An Afar song

If there is still any place
On which we have not already put our foot!
If there is still any place
On which we have not already put our herds!
The only place where we did not yet live is the sea.
We also do not want you oh grave!
The foreign land we do not want!
The foreign rivers will not water us.
Our herds expect no danger
And graze outdoors at night.
Our young men are there always there to protect them!

And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes. (Revelation 7: 16-17)

Despite being known as a warrior people, the Afar are very hospitable, filled with humour and enjoy in their own way the beautiful side of life. However the challenges of daily life in the hot lowlands of the horn of Africa can be crushing. Heat and drought shape the life of these 1.5 million people, feared by their neighbours and maintaining a solitary existence. With their herds they trek across the hottest areas on earth: Africa‘s Danakil Desert which extends over south Eritrea, north Djibouti and parts of east Ethiopia. Most Afar are illiterate, they breed camels and live almost exclusively from camel’s milk and corn bread. During drought periods in the early autumn the camel’s milk is often only enough for the children – the parents live for weeks exclusively from tea extracted from coffee trees. Even in such meager times the Afar write poems and humorous and sometimes sarcastic songs about famine and the end. Visitors can be impressed with the tenacity and resilience of this people.

For centuries the Afar have had little chance to hear the Gospel. Recital of Qur’anic verses and fear of the spirits of the desert goes back generations for the Afar. But decades ago God already sent people from the Horn of Africa. Together with the few Afar believers, a radio work of high quality has been developed. The Gospel is now heard! During the last three years many in the Ethiopian church have begun praying fervently for the Afar. Some Afar have come to faith and are being trained and baptized. They often experience harsh persecution, but they are ready to suffer. In 2008 believing Afar sisters compiled an expanded radio series for women. Thanks to the devotion and love from these sisters nomadic women have the possibility of new life in Christ.

Prayer Requests:

• Pray for the radio production team and their many listeners of this area.
• Pray that men and women will hear the new radio programme and open their hearts to the message of freedom.
• Pray that whole families will come to faith in the Messiah and establish new communities of believers.

Background articles are here:

…>> Eritrea
…>> Djibouti
…>> Ethiopia

As the “30 Days” booklet for 2009 is being prepared, conflict in Gaza has broken out (January 2009). We do not know what the situation will be when you, our readers actually use the “30 Days” booklet in August and September 2009. But note, even through war and difficult circumstances, a number of Jews and Arabs have learned to respect and to love each other as disciples of Jesus. Here is a testimony from one Arab believer living in Israel / Palestine.

Testimony

“As a young Palestinian refugee I fled to Nazareth with my family during a time of war. Later we found that our home in Haifa was occupied by Jews during my family’s absence. As a child I found it difficult to understand how God could love some people and put others in the street. As the years passed I became an enemy of the Jewish people. Later after having acknowledged Jesus as my Messiah, I met an old Jewish man who asked for forgiveness for the things he had done personally. His step of seeking forgiveness touched me and since that time my love for the Jewish people has not ceased to grow.” When this former refugee was asked “Is it possible for a Jordanian or a Palestinian to love Israeli soldiers?” he responded: “For followers of the Messiah the word ‘love’ has a different meaning than for those who do not know the Lord. For us, the love of God comes through the cross of Christ.” He continued: “I have also visited Iraq. When I was there God filled my heart with love for the Iraqi Muslims. My heart was really grieved when I saw how the Iraqis and the Iranians had killed each other during the war from 1980-1988. I have also spoken of the profound love which God has given me for the Jewish people when Israeli soldiers were controlling my identity papers in Jerusalem.” He has found it possible to love Muslims and Jews.

Prayer Requests:

• There are several initiatives by Messianic Jews and Arab believers for prayer and reconciliation. The transformation which God brings is the greatest hope for lasting change in the Middle East. Pray for further breakthroughs in reconciliation and deepening love and respect among Jews and Arabs (1 John 4:12 and 19).
• Pray that the hope of true reconciliation through Christ would be better known in Israel and Palestine becoming an example for both Jews and Muslims. Jesus is rightly presented as someone who brings personal peace. He is also very interested in bringing peace between peoples (Matthew 5:9, Ephesians 2:14 and 2 Peter 3:13).

