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The Lord hears and answers. Praise the Lord!
Praise God for a productive GDN Executive Committee Meeting last month. We thank God for providing Rev. Barnabas Moon, President of Withee International, of Korea as Vice Chair of GDN. Please join in committing the plans that were made to the Lord.
Praise the Lord for a fruitful working gathering for developing prayer strategy training modules. We thank God for bringing about the completion and near-completion of multiple tools to be used among children, church planters and multiplying church movements. Please pray for the proper refining and distributing of these resources.
Prayer requests from Global Diaspora Forum participants
Many Christ-followers use the Christmas holiday and Advent season to share stories of hope from the life of Jesus as well as the expectation of His return. Because of the movement of peoples from everywhere to everywhere, a Canadian can share with a Tibetan, a Tanzanian with a Gujarati, a Filipina with a Saudi. Pray that these times of sharing will be filled with the Lord’s grace and lead to many changed lives.
Please continue to lift up the Finishing the Task conference in California from December 5-7. Pray for Christ-exalting partnerships to effectively engage the remaining unreached people groups so that every man, woman and child has an opportunity to receive the good news.
As Jewish peoples celebrate Hanukkah, the Feast of Dedication, beginning December 12, pray that more families will draw closer to the Creator. May the God who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” shine in their hearts (see 2 Corinthians 4:6).
Several GDN leaders or their close family members have experienced illness or injury recently. Please ask our Great God to extend His healing and protection.
A language center ministry near the border of Cambodia and Thailand is in need of more funds. Please pray that DD may receive our Father’s abundant provision.
The Hybridity and Missio Dei Consultation is scheduled for June 2018 in Manila. Please ask the Lord to make this forum successful and far-reaching. Pray for Sadiri Joy Tira and Juliet Uytanlet as they invite people to present academic papers.
Please continue to pray that more Filipino churches will be mobilized for cross-cultural mission. Pray for the firm establishment of Filipino ministry in Sweden and the Lord’s hand on EM as travels there.
Please pray for encouragement for our brothers and sisters who are in prison in foreign countries because of their witness for Christ. For an American in Turkey, an Indian in Kuwait and countless others, we appeal to the courts of heaven for their release and restoration.
People Going: Congolese
Kindly note: In this newsletter item, we are using the term Congolese to describe peoples from Democratic Republic of Congo (DR Congo). We encourage you to pray for Congolese from Republic of Congo (Congo-Brazzaville) as the Lord leads.
Over 1.3 million Congolese are scattered across Africa, Europe, North America and Australia. Hundreds of thousands fled during the two wars which began in the 1990s, but ongoing violence continues to bring Congolese to its neighbors, especially Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi and Congo. Some sought greater economic opportunities in France, South Africa and neighboring Angola.
Praise God for working all things for good. Please pray for Congolese refugees to receive the peace and comfort of Christ. Thank God for many active church planting efforts among the Congolese diaspora. Pray that these communities will grow in maturity as well as in numbers, that many individuals would experience revival and renewal. Pray against ungodly division within churches as well as between churches. Ask God to strengthen Congolese ministry leaders, pastors and missionaries and provide for their needs. Pray that the Spirit will prompt them to lead the Congolese diaspora to be cross-cultural ambassadors for God’s Kingdom.
Diaspora Hub: Bangkok
According to the Mastercard Global Destination Cities Index, over 21 million international visitors spent at least one night in Bangkok in 2016, making it the most popular foreign tourist destination for the second year in a row. Over one-third of these tourists are from China; other significant numbers come from Japan, USA, India and Germany.
International Justice Mission describes Thailand as “a source, transit and destination country” for slave labor. Thais from rural areas as well as refugees and other migrants from Laos, Cambodia, Myanmar (Burma) and Bangladesh may be trafficked in or into Bangkok and forced into seafaring, fishing & seafood processing, garment making or prostitution.
Praise the Lord who sits enthroned as King forever! Pray that Jesus will be exalted as the Name about all names among all the nations in Bangkok. Pray that travelers to Bangkok, especially those from countries hostile to Christ, will have dreams and visions about the Lord and immediately learn more. Pray against the spiritual forces of evil trying to destroy both migrants and slavery ring leaders; may the Lord bring to light the injustices being done in darkness. Ask God to direct and equip churches, Bible colleges and seminaries in Bangkok on how to engage the opportunities for spreading the good news among both tourists and trafficked. Pray that Bangkok will become most famous for God’s display of grace in the radiant beauty of the Church there.
(Information gathered from Migration Policy Institute, Mastercard Global Destination Cities Index 2016, International Justice Mission, Global Slavery Index)