Basque Country Prayer Points for October 2024
Prayer Points and verse for the month:
Prayers points:
- While the Basque region has not been impacted by the recent heavy rains, it’s quite an issue for Spain. The number of deaths is over 200 people as of this writing and is increasing every day. The devastation is immense and the mobilization of relief is quite the undertaking given the impacts. The area received a year’s worth of their normal rainfall in less than 8 hours.
- Pray for those who have been affected by the floods in the Valencia region and the relief efforts throughout Spain.
- Housing has been a key issue. One issue is the lack of affordable housing. One economic leader has pointed out that if the problem is not addressed, it will be difficult for businesses to attract new workers and the impacts for future economic growth in the region. An option to address the issues is that in some areas they will no longer be issuing permits for tourists only apartments. A program that helps people get into affordable housing had 29,000 applications and approved only 181 of them. Another key data point was the construction of new homes. The current level rose very slightly, 0.5%, compared to a demand of 8.5%.
- Pray for the leaders, builders and citizens as they look to find solutions for the housing shortages.
- In July of 2024 a 24 hour center to help victims of sexual violence was opened. Since opening the center has received ~140 different requests in that time. The requests have mainly been phone calls with others coming from WhatsApp, in person and email. This is one of 8 centers currently open and they have plans to have 52 opened by the end of the year.
- Pray for the people who help the victims, the victims, the aggressors and others who are affected by these actions.
- The number of people who profess Catholicism as a religion in Gipuzkoa has decreased ~20k since 2019. Currently ~35% of the population would identify as having no religion. An article with those statistics talked about the shortage of catholic priests and the need for more to cover the towns and responsibilities. They also saw that ~7% identify with other religions.
- Pray for those in Gipuzkoa who are seeking God would find a place to worship
- The difference in salary between those that have a university degree and those who have completed technical school is getting smaller. In 2013 the difference was ~500€ per month and in 2024 it’s ~300€ of a difference. They also reported that females earned a lower salary in both categories.
- Pray for business, employees and universities/technical colleges as they prepare for these young people to enter the labor market looking to earn a wage that will support a family.
- On November 6 the new leader of the Basque Government, Imanol Pradales, will meet with Pedro Sánchez, the current leader of the Spanish government about next steps for becoming an even more autonomous region. The Basque region has already completed the requirements set forth to become more autonomous. They are working through a list of items that still need to be transferred to the Basque region. A few of them are how to handle ports, airports and the social security system.
- Pray as the leaders of the two governments meet to have wisdom on next steps of the Basque region becoming more autonomous.
- In Egia, which is an area in Donostia they have had to stop giving out free meals to people due to security concerns. This has raised quite the concern with residents as leaders look for a way to support these people while also ensuring the safety of the citizens.
- Pray for leaders, social organizations and citizens as they look for a solution to help those less fortunate in Egia.
The verse for the week:
Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer.
Romans 12:12 NIV