Yemen
(MNN) — After more than eight months of street protests demanding his ouster,
Yemen's President says he's ready to step down.
Activists believe the offer is a feint, and they stand ready to
continue their efforts. Opposition
leaders say he is known for his stalling tactics and could be preparing for
bloodshed. Protests demanding regime
change continued in numerous Yemeni provinces.
Given
the level of chaos in the country, Operation Mobilization is focusing a prayer
campaign on Yemen and its believers this month.
Pray
that potential persecution and political unrest would not keep the Gospel from
spreading in Yemen. The Yemeni
Constitution declares that Islam is the state religion and that Sharia is the
source of all legislation.
As long as expatriates do not evangelize, the Yemeni
government doesn't intervene when they live out their faith, but Yemeni
citizens face apostasy charges should it be discovered they converted to
Christianity (or another religion).
Despite
the risks, the Gospel continues to make inroads. Many Yemeni believers continue
meeting together in small groups. Pray for the protection and growth of the
Yemeni church.
Very
few Christian workers are in the area of the Hadramaut, a desolate place even
in Yemen. Pray for believers there and for others to be called to spread
the Gospel to this unreached area of the world.
Most
importantly, the OM team reports that the New Testament has been in much
higher demand in the last few months. People are specifically asking for
copies.
According
to OM, the local believers are distributing to those they know, requesting
more copies when they run out. One team
member writes that people are eager to read the Word. They're often told, "We have been
passing this one copy around between a group of us, each week changing
hands."
Pray
that the Word of God would bring Kingdom-changes to this country.
