Prayer for Children at Risk-May 20, 2013

Prayer Concerns for the week of May 20, 2013

 China

·         Please lift in prayer 14-month-old Talley who was born with defects in her heart, ears, nose, throat, and gastrointestinal tract and now has been diagnosed with biliary atresia. Pray for a miracle of healing for Talley who needs a liver transplant or she will die by the time she is 2 years old. http://tinyurl.com/ctdd2ce

·         Give God thanks for the staff and volunteers of New Day Foster Home for their tender care of Talley and so many other babies and toddlers born with severe health problems. Pray God will sustain and encourage them in this special work with children who have been abandoned because of their medical issues.

Russia

·         Please keep in prayer Russia’s 600,000 “orphans” in what is known as the third great wave of orphaned children (the first two followed both world wars). Pray for these children—70 to 90 percent of whom have birth parents still living—pray for those who are either placed with relatives or in orphanages that are already overflowing.

·         Pray for children in state-run orphanages—many have at least one disability. Pray for those who were born with a disability caused by alcohol or drug consumption during pregnancy. Please pray for those who have developed disabilities during their stay in state-run orphanages—every month in an institutional setting has a negative physical impact on a child’s brain.

·         Pray Russian adoptive parents will receive the support they need to raise children with special needs or medical problems. An estimated 10,000 children are returned to orphanages every year by frustrated adoptive parents.

·         Pray for a change of heart when it comes to the way Russian bureaucracy deals with families under stress. Pray the traditional patterns will change. Instead of taking custody of disabled children and children of parents unable to cope with them, pray the focus will shift to helping families stay together. Pray that adoption and foster care of toddlers and older children will be promoted. http://tinyurl.com/dxszla5

United States

·        Please hold Emily and Jacques close in prayer as they grieve the death of their newborn baby girl, Addy Hope. Pray for God’s comfort and peace to surround these parents and their four other daughters, 7-year-old Dryden, 5-year-old Soleil, 4-year-old Mackenzie, and 3-year-old Lily, during this season of loss and sadness. Pray for continued healing for Lily and Mackenzie who were adopted a year ago from China and who each have significant health challenges. http://tinyurl.com/cur5vca    http://tinyurl.com/c885z2a   http://tinyurl.com/d2lnpp2

·         Please keep in prayer children with learning differences as they face many challenges at school and throughout life. Pray for the one in ten school children in the United States who experience learning differences. Pray all children with learning differences will receive the proper diagnosis early on and find support and help to learn coping and compensation skills. Give thanks to God for the creative adults who find better ways to reach and teach children with learning differences.  http://tinyurl.com/cbdxrr5  http://tinyurl.com/cul3h75

·         Pray for parents of children with learning disabilities as they negotiate the diagnostic and treatment options available for their children. Pray for a community of support for parents who are feeling overwhelmed or isolated by their children’s conditions.

Prayer for Children at Risk-May 13, 2013

Prayer Concerns for the week of May 13, 2013

United States

·         Give thanks to God for the arrest of an accused child pornographer who had been on the run for almost five years and on the FBI’s Ten Most Wanted list for a year. http://tinyurl.com/c9ed2ja   http://tinyurl.com/cdotylr

o   Pray for the children with whom this man had contact over the past years…he taught third grade at an elementary school and tutored students for free; he has also worked as a nanny, teaching assistant, youth counselor, and a camp counselor at an all-boys summer camp.

o   Pray for the boys of whom he allegedly took sexually explicit photographs while he was staying in their homes or babysitting them. Please pray the images of these children being sexually abused will all be retrieved so the children won’t be victimized further.

o   Pray for justice for every child allegedly injured by this man. Pray for their physical and emotional healing.

o   Pray for this alleged predator/child pornographer…that God will be at work in his life, healing and redeeming him.

United States—Foster Care Prayer Vigil

·         Pray for the more than 400,000 children in the foster care system in the United States. Pray all children in the system will experience God’s love through the love and care given them by those involved in the child welfare system. http://tinyurl.com/dy2cr8g

·         Please pray God will provide each child with a “forever family” and that God will prepare the hearts of these children to be ready for the families God will provide.

·         Pray God will open doors to keep sibling groups intact or in contact with one another as they grow up.

·         Please pray God will heal the deep hurts that foster children have experienced and protect them from future harm.

·         Pray God will transform the children’s lives and hearts. Pray they will be able to forgive those who hurt them.

·         Pray for the hundreds of thousands of young adults in our country who have “aged out” of the child welfare system. Pray they might still find a “forever family” to call their own and find mentors to help them navigate life wisely. Pray they might know how much they are loved by our Gracious God.

Prayer for Children at Risk-May 6, 2013

Prayer Concerns for the week of May 6, 2013

Canada

·         Please keep in prayer nine girls, between ages 13 and 17, who were trafficked into prostitution in Ottawa by three other teenage girls. The victims were lured to a home using social media, given alcohol or drugs to control them, and then taken by taxi to the homes of men who allegedly paid to have sex with them. Pray for the emotional, physical, and spiritual healing of these young victims of sexual exploitation. Pray for justice for these teenage girls…that those who prostituted or abused them will be held accountable for their actions.

·         Pray for the teenage girls, two 15-year-olds and a 16-year-old, who ran this alleged prostitution ring and who now face charges including human trafficking, procuring for prostitution, abduction, forcible confinement, robbery, sexual assault, assault, uttering threats, and printing and publishing child pornography.

·         Pray for the four men who allegedly paid to have sex with the trafficked girls…that they will come to truly understand how their behavior devastates young lives. http://tinyurl.com/cxzn94d

Haiti

·         Continue to keep the estimated 320,000 homeless people close in prayer as they face evictions from their make-shift homes in temporary camps set up in Port-au-Prince after the January 2010 earthquake. Pray for children and families who’ve been evicted without notice off public spaces by Haitian authorities or private property by landowners ready to reclaim their land.  Pray for an increase in affordable housing in Port-au-Prince—the housing shortage was severe even before the quake with about 70 percent of the population living in slums.

·         Pray for the girls and women who prostitute themselves to be able to survive or feed their families. Pray for those who struggle to survive in the camps. Poverty, overcrowding, and horrible living conditions coupled with the scarcity of jobs often compel women and girls to exchange sex for food.  http://tinyurl.com/cd967ez

Kenya

·         Keep the 38 children and the staff and volunteers at Naomi’s Village in prayer as they deal with heavy rains that have caused mudslides near this home for orphaned and at-risk children. Pray the roads leading to Naomi’s Village will become passable soon. Please keep in prayer 2-year-old Francis and 7-year-old Jane, the two newest children at Naomi’s Village, as they adjust to life in their new home. https://naomisvillage.com/

·         Give God thanks that the CURE International Hospital on the Kijabe mission station didn’t sustain structural damage in a mudslide there. Thanks be to God the patients and staff are all safe! Please pray for CURE’s staff and volunteers as they assess the impact this mudslide will have on the hospital and the other ministries in which they are involved at the mission station. http://cure.org/hospitals/kenya/   http://tinyurl.com/bpm3ys5

·         Pray for those who have lost homes and loved ones in the flooding and mudslides. An estimated 90,000 people have been displaced by the flooding and 62 have died, including children buried alive in landslides. Pray for those who have lost their homes, crops, and livestock. Please pray for those who are stranded and for those without access to food, dry shelter, clean water, and medical care.

·         Pray Kenya’s government will be able to implement water harvesting and water management during these periods of heavy rain as their country swings between drought and flooding almost every year. http://tinyurl.com/c6l6l76

United States

·         Please pray for children who are abused and neglected. Pray for the safety and healing of each child abuse victim. Pray they have someone they can turn to in times of crisis or emergency. Pray every child has the opportunity to grow up in a nurturing environment, free from harm and fear. Pray for raised public awareness of child abuse and neglect. Pray more people will step forward when they recognize a situation of child abuse and report it.

·         Pray for the women and men who work for child protective organizations around the country as they serve abused and at-risk children and struggling families. Give God thanks they are willing do very challenging and difficult work—investigating situations of abuse and neglect, removing children who have been hurt, working with parents to help them regain custody of their children, and placing children in safe homes. Pray for the safety, emotional health, spiritual well being, and leadership skills of these workers. Pray God will bless them with wisdom in their interactions with children, parents, advocates, and those in the legal system.

Prayer for Children at Risk-April 29, 2013

Prayer Concerns for the week of April 29, 2013

Burma

·         Please continue to keep Nancy* and the children for whom she cares at Hallelujah Orphanage in Burma held close in prayer. Pray God will provide the resources Nancy and her family need to care for all 11 children (ranging in age from 9 to 18) in their home. Pray God will bring complete healing to Nancy who has been suffering from severe stomach pain for quite some time. Please pray this pain will be relieved soon.

*Name changed for confidentiality and/or protection.

·         Pray for the little girl at this orphanage who didn’t pass her exam when all the other children passed theirs. Give God thanks these children have the opportunity to attend school and receive an education. Thanks be to God the children are able to attend a special conference at a church near their home where they will learn more about Jesus Christ.

China

·         Keep the people of China’s Sichuan province close in prayer as they deal with the aftereffects of a powerful 6.6 magnitude earthquake on April 20, 2013. Pray medical and humanitarian assistance will be able to reach the thousands who were injured as many roads in this mountainous region were made impassable by the quake.  http://tinyurl.com/crlvql5

·         Pray for children and families whose homes were damaged or destroyed in the earthquake, the 712 aftershocks, or the landslides triggered by the quake. Pray for those who don’t have safe or warm shelter in this mountainous area that has also been experiencing recent rains.

·         Give thanks to God that no schools collapsed in this quake. In the 7.9 magnitude earthquake that killed more than 70,000 people in May of 2008, many poorly constructed schools collapsed, killing hundreds of students.

·         Please pray for the families and friends of those killed in this disaster. Pray God will comfort them and provide them with a community of support and care.  http://tinyurl.com/c5erxyk

United States

·         Pray for the families and friends of two girls who committed suicide in unrelated incidents last weekend. Pray for 17-year-old Brooke’s family as they grieve and struggle to understand why she took her life. Pray for Andrea’s family as they also mourn the life of this eighth grader who was allegedly bullied at school.

·         Please continue in prayer for the victims of the April 15, 2013 bombings in Boston. Pray for healing and comfort for the 264 people, including at least 10 children, who were injured when two bombs were detonated near the finish line of the Boston Marathon. Pray for the families and friends of the three people, including an 8-year-old boy, who were killed. http://tinyurl.com/cgp8l9k   http://tinyurl.com/c5gejfu

o   Please keep in prayer those who witnessed this devastating attack, especially the children who saw the carnage of damaged limbs and bloodied bodies.

o   Pray for first responders and hospital staff who treated the injured.

o   And pray for the young man who allegedly participated in this attack.

o   Pray for the healing grace of God to be with all those affected by this horrible attack.

·         Please be in prayer for those affected by the massive explosion and fire at a 10-acre fertilizer plant in West, Texas on April 17, 2013. http://tinyurl.com/d5hudr6  http://tinyurl.com/azaj42g

o   Pray God will comfort the families and friends of the 14 people, 10 of whom were first responders, killed when a fire ignited chemicals at the fertilizer plant and triggered a massive explosion.

o   Pray God’s healing touch will be upon those who were injured in this huge explosion.

o   Please keep in prayer those whose homes in the residential area near the plant were damaged or destroyed by the explosion. Pray for children and families who were displaced by it.

Pray for Children at Risk-April 15, 2013

Prayer Concerns for the week of April 15, 2013

 Democratic Republic of Congo

·         Keep the children and people affected by fighting in the eastern part of the Democratic Republic of Congo held close in prayer. Pray for the 800,000 people who have been displaced from their homes and now live in unofficial camps where they don’t have access to humanitarian aid. http://tinyurl.com/cagwkfe

·         Pray for children who don’t have a safe place to live, enough food to eat, clean water to drink, access to medical care, or an opportunity to go to school. Only one in nine people displaced by this fighting in North Kivu province live in an official IDP (internally displaced person) camp where aid is distributed regularly.

·         Please pray for the safety of girls and women in the informal as well as official camps. Security for females in these camps is very poor.

·         Give thanks to God that the International Organization of Migration (IOM) is taking on the task of coordinating humanitarian aid to these informal IDP camps. Pray aid is distributed to the neediest children.

Sudan

·         Give God thanks for the major breakthrough in getting food aid to displaced people in Sudan’s war-torn Blue Nile state. The government had refused to allow the United Nations to deliver emergency assistance to this area until just recently. Pray for children in this region where malnutrition rates for those under age five are extremely high.

·         Continue to pray for peace between the Sudanese army and rebel militias who have been fighting for more than a year and a half.  http://tinyurl.com/c8sxdbf

United Kingdom, Scotland

·         Pray for young people and children who are trafficked into Scotland to work as sex slaves or domestic servants, tend illegal marijuana factories as forced labor, or to work in organized crime syndicates. Pray for the safety of these young victims who come from Asia, Africa, or Eastern Europe. http://tinyurl.com/bt6ayka

·         Give God thanks for the change in the way police view and treat trafficking victims… that children, young people, and adult trafficking victims will no longer be treated like criminals.

·         Pray law enforcement officers will be able to identify victims of trafficking and assist them in finding the help and support they need.

·         Please pray for trafficking victims who are held in Scottish prisons…there are more victims imprisoned than traffickers. Pray for justice for these victims and those who trafficked them into slavery.

United States

·         Keep in prayer the thousands of young girls across the United States who submit photos of themselves to online beauty pageants on social media sites where they are judged based on their appearance.

o   Pray for the safety of those who make themselves vulnerable to adult strangers by failing to keep their identities and locations private on social media sites like Instagram, Twitter, or Facebook.

o   Pray for young girls, some as young as 12 or 13, who are vulnerable to verbal attacks or hateful comments about their appearance, especially at a sensitive period of their development, by others on the social media site. http://tinyurl.com/dy34hop

o   Pray for parents who struggle to keep up with, understand, or monitor the fast-paced changes in technology and social media their daughters and sons use with ease and regularity.

·         Continue to keep close in prayer the children and youth living on the Spirit Lake Reservation in North Dakota. Pray for their safety and protection from physical, emotional, and sexual abuse. Please pray for strong, courageous leaders to come forward in the tribe to protect the children living on this reservation. http://tinyurl.com/bv2lkoa

Pray for Children at Risk-April 8, 2013

Prayer Concerns for the week of April 8, 2013

Burma

·         Continue to pray for the children of Burma who have been affected by anti-Muslim violence north of the Burmese capital city Naypyitaw (Yangon). Pray for those whose homes have been burned down by rioters. Please keep in prayer the 2,000 people who are now living in two make-shift camps. http://tinyurl.com/clvssjc   http://tinyurl.com/b595v2o

·         Pray for peace between Buddhists, the majority of Burmese citizens, and Muslims, who make up about five percent of the population. Pray Burma’s government will protect the vulnerable and promote peace between its divided ethnic groups.

Central African Republic

·         Please keep the children and people of Central African Republic (C.A.R.) close in prayer during this time of political upheaval. Rebels overthrew the existing government in a coup late last month, further destabilizing this former French colony. Give thanks to God that international peace keepers working with rebel forces were able to halt a three-day-long looting of homes, businesses, U.N. offices, and hospitals.

·         Pray for children who need food and clean water, as many stores lack supplies and running water isn’t available in many parts of the capital city of Bangui.

·         Pray for children from the northern part of C.A.R. who were recruited to fight with the rebels.

·         Please pray for the new leaders of this impoverished country as they work to establish a power-sharing government and set elections. Pray they will seek God’s guidance for C.A.R., a country rich in gold, diamond, and uranium deposits, but one of the least developed and most unstable countries in the world. http://tinyurl.com/c2ghqyd   http://tinyurl.com/cjoev2h

North Korea, South Korea, United States

• Pray for the children and people of North Korea, South Korea, and the United States who are affected by the increased rhetoric and stronger threats of war from North Korea’s young leader, Kim Jong Un. Pray for this leader as he makes aggressive comments about going to war with the United States and South Korea. Pray for peace and stability in this region and please pray that increased tensions won’t result in armed conflict. http://tinyurl.com/c3or63c

United States

·         Please keep in prayer an 8-year-old little girl who was allegedly sexually abused by her former stepfather for almost two years. Pray for her healing, both emotional and physical, from the abuse and from the ordeal of having to testify in court against him recently. Pray for the 32-year-old man accused of sexually abusing this little one when she was 6 and 7 years old. If convicted, he faces life in prison without parole. Pray for the truth to be revealed in this case and that God’s justice will prevail.  http://tinyurl.com/ca5v7tp

Pray for Children at Risk-April 1, 2013

Prayer Concerns for the week of April 1, 2013

 Kenya

• Give God thanks for the work of the staff and volunteers with I Can Fly International (ICFI), a non-profit organization that serves children and women in some of the poorest rural communities of the Machakos District of Kenya. Thanks be to God for the life changing opportunities available to children and women through ICFI’s education, life skills, and healthcare programs.  http://www.shagivens.com/
• Pray for ICFI staff and volunteers as they launch the Butterfly Project, a new program that provides at-risk girls ages 13 to 17 years old free education, housing, and enrichment activities. Pray God will guide the project’s leaders as they determine which 100 girls will be invited to participate in this program. Participants are potential victims of child marriage or female genital mutilation, live in extreme poverty, or are orphaned by HIV/AIDS.

Pakistan

• Please pray for the 170 families affected by a recent assault against a Christian minority neighborhood in Lahore, Pakistan. Pray for children and families who lost everything when their homes in the Joseph Colony were set on fire by a mob of protestors. On March 9 an estimated crowd of 3,000 people rampaged through the Christian colony protesting alleged blasphemous remarks against the Prophet Mohammed by a Christian.
• Pray for Presbyterian Education Board (PEB) support staff member Anthony and his family who lost their home in Joseph Colony during this attack. More than 160 homes were destroyed in fires set by protestors.
• Give God thanks for the arrests made in this case and pray for justice for the families affected by this violence. Pray families may be able to rebuild their homes and live in peace with their Muslim neighbors.
• Please keep in prayer all Christian children and families in Pakistan as they often experience the threat of violence from false accusations of blasphemy.
• Pray for an end to violence and hatred in the name of religion. Please pray for peace and reconciliation throughout Pakistan.  http://tinyurl.com/cuouzd8   http://tinyurl.com/bj2tz9v

South Sudan

• Keep in prayer girls in South Sudan who are married off at a very young age, some as young as 12 years old. Pray for the estimated 48 percent of South Sudanese girls (between ages 15 and 19) who are married.
• Pray for girls whose education has been interrupted or denied because of an early marriage. Pray for those who aren’t able to seek employment opportunities because of early marriage.
• Pray for girls who are at risk of domestic abuse and violence from much older husbands. And pray for girls who refuse early marriage and are at risk of verbal abuse or physical violence, including murder, from their parents or other relatives. Please pray God will protect girls who resist early marriage or try to leave abusive marriages.
• Pray for girls whose health is damaged by bearing children before they are physically or emotionally ready. Girls younger than 15 years of age are at tremendous risk of dying during childbirth.
• Pray God will bring healing to girls who contract sexually transmitted diseases, including HIV/AIDS, from their much older husbands.
• Pray all girls are given the choice to marry when, and only when they are able and willing to consent freely. Pray the cycle of poverty created by marrying girls off when they are too young will be broken through education, public awareness, and government support.  http://tinyurl.com/bsx9223

