"But when they were oppressed they cried out to you. From heaven you heard them, and in your great compassion you gave them deliverers, who rescued them from the hand of their enemies."

– Nehemiah 9:27

Africa + Europe

• Pray for the staff from Africa and Europe who will be meeting this week to plan their strategy for the next year. Together these teams are combatting slavery, police abuse of power and multiple forms of violence against women and children in the region. Pray for wisdom, good collaboration and inspiration to bring safety and protection to vulnerable communities in Africa and Europe in 2020.

Latin America

• Praise God for a summit in Latin America where many of our leaders gathered to refine strategy for our work combatting violence against women and children in the Northern Triangle. Thank God for these leaders, and please pray for wisdom and energy as they implement increasingly integrated programs to address violence in their countries.

South Asia

• Please continue to pray for a successful judgment in the case of Abha*, who was rescued from sex trafficking in 2015. Abha was only 13 when traffickers sold her for sex and subjected her to drug use and other violence. We had expected a judgment against the 11 suspects back in September, but closing arguments have just been scheduled for late January. Please pray that the judgment would be given quickly, with strong convictions against each of the suspects, so that Abha can move on with her life and no other girls will be abused.

Southeast Asia

• Please pray for the Philippines during the ongoing eruption of a volcano in the region. Pray for our IJM Manila team to remain safe and for the new staff set to deploy to the field, whose travel plans and moving dates have been disrupted. Also, pray for the people most vulnerable to the path of the volcano's destruction to reach safety.