The International Justice Mission (IJM) reminds us that the Ukraine conflict has displaced millions of women and children across Europe who are now running out of savings and resources, making them vulnerable to false work offers or accommodation from traffickers. The UN warns that Ukraine’s war is turning into a ‘human trafficking crises’. We need to cry out to God for women and children’s protection, that they would find safe housing and a stable income, to avoid accepting offers from traffickers. Please pray that they would know God's peace and comfort at this time of great difficulty. Pray for the expansion of IJM's anti-trafficking work in Europe. Ukraine’s refugee crisis means they urgently need to expand their anti-trafficking work into more European countries to reach and protect more vulnerable people. Pray for more local churches and European communities to accept and help refugees and may God mightily bless those volunteers already welcoming Ukrainians into their communities.

Ukraine: Zelensky urges G7 ‘help us win by year end’
NATO is increasing the troops available to its response force from the current 40,000 and will strengthen forward defences. The military alliance's secretary-general said, ‘We will enhance our battle groups in the eastern part of the alliance, up to brigade levels. We will transform the NATO response force and increase the number of our high readiness forces to well over 300,000.’ He describes Russia as the most significant and direct threat to the alliance's security and values and the NATO response to the invasion of Ukraine as the biggest overhaul of its collective defence and deterrence since the Cold War. Meanwhile, British troops are training Ukrainian soldiers on multiple-launch rocket systems and light guns on Salisbury Plain. A Royal Artillery trainer said it was a privilege to train the Ukrainians, they are professional rocket artillerymen. Their motivation to be quick and to learn is incredible. They don’t take many breaks. They are here to learn and are keen to return to Ukraine ‘as soon as possible’.

Attacks by jihadi rebels in central Mali have killed 132 civilians, showing that Islamic extremist violence is spreading from Mali’s north to more central areas. For several weeks rebels have been blocking the road between Gao in the north and Mopti in central Mali. The United Nations peacekeeping mission in Mali is concerned by the extremist attacks against civilians in the Bandiagara region that have caused casualties and displaced populations. In a separate incident, a U.N. peacekeeper died from injuries sustained from an improvised explosive device. Since the beginning of 2022, several attacks have killed U.N. uniformed peacekeepers. Attacks on peacekeepers constitute war crimes. The U.N. peacekeeping mission began after France went there to remove rebels who were capturing cities and major towns the year before (2014). They currently have 12,000 troops, 2,000 police and other officers in Mali. Over 270 peacekeepers have died in the U.N.’s deadliest peacekeeping mission.

Five human rights organisations want Spain and Morocco to investigate the deaths of 18 migrants, the injuries of 76 others, and the actions of 140 Moroccan security officers when migrants attempted to scale a fence separating the two countries. Spain's Commission for Refugees decried ‘indiscriminate use of violence to manage migration and control borders had prevented people who were eligible for international protection from reaching Spanish soil’. Meanwhile, UNHCR is asking both Africa and Europe to enhance legal frameworks and operational capacities at land and sea borders and urban centres plus youth programming and local community-based development as alternatives to dangerous journeys. In America the bodies of 51 dead migrants were discovered inside a lorry in San Antonio. An official said they found ‘stacks of bodies and no water in the truck. Sixteen survivors are in hospital with heat stroke and exhaustion, including four minors. No children were among the dead. See

Japan is sweltering under its worst heatwave for almost 150 years. The city of Isesaki, northwest of the capital, saw a record 40.2C - the highest temperature ever recorded for Japan. There are official warnings of a looming power shortage and calls for people to conserve energy where possible. But the government is still advising people to use air conditioning to avoid heatstroke as cases of hospitalisation rise with the heat. Meteorologists warn the heat will continue in the coming days. Pray for the elderly and those with heart disease. In the heat blood vessels open up, leading to lower blood pressure. The heart works harder to push the blood around the body which could lead to a heart attack. Weather officials warn the heat is likely to continue in the coming days. See also

This week, policymakers in Canada received a wake-up call to address the country's money laundering problem, known as ‘snow washing’. Following reports of money laundering through gambling, real estate and luxury car sectors, the government of the province of British Columbia convened an independent commission to look into the problem. They called on numerous witnesses, experts and Transparency International. They found serious failings from the provincial through to the federal level. Real estate professionals rarely recognise money laundering. Pray for better guidance from the federal financial intelligence unit. Secrecy in real estate ownership aggravates the problem. One-third of the 100 most valuable residential properties are owned through anonymous shell companies. Pray for more indexes that record the true owners of companies, trusts or partnerships owning real estate. The need for Canada to accelerate this fight is even clearer in light of the difficulties the country now faces in implementing its own sanctions against Russian kleptocrats following the invasion of Ukraine.

