27.

India (1) In a state where approximately 40% of the population live in slums or temporary shelters, The Leprosy Missions Shahdara hospital in Delhi, India, carries out over 77,000 separate interventions, treating some 10,000 patients in total each year. It has established a reputation for excellence in the provision of leprosy treatment services which include skin smears and diagnosis, ulcer and wound treatment, reconstructive surgery, multidrug therapy, leprosy reaction management and general medical services. Give thanks for the services that Shahdara hospital is able to provide and pray for its continued successes. Pray also for both patients and staff, that they will feel cared for and loved. (The Leprosy Mission) 28. Nepal A Nepali government report published in 2012 highlights the role of male migrant workers in spreading HIV infection in Nepal. Initial infection most commonly happens during contact with an infected sex worker while the migrant is away from home. The worker himself then risks spreading the infection among the generally low -risk population when he returns to Nepal. There were estimated to be close to 12,000 new infections among migrant workers during 2011. INF staff in Nepal help people with HIV to develop skills so that they can support themselves. Pray for people who feel that their life has been made hopeless by HIV to experience the living hope of Christ. (INF) 29. India (2) Families from a variety of religious communities send their children to Duncan Academy, a Christian school with an excellent reputation. Golden, a young teenager in a high caste Hindu family, heard about Jesus for the first time during his time at the school and quietly became a believer, as did his brother Ajit.

Before any adult was involved in mentoring them, Golden and Ajit had felt called to reach out to those in need. All by themselves, they had established a ministry to the children in the untouchable caste. Three days a week, after they finish their own studies at Duncan Academy, they transfer what they're learning by teaching, reading, writing, maths and Bible study to a group of boys from the poorest slum in town. Praise God for the work of these young believers. (Serving in Mission) 30. Pakistan An influential court in Pakistan is calling for the mandatory death sentence for blasphemy. If implemented, the move could result in further attacks and accusations against Pakistans Christian minority. Currently, most defendants convicted of blasphemy are serving a life sentence, even though the official penalty for defaming Islams prophet Mohammed is death. While blasphemy cases are brought against other religious groups, including Muslims, the number brought against Christians is disproportionately high. Continue to pray for justice for Christians in Pakistan. (Release Int.) 31. Access to water In one region in Central Asia six new wells have recently been drilled; in one of the areas it is the only well for over 600 people to share. To put that in perspective, the standard is meant to be one well for 69 people. Imagine sharing one hand pump with two streets or a whole block of flats. Any water you use, you have to pump into buckets to carry to your house. Amazingly, these wells were drilled for half the money that was budgeted, which means this year double the number originally planned can be drilled. Of course getting water from a well is not the same as clean drinking water. Pray for this work and that classes on how to clean water in homes will be well received. (Serving in Mission)

January - February 2014

Lifting the Arms of Moses

Moses knew the power of praise and the power of prayer. He acknowledged the Lord was the One who sustained them and gave them victory over their enemies. Moses said Tomorrow, I will stand at the top of the hill, with the rod of God in my hand. He knew what to do and he found that he needed to keep that attitude of praise and prayer for the army to win the battle. When we read this passage, we clearly see that it was the Lord who overcame whenever Moses lowered his arms the Amalekites prevailed. The Lord told Moses to write it down for a memorial (verse 14). It was to remind them, and us, so that we do not become proud in our own achievements. And so it was for them as only when Moses raised his hands to God did the army prevail against their enemy. This must have been very uncomfortable for Moses - imagine for a moment holding your hands up ... for hours! Sometimes we have to do things which are not comfortable for us personally and remain that way for a while, verse 12 says until the sun went down all day Moses had his arms lifted to the Lord! We read that Moses arms became tired (Im sure they did..!! ). So his friends helped,

Ex. 17:8-13

22. The Philippines Filipinos have a reputation for resilience but pray for this nation as it recovers from multiple crises. Typhoon Haiyan, one of the most powerful typhoons on record, swept across the Philippines on 8th November 2013. In September in Zamboanga City, armed conflict between government troops and militants led to many deaths and destruction of property with 120,000 people still living in evacuation centres. In October a powerful earthquake led to extensive damage on the islands of Bohol and Cebu. Pray for Filipino and international aid agencies as they respond to these disasters. Pray for evangelical Christians as they both suffer with others and seek to minister to them. Finally, pray for more Christian workers to come and serve long-term after the aid agencies have left. (OMF) 23. Australia In Arnhem Land, Australia, MAF services over 80 airstrips and reaches many small groups of people scattered in isolated areas known as homelands. Please pray for the Yolnu people whom they reach in these homelands. The Yolnu have shown a real hunger to know Jesus and to live like Christ Christians realising that being a Christian is more than just what you call yourself. Many face challenges as they seek to live out their Christian beliefs. (MAF UK) 24. Japan The Japanese language is highly complex, with layers of nuance and meaning, thousands of written characters and various honorific forms corresponding to different levels of politeness. The indirect nature of the language often involves ambiguity in order to avoid causing offence, but conflict can arise through misunderstanding or lack of communication. Pray for Japanese Christians to communicate openly and with grace and understanding, both

