Church leaders in Bolivia: In the Diocese of Bolivia, local leaders were stepping into leadership, allowing foreign pastors to step down, when the pandemic hit. Local partner Franklin Cuenca, who leads two churches in Santa Cruz, asks for prayer for encouragement for national leaders as they continue to step up, even during this especially difficult time.
Peace centre for women: CMS local partner Bisoke Balikenga is a provincial youth worker who offers counselling and reconciliation for displaced people in Bunia and runs a peace centre for abused women. He writes that 56 women at the peace centre who were unable to attend school, have now learned to read and write and want Bibles so they can build up their faith. Pray for Bibles for these women, and for each of these women to find God’s peace through their time at the centre.
Lockdown repercussions: Many more people are begging on the streets and food is being stolen from people as they leave supermarkets. Up to 80% of Hondurans have lost their jobs due to lockdown, many have gone hungry and it is likely most children’s education has suffered greatly during this time due to lack of, for example, internet access or stationery. Pray for God’s grace on this impossibly difficult time families are facing.
Making PPE in Tanzania: Neema Crafts, pioneered and led by Church Mission Society mission partners in Iringa, Tanzania, has joined the worldwide fight against Covid-19 by halting production of their normal popular craft items to focus on manufacturing PPE to equip the country’s hospitals, medical centres and key frontline workers. Staffed exclusively by men and women with disabilities including deaf and physically disabled people, the Neema Crafts Centre officially closed its cafe and halted production in its workshops at the beginning of April and set to work doing what they can to protect the lives of frontline workers. Pray for the Neema team as they produce 800 masks, 120 face shields and 50 gowns per week from the safety of their own homes.
Lockdown in Honduras: Many more people are begging on the streets and food is being stolen from people as they leave supermarkets. Up to 80 per cent of Hondurans have lost their jobs due to lockdown, many have gone hungry and it is likely most children’s education has suffered greatly during this time due to lack of, for example, internet access or stationery. Pray for God’s grace on this impossibly difficult time families are facing.
Translation workshops - what now?: In March, the Argentine Bible Society helped run another workshop for potential translators for the Bermejo Wichi New Testament. The intention was to hold several more workshops in neighbouring zones before taking decisions about the team of (probably six) translators, but this is now on hold because of the coronavirus lockdown. It is not yet clear whether the annual training courses in Juarez in May or Misión La Paz in June will be able to go ahead. Pray for the Lord to open up the way for what he wants to happen this year, and for good decisions about what events to suspend.
Street Kids Direct protecting street children: In Tegucigalpa, Honduras, many children live on the streets and many are at high risk of doing so. Often these children have chosen to leave home because of ill-treatment; they feel it is safer to be on the streets. Some of them are even sent by desperate or negligent parents to work to support the family. The charity Street Kids Direct partners with projects that aim to stop this injustice. The Church Mission Society works with Street Kids Direct mentors to develop the full potential of at-risk teens. The mentoring programme’s vision is to place a caring and consistent adult in the lives of every high-risk child. Please pray for the at-risk children and teenagers who benefit from such programmes, and for the leaders’ endurance.
Falling birthrate affects university admissions: St John’s University in Taiwan faces an increasingly difficult time due to falling admissions as the birth rate has long been declining steadily. As numbers continue to drop, the university tries hard to reassess, reinvent, revive and transform itself in order to stay financially viable. Pray for the new bishop of Taiwan, Rev Dr Lennon Yuan-Rung Chang, as he works with the trustees and the university to find a way forward.
New hospital opening in January 2020: Please pray for people in mission at Christian Medical College (CMC) in Vellore, where a new 1,500-bed hospital is due to open in January 2020. Please pray for all the necessary planning and administration; for God to provide the right staff as well as all the practicalities that go into running a hospital of a high standard.
Inspiring examples of good leadership: ‘R’, serving as a primary school teacher in Pakistan, reports that the local Junior Girl Guides were looking at leaders and leadership for their ‘thinking day’ earlier this year. In response to the question of what a leader is, one girl, aged eight, put up her hand and said: “They are corrupt men who drive Landcruisers.” Sadly this was not a joke, it is what she actually believed. So we went on to look at some of the good leaders of Pakistan, such as Edhi who started an ambulance and other welfare services, the guide leaders, people running the SOS orphanage, etc. Please pray for these girls; for them to have good leaders to look up to, and for God to inspire in them a desire to be different.
