The incredible courage of Christians in Iran

Damascus in Syria remained the world\'s least livable city-Syria marked 10 years of civil war this year, according to The Economist Intelligence Unit. The war, Coronavirus crisis and persecution make Christians more vulnerable. Your prayer is much needed.

1. Pray for one of our local partners who was recently diagnosed with Guillain-Barre syndrome, a rare neurological disorder in which the body’s immune system mistakenly attacks part of its peripheral nervous system (information from National Institute for Neurological Disorders and Stroke, US) . He’s been our partner since 2013 and has reached millions of people during those years. He is a father of a 7-year-old daughter and a 2-year-old son. Pray for God’s healing hands to interfere and restore his health.

2. Pray for the upcoming training in Syria. The course following the Mary and Elizabeth curriculum empowers women and encourages communication between different generations of women. The fifth training of trainees will start this month with the evangelical churches and the second part will start with the traditional ones . Pray for both training to be blessed and fruitful.

3. Answered prayer: Thank God for Brave Hearts training. This training aims to teach kids who are 6-12 years old how to defend their faith. Our organization has developed this curriculum to empower kids and develop their knowledge of the bible. 83 participants from 33 churches attended the training, coming from Latakia, Tartus, Marmarita and Qamishli. Pray for lasting fruits and deep influence.

4.“We want to start the Alpha course for couples in Aleppo, we did the training for this course with participants from the Armenian Catholic, Armenian Orthodox, Syriac Catholic and Syriac Orthodox church. We aspire with this course to help the Christian families. During the tough times, what they learn at the Alpha course will encourage them and give them hope and peace in their relationship with God,” a staff member of our local partner says. “Please pray for a blessed start of the Alpha course for couples and for a true impact on the Christian family.”

5. Iqbaneel is a one-year old girl from Qamishli. She was born after five months of pregnancy with many health problems. The doctor said she would not last for long, but with prayers and God’s intervention she survived. Her father Shukry is a member of the Alliance church in Qamishli and he was supported by our organization with an income generating project. He asks for prayer for his daughter’s eyes. Iqbaneel needs a surgery to treat her sight. Pray for Iqbaneel’s surgery to be successful and for her to regain her complete sight in Jesus name. Pray also for all other babies who are born with health issues or disabilities for a heavenly intervention to survive, beyond what doctors can do or expect.

6. This year the weather was against the farmers of Qamishli. Many Christians depend on agriculture in their income. Unfortunately, this year there was not enough rain. Now, in the time of harvest, farmers are suffering from lack of grains and fruits due to the draught. Pray for the economic situation of the farmers of Qamishli, for the lands to give fruits as it is their only source of income.

7. After the presidential elections, the security situation in Qamishli became intense again. Militias are trying to break the negotiated truce as some of the parties are for the president where others are against him. Pray for the security situation is Qamishli and all over Syria after the presidential election of 26 May 2021 where president Assad was re-elected.

8. Syrians have finally started taking vaccines against COVID. Some of our partners have already taken two doses. But many medical officials are speculating that another wave of COVID might hit this summer. Pray for the effectiveness of the vaccines and protection against this anticipated new wave of the pandemic.

9. The recent presidential election in Syria was won by the 55-year-old President Assad who is in power since the year 2000. He now can lead the country for another seven years. Pray that he and his government will lead the country in a way that is good for all the people in Syria. Pray that an end will come to the war and to the deep economic crisis.

10. Thank God for the decrease in the exchange rate of the Syrian Pound from 4700 SYP per 1 USD to 3200 SYP. This has affected the Syrian market for the Syrians positively. Still it is far from the way it was before the war, as 50 SYP per 1 USD. Around 85% of Syrians are still under the poverty line. Pray for a change in this situation for the better, so that Syrians will have a more decent life financially.

11. “We as a church are reluctant to discuss sexual education for teenagers, but the internet is very open and everything is available. This gives the teenagers wrong information and extreme ideas about it,” Rain says, a teenagers coach in an Evangelical church. Pray for the generation of teens who are learning from the wrong sources. Pray for an openminded church that would correctly educate the young generation about their bodies and about sexuality.

12. One of our local partners sister Insaf, a nun from the catholic monastery in Safita-Tartus says, “The war has led the people to always being busy with how to provide food for their families. This has affected the family bond for Syrians. Pray for the families who are suffering from separation and dissociation.”