18.-19. Mozambique: Mozambique emerged broken and wounded from colonialism and three decades of civil war. In 1995 it was reckoned to be the world's poorest nation. The government has worked hard to open up the economy, lay true democratic foundations, grant religious freedom and bind up the wounds of the past.
Please pray for:
a) Continuing natural disasters - much of the infrastructure of the more developed south was destroyed in the cyclone and flooding of 2000.
b) The danger of regional disaffection - the more heavily populated north feels neglected.
c) The growing calamity of AIDS with nearly 14% known to be HIV+ and 310,000 AIDS orphans. Medical services are rudimentary for the vast majority.
Mozambique's unreached peoples are still numerous and large, but there are few without a witness or an indigenous Christian presence. Much of existing outreach is through Mozambican missionaries and pastors.
Pray for the following people groups for an infusion of the gospel:
a) The Makhuwa. Some 30-60% are Muslim, 10% Catholic and maybe 10,000 are Evangelicals (AoG, CoN, United Baptists and others), but the more Muslim areas towards the coast are less evangelized.
b) The coastal Swahili-related peoples have long been Muslim. Only a handful of Mwani believers are known. SIL is translating the NT, and AIM has a church-planting ministry.
c) The Makonde in the north-east are part Muslim, part animist. Only Catholic and Assemblies of God, African churches are known to exist. There were about 30 evangelical congregations in 2000.
d) The Yao of Niassa Province along the shores of Lake Malawi are 96% Muslim. Only about 2% are Christian of any kind (mainly Anglican, Catholic and Assemblies of God, African). Both radio (FEBA) and the JESUS film have made an impact.
e) The peoples of the Zambezi valley - especially the Sena, Kunda, Podzo, Nyungwe, Chwabo, Lolo, Kokola, Manyawa, Marenje and Takwane.

20.-21. Myanmar: Four decades of repressive military rule have isolated the nation and brought it to destitution. Widespread despair followed the repression of democracy in 1990. The courage of the leader of the main opposition party, Aung San Suu Kyi, was recognized in her being awarded the 1991 Nobel Peace Prize. She has remained under house arrest since 1990.
Pray that the international community and the other ASEAN members might speak out and act to bring democracy.
Pray for an orderly transfer to a just and democratic government that will rebuild the country with both democratic and religious freedom.
The isolation of the Church in Myanmar has lasted for 30 years. All Protestant and most Catholic missions were expelled in 1966. Praise God for foundations laid by Adoniram Judson, the famous American Baptist missionary, and those who followed – for on these foundations the Church has grown and become an effective missionary-sending body.
Pray for the removal of restrictions on fellowship with Christians from other lands.
The military regime is seeking to marginalize and even eliminate the Church, yet growth continues. Christianity has been deeply rooted and has grown stronger in adversity. Many Christians are well-educated and are in positions of responsibility all over the country. However, growth slowed during the 1980s because of liberal theology. Growth is now most marked in the newer denominations. The most growth has been among ethnic minorities – the entire northern Chin groups, Lushai Chin, Mara, Matu Chin in southern Chin State and the majority of several Kachin groups (Jingphaw, Rawang), Lisu and Lahu and 40% of the Karen are Christian.
Pray that they may continue to evangelize every sub-group in their respective peoples and reach out to other unreached peoples and to the Burmese majority.
Buddhism is strongly entrenched among the Burmese majority, the Shan and the Mon, and of deep influence in more animistic peoples. The power of demonic spirits, astrology, superstition and the occult pervades all sections of the community. Only about 5% of Christians have come to Christ out of Buddhism.
Pray for significant breakthroughs in every people and demonstrations of the power of Jesus.
Pray also for conversions among the 750,000 Buddhist monks – many of whom have shown great interest in Christian radio broadcasts.
Pray for the following Challenges facing the Church in Myanmar:
a) Fortitude and faithfulness under persecution. There is much freedom yet also there are many imposed restrictions – on buildings, proselytizing, job opportunities and importation of literature. There have been many cases of Christians being forced to build Buddhist temples and to renounce their faith.
b) Liberal theology in some of the older, ecumenical seminaries is creating a church leadership that scorns evangelicals and the message of new birth.
Pray that the Bible may retain its rightful place in the affections of both leaders and church members.
c) Nominalism among third- and fourth-generation Christians is widespread. Pray for revival.
d) Most Christians are from minority groups which are embroiled in military actions against the central government.
Pray that this may not cause bitterness, hatred of other peoples, compromise of their faith, or blunting of a missions vision.
e) Reconciliation and unity among Christians is a serious need. The causes of division are various – ethnic, political, passivism or military activism, and doctrinal.
Pray that the Myanmar Biblical Christian Fellowship and the Myanmar Evangelical Christian Fellowship may effectively promote unity.

