The Land of the Midnight Sun: Norway

The Land of the Midnight Sun: Norway

Map It Monday:

Today we place the map of Norway on our fridge.

Printable Map of Norway (and Scandinavia)

Our Prayer:

"Lord, Norway is a breathtakingly beautiful country that so many want to make their home.  We ask that all of Norway would see that God so loved the world that He gave His only Son so that all who believe in Him will have eternal life. Amen."

Stats and Facts Tuesday:

Please go and check out the Prayercast link for some great general and spiritual statistics.  It is a very informative link.  

Stats, Facts, and Prayer for Norway.

Our Prayer:

"Jesus, cause Norway to return to her first love in the one true God.  Have mercy on the Norwegian church and revive her again.  God we thank you that Norway is becoming a land of many different cultures and for its amazing participation in world missions.  Cause the Norwegian people to burn with love and fervor for You, Amen."

Walk in My Shoes Wednesday:

Today we will be praying for Norway's Prison Fellowship International Ministry.  If you are not familiar with Prison Fellowship, watch the link to Chuck Colson, the founder of Prison Fellowship, tell you about the heart and purpose of this ministry.

Read about the New Life program that Norway's Prison Fellowship is implementing to help those who are about to be released be ready for reentry.  

Our Prayer:

"Jesus, even though Norway is a small in population, there are still prisoners who are in need of a Savior.  So Lord, we are asking that you come and strengthen the director and those faithful brothers and sisters who go into the prisons and share the good news of the gospel with over 1,000 inmates. God we ask for salvation, discipleship, and real change to come to those involved with this ministry.  Amen."

Take Action Thursday:

 Today, we are going to send an encouraging email form our family to Norway's director of Prison Fellowship.  We want him to know that we are upholding all of those involved with the ministry in prayer, and for the prisoners and their families as well. 

MAILING ADDRESS

P.O. Box 75 Sentrum 

Skien, 3701 Norway

AFFILIATE DETAILS

Executive Director: Odd Arvid Stykket

Board Chairperson: Ingvald A. Viken

CONTACT INFORMATION

Phone: +(47) 474 54 900

Phone: +(47) 911 22 533

Email: post@pfn.no

Email: odd.arvid@stykket.no

Website: http://www.pfn.no

Our Prayer:

"Lord, please help those in prison in Norway to see that you have come to set the captives free.  Jesus provide for all of those who are volunteering faithfully with Prison Fellowship.  Please bathe the country of Norway in your Holy Spirit's power and give them all a desire to know you and to surrender all to You.  Amen."

The United Kingdom : Land of Hope and Glory

Land of Hope and Glory: United Kingdom

Map It Monday:

Today we place a map of the United Kingdom on our refrigerator.

Printable Map of Untied Kingdom.

Our Prayer:

"Lord, we ask that you would move upon the people of the United Kingdom.  Please come and give these people a hope that never fails and receive all the glory, Lord.  Amen."

Stats and Facts Tuesday:

United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland

Geography

Area: 244,110 sq km

Two main islands: Britain and the northeast of Ireland. A union of four countries: England 103,400 sq km, Scotland 78,800 sq km, Wales 20,800 sq km, Northern Ireland 14,100 sq km. Also three small autonomous states that are dependencies of the British Crown: Isle of Man 588 sq km (in the Irish Sea); Channel Islands 194 sq km (Guernsey, Jersey).

Population: 62,129,818    Annual Growth: 0.54%

Capital: London

Urbanites: 90.1%

Official language: English; in Wales both English and Welsh. English is the primary language of 400 million in the world, as well as the major language of international communication for over 1.4 billion    

Religion

Largest Religion: Christian

Religion		Pop %	Ann Gr
Christians	37,066,649	59.66	-0.8
Evangelicals	5,490,130	8.8	0.0

Challenges for Prayer

Immigration remains a massive challenge, but is also an utter necessity and an unavoidable reality. The seat of British Empire now draws many from the far reaches of its former domains – and beyond. There are an estimated 600,000 to 900,000 illegal immigrants in the UK. Fully 70% of net population growth in the next 25 years is anticipated to be from immigration; in some boroughs and towns more babies are born to immigrants than to citizens. Pray with an eye toward:

a) A core identity and purpose for Britain. Without a cultural centre or core set of values around which to build a multi-cultural society, disintegration and division will triumph. Pray for Britain to regain a sense of what makes it Britain; pray that these values would celebrate and reflect what God rejoices in.

b) Integration. Unwillingness or inability to adjust to life in the UK and lack of support and welcome for many immigrants all contribute to the creation of ethnic ghettoes.