"Walking in Liberty" changes prison inmates: “None of us came to Bible study to change… We came because it was something to do. But we’ve all changed, you can see that.” These are the words of a Texan prison inmate to a representative of Walking in Liberty, based in Lima. The ministry is currently building relationships with English-speaking women in two prisons, spending time with them talking, praying, singing and studying the Bible. Pray that their work would bear fruit that lasts in the lives of each of the women they meet with, and for wisdom, energy and healthy boundaries for the ministry.
Safe houses for children: Working in Olinda, in northeastern Brazil, ReVive International provides safe houses for young girls, and now boys as well, who are victims of sexual abuse, exploitation and neglect. They will soon be opening a new home, hopefully in early-mid 2019, for babies and young children up to the age of seven, both boys and girls. Even as they open this new home, pray that one day soon the ReVive homes will all be able to close as more Christians step up to foster and adopt children.
Anti-trafficking prayers needed: Please pray for two mission partners working in North India in the area of anti-trafficking. They write asking for prayer for: “the next year, that we will see where God is moving and be a part of it; the Holy Spirit to speak directly to all church leaders in our land and to prepare them to deal with abuse fully; healing where there is brokenness and the courage to walk the hard road to freedom for those addicted to pornography.”
Education for children without paperwork: In Tegucigalpa, Honduras, life is cheap, life is unsure, and life is scary. A CMS mission partner is working with children here, many of whom grow up in unstable families, and cannot go to school because they don’t have an official birth certificate. Often, the only option for these children as they grow up is to join gangs, which offer them a good income, status, and for the first time, a place to belong. Pray that God would bring transformation in this dark place, and open doors for children to go to school and create bright futures for themselves. (Church Mission Society)
Pilcomayo river flood: The flooding of the Pilcomayo river this spring has affected Salta and Formosa provinces in Argentina. The river burst its banks in extensive areas, leading to a massive evacuation of over 12,000 people. A local bishop commented in the midst of the crisis, “Our brothers don’t know what to do... they are very shaken... 50-60 houses have collapsed.” But another church leader summed up the feeling in many of the communities: “We are thankful to be alive.” One member of the community, after travelling through difficult conditions to lead a church meeting “expressed his gratitude to God that there had been no loss of life and asked that we pray for them as they decide where and when to move and begin rebuilding their community.” Please pray with us for local communities and churches as they make decisions about the future, especially around returning and rebuilding.
A Safe House for Girls: Some CMS mission partners are working with vulnerable girls in the Northeast of Brazil. They ask that we pray for the girls in the ReVive home, a safe house for girls who have been abused or abandoned. Pray for healing from the traumatic experiences that they have had, for peace, restoration and renewed hope. Pray also for more adoptive families to come forward from local churches and, for those applying for adoption, pray that the process would go smoothly.
Living in the Nuba Mountains: “When we returned there was nothing. Everything had been bombed.” CMS local partner Bishop Hassan Osman James, assistant bishop in Kadugli, Sudan, returned to the Nuba Mountains three years ago. Since then he has worked with other local leaders to set up training, provide a feeding programme and offer literacy classes. Pray for those living in the Nuba Mountains: that as their needs are met by the church, they would know that they are not forgotten. Pray also that there would be good community relationships between Christian and Muslim groups to help the church communicate the good news of Christ, and for Christians to be able to model reconciliation in a context of division.
Making Church feel like family: Sergiu and Ramona Bradean, reside in Constanta, in the eastern part of Romania by the Black Sea. Sergiu is the senior pastor of Golgotha Baptist Church. He says, “My goal is to make the church feel like a family and to concentrate in bringing other people to Christ and into the family of the church.” The area is very ethnically and religiously diverse. Please pray for the Bradean family in their ministry, that many people come and join the church family.
