Be wise in the way you act toward outsiders; make the most of every opportunity. Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone. - Colossians 4:5-6
A blaze has swept through a Rohingya refugee camp in southeastern Bangladesh, killing a six-year-old boy and leaving about 2,000 people homeless in the sixth fire this year to hit the world’s largest refugee camp, officials and witnesses said.
The fire was in Kutupalong camp in Cox’s Bazar, a border district where more than a million mostly Muslim Rohingya refugees live — most having fled a military-led crackdown in neighbouring Myanmar in 2017.
Lord we pray for this refugee camp that has had fire after fire, furthering loss and upheaval. Have mercy and bring this community of people a measure of peace, stability. Protect the children, and provide resources so that the settlement is safe. We pray for an end to violence that has sent them from their homes. Lord, have mercy.
Countries are scrambling to not be dependent on Russian oil. We pray for wisdom for our leaders in balancing the tipping point reality of needed climate action with the common sense of in the meantime utilizing oil from countries with more regulations.
God of all wisdom, we need wisdom in this transition time. Realities of war, finance, fossil fuel dependency, climate change are all bearing down on our leaders and we pray for wise insight and a clarity of consequences. Open eyes to new possibilities that do not trade one crisis’ solution for another’s exacerbation. Help us not harm but help to heal your created good world in moments of decision.
While the price of oil is soaring, we also are seeing the invasion of Ukraine result in higher food costs, especially in countries in Africa and the Middle East that depend on grains and oils from Russian and Ukraine, which produces 1/3 of all wheat exports in the world.
Lord, the consequences of war are disruption to so many systems including the production of food. We pray especially for developing countries to have stable supplies of food staples. We pray that food is provided to those who most need it and that they food system is bolstered and made healthy with future thinking policies. Lord, have mercy.
You can now listen to all of Season 4 of the Do Justice podcast! Explore the intersections of charity and advocacy with us and be sure to let us know what episode was your favourite.
Low-income, tribal, Indigenous, and racial minority communities are disproportionately impacted by environmental hazards. We need climate solutions that recognize the full cycle of harm to impacted communities and champion pathways for those communities to benefit from the green economy through jobs and sustainable energy investments. As Congress considers a number of climate bills in the upcoming months, urge your elected officials to prioritize climate justice principles!
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