PrayerLine

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Wednesday, December 24, 2014 To hear an mp3 recording of the PrayerLine, click here. http://media1.imbresources.org/files/221/22165/22165-119078.mp3 “But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are little among the thousands of Judah, Yet out of you shall come forth to Me The One to be Ruler.” (Micah 5:2a, NKJV) Hi, this is Eleanor Witcher of IMB’s prayer office, praying with you for those who are not grasping the importance of this season. One believer working among the American peoples wrote, “For 16 years, I’ve lived in a place where Christmas is celebrated in sweltering heat and mosquito netting. If you can afford it, a trip to the seaside where Atlantic breezes skip off the waves at night or up into the mountains where it might be a degree or two cooler, is a must--if only to keep from melting where you stand. The culture is hot too, but in ways that have been twisted by tradition and fear. Into this mix I brought my carols, my Christmas cookies, an insane desire for hot chocolate, and a story about how God decided to change the world, one heart at a time. That is what we do. We leave behind all that is culturally comfortable so we can tell God’s Story to a people strange to us.” Despite living less than a mile from the place of Jesus’ birth and despite living near the shepherd’s fields where the angels sang praises to God, tens of thousands of Bethlehem residents do not know the truth about why Jesus was born. Jesus’ birth is the reason their city is famous, yet the mosques broadcast a different message. Tourism due to His birthplace sustains the city’s economy, but few know of His great sacrifice. Traditionally, on Christmas Eve, carols and hymns of praise are sung about Jesus in Bethlehem but few understand the purpose.  * Please pray that Muslims and Jews in the land of the Bible will find truth in the Scriptures and follow Jesus.  * Pray for all missionaries who will be spending Christmas away from the families they love.  * Intercede for the millions who have not yet heard the Story of how much their God loves them that they will soon know God’s assurance of eternal life. ***Our offices will be closed for the joyous celebration of our Savior’s birth. The next PrayerLine text will be distributed January 5. Thank you for your understanding and Merry CHRISTmas everyone!***

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PrayerLine 
North American Mission Board’s Weekly Prayer

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International Mission Board
3806 Monument Avenue
Richmond, VA 23230

[This is a transcript of the audio message currently available on the international missions PrayerLine by calling 1-800-395-PRAY.]
You are currently subscribed to prayerline as: sallee.missions@blogger.com. To unsubscribe, go to: http://subscribe.imb.org
Send any questions to: imb@imb.org.

CompassionNet's Today's Prayer

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Prayer requests on the website are updated every Monday-Friday at 9:30 a.m., EST A NOTE FROM THE PRAYER OFFICE: IMB will be closed on December 24, 2014-January 2, 2015, so “Today’s Prayer” will not be available on those days. Thank you. December 23, 2014 “For God loved the world in this way: He gave His One and Only Son, so that everyone who believes in Him will not perish but have eternal life.” (John 3:16, HCSB) WORLD LEADER - “Therefore I exhort first of all that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks be made for all men, for kings and all who are in authority, that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and reverence” (1 Timothy 2:1-2, NKJV). Please pray today for Prime Minister Laimdota Straujuma of Latvia (Eastern Europe, between Estonia and Lithuania). SONGHAI OF WEST AFRICA (SONG-high) - “The ‘4 generation’ principle is taken from 2 Timothy 2:2, where Paul (1st generation) shares with Timothy (2nd) who shares with faithful men (3rd) who will teach others (4th). For the first time in our ministry,” writes the Songhai Team, “we’ve seen this principle at work, and in the most unlikely of places! The road to Wanzerbe had remained one of the darkest in terms of access to the gospel, and the breakdown of the security situation had kept us from engaging like we’d hoped. However, God began to raise up missionaries from within our ministry, and the men going on this road have been the definition of steadfastness and boldness. Recently one of the newer believers on this road, Richard*, who’d been led to faith by our national partner, walked 15 kilometers to take the Good News to the village of his birth. This village of about 50 people, to everyone’s knowledge, had never had a gospel witness. But after hearing Richard share his faith, half the village chose to follow Christ and the other half, according to him, were on the road to faith! He then walked another 35 kilometers to the village of our national partner to seek counsel about how to baptize these new believers, since their village had no access to water. Fruit like this doesn’t ‘just happen’ among the Songhai. We (1st generation) shared with our national partner Isaac* (2nd) who shared with Richard (3rd) who shared with his home village (4th). Praise God!” (*names changed) http://www.seekingthesonghai.blogspot.com/   TURKS OF ISTANBUL, TURKEY (is-tan-BULL) - “Zeynep*, a Turkish girl who was studying in the United States, returned to Istanbul as a follower of Christ! She met a family at a pool in the States, and that family invited her to church. She continued to go each week and to study the Bible with them. It was there, she says, that she came to follow Christ. She returned to Istanbul for university study. When she arrived here, her stateside church contacted our team, and one of our families has begun to meet with her on a regular basis. She has gone to church with them and studies the Bible with them weekly. She lives with her Muslim family and has told at least her mother about her faith. She seems hungry spiritually, and is like a child in her excitement of wanting to know more and to live a full life with Jesus! Please pray for Zeynep and for her walk with the Lord to grow deeper. Intercede for her witness with family and friends, and pray for her to have good relationships with other believers.” (*name changed) http://imbresources.org/index.cfm/product/detail/prodID/4437/page/1   centralasianpeople@gmail.com   For additional prayer requests, click here: Today’s Prayer (If you have difficulty with this link, please go to www.imb.org and click on the “Pray” tab, and then click on the “Today’s Prayer” link in the left-hand column.)