An end to war: Alison Giblett leads the Genesis ministry, which helps people receive God’s healing in areas where they have been wounded, freeing them to rely on him rather than on destructive habits. She also helps facilitate cross-cultural outreach for the Ukrainian Missionary Church union. She says from Kiev: “Please continue to pray for peace and reconciliation in all areas of society and an end to the war, which is continuing after more than three years. In particular, pray that Christians will effectively demonstrate Christ’s love and care to those in need. Already many families are suffering from post-traumatic stress syndrome.”
Re-location of the Riverbank Community: With an average of 20 murders committed every day, Honduras is one of the world’s most violent countries. Living in a crime-riddled riverbank slum in San Pedro Sula, Honduras’ second largest city, it’s no wonder families like Angela’s go to bed frightened. “Dear Heavenly Father, we pray that the violence and corruption that characterises Honduras will give way to a peaceful and just society for all. We pray for a dignifying relocation process for the riverbank community and that they may be able to live in safety. Please may joy overflow where it seems impossible right now. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.”
Church-Planting Challenges: Church-planters in Florianopolis, Brazil, write: “Pastorally we face challenges, with people dealing with complex issues like mental health struggles, families finding it hard to make ends meet and broken relationships. In contrast to a lot of prosperity gospel teaching that’s around, which encourages the belief that ‘every area of your life should be victorious or there’s something wrong with your faith’, we try to hold onto a theology of suffering as well as a theology of healing and blessing. It’s an acknowledgement that there is a real tension in this life as we do our part to extend God’s kingdom in a broken world.” Please pray for growth in both numbers and maturity within the church plant and wider community.
Please Pray for Peru: The Bishop of Peru, Jorge Luis Aguilar, writes asking for prayer as the country is currently suffering several natural disasters. “There have been countless floods, torrential rains and other natural disasters occurring in the past week or so with 45 places affected by some tragedy or other. These have resulted in more than 25 deaths along with much damage to infrastructure. Many sections of local roads have been interrupted by 'huaycos' (fall of rocks, mud and other objects off the hills) and many areas are affected by the largest amount of rainfall in 25 years. Please pray for the nation of Peru at this time.”
Criminals for Christ?: The trial of a Czech aid worker and two pastors has ended, with the judge sentencing the Czech to life in prison, for espionage and “spreading false news about the country”. He has also been fined 100,000 Sudanese pounds (about £12,400). His crime was that he had video and written material about the persecution of Christians and the bombardment of civilians in the Nuba Mountains. The Czech foreign ministry has rejected the ruling and is sending a minister to negotiate his release The other two defendants, Sudanese nationals, were each sentenced to 12 years prison for “rendering criminal assistance”. Pray for all three, and for their families, in their distress.
Mission and training coordinator: CMS Timothy mission partner Manasseh Tuyizere is the youth coordinator for Kigali diocese. He is settling back into ministry after spending a year at All Nations Christian College in the UK. He and his team have a regular ministry in schools and colleges, empowering young people to be leaders in their communities. Pray for him as he also takes up a new role as mission and training coordinator. Pray also for his marriage to Catrin; they met at All Nations.
Creation care in Chaco: From CMS mission partners Andrew and Maria Leake, working in creation care: “In parallel with supporting churches and other secular organisations responding to environmental issues, we are moving ahead with establishing the diocesan centre for creation care in La Caldera. We have completed a survey of the property borders and a structural assessment of the old adobe buildings. They are looking good, but will need some anti-seismic reinforcements.” Please pray for this centre to be established and for the Leakes as they work to safeguard creation in the Chaco.
Organic farming: CMS mission partners Eric and Sandra Read are based on the island of Mindanao in Sandra’s native Philippines. Their vision is to work with local churches to reach out practically to local communities and help break down barriers between different people groups. One of their means of doing this is through starting an organic farm. The Reads write: “Engaging in business also brings us into contact with a lot of people in ways and places that would be much harder as a ‘missionary’.” The farm currently produces guavas and citronella. Please pray for a good harvest – physically and metaphorically – through this farm ministry.
