Prayer Initiatives

China

China is the fourth largest state in the world and contains the highest mountains and plateaus in the world as well.  The climate and geography are extremely diverse, ranging from tropical in the south to sub-artic in the north, from a highly industrial and modern eastern seaboard to sparsely populated western desert and mountain ranges.  There are close to 500 indigenous distinct ethnic groups, but just 55 “nationalities” are officially recognized for administrative convivence.  Repression of minorities and dissidents, systemic violations, and harsh penal code continue to plague China’s political profile.

Suppression and strict administration control of religious groups characterize the years under the Communist regime; the government continues to strictly control the five officially recognized religious groups (Buddhism, Daoism, Islam, Protestant, Catholic).  The historic hostility toward any religion expression means that statistics for religions do not exists and are estimated based on government information and China-focused researchers.

Iran

Situated between the Caspian Sea to the north and the Persian Gulf and Gulf of Oman to the south, Iran has great wealth in oil and natural gas, but inefficiencies in the industry and infrastructure undermine profitability.  The political corruption and religious aggression discourage potential foreign investors.  Rapid urbanization and earlier rapid population growth created millions of jobless, young urbanites.

Shi’s Islam is the state religion and 89% of the Iranians follow this.  Sunni Islam is respected and largely followed by the Turkmen, Kurd, and Baloch populations.  The Iranian attitude toward religion can seem contradictory – heavy handed but laid back, very chaste in public but much less so in private.  Courts have the right to impose the death sentence on male apostates and life imprisonment for female apostates.  Iran is a religious dictatorship where little of consequence can occur without the approval of the Mullahs.

Mexico

The third largest country in Latin America.  Mexico has a wide range of topography and rainfall, ranging from an arid northern plateau, a central volcanic plateau, and southern mountains and rain forests.  Only 10% of the country is used or suitable for growing crops.  Economic reforms have occurred but more are needed.   Much of the northern border region is under the control of the well-armed and organized cartels.  Income and wealth distributions are highly inequitable. 

Mexico is a secular state with freedom of conscience and practice of religion.  The 130-year break between the Mexican government and the Vatican ended with official relations being restored 1992.  Constitutional changes also granted fairer treatment for religious minorities but persecution of non-Catholics persists in some areas.  A large proportion of the native Mexican populations (Amerindians), through baptized as Catholic, still adhere to their pre-Conquest religious practice.

Nigeria

Mangrove and tropical rain forests in the south and savannah and grasslands in the north, Nigeria has over 520 ethnic groups.  The triangular rivalry among the Hausa/Fulani, Yoruba, and Igbo has dominated Nigerian politics since its independence and continues to do so.  Corruption is a massive evil, ubiquitous at every level of society.  Despite reforms, central commercial banks remain fragile and need stabilizing.  Infrastructure is often sagging.  The majority of the population lives below the poverty line.

Nigeria is constitutionally a secular state with freedom of religion.  But the northern ruling elite give preferential treatment to Muslims and discriminate against Christians.  Little has been done to stern the growth of violent Islamist groups or to stop persecution of Christians in the north, resulting in hundreds of churches burned and many Christians killed.

La Chapelle

Top 3 prayer requests:

1. Please continue to pray for Pastor Josias Laporte and the church plant in Gatineau. We hope to be able to do a gathering of more than 25 people in the month of May if the government authorizes us. Everything is shut down again and it’s hard for all the churches in the province of Quebec.  Also pray for a future part-time operations pastor based in Gatineau. (A person who is the right arm of Josias and who is in charge of the operations, all the service team, logistics, etc.). We need one person who is a servant-leader and good in management with a pastoral heart. Probably a volunteer at the beginning. 
2. Please pray for the 3 people who want to be baptism in Gatineau! It’s the first baptisms of la Chapelle Gatineau.
3. Pray for a more permanent facility for our church.  We need a stable place in Montreal for our worship services and offices, we have been looking since 2014 for a building, but it’s really hard to find a place in Montreal. We pray that God will provide. It’s becoming to be urgent in Montreal since we lost 2 of our 3 places that was rented.

Mission of Hope (Haiti)

Top 3 prayer requests:

1. We are praying we can start opening up trips soon (2021) to Haiti, DR and Guatemala. The team just released reservation options on the website for churches to reserve their spots. We are prayerful that we can reconnect with our partners and start mobilizing again.
2. Pray as we make more progress in Guatemala. MOH expanded into Guatemala not too long before COVID. So there still some ministry infrastructure pieces that need to be built out. The opportunity is great, by God’s Grace we will have firm footing by first quarter of 2021, though even now so much Good stuff is happening in Guatemala.
3. Continue to pray that the MOH team can serve the church in the states well. Part of our heart and vision is to be a resource to our partnered churches. With the lockdown, it has made it difficult to fully do so.

Marissa's House Projects

 Top 3 prayer requests:

1. Pray for the Ethiopian people being impacted by the war in Tigray. We ask for safety for Humanitarian workers who are trying to aid the suffering people of the region.
2. Pray for a new project being started in the Zenebe-Work Landfill outside Addis Ababa. We will be working with our partners in reaching out to 120 children who live in that landfill, providing them with educational support (i.e. materials, uniforms, fees & tutoring/mentoring)
3. Pray for the students at our homes in Uganda who are matriculating to higher classes - the exam process can be quite taxing on them. Pray for continued health and safety for all of our kids, pastors and caretakers.

Legacy Church Preschool (LCP)

Top 3 prayer requests:

1. Prayer for us to finish this school year strong.
2. Pray registration for next school year will fill up so that we can start planning accordingly (hire needed teachers, etc.).
3. Guidance for us as we begin planning for the next school year.

Belle & Sparrows

Top 3 prayer requests:

1. Space to open up for them to move The Stella Center into. 
2. Continued prayer for grant funding and monthly partnerships.
3. Upcoming golf tournament and ability to reach new people with our mission and message. 

Emily's Place

Top 3 prayer requests:

1. Our gala is on Saturday, 4/24, and it typically brings in 70% of our budget. It’s not going to this year but we still hope that it does well.  Praying for an abundance of financial support from the gala and other fundraier type activites.
2. We are filling the empty rooms we have/upcoming as a few more graduate. We could use prayers that God will bring those that are in need of our services, to EP.
3. Camp Emily is in the planning phase; praying that it can be a healing, therapeutic fun camp for current and graduate children. 

Real Options

Top 3 prayer requests:

1. We are in need of more patient advocates to counsel women through their options. Specifically, we would love you to join us in prayer for patient advocates that speak a variety of different languages. Our next training will be in September; please pray for God to move in hearts to come and join this training.
2. We are seeing more abortion determined women that ever before. Many of these women even share with us that they are Christians. Pray that God softens their hearts and opens their ears to other options. Many of these women have stated that they would prefer abortion over adoption and are not open in any way to placing their child. Please pray that God would highlight adoption to these women, and that they would be able to have a new, positive outlook on adoption.
3. Pray for our volunteers. As we are seeing more abortion determined women please pray that they would not grow discouraged or weary. Pray that they can hand over these burdens to the Lord and that He would provide them comfort and strength.