Prayer List for April 12, 2009

Happy Easter

Sunday, please praise God for sending His Son to die on the cross for us and that He gave us the hope of the resurrection through His resurrection..

Monday, please pray for the Arakan people of Burma who will be forced to give up their land for a border fence with Bangladesh and India and for a highway between Burma and India. The Indians who give up land will be compensated by their government, but the illegitimate Burmese government will not compensate the Arakans. If they hold true to form, they’ll require the Arakan people to provide labor for these projects without payment. (Free Burma Rangers)

Tuesday, please pray for the Christians of Pakistan, especially in the Swat Valley. “In Pakistan an average of one Christian each month is arrested or murdered. Attacks on the property of Christians and churches occur almost weekly. Opening a new church building is nearly impossible. Discrimination affects all aspects of daily life…Pakistan recently turned the lush Swat Valley into a Taliban stronghold ruled by (Islamic) sharia law. Although the Taliban has made promises of peace, the Christian community has doubts the Muslim extremists will follow through. An estimated 500 Christians live and work in the Swat Valley. The only church in Swat has been renting space for nearly 100 years because the government has refused to give permission to buy land to build a church building. With the destruction of more than 200 girls schools in the Swat Valley, all Christian families migrated to nearby districts in the past year. Most Christian families have returned to their homes still reluctant to attend church and wary of the possibility of finding normalcy and receiving education for their children.” (Open Doors)

Wednesday, please pray for the Christians of Turkey where, in spite of claiming religious freedom, it has “refused to grant churches legal status….The Turkish government has made it illegal for the next leader of (the Ecumenical Patriarchate to be from outside Turkey, which will make it nearly impossible for the church to find a new pastor because Turkey is overwhelmingly Muslim. In addition, Turkey has reneged on its agreement to reopen an Orthodox seminary and has confiscated 75% of the church's property.” (Open Doors)

Thursday, please pray for “fourteen Khmu Christian families in Laos (who) are standing strong in their faith, despite the Communist government forcing them to relocate to another village and their homes and church building being destroyed.” (Voice of the Martyrs)

Friday, please pray that the US Congress will pass a bill requiring North Korea to observe human rights before we establish international relations with them. “The upcoming bill requires that North Korea should support human rights… including religious freedom… before the United States establishes diplomatic relations with them. (Open Doors)

Saturday, please pray for the people of Mexico as a death cult that has heavy membership from drug traffickers and criminals have called for a holy war against the Catholic church. It is likely to affect all Christians. The leader of the St. Death cult has been protesting outside cathedrals in Mexico City during Holy Week. “St. Death” is a skeleton dressed in a white tunic or wedding dress and its worship “can lead to demonic practices.” (International Christian Concern, me)

North Korea Freedom Week is scheduled to take place in Washington, DC from April 26 - May 2, 2009.