Afghanistan
· Please keep the estimated 1.2 million children of Afghanistan who work held close in prayer as they help to provide for their families. Pray for those who must work full time as blacksmiths, mechanics, in agriculture, weaving carpets, selling items or begging on the streets, or collecting cans and bottles from garbage dumps.
· Pray for families who must make hard decisions between educating their children or sending them out to work.
· Pray for more employment opportunities for adults in this country.
· Pray for workable solutions to the complex issues that cause children to be the main breadwinners in their families.
· Pray that Afghanistan’s leaders will recognize and address the long-term problem of a generation growing up without an education…that the growth and future development of Afghanistan is dependent upon an educated population. http://www.trust.org/alertnet/
Burma
· Thanks be to God for answering prayers about Nancy*, her family, and the 18 orphans they care for in their home in northwest Burma! They had no money and were down to two bags of rice that would only last them a week.
· Praise God for God’s faithfulness in providing food for this struggling family in what Nancy describes as a miracle similar to the widow’s flour and oil that didn’t run out (Elijah, 1 Kings 17: 10-15)!
· Please continue to lift these children and their caregivers in prayer as they face the daily struggle to survive. Pray that God will encourage and sustain Nancy as she works hard to care for these children.
*Name changed for confidentiality and/or protection.
Ethiopia (CURE International – www.helpcurenow.org)
· Pray for the disabled children receiving treatment at the CURE International Hospital in Ethiopia and for the medical staff and caregivers there. Also pray for a 17-year-old boy named Tewoderos.
Mexico
· Please pray for Mexico’s children who witness and are often in the midst—whether in schools, kindergartens, playing outside, or walking to and from school—of violent clashes between rival drug gangs. Pray for those who are taught uncommon safety lessons in their schools: how to take cover when the bullets start flying.
· Pray for children who live in fear. Pray for those who idolize or admire the drug cartel lifestyle.
· Pray for peace and an end to the violence that has claimed the lives of more than 31,000 people in the last four years. http://tinyurl.com/33g2zxt
United States
· Give God thanks that 5-month-old Jillian is doing so well following surgery to repair holes in her heart and a neural tube defect. Thanks be to God for answering prayers about this baby girl and give thanks that she is gaining weight, grabbing her toys, and reaching most of her age appropriate milestones. Please continue to keep Jillian’s parents in prayer as they make decisions regarding her health. http://tinyurl.com/2vvdsd5
· Please pray for former foster children who find themselves alone and abandoned after aging out of the child welfare system when they reach age 18. Pray for young people who are homeless or end up incarcerated. Pray that more and more foster children are given guidance in how to be self sufficient when they age out of the system. Pray that foster children will have a community of support to help them achieve successful independence.
http://www.mercurynews.com/
Faces of Children
· Thanks be to God for answering prayers concerning 15-year-old Josh, the cousin of a Faces of Children intercessor. Josh was hospitalized with cellulitis, a bacterial infection in his elbow that wasn’t responding to regular antibiotic treatment. Give God thanks that the infection responded to high-powered antibiotics and that Josh is now home from the hospital. Please continue to pray for his complete healing.
- Please continue to pray that more churches and individuals will join with the ministry of Faces of Children in spreading awareness about children in crisis and inviting more people to pray for children at risk.
