People Group Prayer Guides
Pray for the Tajik of Afghanistan
“The Lord God will be awesome to them when He destroys all the gods of the land. The nations on every shore will worship him, every one in its own land.” —Zeph 2:11
Pray for leadership development among Afghan-Tajik believers. After many years of faithful witness to Afghan-Tajiks, some have come to faith. Pray for leaders to be indentified and trained who will be able to gather fellow Afghans into house-churches. Barrriers to the growth and multiplication of house-churches are fear, illiteracy, persecution.
Pray for a radio program broadcast in the language of Afghan-Tajiks. It enourages believers in remote places to meet in their homes, and listen to a radio “service” which serves as a model for their own meetings. Pray for many believers to listen to this program and follow this model. Pray for the Holy Spirit's presence and power to be evident to those who gather to worship in their homes. Pray for the couple leading the broadcast.
Pray for followers of Jesus who already speak the Persian/Dari language to be called and sent out among Afghan-Tajiks. Because of recent events, westerners in general, and Americans in particular, are disadvantaged as ministers of the Gospel to Afghan-Tajiks. In the past the Lord has used the witness of Christians from closely related cultures to minister powerfully among unreached peoples.
Getting to know the Tajiks
The Tajiks are believed to be the original Persian population of Afghanistan and Central Asia. They speak the Dari language, which was spoken by King Darius, mentioned in the book of Daniel. Today, more than 5 million Tajiks live in northeastern Afghanistan and in the cities of Kabul and Herat. During the last 25 years of war, many Tajiks sought refuge in Tajikistan or Pakistan.
The Tajiks are known throughout Central Asia for their hospitality. Tajiks believe that entertaining guests in their home is an honor, and they celebrate with a lavish meal. Tajiks also enjoy poetry and other arts. They value traditions including folklore, folk songs and dances, and pass their customs on to the next generation.
Although the Tajik live in an area of the country rich in natural resources, they lack adequate medical care and food supplies. Many of the Tajik are illiterate, uneducated, and unskilled due to the instability of the country throughout the recent years. Now that the new government is maintaining a fragile peace, children are slowly returning to school with a new hope and vision for the future. This is an exciting and pivotal time for the Tajik.
Prayer Points
- For a Church Planting Movement to begin that will make the gospel accessible to every Afghan Tajik neighborhood and village.
- For more Christian workers to go and live among the Afghan Tajiks.
- Pray that as the Afghan Tajiks rebuild their lives, their foundation would be on Jesus Christ. Pray that they would understand freedom is in Christ alone.
Orphans
“Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.” —James 1:27
Masooda is eight years old. Five years ago, her parents and brother died during rocket assaults between the Northern Alliance and the Taliban. Masooda, too, was injured. She displays a hole in her ankle and then proceeds to pat other areas of her leg where exploded rocket tattered her body. She says “shrapnel” in a matter of fact tone.
Masooda is not alone. It has been estimated that there are over 28,000 orphans and children living on the streets in Kabul, a figure that is sure to double when one takes the whole country into the equation. No one is really sure how many orphans the war has produced, but it is certain that there are many that have not yet even been discovered. Two in every three children have seen someone killed during the factional strife. Many witnessed their parents’ murder and now spend their days scavenging for food and their nights trying to fend off cold and nightmares. Most are suffering from posttraumatic stress disorder. Some girls cannot even speak now…it is too difficult to even express what horrors they have witnessed and endured.
Prayer Points
- For development of the work reaching the orphans of Afghanistan, that they would understand their spiritual adoption in Christ.
- That aid workers would join together and adequate funding would be available to meet the needs of these forgotten children.
- That God’s spirit would move in the hearts of these children to cry out to the Lord as “Abba Father”.
Widows
“It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery.” —Galatians 5:1
For years widows were a literally invisible group in Afghanistan society. Under the Taliban regime women were not allowed to leave their home without the escort of a man or an older son. If a woman lost her husband and son, then she had no way to leave the home to obtain food for herself and her children. Many would take a chance and leave anyway only to be shot by Taliban soldiers, leaving their children as orphans, or they would suffer in silence without anyone knowing their pain and struggle to survive.
Now a new freedom is emerging among the women, especially the widows. For the first time in many years, they are free to come out of the home and obtain food for their families. They are free to learn a trade or skill so they might be able to provide for themselves and not depend on international aid. A new day has dawned and thus a new face is emerging among these precious women. This is the time for them to learn what it means to be free in Christ. Though they have never known physical freedom, they can come to understand spiritual freedom!
Many Afghan women don’t know basic hygiene and suffer from medical illnesses without the means to care for themselves. Most are unable to read. Life has passed them by for many years, but now is the time to help them regain it and live it more abundantly in Him!
Prayer Points
- For the workers who enable the widows of Afghanistan to support themselves.
- That funds would be made available to establish micro enterprise loans for these women to establish small businesses.
- For Christ’s name to be proclaimed among these women and that they would truly understand what it means to be free in Christ.
Education
“So there is hope for your future,” declares the Lord. “Your children will return to their own land.” —Jeremiah 31:17
On the second level floor of a house in a small village in Afghanistan, young girls meet in secret to eagerly learn mathematics, language, and home education. For the past five years, Fatima has been trying to fill the educational void that has been left by 20 years of war. The Taliban made every attempt to shut down schools throughout the country and deny children, especially girls, a proper education. However, that did not stop women like Fatima from opening their homes and teaching these young girls.
Now that the veil of the Taliban has been lifted, women are once again free to be educated. Girls have returned to schools for the first time in many years. The literacy rate in Afghanistan is less than 15% and presently over 95% of the children do not attend school. Most schools do not have supplies, books, desks, or teachers. Schools are being set up in homes, businesses, abandoned storefronts, and even tents in an effort to begin the educational system that was in almost complete collapse just a few years ago.
As the new government begins to rebuild the country the demand for 27,000 teaching professionals will outstrip the nation’s 8 million school age children since most adults have not been educated themselves due to the long war with the Soviets.
Prayer Points
- For the workers seeking to help educate the Afghan children that they might have wisdom and discernment in what theyteach.
- For God to raise up more Christian workers to come and aid in the educational rebuilding.
- For more provisions of supplies, books, and buildings.
Landmine Victims
“But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed.” —Isaiah 53:5
Afghanistan is one of the most heavily mined countries in the world. The laying of mines goes back all the way to the Soviet invasion and subsequent occupation. There have been an estimated 400,000 mine victims in Afghanistan since 1991 and over 200,000 more have been disabled by a mine. An estimated 20 civilians a day, including women and children fall victim to the mines, and many die after they are maimed due to the lack of sufficient health care. Many are left as amputees unable to walk and take care of themselves. Without sufficient rehabilitation clinics and treatment many people struggle to survive and provide for themselves daily.
Mine clearance teams have been working for years to demine the country, but it is a slow and laborious process. One step in the wrong direction can prove fatal, as it has with many young children just running about with their kites in a field. Lined by rocks that are painted crimson red, the minefields are marked as they are cleared, but sometimes it is too late. Afghans face injury or death on a daily basis because the landmines are buried underground and usually in ways that are appealing to small children. Many of the mines were shaped like butterflies or toys that were filled with liquid explosives that ignite on contact, severing hands.
Prayer Points
- That more demining teams would arrive in Afghanistan to help clear the mined fields.
- That Christian medical workers would come and serve among the Afghans that are maimed in mine accidents
- That Jesus would reveal Himself as the Great Physician to those that are injured by mines.
Those interested in assisting with projects to rebuild Afghanistan can contact the Memphis-Afghan Friendship Summit:
Call 901-921-6118.