October 2000
1
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then a crisis of human need occurs, it's too late to plan
llllfor help. Planning and preparation must be done well
И
II before the need arises. Not long ago, an earthquake in
a highly restricted country in Asia illustrated both of
these truths.
Because Southern Baptists had been working there
for many difficult and seemingly unfruitful years, our
personnel were on-site when the great need arose. In
addition, because of Southern Baptists' faithfulness to
put in place a hunger and disaster relief structure and
then give graciously to fund it, we were not only able to
immediately assess the needs and propose a large,
immediate response, we also were able to make funds
available within hours, not days or weeks!
Jesus' love for people in need was a hallmark of His
manifesting the coming of the kingdom in their midst.
Nothing has changed. When we, His children, minister
to hurting and hungry people in His name, their
response is not just to us but, more critically, to Him.
Sunday, Oct. 8, is World Hunger Day, and one of
the most important actions we can take is to pray that
we and all God's people will feel His heartbeat for the
needy around the world and then commit ourselves to
help in any way He directs. The cup of cool water in
Jesus' name elicits the openhearted, "Why?," which in
turn leads to the telling forth of the Good News.
May it be so,
Randy Sprinkle, Director
International Prayer Strategy Office
P.S. Our annual focus of prayer for Hindus begins October 21.
To order your free Hindu prayer guide, call 1-800-866-3621.
LAST FRONTIER. Persecution of all types is a
growing concern for the followers of Jesus in a Last
Frontier nation. The police often do little that is helpful,
and many attacks go unreported for fear that the police will
do worse. Please pray for strength, perseverance and faith¬
fulness during these troublesome times.
DECCANI OF INDIA (deh-CAHN-nee). A ra¬
dio broadcast in the local language has met with a num¬
ber of favorable responses. Lift up those listening, that they
would have ears to hear and hearts to respond to God's Spirit.
3CHUABO OF MOZAMBIQUE (chew-WAH-
boh). Missionary Wanne Dina writes: "Continue to
pray for our health and for safety as John [her husband]
travels all around the province to visit new churches, teach,
train and so on. The roads have gotten much better, but there
are many that are not so good. The other day, John went to
visit two churches on a Sunday, and the truck got stuck in the
mud about nine times — and the truck is a 4x4! But because of
the rain, some places are very difficult to get to."
4MAPUCHE OF CHILE AND ARGENTINA
(mah-POO-che). The Baptist Association of the
Ninth Region of Chile is moving forward to establish a
Mapuche Baptist School of Missions at the Vega Redonda
church. This project would provide a training center for
Mapuche Baptist leaders in the area. Please pray that the
director, curriculum and teachers will be chosen according
to God's will and that this center will accomplish the goal
of rapidly advancing the gospel and starting new churches.
WESTERN EUROPE. Please be in prayer for visa
authorities in Western European countries. Pray that
their hearts will be softened in order for International Mis¬
sion Board personnel to gain entrance to live and work in
this intellectually, materialistically and politically rich — yet
spiritually needy — region of the world. Several new Baptist
representatives have been denied visas in recent weeks.
Ask God to do a miracle, so that those being called out will
be able to share the gospel of Jesus Christ with the thou¬
sands who do not know Him.
BANGKOK, THAILAND. The teams involved in
"PrayerWalk 2000," for which you prayed, have come
and gone. One who walked the streets of Bangkok reports:
"We headed for a shopping mall where many young people
hang out. We prayed for these young people. They seemed
to be searching for a way to buy happiness." Another shares:
"We went to a very famous shrine in the center of the city.
There were dancers there, paid to dance and sing to Brahma.
I watched one in particular. She looked so sad and hope¬
less. There was no joy, no praise. Do you think she realized
the futility of what she was doing?" There were moments
of joy, also: "One morning we visited a Thai church. The
pastor showed us a photograph of all the people they have
led to the Lord. We were overwhelmed with surprise and
joy." Please pray for the Thai Christians. Very often they
are cut off from family who do not understand their new¬
found faith. Pray that they will remain strong in their faith
and grow to maturity and that the Holy Spirit will set them
on fire to share the Good News with everyone they know.