Your Prayers Sustain Them

Jerome

Jerome fled his farm with his teenage children after terrorists killed his son.

Worry is written across Jerome’s face. He feels he’s lost control of his teenage children since arriving in Oicha camp for Internally Displaced People. And there’s never enough food to eat.

But they can’t go home. His family are among 16 million Christians displaced by violent persecution in Sub-Saharan Africa.

“Terrorists killed my son,” says Jerome. “They burned my motorcycle and my house. Getting food is our main problem now.”

He added, “Raising my teenage children here is very difficult. They imitate the bad behaviour of others. We are losing control. There are unplanned pregnancies among teenage girls, and we don’t have enough money to send them to school. If children have a phone, they will not give an honest answer about how they got it.”

This International Day of Prayer, please pray for Jerome and his family.

PRAY

• That Jerome’s day-to-day need for food and security will be met.
• For Jerome’s teenagers, that their lives will be filled with purpose and hope through Jesus.
• For God to strengthen Jerome’s faith amid hardship and persecution.

 

Deborah

“They killed my husband,” says Deborah, wiping away tears. “He was a repairman and slept at his workshop to guard it. When I arrived, I found blood all over; he had been hit with a hammer.”

The father-of-five was murdered by Islamist rebel group, the Allied Democratic Forces, because of his Christian faith.

Deborah fled and now lives in a camp for Internally Displaced People with her children. But she’s traumatised and grieving. She cannot care for her family without support.

“I still cry a lot,” says Deborah. “I’m not able to do any job. I don’t have strength to fend for my own food, so I depend on other people. I live by grace. I have become a pitiful person.”

This International Day of Prayer, please pray for Deborah and her family. 
 

PRAY

• For God to comfort Deborah today—that she will know the Lord watches over her.
• For restoration for Deborah as she attends Open Doors’ trauma healing sessions.
• For Deborah’s children and their future.

 

Jonathan

Jonathan holds a precious family photo. It’s a reminder of happier times, before Jonathan’s mum, dad, and most of his siblings were killed in their home. Now, Jonathan lives in a camp for Internally Displaced People with his 17-year-old brother, Kambale.

Kambale is deeply traumatised. He saw the family being killed by extremists.

“It’s hard for my brother to talk about it,” says Jonathan. “He hid, but he saw everything.”

These days, life is a struggle. After school, Jonathan looks for work and hopes he can earn enough to feed himself and Kambale.

“My spiritual life has changed since my parents died,” Jonathan adds. “If I went to church, I wouldn’t have time to earn the money we need.”

This International Day of Prayer, please pray for Jonathan and his brother, Kambale.
 

PRAY

• For traumatised survivors like Kambale. Ask God to heal and restore them.
• For Jonathan, that his physical needs will be met, and he will turn back to Jesus.
• For God to give these young men a future of joy, hope, love, and fulfilment.

*All images are representative