Like many Eastern European nations, Albania prides itself on an atheistic worldview. When the Soviet Union was in its prime, inquiries into the existence of God or any higher being were quickly stamped out. Most young people in Albania grew up believing ‘there was no God.’ In 1967, the government closed all religious institutions, and Albania became the first atheistic state in Eastern Europe. Private religious practice wasn't allowed again until 1990, and with not even an underground church in sight, the Good News had to start from scratch in Albania. A mere two years ago, the government granted legal status to over 100 of the country's evangelical churches. A small but passionate group of believers in the nation's capital city want to change this societal outlook. Though the group may be small, their influence is mighty. On September 22, believers will gather in the city of Tirana for an evangelistic outreach called TiranaFest with Luis Palau.

Pray: that the church will be blessed and increase in numbers through this outreach. (Gen.1:22a)

More: http://www.mnnonline.org/article/17577

A Norwegian man has received terrorist training from Al Qaeda's offshoot in Yemen and is awaiting orders to carry out an attack on the West, officials from three European security agencies told The Associated Press on Monday. Western intelligence officials have long feared such a scenario - a convert to Islam who is trained in terrorist methods and can blend in easily in Europe and the United States, travelling without visa restrictions. Officials from three European security agencies confirmed on Monday the man is ‘operational’, meaning he has completed his training and is about to receive a target. All spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the case publicly. They declined to name the man, who has not been accused of a crime. ‘We believe he is operational and he is probably about to get his target,’ one security official said. ‘And that target is probably in the West.’

Pray: that the security agencies will be given clear direction on where to find such people. (2Ti.4:18)

More: http://www.foxnews.com/world/2012/06/25/norwegian-trained-by-al-qaeda-offshoot-in-yemen-awaiting-orders-to-attack-west/

Pray4brussels seeks to mobilise prayer and to coordinate it in and for the city of Brussels. Brussels is becoming more and more a metropolis and an international crossroads: NATO, the EU and many international institutions have their headquarters here. It is a very strategic city, but also has a high degree of spiritual need. International teams come regularly to Brussels to pray, and we welcome them with open arms. However, we also want to create a platform among the many churches in Brussels to pray together and strengthen each other in this task. We want to make a conscious effort to join and work together with all other existing prayer initiatives.

Pray: that the significance of Brussels will be recognised and therefore the importance and strategic need for focused prayer will be taken up. (1Tim.2:1)

More: http://www.pray4belgium.be/index.php?page=pray4brussels-en

Police in Thailand have arrested more than 400 Pakistani Christian immigrants, including children. Several pastors in Bangkok said many of the Christians fled Pakistan because they were either accused of blasphemy or threatened by radical Muslims. They have sought work and refugee status, and many reportedly have interview appointments scheduled with the United Nations. Some of the Pakistani Christians are converts from Islam. Since arriving in Thailand, they've depended on churches and others for food and housing. The Thai government says they are illegal immigrants and should be deported. The Christians say they thought Thailand would provide a safe haven for them after they escaped religious persecution.

In February you were asked to pray for successful political negotiations to bring stability in the Yemen where armed men roam the streets and a few thousand Christians live. Saudi Arabia is now moving heavy military equipment to areas near its border with Yemen, raising the risk of being drawn into the worsening Yemeni conflict. The build-up follows a southward advance by Iranian-backed Houthi Shi'ite militants who took control of the capital, seized the central city of Taiz at the weekend and moved closer to the new southern base of US-supported President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi. The slide toward war in Yemen has made the country a crucial front in Saudi Arabia's region-wide rivalry with Iran, which Riyadh accuses of sowing sectarian strife through its support for the Houthis. The conflict risks spiralling into a proxy war with Shi'ite Iran backing the Houthis, whose leaders adhere to Shi'ite Islam, and Saudi Arabia and the other regional Sunni Muslim monarchies backing President Hadi.

A symbol targeting Christians has sparked a movement. IS painted the Arabic letter for ‘N’ (to indicate Nazarene or Christian) on the homes of believers in Mosul. Residents were then told to convert to Islam, pay a high tax, leave the area or be killed. The Voice of the Martyrs is serving Iraqi Christians who fled the terrorists by providing them with daily necessities and assessing their future needs. Many of these believers fled with only the clothes on their backs. To raise money to sustain work supporting Christians facing Islamic extremism they created an ‘i-am-n’ T-shirt featuring the same Arabic symbol that marked Christians’ homes in Mosul. Proceeds will help Christian refugees. In England a pianist, Carl Bahoshy, raised £33,000+ from 71 piano and organ recitals at churches, schools and cathedrals to raise money and awareness for Iraqi Christian refugees. 22 more concerts will follow. See

Two Protestant cousins, Casto Hernández and Juan Placido Hernández, were imprisoned and then expelled from their community with their families after refusing to renounce their religious beliefs. Christian Solidarity Worldwide said they were imprisoned for 30 hours by village officials and the efforts to expel the men were led by local leaders. A campaign targeting the Protestant minority in this region of Mexico began in April 2014 when village authorities attempted to force Protestants to sign a document prohibiting them from belonging to any non-Roman Catholic religion. They refused, but village leaders signed the document and claimed it was binding on the community.  Religious freedom violations are common in Hidalgo state where local leaders often try to force conformity to the majority religion. State officials tasked with upholding the law, including human rights protections enshrined in the Mexican constitution, rarely intervene to protect religious freedom.

Eleven medical students and doctors of Sudanese origin went to Syria to provide medical assistance to IS. Members of the group sent text messages saying they were treating hospital patients. An estimated 20,000 foreign fighters and supporters have flocked to Syria and Iraq to prop up IS. The Washington Post reported special treatment and better pay for the foreign recruits have made local fighters resentful. Foreign fighters live in cities where there’s less chance of airstrikes while Syrian fighters serve in more vulnerable rural outposts. IS is paying foreign fighters $800 a month, but Syrians half that amount causing mounting unrest in IS. Meanwhile nine members of IS were killed during infighting after they tried to flee over the Turkish border. It is not the first time that IS has killed its own members. They killed 120+ of their own fighters in two months, mostly foreigners trying to return home.