c) Criminal and terrorist threats. Immigrants tend to suffer lower rates of employment and education, and higher rates of poverty and crime. They are much more vulnerable to exploitation by human traffickers, crime lords and religious fanatics. The number of people who enter the UK with the intention of criminal or terrorist activity is of course unknown, but it is far too many nonetheless. Pray for all who intend to exploit, disrupt or destroy to be thwarted by the authorities.

d) Christian and mission impact. Immigration, a trend reviled by reactionaries, also brings great blessing to these shores. Christian immigrants have staved off even greater declines in mainline churches and brought new life to many recent movements. “Reverse mission” is an undeniable trend, with around 1,500 Christian missionaries coming into the UK from the Americas, Africa and Asia. Immigration has also brought many unevangelized peoples right onto the doorstep of gospel-oriented churches. Thank God for these twin blessings; pray that both might be fully utilized to see new churches planted, new peoples reached and Jesus glorified.

Brief Geography and History Page on UK for kids

Video of UK important landmarks

Our Prayer:

"Lord, we know that all who call on the name of the Lord will be saved.  We ask that the British people would call on Your name for wisdom, for direction, and for the saving grace of Jesus Christ to come and bring a new hope and renew their faith in You. Revive Your church again and bring into Your family all of the peoples of the world who are making the United Kingdom their home.  Amen."

Walk In My Shoes Wednesday:

Today we will pray for Parliament, the governing body of the United Kingdom - kind of like our Congress.  We will be praying along with the Evangelical Alliance in England for the members of Parliament.  Please see the following links to understand more about how to pray for the government leaders of the United Kingdom.

Evangelical Alliance: Prayer for Parliament

Common Prayers prayed in Parliament

Our Prayer:

"Jesus, men love power.  The temptation to rule for personal and political gain is very strong.  We pray that you would grant the men and women of Parliament the grace to humble themselves, seek Your face, and to love godly wisdom.  Give the church in the United Kingdom the endurance and long suffering to pray faithfully for their leaders.  Amen."

Take Action Thursday:

Today we will be having our own English inspired tea time.  We will be praying for the United Kingdom during our tea.  Traditionally, afternoon tea is served from 3-5pm. We will also be making cards to take to our dear English friend Ms. Rosemary, who has regaled us with stories of the Blitz in London and her work with the USO during the WWII years.  We hope to bring her some of our English tea.  Enjoy your tea time today and pray for the people of the United Kingdom.  

How do you make an English cup of tea?

Yummy Eats to go along with your British Tea

Our Prayer:

"Lord, You have said, taste and see that the Lord is good.  We want the British people to taste and see the gospel and see that it is indeed good news!  Jesus, come and save the English people, Amen."

Ireland: The Emerald Isle

Ireland: The Emerald Isle

Map it Monday:

Today, we place a map of Ireland on our refrigerator as we pray for the people of this beautiful and historic country.

Printable Map of Ireland

More Ireland Printables

Our Prayer:

"Oh Father of  all Grace, we ask that You make the wondrous gospel of grace known to all of the Irish people.  May they know that You sent Your only Son to die on a cross so that whoever believes in Him will not perish but have eternal life. Amen." 

Stats and Facts Tuesday:

Geography

Area: 70,285 sq km

Comprises 80% of the island of Ireland. Northern Ireland is a constituent part of the United Kingdom.

Population: 4,589,002    Annual Growth: 1.85%

Capital: Dublin

Urbanites: 62%

Official language: Irish, English. Irish spoken as a first language by less than 4% of the population; 40% of the Irish population can speak Irish

Religion

Largest Religion: Christian

Religion		Pop %	Ann Gr
Christians	4,209,033	91.72	1.4
Evangelicals	71,080	1.5	3.3

Challenges for Prayer

The Catholic Church was, for centuries, the preserver and defender of the Irish. Catalyzed by secularism, the rapid onset of modernity and a series of high-profile scandals and cover-ups in the priesthood, the nation is rapidly losing the deep Catholic sensibilities that once tied it together. Once an exporter of trained priests, the Catholic Church today ordains few. Weekly church attendance, once 85% nationally, is now less than 50%, and as low as 5% in parts of Dublin – and there are more non-religious Irish than ever before. Despite this, there is a vibrant charismatic renewal movement within the Catholic Church and unprecedented collaboration with other expressions of the Christian faith. Pray for the Irish nation to rediscover its ancient heritage of deep and profound faith in Christ.

