Area: 71,740 sq km
Small coastal state between Guinea and Liberia. Population: 5,835,664 Annual Growth: 2.70% Capital: Freetown Urbanites: 38.4% HDI Rank: 180 of 182 (UN Human Development Reports 2009)
Peoples
Peoples: 31 (39% unreached) All peoples Unreached Peoples Prayer Card Official language: English. Trade language Krio (Creole), spoken by 10% of the population as first language and 90% as second Languages: 26 All languages
Christian ministries are actively involvedin rebuilding the country. Most organizations are engaged in holistic ministry to meet the spiritual, physical and psychological/emotional needs of the people. This approach is most appropriate and sees notable fruit on all levels. For an additional Answer to Prayer see Operation World book, CD-ROM, or DVD-ROM.
Challenge for Prayer
Sierra Leone remains a land of suffering.The people are still mired in desperate poverty, most surviving on less than a dollar a day. It has ranked as the world’s poorest country for most of the last 10 years. With the highest infant and maternal mortality rates in the world and widespread disease (malaria, HIV, others), life expectancy is age 47 and not rising. Much work remains to ease the suffering of these who have already endured so much. Pray for more attention from the worldwide community – especially from Christians – to address these needs. For an additional 10 Challenges for Prayer see Operation World book, CD-ROM, or DVD-ROM.
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The Operation World book, CD-ROM, and DVD-ROM provide far more information and fuel for prayer for the people of Sierra Leone.
1 And he said to me, "Son of man, eat what is before you, eat this scroll; then go and speak to the house of Israel." 2 So I opened my mouth, and he gave me the scroll to eat.
3 Then he said to me, "Son of man, eat this scroll I am giving you and fill your stomach with it." So I ate it, and it tasted as sweet as honey in my mouth.
4 He then said to me: "Son of man, go now to the house of Israel and speak my words to them. 5 You are not being sent to a people of obscure speech and difficult language, but to the house of Israel- 6 not to many peoples of obscure speech and difficult language, whose words you cannot understand. Surely if I had sent you to them, they would have listened to you. 7 But the house of Israel is not willing to listen to you because they are not willing to listen to me, for the whole house of Israel is hardened and obstinate. 8 But I will make you as unyielding and hardened as they are. 9 I will make your forehead like the hardest stone, harder than flint. Do not be afraid of them or terrified by them, though they are a rebellious house."
10 And he said to me, "Son of man, listen carefully and take to heart all the words I speak to you. 11 Go now to your countrymen in exile and speak to them. Say to them, 'This is what the Sovereign LORD says,' whether they listen or fail to listen."
12 Then the Spirit lifted me up, and I heard behind me a loud rumbling sound—May the glory of the LORD be praised in his dwelling place!- 13 the sound of the wings of the living creatures brushing against each other and the sound of the wheels beside them, a loud rumbling sound. 14 The Spirit then lifted me up and took me away, and I went in bitterness and in the anger of my spirit, with the strong hand of the LORD upon me. 15 I came to the exiles who lived at Tel Abib near the Kebar River. And there, where they were living, I sat among them for seven days-overwhelmed.
Warning to Israel
16 At the end of seven days the word of the LORD came to me: 17 "Son of man, I have made you a watchman for the house of Israel; so hear the word I speak and give them warning from me. 18 When I say to a wicked man, 'You will surely die,' and you do not warn him or speak out to dissuade him from his evil ways in order to save his life, that wicked man will die for [a] his sin, and I will hold you accountable for his blood. 19 But if you do warn the wicked man and he does not turn from his wickedness or from his evil ways, he will die for his sin; but you will have saved yourself. 20 "Again, when a righteous man turns from his righteousness and does evil, and I put a stumbling block before him, he will die. Since you did not warn him, he will die for his sin. The righteous things he did will not be remembered, and I will hold you accountable for his blood. 21 But if you do warn the righteous man not to sin and he does not sin, he will surely live because he took warning, and you will have saved yourself."
