ON THE TWELFTH DAY OF CHRISTMAS my Savior gave to me, an unending burden to pray for China. Tomorrow will be Christmas, but what does it mean to you? What makes it special? As you look around your home on Christmas morning, think about the special traditions that have been handed down in your family year after year, generation after

ON THE ELEVENTH DAY OF CHRISTMAS my Savior gave to me, a burden for the people of North Korea. Let’s be honest… North Koreans are living in an earthly hell. The government of North Korea has done everything in their power to remove Jesus and the story of Christmas as far away from their peninsula as possible. The people are

ON THE TENTH DAY OF CHRISTMAS my Savior gave to me, a praying heart for the people of Burma. Many people refer to Burma by the name “Myanmar”: the name the military rulers gave to it after they forcefully took over the nation. Many of the names of Burma’s cities were also changed. For instance, the capital city of Rangoon

ON THE NINTH DAY OF CHRISTMAS my Savior gave to me, an unstoppable desire to pray for Pakistan. Pakistan is a nation that has a special place in the heart of BTJ. It is a nation that holds the distinction of where the first BTJ missionaries were martyred. In 2017, the Chinese underground house church was praying for their neighboring

ON THE EIGHTH DAY OF CHRISTMAS my Savior gave to me, a heart for the people of Sudan. “It is dangerous here. Everyone has been evacuated. We are the last ones remaining. If we do not leave now, we might die here.” That was the message coming over the phone to the BTJ team in Shanghai, China, from South Sudan

ON THE SEVENTH DAY OF CHRISTMAS my Savior gave to me, a lamentation for the people of Somalia. Somalia is in a spiritual winter solstice. It is the darkest it has ever been. The nation’s soul is as pitch black as the darkest night. It is a nation with no churches and no known active ministries in legal operation. The

ON THE SIXTH DAY OF CHRISTMAS my Savior gave to me, an eternal flame of passion for the forgotten people of Yemen. There are few situations in the world today as hopeless as Yemen. Yemen is currently one of the most dangerous nations in the world for both Christians and children. It is a nation that has been all but

ON THE FIFTH DAY OF CHRISTMAS my Savior gave to me, a burning prayer for the believers in Iran. Christians in Iran are going through one the hardest years in recent memory. Both the United Nations and the United States have written extensive reports regarding the unfathomable persecution that Iranian Christians are facing today. There are currently more than one

ON THE FOURTH DAY OF CHRISTMAS my Savior gave to me, a cry for the people of Syria. The message of Jesus as a healer quickly spread to Syria (Matthew 4:24) and after His crucifixion, the Good News of His resurrection soon followed. The Apostle Paul had a life changing encounter with the Jesus of the manger in Syria (Acts

ON THE THIRD DAY OF CHRISTMAS my Savior gave to me, a prayer for the believers in Iraq. Iraq is often referred to as the ‘cradle of civilization’. Many things took place in the Bible for the first time in Iraq – here are just a few of them: The Garden of Eden was in Iraq (Genesis 2:10–14). God created

ON THE SECOND DAY OF CHRISTMAS my Savior gave to me, a heart for the people of Egypt. It is interesting that, although Egypt is central to the Christmas story, few of us ever think of it when we think of Christmas. The story of Jesus’ family fleeing to Egypt to escape persecution is recounted in the Gospel of Matthew

ON THE FIRST DAY OF CHRISTMAS my Savior gave to me, the sign of an old wooden cross made from a simple tree. . Christmas is a special time of year when families and communities gather together and remember the birth of our Savior by singing special songs. Sadly, one of the most well-known songs sung during Christmas time has