assisted and supported him and hence they helped the whole army. They didnt say we will take over now and they didnt move him, but they brought a rock to him to sit on. So that took some effort too. They had to do their part as did those on the battle field who were fighting. But they realised that they needed the power of God to overcome their enemy. They needed people to be in prayer and praise to God to persevere. The physical task had to be done, but also the spiritual battle fought to overcome the enemy. Like Aaron and Hur, we at times need to give support to our leaders and those at work for the Lord. We need to persevere in prayer. 1 Timothy 2 verse 8 says I desire that men should lift up holy hands in prayer without wrath (in agreement). They held up his arms for him. Maybe we need to come along side when others are weary. We need to praise the Lord with them, to pray for them, to uphold them, to acknowledge the greatness of our God and that we need His power in our lives to overcome the enemy. Ruth Whitaker Mission Aviation Fellowship UK

to build each other up and as a powerful witness to the people around them. Pray for missionaries to persevere with learning the language and to be effective in communicating the love of God through both word and deed. Thank God for the churches who provide English classes for Japanese who want to learn English, and pray for more opportunities for this. (Japan Christian Link) 25. Abandoned and enslaved Pam arrived at a refuge for street-girls in August this year. She had been abandoned by her parents as a baby and taken in by people from another major ethnic group, the Hmong. However, she was treated more as a slave than an adopted daughter, having been ordered to serve her new family. She was sent to the capital city to earn money for the family and unsurprisingly ended up selling alcohol and working as a prostitute until she came across the team from the refuge. She begged them to take her in. It has been great to see the progress. While she is no longer gripped by the chains of prostitution, she remains a fragile soul, admitting recently, that all she had ever wanted in life was to be loved. Pray for Pam as she makes the long adjustment. Ask God to help the staff as they disciple her. (AsiaLink) 26. Burma (Myanmar) Despite a history of great suffering and oppression, the Church in Myanmar has continued to grow. Christian radio has been a big influence on this growth and radio missions such as TWR and FEBC continue to broadcast gospel programming in 35 languages. In the autumn a new transmission of Burmese programming began from the Reach Beyond shortwave radio facility in Australia. Pray that listeners will discover these programmes and that lives will be transformed. (Reach Beyond formerly HCJB Global)

Vol 59 No 1

Editor: Paul Tuckwell

Hon. Editor: Martin Lee

12.00 Rest of world

The annual cost including postage for copies sent to the same address: One copy per issue 5.00 UK only 8.00 Europe All subscriptions should be addressed to: Global Connections, Caswell Road, Leamington Spa, CV31 1QD Telephone: 01926 487755 Email: info@globalconnections.co.uk Registered in England & Wales as Evangelical Mission Association. Company number 3886596. Charity number 1081966

17. Iran In November an Iranian newspaper was banned for publishing an article that questioned a religious tenet. The regularity with which newspapers are censored, and journalists, editors and bloggers are imprisoned in Iran, reveals that the government greatly fears the prospect of a free speaking civil society. President Rouhani pledged to work for more social freedom during his election campaign and since he took office his administration has released a few reformist journalists from prison. Though there is a long road to walk before freedom of expression becomes a possibility in Iran, with God anything is possible. (Elam) 18. Syria The United Nations announced in August that one million children had been forced to flee Syria and live as refugees in neighbouring countries the worst such crisis since Rwanda almost 20 years ago. Unicef states that a further two million children are displaced within Syria itself. The situation has deteriorated further since then. Please pray for children living in cramped conditions as refugees, with limited food and water, without the opportunity of school and traumatised by their experiences may God bring them comfort. Pray for children who have seen friends and family killed or injured, and who live each day in fear - may God bring them peace. Finally, pray for children growing up in a place of hatred, violence and death, denied a childhood of love and enjoyment, and not able to trust adults - may God bring them hope. (Viva) 19. Global imbalance Christianity Today reports that the top nine receiving countries are home to only 3.5% of the worlds non-Christians but receive around one third of all international missionaries. Security concerns can put people off from

