As of Thursday, at least 114 people have lost their lives and more than 120 are missing, many from the central province of Cebu. Most deaths were due to flooding.

Herman Moldez with A3 says those numbers will change. “There are still many areas where we don’t have power, and communication is poor because [the] internet is down.”

The storm is just one more layer of disaster for the people of Cebu. A 6.9-magnitude earthquake struck the tourist hotspot September 30, killing dozens and displacing tens of thousands. Typhoon Kalmaegi is the 20th named storm to impact the archipelago nation this year. What’s more, another storm system is on the way, called Fung-Wong.

But even as people suffer disaster upon disaster in a broken world, God is at work for good.

“Normally, in our country, this proves to be awakening,” says Moldez. “In the midst of disaster, people cry to God. They realize that there’s no one who could help but God.” 

(Image courtesy of A3)

People in the Philippines have learned that help doesn’t always come when it should. A corruption scandal broke earlier this year involving perhaps billions of dollars stolen from national projects meant to control floods. Moldez says the presence of corruption can make international aid groups hesitate to send help. But aid is exactly what is needed right now.

A3 is connected with a network of local pastors and churches. Pray that churches will be able to respond to Kalmaegi’s devastation with gospel hope and practical help. Ask God to give endurance to local believers facing so much loss and need. 

“Prayers are very important, because they strengthen the inner resource of people to become resilient, and not to give up — just to persevere in this situation,” says Moldez.

Header photo: Women and children in the Philippines. (Photo courtesy of Zeyn Afuang via Unsplash.)

He was holding not a gun, not a knife, but a microphone.

Kirk was a prominent political figure in America who consistently emphasized his faith in Christ and the biblical values that shaped his worldview and debates.

Greg Yoder, Executive Director of Keys for Kids Ministries, reflects on Kirk’s impact: “He had the uncanny ability, kind of like the Apostle Paul, of taking Scripture and proving Scripture to be absolutely true, but then infusing it into everyday culture and helping young people understand it. I think this is why he was targeted.

“He was actually convincing many of these young people that the ways of Jesus are the right ways of life.”

College students met around the country to pray for Charlie’s family and our nation. (GVSU – Photo: Joe Moss)

Kirk was known for practicing civil discourse and championing free speech on college campuses. His conservative convictions centered on faith, family, the sanctity of marriage, pro-life values, patriotism, justice, and individual freedom.

He willingly engaged with both supporters and critics, inviting students who disagreed with him to come talk at his table first.

Yet, even amidst differences of opinion, Kirk pointed young people to the Gospel. In an X post on September 6, just days before his assassination, Kirk wrote, “Jesus defeated death so you can live.”

Yoder says, “What I’m always amazed at is how he was depicted as some kind of monster and a hateful person, bigoted, etc. Clearly, they never watched any of his interactions with college students because he loved them. I mean, even those that criticized him and called him horrible names. He just smiled and said, ‘Well, you know, you have the right to say that. I love you. Jesus died for you.'”

American Christians are largely unfamiliar with physical persecution. Kirk’s assassination serves as a stark reminder that anyone who is a loud voice for biblical values may become a target for physical violence.

Yoder points to the truth of Ephesians 6:12: Our wrestle is not against flesh and blood.

“This is a time to mourn — not just for Charlie Kirk, but our culture, which is dying without Jesus,” Yoder says. “If the culture can lie and be convincing enough to tell someone they don’t know what gender they are, or that what’s evil is good and what’s good is evil, we know that this is the spiritual battle that Scripture is so clear about talking about.”

According to Barna Research, Generation Z is experiencing a spiritual revival. American churches are seeing young people coming back in droves, seeking out spiritual truth and answers to life’s questions.

At this pivotal cultural moment, young believers are asking, “How am I going to use my voice for truth for Christ?”

It looks like picking up the microphone and engaging in hard spiritual conversations — as Yoder puts it, “sharing your faith boldly and lovingly in this marketplace of ideas.”

Charlie Kirk (Photo courtesy of Wikimedia Commons)

He asks, “Now the question is, who’s next? Who will join Charlie in declaring the liberating power of the Gospel, and using that to help form a political guide? We as Christians still live in this world. Are we to be influencers in the world? I think we are.”

If you want more biblical resources to encourage young people, check out the Keys for Kids devotionals and Unlocked devotions for teens.

Yoder also urges, “Obviously, we need to be praying for Charlie’s family, his wife Erika, his two kids, his friends, his close family, and those shaken by the event. There were so many young people there that saw this, and they’re not going to ever forget it.

