Tuesday, August 15, 2017

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 11:30 a.m., in the gym conference room at First Presbyterian Church of Midland, Texas.

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



Dear Intercessors,

I hope you've enjoyed the last few weeks of summer. I certainly did. I enjoyed lots of concentrated time with my little girls and am growing ever more aware of how quickly the time is going. A wise older mother once told me, "The days are long and the years are short." I think of that adage often and can vouch for its truth on both parts!

I trust you have had your heart open to how the Holy Spirit might prompt you to pray for children. And when our hearts are open, He speaks. So if you have any interesting stories to share about your prayer time for children the last few weeks or needs you've noticed, I'd love to hear them.
>br /> As we come back together again, I'd like to invite you to pray for the following matters this week:

Reuters Photo by Navesh Chitrakar
NEPAL // Nepal outlaws custom of exiling women during their periods
A new law brings punishment to anyone enforcing Chhaupadi, an ancient Hindu custom "whereby women are confined to animal sheds during menstruation to keep "impurity" out of the home." "Under the law, introduced as part of a bill aimed at improving the safety of women in Nepal, anyone enforcing the custom will face a three-month jail sentence and a fine of 3,000 Nepalese rupees (about £23). Laws have also been passed against acid attacks and the ancient Hindu custom of demanding a dowry payment for marriage. To allow the authorities time to foster awareness before the crackdown is enforced, the ban on Chhaupadi will not be introduced immediately. "For the next year we will conduct social campaigns to tell the people about this new law," said Krishna Bhakta Pokharel, who headed the parliamentary panel that finalised the bill."   Learn more here ...

Praise God for the efforts of the Nepali government to protect women of all ages from this traditional custom. (Every year, women die as a result of this custom.) Please pray for community leaders and organizations as they seek to educate rural Nepali communities to hopefully change attitudes, bringing a natural end to the custom of Chhaupadi.

Reuters Photo by Sukree Sukplang
SOUTHEAST ASIA // Demand for child webcam sex in Mekong 'outstripping supply'
Demand for sex with children is an emerging cause of human trafficking in the Mekong region, the United Nations said on Thursday, as it pointed to a shift in child sex webcam centres from the Philippines to Thailand. The problem had grown so much that demand for child webcam sex tourism is "outstripping the supply", Deanna Davy, senior research consultant at the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), said at the launch of a new trafficking report in Bangkok. Thailand is a regional hub for the smuggling and trafficking of men, women, and children from poorer neighbouring countries such as Cambodia and Myanmar."   Learn more here ...

Over the last several months, we have been praying for the cyber-sex trafficking happening in the Philippines as we've learned about the issue from IJM. Please pray for the children in neighboring countries to be protected from this evil, and for the efforts that have helped decrease the practice in the Philippines to take root in Thailand. Also, please pray for the tide to turn and for the demand for these services to fall so that fewer children will be vicitimized.

LOCAL // Back to school and "Kids, Cops, and BBQ"
Please pray for children in Midland as they gear up to go back to school. Also, next weekend is the second annual "Kids, Cops, and BBQ" lunch sponsored by Mt. Moriah church and supported by FPC and other friends. This lunch is aimed at providing school supplies to kids in Mt. Moriah's neighborhood and building relationships and breaking down barriers between the police officers and ethnic minority community members. If you're local and want to know how you can be involved or attend, let me know! And please pray the event is a success!

Praying with you,
Carrie

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



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

No comments: