This discussion thread will be focused on prayers for specific countries as they welcome (or not) diaspora peoples.
It will be updated at least monthly for the next year or so and probably more frequently as March 2015 approached.
Answers to prayers will be posted as we find out about them. :)
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With around 43 million international migrants, the United States is by far the leading recipient of diaspora peoples. All (or very nearly all) other countries are represented in the US – as tourists, workers, foreign students, refugees, missionaries and so on.
Praise God for gathering people from every nation in a country where the good news of Jesus Christ may be freely proclaimed. Pray that the Church in the US will experience revival and lift up her eyes to see the harvest fields. Ask God to transform consumerist tendencies into wise, sacrificial giving of financial and human resources. Pray for thousands of African-Americans to be mobilized and equipped for cross-cultural ministry. Pray for culturally meaningful expressions of following Christ to flourish among every ethnicity.
(Information gathered from peoplemov.in & Operation World)
The largest country geographically, Russia has the second largest migrant population in the world with over 12 million migrants. The Soviet Union’s collapse brought an end to much of the severe persecution the Church in Russia faced and a huge increase in religious activity. Nearly 20% of the population are not ethnic Russians, but there is an intense nationalistic desire to “Russify” everyone.
May many Russians put their trust in the One who holds lasting hope and a good future for them. Pray for the Russian Orthodox Church to experience Spirit-led refining and revival. Pray that the Lord will push aside the tensions preventing complete unity of all Christ-followers in Russia. Pray for perseverance in the ongoing efforts to translate and distribute Scripture in the 100 minority languages. Ask the Lord of the harvest to send forth more workers among Central Asian migrants, the 1 million Chinese migrants and 78 unreached ethnic minorities.
(Migration information from peoplemov.in; prayer points adapted from Operation World.)
About 1 in 8 people living in Germany are migrants, but closer to 1 in 5 people -- and 1 in 3 young children -- are either migrants themselves or have at least one migrant parent. Along with being the country with the third largest migrant population, Germany also hosts the third largest number of international students. Only about 2% of youth in Germany follow Jesus and suicide is the second leading cause of death among young people. While there has been rapid church growth among diaspora groups, many regions of Germany are effectively unevangelized or without personal evangelical witness.
Praise God for our brothers and sisters in Germany who are standing firm in Christ. May the Lord protect, strengthen and encourage them so that they may bear witness to the Truth with increasing effectiveness. Pray that followers of Jesus from all ethnic and cultural backgrounds will have and display God-given unity and fellowship. Ask the Spirit to guide His people on how to respond to the needs – spiritual and otherwise – of children, youth and international students in Germany. Pray for the thousands of Messianic Jews to boldly proclaim the message of reconciliation through Jesus Christ. Ask God to send forth more laborers to reach out to the 3.6 Muslims from over 40 nations.
(Migration information from peoplemov.in; prayer points adapted from Operation World.)
The country with the fourth largest diaspora population is Saudi Arabia, where about 3 in 10 people are migrants. The over 7 million migrants, including over 3 million from South Asia and around 600,000 from the Philippines, face many restrictions regarding employment and social interactions. Migrants who follow Christ are also under surveillance, as group meetings of Christians even in homes are forbidden. Saudi Arabia, the birthplace of Islam, is considered the center of global Islamic missionary efforts and in printing the Qu’ran for worldwide distribution. Every year, over two million Muslims from around the world make the pilgrimage to Mecca; five times each day, countless Muslims turn towards Mecca as they pray.
Praise God for the opportunity Christ-following migrants have to serve the Lord in Saudi Arabia. Pray that God will remove the obstacles to their spiritual growth and by His own hand strengthen and encourage them. Pray that despite language and social barriers, migrant Christ-followers will find creative ways to bless Saudis. Pray for Muslims who have recently been on the hajj or who are preparing to go on the hajj to have dreams and visions of Isa al-Masih. Pray for devoutly religious Saudis to have life-changing encounters with the God of Abraham.
(Migration information from peoplemov.in; prayer points adapted from Operation World.)
Canada’s immigration policy has led to the country welcoming over 7.2 million migrants, over 20% of the population. Canada has large Chinese and South Asian populations and growing numbers of Muslim people groups such as the Middle East, Central Asia, East Africa and Southeast Asia. This amazing opportunity to share the good news of Jesus Christ with people of so many different ethnicities comes at a time when less than 8% of Canadians are evangelical.
Pray for spiritual revival and renewal across all parts of Canadian society. Pray for the growth and multiplying of churches reflecting First Nation cultures. Ask God to call forth Francophone immigrants to Quebec to plant 3,000 churches. Pray for the Church to cooperate in mobilizing, equipping and sending out brothers and sisters to reach the 5.4 million immigrants in Toronto, Montreal and Vancouver. Pray for some migrant Christ-followers to bring the message of God’s reconciliation to their homelands.