“We need to be praying for ourselves, praying for our churches, and praying for those that are going to be responding in light of all of this that’s happened — and being reminded of the fact that God is still on the throne.”

Header photo: Charlie Kirk speaking with attendees at the 2022 AmericaFest at the Phoenix Convention Center in Phoenix, Arizona. (Caption, photo courtesy Gage Skidmore/Flickr: https://tinyurl.com/4z9jey33)

Shakemap from USGS for the magnitude 6.0 earthquake in Afghanistan August 31, 2025. (Courtesy of United States Geological Survey, Public Domain, via Wikimedia Commons.)

Among other aftershocks, a 5.2-magnitude quake struck in the same region on Tuesday. 

Road damage and landslides have hindered rescue efforts. Nehemiah with FMI shared a report from a local partner: “Nearly half of the villagers remain trapped under the rubble, and survivors are desperately trying to dig them out with their bare hands.

“There is nobody who would come and help them, so villagers or survivors are helping themselves.”

Houses made of wood and mud-bricks were nothing against the first quake. It struck around midnight Sunday when most people were asleep and vulnerable to structural collapse.

“This disaster is especially devastating because it is human-made,” said Nehemiah. “In a sense, the fragile building practices driven by poverty and limited infrastructure have turned a national event into a disastrous tragedy.”

Nehemiah said FMI church planters stand in the gap to serve isolated villages at this time. “They are distributing food, organizing emergency shelters and offering prayers, even risking their own lives and own safety.” 

Other powers are in motion to help. The Taliban government has appealed for international aid. India has already sent food and tents for immediate relief. The UN and United Kingdom have also promised emergency aid. But what FMI partners are asking for is your prayers! 

“Pray for safe delivery of aid into accessible areas. Pray for wisdom, protection and spiritual strength for our church planters on the ground,” Nehemiah said. 

“Pray that in the darkest moments, the light of Christ will shine and bring hope to those who have lost so much.”

An example of a house in eastern Afghanistan, Nuristan Province (Photo courtesy of Mustafa via Unsplash)

Header photo courtesy of Joel Heard/Unsplash.

It may have started out as a “special military operation” as Russia’s president called it. But after three years and tens — probably hundreds — of thousands of lives lost on either side, it’s another story.

TWR Ukraine team members prepare to record programs in their makeshift studio space amid rolling power outages and continued missile attacks. (Photo from 2022, caption courtesy of TWR)

A man we’ll call Jan Benson serves with Trans World Radio. Their team in Ukraine has continued to create gospel-centered media throughout the war. 

“But of course, it gets harder and harder to do that because they’re all very tired. They still have some power [outages], [sometimes] they don’t have internet, they don’t have light. They can’t plan as we did before the war to produce the content,” Benson says.

The UNHCR estimates 6.9 million people have fled Ukraine since 2022 due to the war. Benson says, “The majority of people that left are still outside of the country. They are on Cyprus, they are in Poland, they are in the U.S…. I don’t know if they will ever return.”

Many Ukrainians are asking serious questions, and TWR content meets them with truth. 

“A lot of people in the country are looking for information, are looking maybe for God or just to find some answers. They find our teams there, and the content suits them in their questions regarding the war or losing someone from the family,” he says. 

“They (the TWR team) even get a lot of testimonies back that people heard their content, and, for example, starting believing in God. So God is there and is moving and is changing hearts. That’s what we are doing it for, that Jesus Christ is known [in] all of the country.” 

The team also praises God that although some of their number have left Ukraine, “no one was hurt in [these] last three years. Their homes and their churches are fully intact, and even the place where the recording studio is is also in place.”

Read more about the TWR Ukraine team and the three-year anniversary here.

Find your place in the story

The three-year mark of the Russia-Ukraine war comes at a tumultuous political time. But for Christians, we remember God has our first allegiance. Pray for brothers and sisters in Christ on today’s hard anniversary, that God will lift their eyes to Himself.

Then, if you’ve perhaps given up on praying for peace for Ukraine and Russia, you aren’t alone, but please don’t stay there.

“Let’s pray that God finds a way — and He will do that, and He’s able to — but [pray] that we can believe in Him, that He finds a way to stop the war,” Benson says. 

Header photo: (from 2022) Members of the TWR Ukraine team film one of the numerous videos that have populated their social media channels. The videos join a flood of content created to minister to the people of Ukraine, Belarus, Russia and surrounding areas. (Photo, caption courtesy of TWR Ukraine)

Kurt Dillinger, President and Founder of LIFE International, explains, “This particular building was the first Jewish synagogue built in Grand Rapids over 120 years ago, and they were here in this building for many, many years. Then it evolved into becoming a university building where they did theater here. Then it became another business building.

