Invitation to Prayer from Faces of Children ... TODAY

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).

Invitation to Prayer, TODAY

Hi Friends,

Thank you for joining me in prayer for the children of the world. If you can, we'd love to have you pray together with us this Wednesday - TODAY - at 11:30 a.m., in the gym conference room at First Presbyterian Church of Midland, Texas, followed by lunch together.

Also, Faces of Children is now on Facebook ! I invite you to like our page so that you can see regular stories, prayer needs, and updates from partner ministries.

All the best,

Carrie

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Dear Intercessors,

This past week the world paused for a moment to recognize International Day of the Girl on October 11.

This short video produced by The Guardian newspaper explains some of what girls face around the world today ...




• More female babies are aborted than males.
• You have less chance of being educated than if you were a boy.
• Twice as many girls as boys will never start school.

The list goes on and on, covering every stage of a young woman's life.

But it isn't limited to the other side of the world. In our own culture, we've heard the man who may become our next president caught on a hot microphone speaking of women in deeply degrading and lewd ways

Around the world, females face dangers and deprivations often unknown to males, but as followers of Jesus, we know that women are no different then men. We are all created in the image of God. Girls are image bearers of the Holy God, and deserve to be treated as such. This week I'd like to invite you to join me in praying for girls around the world ...

Guardian Photo

MYANMAR // Facing overwhelming poverty in their hometowns, young Chin women have increasingly left the country to serve as household help in other countries. But a few high-profile cases of young women being unpaid and held against their will from returning home has caused the Myanmar government to impose a temporary ban on young women seeking domestic employment abroad. However, "with few economic opportunities at home, the number of women leaving to get jobs abroad as domestic workers has not abated and more do so illegally, prompting calls for the newly appointed government of Aung San Suu Kyi to lift the ban." Even knowing the risks, some young women like 15-year-old Van Biak, pictured below, still want the opportunity to go abroad to try and support their families. Learn more here ...

Please pray for these women to find ways to provide for their families in their own countries and to be protected from traffickers. And for those who have already moved, please pray for their protection, just and dignified treatment and opportunities to leave their positions if they wish to leave. Amen.

USA and UGANDA // Please be praying for our church's Uganda Mission team as they serve with Dr. Bartha. They left on October 13 and will spend 2 weeks in Uganda. As part of their trip, they will be taking nearly 40 cloth feminine hygiene "Days for Girls" kits to distribute to young women served by Dr. Bartha's clinics. In addition to distributing these washable and reusable kits, our team will also be providing training on health, hygiene and safety to the kit recipients.

DFG Image

Father, we pray that just as we know you are near the brokenhearted in Haiti, you also hold the people of Florida and the southeastern USA close to your heart. Please be with them in the weeks to come as they deal with the devastation left in the hurricane's wake. In particular, we lift up the children who needed to evacuate and may come home to a drastically different landscape. Give them peace and comfort in the weeks to come. Amen.

GLOBAL // We continue to pray for children in Syria, Iraq, Sudan, Yemen, and other war-torn areas around the world. We pray for children who are hungry and slowly starving to death due to military blockades and rations. We pray for children who have witnessed violence and know what it's like to fall asleep with bombs falling in the distance. We pray for children who have never been able to go to school because it is too dangerous to leave their apartments.

Around the developing world, girls often miss school due to their menstrual cycle because they do not have the supplies they need to enable them to participate in normal daily activities. But these kits change that! Poverty cycles can be broken when girls stay in school!

Please be praying for the young women who receive the kits our team will bring. Pray that they will be allowed to remain in school until they finish their studies. (Some Days for Girls reports indicate that after receiving a kit, Ugandan girls' monthly absentee rates from school fall from 25 percent to 3 percent!) Pray that the girls are protected from abuse, violence, early marriages and other dangers that often plague vulnerable young women. And pray for them to know they are seen, known, and loved by God. Amen.

Praying with you,

Carrie

Carrie J. McKean
Faces of Children Director
First Presbyterian Church of Midland, Texas
(432) 684-7821 x153

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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 info@facesofchildren.net