Displaying items by tag: Latin America

Those fighting to halt climate change call the Amazon rainforest the ‘lungs of Earth,’ and Brazil's current president has made his country a chain-smoker. A healthy Amazon is crucial for the fight against climate change. Human activity is pumping unsustainable amounts of carbon into the atmosphere, trapping enough heat to warm the planet and profoundly disrupt the climate. Trees, and the soils they grow in, store carbon that might otherwise reach the atmosphere, but cutting down or burning them releases more carbon into the air, making Amazon deforestation a problem for the entire planet. President Jair Bolsonaro has made matters much worse for the remaining 60% of Amazon tree cover. He deprived environmental protection agencies of funding and manpower, allowing farmers to cut and burn trees to open land for farms and cattle ranches. But now Joe Biden’s climate envoy is engaged in an international effort to raise $20 billion for Brazil's environmental protection agency, only to be given if deforestation is reduced.

The US homeland security secretary said they are expelling most single adults and families but not unaccompanied children. An average of 565 lone children are crossing the border daily. The highest number of families come from Honduras, the most unstable Central American country. Many lone children come from Guatemala, where youth population and unemployment are high and smuggling networks are developed. The transition from Donald Trump to Joe Biden has persuaded would-be migrants that a limited window now exists for US entry. In the Trump years human traffickers were thwarted, but they are now eager for more. Also, two major hurricanes have inflicted severe human and economic damage in Central America. Taking to the road to find a better life is dangerous, especially for children. Most flee from violence, corruption, and poverty all around them. Doctors Without Borders said 75% of migrants with children were fleeing threats of violence, including forced recruitment by gangs.

Four Christian men were beaten and scarred by knives carving Xs on their skin, and forced to eat sheets of the Bible in a recent shocking incident in Venezuela. The perpetrators are believed to oppose the work of Restoration House, a church-led drug rehabilitation programme in the city of Libertador, which the four victims had joined. Threats had been made against the house before the attack. In Latin America, the illegal activities of drug gangs are endangered by churches who deter people from criminality. This can lead to opposition, which explains this latest Venezuelan incident. The men have since been discharged from hospital. One remains in particularly poor health, with injuries to his lungs and head and two broken ribs. Two others have their legs and arms in casts. Pray for God to surround them with His healing presence, and that they will continue their recoveries from drug addiction and grow in their walks with Jesus.

A lot can happen in seven days. A president was ousted. An interim president resigned. A new president was sworn in. The nation is in political upheaval, with Peruvians in protests marked by accusations of police brutality and a devastating economic decline. They also have the third highest per capita Covid mortality rate. Beneath these pressing issues lies an even more critical spiritual reality. Though 94% claim to be Christian, the majority have yet to know the life-changing love, freedom, and forgiveness of Jesus. Most adhere to traditional Catholicism, often mixed with indigenous beliefs. Fifteen people groups remain tragically unreached by the Gospel. See

For many Christians, times, location and form vary greatly as they seek to worship God safely. On Sunday morning in a village in Colombia Gabriel, an indigenous Christian wakes up to prepare a service which he will lead later that day. Shortly afterwards, he leaves his house and goes to a deserted place, in the middle of the forest, hidden from everyone. In his village, being a Christian results in persecution. Christians do everything to keep the peace by participating in local activities, meetings, and traditional rituals. The latter is an obligation that Christians must fulfil, otherwise they are arrested, questioned, punished and detained until they renounce their faith. They want to stop engaging in traditional rituals that go against Christianity, but it is not easy. They gather in hidden places to pray, sing, and study the Bible.

‘Lifting up a fire wall and rampart over Iberoamérica’

Nations are in the midst of a global shakeup, a global hiatus due to the Crisis caused by the Covid-19 Pandemic. Many people in the nations are afraid and look for answers. Now more than ever it is time to pray for people, attend to their needs and share the Gospel in the Nations of the Earth.

We recognize that historical moments of crisis have created the perfect atmospheres for the GREAT REVIVALS and the Uprising of the Great Harvests of souls for our beloved Jesus Christ and the expansion of his Kingdom throughout history.

We believe that this is the moment when the Church must arise and take its role as The mouth, the feet, the hands of the Lord Jesus Christ to respond to a humanity that has no hope, that is in total confusion, and that awaits a resolution of their leaders or rulers.

We are living one of the most important prophetic moments in this decade , we see how in the midst of the shaking of the Nations, in a Global Pause, our precious Holy Spirit is moving strategically, bringing Revival in the midst of families, communities and nations . It is time to complete the Great Commission assigned by our Master. The Harvest is ready in the fields, the Angels have already been sent (Mark 13:39) .

The Latin American Prayer Council (CLAMOR) as part of the World Prayer Council (International Prayer Council) invites you to participate in a continuous Continental Vigil that will begin on April 24, and will be held every last Friday of each month until the end of the year 2020.

