Each New Year I search the depth of my soul, looking for knowledge in one area that I consider of vital importance to our ministry. This year it is: Our Prayers and the needs for our prayers.

You may not be aware of this, but our ministry staff takes prayer seriously.  We often praying for you by name or if we know your specific situation directing our prayers to this area.

We generally pray from 2-5 hours each week as a ministry staff and countless additional hours from each staff member individually.

I hope this is refreshing as you realize that perhaps while you are sleeping, someone on the other side of the world is praying for you and lifting your needs up to God in an unseen and unknown way.

Our staff prays for:
1.  Each staff member and future staff members that God is preparing to send to us.
2.  Each country that our newsletter is now sent to via the Internet, currently 79 nations. We also pray for that nation that the newsletter reaches that we do know about as it is forwarded. (See our link below)
3.  We pray for each nation that we receive active correspondence from members on a regular basis. (See list below)
4.  We pray for each member that we receive correspondence from and their specific situations as they relate them to us. (See examples below)
5.  We pray for each member of our leadership team from Advisory Board members and his or her families to organizational and location coordinators. (see our link below)
6.  We pray for specific projects that our ministry is involved with, currently 12 projects.
7.  We pray for understanding and wisdom as we seek to help those who are desperately poor and unwanted in nations that God has put us into contact with.

Pray for the Christian tennis player/fan for some are out of contact with us; co-workers there; some "undercover":

Afghanistan Argentina Aruba Australia Austria Bahamas Bhutan Brazil Canada China Costa Rica Egypt Ethiopia France Germany Guam Hong Kong India 18 total

Indonesia Isle of Man Italy Japan Kazakhstan Kenya Kyrgyzstan Macao Madagascar (a Tennis Pro  being heavily persecuted) Malaysia Mexico Netherlands New Zealand Nigeria Philippines Poland 16 total

Portugal Romania Russia Saudi Arabia  Singapore South Africa Spain Sudan Sweden Thailand Uganda United Arab Emirates United Kingdom United States of America Vietnam Zimbabwe   16 total

Grand total = 50 active countries

Specific situations

1. Australia: A co-labor in tennis ministry who works full time as a Christian mentor to top ranked junior players. This year he has taken on a night job to support his family and continue on in this ministry. He is working on a ministry to professional players while they are playing in national tournaments.
2. France: Missionaries who play tennis and work in this country and desire to use tennis to reach others.
3. Italy: Missionaries who play tennis and work in this country and desire to use tennis to reach others.
4. Japan: A church in Tokyo wants to develop written materials, such as Christian tennis professional testimonies to be given to Japanese players.
5. Kazakhstan, (central Asia): A teenage junior tennis player who is Christian and wishes to proceed oversees to a tennis academy. He family supports her move and she sees no way to leave her country.
6. Malaysia: A tennis coach who was trained by Rev. Kraft for coaching and wished to go into full-time ministry working with Tennis Ambassadors Christian Ministry and is looking at avenues for support including teaching tennis.
7. Nigeria: A tennis playing Pastor who is making plans to join Tennis Ambassadors Christian Ministry staff full-time in Hong Kong and faces the difficulties of making a cross cultural move.
8. Madagascar, (southern Africa): A local tennis coach who suffers persecution for sharing her faith to her students. Newspapers are printing articles denouncing her Christian faith.
9. Portugal: A Christian who is playing professionally and is looking at attending various universities in USA and desires to share her faith with other professionals.
10. Russia: Missionaries who play tennis and work in this country and desire to use tennis to reach others.
11. Saudi Arabia: Missionaries who play tennis and work in this country and desire to use tennis to reach others.
12. South Africa: Christian coaches who are under tremendous pressure as the economy worsens and the difficulties of earning a living from tennis.
13. Sweden: A tournament tennis player and coach who comments that he knows of no other Christian tennis player in this land but is working on identifying others
14. USA: Those who have written us asking for prayer as they suffer the breakup of their families through divorce or the death of a loved one.
15. Zimbabwe: Tennis playing doctor who desires to assist his national team and also bring them the Christian message.

I would like each of your reading this to believe in prayer, understand the importance of prayer, recognize an answer to prayer and most importantly commit to pray for others.
Rev. Bob Kraft