Strategic prayer

Growth among evangelicals (and charismatics) was sustained over several decades to reach a peak of 24.4% of the population. Some see this growth continuing, but those more sober-minded point to an impending evangelical decline. Contributing factors to this growth are the devastating 1976 earthquake, the violence and pain of war, the effective witness of believers and the large, dedicated force of missionaries.
Violence is a present-day plague caused by the upheaval and ruin of the last few decades. Murder is common, and life is cheap. Guatemala has the highest murder rate in all Latin America. The causes: maras (youth gangs), drug traffickers, organized crime and “social cleansing” – a.k.a. death squads. Government forces can do little to tackle these issues, and private armed guards outnumber police two to one. Pray for a binding of the spirit of murder and for the peace of Christ to prevail.
The Guatemalan missionary movement began in 1982 with a vision for the world. In 1984, the Agencia Misionera Evangélica (AME) was founded, and since then, other missions have been launched. There are at least three missionary training centres. CONEM (the National Commission of Mission to the World) coordinates the national missions effort. A missions conference for pastors put on by national mission organizations is a new development; pray for its effectiveness in helping church leaders catch a vision for missions.