All posts by Bill Hutchison

The Invitation

The Mobilization of Two-Thirds-World Senders

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Join YWAMers around the globe in praying and hearing from God. He is inviting you!   

Brazilian Missionary Surrounded by Children
Brazilian missionary to Tanzania. Photo credit: YWAM Frontier Mission

Before he left for India, missionary William Carey told his friend, “I will go down…if you hold the rope.” Like the person holding the rope for a mountain climber, the sender of missionaries plays a vital role in helping their friends succeed. Please join the YWAM family in prayer this month for those people who hold the rope for missionaries, who serve as senders. In particular, please pray for senders from the Two-Thirds World.

Listen to this month’s letter here.

Last month YWAM’s monthly prayer day, called The Invitation, focused on the encouraging realities of how God is transforming the missions field into the mission force!

But there is another side to this unfolding story. In many locations both in and out of YWAM there are hundreds if not thousands of amazing men and women from the Two-Thirds-World who are called to go the lost. They have proven character, they have a clear call, often they have been equipped for cross-cultural work, but what they lack are senders.

Senders are any believers intentionally focused on sending and supporting missionaries. In his book Serving as Senders, Neil Pirolo identifies six different ways we can serve as senders: moral support, logistic support, financial support, prayer support, communication support, and re-entry support.

The apostle Paul highlighted the crucial role of senders in his letter to the church in Rome. He wrote, “How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them? And how can anyone preach unless they are sent? As it is written: ‘How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!’” (Romans 10:14-15, NIV).

Let us join together to pray for both more senders and more leaders (mobilizers) who will focus not only on launching the Two-Thirds-World missionaries but also on equipping the Two-Thirds-World senders. More believers serving as senders in the Two-Thirds-World will release another wave of amazing missionaries from the Two-Thirds-World.

Please join with The Invitation during the month of March to pray with us about sending Two-Thirds-World missionaries. You are particularly invited to pray during our prayer day, March 14. If you only have a few moments to pray we ask you to pray for a Two-Thirds-World sending country that God puts on your heart (for example, Brazil, Nigeria, South Korea, or India). We would love to receive stories from you regarding how God touched your heart through this prayer. You can email us at prayer@ywam.org.

Prepare to Pray:

Watch this video from Bevin Ginder that explains why praying for senders from the Two-Thirds-World is so important at this time: https://globalcastresources.com/2018/11/07/new-missionaries-from-new-sending-nations/

Roped in Rock Climber
“I will go down… if you will hold the rope.” – William Cary to his friend Andrew Fuller before departing to India. Image from Bevin Ginder

Pray for Two-Thirds-World Senders:

  • The mobilization of many more Two-Thirds-World believers willing to serve as senders.
  • More leaders who will focus on equipping both those called to go and those called to send. These leaders could be pastors, business people, church leaders, community leaders, or family leaders.
  • A renewed emphasis on maintaining and developing good relationships and partnerships with local church leaders.
  • A change of identity in Two-Thirds-World churches from mission field to mission force. Pray for the discipleship process. Missions mobilization includes the long-term efforts necessary to shift how both individuals and whole communities perceive themselves, the Bible, and God’s mission.
  • The continued development of relevant models for funding missions from the Two-Thirds-World. There is still a huge need for wisdom on models for funding missions that do not stunt the growing capacity and responsibility of the local believers send out and sustain their own workers.
  • More missions mobilization resources developed by and for national leaders, mobilizers and trainers.
  • More principle-based training for leaders with a heart for missions.
  • The integration of topics such as Biblical basis of missions in the training of pastors in new sending countries.
  • Specifically pray for African missionaries and people to send them. In response to last-month’s prayer focus, Sunday Adewumi, a believer from Nigeria, wrote us and asked us to pray for the African mission movement: “I did my YWAM Discipleship Training School in South Africa in 2016, against all odds, in terms of immigration issues. I did my outreach with a group of five in South Africa. Thereafter, I applied to join staff but I was not accepted due to immigration issues. I love missions and my heart is in it. I still do it here in Nigeria. I’ve discovered that some missionaries from some Africa countries and less developed countries are confronted with immigration issues, finances, racial discrimination, and other issues. I hope we can pray for African missionaries on the points mentioned above.
Globe
Image credit: YWAM Frontier Mission

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Money from Brazil
Totally Dependent on God for Finances
Photo credit: YWAM Frontier Missions

