Our East Asia work encompasses Burma, China, Indonesia, Laos, North Korea and Vietnam. Many of these countries have seen big developments in the past year or so: whether it’s the November elections in Burma – the first reasonably free elections in 25 years – or China’s crackdown on human rights lawyers. There’s still a lot for us to pray about to see real freedom for the people in the region. This year, Laos will host a meeting of ASEAN, the Association of Southeast Nations, an organisation of ten different countries in the region. This meeting would be a perfect time for them to discuss the issue of religious freedom in south-east Asia. In week five of Lent, let’s pray specifically for this diverse, beautiful and often troubled region.

Please pray particularly for Burma at this time, as the country transitions to a new government. While the election may well herald some positive change for the country, there‘s still a long way to go for Burma’s religious minorities, who often face discrimination and violence.

This week, please pray:

• Thanking God for a somewhat positive outcome to the 2015 election in Burma;
• For safety for Burma’s religious minorities during this time of transition;
• That Burma’s new government would foster a place where people of all faiths would be able to live together peacefully;
• That human rights, especially freedom of religion, would be a priority for the next meeting of ASEAN;
• For peace and harmony between religious communities in Indonesia, and that the government would act quickly when violence occurs against churches;
• That the international community would continue to investigate the horrific human rights abuses in North Korea would continue to be subjected to international scrutiny;
• For God to work powerfully for the many Christians in China and Laos who have been ‘disappeared’, so that they would be reunited with their families soon.