Afghanistan
- Give thanks to God for the resilience and courage of Afghanistan’s war widows who created homes and a community out of mud bricks on the top of a hill in Kabul. Pray for the estimated 1,000 women and their children living on Tapaye Zanabad, which means “the hill that women built.” Most still live in dire poverty, but a sense of community and sisterhood has emerged for many of the widows who find comfort being around other widows.
- Please pray for women widowed by violence and war in Afghanistan —it’s estimated there are between several hundred thousand and two million of them. Pray for widows in this country whose support options are very limited because they lack relatives to take them in or help them.
- Pray for children who have lost a parent in the violence that has plagued Afghanistan for the past three decades. Nearly half the children of Kabul have lost one parent. http://tinyurl.com/3ftgndg
Kenya
- Please continue to pray for children in Northern Kenya affected by the severe drought. Pray that a permanent solution to the drought and resulting food insecurity will be found. Please keep in prayer the staff and volunteers of organizations that provide food and support to children in these difficult circumstances.
Somalia
- Please continue to keep the children and people of Somalia held close in prayer as the famine spreads to a sixth area of the country, the Bay region. Pray for children in this region where almost 60 percent of them are acutely malnourished. http://tinyurl.com/3owdxbw http://tinyurl.com/44fz9dk
- Pray for the four million Somalis, more than half the population, who are experiencing a food crisis because of a combination of drought, war, restrictions on humanitarian aid organizations, increased food prices, lower agriculture production, and years of conflict and turmoil.
- Pray for the political leaders of Somalia—that they will work together to help the children and people of their country. Pray for the leaders of al-Shabaab, an Islamist militant group that controls much of southern Somalia—pray they will allow humanitarian aid organizations safe access to regions in their control.
- Pray that God will provide the resources needed for children and their families to survive this devastating drought—that they will receive food, clean water, shelter, and health care soon. Please pray that food aid will get through to the children and people in greatest need and won’t be stolen by militants or organized gangs.
United States
- Please continue to pray for 11-year-old Dallas and his mother Betty* as they experience more unpleasant consequences as a result of decisions she’s made. A new live-in male friend stole her car and now Betty is hitchhiking rides to and from her job 20 miles away. Pray that Betty will make better choices for herself and Dallas in the future. And please pray that Betty will be a responsible employee and keep this job.
- Please pray about Betty and Dallas’ housing situation as they may be evicted from the house they are living in—the owner hasn’t made mortgage payments and the house is going into foreclosure
- Give thanks to God for the Presbyterian Women’s group that recently took Dallas shopping for back to school clothes and supplies. Pray that Dallas will succeed in school and will be safe during the many hours he is left unsupervised. Please pray for his emotional and psychological health.
- Give thanks to God that Betty’s oldest son Andrew, who is in prison where he received his high school diploma (GED), is doing well and has plans to study diesel mechanics when he is released.
- Please keep in prayer the children and people of Central and East Texas as they deal with massive wildfires that have torched thousands of acres of land, destroyed homes, and displaced people. Pray for those in Bastrop County who have lost so much—more than 500 homes have been destroyed and an estimated 5,000 people have been displaced
- Pray for the winds to calm and for the fires to be controlled. Pray for the firefighters and forest service personnel working hard to battle these huge wildfires. Pray for an end to the drought conditions that have contributed to these dangerous situations. http://www.nytimes.com/2011/09/06/us/06wildfire.html
*Name changed for confidentiality and/or protection.