How We Prayed:

February 2019 – Two-Thirds-World Missionaries

  • Several people showed enthusiasm on Facebook to pray for this topic: “Praying with great expectation!” and “Agreeing in prayer. (Psalm 67)”
  • One on Facebook asked: “Any mobilization for 2020 Olympics in Japan?”
  • International House of Prayer featured praying for Mobilization of Two-Thirds-World (Majority World) Missionaries in the “Prayer for YWAM” guide they distributed to their prayer partners.
  • We received an email from a woman in Nigeria asking God to grant the Two-Thirds-World missionaries safety and protection in all their lives and remove humiliation, killings, and maltreatment.

Future Topics:

  • April 11, 2019: YWAM Foundational Values 16 – 18
  • May 9, 2019: The Muslim World
  • June 13, 2019: Central Europe

Don’t Miss The Invitation:

  • Sign up for prayer updates. Go to ywam.org, find the “Stay Connected” box on the home page, put in your email address and click “Sign Up.”
  • Download prayer updates in a specific language. Go to ywam.org/theinvitation. (Currently available in Spanish, Portuguese, French, Indonesian, Korean or request other languages.)
  • Join the conversation about how God is leading in these prayer times. Comment on the Facebook page on the second Thursday at facebook.com/youthwithamission or on Twitter @ywam, hashtag #praywithywam. You can also post a photo on Instagram and use the same hashtag, #praywithywam.
  • You can now listen to The Invitation as a podcast. To sign up or listen to past episodes, go to: ywampodcast.net/prayer.
  • If you sense God giving you a word or a direction for YWAM’s prayer, please contact us: prayer@ywam.org.

Related posts:

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The Invitation

Mobilizing Two-Thirds-World Missionaries

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Join YWAMers around the globe in praying and hearing from God. He is inviting you!

Missionaries From Pakistan That Serve In Canada
Photo credit: Assist News Service

You are invited to join together with thousands of YWAMers from around the world as we pray and hear from God about the mobilization of Two-Thirds-World (Majority World) missionaries.

Listen to the YWAM Prayer Letter

For decades there has been a dramatic shift in the makeup of the global body of Christ. In the 1900’s, most Christians lived in Western nations. But today, most of the followers of Jesus are from Asia, Africa and Latin America. As one would expect, there has been a similar shift in the makeup of the missions force. In 2010, three of the top ten countries sending the most missionaries were from Asia and Latin America: Brazil, South Korea and India. Other notable sending nations included South Africa, the Philippines, Mexico, China, Colombia, and Nigeria. (Melissa Steffen in Christianity Today.)

This means that missions is no longer “the West reaching the rest.” It is “the reached reaching the unreached.” According to mission researcher Jason Mandryk, “Today the Majority World Church sends out as many cross-cultural missionaries as does the Western Church.”

We are witnessing the globalization of missions where just about every country is both sending and receiving missionaries! This globalization of missions is also being enabled by several other trends such as unprecedented migration, a communications revolution and transportation technology. People are on the move. Both travel and communication are easier. But the globalization of missions may be disorienting, as there are new challenges and it requires new paradigms. The reached everywhere are partnering together to reach the unreached! This is nothing less than the global body of Christ partnering together to plant the body of Christ globally.

From the beginning, God lead YWAM to be international and interdenominational (Foundational Value #8). Today we are thrilled that over 50% of our staff are from the Majority World. Therefore, YWAM is uniquely poised to continue to play a significant role in mobilizing, equipping, sending and sustaining new missionaries from new sending countries.

Please join with The Invitation during the month of February to pray with us about the missions movement from the Majority World. You are particularly invited to pray during our prayer day, February 14. If you only have a few moments to pray we would ask you to pray for a Two-Thirds-World missionary that God puts on your heart. We would love to receive stories from you regarding how God touched your heart through this prayer. You can email us at prayer@ywam.org.

Prepare to Pray:

You may find it helpful to appoint a facilitator for the Prepare to Pray exercise.

You will need a ball of string or twine. If you are a larger group, you may find it helpful to divide into smaller groups of 8-10 people, with one ball of string or twine for each group.

With the group standing in a circle, one person begins by holding the string. Being sure to keep hold of the end, they throw the ball of string to someone else in the circle. This person keeps hold of their piece of the string, then throws the ball of string to someone else. Continue throwing until everyone in the group is holding a piece of the string and the entire circle is connected by a network of string.

