#276 (7/28) - News Items/ Prayer Requests Since Sun. July 23

[FYI - My GENday is Sept. 19th. When is YOURS?; Yeah! Today, I got the names of the 5athletes at the Olympics - from Romania, Russia, and the Phillipines - I will be praying for throughout the games. I encourage YOU to go to the website: olympics.athletesinaction.org and sign up on the Prayer Strategy page or email your name to prayer@athletesinaction.org.
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DAILY URGENT! - Summer Olympics in London - Be sure to be praying for any plans of any terrorist groups for the Olympics to be discovered in a timely way by authorities and effectively thwarted.
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Syrian Conflict Draws In Christians - July 23

Syria’s conflict, increasingly characterized as a Muslim sectarian war, is now also threatening to engulf the country’s estimated 2 million Christians.

As clashes between government forces and rebels spread over the weekend from the capital Damascus to the northern city of Aleppo-Syria’s two largest urban centers that are home to sizable Christian communities-the Christians and other minorities are being forced to take sides. Several Christian residents and antiregime activists in Damascus say the regime is now arming male loyalists in parts of the capital dominated by Christians and Druze and Shiite minorities.

Christians account for nearly 10% of the population. They have generally remained neutral or stood by the Assad regime, which has characterized itself as a secular government holding together a nation of diverse faiths
They say at least 200 Russian-made AK-47s have been handed out in one Christian neighborhood in Old Damascus since Thursday, a day after a bombing killed four top regime officials including the defense minister Gen. Dawoud Rajha, a Christian.

A recent wave of kidnappings, intimidation and revenge killings in the town of Qusayr, in an area of Syria where religious groups have lived side by side for centuries, provides a cautionary example of what may lie ahead for other heavily Christian areas particularly in urban centers. "We have nothing against the Christians and Alawites," said Mohammed Idriss, 30, a farmer and taxi driver who also fled the area. "It’s just the vile regime that has exploited this."

Few Christians from Qusayr share his optimism. The Christian men in Lebanon believe that Christians will have no place in Syria if Mr. Assad leaves power - saying that the recent animosity has uncovered the true feelings their former neighbors had kept hidden for years. "We ate from the same plate," said one of the displaced Christians. "And then they stabbed us in the back." (Source: Wall Street Journal)

As the Lord leads, please pray:
•For God’s protection over the Christians in Syria and neighboring Lebanon.
•For the testimonies of Christians among their Muslim neighbors as they tell of the only Hope for humankind.
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Israel: Syria-Hezbollah Weapons Transfer 'Cause for War'
CBNNews.com Tuesday, July 24, 2012, http://www.cbn.com/cbnnews/world/2012/July/Israel-Syria-Hezbollah-Weapons-Transfer-Cause-for-War/

Israel's foreign minister, Avigdor Lieberman, said the transfer of Syrian chemical weapons to Hezbollah in Lebanon would be a cause for war...If the transfer is made, "We will act decisively, and without hesitation or restraint," he continued. "It will be a completely different ball game and we hope for the understanding of the international community."

A Syrian foreign ministry spokesman admitted Monday that Syria has chemical weapons but said they would not be used against Syrian citizens. On Tuesday, opposition leaders claimed that President Bashar Assad's forces had moved chemical weapons to airports on Syria's borders.

As the Lord leads, please pray:
* That, should the Syrian government fall, there would be in place a clear way to secure the weapons in question as the danger they pose should they fall into the hands of terrorists is incalculable. [When the Libyan government fell recently, there was nothing put in place to secure about 20,000 surface-to-air-missles, with most taken by unknown persons. Imagine what jusst ONE of those could do to an airliner!]
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Iraq Insurgents Kill Nearly 100 After Declaring New Ramadan-Timed Offensive- July 23

In a coordinated display intended to show they remain a viable force, Iraqi insurgents launched at least 37 separate attacks throughout the country on Monday morning, setting off car bombs, storming a military base, attacking policemen in their homes and ambushing checkpoints, Iraqi authorities said.

At least 99 people were killed and more than 300 wounded in the single bloodiest day this year, according to local Iraqi officials in the many areas where attacks took place. The attacks, coming in the early days of Ramadan, the month-long Muslim religious rite, were predicted Sunday in an audio message attributed to the leader of Al Qaeda in Iraq, Abu Bakir Al Baghdadi, and posted on the group’s Web site. Mr. Baghdada vowed that a new offensive, which he called Breaking Down Walls, would begin soon. Mr. Baghdadi said in the Qaeda statement that "we are returning again to dominate territories we used to dominate, as well as more." He depicted the attacks as part of a battle launched by Sunnis against the country’s Shiite leaders and people. (Source: New York Times, Reuters)

As the Lord leads, please pray:
•About the threats to maintaining civil authority in Iraq.
•About the increasing influence of Al Qaeda in Iraq and Pakistan and through the region.
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As refugees surge, some Syrians turned away from Jordan- July 21

Jordan has been praised for welcoming tens of thousands of fleeing Syrians. The United Nations refugee agency has registered roughly 35,000 Syrian refugees in Jordan, but there are reported to be far more Syrian refugees along its borders, upward of 140,000 people. The latest round of violence has sent thousands more Syrians streaming to the Jordanian border, seeking help. (Source: Los Angeles Times)

As the Lord leads, please pray:
•About the growing violence within Syria.
•About the attempts of the UN to find a solution to the Syrian civil war.
•For the thousands of refugees crossining he borders into Jordan, Iraq, Lebanon and Turkey.
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Drought to Drive Up Food Prices Next Year - July 25

The worst drought in the United States in nearly a half-century is expected to drive up the price of milk, beef and pork next year, the government said Wednesday, as consumers bear some of the brunt of the sweltering heat that is driving up the cost of feed corn.(Source: New York Times)

As the Lord leads, please pray:

•About the impact on already-stressed family budgets of increased costs in food.
•For others who are directly impacted by the drought - not only farmers, but trucking and rail delivery systems, grocers and others.