Day 31
East Timor
The 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) has agreed to welcome East Timor as the 11th member. ASEAN meetings held in Cambodia recently granted East Timor immediate observer status until it can be formally accepted at next year’s summit. Continue to pray for East Timor as it emerges as a nation, looking to have a voice in the Asia region. Pray that the Lord will open doors for this nation to grow and develop. Pray that the Church in East Timor will also grow in size and maturity (The Bible, Psalm 31:24).
The country, also known as Timor-Leste, had a bloody 24-year resistance against Indonesian occupiers, gaining independence officially in 2002. In stark contrast to this turbulent past, East Timor peacefully transferred power to a younger generation of leaders in the 2017 presidential elections. However, the nation has failed to form a secure, strong government since the 2018 parliamentary elections. The membership of the governing coalition changed again in 2020. Half of the country, with a population of only 1.3 million people, still lives in extreme poverty. High levels of youth unemployment fuel gang violence. With around 95% of its population being Roman Catholic, it is one of only two predominantly Christian nations in Southeast Asia. Churches face no persecution.