working in North Africa or the Middle East for the sake of the gospel, but in fact amazing stories of people coming to faith are emerging all over the region. Pray that God would strengthen the faith of these young believers in the midst of difficult circumstances. (CMS) 20. Lebanon In July the UNHCR reported the presence of over 610,000 registered Syrian refugees in Lebanon, a country with a population of around four million Lebanese. Moreover, the country also has the largest concentration of unregistered Syrian refugees. BMS Lebanese partner is working to provide effective assistance through local churches in Syria, Lebanon and Jordan. In highly challenging conditions, they are bringing vital hope to both Christians and those of other faiths. Please pray for them. (BMS World Mission) 21. Media outreach Many seekers in the Arab world are hungry for the truth of Christ but are held back by fear. The potential backlash from their family and society can keep them from taking concrete steps of faith. However, a combination of media outreach and face-to-face contact has helped to provide a safe place for those exploring the call of Christ. Hamdis* desire for fellowship and knowledge won over his fear, and he filled in the contact form on our Arabic ministry website. An Arab Christian volunteer - who used to be a Muslim himself - was given the responsibility to meet up with Hamdi. He had never met anyone with so much hunger to know everything about walking with Christ. He was so encouraged and began meeting regularly to study the Bible together. *Name changed (AWM Pioneers)

1. Peru (1) The Quechua churches (20 or so) in the rural Layo area of Cusco, Peru (4,000m, four hours from Cusco city), have recently finished building their own training centre and have put together their first training schedule. At the end of January a course on Christian leadership will be run as part of an intensive week of training. The leaders from Layo are hoping to attract folk from other provinces and even from the neighbouring Puno province. Pray for those who attend the course to be greatly blessed and that, in turn, they may be a blessing to the Quechua churches. Give thanks for this important new resource and pray for the continued ministry of the centre. (Latin Link) 2. Cuba This last outpost of Communism in the West continues to create difficulties for the Church there. Foreign missions are largely restricted and there is disunity amongst the Christian denominations in the country. There is also a desperate need for trained counsellors in Cuba, and in the autumn eight locations around the country began counselling training. There are now plans for several resource centres to be launched in various regions of Cuba to equip ministry facilitators serving in family counselling, education and leadership. Pray that these Centres will be able to function without persecution and will be a channel for Gods peace and love. (Reach Beyond - formerly HCJB Global) 3. Peru (2) In Lima, Peru, some of the youth group from La Tablada church are organising a mission trip to a jungle area (9th to 16th January), where they will be reaching out to children, adults and teenagers who live there. Pray for the young people to be used by God and to grow spiritually through the experience. Pray also

that that in the weeks following the outreach the word of God will sink deep into the hearts of the people living in the jungle area. (Latin Link) 4. Argentina Last year thousands of people responded to an evangelistic campaign led by Carlos Annacondia and his team. CMS Mission partners are involved with local churches in the follow up and ask for prayer. Theres a general feeling of gratitude to God for all that we have been able to witness and a desire that every effort should be made to build on the level of confidence and cooperation which has grown among the Christians of different churches over the months (CMS) 5. Guatemala In November 2013, OM Guatemala held free medical clinics in two locations during three days and attended to over 300 adults and children. Although they could only offer basic medical services, the team still saw God work miracles in the lives of people who came to the clinics. One such person was a woman with three children, one of them a 16-day-old baby, who came to get medical attention. She was in a very bad situation and could not even afford food for her children. The team were unable to get the medicine she needed so they gave her what they could, along with a little money to buy food, and told her to come back the next day for a follow up. The next day, they received a small donation of various medicines. Amongst them was a small amount of the exact medicine they had been looking for to give to the woman. Praise God for His wonderful provision in this way. (OM)

6. United Kingdom Loneliness is as harmful to your health as 15 cigarettes a day. And 800,000 people in England say they feel lonely most or all of the time. These statistics, reported by the Campaign to End Loneliness, have added poignancy for organisations working with blind and partially sighted people such as Torch Trust. People with sight loss are more likely than sighted people to live alone. Pray for new and ongoing initiatives aimed at countering the isolating effects of sight loss. (Torch Trust) 7. Spain In Spain organised religion is mostly seen in very negative terms. Often churches make their focus Sunday morning attendance with little other activity that encourages relationships to be built. Previously, regular church attendance could be seen as normal with services lasting up to 2 hours, but these days, the pull of family commitments, Sunday football etc. means that attending such a service is alien for most people. Pray for church leaders to think outside the box so that they can begin to connect with people who currently think the church is irrelevant and has nothing to offer them. (CMS) 8. Escaping prostitution OM EAST has produced a new booklet that brings a message of hope to women working in prostitution. The booklet, Carrie, shares the true story of a young woman who ended up as a strip dancer and how she found freedom from this damaging existence. A Christian organisation helped Carrie leave this form of slavery and rebuild her life; while receiving practical support and counselling, she was told about Jesus for the first time. Carrie discovered His power to heal, restore and renew. Through faith in Christ she found new hope. As Carries story is a powerful means of speaking into the lives of women who can identify with her past,