Special Prayer Section for the Thulukkan people of India

Recent political and economic reforms have sparked phenomenal growth in the Indian economy. However, in spite of its remarkable progress, India continues to suffer from high levels of poverty, illiteracy, malnutrition, and environmental degradation.
More than 33 million people in southern India’s Kerala state speak Malayalam, one of the 22 languages recognized by the Indian Constitution. About 269,000 of them (just .023% of the total population of India) belong to a little-known people group called the Thulukkan. The primary religion of the Thulukkan people is Islam. Very little else is known about them. There are no known efforts to reach this people with the Gospel.

Islam is sometimes represented by fierce Islamic militant or religiously intolerant people

Amr Khaled

Outside the Middle East most people may not have heard of Amr Khaled, Mustafa Hosni, Moez Masoud, or Ahmad al-Shugairi. However these men have a significant following in the Arab world through Middle Eastern Television and the web. Amr Khaled’s influence for moderate and practical Islam has been compared to the North American evangelical preacher Rick Warren. He was 13th in the list of Time magazine’s 100 most influential people of the year in 2006. Amr Khaled has said, “Bin Laden is saying he is talking on behalf of Muslims, who asked him to talk on behalf of us? Nobody.” Khaled even extended an olive branch to the Danes during the 2006 Islamic cartoons crisis. He has said, “During Ramadan, I love family gatherings over food, over laughter … Believe me, a family gathering over laughter is very important. Just like in the summer we admire the beauty of nature, in Ramadan we admire the beauty of the night … One of the beautiful things in Ramadan is that my wife and I pray the nightly prayers together.”

Moez Masoud has often spoken out for sincerity and really trying to understand people from other faiths. He has written: “I’m pretty much dedicating my life to a deeper and more profound understanding between human beings, the children of Adam. I actually named my son Adam just so that I could never be distracted from the goal.”

Moez Masaud

Prayer Starters:

• Pray that God will continue to use everything which is good and positive from these men to change Middle Eastern society for the better. May they and their listeners discover the Lord in a profound way, He is the giver life (John 10:10).
• Believers in the Messiah in the Middle East have often been oppressed under Islam. Pray for an explosion of new spiritual life among believers across the entire Middle East which will enable them to be a channel of life for Muslims desiring sincerity, depth and real life with God.

See the sites of the people mentioned above:

Amr Khaled : www.amrkhaled.net
Mustafa Hosni : www.mustafahosny.com
Ahmad al-Shugairi: This link is his playlist on YouTube.com
Moez Masoud : www.moezmasoud.com

Malaysia remains a key part of the Muslim world in Southeast Asia. With a burgeoning population of 24 million, 60% of whom are Malay Muslims, the nation’s influence is significant in the region. Dramatic political changes have impacted Malaysia, but of special significance is the growing focus on reaching the Malay with the love of Jesus. The Malays have been much neglected throughout the history of Christian outreach. But praise God, now there are more believers focused on reaching the Malay than ever before. Increasing numbers of national believers (Chinese, Indians, and tribal people) are seeking to proclaim their faith with respect to their Muslim neighbours and colleagues. Several pioneer communities of faith have been established among Malay Muslim-background-believers.

Prayer Starters:

• Pray for the emergence of spiritual leaders among the Malay to proclaim the Gospel, teach, and pastor their own people.
• Pray for God’s working through the recently completed contextualized Malay language Scriptures, as Malays have opportunity to read them.
• Pray for the believers across Malaysia, to be salt and light and an instrument in God’s hands for the unreached Malay.
• Pray for God’s stirring (perhaps through dreams and visions) in the hearts of Malays. Pray that many other Malay-related unreached peoples across Southeast Asia will hunger to know God.

Chocolate

One of the 15Malaysia socio-political films showing inter-cultural relationships in Malaysia. Worth the watch …

Background articles are here … >> About Muslims in Malaysia

Night of Power

Laylatul Qadr (the Night of Power) holiest of all

Muslim scholars believe that while the Qur’an was revealed over a period of 23 years the Night of Power is considered the night in which the first revelations of Islam and the prophethood of Muhammed began. This night is in celebration of the arrival of the Qur’an.

In Arabic, Laylatul Qadr (the Night of Power) is described in the Qur’an as, “better than a thousand months” (Sura 97:3). Al-Qadr means power and implies having power over something, particularly to Allah. The character of Allah is said to be excellence in power, capable, all powerful, almighty and also implies “high esteem” and thus the Night of Power is to be highly esteemed.