22 The hand of the LORD was upon me there, and he said to me, "Get up and go out to the plain, and there I will speak to you." 23 So I got up and went out to the plain. And the glory of the LORD was standing there, like the glory I had seen by the Kebar River, and I fell facedown.
24 Then the Spirit came into me and raised me to my feet. He spoke to me and said: "Go, shut yourself inside your house. 25 And you, son of man, they will tie with ropes; you will be bound so that you cannot go out among the people. 26 I will make your tongue stick to the roof of your mouth so that you will be silent and unable to rebuke them, though they are a rebellious house. 27 But when I speak to you, I will open your mouth and you shall say to them, 'This is what the Sovereign LORD says.' Whoever will listen let him listen, and whoever will refuse let him refuse; for they are a rebellious house.
1 Do not envy wicked men, do not desire their company;
2 for their hearts plot violence, and their lips talk about making trouble.
3 By wisdom a house is built, and through understanding it is established;
4 through knowledge its rooms are filled with rare and beautiful treasures.
5 A wise man has great power, and a man of knowledge increases strength;
6 for waging war you need guidance, and for victory many advisers.
7 Wisdom is too high for a fool; in the assembly at the gate he has nothing to say.
8 He who plots evil will be known as a schemer.
9 The schemes of folly are sin, and men detest a mocker.
10 If you falter in times of trouble, how small is your strength!
11 Rescue those being led away to death; hold back those staggering toward slaughter.
12 If you say, "But we knew nothing about this," does not he who weighs the heart perceive it? Does not he who guards your life know it? Will he not repay each person according to what he has done?
13 Eat honey, my son, for it is good; honey from the comb is sweet to your taste.
14 Know also that wisdom is sweet to your soul; if you find it, there is a future hope for you, and your hope will not be cut off.
15 Do not lie in wait like an outlaw against a righteous man's house, do not raid his dwelling place;
16 for though a righteous man falls seven times, he rises again, but the wicked are brought down by calamity.
17 Do not gloat when your enemy falls; when he stumbles, do not let your heart rejoice,
18 or the LORD will see and disapprove and turn his wrath away from him.
19 Do not fret because of evil men or be envious of the wicked,
20 for the evil man has no future hope, and the lamp of the wicked will be snuffed out.
21 Fear the LORD and the king, my son, and do not join with the rebellious,
22 for those two will send sudden destruction upon them, and who knows what calamities they can bring? Further Sayings of the Wise
23 These also are sayings of the wise: To show partiality in judging is not good:
24 Whoever says to the guilty, "You are innocent"— peoples will curse him and nations denounce him.
25 But it will go well with those who convict the guilty, and rich blessing will come upon them.
26 An honest answer is like a kiss on the lips.
27 Finish your outdoor work and get your fields ready; after that, build your house.
28 Do not testify against your neighbor without cause, or use your lips to deceive.
29 Do not say, "I'll do to him as he has done to me; I'll pay that man back for what he did."
30 I went past the field of the sluggard, past the vineyard of the man who lacks judgment;
31 thorns had come up everywhere, the ground was covered with weeds, and the stone wall was in ruins.
32 I applied my heart to what I observed and learned a lesson from what I saw:
33 A little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to rest-
34 and poverty will come on you like a bandit and scarcity like an armed man.
For the director of music. According to sheminith . A psalm of David. [a]
1 Help, LORD, for the godly are no more; the faithful have vanished from among men. 2 Everyone lies to his neighbor; their flattering lips speak with deception.
3 May the LORD cut off all flattering lips and every boastful tongue
4 that says, "We will triumph with our tongues; we own our lips [b] —who is our master?"
5 "Because of the oppression of the weak and the groaning of the needy, I will now arise," says the LORD. "I will protect them from those who malign them."
6 And the words of the LORD are flawless, like silver refined in a furnace of clay, purified seven times.
7 O LORD, you will keep us safe and protect us from such people forever.
8 The wicked freely strut about when what is vile is honored among men.
1 In the LORD I take refuge. How then can you say to me: "Flee like a bird to your mountain. 2 For look, the wicked bend their bows; they set their arrows against the strings to shoot from the shadows at the upright in heart.