We want to agree to pray all the nations of Latin America in UNANIMITY , as a single VOICE; believing that something powerful will begin to happen this April. We will pray that the Redeeming gift of the Father, in the intervention of Jesus Christ and in the power of his Holy Spirit, hears our Prayer, receives our repentance and heals our lands. 2 Chronicles 7: 13-14.

We believe that this is the time of the Resurgence of The Ekklesia, a time to give hope to the needy, to the unreached groups of our continent, of the fulfillment of promises, of the manifestation of His mercy, forgiveness, grace. It is the divine time of the spiritual, economic, political and social restart of our peoples.

We cannot lose the window of opportunity that Covid-19 and the World Crisis is providing us to lift the harvest of souls in the fields that are already ready ... IT'S TIME TO PRAY CONTINENTALLY!

More info and sign-up: https://vigiliaunanime.clamor.global/index.php/en/

Latin American churches have played a key role in helping those affected by coronavirus. Their role goes beyond running food and medicine banks. ‘It’s a case of being there for people and keeping in contact, without a religious agenda. Sometimes all you can do is hold somebody's hand in the dark.’ The Most Rev Gregory Venables said: ‘Pray that we will have wisdom in accompanying people through the next weeks and months. Because it's not going to go away quickly, we've got to act wisely.’ This area has five out of the ten countries globally with most coronavirus cases. There's illness and insecurity. Most Latin American countries are economically bankrupt. People live hand to mouth; they have nothing. The situation is very desperate. Some of the longest lockdowns in the world and strict rules don’t seem to have stopped the spread.

On 6 October Louisiana’s governor warned, ‘It is time to prepare for Hurricane Delta as it intensifies in the Caribbean. It is common for people to experience hurricane fatigue during a busy season, but we need everyone to take this threat seriously.’ Delta is the 10th named storm in America this season. After tearing down trees and power lines across Mexico’s Yucatan peninsula, Delta grew in size as it approached the northern Gulf Coast on 9 October. Life-threatening storm surges and hurricane-force winds are expected in the Louisiana coast, with as much as 12 inches of rain in places. State and local officials are shoring up levees, sandbagging and taking other protection measures in areas still recovering from Hurricane Laura, which roared ashore in August. Over 6,600 Laura evacuees remain in hotels around the state, mainly in New Orleans, because their homes are too heavily damaged to return. Pray for their peace of mind.

Perú's parliament will impeach President Vizcarra for blocking an investigation into mis-use of public funds. He swept into power with an anti-corruption agenda. He denies ‘moral incapacity‘, despite audio recordings of him misusing funds. They have provoked a public outcry in pandemic-stricken Perú which now has the highest Covid death rate per capita in the world. Perú's economy is also struggling to recover from the three-month shutdown of the mining sector due to coronavirus. Pray for lawmakers to ensure corruption is replaced with honest reliable leadership. Pray for wise business transactions and a speedy economic recovery for commerce and industry that has seen quarterly GDP plummet by over 40%. Pray for successful strategies to halt the spread of coronavirus. Meanwhile missionaries are working to reach the thousands of Chinese migrants now settling in Peru: pray for believers from their ministry (see).

As of 2^nd September, the total global figure for people infected by Covid-19 stands at 25.7 million according to Johns Hopkins University. In addition to this, the current death statistic stands above 850,000.

Covid-19 hot spots

The US continues to be the country with the most cases and deaths related to Covid-19 globally with the aforementioned figures currently at over 6,000,000 and 180,000 respectively. Although the rate of infection has reduced over recent days and weeks from the high of 77,000 in a day, the daily case numbers are still slightly above those of the peak of the first spike.

After reserving $346 million in funding to purchase 100 million doses of the vaccine in development by the University of Oxford, Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro has commented that "no one can force anyone to get a vaccine." Brazil, currently heading towards 4 million cases holding the second highest number in the world after the US, has suffered from a steady average of roughly 1,000 deaths per day of people with the virus.

Coronavirus is similarly prevalent elsewhere in the Americas. Peru, Colombia, and Mexico each have over 600,000 cases a piece, whilst Argentina and Chile have more than 400,000 although these numbers may not tell the whole truth as some areas have a significant lack of testing. For example, Mexico has a test rate of just 10,000 tests per 1 million population compared to Spain where there are fewer cases and a test rate of nearly 200,000 tests per 1 million per population. Another issue infecting Latin America is misinformation related to coronavirus cures and preventative treatments. These home remedies spread on social media by influential figures, such as the use of industrial bleach, are unproven and potential harmful self-medications.

India is currently experiencing the highest rate of new coronavirus cases per day reaching its own 24-hour high of 85 thousand on 26^th August. Over the month of August, the country amassed nearly 2 million cases; the most reported in a month for any country in the world since the pandemic began. Despite these record statistics, the government continues to lift restrictions in an attempt to boost the economy after lockdown in March saw millions of jobs lost.

