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The Lord hears and answers. Praise the Lord!
We thank God for greater unity and partnership within the Church as represented by the Lausanne Younger Leaders Gathering and the 9th Chinese Congress on World Evangelization. We thank God for the opportunities GDN leaders had to inform and challenge the Body regarding diaspora ministry and missions during these events. May the spiritual impact of these gatherings be felt for generations to come.
Prayer requests from Global Diaspora Forum participants
Please lift up the world missions leaders participating in the Pentecostal World Conference in Sao Paulo, Brazil on September 5-10. Pray that the Lord will speak through GM as he highlights the diaspora missiology initiative. Pray that diaspora mission will continue to be a major focus on their agenda for the future.
Please pray that praise for the Creator will fill the hearts of many athletes, spectators and workers during the Paralympics from September 7-18 in Rio de Janeiro. Pray that the image of God of each person involved will be transformed through the work of the Holy Spirit. May those who follow Christ have many opportunities to share what He has done with those who have not yet had a chance to hear.
Millions of Muslims from around the world will be in Mecca for the Hajj during September 10-15. Please pray that the Lord will reveal Himself to all of these pilgrims – through dreams and visions, Scripture, and the Body. Pray that false notions of how to obtain forgiveness will be exposed as lies and destroyed. Pray for Christ-followers living in Saudi Arabia and for those worldwide working in the travel industry to become powerful intercessors and peace-bringers for Hajj travelers. (Here is a prayer guide for the Hajj.)
Two important religious festivals will happen in the next few weeks. Eid al-Adha, a Muslim holiday, is on September 11/12th while Rosh Hashanah, a Jewish festival, will begin at sunset on October 2. Please pray that many Muslims and Jewish peoples will turn to the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world and who purchased people for God from every tribe, language, people and nation. Pray that Christ-followers everywhere will be faithful to carry the good news to Muslim and Jewish neighbors, co-workers and friends. Ask God to continue to use the movement of people to give eternal blessings to the descendants of Abraham. Pray that Christ’s work of reconciliation will be evident in relationships between Muslim-background believers and Messianic Jews as an ongoing testimony to the Holy Spirit.
There are reports of more openness to the good news of Christ among Fulani people, a traditionally nomadic group in West Africa. Pray for the removal of every barrier and stronghold which is hindering the Fulani from embracing Jesus. Ask God to equip and strengthen our brothers and sisters who are working among the Fulani.
A crescent-shaped area extending from southern Kyrgyzstan, across the Himalayas, to northern Myanmar (Burma) is home to over 400 unreached people groups. Many people live in remote areas and/or in places where foreigners have limited access. Please ask God to send forth more workers to the peoples living in these high places.
According to the International Orality Network, up to 80% of the world may be oral learners, that is, people who prefer to learn through hearing stories or songs and watching or participating in dances or dramas. Please pray for the development and distribution of Bible storying sets and Christ-centered visual art, music, films and dances for the hundreds of millions of oral learners without any Scripture in their heart languages. Pray that God will give creativity and fresh eyes to text-preferring missionaries who are working among oral learners. Pray for the development of more training programs and seminaries for pastors, church leaders and cross-cultural workers who are oral-learners.
A diaspora-focused prayer guide for use during Advent is being prepared. Please pray that the Lord will give the wisdom, insight and personal connections needed to complete the content. Pray that this effort to unite prayer for diaspora people and issues will result in significant spiritual breakthroughs.
People Going: Albanians
Around half of all Albanians live outside of Albania. Many live in neighboring places such as Kosovo, where they are the ethnic majority, Macedonia and Greece but there are significant numbers of Albanians across in Europe and the States. The government of Albania is planning a first-ever diaspora summit in November, where leaders from 50 Albanian communities around the world will gather.
Praise God for His plan in scattering Albanians around the earth. Ask the Lord of the harvest to send forth more laborers among Albanians living in diaspora. Pray that God will reveal Himself to persons of influence in every Albanian community and that these diaspora leaders will help bring healing to Albania.
People Coming: Oman – Prayer video for Oman
Close to 1 in 4 people living in Oman and nearly 3 in 4 working there are international migrants. Most foreign workers are from India, Pakistan and Bangladesh, with smaller but significant numbers from Indonesia, Sri Lanka and the Philippines. Other migrants include people from across the Middle East and East Africa. The government’s policy of “Omanization” is an effort to reduce Omani unemployment by limiting the types of jobs expatriates can hold.
Praise the Lord that worshiping at churches and changing religious affiliations are technically permitted by law in Oman. We boldly pray that more Christ-centered places of worship will be established and that prayer and worship in the name of Jesus will be made legal in more places. Please ask God to protect migrants in Oman from harsh or unjust treatment and from all sorts of deception. Pray that those who follow Christ would be filled with the Holy Spirit in their words and actions. Pray for increased opportunities to share the good news of Christ through radio, social media and phone-based apps in Omani Arabic and other key languages.
(Information gathered from Joshua Project, Operation World, Migration Policy Institute, Orality.net, US State Dept, and Balkan Insight)