Brazil
· Please keep the children of Brazil’s favelas, or slums, held close in prayer during this time of preparation for the 2014 World Cup soccer tournament and the 2016 Olympics. The city of Rio de Janeiro and other large Brazilian cities are in the process of tearing down slums to build Olympic or World Cup facilities in place of the favelas.
· Pray for children and families who face eviction from their homes. An estimated 170,000 people may face eviction ahead of these major global sporting events. http://tinyurl.com/87o6mn8
Somalia
· Continue to keep in prayer the 1.7 million children and people of southern Somalia who are still in need of food, clean water, shelter, and medical assistance even though aid agencies have declared the famine in Somalia over.
· Give thanks to God for the good rains and exceptional harvest, as well as food deliveries by aid agencies, that have contributed to ending the famine. Pray that these fragile gains will continue into the coming months.
· Please pray for peace in southern and central Somalia as fighting there between government forces and Islamist rebels continues. http://tinyurl.com/79jtmk2 http://tinyurl.com/863loa4
United States
· Please continue to keep 14-year-old Julia in prayer as she goes through treatment for severe scoliosis. Julia wears a back brace 23 hours a day, including at school, to help correct the scoliosis. Pray God will comfort and encourage Julia when she experiences insecurity or embarrassment at wearing the brace in public. Please pray the brace will correct the curvature of her spine and that she won’t have to have surgery. Pray the peace that surpasses all understanding will calm Julia’s anxious mind.
· Give God thanks that 14-year-old Trevor and his 9-year-old brother TJ seem to be happy in their new adoptive family. The boys’ mother Ginger died a year-and-a-half ago from breast cancer; their father was in prison. Pray for Trevor and TJ’s new foster parents as they raise these boys who have been through so much already. Pray for Trevor and TJ’s older brother Tyler, who, at 19 years old, has aged out of the foster system and is not doing well.
· Continue to keep Betty* and her sons Dallas and Andrew in prayer as they struggle with the consequences of poor life choices. Pray that the new man in Betty’s life is truly a positive influence; give thanks to God that this new boyfriend seems to be a genuinely kind person. And give God praise that Betty has maintained her sobriety.
o Pray that 21-year-old Andrew, who is out of prison now and living with his mother, will be able to find a suitable job and apartment. He is a registered sex offender.
o Pray that God will comfort 13-year-old Dallas who is still in a therapeutic foster care home and is beginning to despair of ever returning to his own home. Dallas can’t move home if his brother is there because of Andrew’s sex offender status.
· Please lift in prayer 10-year-old Aubrey and her 7-year-old sister Hailey who are very concerned about their uncle. Pray for the uncle who was recently court-martialed by the U.S. Army, convicted, and sentenced to 10 years in prison. Aubrey, on her own, wrote a clemency letter, in pencil and on rainbow paper, to the Army. Pray for children who learn about adult issues at too early an age.
· Pray for God’s healing hand to be upon those who view graphic adult videos at computer centers in public libraries. Please pray for children who are inadvertently exposed to hardcore pornography by these patrons while at the library. Pray for an effective way to protect children from being exposed to this harmful material in public places. http://tinyurl.com/7a2239y
Zambia
· Please keep the children receiving treatment at the Cure International Hospital in Zambia close in prayer. Pray for the staff and volunteers with Cure International as they treat children with disabilities. Pray especially for a 7-year-old girl named Anita. http://cure.org/hospitals/zambia/
Faces of Children
- 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.
*Name changed for confidentiality and/or protection.
