Slideshow image
Dear church family- I'd ask for your continued prayers for the nation of Sri Lanka. Over the period of many months there has been a devasting economic and political crisis in that nation. We have parishioners at St. John's whose families are directly impacted. 
 
I wanted to share the following resource to help in your prayers and support of Sri Lanka. I found this at the Canadian Baptist Ministries website. I've also attached an article from the BBC outlining the struggles that tea farmers in particular are having:
 
Sri Lanka is reporting its worst economic crisis since gaining independence in 1948. The shortages of cooking gas, fuel, milk powder, essential medicines, and daily power outages in addition to the resultant snowballing rate of inflation have made daily living a challenge to a large segment of the population. In an unprecedented public outcry, thousands of people demanding “total system change” have rallied in Sri Lanka’s capital, Colombo, calling for President Gotabaya Rajapaksa and his powerful brothers to quit politics amid a deepening economic crisis.
 
Asian Pacific Baptist Federation Press Release As protests continue, please pray:
 
Pray that God will have mercy and intervene. 
Pray that justice will be done to the survivors of the Easter Attack and the perpetrators and minds behind the attack will be brought to account. 
Pray that the president, prime minister, and cabinet will resign immediately making room for the interim/unity government. 
Pray that the opposition parliamentarians will come together, and work together for the benefit of the nation. 
Pray for protection for those who are protesting around the country. That the powers that be will hear these important voices of the common man and they need to be heard. 
Pray that the protests and protestors stay peaceful and non-violent, as there are more and more happening around the country. 
Pray for the judiciary for impartiality and justice to be upheld and corruption curtailed.
Pray for the people of Sri Lanka who have been stretched beyond their capacity to cope in the past few weeks, who are tired, frustrated and bitter. 
Pray that the people will remain hopeful, peaceful but dissatisfied and vocal in protest, and endure until change takes place. 
Pray for the emergence of a credible political solution. 
Pray for courage to make the hard decisions and policies needed to bring stability to the economy. Pray for economic improvement and for resilience for the Sri Lankan people, so that they may continue to push through the next few months/ years as the government seeks answers for these losses. 
Pray for God to pour out His mercy on the people of this country and to bless Sri Lanka with the resources they need to help the country recover. 
Pray that the Church in Sri Lanka will be a beacon of hope to the people who continue to look for hope in these dark times. 
 
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-62221355