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 2/16/11

Australia
• Please pray for the children and people of Australia’s Queensland state as they recover from severe flooding that left the state capital of Brisbane looking like a war zone. Also pray for those in the Toowoomba and Lockyer Valley regions, west of the capital, who lost homes, businesses, and schools in flooding caused by heavy rains.
A report from Reuters/alertnet
• Pray for those affected by Tropical Cyclone Yasi, a massive tropical storm that struck North Queensland on February 2. This powerful storm, on the scale of Hurricane Katrina, was the largest to hit Australia since Europeans first settled there.
A report from The Guardian
A report from CNN

Ivory Coast, Liberia
• Please keep the displaced children of the Ivory Coast held close in prayer as they are at great risk of sexual exploitation or recruitment by armed forces following the disputed presidential elections in November 2010. Pray for the 30,000 who have been displaced and crossed into Liberia and for the 18,000 who are internally displaced. More than 75 percent of these groups are children and women.
• Please pray for the safety of children living in refugee camps and IDP (internally displaced person) camps. Pray they will have access to health care and education. Pray that children who have been separated from their parents will find protection and a safe haven. Pray that they might be reunited with their parents.
• Pray for a peaceful resolution to the political crisis in the Ivory Coast. Pray for an end to the political violence and for physical and emotional healing of all involved.
A report from Reuters/alertnet
Another report from Reuters/alertnet

Kenya (Naomi’s Village naomisvillage.com )
• Pray for the children that have come to live at Naomi’s Village in Kenya … for 6-month-old Tony, 7-year-old Millicent, 5-year-old Stella, 4-year-old Kevin, 5-year-old Mary, 9-year-old Evelyne, 9-year-old Mary, 8-year-old Zakayo, 3-year-old John, 9-year-old Paul, 6-year-old Dennis, and Joshua. Pray for healing for Joshua and Stella as they have been running fever and coughing. Pray that the rest of the children won’t catch this illness.
• Please continue to be in prayer for the staff and volunteers with Naomi’s Village as they bring more children into the new orphanage. Pray for discernment and God’s guidance as they make difficult decisions. Pray for the children God is bringing to Naomi’s Village.

Pakistan
• Pray for children and people in Pakistan who remain homeless more than six months after devastating flooding destroyed or damaged their homes. Last July, monsoon floods inundated more than a fifth of Pakistan, killing 2,000 and affecting more than 18 million people. Pray for adequate shelter for the estimated 850,000 people who are without it this winter season. Pray that humanitarian aid will reach those living in makeshift camps and shelters.
A report from Reuters/alertnet

United States
• Give God thanks and praise that 14-year-old Elizabeth is doing so well following her health scare several months ago. Thanks be to God that the lesions on her hands and the fever dissipated after a week and thank God that her heart is doing exceptionally well. Please continue to keep this special needs young woman in prayer as she will most always have long-term fatigue from genetic abnormalities that affected her brain development. Pray for Elizabeth’s family as they negotiate the chronic day-to-day struggles that sometimes seem harder than periods of acute care.
A report from caringbridge.org
• Pray for parents who make poor decisions that endanger the lives of their children. Pray for those who ignore travel warnings and continue to drive in blizzard conditions or remain in their snowbound cars instead of staying in shelters. Pray for emergency rescue workers and volunteers whose lives are also endangered by the lack of common sense of these parents.

Faces of Children
• 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.