Monthly Prayer Focus

Children are the future of any society, and right now, many children in South Asia find their futures may be teetering on a cliff’s edge.

The coronavirus pandemic brought with it fear and uncertainty: fear of fatal illness or starvation and uncertainty for the future. UNICEF reports that the livelihoods of 600 million children in South Asia are threatened by the coronavirus, and up to 120 million more could be pushed into poverty.¹ In this tumultuous period, GFA workers are bringing Christ’s love to children and their families, whether through gifts of food or encouraging, taking-all-precautions visits.

During times of normalcy, GFA congregations bless the children in their midst through Vacation Bible School, Sunday School and Youth Fellowship. Through these ministries, boys and girls are learning more about their loving Creator and are building a foundation in Him. And as they establish their own hope in Christ, many children are able to help their siblings and parents on their journeys with Jesus!

Please join us this month in praying for Children's Ministry in Asia.

¹“Lives Upended.” Simon Ingram. UNICEF. June 2020. https://www.unicef.org/rosa/reports/lives-upended

When not under lockdown, congregations led by GFA pastors and missionaries host VBS programs for the children in their fellowships and communities. In a few days, children can jump miles in their understanding of Christ’s love and His sacrifice on their behalf.

Please pray the pandemic will end and VBS programs can resume. Please pray VBS kids will understand God’s desire for a relationship with them and will learn to walk in His ways.

When congregations are once again able to safely meet, children who participate in GFA Sunday Schools have the opportunity to gain a solid foundation for life as they understand God’s character and learn how His children should live. As they participate in action songs, listen to Bible stories and watch examples of prayer in their teachers’ lives, many embrace new life in Christ and find deliverance from fear, fleshly desires and despondency.

Please ask God to work in children’s lives through the stories they hear, either in their homes during the pandemic or in Sunday School. Pray they may love Jesus with all their hearts and demonstrate His love to their family and friends.

Youth in Asia encounter many of the difficulties the youth in your own country struggle with. Addictions, harmful relationships, desire for popularity and the love of money can influence young men and women, whether they’re in rural villages or major cities. GFA pastors organize special events, weekly meetings, fellowship opportunities and times of one-on-one discipleship to offer encouragement and counsel to the youth in their congregations and communities.

Please pray God will work through youth ministry to guide young men and women in godly paths. Pray Christian youths will stand firm against temptations of the world and be positive examples to younger children.

Proverb 12:26 says, “The righteous should choose his friends carefully, for the way of the wicked leads them astray.” Friendships influence our lives in powerful ways, for good or for bad. The children and youth of Asia need positive role models of godly living, both in their families and in their friends. Many children live in communities that follow beliefs and customs that are far from Jesus’ way of life.

Pray children will seek out godly relationships and build friendships with people they can bless and be blessed by. Ask God to protect them from negative influences.

Millions of needy children throughout Asia live tucked away in extremely remote villages, in overcrowded slums and everywhere in between. In addition to physical struggles against poverty or lack of education, children may be new in the Lord or may be looking for answers to difficult life questions many of us have wrestled with. The COVID-19 pandemic and the subsequent lockdowns have further increased the burden on millions of children, but GFA workers are ministering to many of these children through our children’s ministry.

Please pray GFA workers will have opportunities to meet the physical needs of more children—especially during the pandemic—and offer guidance and encouragement.

  Print these prayer requests out for your convenience.