Weekly Prayer Update
Friday, January 16, 2026
Cold Weather Complicating Life in Areas of Conflict
In many countries and areas marked by war and conflict, frigid temperatures are complicating the lives of residents trying to survive.
Harsh winters in Ukraine continue to place stress upon residents who are living through a fourth year of war. A significant portion of the population has been affected by disruptions to power, heating, and water systems. Extended blackouts are widespread, and those living in damaged homes struggle to stay warm.
At the end of December, a cold wave and heavy snowstorms arrived in Syria just as violence rose in a major city, causing more than 16,000 people to flee their homes. Without easy access to food, clothing, or fuel for heating, these displaced families, along with hundreds of thousands of others already living in refugee camps, are struggling and in need of aid.
In Afghanistan, harsh winter weather is deepening the difficulties faced by the more than 17 million people who currently live with hunger. Snow and road closures, common during the winter months, are expected to reduce further access to emergency food supplies provided by humanitarian organizations.
God, we pray for those who are enduring the winter season without safe and warm places to shelter. Connect the most vulnerable to essential aid. Protect young children and the elderly. In each country where conflict rages, and each place where cold threatens lives, we pray for peace.
Support After Flooding in Venezuela
In Venezuela, severe flooding in Apure State this summer displaced families, destroyed homes, crops, and livestock, and left communities with limited access to food and support. The Venezuela First District led an emergency food response in one highly-impacted area, providing basic food supplies and spiritual care to the most vulnerable households. Volunteers delivered food door-to-door, praying with each household and offering encouragement. This relief effort provided care for more than 400 people, and at least one recipient shared that the experience led him to seek the same faith in Christ.
“Before the project began, we were living along the roadside,” he shared. “I am grateful because the financial help was a great blessing. The flood taught me to love my family more, to value what I have—my land and my livestock—but the greatest change is that through this process I came to walk in the ways of the Lord.”
Church leaders shared that the experience of distributing food and providing encouragement had a profound impact on volunteers and their vision for ministry.
“The mission of the church goes beyond the building,” said one leader. “Service in the midst of an emergency showed that the gospel is also lived out in the streets, in flooded homes, and in comforting those who suffer. [This is] a concrete expression of God’s love in times of need.”
Our Lord, we thank you for this ministry that blessed communities struggling after flooding. We praise you for the impact the efforts had, both in assuring that struggling people had enough food to eat and in the testimony of faith expressed by a recipient. Continue to help and bless those who are rebuilding after this disaster. Lord, hear our prayers.
Bringing Clean Water to Rwanda
When a community has access to clean water, it opens the door to good health and frees people, usually children and women, from the time-consuming daily task of traveling to fetch water. In Rwanda, where only 57 percent of the population has access to clean water within 30 minutes of their homes, a new church-led water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) project is bringing transformation to the villages of Nyagatare and Mbare.
Along with the construction of a well that brings fresh, clean water to the community, education on topics like handwashing, sanitation, and safe water handling and storage practices expanded the scope of the project. A community-based committee is being trained to take over the monitoring and maintenance of the well. By identifying the need for a WASH project and hiring local people to help construct the well, trust has been built between the local church and community.
A community member named Elizabeth shared the difference the WASH project is making.
“Life was very difficult ... we had to travel a long way to get water,” she explained. “[Now] we will get water nearby, without having to travel a long way.”
The health benefits are also readily seen. “The project reduced diseases [in] children who were exposed to them because of drinking bad water,” said Elizabeth. “Children will have access to clean water, and their health will be very good. The project will help us in the future.”
Lord, we pray for the people of Rwanda, where a majority struggle to obtain clean water for drinking and cleaning. We know this leads to preventable diseases and even death in vulnerable populations. Thank you, God, for this new water well launched by the Church of the Nazarene in Rwanda. May those who draw from this well know they are loved and seen by you. Improve their health now and in the future. Lord, hear our prayers.