Midweek Memo: 5 Deaths and Great Destruction Caused by Rare Tornado in Czech Republic

Last Thursday a storm including a tornado and tennis ball sized hail swept through several villages in South Moravia, Czech Republic. The tornado killed five people and injured dozens, including 45 people who were admitted to the hospital, with six in serious condition. Czech officials say around 1,000 homes were severely damaged.

Photos and videos of the destruction show homes and businesses without roofs, cars overturned, trees uprooted, lumber and glass strewn about, and total devastation of entire neighborhoods. Winds of at least 219km/h (136 mph) were recorded, but one Czech meteorologist reports winds possibly clocked at above 332 kph (206 mph).

Please pray for the Czech citizens and leaders as they grieve the loss of life in their communities, as well as continue the cleanup effort. The Czech Republic remains near the top of the list of the world’s most atheist nations. Pray that this natural disaster would cause Czech people to cry out to their Creator and Savior, to seek God and find him.

(Photo credit Vojtěch Bernátek via @CzechView21 and @KeraunosObs).

Sources:

https://www.cnn.com/2021/06/25/europe/czech-republic-tornado-intl/index.html

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-57605651

https://worldpopulationreview.com/country-rankings/most-atheist-countries

Midweek Memo: Euro 2020 Underway After a Yearlong Covid Delay

Euro 2020, Europe’s continent-wide football (soccer) championship held every four years, is now underway after a yearlong delay due to Covid. The tournament is being held across Europe from June 11 - July 11, 2021 and still goes by the name Euro 2020. Portugal is the defending champion from 2016. 

The tournament’s opening game was held in Stadio Olimpico in Rome, including Turkey and Italy. The semi-finals and final game will be held at Wembley Stadium in London. 

32 matches will be played in 11 countries: Azerbaijan, Denmark, England, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Netherlands, Romania, Russia, Scotland, and Spain. 

The 24 teams competing hail from Turkey, Italy, Wales, Switzerland, Denmark, Finland, Belgium, Russia, Netherlands, Ukraine, Austria, North Macedonia, England, Croatia, Scotland, Czech Republic, Spain, Sweden, Poland, Slovakia, Hungary, Portugal, France, and Germany. 

Rejoice with us that this beloved sporting event can now take place one year later. Also, considering taking a moment to look up each country and how many Evangelical Christians live there. Across the continent only about 2.7% of people claim Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior. As you watch each match, pray that the diverse people of each nation would become a people of God’s own possession, that they might proclaim the excellencies of him who called them out of darkness and into his marvelous light (1 Peter 2:9). 

Image credit: UEFA

Midweek Memo: The EU Responds to Belarusian Hijacking

European Union leaders met today and agreed upon several sanctions against the eastern European nation of Belarus, following what Ursula von der Leyen, the president of the European Commission, called a hijacking and an attack on democracy.

This past Sunday Belarusian authorities told flight controllers there was a bomb on board a Ryanair flight heading from Athens to Vilnius in Lithuania. Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko personally ordered a MiG-29 fighter jet to accompany the plane to the Minsk airport. No explosives were found on the plane however, Roman Protasevich and his girlfriend were on board and both were immediately detained by Belarusian authorities when the flight landed.

Protasevich is a young journalist who is outspoken against President Lukashenko and his regime, and he is the co-founder of the Nexta Telegram channel, which has played a leading role in the wave of protests in Belarus against the 2020 re-election of Lukashenko who has been in power since 1994.

Western nations are unanimously outraged and this most recent incident serves as a reminder that hundreds of political prisoners remain unjustly detained in Belarus. Western leaders agree that Lukashenko’s re-election in August 2020 was fraudulent and tens of thousands of Belarusians have risked their lives and imprisonment since last year to protest the current regime.

Pray for the safety and release of Protasevich and his girlfriend, for peace in Belarus, for the truth to prevail, and for followers of Jesus to shine especially brightly in these dark days. Pray for Christian leaders and workers throughout Eastern Europe to have wisdom, peace, and courage in midst of corruption.

Midweek Memo: EU Borders Opening Up to Vaccinated Visitors

Representatives from the 27 member states of the European Union approved a recommendation made by the European Council to start allowing vaccinated visitors from outside the bloc into the EU. Commission spokesman Christian Wigand told reporters on Wednesday that while an agreement has been made, the EU Council must still formally adopt it. With the summer tourist season quickly approaching, leaders are eager to find safe ways to welcome vaccinated people in.

The EU’s external borders closed in March 2020 because of the Covid-19 pandemic and member states have been constantly updating a list of countries from which visitors could visit for the past year. As the plan takes shape for vaccinated visitors to enter, the EU is also making an emergency plan to close borders, should the pandemic worsen due to travel or increased variants.

This is great news for Pioneers and other workers who have been waiting a whole year to arrive on the continent. Many missionaries, teachers, and other religious workers have been in a year-long holding pattern and now they can begin to plan for their departure to the field. Additionally, increased vaccinations and open borders will allow for summertime camps, which are an important resource for sharing the love of Christ throughout Europe. Pray for both long-term and short-term missions in Europe this summer. Pray that after a year of isolation, Europeans will be eager to gather and hungry to know their Creator and Savior.

Midweek Memo: Record Number of Migrants Seeking Refuge Land on Italian Island Over the Weekend

More than 2,100 migrants arrived on the shores of an Italian island over the weekend. Lampedusa is about 200 miles from both Tunisia and Libya and is one of the main arrival ports for people wanting to reach Europe from North Africa. Sunday witnessed the highest single-day number of migrants arriving at an Italian port so far in 2021. News agencies and NGOs reported seeing boats carrying as many as 400 men, women, and children and several of those vessels were in distress.

