Nigeria
An estimated 234 girls were
abducted from the Chibok Government Girls Secondary School in northeast Nigeria
shortly after midnight on April 14, 2014. An Islamic extremist group called
Boko Haram (which means “Western education is sinful”) is believed to be
responsible for the kidnapping of the girls who are between 16 and 18 years of
age. Boko Haram uses violence in its efforts to establish an Islamic Sharia state
in northeast Nigeria, but the most recent attacks and kidnappings in this
five-year-long campaign are unprecedented. The group has abducted girls in previous
attacks to use as porters, cooks, and sex slaves; however, the kidnapping of so
many girls from one school has shocked the country. In addition to the mass
kidnapping, Boko Haram is believed to be responsible for a massive explosion
during rush hour at a busy bus station outside the capital city Abuja, also on
April 14. At least 75 people were killed and 141 injured. http://tinyurl.com/l6ykhna http://tinyurl.com/nxbjlrt http://tinyurl.com/nyn2mo3
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Please pray for
the safety and freedom of each girl kidnapped from the high school in Chibok.
Give thanks several girls managed to escape from the truck when they were first
abducted. Pray for the safety of the parents of these girls as they search for
them in nearby Sambisa Forest, a known hiding place for the militants.
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Keep in prayer
those injured in the bombing on the outskirts of Abuja. Pray for they receive
good medical care and experience complete healing. Pray for the loved ones and
friends of those killed in this attack.
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Please pray for peace
in Nigeria’s troubled northeast region. Pray God would change the hearts of
those who use violence to achieve their goals.
South Korea
On April 16, 2014, a South
Korean ferry, carrying 476 people, capsized and sank. Almost three quarters of
the passengers on board were 16- and 17-year-old students from Danwon High
School in Ansan, near Seoul. The students and their chaperones were headed to Jeju,
a popular resort island, on a school field trip. On that first day, 174 people
were rescued, but no other survivors have been found since. To date, 113 bodies
have been recovered with more than 190 still missing. The students were ordered
to wear life jackets and stay below deck. The evacuation order wasn’t given until
30 minutes after the ship began to tilt, trapping many in cabins or passageways
as the ferry listed heavily to one side. The captain and crew have been accused
of failing to save passengers. http://tinyurl.com/kc4s6hb http://tinyurl.com/my34n76 http://tinyurl.com/msoxju7
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Please keep in
prayer the survivors of this tragedy as they recover from injuries sustained in
the accident and from the trauma of the experience. Pray for their families as
they help their loved ones through this difficult season.
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Pray for the
families of the students still missing as they await word about their children.
Pray for God’s comforting presence with them all during this anxious time.
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Please pray for
the loved ones of the other passengers still missing. Pray God will comfort and
bring them peace.
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Pray for the
rescue crews as they continue to dive down into the submerged ferry and search
for the bodies of the missing. Pray God will sustain them in this difficult
work.
United States
On the morning of April 9,
2014, 16-year-old Alex Hribal allegedly attacked students using two knives as
they passed through the hallways of a Murrysville, Pennsylvania high school. The
violent attack injured 21 students and a security guard—several of the injured are
still in critical condition. http://tinyurl.com/nql23wh http://tinyurl.com/ob9em84
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Please pray for
God’s healing touch to be upon the injured students and security guard. Pray
for their complete recovery. Pray for the parents and guardians of these young
people as they help their children through the recovery process. Pray God will
also bring emotional, psychological, and spiritual healing to those affected by
this brutal attack.
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Pray for the
young man accused of committing this attack. Pray for his parents and brother
as they try to understand what happened and support their son/brother.
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Give God thanks Hribal
was stopped by an assistant principal and a security guard before he could do
more harm.
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Pray students and
staff at Franklin Regional High School will experience the peace of Christ as
they resume their studies and work. Pray for those who feel anxiety or fear at
returning to the school.
Faces of Children
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Please keep close
in prayer Faces of Children prayer partner Faye Long and her family following
the death of Faye’s husband Laddie on April 17, 2014. Pray Christ’s peace will comfort
them in their season of loss.
