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The Lord hears and answers. Praise the Lord!
Praise God for how He met with diaspora church and ministry leaders living in North America during the “Developing Effective Servant Leaders” workshop. The gathering was described as “literally transformational.” Please pray that these men and women from nine different nations will continue to offer themselves to the Lord, be renewed in their minds and discern the Lord’s will (Romans 12:1-2) and lead others to do the same.
Thank the Lord for the Taiwan Missionary Conference Fellowship last month and for the opportunity SJT had to share about diaspora missiology. Please pray that our brothers and sisters who are serving in Taiwan will see The Lord is My Banner (Exodus 17:8-16). Pray that every migrant worker will dwell “in the shelter of the Most High” (Psalm 91:1).
Prayer requests from Global Diaspora Forum participants
Please pray for the upcoming COMIBAM gathering in Bogota from August 22-25. Around 1800 participants are expected to attend the fourth Ibero-American Missionary Congress. May the Lord keep their going out and coming in (Psalm 121:8). Please pray for the interactions between regional and global mission leaders to lead to a greater understanding and fulfillment of Jesus’s commissioning of the disciples: “As the Father has sent me, even so I am sending you” (John 20:21).
Please lift up the Lausanne International Student Ministry forum in the States in early September. “Wisdom and might” belong to the God of heaven; pray that He will give these to the leaders and influencers who will gather (Daniel 2:20). Pray that the Spirit will stir up students, local churches and college ministries around the world to intentionally welcome international students. Ask the Lord of the harvest to send forth students as laborers to study abroad at strategic places.
Please continue to pray for the development and distribution of various prayer tools and resources, including the 15 day prayer guide for the Hindu world in October. “For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but . . . against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places” (Ephesians 6:12). Please ask the Lord to assemble teams for prayer guides focused on Buddhists and on diaspora peoples and issues.
For too many, being on the move has involved trauma. Please pray for the restoration of those who have experienced forced migration, including those who have been abducted and those fleeing violence. Please pray also for those who have experienced abuse and oppression because of being on the move. May the comforting presence of the Lord be with each one, as “He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds” (Psalm 147:3).
People Going: Peruvians
Beginning in 1980, two decades of civil war and economic difficulties in Peru led nearly 1 in 10 Peruvians to live abroad. Many were well-educated and most moved to the States, Spain and other Latin American countries. Some Peruvians living in Italy, Japan and China are descended from people who immigrated to Peru as early as the 1800s. Recognizing the impact of emigration, the government of Peru began strengthening ties with its citizens abroad and establishing incentives for them to return to a more stable homeland. Even so, an agreement in 2015 between Peru and the European Union for visa-free travel in the Schengen area may have encouraged the growth of Peruvian communities throughout Europe.
Praise the Lord, to whom belongs “the greatness and the power and the glory and the victory and the majesty, for all that is in the heavens and in the earth” is His! Praise the Sovereign Lord, who has scattered Peruvians around the world that He may be “exalted as head above all” (1 Chronicles 29:11). It was in the foreign land of Egypt that the sons of Jacob experienced forgiveness and reconciliation; pray that the Peruvian diaspora men, women and children will know the forgiveness offered through Christ’s blood and be reconciled to the Lord and to each other.
As the apostle Paul wrote about remembering people in prayers, please ask the Holy Spirit to remind churches in Peru to pray for Peruvians abroad. Just as the first century Church used letters to teach, strengthen and encourage, pray that diaspora Peruvian Christ-followers will find creative ways to help each other grow in the Lord; pray that nations will experience spiritual revitalization as a result. Pray that Peruvians of Chinese and Japanese descent who are now living in Asia will hear Christ calling them to follow Him and be made into fishers of men (Matthew 4:19).
Diaspora Hub: Shanghai
The world’s most populous city proper is a hub for both Chinese internal migration and foreign migration. As one of China’s wealthiest cities and a center for finance, transportation and industry, Shanghai attracts millions of Chinese from rural areas who are in search of more economic opportunities. In addition to the many seafarers at the world’s busiest container port, millions of tourists visited the city last year just on cruises. Shanghai also has the largest immigrant communities in China.
Praise our heavenly Father for establishing His Church in the strategic city of Shanghai. Pray for the removal of every obstacle which is hindering God’s dearly loved children in Shanghai from drawing closer to Christ (1 John 3:1 & Matthew 19:14). Ask that those who seek to harm our brothers and sisters would be struck with temporary blindness and shown the great love of the Almighty (2 Kings 6:18-23). Pray that the preaching, teaching and enacting of God’s Kingdom would be amplified from Shanghai and lead to “all the residents of Asia hear[ing] the word of the Lord” (Acts 19:9-10). Pray that all migrants in Shanghai from unreached people groups will have the opportunity to hear the testimony of at least one Christ-follower (Revelation 12:11).
(Information gathered from Operation World, OECD Latin American Economic Outlook, Embassy of Peru in USA, Migration Policy Institute, LA Times)