Web of Reflection
Photo credit: Miranda Heathcote

Pause at this point and take a look at the person who threw the ball of string to you. What do you appreciate about this person? What do you receive from them in your relationship as team members, or part of this community? In what ways is it easy to receive from them? In what ways do you feel resistant to what they may offer? Now take a look at the person to whom you threw the ball of string. In your relationship with them, what are you able to offer them that is a source of blessing or strength to them? In what ways is it easy to give to them? What might prevent you from giving to them?

A facilitator may gather feedback from these reflections. Your group may also find it helpful to consider any additional reflections from this exercise. How do you feel about giving to and receiving from others? In what ways does giving and receiving create connection within a group, across cultures, or across diverse socio-economic groups? Bring to mind all the ways our world is connected as people travel to study, work, take vacations, or volunteer. People also move around the globe as refugees, or displaced people. How does this inter-connectedness create opportunities to give and receive from one another, and especially to share our faith in Jesus? Think about the web of string you created – what can be created as we all play our part?

Pray for Two-Thirds-World Missionaries:

  • Praise God for the increasingly strong and mature national leadership from Majority-World sending nations.
  • Pray for the development of relevant missions mobilization resources.
  • Pray for openness of Western leaders to listen to and learn from Majority World leaders.
  • Pray for wisdom for partnership with national missions initiatives.
  • Pray for insight regarding relevant funding models for new workers from new sending countries.
  • Pray that biblical missions topics will be integrated into the training of pastors in new sending countries.
  • Pray for more coaching, mentoring and training available for Majority World missions leaders/mobilizers.
  • Pray for a renewed emphasis on maintaining and developing good relationships and partnerships with local church leaders.

Continue to Pray for The Send:

  • Pray for an upcoming event: The Send on Feb 23, 2019. Pray that those who attend will be activated into their evangelistic and missional calling. Pray that it would be a “tipping point” gathering that would spark a great wave of evangelism and missions. Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6JObabQXTF8 For More: thesend.org
African Missionaries Serving in New York City (left) and United Kingdom (right)
Photo credits (left to right): New York Times Magazine, Quartz News

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How We Prayed:

January 2019 – YWAM Foundational Values #13 – Be Relationship Oriented, #14 – Value the Individual, #15 Value Families

  • Three people responded with how these YWAM values have impacted their lives:
    • “One time, when I was a student, I was late for class. I thought the staff would be upset with me, but they weren’t. They had tea ready for me.”
    • “Seeing the way families around the base are still able to serve God and that having a family doesn’t have to slow you down or change things is pretty cool.”
    • “I was part of a school with 53 students. The leader of that school was also my one on one and I was so impressed in how he took time to hear God on my behalf and push me further than I could ever have gone by myself… he saw value in me where I didn’t . . .“
  • A group from YWAM Perth noted that they had been directed to pray for the Andrea and Andreas Frész family:
    • Don’t fear evil. God goes ahead and behind. Protected on all sides.
    • God had anointed them to lead and be the example of the Bridegroom of Christ. Be aware as they represent His image, be aware of the areas that the enemy would want to attack.
    • Picture of bird’s eye view. Could see the footprints of where they had been. Mountains ahead, but seeing from above the path was clearly set. God has made a path clearly even if they see mountains ahead.

Future Topics:

  • March 14, 2019: Two-Thirds-World Senders
  • April 11, 2019: YWAM Foundational Values 16 – 18

Don’t Miss The Invitation:

  • Sign up for prayer updates. Go to ywam.org, find the “Stay Connected” box on the home page, put in your email address and click “Sign Up.”
  • Download prayer updates in a specific language. Go to ywam.org/theinvitation. (Currently available in Spanish, Portuguese, French, Indonesian, Korean or request other languages.)
  • Join the conversation about how God is leading in these prayer times. Comment on the Facebook page on the second Thursday at facebook.com/youthwithamission or on Twitter @ywam, hashtag #praywithywam. You can also post a photo on Instagram and use the same hashtag, #praywithywam.
  • You can now listen to The Invitation as a podcast. To sign up or listen to past episodes, go to: ywampodcast.net/prayer.
  • If you sense God giving you a word or a direction for YWAM’s prayer, please contact us: prayer@ywam.org.

