Invitation to Prayer from Faces of Children ... Tomorrow

Faces of Children is an ecumenical prayer ministry under the auspices of First Presbyterian Church of Midland, Texas. Their mission is to initiate ministries of prayer for children in churches, communities, and neighborhoods. In doing so, they 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 ... Tomorrow

Hi Friends,

If you're in town and free, please join us to pray together on Wednesday at 11:00 a.m., in the gym conference room at First Presbyterian Church of Midland, Texas.

Please note the new time. We are trying this for one semester so that we have less time conflict with the new women's Bible study that is starting on Wednesdays at 11:30.

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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He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds. Psalm 147:3

Dear Intercessors,

This week is full of heavy news. Perhaps nothing as headline-grabbing as a hurricane, but as I sat down to think about what has transpired the last 7 days, I found my attention turned towards the hidden and pervasive challenges facing our world. I keep picturing humanity walking through a swamp, legs sinking in, making each step more difficult than the last. For so many communities around the world, life must feel like that sort of slow slog through muck and grime. Whether its a swamp of addiction, global indifference, or the long-simmering effects of poverty, children struggle to find their way to solid ground. This week, even as we continue to pray for the survivors of Hurricanes Irma and Harvey, will you also join me in praying for some of the corners and situations in the world where people's pain and sorrow go far more unnoticed and disregarded?

USA // Seven Days of Heroin

cincinnati.com Image

In one week in one region of the USA, more than 200 heroin users were jailed, 180 overdosed, 18 died and 15 babies were born addicted to heroin. Heroin and synthetic opiates kill 1 American every 16 minutes. The statistics are mind-boggling, but a team of reporters in central Ohio did a phenomenal job of making the impossible-to-understand deeply personal, chronicling one week in the lives of people caught up in the crisis. From addicts to law enforcement to foster families and prisons, they chronicled the high human and social cost of this epidemic. See the compelling report here ...

Please pray this week especially for the children who are born addicted to heroin. Pray for those children who are raised in chaotic and dangerous environments. Pray for more families who will step into fostering and adopting these children and hopefully help change the trajectory of their future.

Bangladesh and Myanmar // Rohingya Babies Dying

Associated Press Photo by Dar Yasin

More than 400 babies have been born in the no man's land between the borders of Bangladesh and Myanmar in the past 15 days as 400,000 Rohingya people have fled from the violence, house burnings and gunfire in Rakhine state. The Rohingya are trapped. Myanmar's military has blamed insurgents for the latest round of violence. The UN has called the situation a "humanitarian disaster" and aid agencies are overwhelmed. About 80% of those fleeing are women and children - and there are babies being born along the way. Caught between two countries - and welcome by neither - Suraiya Sultan, 25, is one of those new mothers. She was waiting in a 500-yard-long strip of mud when she went into labour. As her contractions increased, Border Guard Bangladesh(BGB) took her on to a boat, where she gave birth to her daughter, Ayesha, under a makeshift sari canopy. Sick and exhausted, mother and baby were taken to the Nayapara camp to seek medical assistance. Camp officer Mohd Mominul Haq said they had received many others in a similar position and that their condition was "critical". "We are trying our best to help them, but the situation is beyond our capacity," he said. Mothers have died during childbirth; others gave birth only to watch helplessly as their newborns died from sickness and poor camp conditions." Read more here ...

There are really no words to express the depth of sorrow God's heart must feels at the treatment of his children. Please pray for these mothers and fathers who are watching their newborn babies die. May we let our hearts weep with those who weep and mourn the loss of each precious life. Please pray for supernatural protection for these mothers and children, and may those who seek to help them be strengthened, empowered and have their resources miraculously multiplied before their very eyes.

GLOBAL // The First 1,000 Days

Guardian Image

We are aware of the importance of healthy food and clean water in the growth and development of children, but if you're like me, you might tend to think that even if a child has been deprived of such things, any negative impact can be remedied if we can correct the problem. But that isn't always the case. The first 1,000 days of a child's life can set a lifelong trajectory. "Good nutrition, healthcare and sanitation are crucial to a child's early development. Without these, a child's brain won't develop properly. They will have a lower IQ and they will grow up shorter than they should, a condition known as stunting." Learn more and watch a brief video here ...

Without God's healing hand at work, these problems can feel overwhelming and impossible to correct. Please pray for God to heal children from the impacts of stunting and prevent what could be generational cycles of poor education and continued poverty. Pray for groups working to provide clean water and nutritious food; pray for God to help them steward their resources wisely in order to make the most meaningful impact.

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