3 When the foundations are being destroyed, what can the righteous do [a] ?"
4 The LORD is in his holy temple; the LORD is on his heavenly throne. He observes the sons of men; his eyes examine them.
5 The LORD examines the righteous, but the wicked [b] and those who love violence his soul hates.
6 On the wicked he will rain fiery coals and burning sulfur; a scorching wind will be their lot.
7 For the LORD is righteous, he loves justice; upright men will see his face.
Area: 88,147 sq km
Landlocked Balkan state. Serbia has two autonomous provinces, Vojvodina in the north and Kosovo in the south. Population: 7,771,633 Annual Growth: -0.22% Capital: Belgrade Urbanites: 52.4% HDI Rank: 67 of 182 (UN Human Development Reports 2009)
The Balkan Warsleft a range of unresolved issues: the devastated economy, a fragile democracy, and poor relations with neighbouring countries and treatment of minority groups (including in Kosovo). Resolutions must be found, but a stubborn government and entrenched ethnocentrism in the main faith groups (Orthodoxy, Islam and Catholicism) make political and religious structures part of the problem. Pray that the tiny evangelical community – the only body that has retained multi-cultural fellowships – might prove a catalyst for good. For an additional 9 Challenges for Prayer see Operation World book, CD-ROM, or DVD-ROM.
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The Operation World book, CD-ROM, and DVD-ROM provide far more information and fuel for prayer for the people of Serbia.
Restoration is hardly the right wordto describe the needs of a region depressed and underdeveloped even before the war. The economy is actually shrinking, unemployment is at 70%, internal politics are divided and organized crime/smuggling syndicates are the main beneficiaries of this chaos. Pray for a growing economy that provides stability and honest gainful employment. Pray for the suppression of those exploiting the difficulties for personal gain. For an additional 4 Challenges for Prayer see Operation World book, CD-ROM, or DVD-ROM.
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The Operation World book, CD-ROM, and DVD-ROM provide far more information and fuel for prayer for the people of Kosovo.
1 He said to me, "Son of man, stand up on your feet and I will speak to you." 2 As he spoke, the Spirit came into me and raised me to my feet, and I heard him speaking to me. 3 He said: "Son of man, I am sending you to the Israelites, to a rebellious nation that has rebelled against me; they and their fathers have been in revolt against me to this very day. 4 The people to whom I am sending you are obstinate and stubborn. Say to them, 'This is what the Sovereign LORD says.' 5 And whether they listen or fail to listen—for they are a rebellious house—they will know that a prophet has been among them. 6 And you, son of man, do not be afraid of them or their words. Do not be afraid, though briers and thorns are all around you and you live among scorpions. Do not be afraid of what they say or terrified by them, though they are a rebellious house. 7 You must speak my words to them, whether they listen or fail to listen, for they are rebellious. 8 But you, son of man, listen to what I say to you. Do not rebel like that rebellious house; open your mouth and eat what I give you."
9 Then I looked, and I saw a hand stretched out to me. In it was a scroll, 10 which he unrolled before me. On both sides of it were written words of lament and mourning and woe.
Area: 196,722 sq km
Mainland Africa’s most westerly state: arid, with few natural resources. Population: 12,860,717 Annual Growth: 2.66% Capital: Dakar Urbanites: 42.9% HDI Rank: 166 of 182 (UN Human Development Reports 2009)
Peoples
Peoples: 57 (47% unreached) All peoples Unreached Peoples Prayer Card Official language: French. Language of wider communication, Wolof; spoken as a first language by around 40% of the population Languages: 46 All languages
The largest Christian communitiesare among the Serer, Jola, Bassari and Cape Verdean peoples. Most are nominally Catholic and from a non-Muslim background. Their influence is disproportionately great through their input into health services and education. Their lifestyle, however, often brings no credit to the cause of Christ, for few know real freedom in Jesus and victory over the powers of darkness. Sadly, Muslims often refer to Christians as “those who drink” rather than those who follow Christ. For an additional 11 Challenges for Prayer see Operation World book, CD-ROM, or DVD-ROM.
