Week of February 22, 2016

“Any concern too small to be turned into a prayer is too small to be made into a burden.”

— Corrie ten Boom

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FROM THE DESK OF: the Director of Communications

Last week Oklahoma City Thunder assistant coach, Monty Williams spoke at his wife's funeral. His eulogy has gone viral. This gospel centered message in the midst of personal sorrow is powerful. We hope it encourages you.

Word of Thanks - Monty Williams eulogy

For the Win[dow],

Bubby Bryan, DOC

VERSE OF THE WEEK: Psalm 3:3

"But you O Lord are a shield about me, my glory and the lifter of my head."

COUNTRY OF THE WEEK: Ethiopia

Unique among African countries, the ancient Ethiopian monarchy maintained its freedom from colonial rule with the exception of a short-lived Italian occupation from 1936-41. In 1974, a military junta, the Derg, deposed Emperor Haile SELASSIE (who had ruled since 1930) and established a socialist state. Torn by bloody coups, uprisings, wide-scale drought, and massive refugee problems, the regime was finally toppled in 1991 by a coalition of rebel forces, the Ethiopian People's Revolutionary Democratic Front. A constitution was adopted in 1994, and Ethiopia's first multiparty elections were held in 1995. A border war with Eritrea in the late 1990s ended with a peace treaty in December 2000. In November 2007, the Eritrea-Ethiopia Border Commission (EEBC) issued specific coordinates as virtually demarcating the border and pronounced its work finished. Alleging that the EEBC acted beyond its mandate in issuing the coordinates, Ethiopia has not accepted them and has not withdrawn troops from previously contested areas pronounced by the EEBC as belonging to Eritrea. In August 2012, longtime leader Prime Minister MELES Zenawi died in office and was replaced by his Deputy Prime Minister HAILEMARIAM Desalegn, marking the first peaceful transition of power in decades.

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PRAYER REQUESTS:

• Pray for supporting nations to be wise in their programs and not cause diminished work ethic among Ethiopians.
• Pray for a resurgence of the deep Christian beliefs held by this nation from the earliest Church history.
• Pray for militant Muslims to know the truth of Jesus Christ and to stop persecuting believers.
• Pray for the Uttermost workers in the field.
• Pray for the US office.

Week of February 15, 2016

“God never gives us discernment in order that we may criticize, but that we may intercede.”

— Oswald Chambers

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FROM THE DESK OF: the Director of Communications

Been out of the office recently - traveling to some out of town conferences. Happy to be back in the office and returning to a normal schedule. The US Office is gearing up to head to Italy in May for our bi-annual staff and sports worker conference. Stay tuned for more info.

For the Win[dow],

Bubby Bryan, DOC

VERSE OF THE WEEK: Numbers 15:41

I am the Lord you God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt to be your God: I am the Lord your God."

COUNTRY OF THE WEEK: Algeria

After more than a century of rule by France, Algerians fought through much of the 1950s to achieve independence in 1962. Algeria's primary political party, the National Liberation Front (FLN), was established in 1954 as part of the struggle for independence and has largely dominated politics since. The Government of Algeria in 1988 instituted a multi-party system in response to public unrest, but the surprising first round success of the Islamic Salvation Front (FIS) in the December 1991 balloting led the Algerian army to intervene and postpone the second round of elections to prevent what the secular elite feared would be an extremist-led government from assuming power. The army began a crackdown on the FIS that spurred FIS supporters to begin attacking government targets. Fighting escalated into an insurgency, which saw intense violence from 1992-98, resulting in over 100,000 deaths - many attributed to indiscriminate massacres of villagers by extremists. The government gained the upper hand by the late-1990s, and FIS's armed wing, the Islamic Salvation Army, disbanded in January 2000.

Abdelaziz BOUTEFLIKA, with the backing of the military, won the presidency in 1999 in an election widely viewed as fraudulent and has won subsequent elections in 2004, 2009 and 2014. The government in 2011 introduced some political reforms in response to the Arab Spring, including lifting the 19-year-old state of emergency restrictions and increasing women's quotas for elected assemblies while also increasing subsidies to the populace. Algeria’s reliance on hydrocarbon revenues to finance the government and large subsidies for the population is under stress because of declining oil prices.