Young Life: Karla Contreras is a 20 year-old student at the seminary where CMS mission associate Christopher Hays teaches. She says, “I came to the seminary to get trained in theology so that I can teach the Bible in a responsible manner. Right now, in addition to my studies, I am working in Young Life, an organisation that reaches out to youth and has a vision of presenting Jesus in a engaging way, as well as by means of developing sincere friendships. It’s work that I’m really passionate about! Since I have been here at the seminary I have realised that my heart feels pulled towards urban missions. So, when I finish my studies, I hope to keep working with Young Life for the expansion of the Kingdom of God, in order to fulfill the calling that God has on my life.” Pray for her and all such students in Colombia.
Enxet Bible: Give thanks that the stage of ‘cleaning up’ the translated text of the Enxet Bible is now complete. This has been a fantastic project to work on in which the translators have experienced God’s blessing, his provision and faithfulness over the years. There has been a tremendous amount of effort which has gone into this project since it began in 2003: the building of the translation office in Rio Verde in 2002 and the training of translators Asunción Rojas, Martín Rojas and Juan Martínez in Peru between 2005 and 2007. Pray for all the necessary arrangements and funding for publication, in partnership with The Paraguayan Bible Society.
Resources for rural churches: Many pastors and elders in rural Quechua churches have little formal Bible training and few resources other than their Bibles. Leaders in the Cusco Synod of the Evangelical Church of Peru (IEP) have long wanted to produce a magazine to help get practical, biblical teaching to the rural areas. Now, in the shape of Allin Qollana (The Good Leader), that is happening. Pray for the distribution - in a rugged, mountainous region half the size of England is very difficult. With only a small group of pastors currently involved in the distribution, it is important to make the most of church events that draw lots of people.
Divisive social changes: Mission partners in Chile ask us to pray about big social changes proposed in Chile. Last week Civil Unions became law and President Bachelet has tabled a bill in Congress to legalise abortion in cases of rape or when there is a threat to the mother’s or the baby’s life. There is currently a total ban in Chile, as in seven other Latin American countries. These issues are painful and often divisive. Please pray into the situation.
Celebrating Mother's Day: Give thanks again for the work of Latin partner Noel Diaz leading St Andrew’s church, and for the great initiatives in outreach. “There are several brothels in our street and neighbourhood. For Mother’s Day we wanted to make contact with some of the women to express our concern and love, so we invited them to our service. None came, but many of the women were really touched that we had thought of them. We gave them gifts to celebrate Mother’s Day as many of them have children.” Pray for those women and for encouragement for Noel and the congregation in their ongoing outreach.
Moving Forward in Peace: The World Council of Churches has highlighted a new course titled Reconcile – Moving Forward in Peace, inviting people to be peace-builders this Lenten season. Themes include tribalism, causes of friction, domestic violence and the understanding of peace. Pray for its wide use and fruitfulness amidst the conflict in South Sudan which has gravely affected all communities since the country’s independence from Sudan in 2011.
Overcoming addiction: Pray for those addicted to drugs or alcohol. Praise God for a ministry of hope in a small house in Tartagal called ‘Clamor en el Barrio’, where pastor Martinez, himself an ex drug addict, is helping six young men break the habit of drug addiction and discover new life in Jesus Christ. Members of the church of the Good Shepherd help this work with regular gifts of food and other necessities. Pray for this and other similar ministries across the country.
City of smiles: Pastor Franklin Cuenca is serving in his home city of Tarija, working with the youth and helping in leadership training. He says that Tarija is often called ‘the city of smiles’ due to the warmth of the people, however, as anywhere else, spreading the gospel is challenging. ‘Pray we will be loyal ministers of the Lord Jesus so that people will get to know our generous and forgiving God’.
Forced into prostitution: Pray for organisations working with children and young people who have been forced into prostitution or who have suffered abuse from within the home. According to the Brazilian government, out of the 59.5 million children and teenagers in Brazil, almost half of them (45.9%) live in extremely poor conditions where they find themselves vulnerable to great risk. Boys tend to join the drug gangs where their lives are endangered either due to the drugs or rival gangs. The girls tend to find themselves in even more vulnerable situations as many are forced into selling their bodies for money. UNICEF estimates that there are around 500,000 children involved in the sex industry in Brazil with another inestimable number suffering 'hidden' systematic abuse within the home. In some cases the child's own family has been found encouraging them to sell their body or has actively 'touted' the child for sex.
