Faces of Children: Prayer Concerns for This Week

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 11/19/14

China

• Please hold 2-month-old Esther close in prayer during a very difficult season of her young life. Esther was born with a gastrointestinal defect and abandoned at a local orphanage when she was 11 days old.
• Give thanks to God the orphanage at which Esther was placed brought her to New Day Foster Home after hearing they’d been able to help other children with the same condition. Shortly after she was moved to New Day, Esther underwent a Kasai procedure in order to delay the need for a liver transplant; however, the procedure didn’t work.
• Pray God will bring healing to Esther’s little body as she is in liver failure and without a miracle, will not survive much longer. She is currently in ICU.
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France

• Please keep in prayer the estimated 2,000 migrants living in and around the French port of Calais. Pray for children and families (many of whom escaped from countries torn apart by war or political instability) who now live in dreadful conditions like muddy fields, wet ditches, makeshift tents, and abandoned buildings. French authorities say there’s been a 50 percent increase in the number of illegal immigrants in Calais this past year because of the conflicts in Syria, Afghanistan, Sudan, and Eritrea as well as other parts of the Middle East and North Africa.
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• Pray for the 10-year-old Syrian boy living in a rain-soaked ditch who was infested with scabies. Pray God will provide him and the other Syrian boys and young men living in these appalling conditions with safe shelter, medical care, food and water, and warm clothing as the winter approaches.
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• Pray for all migrant children and families in Calais who lack sufficient food, drinking water, proper shelter, clothing, and sanitation. Pray for those who are at risk of further violence and brutality because of their vulnerable situations. Pray for the safety of those in danger of being trafficked.
• Give thanks to God for the local charities in Calais that are providing clothing and food. Thanks be to God for the staff and volunteers with Doctors of the World who are treating migrants for health problems including scabies, diarrhea, chest complaints, and respiratory ailments.

Iraq

• Please remember in prayer the loved ones of those massacred earlier this month in western Anbar province by Islamic State militants (IS also known as ISIS or ISIL). This radical terrorist group, intent on establishing a medieval caliphate in northern Iraq and Syria, destroys anyone and anything in its path. More than 300 members of the Albu Nimr tribe were executed by IS militants. The bodies of 50 Albu Nimr children and women were found dumped in a well.
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• Pray for the members of this tribal group who were able to escape from IS. Pray for their safety as they seek shelter outside their village which has been taken over by IS. Pray for the children and families of other tribal groups in the militants’ path in Anbar province.
• Please continue to pray for peace and stability in this region. Pray for the safety and freedom of all minorities targeted by IS militants.

Nigeria

• Continue to keep in prayer the children and families affected by the frequent and violent attacks of Boko Haram rebels. This radical Islamist group uses brutal means—daily raids, murders, and abductions—in their campaign to establish an Islamic Sharia state in northeast Nigeria. They primarily target Christians and those who seek an education. Boko Haram means “Western education is forbidden."
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• Pray for the families and friends of the 46 students killed in a bomb blast last week at a secondary school for boys in northeast Nigeria. Pray for God’s healing touch upon those who were injured in the bombing.
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• Please continue to pray for children and families who’ve been affected by Boko Haram’s violent campaign. Pray for those who’ve had loved ones killed or injured in attacks by this militant group. Pray for children and families who have lost their homes and communities. Pray God will provide for their immediate and deepest needs.
• Please continue to pray for peace in Nigeria’s troubled northeast region. Pray for Nigeria’s government and military leaders during this challenging season. Pray for wisdom and courage to do the right thing for their fellow Nigerians, especially the children of this fractured country.

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.

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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