Mexico: Violence towards tribal believers
Latin American Indian Ministries report, ‘While we want to be positive about the year ahead we must voice a concern for tribal believers in southern Mexico. In the last few months Pastor Armando Lopes was killed travelling home from a doctor’s appointment, three other pastors were killed in the same area recently. Four families of believers were expelled from a village and a church destroyed with believers put on notice. This month six homes were destroyed and the families expelled from the community. Elsewhere a church and many homes were destroyed and fifty families expelled from the village, a further 86 families were expelled later. At the end of 2010 four hundred and ninety eight Indian believers were homeless, living as street people in San Cristobal where they seek protection. This persecution results from new believers boycotting drunken fiestas to saints in the untended Catholic church, celebrations which have really come to represent worshipping ancient pagan gods. Pray: for these ‘suffering saints’ - including many very new believers. Some will establish new villages and build a new church. But the days ahead are challenging. (Ps.24:5-6)
Mexico: Seeking divine intervention
In Mexico's historically violent border region faith leaders from both sides of the US-Mexico border are launching a joint prayer and fasting initiative this month seeking divine intervention to resolve drug cartel trafficking and violence plaguing the region. The Cinco de Mayo Initiative is spearheaded by Mark Gonzalez, founder of the Hispanic Prayer Network. Beginning April 15th participants will be convening for 21 days in Dallas, Texas, and Mexico City and at the border for prayer. The initiative comes in response to a prophetic directive given by Cindy Jacobs, president and co-founder of Generals International, a missionary organisation devoted to training in prayer and spiritual warfare. Pray: that united prayer, fasting and intercession will cause a Holy Spirit fire to grow and spread across the region long after the initial 21 days of warfare. (Jn.17:23) More: ttp://www.christiantoday.com/article/seeking.divine.intervention.in.mexicos.violent.border.region/27779.htm
Mexico: Missionary couple slain
A married couple who had served for 28 years as Baptist missionaries in Mexico were murdered on Tuesday Jan 31, John and Wanda Casias were strangled with electrical cords when intruders broke into their house and stole a safe, televisions and ministry vehicles, along with other items. The area has suffered heavily from attacks by drug cartels in recent weeks, including the murder of the mayor of El Cercado, leading to the tentative conclusion that the crime was committed by people serving narcotics traffickers. Drug traffickers in Mexico oppose the message of Christ because it turns people away from their business, and thus Christians have been among the targets of the criminals. The killers left Wanda Casias dead inside
the house and the body of her husband was reportedly found in a storage room of a small building elsewhere on the property.
Pray: that the Church would be strengthened to become a powerful witness to counteract the drug cartels. (Zec.10:12)
More: http://www.compassdirect.org/english/country/mexico/article_1386234.html
Mexico: Human trafficking
Mexico is a hot spot for trafficking. 85% of victims are girls exploited for unpaid labour or prostitution where they earn 160-180 pesos (£8-10) per sexual encounter with 20-40 men a day. The girls are kidnapped, or sold by parents as forced wives or servants, or lured away from home by false promises of jobs, or seduced by pimps posing as boyfriends and future husbands. Child sex tourism is also growing in Mexico, especially in tourist areas. Trafficking is linked to Mexico’s infamous drug cartels which the government is fighting, though human traffic makes far fewer headlines than the ‘war on drugs’. Human trafficking is one of the most profitable means of illegal income around the world. Mexico also has serious corruptionproblems involving police, judges and politicians. Campaigners say the country has inadequate laws to tackle human trafficking.
Pray: for Congress to pass powerful trafficking legislations and for the influential people fighting these legislations to be silenced. (Ex.23:1)
Mexico: Human rights observers killed
The Triqui region of Mexico is mainly populated by indigenous people and is one of the poorest and most troubled in the country. For more than 30 years it has suffered inter-community conflicts in which scores of people have been killed. State and federal authorities have rarely taken action to hold those responsible to account. Human rights organisations called for the Mexican federal authorities to thoroughly investigate an ambush on a Caravan of thirty Human Rights Observers which left two officials dead and several injured on Tuesday 27 April 2010. Jyri Antero Jaakola, a Finnish observer and indigenous human rights defender Alberta Cariño were killed in the attack and a journalist and an activist were injured. The group was on its way to document long-running human rights abuses and to provide humanitarian assistance.
Pray: for NGO’s and those authorized to establish law, order and aid in Mexico to succeed against corruption and conflict. (Ps.68:1)
Mexico: Head of town sent mob to beat and abduct Christians
Traditionalist Catholics abducted, jailed and beat a group of Evangelical Christians with rods and stones in Oaxaca, Mexico last week on orders from the head of a municipality for declining to participate in and help pay for Traditionalist Catholic festivals and for protesting their previous mistreatments. The mob attacked the Christian’s unfinished church structure with sledgehammers and pick-axes and four of the Evangelical Christians were jailed for four days. Three brothers who escaped the mob sent to kill the Christians said officials led townsfolk to hate those who are not Traditionalist Catholics. Traditionalist Catholics in remote areas practice a blend of Catholic and indigenous rites involving drunkenness, revelry and idol worship. Christians declining to participate in the Traditionalist Catholic festivals have been threatened, attacked and economically deprived in the states of Oaxaca, Chiapas, Guerrero, Hidalgo and Puebla. The Mexican government’s aversion to involving itself in religious issues has allowed such situations to escalate.
Pray: for the independent Pentecostal Churches to receive state help and protection. Pray for these ‘suffering saints’ - including many very new believers. (Ps.24:5-6)
More: http://morningstarnews.org/2013/11/head-of-town-in-mexico-sends-mob-to-beat-abduct-christians/