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International Mission Board
3806 Monument Avenue
Richmond, VA 23230

You are currently subscribed to Today's Prayer as: sallee.missions@blogger.com. To unsubscribe, go to http://subscribe.imb.org and de-select the name of the list you are leaving (Today's Prayer). Send any questions to: imb@imb.org.

Commission Stories puts a human face on international Christian missions. It tells the here-and-now, contemporary story of international Christian missions, making it alive and vital, breathing and inspirational, recounting the lives - volunteer, missionary and international - of those who are living the missions story. Discover more at Commissionstories.com.http://www.commissionstories.com/.

PrayerLine

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Monday, December 22, 2014 To hear an mp3 recording of the PrayerLine, click here. http://media1.imbresources.org/files/221/22164/22164-119076.mp3 “She will give birth to a son, and you are to name Him Jesus, because He will save His people from their sins.” (Matthew 1:21, HCSB) Hi, this is Eleanor Witcher of IMB’s prayer office, kneeling with you in prayer for East Asian peoples. In a country that was not founded on biblical principles, many Christians find it difficult to get a gospel conversation started because it is so out of context and thought to be unrelated to Japanese daily life. Although Christmas is mainly commercially motivated in Japan, it is a season when speaking about its true meaning is much easier than at any other time of the year. Missionaries seize this opportunity by Christmas caroling on the streets, distributing Christmas cookies with tracts, having Christmas parties for children, and doing other kinds of Christmas-related activities.  Christmas is not celebrated by Mongolian people except for those who are Christians, and it has only been in recent years that others have really taken notice of it. Many traditions were brought from Russia during Soviet times and were re-purposed to avoid an emphasis on anything “religious.” So there are New Year’s trees, gifts and Old Man Winter instead of Christmas trees, Christmas gifts and Santa Claus. For the past four years, groups of visiting believers have come to Mongolia over their Christmas break to share the true meaning from the Bible with Mongolian people. This year, a group of young people will brave the cold of Mongolia to bring the Light of Jesus. They will spend their time sharing in schools and other settings.  * Please pray that God will open the doors for ministry and give these young people favor in the eyes of those whom He brings to them in order that they may share the gospel.  * Intercede for the missionaries, volunteers, and national partners in Osaka, Japan as they share the true reason for the season again at this time of the year. * Bow in humility before the manger, expressing praise for the salvation from sin brought through the birth of Jesus Christ.

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PrayerLine 
North American Mission Board’s Weekly Prayer

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International Mission Board
3806 Monument Avenue
Richmond, VA 23230

[This is a transcript of the audio message currently available on the international missions PrayerLine by calling 1-800-395-PRAY.]
You are currently subscribed to prayerline as: sallee.missions@blogger.com. To unsubscribe, go to: http://subscribe.imb.org
Send any questions to: imb@imb.org.

