studies. Pray too for training being done since Covid within China’s house churches (unregistered churches). Many of the trainers do not have formal training themselves in theology and Biblical hermeneutics. Ask that the Holy Spirit will be their Teacher (John 14:26) as they teach others.
At least 26 people were killed on October 24 in a Christian area of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). Extremists used machetes to attack residents in the town of Oicha. About 5,500 civilians (almost all of them Christians) have been killed by Islamist extremists in DRC since October 2014. Ask the Lord, who can break the bow and shatter the spear (Psalm 46:9), to bring an end to this terrible violence.
Extremists in Abu-Qurqas, Minya, Upper Egypt, attacked the home of a Christian called Emad Wagih Emad following false rumors that the Christian community were building a church without getting permission first. Local Christians have applied for a license for a new church while, separately, building work was taking place on a new house. The attackers cut off supplies of electricity to the village and set fire to Emad’s home. Give thanks that nobody was hurt, and pray that the situation will be resolved peacefully. The Egyptian authorities have, at the time of writing, granted licenses to 3,189 of the 3,730 churches that applied. Pray that the other applications, including this one, will be successful.
Almighty God, we lift up Christian children around the world who believe in You even at a young age. We remember that Your Son, Jesus Christ called children to Himself, saying that Your Kingdom belonged to such as them. We ask that You help Christian children cling to this hope and truth, especially those who are rejected by classmates, teachers, friends and even their own family because of their faith in You. We ask You to support them, strengthen their hearts, and remind them that Your love for them will never change. We pray this in Jesus’ Name. (Luke 18:16)
Christians in Eritrea who do not belong to one of the three denominations allowed by the government are often imprisoned for their faith. They are accused of being non-sanctioned Christians or enemies of the state – or they are not charged at all but simply incarcerated, often for years on end. Imprisoned Christians are often singled out for extra abuse and torture. Pray that Eritrean Christians in this situation will soon be released, if this is God’s will, or that He will strengthen them to endure and will use them for His purposes while they remain behind bars. Ask that they will be reminded that “where the Spirit of the Lord is there is freedom” (2 Corinthians 3:17).
Ethiopia continues to suffer severe humanitarian disasters, some caused by human conflicts and some by too much or too little rain. Remembering the words of the Lord Jesus, “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God,” pray that God will raise up peacemakers to bring an end to the violence (Matthew 5:9). Two-thirds of the population identify as Christians. Pray that they will reflect the peace-making character of their heavenly Father.
The government of Indonesia has announced that from the beginning of 2024 it will use the Christian term “Yesus Kristus” to refer to Jesus Christ in official communications. Prior to this the Arabic term “Isa al Masih” was used. Yesus Kristus is “Jesus Christ” in the national language of Indonesia, and is the term used by Indonesia’s Christian minority. Isa al-Masih is the name given to Jesus in the Quran, and therefore does not carry the meaning of the Biblical Jesus who is the Son of God. Give thanks for this very significant change, which has been welcomed by church leaders.
Although Iran’s non-Persian Christian groups are largely tolerated, Farsi (Persian)-speaking Christians continue to suffer persecution as they are mostly converts from Islam and their children. Christian worship in Farsi is forbidden. Christian converts are often arrested on various pretexts such as spreading anti-state propaganda and other national security offences. Punishments include prison sentences, fines, internal exile, and other deprivations such as restrictions on employment or overseas travel. Christian converts are sometimes also asked to sign declarations that they will not meet with other believers or forced to take classes in Islam. Pray that the Lord will sustain our brothers and sisters facing such pressures, and ask that in time all Christians in Iran will be permitted to worship freely.
