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The Lord hears and answers. Praise the Lord!
Praise God for the connections and partnerships between indigenous missions and diaspora missions. As “there are many parts, yet one body” (1 Corinthians 12:20), we rejoice to see different parts of Christ’s Body working together. May the Lord be glorified as He coordinates our movements.
Prayer requests from Global Diaspora Forum participants
Please lift up those brothers and sisters who are teaching, studying and writing about diaspora peoples and issues. Pray that they will be filled with the Holy Spirit so that their work will reflect the light, understanding and wisdom of the Lord (see Daniel 5:11). Pray that God will use their work to make Himself and His purposes more clearly seen in the Church and throughout the world.
As the festival of Passover begins on April 10, please pray that the Lord will visit Jewish families and deliver them from their afflictions (see Exodus 4:31). Pray that Jewish peoples around the world will rejoice to behold Yeshua as the Lamb of God (see John 1:36-37). Pray that those who already follow Yeshua, especially Messianic Jews, to be strengthened in their faith and emboldened in their witness as they remember how God “brought them out of darkness and the shadow of death and burst their bonds apart” (Psalm 107:14).
On April 16, people from many Christian traditions will be celebrating the resurrection of Jesus on Easter. Please pray that because of living hope, Christ-followers will fill this day with their joy (see 1 Peter 1:3). Pray that the Lord, our shepherd, will use this major holiday to guide nominal Christians toward an intimacy with Him (see Psalm 23). Pray that great grace will be upon each gathering of brothers and sisters and that they will speak with great power in “testimony to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus” (Acts 4:33).
Ask the Lord of the harvest to send forth more laborers (Matthew 9:38). Pray in particular for more workers in unreached, geographically and/or spiritually isolated areas so that more people may call on the name of the Lord (see Romans 10:13-14).
People Going: Poles
The Polish diaspora has spread to every continent. Many Poles live in Europe, especially in the UK and Germany but also throughout eastern Europe and in former Soviet republics like Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan. There are also notable Polish populations in the US, Canada, Australia and Israel. Most Poles are Catholic with a strong devotion to Mary, but less than a third in Poland attend church regularly. Reports are that Polish Jews in Israel are considerably open to the gospel.
Praise the Lord, who turns evil intentions into good and who brings about the salvation of many (see Genesis 50:20). Pray that the Lord will heal the brokenness and bind up the wounds of Poles who have seen suffering and tragedy across multiple generations (Psalm 147:3).
Pray that the Spirit will be poured out to bring about living faith among Polish emigrants and their descendants (Isaiah 44:3). Pray that Polish followers of Christ will be strengthened with all power, according to His glorious might, for all endurance and patience with joy” (Colossians 1:11). Ask the Lord of the harvest to send out Polish laborers from among the diaspora in places where laborers are few (Luke 10:2).
Diaspora Hub: Howrah Bridge & Howrah Railway Junction
Well-known Kolkata (Calcutta) in West Bengal, India, has a neighbor city of Howrah across a river. Connecting the cities is the Rabindra Setu (previously named and more popularly known as Howrah Bridge), which every day is crossed by around 2 million people using various modes of transportation. A short walk from the bridge, the Howrah Railway Junction is one of the busiest in India. This train station is the terminus for several major rail lines across India, linking to Delhi in the north, Mumbai in the west and Chennai in the south.
Around 45% of Kolkata’s population are either immigrants, such as Bangladeshis, or non-Bengali migrants from other areas in India, including Bihar, which has been called “the graveyard of missions,” and Odisha (Orissa), where violent persecution of Christ-followers is common. Around 360 people groups in the area of Kolkata and Howrah are considered unreached.
(See Genesis 24) Praise God for His perfect plan, even in bringing two specific individuals to a specific location at a specific time. Ask that prayers made to the God of heaven on Howrah Bridge or in Howrah Railway Junction will be answered swiftly as a sign of His steadfast love. Pray that God will use the gathering of people on the bridge and in the train station to enable Christ-followers to meet and disciple people who had not heard of Jesus before. Pray that the Lord will raise up servant-leaders with extraordinary willingness to pour out their lives and go the extra mile. Pray that the news of God’s activities will spread quickly, from Bengali to Urdu to Hindi to many other languages. Pray Muslims, Hindus, Jains, Sikhs and Buddhists will receive their identities as “blessed of the Lord.” Pray that the joy of the Lord will spread from Howrah Railway Junction throughout Kolkata and Howrah, across India and across the region.
(Information gathered from Joshua Project, Operation World, Migration Policy Institute, Fodor’s Travel and SouthAsiaPeoples.org)