Unreached Nations- Week 6- Pakistan

 This week we travel to the Middle Eastern nation of Pakistan. 

All Christians face severe persecution in Pakistan but those who have converted from Islam are most at risk for being tortured to "encourage" them to turn back to Islam or death if they refuse. All Christians are thought of and treated as second class citizens and made to do the jobs that others feel are beneath them. It's very hard for Christians to get ahead or get 'respectable' jobs. In a population of about 208,000,000 people, only about 4,000,000 are Christians. While that might seem like a lot of Christians, that's roughly only about .020% of the population. One fifth of one percent. 

Church buildings- generally located in someone's home because official Christian churches are illegal- are often attacked, burned, and worshipers arrested when discovered to discourage believers from gathering. 

This card was inspired by this fun fact:

Pakistan has the only fertile desert in the world – the Tharparkar desert – located in Sindh province.

Please pray with me for the people of Pakistan:

• Pray for courage for Christians in Pakistan to speak about their faith, despite their fears that their words may be used against them. Pray for wisdom for them, and that God will give them the right words to say.
• Pray for protection over Pakistan’s churches, especially around holidays such as Christmas and Easter, when terrorist attacks have happened in the past.
• Pray for protection for young Christian women and girls. Pray for those who have already been abducted and forced to convert and marry, that God will comfort them and give them strength. Pray they will know His love, even in their terrible circumstances.

Open Doors- Pakistan

Unreached Nations- Week 5- Libya

    This week's unreached nation is Libya and in spite of it's rich Christian history, Christians today face intense persecution and even death. The majority of Christians in the nation are not Libyans but are foreign nationals and migrant workers. It is illegal for them to share their faith publicly and they face death for doing so. 

This week's fun fact that inspired the following card is this: 

Bette Peak is the highest mountain in Libya being 7,434 feet tall. Also known as Bikku Bitti, the mountain is found in southern Libya at the Chad-Libyan border. The first documented climb of the Bette Peak was by Ginge Fullen alongside his Chadian guides in December 2005. Nonetheless, the mountain’s location makes access to it difficult and rare.

Please, join me in praying for the people of Libya. 

• Pray for Libyan believers who are under immense pressure, particularly those who are arrested because of their faith. Pray for protection and release.
• Pray for those in power in Libya. Pray for peace and stability, and for an end to the proxy civil war. Years of anarchy and power struggles have taken many lives and eroded hope for the future, and Christians and other minorities have become very vulnerable in such a situation of lawlessness.
• Pray for new converts who have been baptized. Pray that they will find a group of believers to join – and rejoice that they have found Jesus.

Open Doors- Libya

Unreached Nations- Week 4- Somalia

This week's card is inspired by the African nation of Somalia. Being a Christian in Somalia is EXTREMELY dangerous and suspected believers are often killed on the spot. Women converts are treated terribly and either killed or forcibly married to a Muslim man so that he can convert her back to Islam. It is a sad existence being forced to believe something with no choices to explore other ideas or paths. We, in America, are very fortunate that we can pursue and worship God without conflict. Yes, sometimes we're made fun of for our beliefs but we don't face the threat of torture and death simply for believing the way we do. 

Please, please keep the people of Somalia in your prayers this week. Here are some specific things you can pray for: 

Pray for Somalia

• Pray for the families of those who have been murdered for their faith, that they would receive the comfort of their Heavenly Father and be healed from bitterness.
• Pray for a strong church to grow among Somali people, relying on Jesus and with a hunger and thirst for the righteousness of God.
• Pray for those who are responsible for the killings of Christians to be convicted with the fear of the Lord.

The "fun" fact from Somalia that inspired this week's card is this: Somalia ranks 2nd in the world for the most number of active modern day pirates. 

Open Doors- Somalia

Unreached Nations- Week 3- Afghanistan

 I'm sorry I missed last week, I had unexpected company from out of town. So I'm back with week 3- A country that's been in the news a lot lately, a nation that many have been praying for, as I know I have. Afghanistan. 

Religious persecution in Afghanistan is extreme. 99.7% of the population is Muslim. Expressions of a different faith are deadly and Christians there must hide and remain silent about their beliefs. It is not uncommon for family members to turn in their own family members who've converted from Islam to Christianity. It is not uncommon to see honor killings because a family member has turned to Christ. It's very dangerous to be a Christian in Afghanistan. Please pray for the people, the government, the persecutors...they ALL need Jesus so desperately. 

This week's card is based on this fun fact- which isn't really fun, more sad and tragic
:  

Since 2001, Afghanistan has been consistently one of the top producers of opium. In addition, 90% of opium worldwide came from Afghanistan. As of 2017, opium production has provided 400,000 jobs in the country. According to a report, the production of opium increased by 63%, from 2016 to 2017.

Please remember to keep the people of Afghanistan in your prayers. The women and children and Christians, most especially. 

Open Doors- Afghanistan

Unreached Nations- Week 2- Iran

 This week's card is inspired by the Middle Eastern Nation of Iran. Religious persecution there is severe and Christians there fear for their lives. Believers meet together in secret locations- underground churches- to pray and worship even though secret churches are often raided and leaders are imprisoned- or worse- for years. 

Please, pray for the Christians in Iran and pray for an outpouring of the Holy Spirit would lead to a spiritual awakening in Iran. That Christians will continue to be bold in their faith...no matter the consequences, and, like Paul, those doing the persecuting will find Jesus and turn their lives over to Him. 

Fun Fact:

Iranians LOVE tea. Tea is served black without sugar at all gatherings and most Iranians have tea after each meal. Here is the card that was inspired by this fun fact:

Here is a link to some more information about religion and persecution in Iran. Please, pray for the people there. 

• *Pray for believers in isolation. Many Christians don’t dare to share their faith with anyone around them, or don’t know any other believers. They depend on online resources to learn more about God.
• *Pray for Christians who are currently locked up in prison for their faith. The conditions in Iran’s prisons are very poor and the pandemic has only made the situation worse.
• *Pray for those who advocate for the rights of Christians in Iran, both within and outside the country, that they would be listened to and that God would protect them.

Open Doors Iran

Unreached Nations Card Series- Week 1- North Korea

 One of my crafty friends does this wonderful card challenge each week where she chooses a different country and creates a card using inspiration from some fun fact about that country. 

I've decided to do something similar but the nations I'll be choosing are ones that have high instances of religious persecution or are in need of hearing God's truth. I'll start with the least reached nations first and work my way down the list until I've created a card for each of the 57 nations on the list. While I create the card for each country, I'll be praying for the people of that country and encourage others to do so as well. 

This week's country is the least reached country with the fewest Christians and the most severe persecution for those who are discovered to be Christians. North Korea. 

This card was inspired by this fun fact: 

Until 1990, bicycles were outlawed in North Korea because they were considered to inhibit the flow of traffic. But as vehicles became more expensive and less available, more and more citizens were buying blackmarket bicycles so the laws were lifted and now, there are so many bicycles in North Korea that they have their own roads and pathways. There are bicycle manufacturers there now but many of the people prefer Japanese made bicycles for the quality and price. It is estimated that there is an average of 2 bicycles in every home. 

Bicycles in North Korea must be licensed and registered with plates just like cars. Women were prohibited from riding bikes up until 2012 because it was considered to be immodest. 

Please keep the people of North Korea in your prayers this week. Pray for these specific things:

• Pray for Almighty God to deliver a nation long-enslaved by a brutal regime.

 

• Pray for the Church to persevere and multiply amid horrific persecution.

 

• Pray for Truth to reign and liberate the nation from the regime's indoctrination and lies.

PrayerCast: North Korea