(Migration information from peoplemov.in and Operation World; prayer points adapted from Operation World.)
In the United Kingdom, 6-7 million international migrants make up over 10 percent of population. Immigration is expected to account for most of the net population growth over the next couple decades; moreover, a quarter of all babies are born to immigrants. Many migrants from South Asia, Somalia, the Middle East and North Africa now have potentially greater access to hearing the good news of Jesus Christ than in their homelands. About 1500 migrants are missionaries who have been sent to the UK’s harvest field.
Praise God for the spiritual vitality among some immigrant groups in the UK. Pray that the Lord will use these brothers and sisters to bring forth revival across the nation. Pray that there will be more cross-cultural training available for more effective ministry to less- reached groups, like the 100,000 Somalis. Ask God to call out people to be trained as religious educators in schools so that even children in ethnic-specific enclaves might always know a caring Christ-follower. May each of the 400,000 international students encounter the Living God before they return.
(Migration information from peoplemov.in and Operation World; prayer points adapted from Operation World.)
Spain is a major destination for migrants, having somewhere between 6 and 7 million immigrants. Because of Spain’s official language, the first language of over 340 million people worldwide, it has a large number of Latin American migrants. Because of its location, Spain also has significant African populations (especially Moroccan and Senegalese).
Ask God to bring a revival in Spain, one which will reach across the Atlantic and the Mediterranean. Praise God for starting many new churches through Latin Americans. May these churches grow in maturity and multiply among the nations. Many of the evangelicals living in Spain are living in diaspora -- Romani, Latin American, Eastern European and African. Pray for some of these brothers and sisters to intentionally identify more fully with Spanish culture – even the specific regional culture -- so as to present the gospel to Spanish nationals in a non-foreign way. Pray for Muslims from Morocco and other African countries to encounter the Living God through dreams, Scriptures, and Christ-followers. Pray for the existing Chinese churches to cooperate in sharing the Truth among the nearly 100,000 Chinese migrants.
(Migration information from peoplemov.in and Operation World; prayer points adapted from Operation World.)
Over 10% of France’s population are international migrants. There is great diversity in countries of origin for the over 6.6 million migrants; many are from Francophone countries in North, West and Central Africa, the Caribbean, and Southeast Asia but others come from other European Union members. France is also the most popular tourist destination in the world with over 83 million visitors in 2012 alone.
In France, over 80% of the people have never even touched a Bible. Pray for the spiritual hunger in France to be satisfied with the Word of God in a variety of languages through the printed Bible and other literature, radio and TV programs, and Internet resources. Pray for the approximate 660,000 French Jews, the third largest jewish population in the world, to recognize the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world. Many North Africans, including Arab and Berber groups, often face poverty and discrimination, contributing to much tension and anger especially among the youth. Ask God to reveal Himself as their loving Father and the Prince of Peace. Pray for vibrant Central African churches to cooperate and take the lead in reaching out to West Africans. Ask God to provide more pastors and other workers for the Chinese, Korean and Southeast Asian communities.
(Migration information from peoplemov.in, Operation World and Wikipedia; prayer points adapted from Operation World.)
Well over 5 million international migrants live in India, the world’s most ethnically diverse country. Most of these migrants come from neighboring countries, including nearly 3 million are from Bangladesh, another million are from Pakistan and about half a million are from Nepal. A significant number of migrants from Afghanistan, United Arab Emirates and Malaysia also live in India. India’s tourism industry is also growing, with about six million visitors each year.
Praise God for the growth of cross-cultural outreach agencies in India. Ask the Lord to equip and send forth Indian Christ-followers to present the good news of Jesus with truth and love to Muslim and Buddhist immigrants. Of the 1.2 million children involved in prostitution in India, many are Nepali or Bangladeshi. Praise God for the ministries taking a holistic approach to helping these children. Ask the Lord to reveal Himself as the Heavenly Father and to rescue these boys and girls from their dark circumstances. Pray that God will give His people wisdom and creativity to use India’s tourism for His glory, as the Israeli Massah teams have done.
(Migration information from peoplemov.in and Operation World; prayer points adapted from Operation World.)
About 1 in 4 people living in Australia are international migrants. While about a fifth of migrants in Australia are from the UK, there are also significant numbers of people from Lebanon, Turkey, China, Vietnam, and southern and eastern Europe.
Pray for the Church in Australia to be mobilized and equipped to share the good news of Jesus Christ with the over 500,000 Muslims from over 70 nations and with the over 100,000 Jews. Ask God to call forth Aboriginal Christ-followers to work cross-culturally among non-Western diaspora people groups, building bridges using their unique heritage and history. Pray that through student ministries, including the opportunities to provide religious instruction at schools, many young immigrants and children of immigrants will encounter the Lord Jesus.
(Migration information from peoplemov.in and Operation World; prayer points adapted from Operation World.)
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