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PRAYER REQUESTS:

• Pray for the Berber peoples and many other unreached people groups who span across the entire nation.
• Pray for faith-filled bold believers to persevere despite intensifying persecution by Muslims.
• Pray for those scarred by violence and war to find their healing in Jesus Christ.
• Pray for the Uttermost workers in the field.
• Pray for the US office.

Week of February 8, 2016

“We are secure, not because we hold tightly to Jesus, but because he holds tightly to us.”

— R.C. Sproul

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FROM THE DESK OF: the Director of Communications

You watch the Super Bowl last night? Of course you did. 49% of American homes with a TV watched that game last night. Upwards of 100 million people tuned in to watch Peyton ride off into the sunset. Its like sports are popular or something... maybe we should use that.

For the Win[dow],

Bubby Bryan, DOC

VERSE OF THE WEEK: Romans 11:34-36

"For who has known the mind of the Lord, or who has been his counselor? Or who has given a gift to him that he might be repaid? For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be the glory forever. Amen."

COUNTRY OF THE WEEK: Morocco

In 788, about a century after the Arab conquest of North Africa, a series of Moroccan Muslim dynasties began to rule in Morocco. In the 16th century, the Sa'adi monarchy, particularly under Ahmad al-MANSUR (1578-1603), repelled foreign invaders and inaugurated a golden age. The Alaouite Dynasty, to which the current Moroccan royal family belongs, dates from the 17th century. In 1860, Spain occupied northern Morocco and ushered in a half century of trade rivalry among European powers that saw Morocco's sovereignty steadily erode; in 1912, the French imposed a protectorate over the country. A protracted independence struggle with France ended successfully in 1956. The internationalized city of Tangier and most Spanish possessions were turned over to the new country that same year. Sultan MOHAMMED V, the current monarch's grandfather, organized the new state as a constitutional monarchy and in 1957 assumed the title of king. Since Spain's 1976 withdrawal from what is today called Western Sahara, Morocco has extended its de facto administrative control to roughly 80% of this territory; however, the UN does not recognize Morocco as the administering power for Western Sahara. The UN since 1991 has monitored a cease-fire between Morocco and the Polisario Front - Western Sahara's liberation movement - and leads ongoing negotiations over the status of the territory. King MOHAMMED VI in early 2011 responded to the spread of pro-democracy protests in the region by implementing a reform program that included a new constitution, passed by popular referendum in July 2011, under which some new powers were extended to parliament and the prime minister but ultimate authority remains in the hands of the monarch. In November 2011, the Justice and Development Party - a moderate Islamist party - won the largest number of seats in parliamentary elections, becoming the first Islamist party to lead the Moroccan Government.

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PRAYER REQUESTS:

• Pray for widespread distribution of evangelistic materials among the many unreached people groups.
• Pray for those troubled by increasing tensions between Islamists and moderates to be open to the Good News.
• Pray for fellowship and freedom from fear for isolated believers.
• Pray for the Uttermost workers on the field.
• Pray for the US office.

Week of February 1, 2016

“Groanings which cannot be uttered are often prayers which cannot be refused.”

— Charles Spurgeon

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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.

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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.

Week of January 18, 2016

“God does not delay to hear our prayers because He has no mind to give; but that, by enlarging our desires, He may give us the more largely.”

— Anselm of Canterbury

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FROM THE DESK OF: the Director of Communication

Its been a scattered week at the Uttermost office this week. School is starting back which means schedules have changed again. The MLK holiday also shifted a normal week off track a little. One of our team members is out of town - presenting at a conference. All that to say, its been difficult to stay on the same page and get caught up but we're looking forward to settling in for the spring and digging in.

For the Win[dow],

Bubby Bryan, DOC

VERSE OF THE WEEK: 2 Corinthians 5:21

"For our sake he made him to be sin who know no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God."

