Please pray about the increasing tension between Israel and Iran after its embassy was attacked in Syria.

Iran retaliated for the attack that they believe was by Israel.  Also continue to pray for the people of Gaza that are short of almost everything because of the ongoing hostilities between Gaza and Israel.

 

Please pray for our police that have to deal with dog attacks.  Recently a child has been killed by a pet dog. This dog was not a banned breed.  Please pray for her family who will have been devastated by this.

 

Please pray about the recent floods in the Arabian Gulf area.  In Dubai there was a year’s rainfall in one night. This has led to the world’s second largest airport having to be closed because the runways have been flooded. Quite a number of people have been killed by the floods.  Please pray for their family and friends.

 

Please pray for the people of Ecuador who are suffering long power cuts due to a very severe drought.

 

Please pray about the ongoing flooding of fields in our own country.  This may severely affect our food production and may lead to a lack of food or raised food prices.  Pray especially for all the farmers who are affected, many of whom are now worried about going bankrupt.

 

Please continue to pray about the invasion of Ukraine by Russia.  There have been a number of very serious attacks in Ukraine leading to quite a number of deaths and a lot of damage.  There has been an attack on the power production in the country leading to shortage of power.  Pray that peace my come to this part of our own continent.

 

Please pray for our preachers who are preaching on Sunday 5th May.

Pray for the preparation as well as the service.

Susan Chambers at Tetney, Chris Norman at North Thoresby, Kath Melling with us at Scartho,

Jacqueline Mann at The Haven and Susan Chambers taking the Circuit service with us at Scartho

in the evening.

 

 

Please pray for the persecuted Christians in Somalia.  This country is number 2 on the Open Doors at risk list. It is estimated that there are only a few hundred Christians out of a population of 17.3 million.  Exact numbers are not known because of the extreme secrecy they are forced to live in.  Most, if not all, Christians in the country are converts from Muslim backgrounds.  That makes each believer a high-value target for al-Shabaab, a militant group, which governs part of the country, and has repeatedly expressed its desire to eradicate Christians.  If discovered, believers could be killed on the spot.  In Somali society, leaving Islam is regarded by many as a betrayal of culture and clan.  Those suspected of conversion face intense pressure from their family and local community, which can lead to harassment, intimidation and even murder.  Women may be kept under strict house arrest or forcibly married to a Muslim.  Men who are suspected of conversion will be pressurized into different activities – like leading prayers at mosques, or marrying more than one wife – to test where their true allegiance lies.  Church life in Somalia is non-existent, and in recent years the dangers facing Christians appear to have worsened, as Islamic militants have intensified their hunt for Christian leaders.  Attempts to establish or re-open churches have been met with fierce resistance.  This has led to many Christians fleeing for their lives, with some even opting to leave the country altogether.