Please join with us in lifting these challenging situations in prayer knowing that Jesus Christ brings hope to the most hopeless situations.
(1) Romania is going through a time of great turmoil. Mass demonstrations resulted when a popular physician resigned from the Ministry of Health on Thursday to protest an attempt by President Traian Basescu to privatize health insurance. Responding to the demonstrations in most of the major cities, President Basescu cancelled the proposed changes late Friday night. Instead of the demonstrations ending when their goal was achieved, the demonstrations in Bucharest, the capital, became violent when young people threw firebombs at police who responded using tear gas. The young demonstrators began calling for the overthrow of the government, breaking windows and looting stores and banks. 59 people were injured in the violence in Bucharest but demonstrations in 39 other cities have remained peaceful. Difficult economic times are made worse because the Romanian people as a whole have lost hope. Now opposition parties are taking advantage of the unrest to call for President Basescu to resign and calling for early elections. The Prime Minister is warning the nation could collapse into anarchy if the demonstrations do not end soon. Pray for peace to be restored to the streets and for the different political parties to work together to find viable solutions to high unemployment, inflation, and massive government debt. Pray that Jesus Christ will restore hope to the despairing Romanian people for He is the only who can bring peace to their troubled hearts. Pray that the Believers there will draw closer to God and become the light shining in a very dark place, bringing many to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ.
(2) Nigeria is going through even more violent demonstrations. In the North, the militant Islamic group Boko Haram has threatened to kill any Christians or southerners who do not leave the northern region immediately. They have already massacred Christian villages and burned churches in central Nigeria. The entire country was paralyzed by a general strike to protest the end of government subsidies for gas prices which more than doubled on January 1. President Goodluck Jonathan has met with union leaders and agreed to restore partial subsidies and to investigate corruption within the oil industry which is rampant in Nigeria. The strike was ended but the unrest continues. Pray for the peace of God to come to Nigeria and that the blatant corruption will end both in the church and in the government. Pray for the Gospel of Jesus Christ to go forth in power and purity, bringing salvation and deliverance to the suffering people of Nigeria.
(3) Mindanao has suffered from some devastating flooding and landslides that have left many dead and missing. The most widely publicized landslide wiped out numerous small gold mining claims in Compostela Valley around Christmas time. The tragedy happened near the village of Calabcab but none of our church people were affected for which we praise God. Right now Mindanao is in the middle of their rainy season and the rains have been particularly heavy this year. We just received word that heavy flooding has hit both Kapalong and Tagum City. A large landslide in Kapalong has totally destroyed our church there as well as all the houses around it. Our Director there has gone to the mayor of Kapalong to ask for land to rebuild in another part of the city that is less prone to flooding. Pray for favor with the mayor and that the church can be quickly replaced with a new one built in a safer location. Pray that the heavy rains will let up and that there may be no more loss of lives or property. Praise God that no people were killed or injured in the landslide in Kapalong. Pray that the homes destroyed in the flooding can be quickly rebuilt and that God’s people will reach out in love to those who are hurting all around them.
We thank you in advance for your prayers for these three situations that only God can resolve. May His Kingdom come and His will be done in Romania, in Nigeria, on Mindanao in the Philippines, and here in the United States as well. Blessings!
GOD LOVES YOU!!!
Rev. Howard & Barbara Gard
Church Triumphant
www.churchtriumphant.com
hgard@juno.com