“It eventually became the largest abortion facility in West Michigan.”

(Photo courtesy of Dominic Blignaut/Unsplash)

Around 20 years ago, when the abortion clinic building went up for sale, it seemed an unlikely place to transform for a biblical pro-life ministry.

Yet, that is what LIFE International did, and Dillinger says it’s what God intended.

“Over a five-year period of prayer, God brought us to this building and He showed us this was the building. It came up for sale and some business people in the community heard about this story. They said, ‘We’re going to buy the building and give it to you.'”

Grand Rapids’ Kent County sees an average of 1,450 abortions per year, according to statistics from 2013-2023. The state of Michigan reported 31,241 abortions total in 2023 — a nearly 30-year high.

The Church still has much work to do in promoting and celebrating God’s value of life in the culture — in Michigan, across the United States, and around the world.

However, this story is a poignant reminder of God’s sovereignty and redemptive work, and He will have the final say.

“We’ve had many women come to our building here who had abortions in their past,” says Dillinger. “They’ll come, and they’ll want to see the building.

“We get to communicate to them, ‘Look what God did with the brick and mortar. He changed it from what it was, to what it is today. A place of death was turned into a place of life. He wants to do the same thing in your heart. You are more important to Him than brick and mortar. This is just a message to you how much He loves you.’

(Photo courtesy of LIFE International)

Dillinger emphasizes, “That’s been our message through our building. God has uniquely given us a wonderful mouthpiece here for our community.”

LIFE International has expanded its pro-life work over the years into more than 100 nations, equipping Christian leaders to communicate God’s heart for life.

Pray for women and men hurt by abortion or considering it to know God’s love for them and their babies.

Learn more about LIFE International’s ministry.

Header photo of historical ministry building, initially built as a Jewish synagogue. Photo courtesy of LIFE International.

Tremors reached down into Nepal and India too. A man we’ll call Chitry is A3’s Country Director for Nepal. He was literally reading Scriptures about God shaking mountains and rolling rivers. 

“Right there, as I was doing devotions, and then earthquake hit there, and I couldn’t get up and move even and run away. That’s what happens. It wasn’t long, probably 45 second, almost [a] minute,” he says. 

More than 1,600 aftershocks have rolled through the region as of Friday, slowing rescue and relief work. Tragically, experts say it’s likely that those who were still trapped underneath the wreckage died from hypothermia.

Chitry says they are reaching out to people in northern Nepal to assess any needs there. It’s an important time, he says, remembering how after the deadly 2015 Nepal earthquake Christians rallied others to begin clearing rubble.

Shakemap from USGS for the magnitude 7.1 Tibet earthquake. (Photo courtesy of United States Geological Survey via Wikimedia Commons)

“Many people were shock[ed] and they had no desire to move and do anything. When we went with the love of Christ, people were moved. Within the day… they started to come and help side-by-side with us. We as Christian[s] need to initiate and work so that other will join together also.”

He remembers people who’s lives were completely changed after that 2015 disaster. 

“These kinds of things actually moves the heart of the people, and the Holy Spirit can work in their life. They find Jesus as their Lord and Savior,” he says. 

Please pray for those who will be serving as the hands and feet of Christ after the quake, that their witness will be strong. Pray also for urgent, ongoing relief work, and consider supporting these efforts. 

“If our brothers and sisters in USA and around the world can join with us, we can help them show the love of Christ and also meet their needs,” says Chitry. 

Header image: Screenshot of a video from China News Service that shows the aftermath of the 2025 Tibet earthquake. (Photo by China News Service courtesy of Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=157606649)

The exact number of those who were killed is unclear, but here is the gist of what happened: 

A gang leader in a suburb of Haiti’s capital had a son who was sick. The man believed voodoo curses were being placed on the boy. On December 6–7, his gang members located people in the city who practiced voodoo that they thought could have laid those curses. Then, they executed them — at least 100 people, but one source said it was at least 184.

On top of all these murders, the gang leader’s son died that Saturday afternoon. Like we said, tragedy. 

Is this the start of religion-based attacks in Haiti? Greg Yoder with Christian World Outreach doesn’t think so. He once lived in Haiti and is aware of the deep hold that voodoo has over many people there.  

“I think this was one person who reacted to the fear that voodoo can cause in people’s lives. It’s reality for them. The spiritual warfare in Haiti seems more obvious than it does [in the United States],” says Yoder.