Large areas of Europe have managed to dramatically reduce the prevalence of coronavirus, although they have not managed to completely eradicate it. Spain and France are experiencing new outbreaks with regional lockdowns in place to attempt to cut off the spread. Ukraine has seen continued increases in case numbers after failing to minimise the virus after its first peak and the likes of Germany and the UK are observing gentle increases in daily new cases up to around 1,200.

It is still not well known how severe the situation is in Africa since there is a major lack in testing. The International Rescue Committee have said that they fear the continent is “fighting the epidemic in the dark” with limited data to work from hampering their response to the pandemic. South Africa continues to hold the most cases with around 630,000, followed by Egypt with 100,000 but the dramatic positive test result difference of 17% compared to 73% respectively hints at the reality on the continent. Other countries around the world struggling to contain the virus include Indonesia, the Philippines, and Israel, where the numbers of new cases and deaths remain high.

Has the curve flattened?

In some countries around the world where good social distancing has been practised, masks worn where necessary, efficient testing and quarantining has taken place, and test-and-trace systems have been implemented, the rate of infection has been shown to fall, and in some places, reduce to 0. This has been fully enacted by small countries and island nations and has seen positive results from larger countries such as Vietnam, Taiwan, and Iceland where the virus was once prominent.

In other countries, there has been impatience during lockdown, not waiting long enough for case rates to fall before reopening. This prevents a reduced rate of transmission, which doesn’t work towards the eradication of the virus. Through further restlessness and more easing of lockdown restrictions, the rate of transmission has increased again producing a so-called ‘second spike’ as shown by the recent dramatic increase in cases in the US or Israel.

The efforts that have been put in place by countries all over the world have reduced the impacts of the virus, though. Without the measures such as travel restrictions to and from zones with high case rates and social distancing designed to reduce transmission, the new numbers of cases would likely not have dropped, and the death toll would have been much higher by now.

Vaccine update

Over 165 vaccines are currently being developed by teams all over the world in the race to find a solution to the pandemic. 36 of these are currently in human trials, and at least 90 are in animal trials, to prove that they work as intended and are safe for wide-spread use.

A vaccine produced by the University of Oxford has been shown to trigger an immune response creating neutralising antibodies and T-cells in the recipient after a single dose in 90% of participants, although not without possible side-effects such as fever and headaches. Larger trials are taking place in countries such as Brazil where exposure to Covid-19 is high to ensure the vaccine is safe and effective, and then 47,000 volunteers from around the world will take part in “challenge trials” where they will be deliberately infected with coronavirus to observe the vaccine’s response.

Over 150 countries have pooled efforts and resources to set up the COVID-19 Vaccines Global Access Facility, otherwise known as COVAX. The benefits of this are that all member parties can take advantage of successful vaccines produced from their collective library so that everyone will have access to a working product in the shortest time frame possible. In the event that a country’s own vaccine plans fall through, they will have a backup option in COVAX.

The U.S. has announced it has no plans to participate in the rest of the world’s co-operative effort and instead intends to work on its own to find a solution so that they “will not be constrained by multilateral organizations influenced by the corrupt World Health Organization and China," said Judd Deere, spokesman for the White House. If the nation’s own vaccine proves to be unsafe or ineffective, they will be vulnerable to an extended period of infection and unnecessary deaths. This comes after President Trump withdrew the country from the World Health Organisation claiming they "failed to make the requested and greatly needed reforms" and also accusing China of receiving favourable treatment to cover up the virus’ origin.

Let’s Pray…
Let us continue to declare that the novel coronavirus is defeated by the blood of Jesus.

We pray for divine intervention and for God's name to be glorified even as each nation and government tries its best to flatten the curve and finally arrest this epidemic. 

We release wisdom, skill, and integrity upon our leaders. 

We pray for protection, wisdom and strength, for those working to bring treatment and comfort to the sick and their families.

We pray special grace and help for the vulnerable population and nations. We pray for refugees and displaced peoples. We pray against domestic violence and other crimes that have become rampant during lockdowns.

We pray for a safe, effective, and affordable vaccine to be released soonest but without including aborted baby cells in its creation or neglecting proper testing protocols.

We continue to release faith, hope, and love over the peoples of the world. May the Church seize this opportune time to manifest Jesus our Lord and Savior to those who are seeking answers and peace.

Pray: Lord God, the One who has Almighty power, we agree according to your promise in Matthew 18:18-20 that this virus will be stopped in its tracks. That the medical researchers will get a download from Heaven on how to quickly develop a vaccine to counteract COVID-19 and a cure for those who have become infected.

We also agree in prayer, asking that the Body of Christ worldwide will rise up in love and boldness, trusting in your blood to cover and protect us and throwing off fear, so that we can be available to serve, bless, and bear witness to those around us who are terrified and depressed at being infected.

Let us seize this unprecedented opportunity to make you known to those without hope in Christ!

Thank you for your promise that surely, you will be with us "always, even to the very end of the age” so that we can carry on with the mission you have given us for our world (Matthew 28:20).