China

China is in the midst of amazing changes. Beyond the economic shift that has lifted hundreds of millions out of poverty, beyond the positive changes that the further opening of the country has brought, the Church in China is signalling a massive change in this, the world’s largest population. Christians in China now almost certainly exceed 100 million. They are present in all regions of the country and come from all walks of life. They love their country and have ambitious visions to see it transformed by the power of the gospel. The government, traditionally a ruthless persecutor of the Church, now recognizes the positive social impact Christians can make and increasingly accepts the reality that the Church in China is there to stay – and will play a major role in shaping the country’s future.

Leprosy and blindness

Among those that OW want us to pray for in India today are two categories with staggering statistics:

Leprosy sufferers, of which there are 150,000 new cases every year. Leprosy originated in India. It still possesses the majority of the world’s cases, and there are over 1,000 leper colonies in India. Christian agencies work with them, in particular TLM (18 leprosy hospitals and around 100 projects).

[Wikipedia says leprosy currently affects approximately a quarter of a million people throughout the world, with 70% of these cases occurring in India. Cases there have decreased dramatically from 5,000,000 cases in 1985 to 213,000 cases in 2009. This significant decrease is largely due to the effectiveness of multi-drug therapy (MDT) that was developed in 1981. The prevalence of leprosy in India is now less than 1 case in 10,000 individuals, meeting the WHO criteria for leprosy elimination. Yet the WHO criterion for elimination is not met in all areas of the country; rural areas and urban slums continue to experience up to five times the number of leprosy cases as the national average.]

The blind. As many as 15 million people in India are blind (and another 50 million visually impaired) – this is nearly 40% of the world’s total. Of these cases, 70% would be preventable were there sufficient doctors and optometrists. Braille is an under-utilized tool. Agencies with ministry to blind people are Mission to the Blind, India Fellowship for Visually Handicapped and Torch Trust for the Blind. Compass Braille is an agency specializing in producing Braille Scriptures in Indian languages by means of computer. Christian audio resources such as Megavoice, Proclaimer and others are vital for reaching and discipling India's blind people.

Needs in Honduras

Operation World urges prayer today for Honduras, a place with many problems. They note that

Socio-economic problems are widespread and deeply entrenched. At the root of most problems lies endemic and lasting poverty, affecting up to 80% of the population. Pray for these issues:

a) Children at risk. More than half of Honduras’ population are children, the majority living in poverty. Destitution drives them to desperate measures.

i Illegal emigration. Thousands of children attempt to cross to the USA to find family members working there. Usually, they end up incarcerated in Guatemala or Mexico – in terrible conditions.

ii Pepenadores, or garbage dump children, are more prevalent in Honduras than in any nation in the Americas.

iii Street children, numbering in the thousands, are often exterminated as a nuisance by ruthless groups in the name of social cleansing.

iv Vice and crime. Many of the above groups and others get swept up by organized crime and exploited as gang members and sex workers.

b) Powerful gangs known as maras are made up mostly of youth, but have massive influence and power in Honduran society. They are becoming more violent and ruthless and are linking up with drug cartels using Honduras as a transshipment point. The government is waging an increasingly intense war against these groups for whom kidnapping, extortion and assault are the main activities.

c) AIDS has decimated the population. Honduras is home to 60% of Central America’s AIDS cases. Poverty, ignorance, a widespread sex industry, a macho culture and the Catholic stance against contraception all contribute to its rapid growth. Pray for moral courage and an educational shift among Hondurans to halt the spread of AIDS.

d) The devastation of Hurricane Mitch continues to blight Honduras. Many towns, villages and churches were virtually destroyed. The needs after 10 years are to re-establish both infrastructure and self-sustaining industries. Pray for all involved (World Relief, Tearfund, WVI, Lutheran World Relief, others).

