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 07/24/14
China
New Day Foster Home in China provides a loving home and life-saving surgeries for special needs babies and toddlers. A loyal support base, dedicated staff, and caring volunteers provide for children who’ve been orphaned or abandoned (often because their families cannot afford the extensive medical care that’s needed). New Day’s dedicated nannies provide day-to-day care for these little ones, even when they are hospitalized. Nannies stay with hospitalized children 24 hours a day, seven days a week, unless they are in an intensive care unit. The conditions for these remarkable women aren’t always comfortable, yet they sacrifice that comfort to care for a critically ill child or one who’s recently come through surgery. These dedicated nannies also provide emotional support and love for hospitalized children going through traumatic medical experiences.
• Give God thanks for the dedicated staff and volunteers with New Day Foster Home. Please pray God will continue to encourage and sustain them for this challenging work.
• Thanks be to God for the remarkable nannies who come alongside hospitalized children in their suffering and pain…who lovingly care for New Day children in and out of the hospital.
• Please continue to pray God will provide the resources this organization needs to care for babies and toddlers with special needs. Pray God will provide for children at New Day who need complicated, expensive surgeries in order to survive. Pray for each child at New Day and give thanks to God they are in a safe and loving environment
Israel, Palestine
On June 12, 16-year-old Naftali Fraenkel (a dual U.S.-Israeli citizen), 16-year-old Gilad Shaar, and 19-year-old Eyal Yifrach were headed home from schools in the Israeli-occupied West Bank when they were kidnapped then murdered. Israel’s government blamed the militant Islamist group Hamas who denied any part in the killings. In what may have been a retaliatory act, a 16-year-old Palestinian boy, Mohammad Abu Khadeir, was kidnapped and murdered two days after the Israeli teens’ bodies were discovered. Residents of Khadeir’s neighborhood accused Jewish settlers of his murder.
The murder of these four young people has aggravated relationships between Israel and Palestine and escalated the violence. Hamas continues to fire rockets and mortars on Israel. And Israeli troops continue to execute air strikes and ground attacks on Hamas targets. To date, 271 Palestinians have been killed, including children, in the Israeli offensive. Forty thousand people have been displaced from their homes in Gaza because of the escalated violence. Israel’s defense system has intercepted hundreds of rockets fired by Hamas, preventing major casualties and deaths in Israel. To date, one Israeli civilian and one soldier have been killed.
• Give thanks to God for the lives of these four young men. Pray God will bring healing and joy out of this tragedy. Pray God will comfort the families of these teens and grant them peace.
• Pray for justice for the four young men. Pray their killers will be held accountable. Pray for those who took the lives of these four teens…several of the alleged killers are teens themselves.
• Pray for children in Israel and Palestine who are fearful and afraid because of the violence around them. Please pray God will protect their bodies from harm and their hearts from hatred during this season of brutality.
• Pray for children who have lost loved ones in the conflict. Pray for those whose homes have been destroyed by rockets or bombs. Pray for children and families injured in attacks on their communities.
• Please pray for a ceasefire between Israeli and Palestinian forces. Pray for peace to prevail between these warring nations. Pray for peace and healing throughout this troubled region. Give God thanks for the peace initiative led by Muslims and Jews who seek an end to the violence in their land.
Faces of Children
• Please keep Hannah, the daughter of Faces of Children prayer partner Steve Schorr, close in prayer as she prepares to leave for Israel. Pray God will guide her as she begins teaching Muslim and Christian middle school students in a Christian school in Jerusalem next month. Pray God will fill Hannah’s parents with the peace that surpasses all understanding as she serves in this tense, unpredictable region. Give thanks to God for Hannah’s deep desire to share Christ’s message of love and peacemaking with a troubled world.
• 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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