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

Children and youth today represent a future hope for the kingdom of God. But today we see many gaps where God’s intentions for this generation of children and youth are not being realized. Children face tremendous suffering and risk around the world. Please join with YWAM this month as we pray for the world’s vulnerable children.

Listen to the Letter

Today’s worldwide gaps:

1. Child mortality: Every day, 15,000 children under five years of age die. In developing countries, half of those deaths are caused by malnutrition.
2. Child soldiers: There are an estimated 250,000 child soldiers (some as young as seven years old) in the world today in at least 20 countries. About 40 percent of child soldiers are girls, who are often used as sex slaves and taken as “wives” by male fighters.
3. Children and youth in crime, drugs and violence: Central and South America are experiencing a dramatic upswing in youth crime. “The drug mafia recruits children as young as nine or 10,” says Guaraci de Campos Viana, the chief justice of Rio de Janeiro’s juvenile court. “Children have no sense of danger. Being a member of a drug gang gives them a sort of adrenaline rush.”
4. Street children: Many boys and girls under 18 years, find that “the street” has become home or their source of livelihood. They are inadequately protected or supervised. There are many more who are at risk due to the family situation. In 1989 it was estimated there were 100 million street children worldwide.
5. Residential care versus family-based care: Worldwide many are now working toward a goal to have children living with foster families, adoptive families or in family-like settings, as opposed to traditional orphanages. Lost Kites is a film made by a YWAM team with the aim to see vulnerable families strengthened, and children restored to family – globally. http://lostkites.com/
6. Sexual abuse and exploitation: Every day, across all countries and levels of society, millions of girls and boys face the alarmingly common childhood experience of sexual abuse and exploitation. Child sexual abuse is likely the most prevalent health problem children face with the most serious array of consequences. About one in 10 children will be sexually abused before their 18th birthday. About one in seven girls and one in 25 boys will be sexually abused before they turn 18.
7. Refugee children: There are 70.8 million people forcibly displaced worldwide, as a result of persecution, con?ict, violence, or human rights violations. Everyday this number grows 37,000 of which 50 percent are children! Many are unaccompanied or separated children, which puts them in an even more vulnerable situation. Refugee children and youth often are out of school and become easy victims of sexual exploitation.

YWAM offers many opportunities for students and staff to stand in one of those gaps and bring healing and restoration to those children, youth, their families and communities. As we do so, we can see a new hope for the kingdom of God.

Please watch this short one-and-a-half-minute video, made by YWAM’s Children at Risk School in Perth, Australia:

https://vimeo.com/312469759

If you only have a few moments to pray during The Invitation please pray for the children at risk in your area and ask God to lead them to salvation. Thank you for being part of The Invitation. We would love to receive stories from you regarding how you prayed. You can email us at prayer@ywam.org.

Prepare to Pray:

As your group prepares to pray, you are invited to settle into the time by having someone read aloud from Mark’s gospel, chapter 10:

“People were bringing little children to him in order that he might touch them; and the disciples spoke sternly to them. But when Jesus saw this, he was indignant and said to them, ‘Let the little children come to me; do not stop them; for it is to such as these that the kingdom of God belongs. Truly I tell you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God as a little child will never enter it.’ And He took them up in His arms, laid His hands on them, and blessed them” (Mark 10, 13-16).

If you have children in your group and it seems appropriate, have an adult near them extend a hand of blessing to them. Then have someone read aloud: “When he came into the world, the Son of God became a child and grew in wisdom, age, and grace in the eyes of God and of all who knew him. Jesus welcomed children, believed in their dignity, and held them up as a model for all who are seeking the kingdom of God. Children need the help of grown-ups if they are to develop their individual gifts, and their moral, mental, and physical powers, and so reach human and Christian maturity. So, we ask for God’s blessing, not only on the children of our community but also on all children growing up in this beautiful yet broken world of ours.”

Then have someone read aloud from Matthew’s gospel, chapter 18:

“At that time the disciples came to Jesus and asked, ’Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?’ He called a child, whom he put among them, and said, ‘Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Whoever becomes humble like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. Whoever welcomes one such child in my name welcomes me.’ “ (Matthew 18, 1-5)

As you go into the main part of this prayer time, consider the final phrase of the scripture above. Could the ways we make room for children be ways of making room for Jesus? What does this say about the ways we do not welcome children, sometimes limiting or even harming them? Hold onto this thought as you go to prayer.

