Jamaica
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Pray for Our Missionaries:
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Other Information: Capital
Kingston 882,000.
Area
10,991 sq.km. The third largest island in the
Caribbean. Jamaicans have emigrated in large numbers to North
America (750,000, including the US Secretary of State) and UK (ca.
500,000). Afro-Caribbean
93.7%. Asian/Afro-Asian
5%. Euro-American
1.3%. Literacy
85%. Official language
English; 99% of the population speak Jamaican Creole. 1
The country has sunk into a morass of social and
economic problems that appear insoluble. It has one of the world's
highest homicide rates in the world. Violence in society is made worse
by the powerful drug cartels and their distribution networks in both
Jamaica and North America. Over 37% of cocaine-carrying 'mules' arrested
entering the USA arrive from Jamaica. Half the male population are
drug-abusers. Pray that government and church leaders may have the
courage, moral integrity and determination to turn the country back from
sin and to God.
2 Christianity is
numerically strong but spiritually weak. A third of the population goes
to church, but the violence, moral collapse in society and the internal
divisions and compromise with sin among Christians, cripples initiative
and hinders witness.
3 The spiritual
temperature of Jamaica affects that of the whole Caribbean. Pray that
the Jamaica Association of Christians may be a model of unity and
cooperation to weak and struggling associations in other countries. Pray
also that the 15 Bible schools and seminaries in Jamaica, which serve
the whole Caribbean, may be powerhouses of spiritual life and missions
vision.
4 Young people. OAC
has reached over one million – mainly in evangelistic outreach to school
assemblies. CEF wants to multiply children's clubs. IFES and SU have a
combined ministry in producing Bible reading materials and in witness in
two universities, 20 colleges and 160 high school groups. Pray that
these ministries may result in fellowships that are biblical,
evangelistic and courageous. In many schools, 10% of the students belong
to these groups. Pray that the nine staff workers and the many Christian
teachers may see a radical moral and spiritual uplift among children so
that the next generation fares better.
5 The less
evangelized who need prayer:
a)
The very poor have little exposure to the gospel,
most churches serving the better-off. The 'barrel' children are the
impoverished and often bitter, delinquent under-class whose parents have
emigrated and occasionally send sustenance to them. A few Catholic and
Christian aid agencies seek to help the poor.
b)
The Rastafarians
began as a protest movement that espoused spiritism, Black Power and
Black consciousness ideas and worshipped the Ethiopian Emperor (Ras
Tafari). They are well known for their left-wing politics, dreadlocks,
reggae music and use of ganja (marijuana). They have considerable
influence in Jamaica and have spread to Europe and North America. They
need the Saviour. (information from www.operationworld.org)