The sex abuse scandals that rocked the Catholic Church devastated the nation’s confidence in what was once a deeply trusted institution. Possibly the only things more damaging than this tragic and sinful abuse are the cover-ups and collusion that occurred after these incidents came to the knowledge of Church leaders. Ireland’s Catholic faith was already on a downward trajectory; these scandals may have thrust it into a death spiral. Pray that true repentance, forgiveness and, where possible, restoration might occur on the part of those involved, and that this may lead to purification and redemption of Catholicism in Ireland. (taken from Operation World)

A Brief History of Ireland

 Our Prayer

"Lord, you invaded Ireland with the gospel many many years ago.  We are asking that you revive the church and raise up many more to take the life giving truth of the gospel to the people of the Emerald Isle once again.  Show us how to pray for a people that is so rich in beauty and in promise.  May they experience a deep gospel saturated heritage once more.  Amen."

Prayer Video for Ireland

Walk in My Shoes Wednesday:

Today we will be praying for World Harvest Mission's work in Ireland.  This missions organization has been working with the people of Ireland for over 30 years.  And because Ireland has the smallest percentage of evangelical Christians of any English speaking country in the world, this is a very significant work. Read more about their mission to Ireland here:

World Harvest Mission: Ireland

First Presbyterian church plant begun in the Republic of Ireland in the last 100 years: 

Our Prayer:

"Raise up workers for the harvest fields of Ireland!  Give Your people a desire to go and share the good news of Jesus' work on the cross to the unchurched people of Ireland, oh Lord. God give the Irish church Your courage to proclaim the gospel and give the people of Ireland a hunger and a thirst for righteousness.  Give the men and women that work with World Harvest Mission in Ireland longsuffering and patience as they sow the gospel seed in the Irish soil.  Amen." 

Take Action Thursday:

Today we will sing an old but familiar Irish hymn, "Be Thou My Vision" together.  As we sing, we will be praying the words of the hymn for the country of Ireland.  

We will also be watching a brief presentation on who St. Patrick really was.

Who was St. Patrick?

Our Prayer:

"Lord, turn the nation of Ireland upside down again with the gospel that sets people free from sin and death.  We ask that You open the eyes and ears of the Irish people to receive the good news of Jesus Christ.  Give the people of Ireland a heart that follows after Christ alone.  We pray that You would be their vision and that they would see You as the Ruler of all, Amen." 

Taking a Break for Christmas

We will be taking a break from our normal praying through the world routine for the Christmas season.  We will return in the New Year by turning our hearts and minds in prayer toward Europe.  May the Lord bless you and keep you and continue to give you a burden of prayer for the peoples of the world. 

Haiti: Land of the Mountains

Haiti: Land of the Mountains

Map It Monday:

Map of Haiti to print.  Today we place Haiti on our refrigerator. 

Our Prayer:

"Jesus, Haiti needs you, just as we need you.  Today as we begin to go to the throne of grace for the people of Haiti, we stand on the hope and promise of Your Word that says,"For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son that whoever believes in Him will not perish but have everlasting life."  Amen."

Stats and Facts Tuesday:

Check out these informative links to learn more about the country of Haiti and the needs of the people there.

88 Little Known Facts about Haiti.  

Just one story of many of the needs Haiti is facing.

Our Prayer:

"Father God, we ask you to come and to provide real lasting answers to the hopeless and dying in Haiti.  Pour out true gospel help upon these people that have faced so much pain and death.  May the love of God in Jesus Christ be shed abroad in the hearts of these people. Amen."

Prayer Video for Haiti

Walk In My Shoes Wednesday:

Our friend Olivia Sultenfuss, and her father Mark, have a beautiful heart for Haiti.  They have recently spent some time in a place called The Village of Hope, located in Les Cayes, Haiti.  

This video gives a brief tour of The Village of Hope. 

Today, we will read about Olivia and how God has taken her to a beautiful place and pray for her as God continues to lead and guide her.

Olivia's heart for Haiti.

Our Prayer:

"Oh God, we thank You for the beautiful places that Your gospel takes us to!   Please continue to gently lead and guide Olivia as she seeks to care for these precious children that You have made in Haiti.  We ask that you provide all that Olivia and the Sultenfuss family needs as they reach out to the people of Les Cayes, Haiti. Amen."

Take Action Thursday:

Today we will pray specifically for the requests that Olivia has shared with me for herself and for Haiti.  Let us remember that God is no respecter of persons in any way, not in skin color, culture, nor in socioeconomic class.  Olivia and her family will be traveling to the Village of Hope again in the beginning of 2014. We are each going to take one prayer request and lift it up to God as we pray for them as a family.

*The name of the location that we are going to is called Les Cayes, Haiti (about 5 hour from Port au Prince.) The name of the village is called the Village of Hope (they have about 40 families here) and the name of the orphanage is called the Consolation Center (they have about 54 orphaned girls here).

*We need prayers for the locals specifically, that despite the hardships that they continually go through that their hearts would not be turned away from Christ and that they would have continuous hope.