Some Prayer Requests

Malinke Tribes (W Africa). Did you read your Bible this morning? Most Malinke people didn’t. Those who did probably read it in a trade language like Bambara or French. Most of the Malinke subgroups we are praying for this month need their own Bible translation. Once that is accomplished, someone can produce other Christian materials in their languages as well.
As you read this, there is a team working on a Bible translation for one of the Malinke peoples. A good part of their time is spent taking care of daily business of cooking, cleaning, educating the children, and building relationships with Malinkes. Unlike you and me, they face the daily challenges of living in an African town where electricity is not available, so they have to rely on solar power.
To do what they are doing requires a tremendous amount of perseverance. It will take many years to complete this Bible translation, and even when the work is done, there is no guarantee that people will accept it or read it.
In addition, the Bible translation team has faced significant spiritual opposition over the years, causing the work to be slow and threatening its continued progress.

Zimbabwe. Around the world there are 16 million children under the age of 18 who have lost one or both parents Zimbabwe alone has an astonishing 1 million children orphaned by AIDS. Please pray for children who have been affected by HIV/AIDS, whether they are living with the disease or have lost parents from it. Of these children, barely one quarter attend school. Pray that their communities would be able to care for them and give them access to basic needs such as food, education and health care.

Korea. In August 2011 a South Korean pastor died in a suspected poison needle attack after smuggling runaways from North Korea to safety. Christians in North Korea are thought to number at least 400,000, but they are cruelly persecuted: they live in constant danger of imprisonment and torture in the regime’s notoriously brutal labour camps, and even of execution. Those who try to help them escape across the border do so at the risk of their lives. Pray for deliverance for our brothers and sisters in their distress, and that the Lord will protect those Christians in neighbouring countries who reach out to help them.

Pray for Asia

Operation World urges us to pray today for Asia

Answer to Prayer

China is in the midst of amazing changes. Beyond the economic shift that has lifted hundreds of millions out of poverty, beyond the positive changes that the further opening of the country has brought, the Church in China is signalling a massive change in this, the world’s largest population. Christians in China now almost certainly exceed 100 million. They are present in all regions of the country and come from all walks of life. They love their country and have ambitious visions to see it transformed by the power of the gospel. The government, traditionally a ruthless persecutor of the Church, now recognizes the positive social impact Christians can make and increasingly accepts the reality that the Church in China is there to stay – and will play a major role in shaping the country’s future.
For an additional 8 Answers to Prayer see Operation World book, CD-ROM, or DVD-ROM.

Challenge for Prayer

The Himalayas region simmers with tension. The conflict over Kashmir is the most intractable of problems, with Pakistan and India (and China) holding conflicting claims over territory. The Kashmir dispute has profoundly shaped Pakistan’s domestic and foreign policies, has provoked an arms race between Pakistan and India and has already resulted in four wars. China and India are in dispute over territorial claims not just in Kashmir but also in Arunachal Pradesh and Ladakh. Strife also exists over India’s hosting of the Tibetan government-in-exile and in Tibet itself. Add to this the Nepal Civil War of 1996-2006 (and continuing tensions), and you have a region filled with potential flashpoints.
For an additional 8 Challenges for Prayer see Operation World book, CD-ROM, or DVD-ROM.

Human trafficking

I came across this on the Operation World website today. It's disturbing.

Human trafficking is the illegal commerce in human beings for the purposes of commercial sexual exploitation or forced labour - a modern-day form of slavery. It is the fastest-growing criminal industry in the world, and tied with the illegal arms industry as the second largest after the drug-trade. Today there are between 12 and 27 million people trapped in forced labour, bonded labour and sexual slavery in the world. Nearly 80% of those trafficked are used for sexual exploitation.

In 2009, the World Evangelical Alliance (WEA) created a taskforce on human trafficking in an effort to raise awareness on this issue. The aim of the taskforce is to prevent and combat trafficking by developing strategic and effective actions and tools that will help equip local churches and their leaders to become responsive to the victims of human trafficking.

Answers to Prayer

Compassionate men and women have created businesses that offer a future and a hope to people who need a means to support themselves. Vocational training and the development of businesses which embrace God's purposes - and the women and men He has created - are key to prevention and an essential part of restoration for those vulnerable to and victimized by human trafficking.

