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Pray for the World: A New Prayer Resource from Operation World
Operation World Operation World Pray for the World Operation World Pray for the World Join millions of praying people around the world. Hear God's call to global mission. And watch the world change.
337 pages, Kindle Edition
First published March 5, 2015
77 people are currently reading
155 people want to read
About the author
Patrick Johnstone
26 books12 followersPatrick Johnstone was brought up in England as the eldest of six siblings, children of an Irish father and a Dutch mother. He was converted to Christ in 1959 during his first year as a student at Bristol University, while reading Chemistry in preparation to become a research scientist. At a Christian Union meeting, he heard Glyndwr Davies speak about the evangelistic work of the Dorothea Mission in urban townships in southern Africa, and he rose to the challenge and committed his life to serve as a missionary evangelist. He went to South Africa in 1962, completing his theological training at the Dorothea Mission Bible College in Pretoria.
It was during this time that he met Jill Amsden, a fellow worker from the UK serving in the Dorothea Mission. Patrick and Jill eventually were able to marry in 1968 on their first home leave. Thereafter, they served together in Zimbabwe, where their three children, Peter, Timothy and Ruth, were all born.
During his first six-year term on the field, Patrick served in Kenya, South Africa and Zimbabwe (then Rhodesia). In the last of these, he led the first Dorothea Mission team in evangelistic outreach in towns and cities across the country. He learnt a number of African languages, including siNdebele, chiShona and Afrikaans, and also became involved in translating part of the New Testament into chiNambya, a language spoken in northwest Zimbabwe.
It was during this time that he also began the work of gathering data about the world both to inform prayer and for the first editions of Operation World. The first printed booklet with that title, which came out in 1965, was just 30 pages long. The second edition appeared in 1973 and covered nearly every country of the world. It was reprinted several years later by Ralph Winter of the USCWM, and also prompted George Verwer to set in motion an OM-backed rewrite of the book for global distribution. This was completed in 1978 and led to many openings for wider ministry. The impact of Operation World is incalculable. Over 2.5 million copies have been distributed around the world in seven editions and some 16 languages, and the book has played a key role in developing the global vision of African, Latin American and Asian missions.
The 1978 edition also led to some big changes in Patrick's ministry. The first was to join the OM ship, the MV Logos, for a year in Asia and the Pacific in 1979. The second followed an invitation to become part of the leadership team of WEC International, a large pioneer church-planting mission. Patrick's main responsibilities in 1980 were strategy and research and he worked in that role for the next 22 years, playing a part in the considerable growth of the mission as it addressed new unreached peoples and countries. For six years, he was also WEC's deputy international director.
Patrick was long involved with the Lausanne Movement. During the 1980s, he was a member of the Strategy Working Group that helped to formulate many of the definitions for its ethno-linguistic peoplegroup databases. In the '90s, he was co-leader with John Robb of World Vision of the "unreached peoples track" of the AD2000 and Beyond Movement. He has worked closely with David Barrett and Todd Johnson of the WCE and other researchers in sharing information and developing databases, and also played a part in the formation of Global Mapping International (GMI) and the Joshua Project and its listing of people groups.
Jill became ill with cancer in 1990 but she continued to write her children's version of Operation World and had almost completed it by the time of her death in 1992. The book was published as You Can Change the World, and later (by Daphne Spraggett) as Window on the World.
In 1995, Patrick married Robyn Erwin from the US, who had been a co-worker with Jill before her death. Patrick and Robyn now live in Cambridgeshire, England, where they currently serve as regional directors for WEC's European bases.
It was during this time that he met Jill Amsden, a fellow worker from the UK serving in the Dorothea Mission. Patrick and Jill eventually were able to marry in 1968 on their first home leave. Thereafter, they served together in Zimbabwe, where their three children, Peter, Timothy and Ruth, were all born.
During his first six-year term on the field, Patrick served in Kenya, South Africa and Zimbabwe (then Rhodesia). In the last of these, he led the first Dorothea Mission team in evangelistic outreach in towns and cities across the country. He learnt a number of African languages, including siNdebele, chiShona and Afrikaans, and also became involved in translating part of the New Testament into chiNambya, a language spoken in northwest Zimbabwe.
It was during this time that he also began the work of gathering data about the world both to inform prayer and for the first editions of Operation World. The first printed booklet with that title, which came out in 1965, was just 30 pages long. The second edition appeared in 1973 and covered nearly every country of the world. It was reprinted several years later by Ralph Winter of the USCWM, and also prompted George Verwer to set in motion an OM-backed rewrite of the book for global distribution. This was completed in 1978 and led to many openings for wider ministry. The impact of Operation World is incalculable. Over 2.5 million copies have been distributed around the world in seven editions and some 16 languages, and the book has played a key role in developing the global vision of African, Latin American and Asian missions.
The 1978 edition also led to some big changes in Patrick's ministry. The first was to join the OM ship, the MV Logos, for a year in Asia and the Pacific in 1979. The second followed an invitation to become part of the leadership team of WEC International, a large pioneer church-planting mission. Patrick's main responsibilities in 1980 were strategy and research and he worked in that role for the next 22 years, playing a part in the considerable growth of the mission as it addressed new unreached peoples and countries. For six years, he was also WEC's deputy international director.
Patrick was long involved with the Lausanne Movement. During the 1980s, he was a member of the Strategy Working Group that helped to formulate many of the definitions for its ethno-linguistic peoplegroup databases. In the '90s, he was co-leader with John Robb of World Vision of the "unreached peoples track" of the AD2000 and Beyond Movement. He has worked closely with David Barrett and Todd Johnson of the WCE and other researchers in sharing information and developing databases, and also played a part in the formation of Global Mapping International (GMI) and the Joshua Project and its listing of people groups.