“They’ve said that Haiti was dedicated to Satan for 200 years when they won their independence. It (voodoo) plays a big part in their history, and it’s still real today.”

(Note: There’s some controversy to the story that Haiti was dedicated to Satan in the 1700s in exchange for spiritual help defeating the French. The basics of the story center on a voodoo ceremony led by the man who was behind the revolt that started the journey to Haiti’s independence. In that ceremony in 1791, the man (named Boukman) made a speech to his followers referring to “our god” and calling them to cast off the “god of the whites.” Some interpret that ceremony as the “pact with Satan.” Here’s an article that tries to explain this complex account.)

A church in Haiti (Courtesy of Christian World Outreach via Facebook)

Why is God allowing so much tragedy and upheaval in Haiti right now? Is it because of something that happened when Haiti was founded? It’s beyond our understanding to say.

The fact is that Haiti faces profound spiritual darkness and troubles (so does most of the world, we would add). The fact is that God is good and totally sovereign over every event in the nation. That’s why Christians pray “deliver us from evil” (Matt. 6:13).

Even now God is preserving His people in Haiti. In the middle of the unanswered questions, Yoder says many Haitian Christians are actively reaching out to their lost friends and neighbors.

One group of churches does so through weeklong outreach camps.

“There was one young man in one of our churches that met up with a man who was very involved in voodoo. The man said to him, ‘Why haven’t you invited me to this [Christian] camp?’ Almost out of fear for what might happen, he invited him to camp. That man became a Christian and then went home and led his family to become Christians as well,” Yoder says.

He says one of the first things they do if a family or person comes to the Lord is destroy anything involved in voodoo.

Please pray that believers would stand strong in God’s power and resist the enemy (Ephesians 6:10-20). Pray that God open doors for them to continue building relationships with those trapped in voodoo but not be drawn in themselves. 

“It’s relationships. It just like this young man inviting a guy to a camp. It’s those one-on-one relationships that people have,” Yoder says. 

Pray also for the families devastated by last week’s massacre. It’s another blow to a nation already in incredible distress. 

Header photo of voodoo masks in Haiti is a representative stock photo courtesy of Claudia Altamimi via Unsplash.

Following the announcement, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said, “This is the beginning of the day after Hamas. Evil has suffered a heavy blow, but the task before us is not yet complete.”

There are still 101 hostages from Israel held in Gaza. Some may even be held by other terror groups in connection with Hamas. Sinwar often hindered the negotiation process and had little interest in talks with Israel, according to both the United States and IDF.

With Sinwar now removed from power, Netanyahu made another play for the hostages, promising that anyone in Gaza who lays down their arms and returns hostages would be let go alive.

Yahya Sinwar (Photo courtesy of Wikimedia Commons, Khamenei.ir, CC BY 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=154093051)

US President Joe Biden also put out a statement referring to this as ”a day of relief and reminiscence, similar to…the raid to kill Osama bin Laden in 2011.”

Eric Mock with Slavic Gospel Association (SGA) says, “There are even some comparisons in the news to Saddam Hussein, and there are many discussions that go on. This is very critical. One of the most brutal things to happen was the October 7 attack.”

Now where does Israel’s war with Hamas go from here?

Mock offers, “One is the situational perspective — the reality of this war continuing on for more than a year now, the battle really occurring on multiple fronts for the nation of Israel, and the possibility with the elimination of one of their key leaders that maybe we can see the return of the hostages. Maybe we can see an end to this conflict.

“It may be wishful thinking […] So there may not be the peace that we all pray for, at least in the near term, but it is a step that may change the balance in trying to find a resolution to this conflict.”

Then, there’s the spiritual perspective. An SGA missionary pastor in Israel told Mock that no matter what happens, he remains focused on training up men and women in the Word of God.

Mock says, “I was challenged because I find myself glued to the TV, wondering what’s going to happen next in Israel, especially with Iran? What’s going to happen in Ukraine? What’s going to happen in our own election? And I have to admit that it’s very easy to be consumed with all these changing events and…sources of information to find out what’s happening.

“I think we should be reminded by this response to the faithful pastor that we should remain focused on the task at hand – which is advancing the Gospel – and on Christ.”

Pray for peace in the region and for both Israelis and Palestinians to know Jesus, the Prince of Peace. Ask God to use local Christians to proclaim biblical truth and make disciples in Christ, even in the midst of ongoing conflict.

Header photo of IDF chief and Shin Bet head visiting the site of Yahya Sinwar’s killing, October 2024. (Photo, caption courtesy of IDF Spokesperson’s Unit, Wikimedia Commons: CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=154042924)

The Hajj is one of the five pillars of Islam and a requirement for every Muslim.

Bruce Allen with FMI says, “Saudi authorities try to control the flow of pilgrims through quotas, allowing each country one pilgrim for every 1,000 Muslim citizens. People are just hoping that this year, I will be one of the ones who is allowed to go in — whether they’re going from Indonesia, Bangladesh, Pakistan, the Netherlands, or wherever they may live.

“But there are unofficial pilgrims who also come because they’re told to. Their religion says you must perform this act.”

Roughly one-quarter the size of the US in terms of land mass, Saudi Arabia is mostly desert and is one of the few countries in the world with no rivers; instead, there are some wadis – valleys with river beds – which may occasionally collect water. The average annual rainfall in most areas of the country is below 6″. Less than 2% of the land is arable. (Photo, caption courtesy of FMI)

Unofficial pilgrims on the Hajj didn’t have the same access to shaded pavilions and water as registered pilgrims. The Saudi Health Minister reported 83% of those fatalities were unauthorized pilgrims.

Pilgrims on the Hajj desire to be closer to their god. Please pray for Muslims around the world to know the truth in Jesus Christ.

Allen says, “I keep going back to Jesus’s words: ‘Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.’ And I pray, Lord, let me be an agent of your filling to those people to give them the spiritual nourishment that they really need, rather than all the polluted cisterns…where people go to get water when Jesus offers living water.”

“As much as there’s this obligation on Muslims to perform the Hajj, for Christ’s followers, there’s an obligation on us to let those living waters flow from us and quench the spiritual thirst of people literally dying in the desert.”

FMI is expanding its ministry to new fields, including Saudi Arabia, to support believers representing Christ under difficult circumstances. Pray for FMI as they connect with Christians in Saudi Arabia and discern ways to unify and expand the Church.

Support FMI’s expansion to new fields here!

Header photo courtesy of FMI.

He says that almost all of the men who enter their residential Biblical addiction program are addicted to tobacco in addition to other drugs. “We’re seeing a lot of lung disease, lung injury, and COPD from vaping. We’re seeing brain damage, seizures, poisonings, heart problems, and stroke issues. A lot of people see vaping as an alternative to smoking, ‘I’m going to vape because it’s got to be healthier.’ And I’m not so sure it’s not more dangerous,” Bower says.

#1 Preventable Cause of Death

In addition to being legal, tobacco is easy to find and purchase. However, the statistics are sobering. According to the American Lung Association in the United States every year 480,000 people die due to smoking. Additionally, 41,000 deaths are caused by secondhand smoke.

“That breaks down to one person dying every 4.5 seconds from a tobacco-related addiction,” Bower says. “That’s a lot of people. That’s a lot of people that God loves. And if we’re not doing something to speak into this tobacco addiction, I think that we’re failing as a as a group of believers, as a church, to keep people from the number one preventable death in the United States.”

Gospel Hope

In the midst of this darkness, The Lighthouse shines a ray of Gospel Hope. They offer residential programs to help people out of the destructive path of addiction.

(Image by Cheryl Holt from Pixabay)

“The Lighthouse is a Biblical center. We focus all of our work on God’s word. So things like 1 John 2:16 which says, ‘For all that is in the world, the desires of the flesh, and the desires of the eyes, and the pride of life is not from the Father, but from the world.’ Or you can go to Romans 12:1 which says, ‘I appeal to you brothers, by the mercies of God to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship.’

“We take Scripture like this, and we apply it to life-altering issues, like tobacco and vaping, and addiction.”

The main thrust of their programs is God’s Word. Although they believe in providing additional resources to help people overcome addiction, the main way they seek to help people achieve lasting change is through a changed heart.

Most people who come to them are seeking freedom from other addictions, but by God’s grace, The Lighthouse is able to provide assistance in abstaining from tobacco as well.

Ready to Get Help?

If anyone is struggling with tobacco or other addictions Bower encourages them to seek assistance from a residential, Biblical program. Those who have not faced addiction, he asks to pray.

“Addiction is an addiction. Whether it’s tobacco or methamphetamines, or alcohol or pornography, I think the prayer for someone trapped in addiction is the same – that they realize the love of Jesus, and they allow Him to free their life from all life-altering substances. I think we can do nothing more than to beg the God and heaven who loves them, to convince them through His Holy Spirit, to change their lifestyle. And that’s powerful.”

For more information on the ministry of The Lighthouse, click here.

Header image courtesy of Lindsay Fox on Pixabay.