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 11/11/11

KENYA/ETHIOPIA - Pray for the thousands of Somali refugees crossing into Kenya and Ethiopia seeking help. Pray for children and parents who have walked for weeks to reach northern Kenya and Dadaab, the world’s largest refugee camp.
• Pray for children who have witnessed incredible devastation on their journey to Dadaab: empty villages, piles of dead animals, dying people, and an unbroken trail of bodies from their home villages to the Kenyan refugee camp.
• Pray for Kenyans who are overwhelmed by the massive influx of Somali refugees. Many are afraid these refugees may never go home because of the chaos and violence in their home country
A report from the New York Times

NORTH KOREA - Please hold close in prayer the severely malnourished children of North Korea. Pray for God’s healing touch upon each of these vulnerable ones. Pray they receive the medical and nutritional care they desperately need. Pray that all children in North Korea suffering from food scarcity and malnutrition will receive assistance quickly.
• Please pray that the truth about North Korea’s food situation will come to light. North Korean leaders have requested humanitarian assistance claiming a harsh winter, heavy rains, and summer floods and typhoons destroyed crops. Outside investigators disagree and claim the reclusive country came through that experience better than expected.
A report from Reuters/AlertNet
• Pray that whatever distribution of food aid coming into North Korea will be done with transparency and fairness. Pray donated food aid won’t be siphoned off for the military or ruling elite

THAILAND - Please keep the children of Thailand held close in prayer as the worst flooding in 50 years continues throughout large parts of the country. About one third of the country has been affected by flooding caused by heavy monsoon rains that started in late July.
A report from the BBC
• Pray for the one million Thais whose homes flooded weeks ago—many still remain flooded. Pray for children who are unable to continue their education because schools and streets are flooded. Pray for parents who are unable to work because fields or factories are flooded. Pray for those who are running out of food and clean water because store shelves are bare or food/water sources are contaminated by flood water.
• Please keep the NightLight staff and volunteers held close in prayer as they move furniture, electronic equipment, jewelry, and perishable goods to the top floors of their buildings in preparation for the floodwaters to enter Bangkok. Pray for the women and children this ministry serves as they are even more vulnerable in times of widespread crisis and unemployment. Many of the women who make jewelry at NightLight live in areas that have already been flooded. NightLight web site
• Pray for those in Christian ministries in Thailand ... that God will give them vision, guidance, and divine strategies to bring healing and restoration to this country after the floodwaters recede.

TURKEY - Please pray for people affected by the October 23, 7.2 magnitude earthquake that hit the northern part of Turkey in the Kurdish heartland. A report from Reuters/AlertNet
• Pray for children, teenagers, and adults still trapped in the rubble of thousands of flattened buildings. Give God thanks for the rescue of a 2-week-old baby girl, her mother, and grandmother from one of the damaged buildings.
• Pray for rescue personnel working hard in cold weather and pouring rain to locate and remove victims. Pray that medical care will be available to all of those injured in the quake and its aftershocks.
• Pray for children who witnessed the death or injury of a parent, grandparent, sibling, or friend. Pray for God’s comforting peace to be with them all during this frightening time.
• Pray for the thousands who have been left homeless by the earthquake and for those who are afraid to stay in their houses because of aftershocks. Pray that tents and temporary housing will arrive soon in this region to provide homeless children and families with shelter during this cold and rainy season—winter snows are less than a month away. Pray that warm clothing, sleeping bags, blankets, water, and food will be delivered to each family in need.

FACES OF CHILDREN - Keep Abram, the 5-year-old nephew of a Faces of Children prayer partner, held close in prayer as he recovers from surgery to implant a pacemaker in his heart. Pray for Abram’s healing and for a complete recovery
• 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.
• If you have prayer requests about children, those who care for them, those who have authority over them, or those who harm them (the really hard prayers to say sometimes), please send them to Chris Laufer, FOC Coordinator, at claufer@facesofchildren.net