praying for: Angola, Anguilla, Antigua and Barbuda, Argentina, Armenia and Aruba

I hope you started reading the Bible daily. One of our practical steps toward revival of the church is through reading the entire Bible by every one. Another important step is to build awareness through prayer of the needs in the world. Last week five countries had been prayed for, four of which have minimal or not at all Adventist presence. And this week we will pray for six countries (for calendar check the Newsletter*).

Today, on Sabbath we pray for Angola, where 2% of population are Adventists. The church is reaching 400,000 mark and is very active in this country recovering from the Communist influence, civil war, and displacement of people as refugees. One in 350 Angolans is a victim of landmines. The six million landmines are being cleared – but over 80,000 people have already been crippled by them. 70% of the population live in poverty, and the length of roads destroyed or damaged amounts to nearly twice the circumference of the planet. Forgiveness and reconciliation is the greatest need of this country rich in diamonds and other natural resources.

This week we will also pray for 4 Caribbean islands, which are also different in cultural dynamics. On Sunday we will pray for Anguilla, most northerly of the Leeward Islands, where 1 out of 20 is an Adventist, similar to many other Caribbean communities.

Antigua and Barbuda, to be prayed for on Monday, have the least Adventist presence in the Caribbean, similar to Aruba, less than 1%. With total Evangelical presence of about 20% churches are complacent, and strongholds of sin remain entrenched – money laundering, drug dealing, violence, gambling. Pray for the Holy Spirit revival and change in families of believers, for community transformation by the Gospel truths.

For two days, Tuesday & Wednesday we will pray for Argentina, the second largest Latin American country with population over 40 million. Even though the Adventist Church is sizeable, over 100,000 greater than in Canada for comparison, and has a University, few colleges, strong educational system, the impact on society is very small. After recent economic crisis resulted in a much wider gap between rich and poor, the church needs to be more inclusive of all segments of society. The two “pillars” of Argentina, its strong middle class and education system, are under threat, also affecting the church structure.

On Thursday remember Armenia in prayer. This ancient country, home to the mount Ararat and unceasing search for Noah’s ark, is dominated by the Orthodox Christianity and is not welcoming to the new Evangelical churches. Adventist presence is very small with only 16 churches. Centuries of bitter conflict, oppression and massacres left hatred and mistrust between Christians and Muslims. From 1915-17, the Turks killed up to 1.5 million Armenians in genocide. Recent ethnic conflict with Azerbaijani population of Karabakh is too fresh and re-emerges frequently.

All these are God’s harvest field, for which the labourers are needed. Pray the Lord of the Harvest to make you a labourer!