There is an increase in anti-trafficking legislation in countries around the world. Pray for the just and consistent application of such legislation, adequate training for officers of the court and the political will and courage to see prosecutions to trial. Trafficking rings are often connected to very powerful and influential organized crime rings.

Challenges for Prayer

Human trafficking is accelerating globally. The trade in human beings has now surpassed drug smuggling as one of the most profitable businesses in the world. A disproportionate number of women are involved in human trafficking, not only as victims but also as traffickers. Female offenders have a far more prominent role in present-day slavery than in most other forms of crime. Pray for both the trapped and the traffickers, especially former victims who have become perpetrators. Pray that God would frustrate the efforts of those who make a living from the suffering of others.

Labour exploitation. Men are victims of trafficking, too. Many countries allow employers to seize the passports of their employees, increasing vulnerability to human rights and labour violations. Also, up to 10-15% of those working in prostitution in Thailand are men, a number of whom have been trafficked for such purposes.

Internal trafficking is growing inside many countries, making it much more difficult to identify victims and prosecute offenders. China is particularly culpable in this area; true figures for internal trafficking are substantial but undocumented, but most of the girls have been trafficked from other areas in China. Traffickers themselves report that it only usually takes one month to keep a girl under tight restrictions and then she is broken and surrenders herself to her captivity. There are currently around seven million prostitutes in China alone, and research has found that 80% of them were trafficked or forced in some way when they first started. A new trend is the appetite for girls 14-15 years old. The trade in virginity is very profitable in much of Asia. Traffickers employ handsome young men to bring the girls in; this lover then gets a cut from the girl’s income. A large part of the overall problem faced is corruption. Traffickers and brothel owners will be arrested but face small sentences and, with the right connections, can pay themselves out. Those who perpetrate such exploitation often have no understanding of just how wrong what they do is.

Sex tourism is burgeoning as the global financial crisis makes travel to some areas of the world a bargain at the same time that unemployment and growing desperation make women, children and families even more vulnerable to exploitation. Pray for the following specific situations.

Girls and sometimes boys in India are married to gods at an early age and end up in brothels. Many contract HIV/AIDS and die very early - by age 15 or 16. Is it another form of human sacrifice? Pray for the spiritual dimensions of this destructive practice to be broken by God. Even 8-year-old girls are for sale now in places. Pray for rescue of the children involved.

The demand for prostitution in Thailand must cease. Thailand draws vulnerable women and girls into its borders to satisfy Thai men, foreign sex tourists and "expatriates" alike. Contrary to what is most visible, the vast majority of prostitution in Thailand (over 90%) caters to Thai clients. Presently most ministries reach out to those women and men working as prostitutes who service foreign clients. Pray that God might raise up ministries, especially Thai-led, to those men and women servicing Thai clients. Pray that the Church would take a stand for sexual purity. Pray that public policy makers would implement justice and effective policy that addresses those who use prostitutes, and not just the sex workers themselves. Widespread corruption within the police and government helps to perpetuate this ubiquitous structure of wickedness.

Eastern Europe and the Central Asian states situated on the Silk Road are highly vulnerable to sex trafficking. A combination of poverty, lack of moral grounding, strong organized crime rings and weak governments work to exploit tens of thousands of women. While every Eastern European country struggles with this challenge, it is mainly though Kyrgyzstan that trafficking of girls from the whole of Central Asia occurs to the Gulf States, Turkey and Europe. One large problem faced is corruption in state structures which prevents their effectiveness in combating trafficking. Churches are young and unaware of the problem, and they are not ready, able or willing to actively press for solutions. The political situation in the country does not currently allow for government collaboration on this issue.

The hidden nature to prostitution and trafficking in the US, Western Europe and other developed nations needs to be brought into the light. There is a lack of awareness regarding the connections between prostitution and trafficking, as well as the degree to which most cities and neighbourhoods house trafficking activity. Western culture has become so accepting of the exploitation of sex and sexuality that the danger exists of making prostitution and sexual degradation normative.