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The Operation World book, CD-ROM, and DVD-ROM provide far more information and fuel for prayer for the people of Senegal.
Area: 453 sq km
A group of 92 granite and coral islands spread across 400,000 sq km of the Indian Ocean; 1,600 km east of Kenya. Population: 84,600 Annual Growth: 0.47% Capital: Victoria Urbanites: 55.3% HDI Rank: 57 of 182 (UN Human Development Reports 2009)
Less reached peoples: a)The outer and less-populated islandsare isolated and have had little challenge to make a personal commitment to Christ. b)The small Buddhist, Hindu and Muslim communitiesneed loving outreach from believers who demonstrate the true gospel. For an additional 4 Challenges for Prayer see Operation World book, CD-ROM, or DVD-ROM.
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The Operation World book, CD-ROM, and DVD-ROM provide far more information and fuel for prayer for the people of Seychelles.
Area: 196,722 sq km
Mainland Africa’s most westerly state: arid, with few natural resources. Population: 12,860,717 Annual Growth: 2.66% Capital: Dakar Urbanites: 42.9% HDI Rank: 166 of 182 (UN Human Development Reports 2009)
Peoples
Peoples: 57 (47% unreached) All peoples Unreached Peoples Prayer Card Official language: French. Language of wider communication, Wolof; spoken as a first language by around 40% of the population Languages: 46 All languages
The Casamance regionin the south has been troubled for many years by groups who are, at times, separatists, but often mere bandits. The Casamance is separated from most of Senegal by geography (separated by Gambia), ethnic composition (Jola-dominated as opposed to Wolof) and even religion (significantly more animist and Christian sentiment in the south). Pray for long-term stability and peace as well as for sustained Christian ministry – these are often disrupted by sporadic violence.
For an additional 11 Challenges for Prayer see Operation World book, CD-ROM, or DVD-ROM.
More Information
The Operation World book, CD-ROM, and DVD-ROM provide far more information and fuel for prayer for the people of Senegal.
Area: 453 sq km
A group of 92 granite and coral islands spread across 400,000 sq km of the Indian Ocean; 1,600 km east of Kenya. Population: 84,600 Annual Growth: 0.47% Capital: Victoria Urbanites: 55.3% HDI Rank: 57 of 182 (UN Human Development Reports 2009)
Evangelical vision is growing.Despite being small in number (only 2,000 regularly attend an evangelical church), evangelicals in Seychelles have a large vision. All evangelical groups share the goal of saturation church planting throughout the country. Pray for this vision to have a powerful and positive impact on the spiritual life of the nation.
For an additional 4 Challenges for Prayer see Operation World book, CD-ROM, or DVD-ROM.
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The Operation World book, CD-ROM, and DVD-ROM provide far more information and fuel for prayer for the people of Seychelles.
Here's a declaration that some have been using: We pray the PEACE, PROTECTION, PROVISION, PURITY AND PRESENCE OF GOD for ______________ school -- over every administrator, teacher, student and the families associated with this school, in Jesus Name.
1 In the [a] thirtieth year, in the fourth month on the fifth day, while I was among the exiles by the Kebar River, the heavens were opened and I saw visions of God. 2 On the fifth of the month—it was the fifth year of the exile of King Jehoiachin- 3 the word of the LORD came to Ezekiel the priest, the son of Buzi, [b] by the Kebar River in the land of the Babylonians. [c] There the hand of the LORD was upon him.
4 I looked, and I saw a windstorm coming out of the north—an immense cloud with flashing lightning and surrounded by brilliant light. The center of the fire looked like glowing metal, 5 and in the fire was what looked like four living creatures. In appearance their form was that of a man, 6 but each of them had four faces and four wings. 7 Their legs were straight; their feet were like those of a calf and gleamed like burnished bronze. 8 Under their wings on their four sides they had the hands of a man. All four of them had faces and wings, 9 and their wings touched one another. Each one went straight ahead; they did not turn as they moved.