*The same for the village. The village consists of shelters for a lot of single mothers, and as you can imagine being a single mother in Haiti is horrific, so prayers that these wonderful people would not give up and would be encouraged by the Hope and Promise of the Lord.

*Also, the missionaries that we became great friends with is also a way that I pray for Haiti-- they are great tools of ministry and hope and need prayer.

*our prayer right now is for provision. That God's will would be done and that He would provide for us every step of the way (i.e. health, travel, finances, etc.) 

Our Prayer:

"Lord, how beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!  We ask that You would provide for all that we have asked for Haiti and the Sultenfuss family according to Your riches in Christ Jesus.  We are so encouraged that You continue to place this country and its people on the hearts of so many.  Your will be done in Haiti, Amen."

Puerto Rico: The Beautiful Island

The Beautiful Island: Puerto Rico

Map It Monday:

Today we begin praying for Puerto Rico and place a map of the country on our refrigerator. 

Printable Map of Puerto Rico

Puerto Rico Flag Coloring Page

Our Prayer:

"Lord we ask that many would believe in the Lord Jesus Christ and be saved in the beautiful island of Puerto Rico.  Amen."

Stats and Facts Tuesday:

Basic Facts about Puerto Rico

Puerto Rico Statistics   

·         Population: 3.8 million

·         Unemployment Rate: 16.3%

·         Puerto Rico is 2nd only to Bahrain in highest suicide rate in the world.

·         Puerto Rico is 3rd in the world (behind Colombia & El Salvador) in murders committed by youth per capita at 42%

·         Poverty in Puerto Rico (a US territory) is THREE TIMES higher than the poverty rate of the USA mainland, at nearly 50% for the total population.  But nearly 60% of children and teens under 18 live in poverty.

·         Current teen birth rate in Puerto Rico has been increasing and is currently around 62 teen births per 1,000 births (the US teen birth rate is currently around 42 teen births per 1,000)

·         25% of the population is identified as evangelical Christian, though the population is plagued with apathy, practicing various Caribbean ritualistic traditions such as ancestor worship, and many have no spiritual direction whatsoever.  Another statistic says that Protestant Christians make up only 8% of the population of Puerto Rico.

·         Drug trafficking throughout Puerto Rico is a huge problem and a large part of the extremely high crime rate on the island.  The murder rate in Puerto Rico has held the #1 spot over US states and territories in the last decade. 

·         The dropout rate amongst Puerto Rican teens stood at 42% at the beginning of this decade...as compared to 10% of teens from the US mainland.

·         In the first 42 days of 2011 there were 150 murders committed in Puerto Rico!  110 murders alone happened during the month of January 2011.  This is 34 higher than occurred in Puerto Rico in January 2010.  Los Angeles is nearly identical in size of the population as Puerto Rico.  In 2010 Los Angeles only had an average of 24 murders each month. 

Our Prayer:

"The problems of Puerto Rico seem so overwhelming Lord, but You see every person and You want them all to hear the life saving gospel of Jesus Christ and be saved.  Jesus, please revive Your church and send her out to the people enslaved by drugs, gang activity, poverty, and false religions in Puerto Rico.  Amen."

Walk in My Shoes Wednesday:

Today we will look at the Dressel family's ministry to at risk youth, young adults, and those who are at risk on the streets.  Check out there website and watch a video about the beginning of their ministry in Puerto Rico.

Dressel Family in Puerto Rico

Dressel Family Website

Our Prayer:

"We pray for the Dressel family today, Lord.  We ask that they would not grow weary in well doing.  Please continue to provide for their needs financially and physically.  We ask that you would give them many creative ways to reach out to the youth and young adults on the streets and to be a vital part of the church as it endeavors to share the gospel with the lost of Puerto Rico. Amen." 

Take Action Thursday:

The Dressel family reaches out to the broken, hurting, and lost in Puerto Rico.  We too are surrounded by people who are just as lost.  Think as a family of a local outreach such as Food For Thought that you would like to get involved with or to help support in any way you can.  But more importantly, pray that God would give you a heart of compassion for those that so many overlook.  Watch a video about the Dressel Family's Thanksgiving Day outreach to the homeless:

Our Prayer:

"We pray for the believers in Puerto Rico to be broken for the lost and the hurting in their country. We ask that they would make a great impact with those who are homeless, addicts, and hopeless.  Father, we ask that You would pierce our hearts for the unlovely all around us too, Lord.  Show us how we too can step out of our comfort zone and be Christ to the lost and dying.  Amen."

Taking a Break for Thanksgiving

Taking a break from praying through the world and being soooooo thankful for sooooooo much!