Related posts:

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The Invitation

YWAM Foundational Values 13 – 15

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Join YWAMers around the globe in praying and hearing from God. He is inviting you!

YWAM Foundational Values 13 – 15
Photo credits (left to right): YWAM Asheville, YWAM Restenas, YWAM Whitsunday

The YWAM “DNA” is comprised of our purpose, beliefs and values and is the framework that helps us determine who we are, how we live and how we make decisions. This is the fifth issue of The Invitation where we have invited YWAMers to pray for our foundational values, three at a time. For January we will pray for foundational values #13 – 15. Please refer to https://ywam.org/about-us/values/ to see the purpose, beliefs and remaining values. Our values have been developed and refined over decades and are supported by scripture. YWAM cofounder Darlene Cunningham has stated that “These understandings are foundational to our tribe being who we are, and we praise God for the way He has led us.”

Listen to the Letter here

#13 – Be relationship-oriented

YWAM is dedicated to being relationship-oriented in our living and working together. We desire to be united through lives of holiness, mutual support, transparency, humility, and open communication, rather than a dependence on structures or rules.

#14 – Value the individual

YWAM is called to value each individual. We believe in equal opportunity and justice for all. Created in the image of God, people of all nationalities, ages and functions have distinctive contributions and callings. We are committed to honoring God-given leadership and ministry gifts in both men and women.

#15 – Value families

YWAM affirms the importance of families serving God together in missions, not just the father and/or mother. We also embrace the inclusion of single-parent families. We encourage the development of strong and healthy family units, with each member sharing the call to missions and contributing their gifts in unique and complementary ways. We uphold and celebrate the biblical view that God’s intent for holy matrimony is between one man and one woman.

Please join with The Invitation during the month of January to pray with us about these three values. You are particularly invited to pray during our prayer day, January 10. If you only have a few moments to pray we would ask you to reflect on these values and pray that YWAMers would have full understanding of our values and that all teaching within YWAM will be true to these values. As you pray and contemplate these foundational values, we would love to receive stories from you regarding how these values have shaped your ministry or your life. You can email us at prayer@ywam.org.

Foundational Value 14 – Value the Individual
Photo credit: YWAM Louisville

Prepare to Pray:

Before you begin to pray, pair up with someone in your group with whom you feel comfortable. Have a facilitator set a timer for 2 minutes. For the duration of these 120 seconds, you are invited to silently hold one another’s gaze.

It can feel uncomfortable to look into another person’s eyes for an extended period of time! Do your best not to talk or fool around, or otherwise distract yourselves, rather bring to mind the inherent worth of the person in front of you. Think of all the life events that have brought him or her to this place, the good as well as the challenging or painful. Consider her courage, her vulnerabilities, her giftedness and her limitations. Seek to see this person as God sees him or her, feel His longing for her to become all that He intends for her to be.

Don’t be surprised if this exercise brings some tears to your eyes or causes a deep compassion to rise up towards the person you are with. Take a moment to debrief the activity before you move on to prayer.

Foundational Value 15 – Value Families
Photo credit: YWAM Family Ministries

Pray for YWAM Foundational Values 13 – 15:

  • Pray that YWAMers would have a full understanding of our values and that all teaching within YWAM will be true to these values.

Pray about Value 13: Be Relationship Oriented:

  • The presence of sin has impacted our relationships with one another. Pray for YWAMers to be relationship oriented. Pray for restoration where needed.
  • Pray for unity through lives of holiness, mutual support, transparency, humility, and open communication.
  • Pray for YWAMers to be effective encouragers, but also effective in holding each other accountable. Pray for proper balance. Pray for YWAMers to hold fast to God’s word and to build loving relationships.

Pray about Value 14: Value the Individual:

  • Praise God that every human being is valuable and created by Him, in his image. Praise Him for how He loves each of us.
  • Pray for YWAMers to have confidence in their identity as a child of God and a believer in Christ. Pray for YWAM to portray these beliefs to the outside world well.
  • Pray for effective discovery and development of spiritual gifts by YWAMers and our DTS students.
  • Pray that YWAMers will have gracious attitudes towards sinners, as we are sinners ourselves.