22. Namibia: The potential for economic collapse and strife is high if there is a failure in political leadership.
Pray for the government and its leaders.
Namibia for long had the highest percentage of Christians for any country in Africa. The early labors of German and Finnish Lutheran and then Anglican missionaries gave birth to large denominations. The influence of liberal and then black theology eroded that spiritual heritage, and true discipleship and holy living are now in short supply and nominalism widespread. There is a noticeable turning away from Christianity and a lack of openness to the gospel.
Pray for a unity, based on Scripture and bathed in the Spirit, that will bring reconciliation and revival.
Leadership training: The major denominational seminary in the country has been much influenced by black and liberation theology to the spiritual impoverishment of students going into the ministry. The result: accelerated nominalization of the churches, lowering of moral standards for leaders and followers, and reliance on occultism rather than the Lord.
Pray for the only evangelical diploma and degree level training facility in the country – Namibia Evangelical Theological Seminary in Windhoek.
Nauru: Offshore banking on the internet is now a major source of income. This is a euphemism for money laundering for Russian crime syndicates – the sums processed are estimated at more than $US 65 billion.
Pray for both the Nauruan and international authorities to courageously tackle this evil that enriches a few criminals and impoverishes millions, bankrupting countries.
The wealth of Nauruans contrasts markedly with the relative poverty of surrounding island states. Materialism has sapped the people of spiritual concern. Church life is at a low ebb. There are few evangelical believers. This isolated island paradise of materialism, where everything has been free, may end with the exhaustion of the phosphate deposits. There is low life-expectancy because fresh food cannot be grown locally.
Pray that these realities may cause a turning to God.

23.-24. Nepal: The country needs political stability and continuity of government after the first tempestuous decade of democracy which culminated in the assassination of the Royal Family.
Pray for the new King crowned in 2001 – he has neither the stature nor the popularity of the former king.
Pray also for peace – civil war threatens. The poverty of most of the population is a fundamental issue.
Pray for an honest, balanced, fair government that is able to seriously tackle the immense economic problems of the country.
Religious freedom has increased, but is still only partial. Persecution from the authorities was greatly reduced in 1990 with the advent of democracy. All Christian prisoners were released and all pending court cases against over 300 Christians were dismissed. Over the 1990s there have been a number of Christians who have been arrested, imprisoned or even murdered in custody for seeking to preach to Hindus. Increasing Hinduist persecution of Christians in India is impacting official attitudes. Militant Hinduists in Nepal are targeting Christians with virulent propaganda and violence which aims to drive all Christians from the country.
Pray for:
a) Full religious freedom to be both guaranteed in the constitution and upheld by the authorities.
b) The thwarting of the designs of the extremists and for their eyes to be opened to the Lord Jesus.
The first generation of Nepali leaders laid a good foundation.
Pray for:
a) Effective transfer of leadership to a second generation.
b) Men and women of vision who are filled with the Holy Spirit for the task ahead. For many, ministry will be arduous and will provide little to live on.
c) Leadership training. For years no formal training was possible. There are now over 13 Bible colleges and seminaries, as well as shorter-term training, provided by various churches and agencies. Most are linked with the Association of Theological Educators, Nepal. GFA has three centers from which 100 Nepali evangelist-missionaries graduate annually.