United States

·         Please pray for Pastor Willie Cockroft and his wife the Rev. Jini Kilgore Cockroft as they reach out to an impoverished community in South Los Angeles, California through HighWay Ministries and HighWay House. Give thanks to God for the compassion and dedication of this couple, the staff, and the volunteers with this ministry in a neighborhood that struggles with issues of poverty, substance abuse, homelessness, and, often, hopelessness. Pray for the children, youth, women, and men who are served by this ministry. Pray God will provide the resources needed to continue the work of HighWay Ministries in South Los Angeles.  http://hwmin.org/

Pray for Children at Risk-March 25, 2013

Prayer Concerns for the week of March 25, 2013

 Burma

• Give God thanks and praise for the fifteen new Free Burma Rangers (FBR) teams that recently completed relief missions in Burma’s Karen State. Thanks be to God for the work of these teams that are comprised of a number of different ethnic hill tribe groups as they reach out to provide hope, help, and love to internally displaced people (IDPs) inside Burma, regardless of ethnicity or religion.  www.freeburmarangers.org
• Pray God will continue to bring healing to the over 2,000 patients seen by the FBR teams’ medics. Give God thanks for the medics and their skills in treating so many people in very difficult circumstances and under very poor conditions in IDP hide sites.
• Pray for the students from approximately 100 schools in this area who were able to participate in Good Life Club programs run by FBR teams. Give thanks to God for the opportunity these children had to play and sing and spend time truly being children.
• Please pray for the school teachers from this area of Karen State as they face many daily challenges: not having enough food each day; poor health due to malnutrition and malaria; inconsistent attendance by their students because they’re helping their families; not having enough school supplies; and inability to access teaching materials.
• Pray for the students of these schools who don’t have enough food to eat each day; who have to help their families with farming, taking care of siblings, or gathering food or firewood; who don’t have the energy to study because they are exhausted or overwhelmed by this work; who are often ill due to poor nutrition and lack of shelter—malaria is one of the most serious health issues they face; who don’t have support from their parents and families that see little value in education and need the help of these children with farming, etc.

Kenya

• Pray for the children and people of Kenya following their country’s recent presidential election. Give God thanks that the election went relatively smoothly with minimal violence, unlike the disputed 2007 presidential election that left more than 1,200 people dead.  http://tinyurl.com/c5uqq7t
• Pray for transparency and integrity in Kenya’s government. Pray their new president Uhuru Kenyatta, who has been indicted by the International Criminal Court for crimes against humanity, will seek God’s guidance to lead Kenya. Pray the court challenge by his rival, Raila Odinga, will be peaceful and not lead to violence.

Malaysia, United States

• Please keep 8-year-old Jehu close in prayer during this time he is separated from his parents. Jehu lives with family members in Malaysia until he is allowed to join his parents (who received refugee status before him) in the United States. Pray Jehu’s case will receive favor with the agency processing it and he will be allowed to rejoin his mother and father. Pray for his parents who miss their son very much.

Syria, Jordan, Lebanon, Turkey, and Iraq

• Continue to keep in prayer the more than one million people displaced by Syria’s civil war. Pray for the 1,000,669 refugees who have fled Syria for overcrowded, underfunded camps in Jordan, Lebanon, Turkey, and Iraq. Pray for children in these camps who lack access to secure housing, schools, medical care, and sufficient food.
• Pray for children and families who have been displaced from their homes and communities in Syria. Pray for those struggling to find safe housing, food, and a means to support their families.
• Please continue to pray for peace and reconciliation in Syria.   http://tinyurl.com/b6aovlx

Pray for Children at Risk-March 18

Prayer Concerns for the week of March 18, 2013

China, Burma

• Please keep in prayer China’s ethnic hill tribe people along the Nu River (also known as the Salween River) who face displacement when the construction of four dams begins in the near future. Pray for the 60,000 children, young people, and adults (most of whom belong to the Lisu ethnic minority) who will lose their homes, schools, livelihoods, and communities when the dam construction begins.  http://tinyurl.com/bg8mdlc
• Pray for Burma’s Kachin ethnic minority who live across the Salween River and will also be impacted by the construction of these dams.
• Pray for those authorizing and carrying out the dam construction projects … that they will treat the Lisu, the Kachin, and others facing displacement with fairness and be transparent in their dealings. Pray the environmental impact assessment will be completed with integrity and truthfulness. Pray those constructing the dams will comply with the assessment recommendations.

Syria, Turkey, Lebanon

• Continue to lift in prayer the children of Syria who have been subjected to incredible violence during the past two years of civil war in their country. Pray for those who have been shot at, tortured, and raped during this season of unrest and conflict. Pray for the estimated two million children who face malnutrition, disease, early marriage, and severe trauma because of this brutal civil war. http://tinyurl.com/bybgdul
• Pray for children who have fled their homes and sought refuge in barns, parks, and caves. Pray for those who have fled to Turkey and Lebanon and struggle to find housing and enough food to eat. Pray for children who have been separated from their families and for those who have experienced the death of a close family member or friend.
• Please keep in prayer children who are targeted by government forces as well as rebels. Pray for young boys who are used as porters, runners, and human shields. Pray for girls who are married off at a young age to keep them from being raped or to help reduce the number of mouths that need to be fed in their families.
• Pray for an end to this violence and for peace and reconciliation throughout Syria.

Pray for Children at Risk-March 11, 2013

March 4, 2013 and March 11, 2013

Angola, Lesotho, Malawi, Zimbabwe

• Please keep the children and people of southern Africa held close in prayer as they face severe food shortages because of repeated cycles of flooding and drought that has destroyed crops, livestock, and safe drinking water supplies. http://tinyurl.com/cc66x8r
• Pray for the estimated six million people in Angola, Lesotho, Malawi, and Zimbabwe who are at risk of hunger because of this chronic crisis. In some areas across this region, child malnutrition rates have increased 50 percent more than last year.
• Pray for children who have contracted malaria, cholera, or diarrhea because of floodwater-contaminated water sources. Pray God will provide them with the resources and aid they so desperately need now.
• Please pray for a coordinated effort between humanitarian aid agencies, governments, and businesses to help relieve the suffering of so many children and people in southern Africa.

