Pray and give thanks for what the Lord is doing in Pakistan!
Here is an encouraging report on how God is answering prayer for the nation of Pakistan from one who has been intimately involved in the prayer movement there for many years:
“PRAISE for what God did in Global Day Of Prayer!
KARACHI Because of security issues, the Global Day of Prayer was observed a little differently than previously. There were fewer large gatherings in central places. However, many came together in larger churches or courtyards. In a few places, churches congregated together in parks with about 800 attendees. Some of these groups had separate meetings for the children. Those who had the boldness to meet in public places were again and again greeted with comments by Muslims: “You are praying for our country and praying blessings for our country. We do not do that.” What a testimony.
LAHORE Lahore has never had more than about 150 for the GDOP. Last year we divided the city up into four areas. After all their hard work of preparation, some of the leaders were quite discouraged about the turnout for GDOP. After going through what happened in each area with them and adding up the figures they were amazed that 400-430 took part. They were able to rejoice in what God was doing.
OTHER PLACES Other cities took part, and many villages between Lahore and Karachi where there are few Christians met to pray. PRAISE God for what HE is doing. PRAY people will see the need to pray for their country and continue to pray throughout the year.
Prayer is beginning to catch on. The slogan, “Love Pakistan. Pray for Pakistan” is rising up around the country. Another encouraging thing is that more are beginning to reach out to the lost. When you start to "pray and love Pakistan" and give them unreached people groups to love and pray for, it is only natural that God gives them a desire to reach those people. PRAISE God. May this grow.
PRAY for God to raise up strong, effective prayer leadership from within the Pak Church. PRAY for the right people to be raised up with both motivational/administrative gifts as well as spiritual leadership.
We asked for prayer for the “BANNING OF THE BIBLE IN PAKISTAN.”
PRAISE - this seems to have quieted down some and is not a frontline item. May it not rise up again.
RAMZAN (MONTH OF FASTING) will be from August 2-29. (Dates depend on the sighting the moon with the naked eye and may vary up to three days within Pakistan.) This is a time when hunger and the extreme summer temperatures cause tempers to flare and fights and riots to break out. Street demonstrations take place. May these not be directed against Christians. It is a time when Muslims desire to appease their god. May they find the TRUE GOD and experience His love.
A 52-page prayer guide to pray for Muslims during this period is found at www.30-days.net.
ERITREA: Dozens captured in crackdown on Christians
“Over the last two months, Eritrean authorities have arrested dozens of Christians, including 26 college students, in a fresh crackdown.”
Renewed Crackdown on Christians
News of a fresh wave of arrests in Eritrea has recently come to light. According to the NGO Release-Eritrea, approximately 90 Christians, including several Christian students, have been imprisoned over the last two months following a renewed crackdown on religious freedom by one of the most repressive regimes on the African continent.
Sixty-four Christians were arrested in May this year in Adi Abeito, an area close to the capital city, and detained in Asmara’s 6th Police Station. Six have been released, but there is confusion regarding the whereabouts of the remaining 58 detainees, who are thought either to still be detained in the 6th Police Station or to have been moved to Mitire Prison, where conditions are extremely harsh and torture occurs routinely. During a 2009 CSW (Christian Solidarity Worldwide) visit to Eritrean refugees in Africa, former prisoners described Mitire, an open-air facility located in the desert, where there are poisonous snakes. There are no medical facilities, and prisoners receive very little food. The staple diet is lentil soup, although prisoners can at times bake bread from sorghum. They are made to work hard constructing buildings for officers, and most leave the facility after falling gravely ill. At least twelve Christians are known to have died in custody in Eritrea since the repression in May 2002.
Arrest and ‘Disappearance’ of 26 College Students
On 2 June, 26 college students from Mai-Nefhi College of Technology, southwest of Asmara, were arrested. Their whereabouts is yet to be confirmed although some sources report that they too may have been transferred to Mitire Prison. The circumstances surrounding these arrests are unclear; however, Release-Eritrea reports that on previous occasions the authorities have detained Christian students for alleged unwillingness to participate in Independence Day Celebrations.
