Fighting between the Kachin Independence Army (KIA) and the Burma Army broke out on 9 June 2011, ending a 17-year cease-fire agreement between the two groups. As many as 20,000 people have been displaced by the fighting in Kachin State, according to local networks helping IDPs in Laiza. KIA sources have said that the number of standing Burma Army battalions before the conflict began was 93. Currently there are 113 battalions in Kachin State with more troops on the way, according to KIA sources. Divisions 33, 88, and 99 are currently operating in Kachin State.
On 16 October 2011, approximately 200 Burma Army soldiers from Light Infantry Battalion (LIB) 438 and Infantry Battalion (IB) 121 attacked Nam San Yang Village in Wai Maw District, Kachin State. The soldiers burned over 30 houses and stayed for 3 days in the village occupying the village temple. All the villagers from Nam San Yang Village have fled their homes and are staying with relatives or in IDP camps in Laiza. Other villagers are living in huts in their fields as it is now harvest time and they do not want to lose this year's crops. The Burma Army is still patrolling from their nearby camp down into the village making it difficult for the villagers to reclaim their left belongings and farm their fields.
For more information regarding this attack:
Democratic Voice of Burma, http://www.dvb.no/news/troops-raze-kachin-villages-locals-flee/18666
Christian Solidarity Worldwide, http://dynamic.csw.org.uk/article.asp?t=press&id=1260
Free Burma Rangers’ (FBR) mission is to provide hope, help and love to internally displaced people inside Burma, regardless of ethnicity or religion. Using a network of indigenous filed teams, FBR reports on human rights abuses, casualties and the humanitarian needs of people who are under the oppression of the Burma Army. FBR provides medical, spiritual and educational resources for IDP communities as they struggle to survive Burmese military attacks.
For more information, please visit www.freeburmarangers.org
The 2011 rainy season is the worst any living person in the northern Kayes region of Mali can remember: only two days of rain. Typically, a family can harvest enough to see them through until the following harvest season, but not much beyond. This year, with no harvest, families are already coming to the bottom of their grain stocks. Migrant workers can send money for their families to buy food, but about one-third of the families in Xusaane village do not have anyone to help them. The local believers and the village association have put together a committee to identify these most needy families and calculate what each will need until the harvest of 2012-13. They are formulating a plan for the bulk purchase, transportation and distribution of grain. Pray that they will be able to raise sufficient money to provide for each family.
“The presidents of Sudan and the new nation of South Sudan are both predicting the possibility of a new war in an oil-rich region that has seen a spike in cross-border attacks.
Troop build-ups are being reported on both sides of the Sudan-South Sudan border, the world’s newest international boundary, and rebels in Sudan announced a new alliance with the aim of overthrowing their own government, which is seated in the capital, Khartoum.
The U.S. is pleading for cooler heads to prevail, even as aid workers are withdrawing from the region after two bombing runs into South Sudan by Sudan, its northern neighbor, last week.
After two long wars that spanned decades, South Sudan formally declared independence from Sudan in July following a successful independence referendum in January that was guaranteed in a 2005 peace deal. The world celebrated the peaceful break-up of Sudan. But big disputes that have long lurked in the background are now festering and flaring into violence.
An agreement to split the region’s oil revenues was never reached. The borders were never fully demarcated. And perhaps most important, the break-up left two large groups of people in Sudan’s south in the lurch, groups that Sudan has labeled rebels and that Khartoum’s military has been attacking for months.
In addition, the Khartoum government is facing a financial crisis due to the loss of oil revenue and rising food prices, said John Prendergast, the co-founder of the U.S.-based Enough Project, which closely monitors Sudan.
THECRY HEART: TheCRY Hollywood full day of prayer, fasting and worship in the heart of Hollywood. The focus is to call the world to bless what God is doing in entertainment media both in Hollywood and globally. We believe there is tremendous power in blessing and speaking life. We believe there is power in prayer and fasting. We believe there is power in lifting up the name of Jesus in anointed and pure worship. We believe God loves Hollywood and has an important plan for her in this hour of human history. We believe that as Christians, both locally and from across the world, unite in prayer in the heart of Hollywood God will do exceedingly above all we can ask or Imagine. We believe.
We are very excited about TheCRY on March 15th and wanted to genuinely invite you all to be a part of it in any way you feel led. We so honor the Body of Christ and recognized the tremendous work each one of you has done in raising up prayer in the area. Again, we want to say how grateful we are for you. As you have been faithful on your post it has impacted the world because of the calling on Hollywood, LA and Southern California.
We do pray that TheCRY Hollywood will be a source of tremendous blessing and strength to all the Lord is doing in the Hollywood community and entertainment media. We look forward to walking together with you towards March 15th! Please do not hesitate to contact us if you have any questions at all! We would be honored to connect.
Faytene Grasseschi (Kryskow) This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Pray and Thanksgiving for Hollywood
• Praise God for seven ways He is blessing our industry and community
• Praise God for seven of our HPN Local Chapter Directors around the world
• Thank God for screener season
• Thank God for the people who work at Theme Parks across the world
• Thank God for Christians who are producing independent films
• Thank the Lord that some parts of the business are doing well
• Thank God for creative people who also use their art to reach out to others
• Thank God that TV can be used to honor people
• Thank God for the gift of entertainment
• Thank God for Christians who understand how important Hollywood is to Him
• Thank the Lord for his miraculous healing hand
• Thank God that Justin Bieber is a Christian
PRAISES:
• Praise God for the growing Christian community in Hollywood – now over 6,000 strong.