When does it occur?

It is often a point of debate among Muslim scholars as to when exactly the Night of Power occurs. Some scholars say that this night is hidden. Some say it occurs on either the 1st, 7th or 19th night of Ramadan. However, there is strong evidence that the night occurs during the last 10 days of Ramadan, specifically on odd numbered nights. In a report by Bukhari, Muhammed said, “Seek it on the odd nights of the last 10 days of Ramadan.” In Hadith by Ubayy bin Ka’ab, Muhammed also said, “By Allah, I know which night it is. It is the night the Messenger commanded us to observe, the night of the 27th.”

Muslims believe angels perform special deeds on this night

The whole Night of Power, from sunset to dawn, is the holiest night of the year. It is believed that there are groups of special angels who are only seen on the Night of Power. These angels perform special purposes. Some come down for worship, others for granting the request of the believing Muslim. Other angels come down bringing with them proclamations of the coming year.

Today, many Muslims think this is a special night when God gives heed to their requests. Often they are open to dreams and visions as they seek for guidance and revelation. Many Muslims pray all night seeking a response to specific requests. One common belief is that angels will shower down the peace and blessings of God on all who remain awake during this “night of power”. According to the Qur’an, God either listens directly or via the angel Gabriel, to the requests of Muslims concerning their fate.

As Muhammed had his destiny fulfilled by receiving the revelation of the Qur’an on this night, Muslims also call this the “Night of Destiny”. This night seems equally important among orthodox Muslims and in Folk Islam. It is on this night, and during the following weeks, that many Muslims have had supernatural encounters with God.

Muslims are encouraged to stay awake the entire night, and pray for blessings and forgiveness. According to Abu Huraira translation of the Hadith, the Prophet Muhamed declared that “whoever prays during the Night of Power with faith and hoping for its reward will have all his previous sins forgiven.” There are many things that a Muslim will endeavour to do on the Night of Power including recite and study the Quran, make special requests from Allah, evaluate their own lives and make plans for the next year.

Some Muslims will take the day off work so they can stay up all night and will often spend this night in the mosque.

Attitudes

Muslims come to this night with several attitudes. Some want to prove their devotion to God through their prayers, even being proud of their religious accomplishments. Others, knowing in their hearts that they are incapable of really pleasing God by their own religious activity, will feel disappointed with themselves. Finally, significant numbers will be praying in desperation and are genuinely seeking help from God.

Prayer Points

Researchers contend that 80% of new Christians in South Asia come to Christ as a direct result of supernatural encounters. More than half of new believers in Iran have had a dream or vision of Jesus and at least 35% of all recent Turkish conversions were in response to a dream and/or vision. In most cases, these supernatural encounters are in relation to a specific need or answer to prayer and are the result of years of prayer and labour by God’s people, including martydom. Often, a Muslim has heard the message of Jesus or even read parts of the Bible. While not all Muslims experience dreams or visions of Jesus, the supernatural is very much an accepted part of life.

There are many stories throughout the Bible where God spoke through a dream or vision. (Genesis 41, Genesis 46:2 & 3, Daniel 4, Judges 7:10-15, Ezekiel 11:24, Matthew 2:12, 19, Acts 10:3-20, Revelation 1:1). In many of these cases the end result was for the purpose of salvation or physical safety. Ramadan is a strategic time for Christians to believe that God would sovereignly reveal Himself to those who do not yet know Him.

* Consider setting this night aside as an all night prayer time with your church or mission group. Look for ways to make your time of prayer varied and interesting. For example: Flags, photographs, maps, posters, video documentaries will all add lots of interest and give you ideas to pray for.

* As you pray during this night, pray for issues such as Muslim leaders and governments, Muslim families and children. Pray for increased numbers of missionaries and workers, and pray for new believers (1 Timothy 2:1).

* Pray for a supernatural move of the Holy Spirit to reveal Jesus to the many Muslims who will seek God tonight (Psalm 118:21, Acts 4:33).

They are turning to Jesus

Seeking answers, Khalid asked people who were well informed about the Qur’an to get more understanding. But as a good Muslim, his heart did not find any rest. One day Khalid paid a visit to one of his childhood friends. In his friend’s home he found a book which he thought was a commentary on the Qur’an. However as he read the book his heart started to beat stronger and stronger because in the book he was finding the answers to many of his questions. That same night he had a dream in which he saw the words “I am the God that you are looking for, I am the truth”. The following night he had the same dream. The next day Khalid’s heart was very troubled so he went to see his friend and told him about the dreams. Then his friend explained that it was probably the God of the Bible who had revealed himself to him and he invited him to pray to that God.