Pray about Value 15: Value Families:

  • Pray for YWAM’s Family Ministries. In many countries, YWAM provides marriage and parenting retreats, family mentoring, resource centers for families, outreaches for parents and children, and support for national initiatives to strengthen families. Pray for the family ministries workers that are faithfully serving their communities. Pray for wisdom. Pray for innovation. Pray for provision.
  • Pray for YWAM’s training programs for people wanting to become equipped in family ministry and counseling. Pray for the students and teachers.
  • Andreas and Angela Frész, who are currently leading YWAM Family Ministries International, will be handing over the leadership in June 2019. We are grateful for the work they have done, the tribe they have built all over the world. Pray for a smooth transition and for wisdom for the team that will be following in their footsteps.
  • Pray for our YWAM Families. Being in missions as a family is both a blessing and hard work. Pray for our marriages and for unity and oneness in our families, and for God’s protection as we serve others.
  • Pray for divorced Christians and their children. Pray for churches to love them well and for all impacted to recover well.

Pray for The Send:

  • Pray for an upcoming event: The Send on Feb 23, 2019. Pray that those who attend will be activated into their evangelistic and missional calling. Pray that it would be a “tipping point” gathering that would spark a great wave of evangelism and missions. Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6JObabQXTF8  For More: www.thesend.org
YWAM Foundational Value 15 – Value Families
Photo credit: YWAM Tyler and YWAM Family Ministries

Take Action

  • Watch videos:
  • If you are part of a YWAM location, spend a week focused on being relationship oriented. Fast as a group one day asking the Holy Spirit to further unite you. Ask the Spirit to reveal where there is sin or weakness regarding holiness, mutual support, transparency, humility, and open communication. Spend time as a group agreeing on ways to improve in these areas so that you can become more unified.
  • Evaluate your YWAM relationships. Note those that are relationship oriented and those that are lacking. Commit to becoming more relationship oriented.
  • Study Jesus in one or more of the gospel books and note specific instances and ways that He was relationship oriented.
YWAM Foundational Value #13 – Be Relationship Oriented
Photo credit: YWAM Minneapolis
YWAM Family Ministries Booth at YWAM Together 2018
Photo credit: YWAM Family Ministries

How We Prayed:

December 2018 – Moscow

  • YWAMers have a heart for praying for cities and geographic areas. YWAMers across the world lifted up the unique challenges of a unique city and its people to the Lord.

Future Topics:

  • February 14, 2019: Two-Thirds-World Missionaries
  • March 14, 2019: Two-Thirds-World Senders
  • April 11, 2019: YWAM Foundational Values 16 – 18

Don’t Miss The Invitation:

  • Sign up for prayer updates. Go to ywam.org, find the “Stay Connected” box on the home page, put in your email address and click “Sign Up.”
  • Download prayer updates in a specific language. Go to ywam.org/theinvitation. (Currently available in Spanish, Portuguese, French, Indonesian, Korean or request other languages.)
  • Join the conversation about how God is leading in these prayer times. Comment on the Facebook page on the second Thursday at facebook.com/youthwithamission or on Twitter @ywam, hashtag #praywithywam. You can also post a photo on Instagram and use the same hashtag, #praywithywam.
  • You can now listen to The Invitation as a podcast. To sign up or listen to past episodes, go to: ywampodcast.net/prayer.
  • If you sense God giving you a word or a direction for YWAM’s prayer, please contact us: prayer@ywam.org.

Related posts:

YWAM Foundational Values (10 – 12) YWAM Foundational Values (1-3) YWAM Foundational Values (4 – 6)
The Invitation

Moscow

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Join YWAMers around the globe in praying and hearing from God. He is inviting you!

Left to right: Moscow River and Kremlin, Opening Day 2018 Soccer World Cup in Moscow
Photo credit (left to right): Trip Saavy, Felipe Trueba (EPA)

This month, please join the YWAM family as we pray for Moscow. With an estimated population of 12 million in 2016, it is the sixth largest city in the world and northernmost megacity. The primary religion is Christianity with the Russian Orthodox Church being the most popular and Muslims accounting for 14% of the city’s population. Moscow is a major political, economic, cultural and scientific center in Russia and in Europe.


Listen to the letter here

Some say that Moscow is a city of contradictions. On one hand, Moscow has provided economic stability for many migrants coming from other parts of Russia and former Soviet republics in recent years. Moscow also received worldwide praise for its hosting of the 2018 World Cup for soccer last summer. Historically, Moscow has attempted to leave behind the communistic days of Lenin and Stalin.

