Day 11
Western Sahara
Praise Points
Praise God for the European Union and the rest of the world not recognizing the Moroccan claim over Western Sahara (The Bible, Matthew 5:9).
Praise God for the presence of Christian Believers in the country amidst all adversity (The Bible, 2 Thessalonians 1:4).
Prayer Points
Pray for concrete policies by the European Union to force Morocco to the negotiation table despite the US recognizing the illegal occupation (The Bible, Psalm 33:5).
Pray for God’s protection upon the Christian Believers in Western Sahara (The Bible, Job 5:15).
Pray for the ten Unreached People Groups of the Saharawi. Pray for them to encounter God in their dreams (The Bible, Acts 2:1).
A Call to Salvation
Let the Saharwi people who left the territory for other parts of the world come to know their Creator. Let them know the Love of Jesus Christ. Let them return to Western Sahara with the Gospel of Jesus Christ and experience true freedom in Him (The Bible, Matthew 9:37).
Promise for the Nation
“The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to set the oppressed free, (The Bible, Luke 4:18).
Western Sahara is an occupied territory whose people have been denied their rights for a long time. The territory was initially under Spanish rule, and instead of granting them freedom, the Spanish colonial government decided to split the territory between Morocco and Mauritania. The Polisario Front fought for the freedom of Western Sahara, taking on Morocco and Mauritania. The discovery of rare minerals in Western Sahara made the country irresistible. Mauritania relented and gave up its claim on Western Sahara, while Morocco annexed its granted territory. Morocco rejected multiple interventions by the UN. The European Union refused to recognize Morocco’s claims. Western Sahara has very few Christian Believers, and the betrayal by the United States – a country that traditionally voiced out against Morocco’s claims on occupied territory, sold the rights of the Saharawi people for the Morocco-Israel normalization treaty. The US recognition of the Morrocan claim further makes any outreach by the West difficult. There is no reliable information about the persecution of the precious few Christian Believers in Western Sahara. However, there are unconfirmed reports of it.
Day 11
Laos
Praise Points
Praise God for the perseverance of the Laotian Church (The Bible, Luke 14:27).
Praise God for the courageous Laotian Brothers and Sisters who open their homes for Christian Believers to meet in the face of adversity (The Bible, Deuteronomy 31:6).
Prayer Points
Pray for the Laotian Christian Believers to have access to quality pastoral education over the Internet (The Bible, Exodus 33:13).
Pray for Laotian Pastors to be able to attend international training conferences online (The Bible, Psalm 27:11).
Pray for God’s protection for all our Brothers and Sisters in Laos (The Bible, Psalm 91).
A Call to Salvation
Let the lives of Christian Believers in Laos shine through the darkness and attract more people to the Salvation in Jesus Christ (The Bible, Daniel 12:3).
Promise for the Nation
Be shepherds of God’s flock that is under your care, watching over them—not because you must, but because you are willing, as God wants you to be; not pursuing dishonest gain, but eager to serve; (The Bible, 1 Peter 5:2).
Laos is a Southeast Asian country that has a long history of persecution. All churches have to be registered with the government. However, House Churches are not allowed. It is illegal for them to operate in the country. Even if they are registered with the registered churches, they are not considered legal, and attending members are subject to extreme persecution. Given the circumstances, there is no scope for creating Bible colleges in the country. Hence, trained pastors are not available. The converts from Buddhism face more severe persecution from their own family. The laws in rural areas decree that families should be evicted with converts. Hence, the families protect their property holdings. Despite the persecution, the Laotian Church continues to grow—the Open Doors Persecution List for 2024 lists the country at 21st rank.