Khalid was then secretly welcomed into an assembly of believers. This is not always the case. New believers from a Muslim background often have difficulties being accepted by local assemblies. Some groups of believers fear that they will suffer persecution if they help a Muslim background believer. Having been rejected by their own family, these new believers need to find new “brothers and sisters.” For more information see the web site: www.secretbelievers.org/

Prayer Starters:

• Pray for the secret believers who ask for help from local churches and do not find it, that they will continue to hope in Christ.
• Pray for the leaders of believing communities in Muslim countries. They are subject to varied and serious pressures.
• Pray for local assemblies – that they would be willing to take the risk of helping new believers and that their communities could become real sources of refuge for those who are discovering new life in Christ.

Testimony from West Africa

My name is Abdou. Like practically all people in my tribe in Togo I was raised as a Muslim. Having been given a basic understanding of the Qur’an, I was not very regular at normal prayer times at the mosque, however, I really loved God. Even at a very young age my lack of mosque attendance and my lack of rigor in keeping Islamic practices caused me to have problems with my father. However, at school I was a good student.

At age 19 I encountered my first real problems at school. My difficulties were apparently caused by hidden spiritual forces so as a good Muslim, I decided to seek help from God.

I even started reading some books about Jesus and I attended some Christian meetings with a friend in secret. When my father discovered this he forced me to leave home and relationships with my family deteriorated. My father disinherited me and told me not to come to his funeral. Happily some believers in the Messiah gave me help.

After several years of struggles and failure to receive my high school diploma, I finally succeeded and I was even able to enter university in 2007. Some believers have accepted me into their home. We live very simply and I continue to grow in my relationship with Jesus.

You should pray for Abdou and others like him in Togo.

Malegaon is a city of about a million people located in the hot, north eastern part of Maharashtra, India (220 kilometres northeast of Mumbai). Known for its textile industry, the city is divided both physically and socially by a river. On the western side of the river reside a large number of Hindus as well as a small number of Christians. On the eastern side is a vast Muslim community (well over half of the city’s population). From the top of an old fortress near the fruit and vegetable market the city’s divide becomes clear. The skyline shows the minarets of almost 200 mosques on one side of the river and the cones of Buddhist and multiple Hindu temples on the other side.

In the Muslim district, the narrow streets are lined with shops where men, children, animals and vehicles circulate along with veiled women shopping for daily essentials. Tea shops are filled with men discussing their day over cups of chai (Indian tea). Several large Qur’anic schools educate boys aged of 6-25 in Islamic faith and practice. Mufti Ismail, one of Malegaon’s Muslim leaders, is part of the influential council that governs Qur’anic schools throughout the country.

The Ansari Peoples

Most local Muslims belong to the “Ansari” people group. Many Ansaris are employed in the city’s textile factories – dark, hot warehouses where raw cotton and polyester is processed, spun into thread, dyed and woven into cloth. Traditional Indian clothing is then produced from this cloth, sold and sent nationwide. Though Hindu-Muslim relationships are quite strained throughout India – in this city the communities are interdependent. Hindus from outside Malegaon provide the raw material to Muslim loom owners. Other Hindu businessmen buy the woven cloths produced by these looms. Each community relies on the other for the success of their businesses.

The only known Christian presence in the city consists of a very small struggling Christian community. May God encourage and transform these believers to truly live out their faith and be a light across the whole city.

Prayer Starters:

• Muslims in Malegaon hold firmly to the traditions, the teachings and counsel of their leaders. Even when tactfully presented with the Gospel in 2008, many Muslims would not even consider the claims of Jesus Christ nor would they read the New Testament (Injil). Pray for the salvation of their community leaders like Mufti Ismail.
• The average Muslim on the street in Malegaon remains in ignorance concerning some of the basic questions of belief in God. May God give them enlightenment.
• Some are seeking for more understanding. One Ansari truck driver was asked what to do about his shame and guilt, knowing he has sinned against God. He paused, bowed his head and then looked up saying in a sincere tone, “I do not know.” In 2008 some Muslims did ask for tracts and Bibles. Pray that this openness could be directed toward personal contact with God.