But on the other hand, Moscow has been involved in recent disputes with both some neighboring nations and the West. In recent years Moscow lawmakers have targeted evangelistic efforts and media boundaries limiting freedom of religion and freedom of the press. It is also a city with significant drug and alcohol problems, a high prison rate and much human trafficking.

According to Blair Carlson, formerly with the Billy Graham Evangelical Association, “The challenges of Moscow speak to the enormity and complexity of large European cities. We need to pray for the unity, vibrancy, and muscularity of the church in the great cities of Europe.”

Please join with YWAM’s global prayer day, called The Invitation, during the month of December to pray for Moscow. You are particularly invited to pray during our prayer day, December 13. If you only have a few moments to pray, please pray for unity and vibrancy in the church in Moscow.

Prepare to Pray:

Take some time to sit quietly with this image of an open door, painted by Andrei Zadorine. If you are praying with a group, consider projecting the image onto a screen so that everyone can see it clearly. What do you notice about the way the light from the open doorway floods into the dark room? Think about the nature of light, and the way even a small light can chase away darkness.

Read aloud from Psalm 24:

“Open up, ancient gates!
Open up, ancient doors,
and let the King of glory enter.

“Who is the King of glory?
The Lord of Heaven’s Armies—
he is the King of glory” (verses 9-10)

There are many doors that God might want to open up in the context of Russian society. Where are the places He is longing to shine the light of His presence? Turn your attention from the darkness you might perceive, to the hope and strength of the light of God, made known through the life of Jesus. Keep your focus on His light as you go into prayer.

National Day of the Russian Federation in Moscow
Photo credit: www.xinhuanet.com

Let’s Pray:

  • Pray that God would soften the hearts of Moscow’s people to accept Christ and that He would open doors for these believers to be discipled in a free and open environment.
  • Pray for the Central Asian immigrant community. They come from restricted-access Muslim nations to Moscow in search of economic improvements. Please pray for those believers who have made these immigrant workers their mission and that in the end the immigrants would find Christ.
  • Pray against human trafficking. Real statistics are hard to come by, but they seem to suggest that as many as 80,000 girls could be working in the sex trade in Moscow, many of them against their own will.
  • Pray for the Russian Orthodox and Evangelical church. Less than 2% of the population attends church at least once a month. Revival is needed!
  • Pray that the Russian Orthodox Church would be open to renewal and unity with evangelicals.
  • The alcoholism rate is one of the highest in the world and there are a large number of drug addicts. Pray that Christians can be a stronger influence as they reach out to those in bondage due to addiction.
  • Death rates have been higher than birth rates in Moscow for years, and its population growth is now solely dependent on migration. Pray for transformation of its people through Christ. Pray that the result is a lower abortion rate and fewer drug and alcohol related deaths.
  • We normally think of the Russian people in Russia, but there are dozens of indigenous ethnic minorities scattered about this massive nation who have never heard the gospel in a way that they can understand. Pray for believers from Moscow to go to these unreached ethnic minorities comprising much of the population.
  • Pray for prison ministries as Russia’s prison rate is one of the highest in the world (825,000 prisoners throughout the nation).
  • Pray for God’s wisdom for government leaders and other leaders presiding from Moscow.
  • Pray for Christians living and working in Moscow as conditions have changed in recent years, making Russia a less open nation.
  • Pray for positive transformation socially and culturally of Moscow as a megacity.
  • Many reporters and fans have praised Moscow for its hospitality and handling of the 2018 Soccer World Cup last summer. Christian workers and churches were able to seize this opportunity to hold evangelistic events where people could watch the games. Praise God for how He used the 2018 Soccer World Cup for evangelistic purposes.
  • Pray for openness for evangelism. Russia is now listed as one of the worst countries in the world for religious freedombecause of its ongoing crackdown against foreign missionaries, evangelists and other religious activities.
Luzhniki Stadium – One of Many Stadiums Used for the 2018 World Cup
Photo credit: The Straits Times

Take Action:

