May 2003
Living in Richmond, Va., the former capital of the
Confederacy, I am constantly reminded of the tragic
years of the Civil War. Now, as we again face terrify¬
ing challenges on both a national, as well as a global
scale, I find myself thinking of Abraham Lincoln and
the wise insight which he brought to bear during his
troubled times. Then, as now, the accepted wisdom was
that conflict could be avoided by ignoring unpleasant
realities. Things have been good before — they'll get
good again. Lincoln knew better.
"The dogmas of the quiet past are inadequate to the
stormy present. The occasion is piled high with difficulty
and we must rise with the occasion."
One of the coordinators of our church's visitation
program told me that several of the visitors we had at
church last Sunday wrote, "Could you send someone to
visit who could tell me about Jesus." These are desper¬
ate times and Americans are realizing that materialism
is empty and they're looking for something that isn't.
"In my trouble I cried to the Lord, and He answered
me" (Psalm 120:1, NASB). Let's pray that the church in
America will rise to the occasion, cry to God most high
and tell hopeless America that there's hope in Jesus.
Hallelujah!
Randy Sprinkle, Director
International Prayer Strategy Office
We BEGIN THIS NEW MONTH WITH PRAISE — " May the
peoples praise you,
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God; may all the peoples praise
you." Psalm 67:3, NIV
<1 JAPANESE PROFESSIONALS IN THE
I KANSAI AREA, JAPAN. Mrs.
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came to the
Kansai Christian center, Kobe, thinking she only wanted
English. She stayed for the chapel time as well as the Bible
study. Her Christian father is in a court battle with his part¬
ner over their company. She says that because he is a Chris¬
tian, these terrible things are happening and everything
would be all right if he weren't a Christian, like her Bud¬
dhist mother. As a Christian, he chose not to lie or compro¬
mise his integrity. Pray for Mr.
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as he stands for righteous¬
ness in an unrighteous world, that God would bless him
abundantly so that his family and those around him will
see the glory of God. Pray for Christian businessmen to
stand strong in what is right! Ask God to show Mrs.
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that
followers of Christ are those who are most blessed and to
lead her to Himself.
2 SWAZI OF SWAZILAND (SWAH-zee).
There is a siSwati word the Swazis use for wife or
woman that means, "One who dies without speaking of
what she has endured." This basically means women in
Swazi society are supposed to be silent when they are
abused. Swaziland has only recently begun drafting laws
against sexual offenses and prosecuting rape cases. Wom¬
en's rights to own land, to enter into contractual agree¬
ments and generally to function independently of their
fathers and husbands are limited. When men die, Swazi
women are left without land, money or skills to earn a liv¬
ing. Pray for the plight of women in Swaziland and for
laws to be passed giving more rights and choices.
3 NETHERLANDS (northeastern Europe). In
1999, a worker in the Netherlands gave a copy of the
Word to a young refugee just before he was relocated. Re¬
cently, the two were divinely reunited, and the worker
quickly learned that this young refugee has grown into a
man of faith. Join team Netherlands in praising the Father
for this happy reunion and for the salvation and spiritual
growth of this refugee. Please petition for the Father's
blessing and multiplication of the church-planting efforts in
this refugee center.
"Because your love is better than life, my lips will glorify
you." Psalm 63:3, NIV
4 PEOPLE OF THE PATAGONIA OF AR¬
GENTINA (pat-uh-GOH-nyuh). Pray that the
government officials of the province of Chubut will allow
missionary David Balyeat, and young people that he will
train, to enter the schools of this province and talk about
the "No More Violence" campaign. This campaign pro¬
motes "No More Violence" at sporting events as an oppor¬
tunity to witness to young people.
5TELUGU OF INDIA (TAY-loo-goo). As more
people's eyes are being opened to the truth of God's
great kindness to sinners, opposition from the "enemy of
our souls" is growing. Many working in the "fields" are
being stricken with sickness, persecution, physical attacks
and other hardships. Pray for good health, lives that honor
and please the Lord, wisdom in the midst of adversity, and
protection for God's people.
