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 01/29/14
Cameroon, Nigeria, Burkina Faso, Chad, Central African Republic
• Pray for West African girls who have suffered excruciating pain as well as physical and psychological scarring because of the practice of “breast ironing.” The custom of putting hot stones on the breasts of girls just entering puberty is believed to have started in the 1930s as a way for mothers to protect their daughters from premarital sex, early pregnancy, and rape. Pray for the estimated 1.3 million girls who are victims of this brutal cultural practice.
• Give God thanks for the nationwide campaign in Cameroon that has raised awareness about the harm breast ironing does to developing girls. And thanks be to God there has been a decline in practicing this custom in Cameroon because of the national awareness campaign in schools, churches, and the media. Pray all countries in which breast ironing is practiced will work to raise awareness of the harm it causes.
China
• Give thanks to God for the rescue of six babies who had been sold to traffickers by a doctor. Thank God these little ones were reunited with their parents who had been tricked into giving them up. The doctor convinced parents that their babies had incurable diseases or deformities then sold them to traffickers.
• Pray God will comfort the family of the baby that was ill and thrown into a garbage ditch by traffickers. The baby was never found.
• Pray for the doctor who confessed to this horrific crime and give thanks to God she is being held accountable for her actions. Pray the suspended death sentence she was given will send a strong message to others in the medical community and to traffickers that the practice of selling babies is intolerable.
• Please pray the rampant practice of child trafficking in China will cease. Pray for a change in cultural attitude in communities where there is a traditional bias for male children. Male offspring are considered preferable as they support elderly parents and are heirs to the family name. Pray for an end to the abortion of females and the killing and abandonment of baby girls.
Philipines
• Please continue to keep the children and people of the Philippines in prayer as they deal with the effects of a tropical depression just two months after super typhoon Haiyan struck the country on November 8, 2013. Pray for those made homeless by Haiyan who had to flee emergency shelters when this recent tropical storm destroyed or damaged tarps and tents.
Syria
• Please keep the children and people of Syria close in prayer as the three-year-old conflict between the Syrian government and opposition forces continues. Pray for the 9.3 million Syrians in the country and the 2 million outside of it who are in urgent need of humanitarian aid.
• Pray food and medical aid will reach the estimated 18,000 people living in a Palestinian refugee camp near Damascus that is under siege. Pray for children, youth, and adults who are at risk of starving because their camp has been blocked from receiving humanitarian aid. Pray for those who’ve been surviving on lentils, onions, powdered tomato paste, animal feed, and sometimes, boiled grass. Pray for the loved ones of those, mainly children and elderly people, who have died of hunger or hunger related illnesses.
• Pray for an end to this long-running conflict and for peace and reconciliation between opposing factions.
United States
• Give thanks to God that 14-year-old Dallas was found and the 37-year-old man with whom he ran away was arrested. Pray for healing, peace, and comfort for Dallas during a very difficult season in his life.
Faces of Children
• Please keep Faces of Children prayer partner Allegra Boone and her family close in prayer during their season of sorrow and loss. Pray God will bring them comfort as they mourn the death of Allegra’s husband Bob on December 21, 2013.
• 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
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