Helping vulnerable young people: Girls living on the streets of Lubumbashi have a new place where they can go for safety, education and a chance to be reunited with their families. This is thanks to the Kimbilio project, which opened a transit house this summer for vulnerable girls. Kimbilio originally opened as a refuge for street boys in 2009 and grew to comprise a day centre, a boys’ transit house and another house for boys who cannot return to their families. In the last year, girls have been turning up at the day centre to have breakfast, wash their clothes and hear a message about Jesus. So a plot of land was purchased to build them a transit house, too. While at the transit house, girls have the opportunity to improve their literacy and take sewing classes.
Faith strengthened: Fifty girls in Pakistan, aged 16 to 17, had their faith strengthened through short Bible courses at a women's training centre according to a CMS mission partner who teaches at the centre. “At the end of one course, several girls shared how they had made a personal commitment to follow Jesus, had discovered how to read the Bible with understanding, how their prayer life had been renewed and how they had learned to get along better with others, forgiving and forbearing, rather than quarrelling.” Pray that these recent school-leavers will continue to grow spiritually. Disciple-ship is a key need in Pakistan, as Christians are a small, often-pressured minority.
Al-Ahli Hospital: The staff at the Al-Ahli hospital in Gaza City, the only Christian hospital in Gaza, has maintained an around-the-clock presence since the recent military action began. Receiving wounded people and providing them with critical medical care, the Al-Ahli hospital is experiencing shortages in medicine, fuel for electrical generators, food for patients, and food parcels for the community. In a recent communication related to South Sudan, the Archbishop of Canterbury said we should "batter the gates of heaven" with our prayers for peace. Surely the same must be said of Israel-Palestine. Let's pray too for the wounded, bereaved and for those at Al-Ahli hospital working to help them.
Forgiving her son’s killer: After M’s son was killed in a fight, she wanted nothing more than revenge for his death. Anger quickly turned into depression. Then one day M came across SAT-7, a Christian satellite TV station, and started watching a programme about Jesus forgiving his murderers. She identified with Jesus and his pain, but couldn’t understand his peace. She prayed as she watched, asking for that kind of peace and the ability to forgive her son’s killer. A few days later, while getting ready for her son’s memorial, she suddenly felt that she couldn’t go before she visited his murderer. When she saw the man who had killed her son, she gave him a big hug, saying, “I have forgiven you. Jesus told me to do so.” Then she said, “I want you to be my son.” Everyone around was amazed. After this, she kept telling people to watch SAT-7.
New Testament saved his life!: A Ukrainian military chief’s life was spared, thanks to a well-timed gift of a pocket New Testament. The soldier received the New Testament on 20th February, at a prayer tent on the Maidan square in Kiev, which was set up by the Genesis ministry. "That day 77 people died," said Valery, who was working in the prayer tent. "Many who were with this soldier were killed, but he had put the small New Testament we gave him a few hours earlier in his left top pocket… During the fighting he was shot in the heart, but the sniper bullet got stuck in the New Testament, so the New Testament literally saved his life! He came back to us to give thanks and share his story." Pray for Christians throughout the country to bring light, peace and hope to Ukraine.
Pray for peace: “May God bring reconciliation between the rebels and the government of DR Congo so that the war can finish definitively and the displaced people may return home." That is the plea of two Bishops from DR Congo who have been visiting the UK to highlight the plight of people caught up in the violence and conflict in the eastern part of their country - which has been ongoing for at least 20 years. Bishop Bahati said: "Pray for peace in DR Congo; pray for the church's mission in Congo and pray for the suffering of the people. We need to pray also for good leadership of our government and we need prayer for the work of the mission of the church because God calls us to go everywhere and preach the gospel."