CompassionNet's Today's Prayer

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Prayer requests on the website are updated every Monday-Friday at 9:30 a.m., EST December 22, 2014 “He sent the message to the Israelites, proclaiming the good news of peace through Jesus Christ--He is Lord of all.” (Acts 10:36, HCSB) WORLD LEADER - “Therefore I exhort first of all that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks be made for all men, for kings and all who are in authority, that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and reverence” (1 Timothy 2:1-2, NKJV). Please pray today for Prime Minister Thongsing Thammavong of Laos (southeastern Asia, between Thailand and Vietnam). BEIJING, CHINA (BAY-jing) - “Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows” (James 1:17, NIV). Not too long ago, a newspaper article referred to Christmas as the most popular “imported holiday,” with Valentine’s Day and Halloween coming in second and third. Chinese have become more and more familiar with the celebration of Christmas with elaborate decorations, gifts and parties. However, there is still little mention of the true meaning of “CHRISTmas” and very few truly understand the true significance of the holiday. Each year, Christians celebrate the remembrance of the birth of Jesus, the Christ Child, in Bethlehem more than 2,000 ago. This year, churches of all types and sizes, small groups, and followers of Jesus across the city and the nation will use this time to reach out to their families, friends and communities with the true message of Christmas. Please be in prayer this month as many hear the message of Jesus, God’s perfect gift to a lost world. Pray for hearts to be open and responsive to the message of the ultimate gift of salvation available to them. Pray that many will choose to accept this gift and begin to grow in faith, which is for all people in all nations. NORTHERN AFRICAN AND MIDDLE EASTERN UNENGAGED PEOPLES - “It’s time to roll up the tents and move again,” Mama announced to her four children. Since all of them were under the age of 7, they all stayed in her part of the tent. “Why are we moving?” asked the oldest. “Because the goats and camels need water and food.” The second oldest said, “Me hungry too!” Mama postponed the tent rolling, got some fresh goat’s milk yogurt and unleavened bread, and fed her children. They sat on hand-woven rugs while she fed her two youngest from her personal milk supply. After tummies were full, they rolled up the tent and started the trek. Sometimes Mama wonders if Allah cares about her fears: Will there be enough milk, yogurt or bread tomorrow to feed her children? She wonders if some evil spirit might come to her tent and snatch her children. Her family can take no comfort from the Bible, because there is not one in their language; there is no Good News for them on the radio either. She heard from her cousin about a Man who could multiply loaves of bread and heal the sick. She would like to watch the movie about Him. “If this man is so amazing, why aren’t people rushing to our tent to tell us about Him?” she wonders. Pray for someone to take the Good News to the Sidi Bedouin of Algeria. http://prayerthreads.imb.org   For additional prayer requests, click here: Today’s Prayer (If you have difficulty with this link, please go to www.imb.org and click on the “Pray” tab, and then click on the “Today’s Prayer” link in the left-hand column.)

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International Mission Board
3806 Monument Avenue
Richmond, VA 23230

You are currently subscribed to Today's Prayer as: sallee.missions@blogger.com. To unsubscribe, go to http://subscribe.imb.org and de-select the name of the list you are leaving (Today's Prayer). Send any questions to: imb@imb.org.

Commission Stories puts a human face on international Christian missions. It tells the here-and-now, contemporary story of international Christian missions, making it alive and vital, breathing and inspirational, recounting the lives - volunteer, missionary and international - of those who are living the missions story. Discover more at Commissionstories.com.http://www.commissionstories.com/.

PrayerLine

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Friday, December 19, 2014 To hear an mp3 recording of the PrayerLine, click here. http://media1.imbresources.org/files/221/22163/22163-119074.mp3 “Go and search carefully for the child. When you find Him, report back to me so that I too can go and worship Him.” (Matthew 2:8b, HCSB) Hi, this is Eleanor Witcher of IMB’s prayer office, joining you in prayer for the people of South and Southeast Asia. December is a time in Pakistan when everyone knows and recognizes “the Christian holiday.” This is one of the few occasions when people wonder what it is that Christians celebrate. Most will say, “Oh, they put up lights and have special worship . . . something about their prophet.” They have no idea why we’re celebrating. That’s sad. What’s also sad is that most believers aren’t “spreading cheer” or anything else during this season. Why not? Many live shackled by fear, and they never speak to anyone about their faith. Others don’t have excess fear, but they live without any burden for the lost. They’ve become so complacent in their faith that they have no desire to spread the Good News to anyone. And then there are those who call themselves believers since their parents and grandparents are, but they don’t know the Word for themselves. If asked why they celebrate Christmas, they’ll say something like, “It’s our holiday.” Believers need to have better answers than this. We need a burden for the lost, and we need to intentionally share our faith.  Coconuts not chestnuts. Mango trees not spruce trees. Too hot for hot chocolate. The reason for the season? Actually, that part’s the same. Many traditional symbols of Christmas are absent in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, but the need to proclaim broadly the truth of God sending His Son, Jesus Christ, is great in this city, where less than 2 percent know Him.   * Please pray for the believers of Ho Chi Minh as they share Christmas with their friends, neighbors and co-workers.  * Intercede for believers in Pakistan to be motivated to spread true holiday cheer so that many would hear life-changing truth and turn to Jesus. * Search out an opportunity today to share Jesus with a lost friend.

