"The Lord upholds all who fall and lifts us all who are bowed down. The eyes of all look to you, and you give them their food at the proper time. You open your hand and satisfy the desires of every living thing."

– Psalm 145: 14-16

Africa & Europe

• While up to now cases of COVID-19 in Africa have been relatively low compared to other hotspots, WHO said last week that there are concerns about a sharp rise in cases in some African countries. There is still much uncertainty about how the continent — which has a relatively young population — will be affected as the pandemic continues. Pray for the healthcare systems, that they would have the resources that they need to respond. Pray for communities in poverty that are most devastated by the economic impacts of both lockdowns and outbreaks. Pray for wisdom as leaders have to make decisions about how best to protect their citizens, and for health and healing for all those affected.

Latin America

• Pray for safety for all public justice system officials in Guatemala as they continue to serve women and children survivors of violence every day. On July 9, the Guatemalan Judiciary announced court hearings will be suspended again, this time for two weeks after more than a hundred workers tested positive for COVID-19. Pray for a quick recovery for the workers who are sick, and for protection for others who have not gotten sick. Pray also specifically for survivors whose cases will be impacted by court closings — as justice is delayed, pray that God would grant them peace and strength to not give up.

South Asia

• Please pray for IJM staff re-strategizing on the case of a 15-year-old girl we are trying to rescue from sex trafficking. We had hoped to conduct an operation last week to rescue this girl and arrest three female traffickers, who were suspected to be part of a larger trafficking network. Unfortunately, the operation had to be postponed due to COVID-19 lockdowns, extreme weather and additional police investigations. Please pray we could gather the remaining evidence necessary to move this operation forward safely as soon as possible — and pray for this suspected victim's safety as we work to rescue her.

Southeast Asia

• Praise God for the police's continued ability to lead rescues of children who are victims of cybersex trafficking. As of the first week of July, the IJM Philippines team has supported the police in conducting 15 operations during the COVID-19 lockdown, removing a total of 57 victims and at-risk children from situations of abuse. Nine suspects have been arrested during the lockdown period. Pray for this work to continue unimpaired, and for a strong message to be sent that this crime will not be ignored even in the midst of a pandemic.

IJM HQ & Global Partners

IJM headquarters is located in the United States. IJM has international advancement offices in Australia, Canada, Germany, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom.

• Pray for inspired creativity and divinely-arranged logistics as our story gathering team helps survivors share their stories with the world. The travel restrictions in place due to COVID-19 have meant new logistical challenges to photo shoots, interviews and video production. Pray that survivors would still be able to raise their voices effectively, and that their impact would only increase in spite of the hurdles in the way.