Pray for Children At Risk:

• Pray for better healthcare for pregnant women in developing countries and for healthcare for newborn children. Pray also for food and nutrition for children in developing countries.
• Pray for children who live on the streets.
• Pray for the refugee children who make up 50 percent of all the displaced people in the world, for protection and educational opportunities.
• Pray for the enormous number of children and youth who become victims of sexual abuse all around the world.
• Pray for the children and youth who become victims of violence because of recruitment into gangs.
• Pray for children who ended up in institutional care.
• Pray for children and youth that were forced to become child soldiers because of armed conflicts.
• Pray for these children to hear the truth of the gospel and to receive hope and new direction in life.
• Pray for YWAM students and staff who work with these children. Pray for boldness and protection and provision. Pray that God will raise up more workers to reach children at risk.

Take Action

• Spend quiet time reading this testimony and ask God if He wants you to be serving children at risk. Then explore the options and information listed in this section. Testimony: “As a team from the Children at Risk school, we were invited into a community in a country in East Africa, to host a four-day seminar: three days with children and one day with parents. This community is one that suffers a lot from sickness, poverty and addiction. Many unbelievers and Muslims attended the seminars. We were able to share the gospel and see 20 children respond to Jesus for the first time! Some mothers also attended and at the end of the seminar we were able to gather the mothers in small groups to talk and pray with them. One of our local contacts then led all of the mothers to Jesus as well! It’s amazing to see mothers and children so ready and eager to respond to Jesus’ invitation. One child even came up to us and said, ‘I want to accept Jesus today!’ without us even giving an invitation. The harvest is ripe and Jesus is pursuing families here!”
• Seeking to understand what God wants us to do in a world where children are suffering and hurting, pray about doing a Children at Risk School, a three-month course learning how to help children at risk. The school is given in different countries. childrenatriskschools.com. This is one of YWAM’s second-level schools, the first level normally being the Discipleship Training School.
• Join one of the many ministries of YWAM around the world that serve in the developing world in the area of health care. One example is YWAM ships https://ywamshipskona.org.
• Join one of the YWAM locations in or close to conflicted areas. Three examples:
  • Northern Uganda, http://www.ywamuganda.org/
  • Northern Thailand, https://www.ywamthai.org/ or
  • Greece, Lesbos, https://www.ywamlesvos.com/
• Join one of YWAM’s community centers in poor communities around the world, some examples: https://www.jocumborel.org.br/  or https://bhcentro.wixsite.com/english or https://www.ywamsanfrancisco.org/ and many more on every continent. Or start one in a community close to you. Think about: tutoring, language training, sports, Kings Kids, etc.
• Join one of the many ministries of YWAM around the world with the homeless or start one in your city.
• Pray about becoming a foster or adoptive family for abandoned children or start a ministry finding and preparing such families at your location and at your church.
• Start prevention and awareness programs about sexual abuse and join or start a ministry to victims and perpetrators.
• Help refugees around the world. http://www.refugeehighway.net/ and https://www.ywamrefugeecircle.com/
• Learn more:
  • The effects of malnutrition on child mortality in developing countries by D.L. Pelletier https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2486780/pdf/bullwho00408-0029.pdf
  • World Health Organization, key facts Sept 2018 https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/children-reducing-mortality
  • https://theirworld.org/explainers/child-soldiers
  • https://www.spiegel.de/international/spiegel/violence-in-rio-de-janeiro-child-soldiers-in-the-drug-wars-a-469510.html
  • https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Street_children
  • Search Google:
    • Convention on the Rights of the Child
    • UN Guidelines for the Alternative Care of Children
  • Report on UN event on child sexual abuse and exploitation: https://news.un.org/en/story/2018/10/1022152
  • Facts on child sexual abuse: http://www.d2l.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/all_statistics_20150619.pdf
  • Report on refugee children: https://www.al-fanarmedia.org/2017/10/half-refugee-children-not-school-report-says/
  • Report on the abuse of migrant children: https://www.infomigrants.net/en/post/8293/europe-s-shame-the-abuse-and-sexual-exploitation-of-migrant-kids-in-greece

• If you are interested in prayer and communication, you can be part of The Invitation. Contact us at prayer@ywam.org. We need an administrator/coordinator; photographers/videographers; and researchers.
• Share on facebook.com/youthwithamission, post a picture and add a comment about how you prayed.
• Go to twitter.com; search for #praywithywam and tweet about your prayer time/post a picture. You can also post a photo on Instagram and use the same hashtag, #praywithywam.
• Send an email to prayer@ywam.org letting us know how you prayed and what God revealed to you.

