Worldwide Prayer Meeting
Prayer Focus - Bangladesh Territory
National Martyrs Memorial
From the rising of the sun to the place where it sets,
The name of the Lord is to be praised.
The Lord is exalted over all the nations,
His glory above the heavens.
Who is like the Lord our God,
The One who sits enthroned on high,
Who stoops down to look
On the heavens and the earth?
Psalm 113:3-6
Prayer
Dear God, I praise You with my whole heart although I feel like I have a voice so tiny. How can I be heard over the noise in my own life, let alone all that is going on just outside my doors right now? How can my needs mean anything to You when right now there are so many people who are starving and there are people aiming guns at each other? How do my concerns stack up when I know there are homes today darkened with grief? But You say through Your Word that not a sparrow falls to the ground without Your notice and that the very hairs of my head are numbered. Of course, these big things are heavy on Your heart, but You assure me that my little things matter to You as well. So, dear God, I bring to You what I cannot share with anyone else and let You see what no one else can begin to understand. You hear my whispers. Thank You that one of the ways You show Your greatness is in how You do not overlook the smallness of Your servants. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
Although this video is a few years old, it gives an excellent picture of The Salvation Army in Bangladesh as well as the sacrifices involved for those who serve Christ there.
Background of the
Bangladesh Territory
Bangladesh has been one of the world’s poorest nations, suffering from over-population that is complicated by its extreme vulnerability to natural disasters such as cyclones and flooding that causes huge loss of life and property damage. Its economy is based largely on agriculture, textiles, clothing, jute, and money sent back from Bangladeshis living abroad.
After being under British rule as part of India, it became a part of Pakistan in 1947. After 24 years it achieved independence from Pakistan after a bloody civil war. Political instability followed with numerous assassinations and military coups, until it emerged as one of the Islamic world’s few democracies. Still, it is among one of the world’s most corrupt nations.
More recently, encouraging progress has been made in improving education as well as the poverty rate going down, mainly through microfinance. From that and other efforts, Bangladesh has emerged as the second largest economy in South Asia with per capita income exceeding that of both India and Pakistan. Infrastructure projects have also improved prospects for the nation as well as efforts to transform Bangladesh with green factories, with the country having the largest number in the world in 2023.
When independence was achieved in 1971, Bangladesh was a secular state but that changed in 1988 when Islam was declared the state religion. Although religious freedom is said to exist, in practice there is discrimination against Christians, Hindus and Buddhists. Nonetheless, Christianity has been growing faster than population growth, for the past 50 years, especially among indigenous denominations. The most receptive group are the Hindus, although there are “Jesus mosques” as well.
The Salvation Army: Work opened immediately after the Liberation War with Pakistan in 1971. Thousands moved back into Bangladesh from refugee camps in Kolkata, where they had been served by Salvationists, and a team of Salvationists accompanied them. A year later, The Salvation Army provided relief operations after a cyclone hit the country. On April 21, 1980, The Salvation Army was incorporated. Bangladesh was made a command on January 1, 1997 and then upgraded to a territory in 2023.
Facts, Stats and Leadership of the Bangladesh Territory
- Total population to fish and disciple: 169,356,251
- 93 officers, 6 cadets, 124 employees
- 5 retired officers
- 32 corps, 28 outposts
- 1,368 senior soldiers
- 522 adherents
- 173 junior soldiers
Leadership
Territorial Commander – Lt. Colonel Elizabeth Nelson
Chief Secretary – Major Gabriel Dewri
Territorial Secretary for Women’s Ministries – Major Chaya Dewri
Prayer Requests for
the Bangladesh Territory
We thank God for:
- The appointment of national leaders as Chief Secretary and Territorial Secretary for Women’s Ministries
- The spiritual leadership of the Territorial Commander
Please pray for:
- Our leadership
- The Holiness Institute program which will be held from 21 - 23 April 2024
- The spiritual growth of officers
- The political situation in Bangladesh
USA Southern Territory
Prayer Requests
- The family of Mrs. Barbara Havemann, mother of Captain Alan Grimes, who was recently Promoted to Glory
- Major Bobby Westmoreland, Assistant Territorial Secretary for Personnel, Personnel
- Officers’ Health Services
- Sun Mi Yang, Sr. Accountant/Officers’ Allowances & Compensation, ARC Command
- Dave Haas, Ministry Toolkit System Trainer, Information Technology
- Clarence White, Chief Information Officer, Information Technology
- Major Hae Young Lee, Director of Campus Life & Food Services Officer, EBC
- Captain Michael Good, Divisional Candidates’ Secretary, ALM Division
- Commissioner Jolene Hodder, National Secretary for Program, NHQ
- Lt. Colonels Dean & Pam Hinson, officers, soldiers, employees, and volunteers of the Arkansas & Oklahoma Division
- Advisory Boards
Something to Consider
“It’s not what you look at that matters. It’s what you see.” – Henry David Thoreau
I had struggled with pain in my back, shoulders, and neck for months. So ultimately, and despite my vehement protests, my husband firmly ushered me into the car and drove me to the local clinic in rural Kenya where we lived. After filling out an index card with my name, phone number, and medical complaint, I handed over a few shillings to the receptionist and was ushered into a tiny, bare room. The doctor came in, took one look at me and the card, smiled a knowing look, and then said, “It’s our potholes.” He explained that traveling on rough roads, which are the rule in Kenya, sends vibrations and jerks through the body. And when you anticipate driving over a pothole, your body and muscles tighten up even more, thus causing severe pain and discomfort. His advice? Take a painkiller, learn to relax, and enjoy the journey.
A couple of years later when we were serving in the United Kingdom, I read about a man, Steve Wheen, who turned the potholes on London streets into tiny gardens. The carefully manicured miniature gardens depicted scenes of everyday life and featured tiny props and even furniture alongside plants and flowers. He said his work is all about creating unexpected moments of happiness, and his creations are so admired that people often drive around them, even occasionally pulling over to take pictures.
One cannot help but smile at a little bit of whimsical beauty, particularly when you don’t anticipate it. I always thought that potholes were a nuisance and a problem to be avoided at all costs. But Wheen saw them as an opportunity to create tiny worlds that spread joy and beauty. And it worked.
“So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is seen is eternal” (2 Corinthians 4:18).
What problem do you have that be turned into an opportunity?
-Commissioner Jolene Hodder
From Sensational Grace
Benediction
May the God who turns the sour into sweet, the bitter into beautiful, the disappointment into building blocks, show you His creative work in what unfolds before you today. Amen.
Here’s an important reminder: “Somebody Prayed for Me” Who are you praying for?