In Afghanistan, after America and its allies withdrew, the Taliban controlled the government, declaring an Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, employing harsh tactics to expose Christians. This has brought persecution in Afghanistan to its highest levels since the Taliban’s first government in 1996. In Nigeria Fulani Militants, the largest nomadic ethnic group, have killed tens of thousands of Christians and left many more homeless since 2000. Having seen increasing violence against Nigeria’s Christian population in the Middle Belt, it is alleged that the Fulani militant aggression is aided by stakeholders within the Nigerian government. Iran’s Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the country’s Supreme Leader, exerts control over every aspect of Iranian life, both physically and spiritually. As an Islamic republic, Iran poses severe limits on the ability of Christians to practice their religion, enforcing a hardline regime that allows the brutal torture and execution of many Iranian Christians.

The US's overturning of women’s rights to abortion is reverberating globally, with activists on both sides of the debate responding. In 1978 Italy legalised abortion. The current rise of politics, closer to the Catholic church, has brought it back into focus, and the US decision is rumbling in Italy. A former foreign minister said it showed the risk in Italy of moving backwards and ‘losing achievements that seemed permanent’. But on the right, ‘A great victory’, declared Simone Pillon, hoping Italy and Europe would follow suit. In Ireland, America’s ruling triggered a swift, passionate response, stirring deep emotions where abortion was only recently decriminalised. Many vocal Irish campaign groups and activists still exist on both sides. A pro-abortion rights' activist in El Salvador, where abortion is banned in all cases said, ‘This will embolden the most conservative groups in our countries who consistently deny women rights.’ In Canada and India similar loud debates are being discussed in the media, Twitter and online.

Australia, for almost a decade, has called the nations of the world to join in 6 days of prayer and fasting for the United States of America. This year will be from 30 April – 5 May 2021.

May 5 is America’s National Day of Prayer http://www.nationaldayofprayer.org
The theme is “EXALT THE LORD WHO HAS ESTABLISHED US.” Colossians 2:6-7

April 30 is America’s National Day of Repentance  http://www.dayofrepentance1.org
Promo YouTube Video: https://youtu.be/tToauKY3FdQ

The National Day of Prayer is a vital part of America’s heritage, as is the USA Day of Repentance. The first national call to prayer was in 1775 when the Continental Congress asked the colonies to pray for wisdom in forming a nation.

Kym Farnik the Prayer Coordinator said, ““Both America and Australia desperately need to experience an Awakening to Christ. It is significant that this call to have communion Daily is in the month of May.  This month also celebrates Go20, a call for the Christians of the world to pray and share the Gospel with 5 people in the month of May. The simple goal is to reach a billion people with God’s love. Let us pray for the release of the gospel.”

Kurt Mahlburg features editor with the Canberra Declaration said, “We believe it is critical for us to continue to pray for America. All our respective nations including Australia and America, are at the point of moral and economic collapse despite the fact that our Western world as such was built on Judea-Christian Foundations.  America with all its faults is still a bastion of hope for the Gospel and a strong tower for the free world.”

Warwick Marsh an Australia Faith & Family advocate said, “Pray & Fast between the 30 April – 5 May as you feel led, but our main call is to ask individual believers all over the world to have communion each day of May 2022 and pray for revival, repentance & transformation for America. The celebration of the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ through communion as a prayer of intercession exerts great power in the realm of the spirit. Now is the time to celebrate Jesus for America.” 

Kym Farnik: 61 438 014 007
Kurt Mahlburg now in USA: +1 (310) 985-4763.
Warwick Marsh: 61 418 225 212
https://www.gomovement.world/en
www.canberradeclaration.org.au