Burma

• Continue to keep the ethnic hill tribe children and people of Burma held close in prayer as they deal with additional abuses, predominately by the Burma Army. Pray for those in Burma’s Karen state who are being forcibly displaced from their communities by companies, corrupt government officials, or armed groups who desire the villagers’ property for mining, logging, development of hydropower dams, infrastructure development, or commercial agriculture. http://tinyurl.com/b3mvd9e
• Pray for the displaced in communities that were given little or no advance notice or compensation for the confiscation of their land. Please pray for those who have had their land taken illegally and are now deprived of their livelihoods. Seventy percent of Burma’s 60 million people are dependent on agriculture to make a living.

Sudan

• Please keep in prayer the estimated 100,000 people who have been displaced by inter-tribal fighting in Sudan’s North Darfur area. Pray for children who have been uprooted by the fighting between two Arab tribes over access to a gold mine. Pray for those whose homes, villages, and crops have been burned in this conflict. Pray that humanitarian aid will reach those who lack clean water, sufficient food, medical care, shelter, and sanitary facilities. Pray for an end to this violence. http://tinyurl.com/b4sbvcq
• Please also pray for an end to the ongoing conflict between non-Arab insurgents and the Arab-dominated government that began in 2003 and still continues 10 years later. Continue to pray for the estimated 1.5 million people who have been displaced by this violence across Darfur and live in camps where they are dependent on food aid to survive.

United States

• Pray for children and families who are experiencing homelessness in the U.S. and around the world. Pray for those who live in cars, with friends or other family members, in homeless shelters, and on the streets.
• Please keep in prayer children who live in crowded shelters that lack the privacy and security of a permanent home. Pray for those who find it difficult to sleep, study, play, or bathe in facilities that are overcrowded and underfunded. Pray every child has the opportunity to live in a permanent, safe home. http://tinyurl.com/bytvvf5

·         Give God thanks for those who advocate for and work towards finding affordable housing for the most vulnerable in their communities.

Pray for Children at Risk-Feb. 25, 2013

Prayer Concerns for the week of February 25, 2013

India

• Pray for the thousands of girl children who are trafficked from India’s rural areas to urban ones and forced to work as domestic servants in the homes of this country’s growing middle class. Pray for girls who are lured into jobs with the promise of good wages, but find themselves working long hours for little or no pay, cut off from family, and often abused or sexually assaulted. http://tinyurl.com/be6clul   http://tinyurl.com/aa5u9o3
• Pray for the estimated four million children who are believed to be employed as domestic servants in India.
• Please pray for the more than 90,000 children who go missing in India each year. Pray for those who are abducted and then sold into forced labor on farms, in factories or in homes. Pray for those who are sold into marriage or prostitution. http://tinyurl.com/9xhguhc
• Please pray for a change of attitude regarding the issue of child labor within India’s law enforcement agencies and the country’s rising middle class. Pray current child labor laws will be taken seriously and enforced. Pray for an end to the destructive practice of exploiting children for labor.
• Give thanks to God for the work of the child rights group Bachpan Bachao Andolan in raising awareness about child labor and for their efforts in rescuing trafficked and enslaved children. http://www.bba.org.in/main.php

Mali

• Please keep the children and people of Mali held close in prayer during this season of conflict and violence. Pray for the estimated 376,000 people who have been displaced since France began military action against Islamist rebels in northern Mali last month. http://tinyurl.com/azl5akn
• Please pray for the 660,000 children who are at risk of acute malnutrition because of this conflict. Pray for those who are at risk of becoming ill because of poor water and sanitation facilities in the displaced persons camps.
• Pray for children who are trapped in areas of conflict unreachable by emergency aid. Pray God will provide for these vulnerable children and their families during this frightening time.
• Pray farmers might be able to return to their fields to sow this year’s crop—if the conflict continues, it will interrupt the planting season causing further food shortages.
• Please pray for an end to the fighting and violence. Pray for peace and reconciliation throughout Mali.

Mauritania, Niger, Burkina Faso

• Pray for the 147,000 people who have fled the fighting in northern Mali and sought refuge in neighboring countries like Mauritania, Niger, and Burkina Faso. The conditions in refugee camps along the unstable borders with Mali are desperate. Pray God will provide for the children, youth, and adults in these squalid camps.
• Pray for children in these camps as many of them are malnourished and their host countries struggle to provide them with sufficient food and water.  http://tinyurl.com/bcgzehj

United States

• Please keep close in prayer 2-month-old Lacey* who was born prematurely to a mother with severe health and substance abuse issues. Pray for a community of support around this baby girl who hasn’t bonded well with anyone yet. Pray for her mother Gina* who doesn’t seem to be interested or willing to parent her baby. Pray for Lacey’s father who is in prison and unable to provide any support. Keep Lacey’s maternal grandmother Sarah* close in prayer as she tries to care for her daughter and granddaughter as well as grieve the recent death of her own mother.   *Name changed for confidentiality and/or protection.

·         Pray for God’s healing touch to be upon 4-month-old Addison who has been hospitalized with viral pneumonia.

Pray for Children at Risk-Feb.18, 2013

Prayer Concerns for the week of February 18, 2013

Belize

• Give thanks to God that 8-month-old Kennet was released from the hospital in Belize and is doing much better. Please pray for his continued healing. Pray for Kennet’s parents and family members as they care for him.
• Please keep in prayer two siblings, a 9-year-old and a 12-year-old, who have disappeared with their mother Gris. Pray for their safety as their mother seems to be experiencing severe mental health issues. Pray she will return to her family home with the children. Pray for Gris’ family and friends who are very anxious about her and the children.

Burma

• Continue to pray for Burma’s Kachin ethnic hill tribe people who are being attacked by Burma Army troops despite a presidential order for a cease fire. Intense fighting was reported in late January 2013 in Kachin State near Burma’s border with China. http://tinyurl.com/aaf8mjn
• Pray for those who have lost loved ones in the missile attacks and aerial bombings. Pray for children, young people, and adults who’ve been wounded in the attacks. http://tinyurl.com/bvf6pob  (This Free Burma Rangers report does include some disturbing images.)
• Pray for the tens of thousands of children and families that have been displaced by almost two years of fighting in this region. Give thanks to God for the work of Free Burma Rangers in helping the injured and displaced.
• Please pray for an end to the violence in Burma. Pray for peace throughout this country.