How We Prayed

 September 2019 – Hindu World

• Several people posted that they prayed for the Hindu world as part of The Invitation and some noted they would also pray during the 15 Days of Prayer for the Hindu World starting October 20.

Future Topics:

• November 14: Tokyo
• December 12: Israel
• January 9: Lordship of Christ

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.

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

Hindus are the second-largest least-reached religious group in the world, with only about two percent of cross-cultural missionaries focused on sharing the gospel with them. The majority of the world’s 1.1 billion Hindus still live without any meaningful access to the gospel of Jesus Christ. This month, we invite you to pray for Hindus on September 12 as part of YWAM’s global prayer day, called The Invitation, and we also invite you to join the 15 Days prayer focus on the Hindu World.

Listen to the Letter

15 Days is an annual prayer movement that calls Christians and churches worldwide to take 15 days, October 20 – November 3 to learn about and pray for Hindus around the world. This period encompasses the significant Hindu Festival of Lights called Diwali (or Deepawali) which is the most notable festival of Hindus and an excellent time to pray for and share with Hindus the precious love of Christ, the light of the world. Prayer guides are available in several languages and are either free or available for a nominal price depending on the country. You may access the prayer guides here: www.pray15days.org.

If you only have a few moments to pray during The Invitation please pray for the light of Christ’s presence to be fully received among Hindus in general and by any Hindus that you know. Thank you for being part of The Invitation. We would love to receive stories from you regarding how you prayed. You can email us at prayer@ywam.org.

Prepare to Pray:

“When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness but will have the light of life” (John 8:12).

“You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven” (Matthew 5:14-16).

As you prepare to pray, consider that Jesus declared Himself to be the light of the world and also declared that His people are the light of the world. Think of a way to represent that light in the place where you will be praying: could you light candles, shine torches/flashlights, pray as the sun rises, or find other ways to bring to mind this powerful image of Jesus and His people bringing light into dark places? Let this physical action of bringing light become your focus and attitude in prayer. May our prayers for the Hindu world be shining shafts of light into the darkness, that the light of Christ’s presence may fully come among those who do not yet know him.

Pray for the Hindu World:

• Pray for the more than 2,000 YWAM staff who work in South Asia. Many of them work directly with Hindu people.
• Pray for the 2,328 unreached Hindu people groups (https://joshuaproject.net/religions/5) and that they will turn to Christ. India is where most Hindus live, compromising about 80% of its almost 1.4 Billion person population. But Hindus also have large populations in Nepal, Bangladesh, Pakistan, and Indonesia.
• Pray for Bible translation and distribution efforts in the Hindu world and the ending of Bible poverty. Many Hindus do not have Scripture available in their language or do not have access to the Bible or biblical education in any meaningful form. The Bible is the worker who never sleeps, never gets tired, doesn’t require support and always bears fruit.
• Pray that Hindus would have life-changing encounters with Christ as they set out on pilgrimage and search for God, often each year.
• Pray that God would start more movements of Hindus who will turn towards Him in all types of Hindu communities.

“There is nothing that intercessory prayer cannot do. Believer, you have a mighty engine in your hand–use it well, use it constantly use it now with faith, and you shall surely prevail.”

– Charles Spurgeon

Take Action

• Visit pray15days.org for more information and to get a copy of the 2019 prayer guide.
• Review all of the languages into which this prayer guide will be published. Please encourage your network to pray.
  • Mizo
  • Nepali
  • Hindi
  • Khasi
  • Paite
  • Tangkhul
  • English
  • Spanish
  • Portuguese
  • German
  • Dutch
  • Russian
  • Ukrainian
  • Garo
  • Korean
• Pray regularly. Set an alarm for 9:38 (AM or PM) every day to remind you of Jesus’ command in Matthew 9:38: to pray that He will send more workers who will go and share the good news with Hindu peoples everywhere.
• Get trained to reach Hindus through YWAM Frontier Missions: ywamfm.org.
• Consult the Joshua Project site that is dedicated to people groups of South Asia, for prayer points: http://www.southasiapeoples.org
• Lead an intercession time at your location, or with your ministry, possibly using the informative video at https://www.prayercast.com/hinduism.html to give an introduction to the topic.
• Read Mission Frontiers’ special June 2019 edition on India and the unique challenge it presents: http://www.missionfrontiers.org/issue/archive/india-the-greatest-challenge-to-world-evangelization
• Visit and engage with the Instagram & Twitter pages for Pray 15 Days: https://www.instagram.com/pray15days/ and https://twitter.com/@pray15days/
• Read and learn:
  • Disciple Making Among Hindus by Timothy Shultz 
  • Sundar Singh: Footprints Over the Mountains by Janet & Geoff Benge (YWAM Publishing)
  • Footprints of Faith: Stories of YWAM in South Asia by Sonya Svoboda
  • Contagious Disciple Making by David Watson

