November 2000
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father, forgive them; for they know not what they
Г
do."
For me, thoughts of November always brought
thoughts of Thanksgiving. In the late 90s, though, this
pattern was subsumed by an enlarging identity with the
suffering church worldwide when we, as Christians, set
aside a day each November to pray for the persecuted
church. This year that day is Nov. 12.
Also, in the 90s, evangelicals began to observe
Ramadan, the Muslim month of prayer. We did this by
interceding in Jesus' name for Muslims as they sought
God, asking Him to reveal Himself to them.
Now the year 2000 has brought a linkage of these
two, a linkage that is tragic and distressing. As we ap¬
proach the beginning of Ramadan on Nov. 27, we realize
that throughout this year we have already prayed times
without number for Muslims. The occasion? The mur¬
der of Christians in Indonesia by Muslim Jihad warriors
and Indonesian troops. For me, whenever prayer for
these Muslim perpetrators became difficult, Jesus' words
from the cross helped give understanding and empathy.
Let's remember Saul, the persecutor, became Paul,
the apostle, because of Jesus' great love, and let's pray
with passion for God to do that again.
Gratefully,
Randy Sprinkle, Director
International Prayer Strategy Office
P.S. If you need a free Muslim prayer guide, call us at
1-800-866-3621.
1 SAMBURU OF KENYA (sam-BOO-roo).
I Samburu team members write: "Pray for safety for all
our missionaries in the northern frontier of Kenya as we
travel daily. Pray that God would protect each of us from
attacks from the many bandits on the roads now."
2 POLAND (eastern Europe). Baptist represent¬
ative Marc Byrd has been asked to start a prayer group
among various Great Commission Christians in Czesto¬
chowa. The purpose of this prayer group would be to bring
all national believers in the city together to pray for unity
and cooperation among all believers. Ask God to give Marc
wisdom and discernment regarding the best strategies to
use in bringing together believers from different evangeli¬
cal backgrounds.
3 BEDOUIN OF NORTHERN AFRICA (BEH-
doo-in). Recently, a man referred to as "S" received a
Bible from a group of Christians. During a recent visit to
his home village, S told a worker that he was reading daily
the Bible that he had been given. He had many questions
for the worker, and they discussed spiritual matters for
several hours. S said that he would continue to read his
Bible and seek God. Praise God for His work in the life of
this young Bedouin man and for your answered prayers!
Continue to pray that God will reveal Himself to S through
His Word and that S will have the courage to accept Christ.
Also pray that God will open the doors for a believer to
move into this village, so that S will have a "living" exam¬
ple of God's Word on a daily basis.
4 SHENYANG, CHINA (SHEN-yang). Give
thanks to God for three new believers who have been
studying His Word with open hearts! All desire to take the
Good News home to their relatives in nearby towns, to
share the love of God with them. Pray that new home fel¬
lowships will arise from their obedience to share.
5 VENEZUELA (northern South America).
Missionaries serving on the Barrios Caracas team ask
you to join them in praying for the follow-up efforts being
made since a sports evangelism team from Alabama
worked in five different barrios (neighborhoods) recently.
Pray that the young men who were reached during that
time will become involved in Bible studies and continue
their growth in Christ.
6 POLAND (eastern Europe). Baptist representa¬
tives Marc and Annie Byrd and International Service
Corps workers Russ Pross and Jim and Patti Barrett serve
in Czestochowa on team Silesia. They ask you to pray for
the development of cell groups (home-based congrega¬
tions) in this city. Ask God to bring forth Polish leaders
who can be discipled and trained and who, in turn, will
start new cell groups. Please also pray that a model of cell-
group reproduction can be developed for use in other cities
in Poland.
7 YEMENI ARABS OF YEMEN (YEH-muh-
nee) . Thousands of Yemenis in the United States
encounter difficulty as they try to adapt their own culture
to the American culture. In Yemen, many girls end school