Ethiopia, Kenya

• Please keep in prayer children receiving treatment at the CURE International Hospitals in Ethiopia and in Kenya. Pray God will meet the physical, emotional, and spiritual needs of a 15-year-old boy named Abebe in Ethiopia and of two 14-year-old girls, Rebecca and Emelewi in Kenya. www.helpcurenow.org.

Syria

• Pray for the estimated four million Syrians who are in urgent need of humanitarian assistance. Lift in prayer the one million who are going hungry because aid agencies are unable to enter conflict zones. Pray for children who don’t have enough to eat… for children whose health and growth is compromised because they aren’t getting enough food.  http://tinyurl.com/a9bm7j5
• Pray for a change of heart within the Syrian government that would allow additional aid agencies into the country to help those in need. The government has only approved a few aid agencies to be in Syria and the resources of these organizations are stretched to the limit.
• Please pray for an end to this conflict… for a lasting peace agreement, healing, and reconciliation in Syria.

United States

• Give praise to God for answering prayers about 3-year-old Lily Grace who was able to return home after spending almost a month in a children’s hospital in her home town. Lily recently went through a delicate heart procedure in which a hole was created in her heart to relieve the pressure on it. Thanks be to God for the medical miracle Lily has experienced…after doctors removed her chest tubes, Lily’s lungs started to improve on their own and she was able to get off of oxygen.
• Pray this little one will become more interested in eating now that she is home… she was only able to eat ice chips during her lengthy hospital stay and received nourishment through a feeding tube. When Lily was released from the hospital, she weighed the same amount she did eight months ago when her adoptive parents brought her to the U.S. from China, except she has grown eight inches in that time.

·         Continue to pray for Lily’s parents and siblings as they help care for her at home. Thanks be to God for their desire to open their hearts and homes to this little one who was abandoned at birth in China and suffers from such a rare heart condition that doctors there considered her case to be terminal. http://www.rancourtfamily.blogspot.com/2013/02/home.html

Ramadan-Praying for Muslim Children

This year, Ramadan is July 20-August 18. Join millions of Christians worldwide in praying for the Muslim world during this period. The 30-Days Prayer Network produces a printed “Just for Kids” booklet for children and families on Muslim people groups in many countries with information, activities, and prayer points. It’s also available as a download. To teach your children more about this important Muslim observance and what the Bible says about the purpose of fasting, download the free Ramadan Basics. Also, check out Meet Noor, a 30-minute lesson for ages 5-7.  Looking for a more in-depth study? Seven of the Kids Around the World CD/DVD sets feature Muslim groups with little opportunity to hear about God’s love and Jesus’ redeeming work. Each set includes a video, song, Bible lesson, prayer activity, and opportunities for children to experience the culture through language, food, crafts, and games. For ages 5-11.

It’s A Small World

What do strings of Christmas lights, water buckets, and graham crackers have in common? They’re props used in a lesson that introduces your kids to the state of the world and paves the way for informed prayer. You could use lesson activities in conjunction with two major prayer events coming soon:

-May 27: Global Day of Prayer

-June 2-3: World Weekend of Prayer for Children at Risk

It’s a Small World gives your kids the background they need before they pray. This fun lesson introduces 1st-5th graders to the global village through a demonstration that shrinks the world population to 20 people. Children learn about the major languages spoken in the world and issues that many of their peers face on a daily basis (lack of healthy food, clean air, safe water, and electricity). The lesson also addresses the spiritual condition of the peoples of the world, including those who have never heard of Jesus. It’s a Small World takes 25-30 minutes and is highly interactive. It’s great for mixed-age groups. The lesson comes as a downloadable PDF and costs $5.

After the demonstration, lead a time of prayer using some of these free materials for children:

-Global Day of Prayer’s downloadable, 10-day prayer guide for children.

-Viva International’s downloadable, children’s prayer booklet for the World Weekend of Prayer.

Global 4/14 Day of Prayer

April 14 is Global 4/14 Day, a time set aside to pray for children between the ages of 4 and 14.  Why is this demographic so strategic in missions?

God’s heart: Including kids in our missions focus reflects God’s heart. In Mark 10:14 Jesus says, “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these.”

Numbers: Currently, 2.2 billion children live on our planet. In many cultures considered unreached or resistant to the gospel, boys and girls under age 15 make up 40-50% of the population – that’s almost half of God’s harvest field.

Receptivity: Children have open hearts to receive the gospel. Research shows that many believers put their faith in Jesus between the ages of 4 and 14. We shouldn’t neglect the ripest fruit in God’s harvest field.

Bridges: When children become believers in Jesus, they are eager to share their faith with others – relatives, friends, teachers, coaches, and neighbors. Want to reach adults in an unbelieving home or village? Build a bridge by first establishing relationships with their sons and daughters.

Need: 1.2 billion children at risk face dire situations every day – poverty, disease, war, abandonment, and exploitation. These kids need the hope and transformation that only Jesus can provide.

Potential: Boys and girls who trust in Jesus become functioning members of the Church and partners in ministry. They have their whole lives to serve God as participants in the gospel. Think of the impact these young disciples can make on families, communities, and nations.

Join us in observing Global 4/14 Day. Download and use the free Prayer and Fasting Guide. Here are two more ways to pray for children on a continuous basis:

1. Check out the Red Card Prayer Page for weekly updates and requests for children around the world. These focus on areas of the world in the news.

2. The Stand4Kids Prayer Pages provide a way to pray for one child and request every day of the month. These requests represent needs of unreached kids in animistic, Hindu, atheistic, Muslim, and Buddhist cultures as well as needs of children at risk.

Pray for Enslaved Children

Freedom Sunday is this weekend. We have the opportunity to remember children who are enslaved and trafficked and intercede on their behalf. Do not underestimate the power of prayer for these precious boys and girls. God hears their cries, is present with them their situations, and promises to bring justice both for them and their oppressors.  Here are some Bible verses and prayer requests to get you started.

Child Laborers

Psalm 72:12 -“For he will deliver the needy who cry out, the afflicted who have no one to help.”

• Pray for God to protect child laborers from physical and emotional harm
• Pray that parents can find work so that their children are able to attend school.
• Pray for employers who oppress and exploit children to realize their worth and choose to protect and nurture them.
• Pray for despair to be replaced with hope.

