I have a friend who is 18-years-old and who has never been to school. Not one day. Her father never gave her permission. She’s thin and frail and prone to being sick (maybe related to the fact that she had typhoid a few years ago). Her head hurts all the time. But her eyes are so bright and when she smiles her whole face beams. She is beautiful.

She can read and write, and so she tries to study at home. She takes public, outside tests in an attempt to pass specific grades. She told me this week that she took the middle school test and failed it. For the second time, she failed. “Don’t tell anyone,” she said. She asked me about my youngest sister who is 19 and in her first year of college. She said, “If I had been able to go to school and if I passed all the tests along the way, I could be at university now too.”

My heart hurts for her.  What will happen to her?  She has no education.  Her family does not care well for her. From a worldly perspective, her future is bleak.  I want more for her than what she will ever have.  But I am encouraged to think that I possess the one thing that she can have.  The most important thing:  the truth and the freedom and the salvation that is only through Christ.  And I think of our God and His bigness and His sovereignty and His ability to work in the darkest of places. And I think of Ecclesiastes and “anyone who is among the living has hope.” And so I pray for my friend to one day understand the Truth, to find hope in her dark world, to be one of the women who is worshipping at the Master’s feet… uneducated and poor and mistreated, yet a child of the King.

This week begins a week of political uncertainty in the country of Turkey.  Suspects in a high-profile coup attempt are going to court this week. Two bombs were set off in a residential neighborhood in Istanbul the night before the trials begin.

Turks are notoriously fearful, flocking to good luck charms and conspiracy theories.  Please pray for the believers in Turkey to be bold in the face of fear and bold in their proclamation of the gospel to their friends, neighbors, and relatives.

Sources:

WashingtonPost.com

Turkish Daily News

Christians, along with other religious minorities, continue to face restrictions and government persecution in the Central Asian Republic of Uzbekistan. Forum 18 News reports [here and here] of Christians being arrested and beaten for reading Christian material [to date the exact nature of the material has not been disclosed].  Also, a shipment of Bibles has been barred from entering the country without reason.

Persecution is to be expected for followers of Jesus [John 15:18ff]. However, as members of One Body, we are to remember those in prison as if we were the ones in prison [Hebrews 13:3].

Imagine yourself in a dirty prison cell with bruises covering your body and guards who mock you. The food, if it is given, is worse than disgusting. Your body aches from the beatings and it is very difficult to get any rest. What would you want people to pray for you in that circumstance?

Remember those in prison as if you were their fellow prisoners, and those who are mistreated as if you yourselves were suffering. Hebrews 13:3 NIV

In Turkey, all men have to complete mandatory military service sometime after finishing high school or university.  This service is seen as an important part of “becoming a man” in Turkey.  It is known for a rough, dehumanizing training program followed by several of months of service, which can be quite dangerous depending on the posting.  For believers in Turkey, it is even scarier.  They are a part of such a tiny minority and most of the majority population does not react positively to them.

A friend of mine, Art*, knew that he would soon be receiving word of his date to report for training.  He had talked about it nervously a few times with me and with some of the other believers from his church.  A couple of weeks ago we were having a cookout at his church when his phone rang.  As he talked and responded his face changed from the light-hearted merriment of the cookout to a more serious tone.  When he got off the phone, he announced to the group that he would report for training at the end of the summer.  He looked nervous and a little apprehensive.

Immediately, several of the older believing men gathered around Art and began to encourage him with their stories from their own time in the military.  Some of them had done their service many years before and one had just finished his service a few months earlier.  After a few moments of heartfelt blessing, they closed by praying for him.  This was a beautiful example of the body of Christ in action.  Before my eyes I was able to see his demeanor change as these brothers illustrated the “one another’s” we read about in the NT.

1. Please pray for M, a Sorani-speaking Kurdish man from a key western city in Iran.  He is a leader of a small group of Kurdish believers in the area.  M is also involved in getting the word of God into the hands of believers and hungry seekers.  Recently, M was thrown in jail for his faith.  His wife has been able to visit him. He seems to be doing well so far.  The authorities are telling him he may be in jail for as long as six months.  They also tell him that if he will discontinue his Christian activities and also expose other believers in his area, his time in jail will be reduced. Please pray for M to remain faithful and strong during his time in jail.  Pray that he would experience the peace of God in a new way.  Please also pray for M’s family and the other believers in his group.  Often during times of persecution God will raise up new leaders, and strengthen the faith of others.  Pray that this would happen during M’s imprisonment. Pray that this experience will result in the growth of the Kurdish church in Iran.

2. For several years there has been an adequate translation of the New Testament in the Sorani Kurdish language.  However, there has never been a Sorani full Bible translation.  Please pray for those currently involved in this translation project.  These workers have labored on this translation for many years now.  There are various hold ups and delays which are causing many to grow discouraged with the project.  Please pray that a deep sense of unity will come over all involved in this project, and that all involved will press on to finish the translation.  Access to the whole Bible is so vital to the complete and effective training of Sorani believers and leaders.  It is essential for the long-term growth and development of the Sorani-speaking church.  Pray that many Sorani Kurds will come to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ as a result of this Sorani full Bible.

1. Pray for a couple who are facing increased persecution.  They have refused to leave the country, but remain in order to continue sharing the Good News.  Pray for God’s protection on their lives.  Pray that God will reward their faithfulness.

2. Pray for a strategic city which has exhibited unusually high hostility to the Good News.  Pray that God will break the hold of the enemy on this city.

3. Last month, five church leaders attended a marriage retreat which helped lay a theological foundation for healthy marriages.  Please pray that God will use this retreat to secure these marriages and the marriages within their networks to the word of God.  Pray that revival will take place because men have committed to serving their families as biblical spiritual leaders.