June 1997
A few months ago on the eve of President Clinton’s inau¬
guration, Billy Graham, who was to lead in prayer the
next day, was interviewed by a network news reporter.
He observed that two extremes are clearly growing in our world
today. Those extremes? Good and evil.
On Jan. 1, 1 asked on the PrayerLine (800-395-PRAY) that
each of us begin the new year by praying that 1997 would see
the greatest Kingdom advances in history. Reports to our office
daily indicate to me that this is happening and that good is
indeed being lived out by the children of God in multiplying
impact among the peoples of the world.
Who, though, can doubt that evil also is growing in its in¬
fluence and consequence. We are distressed by this, but we also
must be neither surprised not deterred. The New Testament is
clear that as the people of God move forward to every part of
the world we will encounter increasing opposition and attack
from the enemy. Evil is entrenched in much of the world, but
not impossibly so. The Kingdom will come. Certainly it will in¬
volve suffering and even death. It will just as assuredly bring
bondage-breaking liberation. So, let’s resist the devil, knowing
that he will flee. And with renewed fervor, let’s beseech the
Father, knowing that He will free.
Joyously,
Randy Sprinkle, Director
International Prayer Strategy Office
1 COSTA RICA (Central America). Pray for a medical
team from Tennessee that will work with national doctors in
the south zone on May 31 -June 8. Pray that their Christian testi¬
mony will have a great influence on the people with whom they
come in contact.
UKRAINE (southeast Europe, north of Black Sea). Praise
the Lord that students and young people in Lugansk continue to
be involved with journeyman Mark Sprinkle in Bible studies and
youth activities, exposing them to Christianity. Mark asks that
you pray that the Lord would continually renew his mind so that
he would always be prepared to share Jesus with students in
groups and on a one-on-one basis.
SPAIN (southwestern Europe). Baptist representatives
Greg and Laura McKenzie, serving in a Spanish territory in
northern Africa, write: “We were able to pass out about 250 more
tracts in another group of apartments. We still haven’t received
any response from our flyers yet. In all honesty, this week we have
felt really discouraged, and it has seemed like we just aren’t see¬
ing any fruit. Please pray that we would continue to walk by faith
and obedience with hope and expectation of seeing God use us
here in Ceuta.”
UGANDA (eastern Africa). Pray for the Lugbara people in
northern Uganda and for God’s person to respond to the number-
one personnel request for a church planter to live among and min¬
ister to these people.
3 LESOTHO (southeastern South Africa). Missionary Wanda
Brown hopes that teaching English as a Second Language
(ESL) will open doors for evangelism. She is involved in teach¬
ing women to speak English. Pray for hungry hearts that will re¬
spond to the good news.
WORLD A. A Baptist representative was able to share the
gospel with a family who has moved to the United States. The
husband is very open to the gospel, but the wife is adamantly
Muslim. As they come in contact with believers, pray for the hus¬
band to open his heart fully to the Truth, and pray for the heart of
his wife to be softened toward the gospel.
MOROCCO (northwestern Africa). Pray that God will
bless the outreach of Baptist representatives Jamie and Lizzy
McElrath through student ministries.
THE LAST FRONTIER. Our representatives to a large un¬
reached people group of The Last Frontier are continuing to expe¬
rience visa problems in their host country. They had thought they
were very close to having these resolved when a new and unex¬
pected obstacle arose. This long-running problem has consumed a
tremendous amount of time and has become a major distraction
in their work. Let’s join these faithful servants and ask our heav¬
enly Father to cause the visa to be granted and set these, His chil¬
dren, free to minister in Christ’s name.
EASTERN AND SOUTHERN AFRICA. Located in an
east African country, two couples have patiently waited and
worked for two years to have the opportunity to attend a language
school. Now God has granted that request by the completion of
their contracted work. Pray that the Lord will also see to the
needs of this training opportunity, which are housing, a good lan¬
guage school or teacher, visas, a volunteer to teach their children
and re-entry to their target group.
URUGUAY (southeast South America). Three deaf people
were baptized in March, and Felicidad, a deaf lady, received the
Lord. Missionaries Charles and Mary Swanner ask you to pray
for a male teacher for the deaf Sunday School class.
6 MACEDONIA (Balkan peninsula). Baptist representatives
Kyle and Jackie Kirkpatrick, for whom you have been pray¬
ing, entered Skopje in February for language study. This is our
first career couple assigned to Macedonia.