10 Their faces looked like this: Each of the four had the face of a man, and on the right side each had the face of a lion, and on the left the face of an ox; each also had the face of an eagle. 11 Such were their faces. Their wings were spread out upward; each had two wings, one touching the wing of another creature on either side, and two wings covering its body. 12 Each one went straight ahead. Wherever the spirit would go, they would go, without turning as they went. 13 The appearance of the living creatures was like burning coals of fire or like torches. Fire moved back and forth among the creatures; it was bright, and lightning flashed out of it. 14 The creatures sped back and forth like flashes of lightning.
15 As I looked at the living creatures, I saw a wheel on the ground beside each creature with its four faces. 16 This was the appearance and structure of the wheels: They sparkled like chrysolite, and all four looked alike. Each appeared to be made like a wheel intersecting a wheel. 17 As they moved, they would go in any one of the four directions the creatures faced; the wheels did not turn about [d] as the creatures went. 18 Their rims were high and awesome, and all four rims were full of eyes all around.
19 When the living creatures moved, the wheels beside them moved; and when the living creatures rose from the ground, the wheels also rose. 20 Wherever the spirit would go, they would go, and the wheels would rise along with them, because the spirit of the living creatures was in the wheels. 21 When the creatures moved, they also moved; when the creatures stood still, they also stood still; and when the creatures rose from the ground, the wheels rose along with them, because the spirit of the living creatures was in the wheels.
22 Spread out above the heads of the living creatures was what looked like an expanse, sparkling like ice, and awesome. 23 Under the expanse their wings were stretched out one toward the other, and each had two wings covering its body. 24 When the creatures moved, I heard the sound of their wings, like the roar of rushing waters, like the voice of the Almighty, [e] like the tumult of an army. When they stood still, they lowered their wings.
25 Then there came a voice from above the expanse over their heads as they stood with lowered wings. 26 Above the expanse over their heads was what looked like a throne of sapphire, [f] and high above on the throne was a figure like that of a man. 27 I saw that from what appeared to be his waist up he looked like glowing metal, as if full of fire, and that from there down he looked like fire; and brilliant light surrounded him. 28 Like the appearance of a rainbow in the clouds on a rainy day, so was the radiance around him. This was the appearance of the likeness of the glory of the LORD. When I saw it, I fell facedown, and I heard the voice of one speaking.
1 [a]Why, O LORD, do you stand far off? Why do you hide yourself in times of trouble?
2 In his arrogance the wicked man hunts down the weak, who are caught in the schemes he devises.
3 He boasts of the cravings of his heart; he blesses the greedy and reviles the LORD.
4 In his pride the wicked does not seek him; in all his thoughts there is no room for God.
5 His ways are always prosperous; he is haughty and your laws are far from him; he sneers at all his enemies.
6 He says to himself, "Nothing will shake me; I'll always be happy and never have trouble."
7 His mouth is full of curses and lies and threats; trouble and evil are under his tongue.
8 He lies in wait near the villages; from ambush he murders the innocent, watching in secret for his victims.
9 He lies in wait like a lion in cover; he lies in wait to catch the helpless; he catches the helpless and drags them off in his net.
10 His victims are crushed, they collapse; they fall under his strength.
11 He says to himself, "God has forgotten; he covers his face and never sees."
12 Arise, LORD! Lift up your hand, O God. Do not forget the helpless.
13 Why does the wicked man revile God? Why does he say to himself, "He won't call me to account"?
14 But you, O God, do see trouble and grief; you consider it to take it in hand. The victim commits himself to you; you are the helper of the fatherless.
15 Break the arm of the wicked and evil man; call him to account for his wickedness that would not be found out.
16 The LORD is King for ever and ever; the nations will perish from his land.
17 You hear, O LORD, the desire of the afflicted; you encourage them, and you listen to their cry,
18 defending the fatherless and the oppressed, in order that man, who is of the earth, may terrify no more.
