At 1:45 am early Monday morning, Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi along with his entourage of advisors and military colonels announced in a nationally televised address, "The hour has come and the moment of great victory is near. I announce today the start of the operation to liberate Mosul."
There are somewhere between 700,000 and 1.5 million people who have been held captive by ISIS's brutal regime for over 2 years in Mosul. This is the largest city that ISIS has controlled and it was the place they declared the Islamic Caliph on July 4, 2014. Depending on how the military operations go and the number of people who flee there aren't enough places in camps for the residents of Mosul especially if they all flee at the same time. Join us in asking not only for physical freedom but also for spiritual liberation. You can click here to download a 7 day prayer guide for Mosul. Jesus loves to release those in captivity and set the prisoners free!
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Five years into war, what is left of the country?
Check out the below link to find out more about the current situation in Syria, and what it is like for the 18 million people still living in the country. As you are taking in the information, ask the Lord to guide you in how you can be praying for Syria and its people! After all, He is the only one who can really cause any change, and we trust fully in Him. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/resources/idt-841ebc3a-1be9-493b-8800-2c04890e8fc9 The collapse of government in Syria and the insurgency in Iraq have allowed Islamic State (IS) to extend its so-called caliphate from Syria to Iraq. IS militants have given Christians the ultimatum: convert, submit, or die. Thousands have been stripped of their belongings and forced from their homes to trek through the desert to Kurdistan. Religious conservatism and intolerance is spreading to areas beyond IS control. In Basra Christian women have been threatened in the workplace and forced to wear headscarves. Many have been driven out. Lena said: "People were threatening us. My daughter received a letter with a bullet in it." Another daughter, Dahlia, added: "The extremists said we had to leave or we will shoot you. We were very scared." Lena said: "We had no choice. We left." They, too, headed for Kurdistan. Much the same has been happening in Baghdad. Many of the remaining Christian women have been forced to wear headscarves and up to two thirds of the homes belonging to Christians have been taken. Reports persist of low-level persecution against Christians under the government and its Shia-dominated army. Another threat to Christians is lawlessness. Kidnapping is now commonplace. "The future looks bleak for Christians in Iraq,'" says Paul Robinson of Release, "as the Shia-Sunni sectarian conflict spreads across the Middle East. Christians are caught in the crossfire." Shia areas of Baghdad are frequently targeted by IS suicide bombers, who killed more than 280 in a single attack recently. And Sunni Kurdistan is constantly on alert against infiltration from Shia Iran on its border. Baghdad once had a thriving Christian community. Now most have left. The'ar and his family fled Baghdad after extremists bombed their church, killing 58, including two members of their family. They headed north to the Christian village of Qaraqosh in the hope of finding safety. But they had to flee again when it was captured by Islamic State. "There is no hope," The'ar told Release. "Since the invasion in 2003, we have all this bombing and fighting. We have no future. Our prayer is to leave this country, just to be human and to raise our kids with dignity." Despite the turmoil, there are some rays of light. One is the semi-autonomous region of Kurdistan, which has declared itself a safe haven for Christian refugees. It is one of the few areas of the Middle East where churches for Muslim-background believers are flourishing. In other areas dominated by extremists, Muslim converts are killed as heretics. However, some Christians in Kurdistan complain that their lands and houses are being seized, and Kurds, who are Sunni, fear being caught up in a sectarian conflict with neighbouring Iran, which is Shia. "Kurdistan is a place of relative safety for Christians - please pray for them," says Paul Robinson of Release. "Another encouraging sign is that Muslims, sickened by the violence being carried out in the name of religion, are coming to faith in Christ across the Middle East." So please, pray that the Christian faith both survives and thrives in this region. Pray also that Christian refugees are afforded the same aid and treatment as others! The future looks bleak for Christians in Iraq, as the Shia-Sunni sectarian conflict spreads across the Middle East.'
