Türkiye transitioned to a presidential system in 2018, with the President expanding. Controversies, including concerns about the concentration of power, restrictions on media freedom, crackdowns on dissent, and allegations of human rights abuses, have marked the current leadership.

Pray for the LORD to rebuke the dictatorship in Türkiye and permit them no more to harm the civilians (The Holy Bible, Psalm 105:14).

Once the land of Paul’s missionary journeys, Turkey is now predominantly Muslim. Following a failed coup in 2016, President Erdogan began irradicating anyone deemed to oppose his regime, increasing the atmosphere of state control over the last 7 years.  Dozens of long-term Christian missionaries have been deported or refused entrance, however interest in the Gospel among Muslim Turks has soared. Predominantly Syrian refugees that overwhelmed Turkey were a financial and infrastructural burden on the nation. As a result, anti-refugee attitudes have increased in the wider community, though Christian ministry amongst the refugees has been fruitful. At the start of 2023, Turkey was devastated by a massive earthquake that impacted the lives of more than 14 million people and resulted in the deaths of more than 50,000 people.

The North Korean government needs Uranium for its nuclear program. In the town of Pyongsan, they extract Uranium from coal mines and dispose of the uranium waste in a river. This river is the source of drinking water for thousands of nearby people and agriculture. Hence, the once-agricultural soil is chemically unfit for cultivation. This problem is affecting productivity and food security.

Pray for the North Korean government to stop dumping nuclear waste into the river, which is threatening the lives of the people and the nation’s food security. (The Holy Bible, Job 5:12-14)

Pray for the LORD to heal the land and the people affected by the contaminated water. (The Holy Bible, 2 Chronicles 7:14)

North Korea is a one-party state led by a dynastic totalitarian dictatorship, one of the most repressive nations on earth, led by supreme leader Kim, Jong-Un. Almost entirely shut off from the rest of the world, North Koreans experience brainwashing and total control at the hands of the authorities. Hundreds of thousands of prisoners are held in concentration camps and experts estimate up to 70,000 of them are Christian Believers. Christians face death if found meeting together, even saying the name “Jesus” or possessing a Bible, while family members of people found to be Christians are punished severely.  Believers remain underground but may number as many as 100,000. North Korea entirely shut its borders during the years of the COVID-19 pandemic. Intelligence indicates this border closure and terrible drought have resulted in the worst food shortages since the 1990s. People are starving to death but offers of international assistance have been turned down.