James 1:17

Ten Christian women in a Central Asian country received sewing machines that will help them generate an income for their families. “Thank you for your blessing,” wrote one of the sewing machine recipients. “We wanted to buy a good sewing machine for a long time, but we didn’t have funds. It will help us to earn money and to bless other church members.” Nearly all the sewing machine recipients mentioned that they will also use the machines to bless other church members with clothing and linens. These families live in an area where potential employers first ask if job applicants are Christians. If the job applicants say they are, they will not be hired. Each of these families is involved in ministry. The sewing businesses will also allow them to be flexible with their work hours so they have more opportunity for ministry. One mother of four who received a sewing machine wrote, “I will teach my children, and we will serve our church and neighbors with a practical gospel.” Thank you for your part in blessing these women with sewing machines. Praise God for his work in Central Asia.

1 Peter 1:6–7

A grenade tossed near the Sunday school area of ACK Polycarp Church in Nairobi on Sunday, Sept. 30 took the life of a 9-year-old boy and injured several more severely. John Ian Maina suffered fatal injuries in the explosion that happened as he waited around 10:25 a.m. with a group of other children for Sunday school to start. Police had just warned the previous day that al-Shabaab was planning retaliatory attacks in the country following the capture of Kismayu port by the Kenya Defense Forces in southern Somalia. St. Polycarp’s is near Eastleigh, a district of Nairobi popularly known as “Little Mogadishu” due to its many Somali immigrants. The bomb left a six-inch deep, 12-inch wide hole in the floor. Pray for Christians in Kenya, who are increasingly subject to harm at the hands of al-Shabaab militants from Somalia.

Mark 13:24

Twenty-two students were shot dead or stabbed at a Federal Polytechnic University in northeastern Nigeria in Adamawa state Oct. 2 by suspected Boko Haram militants. Just after midnight, men in military uniform entered a residence hall and called some students by name. The students were marched out of their rooms and lined up outside the building. Some were shot, and others were knifed. Their bodies were left lying in lines. Some of the dead were Muslims, while others were Christians. Police aren’t sure why the 22 students and three security guards were killed, though the military arrested dozens of people suspected of Boko Haram links days earlier. Cell towers in the area were recently attacked by Boko Haram, making getting information out of the area difficult. One of the students told BBC News, “Everybody is scared.” Pray God will show his power in defeating Boko Haram and that members of the group will turn to Christ.