Nepal has eight of the ten highest peaks in the world. The Himalayas cross northern Nepal, and rugged terrain makes remote communities extremely difficult to access. Six years ago *A, a Nepali Christian leader, climbed to the top of a peak and in the fading dusk saw lights flickering in villages across the side of the mountain. He realised no-one had shared the Gospel in those areas. Beyond that mountain there’s another, and then another, all the way to Tibet where there are many villages that have no witness to the Gospel, no believers, and no Church. Together with a discipleship mission training programme they shared the news of Jesus Christ in that area. People were receptive, and they prayed for a number of people who were healed. Now there are seven churches in that area, working together to disciple new believers.

Lord Sacks recently commented on Radio 4, ‘I have been doing Thought for the Day for thirty years, and never thought that in 2018 I would still have to speak about anti-Semitism’. He was born after the Holocaust and recalled people saying ‘never again’. But in 2018 anti-Semitism is debated in parliament and is a focus for the Labour Party. Anti-Semitic incidents have risen to their highest level since records began in 1984, averaging four a day. Lord Sacks said, ‘This is not the Britain I know and love’. He reminded listeners that anti-Semitism is not confined to Britain. ‘Jews in almost every European country no longer feel safe. This is within living memory of the Holocaust, when 1.5 million children were murdered simply because their grandparents were Jews. All it takes for something bad to flourish is for good people to do nothing.’

Fifty years ago corner shops advertised rooms to let with the warning, ‘No coloureds, no Irish, no pets’. The early Windrush migrants from the Caribbean faced enormous prejudice as they played a vital part in rebuilding Britain after the Blitz. The Home Office later destroyed their landing passes and other documents. Now, fifty years later, they have been issued with deportation orders. They believe they are still facing prejudice. Recently their situation was highlighted in the media, which led to parliamentary debates. Boris Johnson said there needed to be an immigration amnesty for longstanding Commonwealth immigrants to prevent others from getting caught up in the same situation. They should not have to produce overly onerous amounts of evidence to prove that they have been living here for years. Pray for attitudes to change, and that we will now value our Commonwealth brothers and sisters properly.

Recently we prayed for our children to develop discernment to navigate a disturbing social media landscape. On 22 April health secretary Jeremy Hunt threatened social media firms with new laws if they didn't do more to protect children online. He gave them until 30 April to outline action on cutting underage use, preventing cyber-bullying, and promoting healthy screen time. He said, ‘I am concerned that your companies seem content with a situation where thousands of users breach your own terms and conditions on the minimum user age. I fear that you are collectively turning a blind eye to a whole generation of children exposed prematurely to the harmful emotional side-effects of social media. This is morally wrong and deeply unfair to parents faced with the invidious choice of allowing children to use platforms they are too young to access or excluding them from social interaction that the majority of their peers are often engaging in.’