Note: There are possibly 145 million Muslims in India. God loves them all. India has more Muslims than all the following countries combined: Yemen, Iraq, Jordan, Bahrain, Qatar, United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Oman, Kuwait and Egypt.

Background information is here … >> About Muslims in India

Following-up radio listeners in the Middle East

Testimony: I am involved in Christian radio broadcasting to many Muslim countries. Sometimes the audience has the possibility to SMS, phone or write to ask for literature. However, mail packages containing Bibles are often stopped by the religious security authorities in various countries. Recently I phoned two people in remote areas of my country where I was not legally allowed to travel. I invited these two listeners to come to me instead so we wouldn’t be watched.

The meeting with the first person was very short. He was glad to have found me. He took a Bible, however, he was also very nervous and said goodbye almost immediately. We agreed that he will contact me again if he needs additional literature or has questions.

The second person came under the protection of darkness after a four hour bike ride. He spoke enthusiastically about the radio broadcasts. He said that he wanted to study the Christian faith deeply (and honestly it seemed to me), so I gave him not only a Bible and study materials, but also the Jesus Film and other Gospel films. We agreed to stay in touch. A few months after our initial meeting, I met again with the second man. He asked for more books written by believers and videos. I was able to give him these things plus testimonies of Muslims who had encountered the Messiah. Unfortunately we had no time for a personal conversation. Is he a believer or still a seeker? I was unable to find out … this time.

Prayer Starters:

• May the Holy Spirit guide during telephone conversations and meetings with interested radio listeners. Pray for divine rendezvous (Acts 8:26-31).
• Pray that interested listeners, despite the watchful eyes of authorities, can receive Bibles, DVDs and other helpful material.
• Pray with your family for the family members of seekers who could be opposed to listening to Gospel radio and receiving Bible materials.

In Memory of Sergi

Sergi became a follower of Jesus while in prison near Dushanbe, Tajikistan in 2002. Upon release from prison he raised up a small group of disciples in an area of Tajikistan with a population of 200,000 but no known believers. The local secret police threatened him and asked him to leave. Local Muslim leaders also threatened him and demanded that he leave. He stayed.

One evening in 2005 while worshiping with his wife and two other believers, armed men arrived and shot him through the window. While the other three lay on the floor and escaped unharmed, Sergi’s body was shot many times. Sergi died worshiping Jesus. He had been a follower of Jesus for three years.

The young men responsible for Sergi’s death were arrested and are now in prison where other believers proclaim and demonstrate the love of Jesus to them. Pray with the brothers in prison that these who were willing to kill for their religion will become followers of Jesus and learn to forgive and love their enemies.

The following texts are from the Quran

* The angels said: “Mary! surely Allah has chosen you and purified you and chosen you above the women of of the world. Mary! remain obedient to your Lord and humble yourself, and bow down with those who bow in worship. The angels said: Mary, surely Allah gives you good news of a Word from Him, whose name is the ‘Messiah, Isa son of Mary,’ held in honour in this world and the hereafter and of those who are near to Allah. (Al Imran 3:42-43 and 45)

* The Messiah, Jesus the son of Mary, is but the apostle of God and His word, which He cast into Mary and a spirit from Him (The Women, 4:169).

Jesus, the Word of God

In these two passages Jesus Christ is clearly referred to as the Word of God and as a Word from God (in Arabic: Kalilmat Allah). One would think that the Qur’an is actually echoing the text of John 1:1 in these passages: “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” However Islamic scholars have mounted extensive arguments to say that the Qur’anic title given to Jesus and the biblical idea that Jesus is divine are not at all in agreement. While some Muslims know that Jesus is referred to as the Word of God in the Qur’an, the vast majority do not know what it means and even fewer realize that the same title is given to Jesus in the Bible. Some believers have used the “Word of God” texts in the Qur’an as a starting point for proclaiming the Good News of the Messiah to Muslims.

Jesus, the Messiah

In addition, the Qur’an speaks of Jesus as the Messiah (see 3:45 and 4:169 above, as well as 4.157 and 4.171). Here again the vast majority of Muslims have no idea what it means for Jesus to be the Messiah, because, in the words of one author, “the meaning of the title is almost completely glossed over in Islam.” The word “Messiah” is the same as the word Christ in Greek. It refers to the one who is anointed as king. The term carries with it not just the concept of a good king but also one who is a saviour, a deliverer, who will correct all wrongs and reign in righteousness.