COUNTRY OF THE WEEK: Afganistan

Ahmad Shah DURRANI unified the Pashtun tribes and founded Afghanistan in 1747. The country served as a buffer between the British and Russian Empires until it won independence from notional British control in 1919. A brief experiment in democracy ended in a 1973 coup and a 1978 communist counter-coup. The Soviet Union invaded in 1979 to support the tottering Afghan communist regime, touching off a long and destructive war. The USSR withdrew in 1989 under relentless pressure by internationally supported anti-communist mujahedin rebels. A series of subsequent civil wars saw Kabul finally fall in 1996 to the Taliban, a hardline Pakistani-sponsored movement that emerged in 1994 to end the country's civil war and anarchy. Following the 11 September 2001 terrorist attacks, a US, Allied, and anti-Taliban Northern Alliance military action toppled the Taliban for sheltering Osama BIN LADIN.

A UN-sponsored Bonn Conference in 2001 established a process for political reconstruction that included the adoption of a new constitution, a presidential election in 2004, and National Assembly elections in 2005. In December 2004, Hamid KARZAI became the first democratically elected president of Afghanistan and the National Assembly was inaugurated the following December. KARZAI was reelected in August 2009 for a second term. The 2014 presidential election was the country's first to include a runoff, which featured the top two vote-getters from the first round, Abdullah ABDULLAH and Ashraf GHANI. Throughout the summer of 2014, their campaigns disputed the results and traded accusations of fraud, leading to a US-led diplomatic intervention that included a full vote audit as well as political negotiations between the two camps. In September 2014, GHANI and ABDULLAH agreed to form the Government of National Unity, with GHANI inaugurated as President and ABDULLAH elevated to the newly-created position of Chief Executive Officer. The day after the inauguration, the Ghani administration signed the US-Afghan Bilateral Security Agreement and NATO Status of Forces Agreement, which provide the legal basis for the post-2014 international military presence in Afghanistan.

Despite gains toward building a stable central government, the Taliban remain a serious challenge for the Afghan Government in almost every province. The Taliban still considers itself the rightful government of Afghanistan and it remains a capable and confident insurgent force despite reports in 2015 that its founder and spiritual leader, Mullah Mohammad OMAR, probably died in 2013.

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PRAYER REQUESTS:

• Pray for appropriate and expedient solutions to ongoing threats of violence.
• Pray for Afghans who are seeking Truth to boldly embrace a new identity in Christ.
• Pray for protection over Afghan believers and perseverance despite suffering.
• Pray for the Uttermost workers on the field.
• Pray for the US office.

 

Week of January 11, 2016

“God shapes the world by prayer. The more praying there is in the world the better the world will be, the mightier the forces against evil.”

— E.M. Bounds

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FROM THE DESK OF: the Director of Communications

You still sore from the first week back at the gym? You still hanging in there? Just a friendly reminder from Bubs that Jesus loves people who break resolutions, fail to meet their goals and constantly fall behind. Its true. Jesus loves under achievers.

For the Win[dow],

Bubby Bryan, DOC

VERSE OF THE WEEK: Isaiah 55:8-9

"For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts."

COUNTRY OF THE WEEK: China

For centuries China stood as a leading civilization, outpacing the rest of the world in the arts and sciences, but in the 19th and early 20th centuries, the country was beset by civil unrest, major famines, military defeats, and foreign occupation. After World War II, the communists under MAO Zedong established an autocratic socialist system that, while ensuring China's sovereignty, imposed strict controls over everyday life and cost the lives of tens of millions of people. After 1978, MAO's successor DENG Xiaoping and other leaders focused on market-oriented economic development and by 2000 output had quadrupled. For much of the population, living standards have improved dramatically and the room for personal choice has expanded, yet political controls remain tight. Since the early 1990s, China has increased its global outreach and participation in international organizations.

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PRAYER REQUESTS:

• Pray for continued Church growth and pure biblical teaching amid ongoing persecution.
• Pray for Jesus' teachings to take deep root in the culture and expose all false religions.
• Pray for a renewed value for life to abolish abortion, suicide, abandonment, and human trafficking.
• Pray for the Uttermost workers on the field.
• Pray for the US office.