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Praying Globally
Prayer requests from Global Diaspora Forum participants
Pray for wisdom for the authors and editors of the diaspora missiology compendium as they process and incorporate feedback from the Forum. Ask God to protect these authors and editors from spiritual attacks and discouragement. Pray for our heavenly Father to provide for their physical and financial needs so that they can focus on kingdom work. Pray for these revisions to be completed within the next month.
Please pray for Israeli Messianic Jews who are traveling in northern India in August with the Massah (Hebrew: “Journey”) Project. Partnering with Indian Christians, Messianic believers will serve at restaurants and youth hostels along major trails where Israeli young adults often travel. Ask the Spirit to guide them as they engage Israeli young people in conversations around meals, coffee and board games. Pray for softened hearts during spiritual discussions of biblical material and offering of free Hebrew New Testaments. Pray for transformative relationships to continue through social media as people return to Israel.
Please pray for the Lausanne Consultation on Jewish Evangelism as they prepare to meet in Jerusalem for their tenth international network meeting during August. Conference organizers are aware of threats, but will convene as planned; pray for God’s protection and strengthening of the speakers and other participants. Pray that the Spirit will move during reports, interactions and the election of new officers to give direction and forge future collaborations. Pray especially for fruitful discussions regarding reconciliation between Israeli and Palestinian believers in Yeshua.
Pray for Filipino International Network (FIN) as they consider how best to make disciples in hostile environments. Pray for FIN to effectively equip Filipinos living overseas to grow in maturity toward Christ, to effectively disciple other Filipinos and to boldly and lovingly minister cross-culturally.
Pray for the God of all comfort to reveal Himself to the many people affected by flooding and landslides in India, Myanmar (Burma), Vietnam and Nepal. Pray for the stateless Rohingya whose camps in Myanmar have been destroyed to find help and hope in Christ, who welcomes all. Pray that Christ-followers who are assisting in relief will have many opportunities to personally communicate the good news of Jesus.
Pray for God-honoring interactions and cooperation between those focused on indigenous missions and those on diaspora missions.
Pray for diaspora-filled churches to connect well with mainstream and other diaspora churches in their communities. Pray that diaspora children will mature in faith as they grow older and that they will promote unity in the body of Christ.
Diaspora People in Focus: Tajiks
Nearly one million Tajik men are working abroad. International remittances are equivalent to almost half of Tajikistan’s gross domestic product. Tajikistani workers have migrated mostly to Russia but are also found throughout Central Asia, in Eastern Europe, Israel and North America. Former Soviet boundaries have led to Tajiks being scattered among various Central Asian countries. Almost all Tajiks adhere to some form of Islam.
Praise God for being sovereign over the movement of Tajiks. Thank God for the Tajik Christ-followers in several countries; pray for the Spirit to move among all Tajiks across national borders. Pray for Tajik migrant workers to be treated justly and with dignity by their employers and host countries. Ask the Lord of the harvest to send forth laborers among Tajiks in Russia. Pray for the Church to be actively involved in healing and strengthening Tajikistani families who have been separated.
Country of Diaspora: Malaysia
Malaysia is a leading destination for international migrants, drawing especially from Indonesia but also from across the region from Pakistan all the way to New Zealand. Among the Indonesian migrants are some of the least-evangelized peoples, including many Acehnese and Miningkabau. Islam is the official religion; existing freedoms for religious minorities are increasingly threatened by radical Islamic groups. Last year, Malaysia’s highest court ruled that non-Muslims cannot use the word “Allah” to refer to God.
Praise God for the growth of the Church in Malaysia, for increasing cooperation among Christ-followers for kingdom work and for their increasing missions vision. Pray for these brothers and sisters to be strengthened in faith and to be raised up and trained as servant-leaders. Pray for Malaysian churches to welcome international migrants and demonstrate the unity possible through Christ. Ask God to give them love, wisdom and boldness to convey Christ’s love to all Muslim peoples living there. Pray for the Church to effectively engage the large numbers of Rohingya and to become family for the unaccompanied minors.
(Information from Operation World, Migration Policy Institute Data Hub and BBC News)