Located on the Mediterranean Sea, Latakia is a port city of Syria. Its population of 340,000 includes a large community of Alewite people. Alewite Islam is a sect of Islam that is related to Shia. They place an emphasis on their trinity: Muhammad; his nephew and successor, Ali; and Salman al-Farisi. They believe in reincarnation and take part in a ‘mass’ involving bread and wine. They have their own religious book. Among Muslims they are regarded as heretical because of their beliefs and practices. We can pray, ‘Lord, would you use the Alawites and their idea of the trinity to show them that the Father, Son, and Spirit are the true Trinity, the Bible is the only true Word of God, and Jesus Christ is the only way to salvation. In this important port city, use this sect of people who have been rejected to bring Your truth to that city and country.’

Haiti has been an epicentre of suffering for many decades. Now the people are being suffocated by dangerous, powerful gangs as the downward spiral into a failed state intensifies. Haiti’s last ten elected senators stepped down in January, so there is no functioning government. There is anarchy as armed and violent gangs rule the streets. Deploying a special international force to Haiti could bring desperately needed respite, but analysts believe that without a long-term political solution any new stabilisation measures have little chance of putting a stop to the carnage. Nearly 25% of the total population of the neighbouring Dominican Republic is made up of Haitian; over two million of them are there illegally. The UN recently called for military intervention in Haiti. Missionary Doug Burbella says there's only one way things will improve. ‘Apart from military intervention from another country, I would say a good, old-fashioned revival would be the only thing that could turn this country around.’

Mississippi has declared a state of emergency. Rolling Fork has been almost entirely wiped out. Dozens are dead. One man survived after sheltering in his bathtub. The lush farmland surrounding Western Sharkey County is completely untouched, but when you reach Rolling Fork, a rural town with a fifth of the 2,000 families living in poverty, nearly all homes are flattened, and the rest are damaged by  the furious tornado. Trucks were lifted onto houses, trees uprooted, and power lines brought down. The next day dazed survivors could be seen walking around in shock. But soon it was a hive of activity, with clean-up operations and volunteers opening stations to distribute sandwiches and water. Pray for the communities grappling with destroyed homes and possessions, for those in damaged buildings without electricity. Pray for those mourning the dead. Pray for adequate government support to provide homes for the homeless and rebuild the infrastructure.

Aftershocks are still shaking the eastern Mediterranean as far as Iraq, following on from the severe earthquakes in southern Turkey and northern Syria which left over 50,000 dead and millions homeless. Amidst all the misery, death and destruction, we are hearing testimonies from people who were buried alive and rescued from the rubble after more than a week. They all experienced a bright figure in white who came towards them and gave them something to drink.

Noah was a Christian student at Morehead University who heard about the Asbury revival. On 11 February, when his roommate suggested they go to Asbury, he declined. ‘No, I’m going to use today to rest, fast, and pray.’ But later, God reminded him that Jesus' disciples didn’t fast and pray while he was alive, but told them that when he was no longer there, then they would fast and pray (Luke 5:33-35). He sensed that God said, ‘You can always fast for me, but you will not always have this experience of what I’m doing at this campus’. Noah called out to his roommate, ‘I changed my mind. I’m going.’ When they entered the packed auditorium the worship leader was saying, ‘We’re not playing worship music to fit people’s needs, we’re playing worship music that honours God - that is for Jesus.’ The experience changed Noah. ‘God is more real, there is a deeper revelation, and the fear of the Lord increased over my life.’

We have all been praising God in recent weeks as we have heard of an increasing number of American Christian universities experiencing God’s Holy Spirit moving powerfully in and through their campuses. Many of us are praying for more of the same to happen here in the UK. For a spiritual awakening in the UK, God wants to first see a people who will humbly walk in obedience to His Spirit. Every outpouring of God’s Spirit in Acts happened first among believers. None were truly outside of Judaism. In Acts 2 and 4, they were Jews from Jerusalem and the Diaspora. Acts 8 saw Samaritans who worshipped YAHWEH in their own ways and places. Historically, revival has happened first among believers and then its effect spills out on communities and societies, resulting in social transformation. May God see His Church here become more passionately devoted to Him, spurred on towards further repentance and obedience to His Word.

Dignity in Dying say that the fact that the number of British members of Dignitas has soared 80% in ten years is ‘evidence’ that the ban on assisted dying is failing families. A total of 33 people had Dignitas-assisted deaths in 2022, ten more than 2021. Dignitas said, ‘It is immoral that we are outsourcing compassion to Switzerland for the few who can afford it. The increase in Dignitas’ latest figures is concrete evidence that Britons are desperate for choice and control over their deaths.’ The 1961 Suicide Act states assisting someone to take their life is an offence punishable with up to 14 years in prison. In December the Health and Social Care Committee said they would hold an inquiry into the assisted dying law, examining all healthcare perspectives in the controversial, passionate debate. Change in the law is opposed by religious groups, saying it undermines the value society places on human life.

The Government has confirmed reports that the Iranian regime plans to attack Jews and Israelis in the UK if Israel carries out a military attack on Iran. Last week the Jewish Chronicle reported Iran was mapping out the locations of Jews, Israelis and Iranian anti-regime activists in the UK. The security minister said, ‘We have very clear intelligence about the activities of hostile regimes in the UK and keep a very close eye on their agents' activities of surveillance. We know that Iranians are paying British crooks and criminal gangs to spy for them and you can be very clear that we do not issue these warnings lightly.’ He added, ‘All threats against UK people are taken very seriously and we highlight Israelis and Jewish communities because we see threats and Iranian operational activity directed against them.’

An NHS watchdog said doctors, ambulance dispatchers and other NHS staff have faced ‘significant distress’ and harm over the past year due to long delays in urgent and emergency care. Many staff interviewed for a national investigation ‘cried or displayed other extreme emotions’ when asked about their working environment. One paramedic said, ‘The bad sides of my job give me nightmares, flashbacks and fear, making me hyperactive, sleepless and sometimes not caring about the danger I put myself in.’ One ambulance service worker describes the last year as the most difficult in the decade she has worked there. Staff say pressure affects them outside work. Many struggled to interact normally with friends and family. Others, living alone, reported feelings of isolation and despair after difficult days. The watchdog found significant waiting lists for employee assistance schemes, occupational health and other services. The NHS promises an emergency recovery plan to reduce pressures.

Boris Johnson has attacked Rishi Sunak’s post-Brexit deal with the EU to resolve the Northern Ireland Protocol row, claiming that it doesn’t take back control from Brussels. The former PM is urging Sunak to consider using his bill to unilaterally override the protocol if it ‘doesn’t work’. He added, ‘I will find it very difficult to vote for something like this because I believe we should have done things differently no matter how much plaster came off the Brussels ceiling. We have got to hope it works.’ Boris said he understood why people want to move on from Brexit rows and accept the deal: ‘I get that.’ Meanwhile, the European Research Group said it could take two weeks for the Brexiteer group to carry out its own ‘legal audit’ of the deal. Mr Sunak wants to give the DUP and Tory Eurosceptics space and time to consider the deal before holding the commons vote.