The Iraq war has been a tragedy for Christians in Iraq and the Middle East, leading to a massive exodus of historic communities from the lands of the Bible. Iraq once boasted one of the most established Christian minorities in the region, dating back to the birth of the faith. But Christians have left in their droves since the war against Saddam Hussein in 2003. "Christians have lost their trust in the land and the future," Chaldean Archbishop Bashar M Warda said, "The attack on Christians has been immense. Pray for their safety in this chaotic situation." As the haemorrhage from Iraq continues, observers say just a quarter of a million Christians remain - while upwards of four-fifths have fled the country. Iraq is now considered one of the most dangerous places in the world to be a Christian, ranking close to the top of the persecution watch lists. The exodus gathered pace when law and order broke down after the invasion of Iraq. Today the Christian presence is dwindling, not only in Iraq, but in the surrounding nations. Christians have been driven out by extremists who have flourished in the power vacuum created by the toppling of Saddam Hussein. "In our visits to help persecuted Christians, many ordinary Iraqis told us that things had been better for believers under Saddam Hussein," says Release Chief Executive, Paul Robinson. "Few had fond words for the dictator, who kept the church under tight surveillance and imprisoned some evangelicals, but the constant refrain was that Iraq had been safer under Saddam.' When the allies removed Saddam and dismantled his army and system of government, they kicked open a door to chaos, extremism and religious cleansing. Significant numbers of Iraqi children have been traumatized by conflict and are considered easy prey for radicalization. "The war has sown the seeds of religious violence for a generation," says Paul Robinson, looking back on the Chilcott Report into the Iraq war. Even though the Iraqi army has been gaining ground, large swathes of the country remain under the control of Islamic State, the terror group that sprang from al-Qaeda. Islamic State (IS) has demolished churches and confiscated Christian property. Their fighters have abducted Christian and Yazidi women as sex slaves. Let us pray for the current situation in Iraq. Let us join in prayer and see the Lord's hand changing lives! One of the most important ways through which the truth of God is reaching people in the Near East is through the bibles, stories, MP3, SD cards and DVDs being distributed there.
The Lord is using workers who are committed to serving Him, to bring His Word to the most unreachable places. We are encouraged by all the stories we hear of the different items being distributed having a huge effect on individuals, as well as their families! It is changing lives! This is what one of the workers shared with us: “I came to a home and I had a new children’s bible with me. A 7-year- old boy sat down and read the whole thing while I was still there! The next time I saw him, he had started reading the bible, the Old Testament actually. He had read until Jeremiah. This children’s bible gave him the thirst to read the bible.” “For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.” -Hebrews 4:12
Summer months are known for heat, holiday and short term teams.
Over the last three months, thousands of people - young and old - men and women - students and professionals - have flooded the streets of nations influenced by the Syrian Refugee Crisis. Lebanon, Jordan, Iraq, as well as different nations in Europe, have seen short termers come to their lands to love, help, support, encourage and serve in different ways. Rejoice with us for what they have seen and experienced:
Pray with us for the fruit of these labors:
“As for other matters, brothers and sisters, pray for us that the message of the Lord may spread rapidly and be honored, just as it was with you.”–II Thessalonians 3:1 (NIV)
Christians in the Middle East are asking believers to pray II Thessalonians 3:1 for Iraq.
Iraq is one country seriously affected by the fall in the global price for oil. Why? Because much of the federal government’s income comes from the royalties on oil. Iraq’s output rose during 2015, passing the threshold of 4 million barrels per day in June. The fall in the price during 2015 means that the financial return has gone down. At present the government’s income is at most US$3 billion per month, which is less than the monthly expenditure of almost $4 billion per month on public sector salaries.
This is affecting the government’s ability to invest in improvements in public services. It also has consequences for its ability to expand the military forces that are engaged in fighting the self-proclaimed Islamic State (also referred to as ISIS, ISIL and Daesh). The picture is mixed here with reports that Sunnis are joining branches of Popular Mobilization Units following Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi’s authorisation that 40,000 Sunnis should be recruited. This is a step towards the Iraqi central government being more inclusive. Let us pray that:
Many countries are affected by changes in the oil price. Pray that governments adapt wisely and that Christians make a positive contribution to their communities and nations and take all opportunities to speak of the true peace and security found in Jesus References: 1. New York Times; Battered by War, Iraq now Faces Calamity from Dropping Oil Prices; 31st January 2016; www.nytimes.com/2016/02/01/world/middleeast/battered-by-war-iraq-now-faces-calamity-from-dropping-oil-prices.html (accessed 17th February 2016) 2. Al-Monitor; It’s official: Sunnis joining Iraq's Popular Mobilization Units; 14th January 2016; www.al-monitor.com/pulse/originals/2016/01/iraq-sunnis-join-shiite-popularmobilization-forces.html (accessed 18th January 2016) 3. Farid Zakaria in the Washington Post; From Iran to Nigeria, Cheap Oil Means Perilous Politics; 4th February 2016; https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/from-iran-to-nigeria-cheap-oil-means-perilous-politics/2016/02/04/aefcdbb8-cb76-11e5-a7b2-5a2f824b02c9_story.html |
Who we are.We are ones who want to see God move in the Near East and are praying for the people and cities in Lebanon, Jordan, Syria and Iraq. Archives
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