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PrayerLine 
North American Mission Board’s Weekly Prayer

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International Mission Board
3806 Monument Avenue
Richmond, VA 23230

[This is a transcript of the audio message currently available on the international missions PrayerLine by calling 1-800-395-PRAY.]
You are currently subscribed to prayerline as: sallee.missions@blogger.com. To unsubscribe, go to: http://subscribe.imb.org
Send any questions to: imb@imb.org.

CompassionNet's Today's Prayer

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Prayer requests on the website are updated every Monday-Friday at 9:30 a.m., EST December 19, 2014 “The Word became flesh and took up residence among us. We observed His glory, the glory as the One and Only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.” (John 1:14, HCSB) WORLD LEADER - “Therefore I exhort first of all that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks be made for all men, for kings and all who are in authority, that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and reverence” (1 Timothy 2:1-2, NKJV). Please pray today for President Almazbek Atambaev of Kyrgyzstan (central Asia, west of China). MONGOLS OF OUTER MONGOLIA (MON-gols) - Christmas is not celebrated by Mongolian people except for those who are Christians, and it has only been in recent years that others have really taken notice of it. Many of the traditions that surround Christmas were brought from Russia during Soviet times and transferred to New Year’s so as not to put an emphasis on anything “religious.” So there are New Year’s trees, gifts and Old Man Winter instead of Christmas trees, Christmas gifts and Santa Claus. For the past four years, groups of visiting believers have come to Mongolia over their Christmas break to share the true meaning of Christmas from the Bible with Mongolian people. This year, a group of young people will brave the cold of Mongolia to bring the Light of Jesus to those in darkness. They will spend their time sharing the real meaning of Christmas in schools and other settings. Please ask God to open the doors for ministry and to give these young people favor in the eyes of those whom He brings to them in order that they may share the gospel. Pray that through this, God will bring many into His kingdom. mongols@windle.com   SRI LANKA - Pastor Haran* and his wife faced a life-changing decision: Should they take in 10-year-old Yohan*? They had adopted Yohan’s older sister two years previously, and now the children’s mother was at Pastor Haran’s door, asking them to take in Yohan as well. Facing financial hardships so severe that their oldest son was unable to sit for his school exams, Pastor Haran and his wife took the matter to God in prayer. Other believers joined them in prayer about the decision they faced, not knowing their financial situation. Within a week, Pastor Haran and his wife arrived at the decision that God wanted them to take in Yohan and raise him as their own, no matter the financial strain. Praise God that the day after the decision was made, and Yohan came to live with them, Pastor Haran received word that a believer in another country wanted to sponsor Yohan monthly even though no plea for financial help had been made! Please pray for Christians in Sri Lanka to live out their faith in obedience to Christ no matter the cost, trusting that God will supply all their needs. (*names changed) http://www.interceding4sl.wordpress.com   Interceding4SL@gmail.com   For additional prayer requests, click here: Today’s Prayer (If you have difficulty with this link, please go to www.imb.org and click on the “Pray” tab, and then click on the “Today’s Prayer” link in the left-hand column.)

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International Mission Board
3806 Monument Avenue
Richmond, VA 23230

You are currently subscribed to Today's Prayer as: sallee.missions@blogger.com. To unsubscribe, go to http://subscribe.imb.org and de-select the name of the list you are leaving (Today's Prayer). Send any questions to: imb@imb.org.

Commission Stories puts a human face on international Christian missions. It tells the here-and-now, contemporary story of international Christian missions, making it alive and vital, breathing and inspirational, recounting the lives - volunteer, missionary and international - of those who are living the missions story. Discover more at Commissionstories.com.http://www.commissionstories.com/.