• If you are interested in prayer and communication, you can be part of The Invitation. Contact us at prayer@ywam.org. We need an administrator/coordinator; photographers/videographers; and researchers.
• Share on facebook.com/youthwithamission, post a picture and add a comment about how you prayed.
• Go to twitter.com; search for #praywithywam and tweet about your prayer time/post a picture. You can also post a photo on Instagram and use the same hashtag, #praywithywam.
• Send an email to prayer@ywam.org letting us know how you prayed and what God revealed to you.

How We Prayed

 August 2019 – U of N

• We heard from multiple people about the words they sensed from God during their time of prayer: the Jubilee; simple; a sense of coming back to basic truth; trust; fellowship; and this is dedicated ministry.

July 2019 – Central Europe

• YWAM Ozarks in Arkansas: “We distributed the Central Europe map that was included with the description of prayer needs and then we each took on the identity of a nation in the region. One became Croatian, another a Macedonian, someone else a Romanian, etc. About 15 minutes was given to research our particular nations and then we reported from a first-person perspective. We talked a little about our nation’s history, our strengths, our challenges, the religious beliefs that most of us in our country shared, etc. Some told about these crazy people they have in their neighborhood, called Youth With A Mission and what they seem to be doing. After each one shared about his/her identity as a Croatian, etc., we prayed for the nation and its people. Taking on a personal identity of people from these nations made them come alive to us. At the close there was a friendly competition over just who was the hardest working nation, Hungary or Poland” (see picture above).

Future Topics:

• October 10: Children at Risk
• November 14: Tokyo
• December 12: Israel

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.

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

This year, YWAM is celebrating 50 years of training. It all began with a small group of young adults studying evangelism in Lausanne, Switzerland. This year YWAM has set aside time to remember, to pray, and to look to the future of YWAM’s training, which has now grown into a global university called the University of the Nations. Please join us on August 8, for YWAM’s global prayer day, called The Invitation, as we pray for YWAM’s training.

This day is also the kickoff for 21 days of prayer and fasting for the University of the Nations from August 8 – August 28.   This will be a time as a family of ministries where we seek God together, wait on Him and pray what He has shown us. We believe the Lord is leading us in a time of transition and a time of going deeper in Him for His purposes for the U of N. We believe your prayer will provide a protection and preparation for the Holy Spirit to lead us afresh into this phase of growth and multiplication.

Please find the simple prayer guide to help give daily prayer focus at this link:

• 21 Days of Prayer and Fasting for the University of the Nations 2019

We encourage your family, ministries and teams to enter into this time, to give up some type of normal indulgence such as food or media and to seek God together. Together we will pray and fast and look at some of our foundations in the U of N and look to the Lord for His direction and leading into the future.

If you only have a few moments to pray please pray that everyone involved in YWAM’s training will receive direction and leading from the Lord into the future.

Thank-you for taking part in this as the Lord leads you. We would love to receive stories from you regarding how you prayed. You can email us at prayer@ywam.org.

Prepare to Pray:

The spiritual practice of fasting has been interpreted in diverse ways in different Christian traditions. The purpose of this month’s prayer guidelines is not to dictate the way in which you choose to fast. Rather, through fasting we are deliberately taking our physical or emotional hunger, and turning our hearts towards the things of God. That is, we embrace an increase of natural hunger and allow it to become a prompt that turns our awareness – the intentions of our hearts – towards God.

During the 21 days covered by this month’s prayer guide, you may choose to fast in the way that you sense the Holy Spirit nudging you. While this will be a personal response – because the Spirit of God knows our individual appetites and what sort of fasting is most helpful for us – you may also agree to a corporate rhythm of fasting with your community or team.