pray that the new booklet, also being printed in a number of other Central and Eastern European languages, will be widely used for women enslaved in this exploitation. (OM) 9. Portugal In partnership with an established Baptist Church in the city, European Christian Mission are beginning a new church plant in Alta de Lisboa. This newly developed area of 32,000 people on the northern edge of Lisbon currently has no evangelical church. Already involved in friendship evangelism, discipleship of new believers, and in community projects with a local community organisation, the team hopes to see a small group of new converts established with regular worship meetings and evangelistic outreach over the next 5 years. Please pray that this vision becomes a reality. (European Christian Mission) 10. The Ukraine Western missionaries tend to be full-time in their role but for Eastern Europeans wanting to be missionaries, raising finances is extremely difficult. In a society that has been subjected to oppression for centuries, people tend to protect themselves from the risk of failure by never having a go. One way out of the financial challenges is to go to work in the West. To stay in Eastern Europe requires either faith and courage or hopelessness. Pray for a new initiative to set up platforms that provide opportunities for missionaries to both gain a livelihood and simultaneously live out their missionary calling. One example of this is a new foundation in the Ukraine. This educational institution is able to legitimately raise funds for a number of endeavours, such as social action or work in schools. Pray for more ideas and opportunities to help support missionaries in Eastern Europe. (The Navigators)

11. Chad Isminas baby was born 2 months early and weighed only 1.2kg. Being so tiny meant it was difficult for Ismina to feed her. So, with her husband, they left their home in Dourbali and travelled to Guinebor II hospital near NDjamena that is run by BMS World Mission. After some intensive treatment the little girl turned the corner and began to thrive. The hospital has also recently taken delivery of a solar powered refrigerator which means that vaccines can be kept fresh and more people protected against common diseases such as polio. Pray that this hospital will be able to provide more and more help to people whose lives are so much at risk from treatable conditions. (BMS World Mission) 12. Mozambique Brother Jacob* would hear the muffled gunshots coming from somewhere in the prison complex in Mozambique and think that it could be his turn tomorrow. He prayed "Father, please tell your children around the world to pray for me." He explains how one day he found a short message, hidden in a rice bowl by local Christians who visited him in prison. It said that brothers and sisters around the world were praying for him. He says "It was a tremendous assurance of God's faithfulness to me and to my family. It encouraged me greatly. Oh, how I could rest in the knowledge and comfort of those prayers, regardless of what tomorrow would bring." *Name changed (Open Doors) 13. Malawi OM has opened a new primary school in Malawi called Chiyembekezo (Chichewa for hope). 16 children have been accepted for its first class, many of whom have lost at least one parent to HIV and AIDS. Praise God for the opportunity to open the school, and pray that the people will not see it as a work of the people, but as the Lords project, so that glory will go to Him. (OM)

14. Tanzania Safina Street Network is an holistic outreach to vulnerable children and young people in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. Many come from broken families and decide to live on the streets. They face crime, drug abuse, hardship and repeated rejection. Safina aims to help these children to know God and come into a relationship with him through Jesus Christ as well as assisting them with shelter, food, medical treatment, education and life skills. Pray for all those involved with this project. (AIM International) 15. Mozambique Mozambique was severely affected by a civil war that lasted 15 years and resulted in a million deaths and five million displaced people. Neighbouring countries like landlocked Malawi were also badly affected. The war ended when a peace accord was signed in 1992. Renewed violence has flared up recently between the governing FRELIMO party and opposition group RENAMO which has withdrawn from the peace accord, opening up the possibility of renewed conflict. Inequity associated with Mozambiques extensive mineral resources seems to be a factor. Please pray for equity and constructive dialogue and that the Lord would intervene in this situation, so that peace and stability in that country may continue. (Zambesi Mission) 16. Eritrea The Eritrean Government runs a campaign of open persecution against Christians: about 1,500 believers, including several pastors, are said to be in jail currently. Many are imprisoned indefinitely and without trial. Conditions are often inhumane and many inmates suffer illtreatment, sometimes torture. For some the only hope of being released is to sign documents declaring that they will no longer practise their faith. (Release International)