Liberia, Sierra Leone, Guinea
The deadly Ebola outbreak
continues to devastate communities in Liberia, Sierra Leone, and Guinea. It
threatens to cause political instability in areas recovering from civil war, as
well as posing a threat to international peace and security. The World Health
Organization (WHO) estimates new cases could reach 10,000 per week by December
and in a worst case scenario, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
estimates the total number of cases could reach 1.4 million in the next four
months. The total number of confirmed, probable, or suspected Ebola cases has
reached 8,914 with 4,447 deaths. http://tinyurl.com/qzytqpt http://tinyurl.com/pmvgjsd
In Liberia, the country’s social
problem of broken, single-parent families stems from the civil conflict that
ended in 2003. A generation of psychologically scarred men who are uneducated
and unemployed have rejected marriage and family values leaving their
girlfriends to fend for themselves when they become pregnant. And now, over
half of Liberia’s women with children are believed to be single mothers. When
single mothers contract the Ebola virus, their children become the caregivers
and often breadwinners. An estimated 300 children have been orphaned when their
mothers died of the virus. And to make matters worse, the community ostracizes
Ebola orphans for fear of contracting the disease. Ebola has reached 14 of
Liberia’s 15 counties with infections doubling every 24 days. http://tinyurl.com/pw7r6af
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Continue to lift
the children and people of Liberia, Sierra Leone, and Guinea in prayer as the
Ebola outbreak spreads rapidly in West Africa. Pray for those who are ill and
for those who are grieving.
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Pray new Ebola patients
can be identified and isolated quickly in order to reverse the tide of this
disease. Pray God will provide the people and resources needed to stop this
deadly outbreak.
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Please keep in
prayer the children of Liberia who have been affected by the Ebola outbreak.
Pray for children who have been orphaned because of this deadly virus.
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Pray for children
like 16-year-old Lydia, 11-year-old Blessing, 9-year-old Pauline, and
5-year-old Paul whose mother died of Ebola. There are no fathers in the picture
(each of them has a different father) and now the children are on their own. Give
thanks to God for the organization that is helping them in this dark and
difficult season.
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Please pray Ebola
orphans will receive the support they so desperately need. Pray for
compassionate caregivers for each child. Pray for members of the orphans’ communities
who threaten or exclude them out of fear of contracting the disease.
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Pray for health
workers and gravediggers who deal with Ebola-infected patients and bodies. Pray
for their safety and protection from the virus and from those who attack them out
of fear, mistrust, or because of misinformation.
United States
On September 22, 2014, police
officer Lavern “Bundy” Littlewind died from injuries sustained in a motor
vehicle accident in Michigan, ND. Bundy’s four children were with him when
their car hit a moose and went into a ditch. Bundy was ejected from the car and
then killed when he was struck by a tractor trailer truck. His three sons and
daughter were hospitalized with various injuries. Four year old Jerome died
earlier this month from injuries he received in the accident. Bundy, a police
officer serving the Spirit Lake Nation and community, had been involved in a
custody fight with the mother of two of his children and believed they’d been
abused when in her care. http://tinyurl.com/ke8uzn9 http://tinyurl.com/l3njoww http://tinyurl.com/qyo8tyy http://tinyurl.com/oe2mjds
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Please be in
prayer for the Littlewind family on the Spirit Lake Reservation in their season
of loss and sorrow. Pray they will feel God’s comforting presence in this
difficult time.
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Pray for Bundy’s
friends and his law enforcement family at Spirit Lake.
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Pray especially
for Raeleigh, Dylan, and LJ as they grieve the loss of their father and
brother. Pray for the best possible placement for these hurting children. Pray
for the safety and protection of the children involved in the custody suit.
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Pray for Jerome’s
mother as she navigates this dark season, especially given the high rate of
depression and suicide on the reservation.
Faces of Children
- Give thanks to God for the safe birth of Audrey Ann Starr, granddaughter of Faces of Children intercessors Chris and Jeff Laufer. Please keep her parents, Elyse and Ryan, and big sister Hayley, close in prayer during this time of joy and transition.
- Please continue to pray that ore 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.