• You could choose to fast from one meal each day, or on certain days over the 21 days. This mealtime can then become a time of prayer.
• You could choose to fast from food for an entire day, on certain days over the 3 weeks. Again, these days can become special times of focused prayer.
• You could opt for simple meals throughout the 3 weeks, choosing not to eat meat, sweets, or rich foods, for example.
• You could choose to disconnect from social media, or other entertainment for 3 weeks.
• You could choose to avoid all purchases for 3 weeks, other than absolute necessities.

The point here is that during the fasting period, when your attention is captured by your desire for food, or sweets, or for entertainment or distraction, you pause and reflect:

• To what extent does your hunger for God and His good future exceed your hunger for these passing satisfactions?
• In what way can this appetite for something temporary remind you to turn to God out of longing for Him?

When you do have the opportunity to gather as a group, reflect together on the ways God has deepened your desire for His purposes to be fulfilled as you have engaged in fasting.

Pray for the UofN:

• Praise God for his vision for, creation of and sustainment of YWAM’s University of the Nations (U of N).
• Pray for the 50th celebration in Lausanne from August 30 to September 2. Pray for heart preparation for those attending and pray for the YWAM family unable to attend – that God would be speaking to all.
• Pray for God’s leading and revelation in prayer over these next 21 days.
• Pray for God’s strategies for YWAM’s training programs as we enter this new season. Ask God to take YWAM deeper into His understanding and heart for training and discipleship.
• Pray that the foundations that shaped the U of N would remain firm as we continue to build and multiply geographically, into all spheres of society and in all aspects of the Great Commission.
• Pray for appropriate structures for the U of N in a time of growth.
• Pray for the Holy Spirit to teach us His way forward and to teach us His strategies for development.
• Pray that all of our training and teaching would be filled with the compassion of Jesus (Mark 6:34).

When he went ashore he saw a great crowd, and he had compassion on them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd. And he began to teach them many things.

Mark 6:34 (ESV)

• Pray for effective servant leadership in every school, every campus, and every ministry associated with our campuses.
• Pray for revelation in areas of His vision, ways of teaching, managing, communicating and working together in community.
• Ask God to place safeguards so that the U of N globally and in your area will flourish for the next generations.
• Pray for insight into new training courses and release of workers from your location.
• Pray for standards of excellence and God’s favor.
• Pray for DTSes in your region.
• Pray for greater capacity to train people from everywhere to go everywhere.
• Pray that every U of N campus would be an educational resource to the nations.
• Pray that all generations would continue to serve and train together at all levels in honoring, loving and biblical ways.
• Pray for a fresh wave of prayer.

Take Action

• Download the 21 Day of Prayer & Fasting for UofN and organize prayer and fasting activities for your location:
  • http://hwcdn.libsyn.com/p/0/c/4/0c41bad60d287fca/21_Days_of_Prayer_and_Fasting_2019.pdf
• Consider the ways that your location prays for the nations and for your schools. Define new ways to ensure that your schools are birthed and maintained in a spirit of prayer.
• Review resources key to YWAM’s legacy:
  • Joy Dawson’s Principles for Effective Intercession – https://www.ywam.org/custom-content/uploads/2015/08/PrinciplesForEffectiveIntercession-JoyDawson.pdf
  • Christian Magna Carta – https://www.ywam.org/about-us/the-christian-magna-carta/

• If you are interested in prayer and communication, you can be part of The Invitation. Contact us at prayer@ywam.org. We need an administrator/coordinator; photographers/videographers; researchers; and a French translator.
• Share on facebook.com/youthwithamission, post a picture and add a comment about how you prayed.
• Go to twitter.com; search for #praywithywam and tweet about your prayer time/post a picture. You can also post a photo on Instagram and use the same hashtag, #praywithywam.
• Send an email to prayer@ywam.org letting us know how you prayed and what God revealed to you.

How We Prayed

 July 2019 – Central Europe

• YWAM King’s Gardens – Pune, India sent in the two photos shown above of their prayer time and reported that they “always have a powerful and blessed time when we join in The Invitation.” They are very grateful for the privilege.
• YWAM Seamill, Scotland prayed for Central Europe and reported that God revealed something for each country with Hungary highlighted. For Hungary they sensed an angel like a lion roaring over the nation proclaiming His love for the nation. They also sensed Jesus is washing the feet of the nation, cleansing them from all condemnation and shame of the past. And finally, from the cracks of division the Lord will display His union of the body to Jesus.

