Bosnia-Herzegovina
- Pray for children, young adults, women, and men who fled ethnic cleansing in the Balkans more than a decade ago. Because of their vulnerability, many find themselves at risk to be trafficked into prostitution, forced labor or begging. Pray that God will provide for and protect them—the refugee camps and neighborhoods where displaced people live are prime hunting grounds for traffickers.
- Thanks be to God for the work of Catholic Relief Services in alerting vulnerable groups to trafficking dangers—for teaching children in schools to watch out for suspicious people and job offers; for raising awareness through posters at bus stops and well-traveled areas; for placing warning ads about traffickers in the same papers they use to recruit unsuspecting girls and women; and for running public service announcements on radio stations.
http://crs.org/bosnia-herzegovina/
protection-from-trafficking/
Brazil, Peru (ESTHERS Children – http://www.estherschildren.org/)
- Give thanks and praise to God for the staff and volunteers of ESTHERS Children and their ministry with at-risk and vulnerable children in Brazil and Peru. Pray for the 15 girls they have committed to serve. Pray for the families of these girls, as well. Pray that God will provide the needed resources to continue this ministry and expand it to children living in a rural, arid region of Peru.
China
- Please keep the children and people of the western region of Xinjiang in prayer during this time of violence and unrest. Pray that God will provide a peaceful resolution to the ethnic clashes between the minority Muslim Uighurs and the majority population Han Chinese. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/8135203.stm
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/
content/article/2009/07/
05/AR2009070502423.html?nav=hcmoduletmv - Pray for the estimated 550,000 people who have been forced to evacuate their homes in southern China because of heavy rain and flooding. Pray for children who have lost their homes, schools, and neighborhoods and for their families who have lost crops and livelihoods.
http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk
/L5656263.htm?refer=dd20090706
Dominican Republic (CURE International – www.helpcurenow.org)
- Pray for the disabled children receiving treatment at the CURE International Hospital in the Dominican Republic and for the medical staff and caregivers there.
- Please also pray for a 9-year-old boy named Ignacio and for a 9-year-old girl named Yomairy.
United States
- Pray that God will protect 18-year-old Bristol and her 6-month-old son Tripp, as well as Bristol’s sisters (14-year-old Willow and 8-year-old Piper) and brothers (20-year-old Track and 1-year-old Trig) from the intense media scrutiny they receive as children of a high-profile politician. Pray that God will bring them comfort and healing from the mean-spirited comments to which they are subjected or of which they are the subject.
- Please keep hungry children on school holidays in prayer—many face empty cupboards at home. Pray for those who are unable to attend after-school or summer programs that feed participants. Pray for the staff and volunteers of organizations struggling to meet the needs of more and more food-insecure children. Pray for families, in the U.S. and around the world, that are at greater risk of going hungry because of the global recession.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/
article/2009/05/29/
AR2009052903130.html?sid=ST2009052903696 - Give thanks to God for a young family who has just taken in two foster children. Pray that God will guide and sustain the parents during this challenging time of transition. Pray that their two biological sons will accept their new foster siblings with enthusiasm and patience. Pray that 2-year-old Steven* and 6-month-old Laura* will adjust quickly to their new family and become secure in the love of their new mother and father. Pray for all foster parents and children in foster care in the United States and around the world.
*Name changed for confidentiality and/or protection.