Child Soldiers

Psalm 91:2b, 5 -“‘He is my refuge and my fortress, my God in whom I trust.’ … You will not fear the terror of night, nor the arrow that flies by day.”

• Pray for child soldiers to be released back to their families.
• Pray for God to restore children who have experienced the painful trauma of war.
• Pray for despair to be replaced with hope.
• Pray that God will give wisdom and compassion to ministry workers who are helping children reintegrate into society.

Sexually Exploited Children

Psalm 10:17-18 – “You, LORD, hear the desire of the afflicted; you encourage them, and you listen to their cry, defending the fatherless and the oppressed, so that mere earthly mortals will never again strike terror.”

• Pray for safe and secure shelters to provide for needs of children living on the streets so that they are less vulnerable to traffickers.
• Pray for strong law enforcement efforts and for brothels to be discovered and shut down.
• Pray for God to convict the hearts of traffickers, pimps and the “customers” and to transform their lives.
• Pray for despair to be replaced with hope.

Tajikistan: Law Restricts Children’s Ministry

Tajikistan, a little-known Central Asian country, holds a special place in my heart. Here’s why.  1) I created the Tajik Kids curriculum, part of the Kids Around the World mission series for children. 2) My local church adopted the Tajik people and we have an ongoing relationship with national believers there. 3) I’ve served on two short-term teams to Tajikistan. Both times, I was privileged to equip and encourage children’s workers. As is usually the case, I learned more than I imparted and was challenged by the tenacity and creativity of first-generation Christians on fire for God. They realized that when God transforms the heart of a child, there is hope for societal transformation as well.

During my 2007 visit, national workers expressed concern over increasing restrictions on evangelizing children. Since then, the situation has worsened. This August, the Parental Responsibility Law went into effect. It stipulates that the only religious activities in which children under 18 may participate, apart from funerals, are those at state-approved religious education institutions. An amendment to the Criminal Code was passed that would punish organizers of “extremist religious” teaching.

Both measures seek to prevent recruiting of impressionable children by religious extremists. Whatever the intent, these rulings affect ministry to children on several levels. They affect parents, robbing them of the right to raise their children in the faith they choose. They affect boys and girls, preventing them from attending worship services, Sunday School, and church-led functions like summer camp. They impact children’s workers, forcing them to interpret what “extremist religious” teaching means to the government and discern ramifications for their ministry. While it’s too early to know how new laws will be enforced, it’s not too early to pray. Please join me in lifting up Tajik believers in the following ways:

• Pray for protection for believers who may be targets in regard to this law in coming days.
• Pray for boldness and perseverance for parents who seek to disciple their children.
• Pray for wisdom and creativity for children’s workers as they navigate what the new laws mean for their ministry.
• Pray that God will continue to grant believers favor with local government leaders as they meet the holistic needs of children in Tajikistan.
• Pray that many boys and girls in Tajikistan would come to know and follow Jesus.

Children in Prayer-Part 4

Rashid excitedly follows his father and uncles to the mosque. He has joined in prayer with the men before, but this time is different. He’s finally old enough to participate fully in the fast of Ramadan, the most holy month on the Muslim calendar. As his stomach growls in protest, Rashid realizes it has been hours since his predawn meal. His stomach will just have to wait until sunset, the time he will enjoy a meal with his family. But it is worth it. Rashid remembers his father’s words: “Fasting is an expression of our faith, a form of worship, and a way to please Allah.” Entering the cool interior of the mosque with the others, Rashid imagines other Muslim boys all around the world. Like him, they are observing the fast, going to the mosque in their town, and seeking to please Allah.

Robert is getting ready for bed. Earlier at dinner, his mom and dad read a page about Indonesia from the Just for Kids: 30 Days of Prayer for the Muslim World booklet. His parents have also been explaining the basics about Ramadan. Robert thinks about Muslim boys and girls in Indonesia who do not understand that Jesus is God’s son. Instead of trusting in Jesus to forgive sin and bring them back into a relationship with God, they are taught to please God by doing good things– like not eating or drinking during the daytime for a whole month. Robert closes his eyes and begins to pray for children like Rashid. “God, please help kids in Indonesia to know you love them. Help them understand that Jesus died on the cross to remove  their sin.”

RAMADAN IS AUG. 1-30. JOIN BELIEVERS AROUND THE WORLD IN PRAYER FOR THE MUSLIM WORLD.

Global Day of Prayer

June 12 is the Global Day of Prayer. Believers worldwide are joining together to intercede for the nations. You can involve the children in your family, class, or club. Show them the Children in Prayer video that demonstrates ways that kids around the world are actively interceding for their families, communities, nations, and the peoples of the world. Download the free children’s 10-day Prayer Guide. It includes topics like poverty, disabilities, orphans, war zones, and children who have not heard the gospel. Each day is divided into four main sections:

1. Praying for children of the world – a different subject each day, based on the Lord’s Prayer, with ideas of how to pray

2. Thanking God – for His promises about the topic, for blessings we have

3. Journaling/Personal Prayer – reading a Bible verse, responding, listening to God

4. Prayer Activity – follow-up activity that helps kids personalize the day’s topic

Fabric Map Prayer Activities-Part 2

Here are three more children’s prayer activities you can do using the world fabric map.

Beanbag Toss

Materials: fabric world map, beanbag

Directions: Lay the map on the floor. Have children sit or stand around the map. Choose a child to toss the beanbag onto the map. Read the name of the country where the beanbag lands. Pray for families in that country to come to know Jesus. If the beanbag lands on a body of water, pray for families in a country that borders that body of water. Hand the beanbag to another child and continue in the same way.

Light of the World

Materials: fabric world map, flashlight, music CD and CD player

Directions: Lay the map on the floor. Have children take off their shoes and sit in a circle around the map. Turn off most of the lights. Hand the flashlight to a child. When the music begins, the children pass the flashlight around the circle. When the music stops, the child with the flashlight stands and shines the light on one country on the map. Pray for God to prepare the hearts of families in that country to understand who Jesus is. Have the child sit back down in the circle, start the music, and continue in the same way.

Missionary Photo Card Prayer

Materials: fabric world map, photo prayer cards of church missionaries

Directions: Lay the map on the floor. Have children sit around the map. Show the photo on the first missionary prayer card and read the names of the people in the family. On the map, locate the country where the missionaries serve. Choose a child to lay the photo card on the map. Pray for the missionaries using some of the prayer categories suggested below. Continue in the same way with the remaining prayer cards.

learn language          many people come to know God

Fabric Map Prayer Activities-Part 1

Need a world map to use for your children’s mission activities? This colorful fabric map is light, portable, and will do the trick in most cases.  It’s 3 x 5 foot, a good size to use with groups. Whether I’m doing an activity with my church kids or packing for an overseas ministry trip, this fabric map is one of the first things I grab. Here are three prayer activities your children will enjoy that use this map.