Future Topics: 

• September 12: Hindu World
• October 10: Children at Risk
• November 14: Tokyo

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.

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

This month, please join YWAM in prayer for a very diverse part of the world. This is a place where many countries have been at war with each other or have oppressed each other. It’s a place where Catholicism, Islam and Orthodoxy meet. Please pray with us for Central Europe and for YWAM’s work there.

Listen to the letter

The YWAM Central Europe area is made up of 16 countries: Albania, Bosnia Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czechia, Greece, Hungary, Kosovo, Moldova, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Poland, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia with a combined population of over 130 million people. At present YWAM has about 250 full-time staff working here, with almost half working in Romania.

There is much division and disunity within and between these countries. The word “balkanise”, which is named after the Balkan peninsula where many Central European countries are found, means “to divide (a region or body) into smaller mutually hostile states or groups.” Our biggest mandate as YWAM Central Europe is to come against this propensity to divide and instead reconcile, and work together in unity within countries and across borders.

Other significant issues in Central Europe include the post-communism way of thinking that is prevalent in Central Europe; human trafficking due to the high numbers of young people seeking better economic conditions through migration; a heavy flow of refugees wanting to reach the richer countries of the European Union that instead find themselves in camps unable to reach “the promised land”; and the discrimination of the Romani or Roma people.

Please join YWAM’s global prayer day, called The Invitation, this month and pray for Central Europe. You are particularly invited to pray during our prayer day, July 11. If you only have a few moments to pray please pray for unity and reconciliation in and among these nations. Pray also for those that are lost, marginalized and victimized in Central Europe. We would love to receive stories from you regarding how you prayed. You can email us at prayer@ywam.org.

Prepare to Pray:

If you are praying with a group, consider this activity as a way to focus on Central Europe. You will need to prepare:

1. A large poster size hand drawn map using the above picture as a reference for the group to use or a black and white print for each participant of a simple line map of the region. (You may even click on the above picture, save it as a picture, and print as a full page or larger photo for each participant.)
2. A selection of random images pre-cut from magazines (these could include landscapes, objects, people alone or in groups – avoid anything with lots of writing). Spread the images on a table so that they can easily be seen.
3. Scissors and glue.

Before looking at the images, remind everyone that this is a way of preparing our hearts to listen to God’s desires for the region. Everyone is to chose from the images a selection of four to eight that they are drawn to. They may notice these images in particular because they feel attracted to an aspect of beauty, peace, connection or abundance. Or they may especially notice an image that repels them because it portrays an element of disorder, fear or scarcity. Resist the desire to over-think the exercise, or to try to ‘make meaning.’ Everyone should simply choose those images that seem to draw their attention.

In a prayerful way–listening to God and noticing one’s own feelings–allow a few minutes for people to stick their images on the map. It may be that they want to arrange them along boundary lines between nations, or on particular nations. This does not need to take long.

Finally, leave some time for people to reflect on the map collage they have created. They might do this in pairs. Be open to the possibility that God may use the pictures, or the way they have been arranged, to speak to people as they move to prayer. Rather than trying to explain or make the pictures mean anything, simply be sensitive to how they might reflect, in some way, the heart of God for the people of Central Europe. Hold onto this sense of God’s longings for the region as you go to prayer.

Pray for Central Europe:

• Pray for a spirit of unity and reconciliation amongst the nations in Central Europe.
• Pray that the gospel of the Kingdom will be preached and demonstrated in practical ways to bring revival and engagement among the youth who are looking for a valid alternative.
• Pray for ways to impact the nations, so that migration to the West is not seen as the only alternative, but instead young people will want to stay in their home countries and make a difference there.
• Pray for those caught in the web of human trafficking, that they will be able to get out and find help and healing. More than one million people work in the multi-billion dollar commercial sex industry in Europe. Many have been trafficked from Central and Eastern Europe and are stigmatized, isolated and trapped. Please pray for their freedom, fresh opportunities for safe dignified work and committed people who will help them start a new life.
• Pray for refugees in Central Europe, especially those coming from a Muslim background, to find Jesus while they are in these crisis situations.
• Pray for the marginalized Roma community to rise up and take their place in society so they can impact not only on their own community, but also the nations where they live.
• Praise God for the increase of YWAM staff in Central Europe in recent years!

And he said to them, “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few. Therefore, pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest.

Luke 10:2 (ESV)

• Pray for more workers – there is a real need in our region, and so few workers. In fact, we have two countries, Montenegro and Moldova where there is no full-time YWAM presence. There are also four other countries where there are less than five staff in total: Slovenia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo and Macedonia. Pray especially for Slovenia which until this year had no YWAM presence!

Take Action

• Dig deeper. Read: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/33690.Balkan_Ghosts
• Refugees: We are making a call out to all men! We are working with demographics of mainly Muslim men and there is a limit to how far cross-gender ministry can reach. Please pray for men to join our schools and long-term ministry. It is a real case of the harvest being ripe but we do not have enough workers who can specifically minister to these men. Please contact info@ywamlesvos.com for more information on the programs, school, and long-term opportunities we offer.
  • https://www.ywamlesvos.com/
  • https://www.ywamgreece.org/athens
  • https://www.ywamgreece.org/thessaloniki
• Trafficking:
  • Consider this real-life experience:
    • Adri’s* father was in the sex industry and told her from a young age that she would grow up to become a prostitute. Unfortunately, his prediction became true and Adri was trafficked in her teens to be exploited for sex. She is one of the thousands of women who have been made vulnerable due to poverty and abuse and have been exploited in the multi-billion euro commercial sex industry of Europe.
  • Come help us minister to these ladies caught in the trap of human trafficking. HOPE DIES LAST is a justice ministry reaching out creatively to trafficked, marginalized and exploited people. They create media for under-resourced organizations and address the root causes of human trafficking and sexual exploitation. Hope Dies Last works throughout Central Europe and is based out of Budapest, Hungary. https://www.hopedieslast.org/

• Young people: Come to any of our YWAM Central Europe locations and help us impact these nations through impacting the next generation! http://www.ywamce.com
• Roma: We have many locations working among the Roma. Amongst them are YWAM Bulgaria, YWAM Elbasan, Albania and YWAM Constanta, YWAM Croaiva, Restore Ministries Prod and ELS Ministries Cluj in Romania. Contact them for more information about how they are impacting the Roma in our region. http://www.ywamce.com
• Catholics: Contact YWAM Slovakia to come and learn how to minister in the Catholic world. The YWAM team in Slovakia has been for the last 18 years half Catholic and half Protestant. https://www.ywam.sk/en/
• Learn more through videos and online teachings:
  • YWAM Croatia: https://vimeo.com/138183916?ref=em-share
  • YWAM Constanta, Romania Summer nightlife outreach: https://youtu.be/N8v-UBggdM8
  • From YWAM Slovakia: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7tm9zg-TIZQ
  • Loren Cunningham interviews Ad de Bruin about how to engage the spheres in society: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qixWyr99y08
  • Slovenia (about spiritual climate there, not made by YWAM): https://vimeo.com/338605562
  • YWAM Craiova
    • Literacy project amongst Roma and appeal for money for a container https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QUmgmuS4jHU
    • About their location and an appeal for a van https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4oCImBzP9Ns

• If you are interested in prayer and communication, you can be part of The Invitation. Contact us at prayer@ywam.org. We need an administrator/coordinator; photographers/videographers; researchers; and translators for French and Indonesian.
• Share on facebook.com/youthwithamission, post a picture and add a comment about how you prayed.
• Go to twitter.com; search for #praywithywam and tweet about your prayer time/post a picture. You can also post a photo on Instagram and use the same hashtag, #praywithywam.
• Send an email to prayer@ywam.org letting us know how you prayed and what God revealed to you.

How We Prayed

 June 2019 – Mozambique

• YWAM Diriamba, Nicaragua prayed and sensed God giving them words including verses from 1 Kings, Philippians, Joshua, Joel and Genesis. They saw that God sent ravens to feed Elijah and they asked for similar for Mozambique. They sensed that God desires people be healed internally.
• Several posted on Facebook and shared The Invitation to Pray for Mozambique 93 times. One asked for blessings for YWAM and the people of Mozambique, another thanked the Lord for those who will go, another thanked the Lord for providing aid and one shared Jeremiah 29:11.
• A young man from Goma, Democratic Republic Congo reported that he prayed and sensed God would provide the people with hope.

Future Topics:

• August 8, 2019: Human Trafficking
• September 12: Hindu World

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.

We are sorry that there was a typing error in the prayer information about Mozambique. The correct address to use if you want to make donations or ask about volunteering is:

• mzidai@ywammuizenberg.org

Thanks again for participating in The Invitation.