Jill became ill with cancer in 1990 but she continued to write her children's version of Operation World and had almost completed it by the time of her death in 1992. The book was published as You Can Change the World, and later (by Daphne Spraggett) as Window on the World.
In 1995, Patrick married Robyn Erwin from the US, who had been a co-worker with Jill before her death. Patrick and Robyn now live in Cambridgeshire, England, where they currently serve as regional directors for WEC's European bases.
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
September 7, 2015
All Nations
I have the best of intentions.
I’ve backed them up with a nifty notebook:
divided into sections for the days of the week;
pages of personalized prayer requests;
an alphabetized list of missionaries (Can I make it through the list from memory at 3 a.m. on a wakeful night?);
even a few answers to prayer, dutifully recorded with the date.
I have the best of intentions, but how does one pray for the whole world,
for the advance of God’s kingdom in every nation and tribe and people and tongue?
Pray for the World: A New Prayer Resource from Operation World is a resource for this very purpose. Various editions of Operation World have been around since 1964, and our family has owned at least two of them. We’ve used them as references in teaching our children about people groups and world evangelization; we’ve used them to keep our church family informed about missions and the countries where our missionaries serve. Pray for the World is an abridged and paraphrased version of Operation World that is accessible and affordable for use by Christians all over the world. More concise, its 313 pages (compared with nearly 1,000 in Operation World 2010) feature simple English for non-native speakers and for ease of translation.
This is an exciting development, because I’m picturing more informed readers of missionary prayer letters, magazines and newspapers. I’m envisioning dining room tables and mini-vans, Sunday school classrooms and church sanctuaries where we’ll be growing our missions I.Q. with fun quiz questions and a methodical building of a heart for missions. I’m imagining people around the world who listen to the news or who watch international sporting events satisfying their curiosity about other lands and cultures with the stats and facts in Pray for the World:
Where in the world is Guinea-Bissau?
How do people in Tajikistan make a living?
Are they free to vote and to worship?
How can I pray for them?
From page 310 to the end of the book, a Daily Prayer Calendar invites readers to join the huge concert of prayer around the world for each specific country.
Rejoicing together in answered prayer, sharing burdens together — this is the work and the privilege of the world-wide body of Christ with our eyes on the fulfillment of His Great Commission and our hearts longing for the glory of God to be revealed.
Parents of younger children will be happy to know that Operation World has an edition designed to engage younger children in learning about and praying for the world. Windows on the World is an A-Z collection of brightly illustrated and winsomely presented data and prayer challenges for kids. We used it with all four of our boys in homeschool and family devotions.
This book was provided by InterVarsity Press in exchange for my review. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”
I have the best of intentions.
I’ve backed them up with a nifty notebook:
divided into sections for the days of the week;
pages of personalized prayer requests;
an alphabetized list of missionaries (Can I make it through the list from memory at 3 a.m. on a wakeful night?);
even a few answers to prayer, dutifully recorded with the date.
I have the best of intentions, but how does one pray for the whole world,
for the advance of God’s kingdom in every nation and tribe and people and tongue?
Pray for the World: A New Prayer Resource from Operation World is a resource for this very purpose. Various editions of Operation World have been around since 1964, and our family has owned at least two of them. We’ve used them as references in teaching our children about people groups and world evangelization; we’ve used them to keep our church family informed about missions and the countries where our missionaries serve. Pray for the World is an abridged and paraphrased version of Operation World that is accessible and affordable for use by Christians all over the world. More concise, its 313 pages (compared with nearly 1,000 in Operation World 2010) feature simple English for non-native speakers and for ease of translation.
This is an exciting development, because I’m picturing more informed readers of missionary prayer letters, magazines and newspapers. I’m envisioning dining room tables and mini-vans, Sunday school classrooms and church sanctuaries where we’ll be growing our missions I.Q. with fun quiz questions and a methodical building of a heart for missions. I’m imagining people around the world who listen to the news or who watch international sporting events satisfying their curiosity about other lands and cultures with the stats and facts in Pray for the World:
Where in the world is Guinea-Bissau?
How do people in Tajikistan make a living?
Are they free to vote and to worship?
How can I pray for them?
From page 310 to the end of the book, a Daily Prayer Calendar invites readers to join the huge concert of prayer around the world for each specific country.
Rejoicing together in answered prayer, sharing burdens together — this is the work and the privilege of the world-wide body of Christ with our eyes on the fulfillment of His Great Commission and our hearts longing for the glory of God to be revealed.
Parents of younger children will be happy to know that Operation World has an edition designed to engage younger children in learning about and praying for the world. Windows on the World is an A-Z collection of brightly illustrated and winsomely presented data and prayer challenges for kids. We used it with all four of our boys in homeschool and family devotions.
This book was provided by InterVarsity Press in exchange for my review. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”
June 25, 2018
Great resource for those who want to know what is happening throughout the world, good and bad, and make praise and supplication over it. Its only drawback is that it is now somewhat dated - only slightly though!
December 21, 2018
Heartbreaking
July 9, 2020
This informative, challenging, and inspirational book provides the best prayer guide for world missions I have found.
June 11, 2017
I cannot even begin to tell people how wonderful this has been to pray for. It opened my eyes once again to this big world!
Here is my review (I wrote it quite a while go because I was so excited to tell people about it):
http://carolhomeschool2.blogspot.com/...
Here is my review (I wrote it quite a while go because I was so excited to tell people about it):
http://carolhomeschool2.blogspot.com/...
April 6, 2017
Ultimately, I prefer the more thorough Operation World book, but for someone who doesn't want to tackle a 1000 page book this is a good source of global prayer information.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews