22nd February 2026

Yesterday, Police in Libya have recovered the bodies of five asylum seekers that washed ashore at the coastal town of Qasr al-Akhyar  near the capital, Tripoli. It was reported that a child’s body had washed ashore before the waves returned it to sea. Thousands of people attempt the perilous crossing from Libya to Europe over the Mediterranean every year most escaping poverty and conflict in various African countries. Greek authorities announced the deaths of three others and the rescue of 20 people in a separate incident off the coast of Crete. Most of the survivors were Egyptians. There is  a rising movement out of Egypt which has become the top African and second-largest global group of irregular migrants to Europe. More than 17,000 Egyptians reached Europe by crossing the Mediterranean last year. Over the past four years the Egyptian pound has lost over two-thirds of its value, and soaring inflation have deepened poverty leaving much of Egypt’s more than 50 million people under 30 feeling they have no future at home. Bread prices have tripled and fuel costs have risen fourfold in two years. Nour Khalil of the Egypt Refugees Platform  said, “Those who can leave legally do so. Those who can’t are pushed into irregular migration, even if the journey carries extreme risks.” 

Loving God, we bring to you the needs of pour neighbours in Africa, people desperate to escape violence and death and poverty.  If is difficult to imagine how appalling the lives of people must be that they risk death in the sea as a means of escape. We pray that the leaders of nations will be empowered by the Holy Spirit to bring peace where there is conflict and relief from destitution. We pray that you will travel alongside all who seek a better life for themselves and their children and lead them to places of safety and security where they will be accepted and welcomed. Help us all to remember the word in the letter to the Hebrews; “Do not forget to show hospitality to strangers, for by so doing some people have shown hospitality to angels without knowing it.”  In Jesus' name we pray.  Amen.

Early on Thursday morning a terrifying fire took hold in a wooden home in Lawrenceburg, Tennessee. The heat was  so intense that it threatened nearby structures, including a mobile home less than 20 feet away. A child made the call to the emergency services, indicating that there was a disabled 72 year old woman in the burning home. As her sibling made the call a 12 year old girl pulled the disabled woman from the burning home. Officials said the elderly woman sustained significant burns but is in stable condition. The 12-year-old suffered minor burns. In its press release, the fire department expressed gratitude for the girl’s actions; “We are thankful for the actions of the child on scene at the time of the discovery of the fire. Her heroic efforts quite possibly saved a life this morning.”

You can see a 2 minute news report here.

A prayer based on 1 Peter 1: 3-9 (NIV)

Praise be to you O God, Father of our Lord Jesus Christ!

In your great mercy you have given us new birth

into a living hope

through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,

and into an inheritance

that can never perish, spoil or fade.

You have kept this inheritance for us in heaven;

but for now, you shield your faithful people

by your power until the coming of the salvation

that is ready to be revealed in the last time.  

In all this we greatly rejoice,

even though for a little while we may have to suffer grief

in all kinds of trials.

May these prove the genuineness of our faith

which is of greater worth than gold to us.

May our faith result in praise, glory and honour

when Jesus Christ is revealed.

Even though we have not seen him,

we love him; and believe in him.

He fills us with an inexpressible and glorious joy,

for we are receiving the end result of our faith,

the salvation of our souls.

All praise and honour glory and power

be yours eternal and loving Father. Amen.