Prayer Updates
 
 
9th October
 
Please pray for those who have been displaced within Northern Karen State over recent months.
 
Attacks from the Burma army remain frequent and the main concern for villagers is the shoot on sight killings and the destruction of crops. Pray for the people in Toungoo, Nyaunglebin and Thaton districts.
 
Pray for the families of the following Karen recently deceased:
 
Saw Da Cho Cho, male villager, aged 38. Shot dead by Burma army soldiers on 4th August 2008.
Saw Dar Koe Ko, male villager, aged 50. Shot dead by Burma army soldiers on 16th August 2008.
Saw May Htoo, male villager, aged 15. Killed during a shell attack on his village on 12th September 2008.
Hsaw Wah Der, female villager, aged 60. Killed by landmine placed by the Burma army on 5th September 2008.
 
 
 
17th September
 
Please pray for the Chin people of North-Western Burma.

Every fifty years in Chin State, a certain species of bamboo flowers. This natural phenomenon causes exponential rat reproduction. These rats eat rice crops and other food sources, resulting in famine.

People are starving and the impact of the famine is exaggerated by the Burma Army's unwillingness to value the lives of the people they govern.

Within the past few days we have received confirmed reports of 44 deaths by starvation, all children.

Please also pray for the relief teams who have been trained and are responding to this crisis.

 
 
30th July
 
Please pray for the 49 families displaced after recent attacks from the DKBA.

Due to the very recent attacks in Walakee; villagers from the surrounding areas have now reached the border. Although KNLA soldiers re-captured the base, the DKBA are re-grouping and planning to attack again. Villagers fear being taken for forced portering, being used as land mine sweepers and the extorting of money and animals. Currently 49 families are along the border and in need of supplies. Villagers have been told by DKBA that if they do not return to their villages today, they [DKBA] will destroy the village, rice and corn fields.

On the 26th July purchased and sent the following to these families: 150 Blankets, 150 Mosquito nets, Plastic Tarps, Rice, Sardines, Mama Noodles, Salt, Oil, Chili, Cooking pots and Lighters.
 
Please pray for their safety and that those who seek to cause them harm will be thwarted in their endeavors. Pray that their needs would be met. Pray that they would know the love and peace of God close to them today. Pray that they would soon be able to return safely to their villages with no more threat of attack.
 
 
13th July
 
At partners we work with brave men and women of God from Burma who risk their lives to bring the gospel to those who need to hear. One such Karen Pastor, who now lives in Thailand, gave us the following prayer requests.
 
·         Praise God for the opportunity we had to baptize four people during the first week of June.
 
·         Praise God for the opportunity we have to take care of 29 students in Chiang Mai.
 
·        Pray for the thief who came and stole from our students home in Umphang during June, and thank God that even though he stole our things, he can    not steal our hearts.
 
       "Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation or distress or persecution or famine or nakedness or peril or sword? As it is written – "For your sake we are killed all day long. We are counted as sheep for the slaughter. Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us." Romans 8:35-37.
 
·         Pray for our families security, health, strength, unity and love.
 

·         Pray that God would provide the resources we need for our ministry – for the students education fees and specifically for the provision of a much needed 4x4 truck.

 
 
22nd June
 
These prayer requests come from a friend of Partners from Australia who has been on the ground in Rangoon for one month. She says this,
 
"We continue to send out teams and have teams come back with photos and reports. It continues to be a heartbreaking plight for the people in the delta regions. We are hearing that almost 7 weeks after the cyclone, some villages have not seen any kind of government aid."
 
Please pray:

·                For those who still have received minimal assistance and who are homeless almost 7 weeks post cyclone.

 

·                For the 10 000 + pregnant women who have no access to safe maternity care and for the implementation of facility to manage safe childbirth practices.

 

·                For those who still have no home to shelter themselves and their families. 

 

·                For the emotional trauma that each person has experienced. I can not imagine what it was to live through this kind of disaster. 

 

·                For those providing this necessary care and assistance. 

 

·                For the ongoing political situation. 

 

She also has the following prayer request for herself:

 

“I would appreciate everyone’s prayers as I am finding the concept of coming home a difficult one. I had a mini meltdown on Tuesday night; it was the first time I had lost it, so I think that I was entitled to be a bit emotional! The conflicting emotions of the reality of my time here coming to a close and my desire to be doing more of this kind of work collided! I would really appreciate prayers that not only would my returning home be positive but that God would direct my life and open doors for me.”
 
 
17th June

These are some special prayer requests from a religious organisation leader in Rangoon whom we have contact with :

·         Pray for pastors in the Delta area; many are depressed and need encouragement to return to their villages and lead their people.

·         Pray for the victims families as they deal with their loss and continue to receive little or no aid to rebuild their lives.

·         Pray for the children as many children have dengue fever due to dirty water and no mosquito nets.

·         Pray for children wanting to return to schools (about 10,000) but have no support to send them to schools.

·         Pray for 70 children in 2 orphanage centres close to the affected areas.  The conditions are not ideal and very crowded.