  • Learn about working in megacities such as Moscow: https://www.ywamcity.org/get-involved and https://www.ywamcity.org/recources and https://www.ywamcity.org/media
  • Visit Moscow. Make sure your trip includes a historical tour of Red Square, a visit to a Russian Orthodox church and a guided tour with someone who understands the cultural challenges in Moscow.
  • Identify a short-term mission opportunity in Moscow.
  • Moscow is a thriving international business hub and many foreigners find work as “guests” in Moscow. Explore business and expat opportunities to work there.
  • Read about the history of Russia and the Communist leaders of the Soviet Union/Russia who have presided from Moscow (Lenin, Stalin, Khrushchev, Vrezhnev, Andropos, Chernenko and Gorbachev) to gain further understanding of how to pray for the people of Moscow.
  • Commit to pray for Moscow on an ongoing basis. Subscribe to news feed(s) to stay current on conditions in Moscow so that your prayers can stay fresh.
Left to right, top to bottom: St. Basil’s Cathedral, Moscow International Business Center, World Cup Final, Soccer Fans Gather Near Red Square
Photo credits left to right, top to bottom: World Travel Guide, Russia Beyond, Birmingham Mail, Irish Times
Praying for North Africa
Photo credits: YWAM Lebanon

How We Prayed:

November 2018 – North Africa

  • YWAM Stockholm, Sweden prayed. They sensed God focusing their time on Habakkuk 1:5 and Romans 6:3-11. They also prayed for Christian-Muslim relationships in North Africa.
  • YWAM Lebanon prayed and provided pictures they drew (see above). Pictures denoted darkness going away and light coming.
  •  YWAM India prayed.
  • YWAM Hope Land and YWAM Torch, both in Jinga, Uganda, partnered to pray and reported that they “had an intense and serious time of prayer and hearing from God for North Africa.”

Future Topics:

  • January 10, 2019: YWAM Foundational Values 13 – 15
  • February 14, 2019: Redeeming Cultures
  • March 14, 2019: Muslim Unengaged People Groups

Don’t Miss The Invitation:

  • Sign up for prayer updates. Go to ywam.org, find the “Stay Connected” box on the home page, put in your email address and click “Sign Up.”
  • Download prayer updates in a specific language. Go to ywam.org/theinvitation. (Currently available in Spanish, Portuguese, French, Indonesian, Korean or request other languages.)
  • Join the conversation about how God is leading in these prayer times. Comment on the Facebook page on the second Thursday at facebook.com/youthwithamission or on Twitter @ywam, hashtag #praywithywam. You can also post a photo on Instagram and use the same hashtag, #praywithywam.
  • You can now listen to The Invitation as a podcast. To sign up or listen to past episodes, go to: ywampodcast.net/prayer.
  • If you sense God giving you a word or a direction for YWAM’s prayer, please contact us: prayer@ywam.org.

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The Invitation

North Africa

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Join YWAMers around the globe in praying and hearing from God. He is inviting you!

Photo credit: YWAM North Africa

“Jesus is God. It is the truth. I believe!” was the voice message left by a local North African last month. This simple declaration of faith is evidence of the deep workings of the Holy Spirit in North Africa. Seeing North African friends come to a saving faith in Jesus is often a long, hard fought battle entailing years of fellowship, food, storytelling, evangelism, Bible reading, and desperate prayer before the Lord! It is no small victory for the Kingdom of God when one believes. Please join us this month in prayer for the people of North Africa.

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In 1991, the YWAM North Africa Regional Center was established in Southern Spain as a strategic springboard to North Africa. Predominantly Muslim, with little Gospel influence, the North Africa region includes Algeria, Chad, Libya, Mauritania, Morocco, Niger and Tunisia.

YWAM’s North Africa Regional Center runs a DTS and a secondary frontier school called Foundations In Intercultural Studies (FIS), as well as, offering hospitality and member care for long term workers in the region. The team is focused on sending new workers and teams into the region where there are over 130,000,000 unreached peoples.

Isaiah 60:1a – Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord rises upon you.

Please join with YWAM’s global prayer day, called The Invitation, during the month of November to pray for North Africa with us. You are particularly invited to pray during our prayer day, November 8. If you only have a few moments to pray, please pray for more workers to come to North Africa bringing the glory of the Lord with them and pray for the hastened work of the Holy Spirit in North Africa.

(Please note: All North African nations are very sensitive and have security risks. Careful attention is needed to communicate about YWAM’s work there. Please be aware that stories, news, or prayer requests from the region should not be posted online or shared in public settings, including churches and YWAM meetings that may be recorded.)

