Please pray for these requests for Persians living in Turkey:

1. This month, we’d like to focus on the teenage refugees in this country who are in a difficult situation. Because they cannot legally attend national schools and private schools are very expensive, most teens are not able to continue going to school after leaving their home country. It is also very difficult for them to find any type of work. Because of this most are bored and restless and find themselves with “idle” time on their hands. Unfortunately, many are turning to drugs and alcohol to help fight the boredom. Pray that teen believers will stand firm when tempted to drink and do drugs. Pray that they will be a positive influence on their friends and family who may be abusing these things. Pray for workers to know how to engage these Persian teens and provide activities for them that would be a positive way for the teenagers to deal with the boredom.

2. Pray for “R” who is leading a house group of Persian believers in a city in Turkey. Pray that God would provide for all of their needs, both physical and spiritual. Pray that R and his group will be positive influences and a testimony of their Savior to other refugees and Turks who live in this town. Pray for security for these believers, but at the same time, pray that they will have boldness in proclaiming the truth to others.

3. In December, we had a Christmas party for Persian refugees and their children. Praise the Lord that 150 people attended this party! Each child received a small toy and either a coat or pair of boots for these cold winter days. Adults and children alike heard the story of Christmas. Pray that each one will remember that Christmas is the celebration of Jesus’ birth, which was followed by his death and resurrection, and is the greatest gift that we can ever receive, if we will only choose to accept it. Praise the Lord that the weekly Bible study attendance at the refugee center increased after the party. Ask the Lord to continue bringing these people to the study where they can learn more about what the Bible says and can begin to deal with any doubts or questions they have about Christianity in general.

Please pray for these requests from the team working with Persians of Iran:

1. We are working on two video projects.  One will demonstrate how to meet for worship and fellowship in a house church setting.  This is necessary in Iran because of the strong anti-Christian atmosphere.  The other video is an evangelistic film.  Please ask God to use both of these projects to save many Persians in Iran and to strengthen His church.

2. Pray that Persian pastors will be bold and wise.  They live in a place where people are hungry for truth yet evangelism is dangerous.  Ask God to help them share the love of Christ and to build His church on the strong foundation of truth found in His word. 

3. Please pray for the people working on this team.  Ask God to give us health, to keep us close to Him through prayer and Bible reading, and to give us wisdom.

Please pray for the following requests from friends who are working with Kurdish people of Iran:

1. Please pray for a Great Commission Christian partner “R” who is doing some strategic disciple-making with several Sorani-speaking Kurds from Iran.  He is currently teaching them the Bible Storying method of evangelism and discipleship.  Pray for “R” as he works with these Kurdish believers that they will grow in their faith and be better equipped to lead their own house groups in Iran. 

2. Pray for Great Commission Christian partner, “D”, as she starts a coaching and sports ministry among Sorani-speaking Kurdish women.  Pray for “D” as she seeks to develop strategic relationships among these women for the Kingdom.  Pray that she will be able to effectively order her time as she has many good opportunities before her. 

3. Pray for the strategically important cities of Kermanshah, Sanandaj, and Mariwan in Iranian Kurdistan.  Kermanshah and Sanandaj are both cities with more than one million people living in them.  There is little to no gospel witness in these cities.  Pray that God will raise up believers in these places, and that they will serve as gateways into the more unreached rural areas of Iranian Kurdistan.  Pray also for the smaller city of Mariwan.  This city is a cultural center for Iranian Kurds. We believe that God is on the move and doing some amazing things there to save people.  Pray that field workers will be sensitive to all that God is doing so we can be ready to respond accordingly. 

Welcome to the Iran blog! We are excited about this new way to share things that are going on in and around Iran. We’ll be posting prayer requests as well as other interesting things about the work happening there. We’d love to hear from you!

We’re starting out with requests related to the work going on with Iranian Arabs. Please pray for the following requests:

1. Pray for a worker who is traveling to a country in the Middle East.  While there he will teach a group of church leaders, arrange to have Books delivered to local Muslims, and work with other workers to develop a long-term strategy for this city. 