25. Netherlands: The Netherlands has two major claims to fame:
a) A glorious history as a Christian nation – its fight for religious freedom, ministry to refugees and Jews, and a record of extensive involvement in missions to other lands b) A decadent present as a secular society that has turned its back on its past. There has been a dramatic decline in the number of Christians in this generation and today's openly permissive society is renouncing its heritage. There are few restrictions on drugs, deviant life styles, prostitution, homosexuality and abortion. The Netherlands is the first country to legalize euthanasia and has become a world leader in promoting a New Age world-view with its values.
Pray for a revival that restores the nation spiritually.
Pray that the government may also be influenced for good.
The historic Protestant Churches have suffered calamitous losses – from 60% of the population in 1900 to 21% in 2000. By 2015 over half their membership will be over 65 in both the many Calvinist denominations and most of the Free churches.
Pray for:
a) New life to replace traditions, structural rigidity and increasingly irrelevant theological disputes.
b) A re-commitment to the Scriptures instead of free-thinking liberalism and tolerant pluralism.
c) Restoration of a prophetic message that is relevant to young people today and addresses the tide of secularism, New Age, the occult, eastern and western cults, rampant immorality and a rising crime rate.
d) Concern for the salvation of souls in a climate where dialogue and compromise are prized more than evangelism. The NHK, GK and Lutherans are working towards a church union (Samen op Weg - SOW) -
Pray that this not be at the expense of outreach.
e) A new generation of leaders with spiritual passion for God's glory and Kingdom extension, and also effective ministry preparation.
Neth Antilles: The Papiamento Bible was finally published in 1997 (TEAM).
Pray for this Bible to impact the majority of the population who use it.
Pray also for literacy programmes and more Christian literature in the language.
Christian radio is a significant ministry which involves most of the Protestant missionary force. TEAM concentrates on local Papiamento broadcasts from Radio Victoria. TWR, from their powerful station on Bonaire and by satellite, concentrates on Latin America and the world in English (52 hrs), Spanish (33) and Portuguese (26) as well as two Amerindian languages.
Pray for the TWR missionary community of 54 expatriate workers on Bonaire who maintain the radio ministry, often with little visible encouragement, yet much fruit.

26. New Caledonia: The Kanak peoples are Christianized and nearly every village has a church, but the traumatic colonial take-over damaged their self-image and led them to confuse the gospel with Western culture. Christianity is often a veneer over the underlying animism of the past. Even many pastors fail to discern between occultic practices and what the gospel teaches.
Pray that a truly biblical yet indigenous Christian witness may be raised up, and the power of the gospel demonstrated over all the power of the evil one.
Many of the Protestant churches are influenced by liberation theology, though in recent years the Free Evangelical Church has become theologically evangelical, with touches of revival. There is an interdenominational Bible School which had 50 students in 1999.
Pray for the raising up of many godly leaders.

27. New Zealand: The rapid secularization of society has led to declines among Anglicans, Presbyterians, Methodists and, to a lesser extent, Catholics. Those with no religion rose from 1.1% in 1951 to 26% in 1996. Church attendance is declining and in 2000 was 14% of the population, but only 19% of attendees are in their 30s, and 8% in their 20s. There is growing interest in New Age religions, but the Church is criticized as too traditional, so the decline is set to continue unless God intervenes. The Presbyterians are sorely divided over such issues as the practice of homosexuality. Earlier Pentecostal and charismatic growth has slowed and the attrition rate is high.
Pray with the many New Zealand Christians for a fresh outpouring of the Spirit.
Extensive church planting during the 1990s yielded mixed results – more churches were planted, but many of these were less viable because conversions did not increase. There has been a greater emphasis on increased cooperation between denominations in planting viable rural churches and starting work among immigrant minorities.
Pray for an effective, unified witness that impacts the unconverted.
The missions vision of the New Zealand Church is an example to many other lands, but has faltered in recent years. The Perspectives on the World Christian Movement courses have had significant impact leading to new candidates for Bible School training and then going into missions as a result. There are 19 residential Protestant Bible schools, of which the largest and best known is the Bible College of New Zealand in Auckland, and some 60 part-time schools.
Pray for these and their preparation for cross-cultural service.
Pray for this missions vision to be nurtured by pastors and embraced by whole congregations.
A Maori cultural revival and compensation for infringements of the 1840 Treaty have impacted the non-Maori majority. Many Maori resent their cultural dislocation which has put them at a social disadvantage – high unemployment, relative poverty, crime, youth gangs, welfare needs are the result. Syncretistic sects such as Ringatu and Ratana as well as the Mormons have gained large followings. Very few attend evangelical churches.
Pray that Maori may find their full cultural blossoming in embracing the fullness of the gospel and pray for a new generation of Maori evangelical leaders to emerge.