Photo credit: YWAM North Africa

Prepare to Pray:

Ahead of your prayer time, please weigh out 250 grams of uncooked short-grain white rice. If you were to count them, this will be approximately 10,000 individual grains. Place the rice in a dish or container. Add to your white rice 20 uncooked brown lentils or grains of black wild rice, that can be visibly distinguished from the rest of the rice. (See picture below.)

As you prepare to pray, allow participants to run their fingers through the grains in the dish. Invite them to consider that across North Africa, evangelical believers find themselves comprising no more than 0.2% of the population. Imagine how widely dispersed these believers are, how difficult it is for them to gather to support one another, and how challenging it is to establish discipling communities. At the same time, bring to mind the 98.8% of the population who may never meet a believer who can tell them the message of Jesus.

As you seek to enter into this experience – possibly of isolation, or remoteness – you are invited to bring the emotion, longing or need you identify into your time of prayer. May your prayers bring with them the gift of identification with and empathy for the people of this region.

Photo credit: YWAM North Africa

Pray for North Africa:

  • North Africa needs workers for the harvest! Pray for more workers. (Matt 9:37-38)
  • Pray for the peoples of North Africa to call on the name of the Lord. (Rom 10:13)
  • Pray that believers (local, YWAMers and other workers) will abide in Jesus so that they will bear much fruit. (John 15:4-5)
  • Pray for unity of YWAM teams, local believers, churches: whether expat, local, official or small house groups. (John 17:21)
  • Intimidation and fear are big strongholds in North Africa. Pray for our teams and believers to operate in the opposite spirit. (1 John 4:18)
  • Pray for believers in North Africa to stand strong when they face hard times or persecution. (Daniel 11:32b)
  • Pray for workers living in security-sensitive areas to find their identity, both hidden and shown, in the Lord.
  • Pray for those in captivity.
Photo credit: YWAM North Africa

Take Action:

  • Read and pray through some of these challenges facing Muslims coming to Christ.
    • Developing a Biblical Worldview
    • Family and community pressures
    • Threat of physical harm due to decisions about Jesus
    • Fear of new ways of life, persecution, societal influence, loneliness
    • Spirituality – focusing on relationship with God instead of doing good works
    • Leaving behind traditions and previous ways of life
    • Difficulty integrating into communities of Muslim background believers
    • Living in countries where change of religion isn’t allowed
    • Emotional wounds and struggles due to low economic status or difficult backgrounds
  • Contact us at info@gosahara.org about having a field worker speak on your DTS or School.
  • Take the Foundations in Intercultural Studies (FIS) Course at YWAM North Africa. Contact: gosahara.org/fis
  • Read “We Died Before We Came Here,” by Emily Foreman, An incredible true story of God’s work in North Africa.
  • Sign-Up for YWAM North Africa’s Newsletter
  • Bring your outreach team through the North Africa Center for an Orientation. Contact: info@gosahara.org
  • Contact us about a 3-month internship with one of our field teams. (info@gosahara.org)
Photo credit: YWAM North Africa
Photo credit: YWAM North Africa

How We Prayed:

October 2018 – YWAM Foundational Values 10 – 12

  • YWAM Kona – Darlene Cunningham’s staff rejoiced that The Invitation for October was in “perfect sequence” with the release of the updated YWAM Beliefs and Values document, with the clarified wording for Value 15.
  • Many prayed for YWAM Foundational Values and also requested prayer for other topics including healing and recovery without dependency on drugs and forgiveness regarding abortion through faith and repentance.

Future Topics:

  • December 13, 2018: Moscow
  • January 10, 2019: YWAM Foundational Values 13 – 15
  • February 14, 2019: Growth

Don’t Miss The Invitation:

  • Sign up for prayer updates. Go to ywam.org, find the “Stay Connected” box on the home page, put in your email address and click “Sign Up.”
  • Download prayer updates in a specific language. Go to ywam.org/theinvitation. (Currently available in Spanish, Portuguese, French, Indonesian, Korean or request other languages.)
  • Join the conversation about how God is leading in these prayer times. Comment on the Facebook page on the second Thursday at facebook.com/youthwithamission or on Twitter @ywam, hashtag #praywithywam. You can also post a photo on Instagram and use the same hashtag, #praywithywam.
  • You can now listen to The Invitation as a podcast. To sign up or listen to past episodes, go to: ywampodcast.net/prayer.
  • If you sense God giving you a word or a direction for YWAM’s prayer, please contact us: prayer@ywam.org.

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