Stickers for the World

Materials: fabric world map, blindfold, stickers (Bible, cross, or heart shapes)

Directions: Attach the map to a wall. Blindfold a child and give him a sticker. Direct the child to walk toward the map, touch it, and attach the sticker. Read the name of the country closest to the sticker. Pray for God’s word (Bible sticker) to come to the people who live in that country OR pray for the people in that country to receive Jesus (cross or heart sticker) into their hearts.

same sport or hobby                                same number of people in family

same kind of pet                                      same favorite school subject

Hurting Kids

Materials: fabric world map, bandaids (don’t remove back), bag with the following 6 items: piece of fruit, cup, notebook, picture of house or house from Monopoly game, picture of mom and dad, medicine bottle

Directions: Lay the map on the floor. Have the children take off their shoes and sit around the map. Choose children to put a bandaid on each of the following continents: Europe, South America, Africa, North America, Asia, and Australia. Tell the children that many boys and girls around the world don’t have what they need to grow up healthy and strong. Choose a child to pull one item out of the bag. Talk about what it represents (see below). Have the child pick up a bandaid from the map and replace it with the item chosen from the bag. Pray for God to provide for the need represented. For example: “God, please help the kids in Asia to have the medicine and doctors they need to stay healthy.”

fruit=hunger                                        home picture=homeless

notebook=no access to education        mom and dad picture=orphans

cup=without clean water                      medicine=without healthcare

Pray for China Calendar

If you don’t have a 2011 calendar yet, (I always wait to buy mine after New Year’s when they’re half off) here’s one to consider, especially if you have a heart for the people of China. This year’s Intercessors for China wall calendar has the theme “Children and the Fight for Joy.” There are adorable photos of children and a prayer item for every day of the year. Main topics include God’s glory, family, church, workplace, government, poor and outcasts, and children. All the Saturdays have requests for boys and girls in different regions! You can see sample pages here. If you order the calendar, make sure to select the language you want – it comes in both Chinese and English.

4 Global Prayer Resources for Kids

With the launch of the new edition of Operation World, adults can join a 60-day prayer movement to intercede for the nations and ask God to fill the earth with his glory. What about the kids? Here are some great resources to get children involved in praying for their peers around of the world, especially those who have little access to the gospel. The first two use the THUMB acrostic.

T is for Tribal
H is for Hindu
U is for Unreligious (or atheist)
M is for Muslim
B is for Buddhist

1)    Kids Prayer Cards: 25 colorful cards with a carabiner clip highlight children from 22 different people groups. Three activity cards give your kids directions for painting tribal art, making an Indian snack, and meeting and making friends with internationals in their own neighborhood. For ages 7-10. Get more details and see a sample card here.

2)    THUMB Coloring Book: Black-line drawings of 25 children in unreached cultures. Includes suggestions for using the coloring book, important facts about other belief systems, focused prayer points, and a world map indicating where each people group lives. For ages 5-10.

3)    Window on the World: This 220-page book uses an A-Z format  to teach children about countries and people groups. Each 2-page spread includes a map, information on the people, and prayer points. Now in paperback. For elementary ages, but some have used this book effectively with middle schoolers as well.

4)    Free resource: The pray page on the Stand4kids website features a month’s worth of photos of children around the world, each with a prayer request.

Pray for Children in Burma

Burma (Myanmar) is one of the poorest countries in Southeast Asia. In 2008, a cyclone wiped out villages, destroyed crops, and devastated farmland. Millions of people were left homeless and without a reliable source of food or water.  Now, in an effort to squelch opposition to the current government, the Burmese military is carrying out brutal attacks against its own people.  Recent election results do not reflect a move towards democracy. What does all this mean for the upcoming generation? As often happens in times of upheaval, children are hit the hardest. Thousands of boys and girls have become orphans. Some have seen soldiers torture or kill their parents right in front of them. Looking for a safe place to escape the fighting, many children have fled across the border to refugee camps in Thailand. On their journey, young people must avoid landmines and troops. If captured by military patrols, children are forced to serve as soldiers. Sex trafficking is a danger for girls. Even when children reach the refugee camps, they are not safe. Food is scarce and disease spread rapidly in the crowded conditions. Sometimes Burmese soldiers sneak across the Thai border and poison the camp water supply.

Where can the children of Burma turn? Most raised in families that worship false gods who cannot hear their cries for help or provide for their needs. Those living in Christian families seem to be targeted by the military. To find out more about the situation for believers, click here.

The children of Burma need the love, provision, and comfort of their heavenly father. The number one thing you can do for them is pray. Download a free 30-day prayer guide from Vision for Burma.

Muslim Pilgrimage (Hajj)

November 14-17, join with others around the world in praying for Muslims as they go on the Hajj (hahj), the annual pilgrimage to Islam’s holy sites in Saudi Arabia. Participating in this religious journey is one of the five pillars, or essential parts, of Islam. Muslims are expected to attend at least once during their life. An important aspect of the pilgrimage is seeking forgiveness for sins accumulated over a lifetime. According to the prophet Muhammad, Muslims who perform the pilgrimage properly will return home as newly born babies, freed from all sins.

Although most children do not participate in the pilgrimage until they reach puberty, they do join with followers of Islam worldwide in observing Eid al-Adha (eed ahl-ahd-hah), the Feast of Sacrifice. This ceremony coincides with the end of the Hajj. Killing a sheep or goat commemorates the time when Allah provided Abraham with a ram to sacrifice in place of his son.

You can stand for Muslim kids during this festival season.

1. First get God’s perspective by reading Psalm 51:5, John 2:29, and Galatians 2:16.
2. Next ponder the following: Do newborn babies start out having no sin? Who is the Lamb of God? According to the Bible, what is the only way we can be forgiven for a lifetime of sins?
3. Now pray that Muslim families will come to know Jesus, the God-given sacrifice for their sins. Need more prayer tools? Praying Through the Arabian Peninsula has a free 5-day prayer guide you can download and a short video that explains the ceremonies performed during the Hajj.

For more information on Muslim beliefs, click here and scroll down to the section on Muslims.