Alarm Phone, an NGO that provides independent support for people crossing the Mediterranean Sea to the EU, tweeted in the early morning hours on Sunday, “There are now 5 boats in distress in Maltese SAR zone. The situations on board are critical. Although all authorities are informed, no one has intervened to carry out a rescue operation. Night has fallen: will ~419 people be left at sea? Rescue is needed now! #DontLetThemDrown.”

The tweet highlights the ongoing disagreement across the EU as to how to handle the unceasing flow of migrants from North Africa. Approximately 11,000 migrants have landed on Lampedusa since the start of the year, which is more than double for the same period last year, but still less than 2015, which is considered the height of the migrant crisis. According to the UN in 2019—the year for which we have the most recent data—26 million refugees and 45.7 million internally displaced persons live in the EU.

Pray for citizens and politicians alike to honor and protect the Imago Dei in all migrants arriving on the shores of the EU. Pray for wisdom, compassion, and perseverance in this ongoing crisis. Pray for fresh energy for the Pioneers in Europe and other Christian workers seeking to alleviate suffering in this region.

Midweek Memo: Sarajevo Under Siege from Covid-19

Springtime in the city of Sarajevo has seen an average of 10-13 deaths per day due to the Covid-19 virus. In a city of 344,000, healthcare workers and residents alike feel under attack. The population hasn’t witnessed a loss of life like this since it was under siege during the Bosnian War in the 1990s when 11,000 people died in Sarajevo alone. City cemeteries now have trouble keeping up with daily burials of those who have succumbed to Covid-19.

This is the deadliest period of the pandemic so far in Sarajevo, which is the capital of Bosnia and Herzegovina, a country that became an independent republic after the Bosnian War in 1995. The nation’s constitution requires a three-member Presidency to represent each major ethnic group in the region: Eastern Orthodox Serbs, Bosnian Muslims and Catholic Croats. While the limitation of power for each ethnic group is intended to keep peace amongst them, many say it has made it difficult for the country to pursue aggressive measures in fighting Covid. The complicated structure has made it difficult to obtain vaccines and ventilators and residents have taken their frustrations to the streets in protest, even as their Balkan neighbors Serbia and Croatia have rolled out effective vaccine programs.

Pray for the residents, healthcare workers, and government officials in Sarajevo, as they long for an end to the pandemic. Pray for the Christian church, that it would be a bright light in dark times. Pray for the local Christians and the Pioneers there to boldly share the love and security of Jesus Christ in the midst of so much suffering and uncertainty.

Midweek Memo: Church Leaders in Ireland Decry the Criminalization of Corporate Worship

Since the Covid-19 pandemic began in March 2020, churches in Dublin, Ireland have only been allowed to gather for worship fourteen times. Corporate worship has been banned—but not criminalized—across the country for months, as a matter of public health regulation. That changed on April 16, though, when the Irish Health Ministry signed a new law into effect, making meeting for church a criminal offense.

A statement of the Church leaders of The Dublin Gospel Partnership says, “While we appreciate the unprecedented difficulties government has faced, and thank God for the desire to promote peace and protect life, the introduction of this statutory instrument…has criminalised religious freedoms that the government is obliged to protect.” The statement concludes, “For the good of this nation and for the glory of God, we call again for freedom to worship the risen Lord Jesus Christ - our hope in life and death, and the only Lord of all.”

Pray for Pioneers workers throughout Ireland and their co-laborers, as they seek to honor the Lord, their communities, and their faith families under this new law.

Midweek Memo: Third Covid Wave Devastating Europe

A third wave of Coronavirus is taking a devastating toll on Europe. The massive increase in cases seems to be the result of the variant known as B.1.1.7. The variant was first detected in the United Kingdom. Two months ago the World Health Organization warned that it would likely become the dominant strain in Europe and cause a huge uptick in cases, hospitalizations, and deaths, as early studies suggest it is more contagious and possibly deadlier than previous virus strains.

A variety of tables and charts reveal that Europe is indeed at the heart of the world’s toughest fight against Coronavirus at this time. Measurements of Covid-19 cases per capita, new cases, or where hospitalization rates are becoming unmanageable include countries such as Estonia, Hungary, Czech Republic, Serbia, Montenegro, Poland, Bulgaria, France, Sweden, Netherlands, Belgium, Austria, and Italy. 

Pray for Europeans to cry out to God and find him during this trial. Pray for missionaries to be wise, bold, and ready to share the truth of Jesus Christ. Pray for national leaders to make wise decisions for their people. Pray for the God of all comfort to draw near to those who are suffering and mourning. May this Easter weekend be one of resurrection and revival across the continent. 

Midweek Memo: Swiss Burqa Ban

Welcome to our first Midweek Memo! Every Wednesday we will share one brief news story from the continent of Europe. Our goal is to simply bring the diverse peoples of Europe to the forefront of our readers’ thoughts. No commentary, just news. Our prayer is that as you see and hear more of Europe some of you will be eager to go and share Jesus on a continent where the vast majority of people do not know him as Lord and Savior. 

In Switzerland on Sunday 51.21% of voters approved the so-called Burka Ban. This means that facial coverings including the niqab and the burqa will not be allowed in public places such as public transport, restaurants, and on the streets. Face coverings are still permitted for health reasons and in places of worship. 

The very slight approval margin reveals Swiss division on the matter. While some say it’s a religious rights violation, others see it as a step toward liberating women who reside in Switzerland. Currently, virtually no women wear burqas in the country, while only about 30 women don a niqab. 

Muslims in Switzerland largely come from Turkey, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Kosovo and they make up only 5% of the total population. 36.5% of the country is Roman Catholic, 25% has no religious affiliation, and 24.4% are Evangelical Reformed Christians. The country is rich with the history of the Protestant Reformation, with Zwingli’s influence in Zurich and Calvin’s in Geneva in the 16th century.