2. Pray for a group of nationals who are receiving a teaching on marriage and family in order to strengthen the health of the local church in a closed, Islamic country. 

3. Pray for a national who wishes to receive theological training to help church networks stay rightly connected to God’s Word.  This national has experienced difficult persecution and yet chooses to remain inside the country in order to serve the Lord.  Please pray that we can assist him in gaining what education he needs to minister to these church networks.

A few weeks ago, I met with my new friend, Kay*, to practice language. I met her on the ferry on the way back from a day trip to the islands that are near our city and asked her if she’d be willing to meet with me so that I can practice my language. We’ve emailed a lot trying to find times to meet and have finally nailed down a good time on Tuesday afternoons. Kay, and other people I have met here, are very curious and don’t mind asking to look through notebooks or eavesdrop on conversations.

I have gotten into a habit of writing about my faith when I write sentences for language practice. A few weeks ago, my language teacher asked me to write a one-page paper about my life, in their language. I included a short testimony in my paper. A week later, Kay flipped to this page and began reading and correcting my mistakes. When she got to the part where I said I am confident that I am God’s child, she looked at me with a look of surprise and said that she thought I meant that I was His slave. I agreed that I am His slave but that I am also His child. The look she gave me was impossible to misunderstand.

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The post asking for prayer for the warzone of Afghanistan was posted before a series of three suicide bombs have terrorized the already fragile city of Khandahar in southern Afghanistan.

Please continue to pray for peace in Afghanistan. Many people are laboring on the ground for peace there, but the battle is more than just winning the war against terrorists. Pray for the peace of Christ to be known in the country of Afghanistan. Pray Acts 26:18 for the peoples of Afghanistan, from the most vicious warlord to the most innocent family man: Pray that God would “open their eyes so that they may turn from darkness to light and from the dominion of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and an inheritance among those who have been sanctified by faith in Christ.”

Link to AFP Article.

Related links:

Al Jazeera, BBC.

The former Soviet republic of Tajikistan is facing an energy crisis this winter that stems from rising fuel costs, diminishing fuel supplies and a brutal winter. Tajikistan is facing the same brutal winter that has killed hundreds in Afghanistan [Afghanistan borders Tajikistan to the south].

Pray for the country of Tajikistan and for the local and national government to handle this crisis well. Pray that corruption would be far from their minds and that they would work solely for the welfare of their people and their country. Pray for the locals as they endure this difficult time. Many are running out of money and cannot afford the rising fuel costs.

More on this story at RFE/RL. [The story about Tajikistan is the last one on the RFE/RL page.]

The two most recent posts about the difficulties of life in Afghanistan are only confirmed by the latest news, as reported by AFP.

Pray for the peoples of Afghanistan to cry out to the Father in their great desperation. Pray that the Good News of life through His Son would be made known to the Afghan peoples. Pray for the leadership of Afghanistan to have wisdom and be diligent to help their people.

Pray for the peoples of Afghanistan who live in a war zone. Instability is the only stable thing for many people. As international forces seek to bring peace to Afghanistan, pray for the Afghan people who must live in these places until that peace comes. Pray that the Prince of peace would reign in Afghanistan.

Forum 18 has published two articles recently about the state of religious freedom in the former Soviet Central Asian republic of Kazakhstan. The first one is about the raid on Grace Church, a Christian church network in Almaty and other cities in Kazakhstan.

Pray for the members of Grace church to remain strong, or grow stronger, in their dependence upon Jesus during this trying time.

The second article, is in regards to a recent speech given by Kazakh president, Nursultan Nazerbayev, in which he said “tens of thousands of different missionary organisations work in Kazakhstan. We don’t know their purposes and intentions, and we should not allow such unchecked activity.” While his number, “tens of thousands” is probably a gross exaggeration, it is hard to discern if he is merely upset about the unchecked activity or if he intends to do something to change the situation.

Pray for Kazakhstan and the governmental officials to be humbled by God.

Pray that any mission activity in Kazakhstan would be fruitful.