• Praise God for the many Entertainment ministries that are meeting the needs of thousands of Christians and non-believers through their work. HERE is a link to the list of Hollywood ministries.
• Praise God for the many non-believers who have Christian friends and associates (solid ambassadors) to faithfully teach them about God and Jesus.
• Praise God for our HPN Local Chapter leaders across the country and the world, who are praying with us, mobilizing others to pray and inviting God into the lives of the world’s entertainment professionals. Click HERE to check them out.
• Praise God that there are solid Christians in key leadership, mentoring and decision-making positions in Hollywood.
• Praise God for the growing number of mentorships happening between Christian young professionals and experienced professionals which hold people accountable, encourage and inspire one another and prepare talented believers to be in leadership positions in the near future.
• Praise God that we are seeing miracles in this industry, and experiencing God moving in the world’s most influential mission field.
In ‘Garbage City’ in Cairo, thousands of people live amidst the growing garbage piles which they sort each day for their livelihood. The stench is overwhelming at times. The people are the poorest of the poor and many are believers. They have a renowned church called the Cave Church, which they have hollowed out in a mountain, and which has seating capacity of 20,000 people. All along the sides of the mountain, they’ve engraved Bible scenes and Bible verses in Arabic. It’s an amazing sight.
This was the location of an all-night prayer meeting on November 11, which had an overflowing 75,000 people in attendance from all denominations to pray for the nation. It was the first time in the history of Egypt that leaders from all denominations united together for such an event. Many people watched the service on screens set up all over the mountain and joined in—hands lifted up, eyes to heaven, and tears flowing down their faces. Check out this impressive video (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q62ZcqIukfI) of the prayer gathering.
Praise the Lord for this massive prayer effort and continue to pray for Egypt in its journey to find a new political reality that will ensure full freedom and human rights for its citizens.
A prayer convocation took place in Prague from December 1-3. If you would like to know more about it, please see the attached websites
…as you help us by your prayers. Then many will give thanks on our behalf for the gracious favor granted us in answer to the prayers of many. 2 Corinthians 1:11
A number of prayer outreaches and seminars occurred during the month of November in Pakistan:
Please pray for those who took part that they would be built up and that they can have the victory through prayer. Many are feeling very threatened and overwhelmed by the evil that is going on in their country. Pray that the Christians will REALIZE that the situation is very CRUCIAL but not hopeless and that they will be united in spite of their different denominations and ethnic or caste groups. (Because of the caste system, tremendous divisions have come into the church.)
To accomplish the above, we feel that a spirit of REPENTANCE and FORGIVENESS must come. (In the culture where 95% of everything is based on saving or losing face, this will be a difficult thing to accomplish. We need prayer and wisdom on how to handle this.) Pray the Holy Spirit will work and lead.
From a prayer leader working in Pakistan
Latest reports from sources close to Pastor Nadarkhani’s case informed CSW that Pastor Nadarkhani’s lawyers have been told to expect a decision from the Supreme Leader in mid-December. Verdict expected mid-December but may be delayed until Christmas. CSW learned this week that Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Khamenei, is expected to make a decision on Pastor Nadarkhani’s case in mid-December, raising fears that it may be issued to coincide with the Christmas season in order to avoid an international outcry. The court in Rasht has sent two letters about the case to the Supreme Leader but is still awaiting a response.
Please pray for his vindication and release and for his courage in witness for Christ during the rest of his imprisonment and trial.
Christian 'targeted' by Islamic extremists
A Christian worker has launched a landmark legal action after she lost her job when she blew the whistle on what she says was a campaign of ‘race hate’ by fundamentalist Muslims. Nohad Halawi, who worked at Heathrow Airport, is suing her former employers for unfair dismissal, claiming that she and other Christian staff at the airport were victims of systematic
harassment because of their religion. She claims that she was told that she would go to Hell for her religion, that Jews were responsible for the September 11th terror attacks and that a friend was reduced to tears having been bullied for wearing a cross. Mrs Halawi worked in the duty-free section as a perfume saleswoman of the airport for 13 years but was dismissed in July. Her case is being supported by the Christian Legal Centre, who say it raises important legal issues and also questions over whether Muslims and Christians are treated differently by employers.
Pray: for Mrs Halawi and for her case when it comes before the tribunal. (Ps.11:7)
Prime Minister rebuts Dawkins’ faith school attack
David Cameron said atheist campaigner Richard Dawkins ‘just doesn’t really get it’ on the issue of faith schools. The Prime Minister made the comments as he answered questions from well-known figures for a Guardian newspaper article. Prof Dawkins asked the Prime Minister: ‘Why do you support faith schools for children who are too young to have chosen their faith?’. Mr Cameron responded: ‘I support faith schools on the basis of the proof that over the years they’ve been good schools. Why? Because the organisation that’s backing the school – the church or the mosque or the synagogue – is part of the community. It brings a sense of community and a sense of responsibility and the backing of an institution to a school. The church was providing good schools long before the state ever got involved, and we should respect the fact that it’s not just the state that can provide education – other bodies, too’.
Pray: that the Prime Minister's comments would bring reason to Prof Dawkins’ comments. (Dt.32:2)