PRAY FOR JOSE

Did you know that November 8 was the International Day of Prayer for the Persecuted Church? Each year, more than half a million churches join together to pray for persecuted Christians. We need to be reminded to pray our brothers and sisters who are abused or imprisoned because of their faith.

And it isn’t just the persecuted ones who need our prayers. We must remember to pray for our brothers and sisters around the world who live in sub-standard conditions: they have no running water, adequate food or housing. We need to pray for those who are suffering because they are poor, hungry or sick.

While in Guatemala, we met “evangelicals” (that’s what Guatemalan Christians call themselves) wherever we went. On the day we travelled 6 hours to visit the “Shadow of His Wings” orphanage, we hired a driver named Jose. On the long drive back, he told me he was an evangelical, having recently been born again. He gave me his brief testimony of drug abuse and theft. He said he had been in prison 3 times, but now he goes to Bible study 4 nights a week. I do not know what Jose’s home is like (I would like to have visited him there) but I do know that there are many Christians like him who have very little of the things we take for granted: clean drinking water, hot and cold running water, indoor plumbing, and enough income to buy food and provide adequate housing for one’s family.

Let us not forget to pray for our brothers and sisters around the world. “Pray at all times and on every occasion in the power of the Holy Spirit; stay alert and be persistent in your prayers for all Christians everywhere” (Ephesians 6:18).

PLEASE TAKE A MOMENT TO WATCH THE YOUTUBE PRESENTATION OF “SHADOW OF HIS WINGS” ORPHANAGE: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9f1DTQHR8ws