Weekly UPG Prayer Focus

Country: Tajikistan | Population: 33,000 | Language: Tajik | Main Religion: Islam | Evangelical: 0.0-0.1%

The Yagnob are an ethnic minority with a difficult past. They were forcibly relocated by helicopter from their homes in the Yagnob Mountains to the semi-desert lowlands of Tajikistan by the Soviets in 1957 and 1970. Once there, they were forced by communist officials into hard labor—working on cotton plantations. The backbreaking work caused several hundred Yagnob to die. In 1983, they began returning to their homeland in the Yagnob Valley. Like most Tajik people, they are Sunni Muslims who try to obey the teachings of the Quran and the prophet Mohammed. There are no Christian resources in the Yagnobi language, and probably no followers of Jesus in the tribe. Pray that God would open their hearts to the Gospel and bring them into His kingdom soon.

Country: Ivory Coast | Population: 2,229,000 | Language: Jula | Main Religion: Islam | Evangelical: 0.1-2.0%

The Jula people, also known as Dyula, were skilled craftsmen and traders of gold and kola nuts beginning in the 1500s. They held high status as merchants for centuries, and eventually their trading posts morphed into market villages and cities. Jula have been Muslim since the 1400s, but they maintain good relations with non-Muslim neighbors, trying to convert them by setting a good example rather than by force. They are fiercely loyal to their clans, and they maintain their cultural history through the oral traditions of dance and storytelling. The best way to present the Gospel to the Jula is probably orally and at the clan level. Pray that radio broadcasts would reach the hearts of the Jula people. Pray that leaders of the Jula clans would come to know Christ, and that God would begin a disciple-making movement that will spread the Gospel throughout all Jula villages.

Country: Bangladesh | Population: 12,535,000 | Language: Sylheti | Main Religion: Islam | Evangelical: 0.0-0.1%

The Sylhet are Muslims from Bangladesh’s Sylhet region and Northeast India who combine Muslim and Hindu wedding customs. Although Islam does not recognize castes, Sylheti Muslims practice a system of social division. Every year, the Sylhet community celebrates certain Islamic holidays. They give their children money, and the men offer special Islamic prayers. They visit relatives later in the day and cook traditional food. As Muslims, they usually hear at an early age that the Bible is filled with inaccuracies and the Koran is flawless. There is much social pressure to remain within the Islamic fold. It is very difficult to break into the Sylhet community. Believers must spend much time in fervent prayer before sending someone to tell them about the one and only Savior. Pray that God would open their hearts to hearing the word of the Lord. Ask God to speak to their hearts and pray that they would respond and choose to joyfully follow Jesus.

Country: Iran | Population: 1,419,000 | Language: Mazanderani | Main Religion: Islam | Evangelical: 0.1-2.0%

The Mazanderani live in northern Iran along the Caspian Sea coast, a region of marshy plains that give way to highlands farther inland. The region has been invaded multiple times throughout the centuries. They are an ethnic mix of Turkic tribes, Armenians, and Russian immigrants. Although closely connected to Farsi, the Mazandarani language has never been put into written form, creating a roadblock to cultural and spiritual growth. Many Mazanderani raise crops and cattle. They are famous for their Arabian horses. Pray for doors to open for Christian teachers to serve this people group. Ask God to open the hearts of Iran’s government leaders to allow access to the Gospel. Pray for the completion of an audio Mazandarani Bible.