CompassionNet's Today's Prayer

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Prayer requests on the website are updated every Monday-Friday at 9:30 a.m., EST December 18, 2014 “Thanks be to God for His indescribable gift.” (2 Corinthians 9:15, HCSB) WORLD LEADER - “Therefore I exhort first of all that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks be made for all men, for kings and all who are in authority, that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and reverence” (1 Timothy 2:1-2, NKJV). Please pray today for Prime Minister Jabir Al-Mubarak of Kuwait (Middle East, between Iraq and Saudi Arabia). MEBO OF LAOS (MEE-boh) - The Mebo people are faithful worshippers who often sacrifice and give offerings to long-dead ancestors or to spirits that they believe still live among them. Much of their worship is fueled by a fear of the evil spirits and a desire to placate the good ones. Often, after hearing the gospel, many Mebo are drawn to the redemption found in Christ compared to their constant effort to appease the spirits. But many people’s interest in the gospel is short lived, strangled out by fear of upsetting the spirits or betraying their families. As believers share the gospel with this difficult-to-reach people, please pray that the seeds will fall on the good soil. All too often, after persecution and outside pressure, the rocky soil chokes away the life of the seed, leaving the Mebo back in fear and bondage. SOWETO, SOUTH AFRICA (soh-WEH-toh) - “December is summer camp time, as it’s summer in the Southern Hemisphere,” writes the Soweto Evangelism Team. “Summer camp is like church camp in the United States, with games, swimming, Bible studies, worship services, heat, fun and fellowship. Faith Baptist Church in Snake Park, Soweto, has 17 youth attending. Praise God! Through their efforts at fund raising and donations, locally and from a church in North Carolina, all will be able to participate. Please pray that they will have a desire to go and that their mothers and grandmothers, only one of whom is a church member, will be willing to allow their kids to attend on January 2-9, 2015. Pray that the seven saved youth will go strong in their faith and the seven who haven’t committed their lives to Christ will do so.” alanandbethlocke@gmail.com   For additional prayer requests, click here: Today’s Prayer (If you have difficulty with this link, please go to www.imb.org and click on the “Pray” tab, and then click on the “Today’s Prayer” link in the left-hand column.)

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International Mission Board
3806 Monument Avenue
Richmond, VA 23230

You are currently subscribed to Today's Prayer as: sallee.missions@blogger.com. To unsubscribe, go to http://subscribe.imb.org and de-select the name of the list you are leaving (Today's Prayer). Send any questions to: imb@imb.org.

Commission Stories puts a human face on international Christian missions. It tells the here-and-now, contemporary story of international Christian missions, making it alive and vital, breathing and inspirational, recounting the lives - volunteer, missionary and international - of those who are living the missions story. Discover more at Commissionstories.com.http://www.commissionstories.com/.

Missionaries say thank you!

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Dec. 17, 2014   LOTTIE MOON CHRISTMAS OFFERING VIDEO: Missionaries say thank you! Thanks to your gifts to the Lottie Moon Christmas Offering, missionaries serving all over Europe are able to live among peoples who desperately need to hear the gospel. You are a part of God's story through your prayers and your support of the task of reaching all nations with the gospel of Jesus Christ. See videos of your missionaries saying thanks in Asia and in sub-Saharan Africa.     Photo essay: Tending the fire Mitch Englehart and his wife, Nellie (names changed), have spent the last nine years training church leaders. They’ve seen more than 1,200 new churches and more than 3,000 baptisms in the last five years alone. But there’s still plenty of work to be done. The photo to the right will appear in CommissionStories “Pictures of the year” feature coming Dec. 31.     Humble servants, global compassion For years, Nancy Potter and her husband, William (names changed), held malnourished babies, wondering how long the children would survive. Their hearts broke when mothers died without hearing the gospel. So they use their medical backgrounds to teach about healthy prenatal and post-pregnancy care. Find more features on the work of missionaries you support.     PRAY No victory for cancer Want to know the power of your prayers for Gena Wilson, who was featured in the 2013 Week of Prayer? Last year, she was recovering from her second journey with cancer, a recurrence of the Non-Hodgkin lymphoma that she faced in 2011. Last month, she walked the New York City marathon, and her vision for reaching the lost of Glasgow, Scotland, has never been clearer.     WorldView: Jesus in disguise On the first Christmas, God willingly entered enemy territory disguised as a helpless child. Have you encountered the Lord in disguise?           GO California church dedicated to reach Mixteco with gospel  Valley Baptist Church persists in its long-term commitment to reach the Mixteco people in Mexico and in its own “backyard.” A major goal for Valley Baptist is to start a church for the Mixteco people in central California.     The Creed: His glory their reward Gwen Noonan found exciting ways to serve the Lord through Fusion — and learned about Karen Watson, one of four Southern Baptist relief workers killed by unknown gunmen in Iraq in 2004. Karen’s words and life inspired the Fusion Creed.         Resources   Video resources for your church What if thousands of churches came together this Christmas season for the sake of spreading the gospel to all nations? Watch an invitation from David Platt, download his full sermon or sermon excerpt to show in your church or use his sermon outline to preach this message of giving.     Population clock: See lostness grow Download our population clock as a visual reminder that we must work together to get the gospel to all nations. The clock updates itself as the population — including those without Christ — increases.               Forward to a friend   ------- You are currently subscribed to A missions update: Your IMB as: sallee.missions@blogger.com. If you do not wish to receive further updates click unsubscribe. -------