Praise God that more churches, organizations and even governments are beginning to combat the global demand for commercial sexual and labour exploitation. Pray that God would change the hearts of those who commodify others for their own gain.

Victims returning to their homes and countries of origin experience ongoing difficulties in reintegration. Leaving prostitution and trafficking is not only incredibly difficult but complex and often requires a huge amount of support. Pray that families would not shun daughters that society tells them are ruined. Pray also that the Church would become a family to those feeling without help or hope. The global Church, operating locally, can be a powerful force in the battle against human trafficking, and for the restoration of its victims. Pray for the faithful Christians who leave their homes to visit dark streets and give hope and help to women forced to sell their bodies, and for the believers committed to walk and work as their companions on the long journey of restoration.

Christian response to the issues surrounding human trafficking and the people involved varies by country. Pray for the following specific situations, which are just a few prominent examples among many:

Spain. Thank God for evangelical Christians in Spain who approached the major political parties in their country to ask what they were planning to do about prostitution. "If you will draft a legislation that is good for women in Spain," the Christians were told, "we will bring it to Parliament." Pray for continued governmental co-operation and for legislation that bears good results.

India. Christians and churches in India are making conscious efforts to address issues related to prostitution and human trafficking, but it has been a struggle at every stage. While there are positive signs of redemption and rehabilitation for victims, there is still a struggle to help the Christian community accept these rehabilitated people and especially arrange marriages for the young adults. The Indian Church has not fully welcomed them into fellowship in many places.

United Kingdom. We praise God for those churches - particularly the emerging ones - that are making conscious efforts to fully accept those formerly caught in trafficking rings and to disciple them. There are over 60 church-based projects that provide this and other support across the UK. Despite the increased awareness of the problem, however, many of these projects are laying off staff due to lack of funds. Please pray for a well-equipped and sustainable Christian outreach to flourish.

Philippines. Pray for more labourers to reach out to the hundreds of thousands of women, men and children trapped in prostitution in the Philippines. Pray also for the few Christian organizations already working there: Kalinga Ministry, YWAM-Olongapo, RENEW Foundation, FOCUS, Samaritana, Sinalikway Outreach, Christian Cultural Development Foundation and Sinag.

We follow the Son of Man, who came to seek and to save the lost. As we pursue His purposes in these dark places, we can be confident that the darkness has not, and will not, overcome Him.

With thanks to contributing author, Jennifer Tunehag.

Countries with the most Protestants

I found this info here What I really wanted was the statistics for evangelical population that I saw on the OW site but that has now disappeared.

1 United States: 82,283,895

2 United Kingdom: 36,000,000

3 Nigeria: 34,124,577

4 South Africa: 30,154,013

5 Brazil: 27,916,919

6 Germany: 27,065,000

7 Korea, South: 16,550,000

8 China: 15,675,766

9 Indonesia: 14,276,459

10 Kenya: 12,855,244

11 Uganda: 9,544,319

12 Canada: 9,513,462

13 Philippines: 8,785,747

14 Sweden: 7,741,526

15 Australia: 7,634,366

16 India: 7,561,851

17 Venezuela: 7,358,832

18 Ethiopia: 7,305,328

19 Ghana: 6,939,852

20 Mexico: 6,372,174

21 Netherlands: 5,414,472

22 Tanzania: 5,147,290

23 Denmark: 4,943,425

24 Guatemala: 4,836,212

25 Madagascar: 4,510,085

26 Finland: 4,445,149

27 Malawi: 4,316,418

28 Mozambique: 4,269,475

29 Zimbabwe: 4,206,507

30 Norway: 4,133,737

Countries with the most Christians

Operation World seems to have dropped its charts but elsewhere (Wikipedia) I have found this list of nations wit the most professing Christians (not evangelicals but Christians of all sorts). This is not the list I saw on OW which haf Nicaragua near the top if I remember correctly.

