“Groanings which cannot be uttered are often prayers which cannot be refused.”
FROM THE DESK OF: the Director of Communications
We have always referred to the area we work as the 10/40 window. Upwards of 95% of people who live in this geographic area do not have access to the gospel. And while this is still true, this distinction is becoming outdated. Stay tuned to the blog for more info on how and why we are changing our language to be more encompassing.
For the Win[dow],
Bubby Bryan
VERSE OF THE WEEK: Isaiah 30:18
"Therefore the Lord waits to be gracious to you, and therefore he exalts himself to show mercy to you. For the Lord is a God of justice; blessed are those who wait for him."
COUNTRY OF THE WEEK: Vietnam
The conquest of Vietnam by France began in 1858 and was completed by 1884. It became part of French Indochina in 1887. Vietnam declared independence after World War II, but France continued to rule until its 1954 defeat by communist forces under Ho Chi MINH. Under the Geneva Accords of 1954, Vietnam was divided into the communist North and anti-communist South. US economic and military aid to South Vietnam grew through the 1960s in an attempt to bolster the government, but US armed forces were withdrawn following a cease-fire agreement in 1973. Two years later, North Vietnamese forces overran the South reuniting the country under communist rule. Despite the return of peace, for over a decade the country experienced little economic growth because of conservative leadership policies, the persecution and mass exodus of individuals - many of them successful South Vietnamese merchants - and growing international isolation. However, since the enactment of Vietnam's "doi moi" (renovation) policy in 1986, Vietnamese authorities have committed to increased economic liberalization and enacted structural reforms needed to modernize the economy and to produce more competitive, export-driven industries. The communist leaders maintain tight control on political expression but have demonstrated some modest steps toward better protection of human rights. The country continues to experience small-scale protests, the vast majority connected to either land-use issues, calls for increased political space, or the lack of equitable mechanisms for resolving disputes. The small-scale protests in the urban areas are often organized by human rights activists, but many occur in rural areas and involve various ethnic minorities such as the Montagnards of the Central Highlands, H'mong in the Northwest Highlands, and the Khmer Krom in the southern delta region.
PRAYER REQUESTS:
- Pray for effective witness from believers in prison for their faith.
- Pray for unity among Christians and Christian organizations who are seeing an increase in new believers.
- Pray for freedom from government repression of unregistered house churches.
- Pray for the Uttermost workers in the field.
- Pray for the US office.