Prayer Starters:

• Pray that Muslims all over the world would be inclined to ask questions and try to understand Jesus’ titles: “the Word of God and the Messiah.”
• Meditate on the following texts and use them in prayer: John 1:1-4,14 and Matthew 16:13-17.
• Ask the children to gather all the Bibles together, pile them up and then pray that Muslims would get to know the Living Word.

Special Section: Prayer for the Burig Peoples of Pakistan

• Language: Purik, Trade Language: Urdu
• Population: 474,000

The Burig and the Baltistani Bhotia (or Balti) are two ethnic groups of Tibetan origin who live in the Karakoram Mountains of northern Pakistan. The only two known Tibetan groups that have converted to Islam, their Tibetan roots can still be seen in their clothing, food, folklore, and language. The Burig depend on glacial runoff to irrigate their crops, and where water is sufficient, they grow barley, wheat, millet, and a wide variety of fruits. Because many Burig live in the northern section of the disputed Kashmir territories of India and Pakistan, their region was closed to foreign travellers for 14 years. Recently, there has been increasing tension between their pre-Islamic traditions and Islam, leaving many torn between the two major elements of their ethnic identity.

* Pray that as the Burig reconnect with their Tibetan heritage that God would open their eyes clearly revealing Himself to them. He desires for them to be before his throne (Rev. 7:9-12).

Ismaili Muslims in the remote Pamir mountains

The soaring Pamir mountains dominate the landscape of greater Badashan / Badakshan, which spills over North Eastern Afghanistan, Eastern Tajikistan and Northern Pakistan. The peoples who live in these isolated mountain communities generally feel distinct from the majority of the populations in their nations. Badakshanis speak Eastern Persian mountain languages. They are often fairer skinned than others in their countries, with Caucasian features. However, the most distinctive aspect of Badakshani identity is their religion.

Badakshan is the one part of the world where the Muslim Ismaili sect makes up the majority of the population. The Agha Khan, their spiritual leader, has become like a god to them. To quote a Badakshani: “The Agha Khan is like a living Koran for us. He shows us the way and how to live. Our religion is not stuck in history. We have a modern Imam to show us how to live in the 21st Century. We see the light of Mohammed on him.” Most other Muslims consider the Ismailis to be heretics.

There are few believers in Badakshan and no known believing communities. However, many Badakshanis are coming to faith elsewhere. There are believers in Dushanbe – the capital of Tajikistan – and in Moscow, where many Tajik Badakshanis become migrant labourers. Pray for believers living in other places, that they might wisely proclaim Jesus in their communities.

Prayer Starters:

• Meditate on Jeremiah 16:19-21 and use it in prayer.
• Pray for those who worship the Agha Khan as a god, and that they may come to a realisation that he is just a man.
• Spiritual blindness and the spirit of deception seem to be two major strongholds in Badakshan. Pray for these barriers to the Gospel to be removed.

Background articles are here: Background on Pakistan
Background on Tajikistan
Background on Afghanistan

Sights and Sounds of Badakhshan

Special Section: Pray for the Uyghur Peoples of China

The following information came from Western China as we were preparing the “30 Days” for 2009. We have asked for prayer for the Uyghurs in the past. It seems urgent to pray now. Some Uyghurs live within 400 kilometers of Badakshan.

In Northwest China there are only 100-200 believers among the Uyghur people (pronounced ‘ooy-goor’) who number about 11 million in population. The Uyghurs are largely preoccupied with a) making a living and b) the strife between their Muslim / Uyghur cultural heritage and the controlling Chinese Communist system. This area was a significant point on the Silk Road from Europe and the Middle East to China and now it seems to be one of the last regions to be reached by the Body of Christ. In the past fifteen years, thousands of Muslims all along the Silk Road in Central Asia have become believers in Jesus (along with millions of Han Chinese), however, there is still no resilient Uyghur church. There are many stories of unfair treatment, as well as house fellowships being broken up as soon as they get started. Three key men are now in jail; the little community of believers is floundering. Fear keeps them from moving beyond private belief to a sharing, deep life in Christ.
May God guide you to pray for the Uyghurs as only he can.

>> See also: Background on the Uyghur of China … >>