Let the oppressed go free,
and remove the chains that bind people.
Share your food with the hungry,
and give shelter to the homeless.
Give clothes to those who need them
Isaiah 58:6a-7a

An Alpha Relief operative, who serves the displaced Burmese along the Thailand border, is asking for our prayers. She writes,

“I just received an urgent phone call. More than 500 homes in Umpian refugee camp have burned down and the fire is still raging. The authorities are investigating how the fire started…was it an accident, or was it started by others? The camp is (in Thailand) about 6 miles from the Burma border.

We plan to help at least 100 families with food, clothes and other household items”

Please Pray:

• For the relief items to successfully be delivered and that they serve as an encouragement to those who have lost their homes.
• To free these families from their oppression—many have been on the run from the Burma army for over 10 years.
• In thanksgiving for the camp’s pastor. Pray that he boldly continues to spread the Gospel.

How priceless is your unfailing love!
Both high and low among men
find refuge in the shadow of your wings.
Psalm 36:7

Joseph, one of Alpha Relief’s faithful operatives who has repeatedly risked his life to meet the needs of the persecuted church in North Korea, is seriously ill. His kidneys are failing due to complications from diabetes. Additionally, he has a tumor growing on his thyroid that needs to be surgically removed.

Joseph is currently in a country neighboring North Korea. He has been taken to a hospital in a nearby village where he lays in a hallway with other patients, waiting for a hospital room to become available.

Please pray:

• That a hospital room opens up and that he can have all the necessary treatments soon
• For funds to be provided for any necessary treatment or surgeries (preliminary estimate is around $10,000 U.S.)
• That God sustains and heals him
• Our contact has asked that we “Pray for grace and strength for Joseph and his wife. She is the only one able to be with him now and provides his care and meals.”

And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people.
Ephesians 6:16

The end of last week brought heartbreaking news from the Alpha Camp Children’s Home on the Burma/Thailand border. Seven Burmese troops crossed the border, abducted a young boy, brutally tortured then killed him and left his body at a bus stop just a few minutes’ walk from the Children’s Home. The boy lived in the village where the Alpha Camp is located and is friends with a number of the camp’s children.

The Camp Leaders have asked you to pray:

• For the ethnic Karen army to post soldiers to guard and protect the area around Alpha Camp
• That God calms the fears of the children at the camp, and that he comforts them as they grieve the brutal death of their friend
• That you send these prayer requests to your friends, because it is “good to have more people praying”

Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful.  And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching.
Hebrews 10:23-35

This week Alpha Relief staff and partners are meeting with operatives who are shepherds to the North Korean underground church. These courageous people encourage covert Christian leaders and provide food and medicine for their church networks.

Please Pray:

• For the safety of the American team and for the protection of the North Korean church networks
• That God’s love and good deeds are the focus of all the meetings
• That everyone involved in the interactions encourage one another
• For new relationships to be forged so that more operatives are identified and trained to bring the Good News to the people of North Korea