Countries with the greatest proportion of Christians from Christianity by country (as of 2008):

1. Vatican City 100% (100% Roman Catholic)
2. Federated States of Micronesia ~100%
3. Samoa ~100%
4. Panama ~ 100%
5. Romania 99%
6. East Timor 99% (90% Roman Catholic)
7. Bolivia 98.1% (95% Roman Catholic)
8. Venezuela 98% (mostly Roman Catholic)
9. Marshall Islands 97.2%
10. Peru 97.1%
11. Paraguay 96.9% (mostly Roman Catholic)
12. Papua New Guinea 96.4%
13. Kiribati 96%
14. Angola +95%
15. Barbados +95%
16. Cyprus 95% (mostly Greek Orthodox)
17. Mexico 95% (mostly Roman Catholic)
18. Malta 95%
19. Colombia 93.5% (mostly Roman Catholic)
20. Guatemala +90% (50-60% Roman Catholic and ~40% Protestant, 0-10% non-Christian)

OW Declining Populations

Countries with the Lowest Population Growth Rate (AGR)

Rank Country Annual Growth

1 Georgia -1.1%

2 Moldova -1.0%

3 Lithuania -1.0%

4 Ukraine -0.6%

5 Bulgaria -0.6%

6 Belarus -0.5%

7 Latvia -0.5%

8 Romania -0.4%

9 Russia -0.4%

10 Dominica -0.3%

11 Serbia -0.2%

12 Hungary -0.2%

13 Croatia -0.2%

14 Bosnia -0.1%

15 Estonia -0.1%

16 Germany -0.1%

17 Poland -0.1%

18 Japan -0.1%

19 Virgin Is of the US -0.1%

20 Guyana -0.1%

21 Samoa 0.0%

22 Cuba 0.0%

23 Montenegro 0.0%

24 Greenland 0.0%

25 Macedonia 0.1%

Operation World

OW Growing Populations

A new edition of Operation World is now out. There is also a new website here. This includes some interesting table of statistics that I would like to highlight. I'm not sure of OW's source but for a second opinion try here. Most of the countries in this list are predominantly Muslim I think. This is why we hear so much about Muslim growth even though there is declines at the same time. None of the countries listed is in Europe, of course, which does not give me a good feeling as one who rejects the overpopulation theories.

Countries with the Highest Population Growth Rate (AGR)

Rank Country Annual Growth

1 Qatar 11.2%

2 Liberia 4.2%

3 Niger 3.9%

4 Afghanistan 3.5%

5 Burkina Faso 3.4%

6 Timor L'este 3.4%

7 Uganda 3.3%

8 Syria 3.3%

9 Palestine 3.2%

10 Benin 3.2%

11 Eritrea 3.2%

12 Jordan 3.1%

13 Tanzania 2.9%

14 Burundi 2.9%

15 Yemen 2.9%

16 United Arab Emirates 2.9%

17 Malawi 2.8%

18 Chad 2.8%

19 Congo, Republic of 2.8%

20 Gambia 2.8%

21 French Guiana 2.7%

22 Madagascar 2.7%

23 Angola 2.7%

24 Rwanda 2.7%

25 Sierra Leone 2.7%

Joshua Project

I try regularly to use operation world and through them recently came across this interesting site that may be of interest - the Joshua Project

Daily Devotions 02

Earlier this year I tried to combine some devotional reading with my Bible reading and prayer. I found a puritan work here and tried to read a bit each day but that didn't work out. I just found this site and may be that will help in future. This site may also be of interest but has very limited content.
To help with prayer I use GBM's Prayer Diary and the Operation World Prayer Diary (there should be a button for this in my sidebar). More recently in a desire to pray for persecuted Christians with better intelligence I have tried using the prayer guides here and here. I've also turned my own personal prayer diary into an html file for easy access at the same time.
While still in a prayerful spirit I then try and make quick visits to my online bank, my facebook and twitter accounts and one or two other things sometimes eg Youtube.