Faces of Children: Prayer Requests

Faces of Children is an ecumenical prayer ministry under the auspices of First Presbyterian Church of Midland, Texas. Our mission is to initiate ministries of prayer for children in churches, communities, and neighborhoods. In doing so, we seek to provide an opportunity for people of God to join together, learn about children and their needs throughout the world, and celebrate Christ's love (especially as it relates to children).

Prayer Concerns for the week of 01/13/10

Malawi
• Please keep in prayer the 78,000 children, some as young as 5, who work on tobacco plantations in Malawi. Pray for those who work up to 12 hours a day for less than a penny an hour in hazardous conditions. A British-based international children’s charity reports that child tobacco pickers are exposed to high levels of nicotine poisoning, the equivalent of 50 cigarettes a day. Pray for better enforcement of existing child labor and protection laws in Malawi. Pray for solutions to the root problems—like poverty—that keep children in this dangerous work.
A report from alertnet.org

Mexico
• Give thanks to God for the Protect Children in Tourism (PCT) project and its partnership with local communities along the Mexican coastal state of Quintana Roo (includes the prime tourism destinations of Cancun and Cozumel). Thanks be to God for the work of this partnership in preventing this beautiful vacation spot from becoming a child sex tourism destination. Pray that more tourism communities around the world would work to prevent the commercial sexual exploitation of their children and establish protective environments for them.
A report from ECPAT-USA
Another report from ECPAT-USA

North Korea
• Pray for the children and people of North Korea who suffer deeply because of the totalitarian regime and the recent currency revaluation. Pray for those who have little access to food, medical care, or education.
A report from The Washington Post

Tajikistan
• Please keep in prayer the 20,000 children and people of this impoverished Central Asian nation left homeless by a strong earthquake early in the New Year. Pray for those who lost everything and are facing freezing winter conditions with little shelter. Pray that assistance will be able to reach them all soon—the mountainous terrain and earthquake damage may hinder quick aid. Give thanks to God there was no loss of life.
A report from Yahoo News

United States
• Please continue to keep 10-year-old Dallas held close in prayer. At the beginning of the school year, he was having difficulty adjusting to his new medication for Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). Now Dallas and his mother, a recovering alcoholic, are going to be evicted from their apartment because pets aren’t allowed. Dallas was given a dog at Christmas by the mom’s boyfriend.
• Pray that Dallas and his mother will be able to find pet-friendly housing soon.
• And please pray that God will guide his mother—that she will make better decisions for her small family. Pray that she will accept responsibility for her actions and behave with maturity.

Zambia (Lubasi Home Orphanage www.lubasihome.org/)
• Give thanks to God for the caregivers and volunteers at Lubasi Home Orphanage in Livingstone, Zambia as they provide vulnerable children with food, clothing, shelter, love, and spiritual guidance. Pray for the children at the Lubasi Home, many of whom have lost a parent to HIV/AIDS or their families are unable to care for them anymore. Pray that God will provide the resources necessary to care for these children and even more. The home has space for 60 children, but can’t take that many due to the lack of resources.

Faces of Children
• Thanks be to God for the new intercessors that recently joined with Faces of Children in praying for children at risk following a Compassionate Christmas event in California. Praise God for Natalie’s vision and enthusiasm in opening her home to friends and neighbors during the holiday season and sharing about children at risk.
• Please continue to pray that more churches and individuals will join with the ministry of Faces of Children in spreading awareness about children in crisis and inviting more people to pray for children at risk.