Sudan Global Day of Prayer

PRAYER REQUESTS FOR MARCH 28, 2010
24 Hours of Prayer and Fasting

1. “Sixty churches in Juba have been praying since March 21, and over 600 Churches in Khartoum are praying,” reported Pastor James in Sudan. “Christians will gather in open spaces on March 28 and have all-night prayer until March 29.” Please pray for Pastor James and other believers in Sudan.

2. The election in Sudan is scheduled for April 11-13, with the final results announced on April 18. Pray for a peaceful, fair, and free election process nationwide.

3. Pray that media outlets will provide reliable information about candidates and issues that will help voters make wise decisions.

4. Many pastors lack formal theological training. Pray for ministries and denominations that
are building Bible schools and seminaries. Pray that the 36 students who recently graduated from Heiban Bible College will be effective church leaders.

5. Political stability within the oil-rich regions of Abyei, Southern Blue Nile, Southern Kordofan, and the Nuba Mountains is critical as the 2011 referendum on independence for southern Sudan approaches. Pray that border disputes and other issues will be resolved before 2011.

6. As many as 300,000 people have died as a result of battles between warring factions in Darfur. Pray for the success of efforts to broker peace agreements between the Government of Sudan and rebel alliances represented by the Justice and Equality Movement, the Liberty and Justice Movement, and other armed groups.

7. About 40 percent of Sudanese families do not have access to safe drinking water. Pray for well drilling and water treatment projects that are being coordinated by various relief and development agencies.

8. Oil revenues account for an estimated 98 percent of southern Sudan’s non-aid income. Pray that oil production revenues will continue to help restore infrastructures that were destroyed during years of civil war.

9. A Ugandan guerrilla group that calls itself the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) regularly raids villages in southern Sudan, killing civilians and capturing slaves. Pray that the LRA will be defeated and that its leader, Joseph Kony, will be captured.

10. Hundreds of churches were destroyed during Sudan’s civil war. Pray for church rebuilding projects promoted by denominational agencies and ministries like Samaritan’s Purse, which has rebuilt 369 churches.

11. Thousands of people lack adequate healthcare in Sudan. Pray for more medical facilities like Kurmuk Hospital, which serves over 220,000 people in Southern Blue Nile state.

12. “Pray with us against the spirit of tribalism, where people only vote for candidates from their own tribe, without considering the quality of the person.” Pastor Simon Ayambu

13. Vocational training and livelihoods programs are helping men and women find work and produce income for their families. Pray that more adults will receive training and tools that help them find work and start small businesses.

14. Eighty percent of Sudan’s workforce is involved in agricultural production and subsistence farming. Pray for agricultural programs that provide struggling farmers with seeds, hand tools, plows, and training in crop production.

15. Thousands of Sudanese children meet under shade trees for classes at local schools, without any workbooks or supplies. Pray for an expansion of school-building and educational programs in Sudan.

16. Livestock exports are the second most important source of foreign revenue for Sudan, behind oil. Pray for animal husbandry programs that are helping farmers in Southern Blue Nile, North Darfur, and other areas learn how to care for livestock and produce healthier animals.

17. Illiteracy among women runs as high as 84 percent in some areas of the Sudan. Pray for the growing number of international agencies that are promoting adult literacy projects for women and men throughout Sudan.

18. Pray for political stability and peace in neighboring nations including Egypt, Libya, Chad, Central African Republic, Democratic Republic of Congo, Uganda, Kenya, Ethiopia, and Eritrea.

19. Pray for ministries that are providing Bibles and New Testaments for distribution in Sudan. Samaritan’s Purse helped distribute 260,600 Scriptures in six languages, and establish 10,600 Bible reading groups. Pray that lives will be transformed through the study of God’s Word.

20. Following two decades of civil war, more than 2 million landmines may still be buried in Sudan. Pray for successful de-mining efforts by government agencies and international groups working in Sudan

21. Pray that freedom of religion will be maintained as the country transitions through the April elections and the 2011 referendum on independence for southern Sudan.

22. International aid workers have been kidnapped and even killed in Darfur and other unstable regions where rebel groups are active. Pray for protection for workers involved in various relief and development projects throughout Sudan.

23. UNICEF and the World Health Organization are vaccinating 6 million Sudanese children against polio. Pray for efforts nationwide to immunize children against polio and other crippling, but preventable childhood diseases.

24. “Pray for Sudan’s general elections which are scheduled to take place in April. Pray that the election campaigns will be peaceful.” – Pastor Anthony Poggo

BACKGROUND INFORMATION:

As Sudan prepares for historic presidential and parliamentary elections, Samaritan's Purse and church leaders in Sudan are calling on believers across the nation and around the world to participate in a week of prayer March 21-27, culminating with a Sudan Global Day of Prayer on March 28.

“Churches nationwide are mobilizing prayer,” said Pastor James, a church leader in Khartoum. “We are praying that everything will run smoothly. We are praying for the nation of Sudan.”

More than two million people died in Sudan's civil war before the Comprehensive Peace Agreement was signed five years ago. The 2005 accord ushered in an uneasy truce, tied to a promise that the people of southern Sudan would be allowed to participate in national elections in 2010 and vote in a referendum on independence in 2011.

Free and fair elections in April could help lay a foundation for lasting peace. However, if violence erupts it could start a chain reaction that plunges the nation back into civil war.

Government and church leaders in both the North and South agree that prayer is the key to maintaining peace in Sudan. Please join us in praying daily for Sudan the week of March 21-27, concluding on the Sudan Global Day of Prayer on Palm Sunday, March 28.