Thousands of Christians Imprisoned Since 2002
In May 2002, the Eritrean Government effectively banned all but the Orthodox, Catholic and Lutheran churches of Eritrea. Since then, thousands of Christians have been detained and held in appalling conditions, often in military prisons, underground cells, or in metal shipping containers in searing desert heat. Between 2,000 and 3,000 Christians are currently being held without charge or trial. Several people have died in prison as a result of torture, treatable illnesses and malnutrition. The regime also harasses “permitted” churches. Around 1,700 Orthodox clergy of all ranks have been forced out of the church, and at least 24 are known to be detained, including the legitimate Orthodox patriarch, Abune Antonios.
To find out more, visit the Eritrea country page: www.csw.org.uk
Please pray for His encouragement and deliverance for fellow believers suffering extreme persecution in Eritrea and elsewhere in our world.
Another Mexican Drug Lord Captured!
Zetas cartel founder Jesus Enrique Rejo Aguilar and Pedro Ortega Herrera were arrested Sunday. “Mexican authorities said Monday that they had arrested a Zetas drug cartel leader who was connected with the killing of a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent this year. Federal police captured Jesus Enrique Rejon Aguilar, known as "El Mamito," Sunday, a top official with the agency said.
Rejon is suspected of being behind numerous deaths in northeastern Mexico, where the Zetas have been engaged in a turf battle with their former allies, the Gulf Cartel. He is also "connected to the attack against agents" of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement that killed Agent Jaime Zapata in February, a statement from Mexico's public safety secretary said. Mexican authorities called Rejon "one of the leaders and founders of the Zetas criminal organization." They said he was the third most powerful leader of the drug cartel, which was created by deserters of the Mexican Army's elite forces.
Rejon is also being investigated for the deaths of dozens of Central and South American migrants whose bodies where found in the northern Mexican state of Tamaulipas at a ranch just 100 miles south of the U.S. border. His arrest was called "a triumph for the Mexican government.”
By Rafael Romo, Senior Latin American Affairs Editor, CNN
July 4, 2011
Late breaking news from CNN on July 25 says that over 1000 involved in human trafficking have been arrested in Juarez and 20 young women were rescued from their grip. President Calderon has given Mexico's Congress 180 days to approve a new nationwide human trafficking law that will greatly streamline how authorities handle such cases across the country”. With increasing frequency, he said, criminal organizations that ship and sell drugs and weapons have added human trafficking to their repertoire. "There are thousands and thousands of cases, in a society that is still unaware of the seriousness of this crime," he said. "We have to break through this curtain ... that is hiding from the Mexicans a criminal reality that is in front of us."
Mexican President Felipe Calderon
http://edition.cnn.com/2011/WORLD/americas/07/25/mexico.human.trafficking/
Praise God for these wonderful answers to prayer and please keep praying for the arrest of drug and human trafficking criminals and the overthrow of this horrific crime against women and children.
Pray for President Felipe Calderon, his colleagues and officials that they will be given God’s wisdom and protection as they fight this battle with terrible evil. May they experience victory after victory until Mexico is fully delivered!
USA-Mexico Border Prayer Alert
Bridgebuilders Prayer Network from Arizona reports the following answers to prayer in the Mexican drug war. Praise God for His intervention as we pray!
Praises!:
• Mexico’s federal police have caught the top hitman for the Knight Templar drug gang in the western state of Michoacan, authorities said Wednesday.
• Also in Michoacan, authorities announced the seizure of 44 metric tons of chemicals used to produce methamphetamine.
• Mexican solders found the largest marijuana plantation ever detected in Meixo, a huge field covering almost 300 acres (120 hectares), the Defense Department said Thursday. The plantation is four times larger than the second biggest marijuana fields ever found by authorities.
• Pinal county deputies seized more than 1,800 pounds of marijuana in the Vekol Valley, a well-known smuggling corridor. The marijuana had a street value of more than $1 million.”
They ask our continued prayer for the following issues:
Pray:
• For officials to see the plans of the smugglers with new eyes. May they be alert to all situations and not become complacent in their watching.
• For freedom from drug addiction so there will be no need to supply the demand.
• Especially for the young people to not be drawn into this lifestyle.