28. Nicaragua: Nicaragua remains a deeply divided nation. The traumatic events of 1979-1998 have divided politicians (Sandinista, Contra and democrats), communities (the Hispanic-Mestizo west and Creole-Amerindian east), trade unions, churches and families.
Pray the government would gain the authority and respect of all communities to institute the needed structural, sociological and economic changes.
Hurricane Mitch traumatized the nation with massive destruction of roads, housing and farmland. Over 9,000 perished and 2 million were made homeless. It will take 15 years or more to repair the estimated $15 billion damage caused. International aid quickly dried up after the initial effort, and little has been done to alleviate the massive foreign debt. Many national, denominational and interdenominational economic uplift programmes have been launched - CEPAD (The Evangelical Committee for Relief and Development), AoG, Verbo Church, etc.
Pray for emotional healing, wise, long-term economic aid and spiritual fruit.
Pray also for spiritual needs to be met and churches to multiply. This Muslim land is open for the gospel, and Muslims are more receptive than ever before, yet response has been small and church growth slow. Islam is strong and well-organized. There is an Islamic university 54km from Niamey. . The spiritual effects of folk Islam and demonic oppression are a major hindrance to people coming to Christ.
Pray that the land may remain open, and that every social, religious and spiritual barrier to the knowledge of the Lord may be removed.
This pioneer land still needs missionaries for all parts of the country. The loving ministry of Christian aid missionaries has won credibility for the gospel and increased interest and response from both Muslims and animists.
The major mission agencies: SIM (154), WH (43), AoG (38), IMB-SBC (16), SIL (15), YWAM (10), Evangelical Baptists (4). There is a growing contribution from missions from Nigeria (CAPRO, EMS).
Pray for more laborers.
Pray for sensitivity in helping the small, young churches and their leaders to maturity. The unity of Nigeria. The combined effects of ancient tribal hatreds, Muslim conquests, British colonial policy in which the North and South were handled differently and the bitter Biafra war of 1967-70 have left deep scars.
Pray for healing and reconciliation.
The government needs time, the support of the people and courage to bring about the painful reconstruction of the country after four decades of being plundered by its leaders.
Pray for the right balance between tact and firmness and between revolution and evolution in economic affairs, vested interests and tribalism.
The introduction of shari'a law in northern Muslim states is a direct challenge to the federal government and a danger to national stability.
Pray with Nigerian Christians for the preservation of national unity, the integrity of the federal constitution and for full religious freedom.
The culture of greed and corruption runs deep. Nigeria has become infamous for spectacular international scams, international crime and drug-running.
Pray that God may raise up many more who fear Him and have the moral integrity and courage to tackle the rottenness manifest in society.
Pray that Christian values and lifestyle may affect every area of national life and that Nigeria attain its potential as a light to the world for God.
Massive church growth has its dangers.
Pray for God to cover the nation and that the following can be avoided:
a) Widespread evangelism unaccompanied by follow-up and balanced teaching. Numerous doctrinal distortions (lack of preaching Christ and salvation by grace alone), an over-emphasis on material prosperity, undue stress on certain spiritual gifts and unethical fundraising are bringing dissension to the Body of Christ.
b) Divisions. A profusion of competing denominations and sects has emerged. There are too many one-man ministries with little accountability to the Body of Christ. Pray that the pride, carnality and tribalism underlying this may be replaced with humility, simplicity of lifestyle and holiness.
c) Second-generation nominalism in both traditional and younger churches is becoming a big problem. Double standards are widespread, and immorality, membership of secret societies and compromise with the world bring strife and disrepute for the gospel.
d) Syncretistic Christianity. Many indigenous groups have sprung up with a desire for God, but with much admixture of unbiblical world-views and practices. Many are open to greater gospel light but are often isolated from, or shunned by, more orthodox churches. A number of large Pentecostal denominations are also showing syncretistic tendencies.
Thank you for your consistent prayers. Let us continue to believe for a world wide revival.

29. Niger:

30.-31. Nigeria:

Blessings,
Lane

Lane M. Holland, M.Div.
Prayer Coordinator
Word Ministries
www.prayers.org

Sources:
Mission Info Bank. Used by permission.
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