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| Prayer requests on the website are updated every Monday-Friday at 9:30 a.m., EST October 9, 2014 "I called to the LORD in my distress, and I cried to my God for help. From His temple He heard my voice, and my cry to Him reached His ears.” (Psalm 18:6, HCSB) WORLD LEADERS - "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 Abdoulkader Kamil Mohamed of Djibouti (eastern Africa, between Eritrea and Somalia). GAUCHOS OF BRAZIL (gah-oo-shoo) - People from Rio Grande do Sul, the southernmost state in Brazil, are known as Gauchos. They are a fiercely proud and independent people made up mostly of remnants of Brazilian indigenous peoples, as well as German, Polish and Italian settlers. The Gauchos are ranked among the top in Brazil in areas of economic development and literacy. Unlike many other parts of Brazil, Rio Grande do Sul enjoys four distinct seasons (spring, summer, fall and winter). While Gauchos will predominantly identify themselves as Catholic or Lutheran, most have little knowledge of the precepts of those religions. Spiritism (a mixture of indigenous animistic religion and African religions) is by far the most practiced religion among all social and socioeconomic classes. Spiritism is practiced openly by the highest-ranking government officials and is sanctioned and endorsed by the local and state government. While Bibles are readily available in their heart language of Portuguese, according to the latest research, 99.92 percent of Gauchos do not have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. Only 80 out of the 496 cities in Rio Grande do Sul have a Baptist presence. Rio Grande do Sul has 93 Baptist churches for nearly 11 million people. Many of the qualities that Gauchos use to derive their cultural identity (pride, loyalty, independence) have made this group particularly resistant to the Gospel message. Please pray for the salvation of the Gauchos of Brazil. MANINKA OF WEST AFRICA (MAH-nee-kah) - The entire world is aware of the Ebola epidemic that is spreading through West Africa. As of this writing, five countries have had documented cases, and almost 2,000 people have died. A large number of Maninka live in one of those countries. Strict guidelines have been issued in regard to handling the sick and dying, but in a culture where death and burial have consequences for the living if not done properly, those guidelines don’t mean much. As a result, people are caring for their sick and continuing their burial rituals in secret (washing of the body by older family members, wrapping the body in special cloth, etc.), for fear that loved ones will be taken away and not be buried in a way that has been done for centuries. Pray for the Maninka who are bond by traditions. Pray that Maninka men of power will speak out to their people and that the people will listen. Lift up health workers who are risking their lives to save others. Pray that Ebola will be brought under control soon, and above all, pray for the salvation of the Maninka. 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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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/.
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