In this edition:
Day: June 19, 2019
USA: Journey to a New Land
Source: World Relief, June 14, 2019
Behind every journey is sacrifice, love, and hope—behind every person is a unique story to be celebrated and honored. As refugee and immigrant families resettle into their new homes, lives are not only being rebuilt but hundreds of people are thriving through the love and support of community.
» Watch and learn about these journeys to a new land. This video is very gracious, but might stir up ire from those who see migration as a threat.
» World Evangelical Alliance and the Refugee Highway Partnership are offering downloadable resources for World Refugee Sunday (observed June 16 and 23 this year). Most could be easily repurposed to use at other times. Includes something for every age.
IRAQ: The Girl Who Forgave ISIS Returns Home
Source: SAT-7, June 13, 2019
The world has changed since the testimony of nine-year-old Myriam went viral in 2014. In an interview with SAT-7 Producer and Director Essam Nagy, she inspired audiences around the world when she forgave ISIS for displacing her from her home in Qaraqosh, Iraq, forcing her to leave everything she knew for a refugee camp in Kurdistan.
According to UNICEF, the United Nations children’s fund, 17 million children were displaced by conflict within their own country in 2017, and 13 million more children were forced to flee to other countries for refuge.
In 2014, there were three prayers on the heart of young Myriam and God has miraculously answered all of them: going back to school, reuniting with her classmate and friend Sandra, and returning to her childhood home in Qaraqosh.
This World Refugee Day [June 20], many are wondering what they can do to make a difference. Perhaps you want to connect with an immigrant in your own community but can’t find the words. Intercede in prayer and support ministries carrying the life-changing truth of the gospel to the ends of the earth!
» Full story includes pictures and links to a documentary about Myriam, now a young teen (watch 30-minute documentary or five-minute clip).
WORLD: A Roundup of Refugee and Migration Stories
Sources: Various
Christian charity The Foundation for Relief and Reconciliation reminds us of the healing power of sports and how we can help. See Football Pitch in Iraqi Refugee Camp Needs Urgent Funding (with video).
World Vision published a beautifully illustrated article about the Rohingya Refugee crisis, with five signs of hope from what has become the world’s largest refugee camp. Cox’s Bazar, in Bangladesh, is now home to one million refugees. Pray for them!
The Institute for Security Studies reports growing European pressure on Africa to take back migrants, though little success. Read article or watch a related video to see why.
Evangelical Focus tells us a large number of Latino and African migrants joined French Christians in a March for Jesus in France. They prayed for the nation, gave out Bibles in French and Arabic, and lifted up Jesus through posters, songs, and conversation. Wonderful.
ERITREA: Arrested While Praying
Source: Christian Freedom International, June 6, 2019
Reports are trickling out of police in Eritrea raiding private gatherings and arresting Christians while they pray. Eritrea outlawed most Christian denominations and closed evangelical churches in 2002. Christians who worship in unregistered churches are considered enemies of the state. Jailed without charges or trials, some are beaten, kept in shipping containers in the desert, hanged from trees, and tortured.
“The torture of Christians is widespread” in Eritrean prisons reported a recent global review of persecution by the Bishop of Truro. Eritrea has been called the “North Korea of Africa.” President Isaias Afwerki has ruled with an iron fist since 1993. Pray for:
- Miracles to free and heal Christians and prove Jesus’ power.
- Truth to break through and open the eyes of Eritrean persecutors.
- Justice, righteousness and grace to spread and transform Eritrea.
» Read full story with more prayer points.
» See also 30 More Christians Arrested in Eritrea (Open Doors).
PAPUA NEW GUINEA: The Tigak New Testament Is Finished!
Source: Ethnos360, May 26, 2019
“Mar 28, 2019 9:45 a.m., Tigak New Testament finished.” That was the text message I got from my teammate Ned yesterday morning. He’d been working with a couple Tigak guys and [translation] consultants over the last weeks to check over the last remaining books of the New Testament. As you know, we’ve all been pushing, especially the last few months, to see this happen, and many of you have prayed. Thank you. God has provided and here we are. This is good news! It’s huge!
God loves the Tigak. He loved them enough not only to send Jesus to make a way for them to be reconciled to himself, but also to orchestrate things throughout history so that they would be given the opportunity to actually read about that—and so much more—in their own language.
You know there are hundreds of languages around the world in which the written Word of God still does not exist? Sometimes I forget. Because his love for each of those people groups is great, God will continue his tiny picture/big picture efforts to change that. But let us also pray that he would send out more laborers to take on that task.
» See full story with pictures.
USA: The Impact of a Gospel Rock
Source: World Venture, June 14, 2019
In 2015, Megan Murphy started The Kindness Rock Project. She left a rock on the beach of Cape Cod with the words “You’ve Got This” painted on it. Facebook rock painting groups began where communities did a grown-up Easter egg-like hunt for hand-painted rocks, leaving pictures with hints on Facebook groups so a family or person could find it and report it to the group. Over the past year or two, I’ve participated in this trend as a form of community outreach for online connections. Last week, my prayers yielded phenomenal results.
Kairi and her mom were hiking in the Dells in Prescott, Arizona when Kairi discovered my painted rock sitting near the Highline Trail. She turned the stone over and saw the contact information Modge-Podged and taped to the back.
The back of the rock contained a QR code, my email, and the instructions, “Please post to the Chino Valley Rock Facebook Group.” The QR code included a link to BibleGateway. Kairi sent me a message through her mom’s email account, saying, “Found your rock. I am 11 years old, and I want to do what you are doing. I want to be a missionary when I grow up.”
» Read full story. Yet another picture of creative ministry using social media. Let’s pray for young Kairi and God’s work in her life.