Life in abundance: Please pray for those with disabilities in Ecuador. Many suffer discrimination and are ignored, while those who care for them often do not have the knowledge, tools or resources to know how to help. Please pray for projects like Life in Abundance Trust, which works with children with learning difficulties, helping them to become more independent and assisting them in accessing the resources to which they should be entitled through the state. Pray especially for a new initiative for mid-to-late teens in vocational training so that they might even be able to gain some form of employment.
Victims of domestic violence: Please pray for those mothers and children in Montevideo who have no housing options, many of whom are victims of domestic violence. Hogar Río Branco in the city of Montevideo, run partly by the Anglican Church, has been operating since October 2012 and houses about 30 mothers and their children. The aim of Hogar Río Branco is to provide holistic care and to build up these mother’s abilities, which will allow them to develop self-managed projects and to become self-sufficient so that they can move on to independence with their children.
Justice for Bangladeshi Garment Workers: The Church of Bangladesh is reporting some success in its Justice for Bangladeshi Garment Workers Campaign, but says that much more still needs to be done. The campaign was launched after 1,129 people, mostly garment workers, were killed following the collapse of the Rana Plaza building a year ago. So far, the campaign has secured new legal safety standards for Bangladesh factories and more pay for the lowest paid garment workers. In addition, 150 global high-street brands are now working with local trade unions to make the factories safe. As well as praying, the group is urging Christians in developed countries to help put pressure on retailers.
Urgent need for Jesus: Please pray for the youth work run by the Anglican Church in Peru, especially after the shooting in March of a 15 year old teenager who had occasionally attended one of the youth projects in Lima. Sadly, such shootings are not so unusual in Peru but they do serve as a reminder of the urgency of the need young people have for Jesus. Please also pray for young people in Peru who are affected by land rights issues, poverty and discrimination.
Illegal deforestation: Since 2008, Salta authorities have authorised the clearance of approximately 840,000 acres of native forests (roughly the size of Essex). 28% of that has been in areas where deforestation is prohibited by law. Last year ended with a barrage of deforestation projects being approved by the Salta government. In some cases landowners are even bribing indigenous people to support their proposals for deforestation. The Christian conservation group Land for Life (Refugio) have presented at public hearings at different locations across the Chaco region but they and others are often left asking if what they are doing is worthwhile as more and more land is being given over to deforestation.
Growing confidence and cooperation: Last year thousands of people responded to an evangelistic campaign led by Carlos Annacondia and his team. CMS Mission partners are involved with local churches in the follow up and ask for prayer. “There’s a general feeling of gratitude to God for all that we have been able to witness and a desire that every effort should be made to build on the level of confidence and cooperation which has grown among the Christians of different churches over the months”
A new society: “In Chile 70% of students will be the first generation of professionals in their families. That means that in 5 years time there will be a new society, a new culture, a new mentality and new expectations being born...” (Evangelicals, Politics and society in Chile, Fediakova, 2013). Please pray for the church in Chile, that it would have an influence in the new country that is being born. Pray that the church in Chile will get a vision from God to be an influence to those who will be leading the country in the next generations with the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Thinking outside the box: In Spain organised religion is mostly seen in very negative terms. Often churches make their focus Sunday morning attendance with little other activity that encourages relationships to be built. Previously, regular church attendance could be seen as normal with services lasting up to 2 hours, but these days, the pull of family commitments, Sunday football etc. means that attending such a service is alien for most people. Pray for church leaders to think outside the box so that they can begin to connect with people who currently think the church is irrelevant and has nothing to offer them.
Discipleship courses: The Wayuu people, the largest indigenous people group in Colombia, live on the border with Venezuela and number some 400,000. Three years ago, CIPEP (Corporation Institute for Pastoral Education) Colombia started using SEAN (Study by Extension for All Nations) discipleship courses to train leaders. Now, over 150 Wayuu leaders representing are studying the materials and the goal is to see 100 pastors graduate from four years’ training by 2014. Give thanks for the prospect of these much needed leaders and pray that God would continue His work among the Wayuu.
Alcohol abuse: Please pray for Chaco indigenous communities where alcohol addiction and abuse can be common, in spite a national law stating that it is illegal to sell alcohol to indigenous people. Sadly, suicide rates are also relatively high amongst young people in these communities. Please pray especially for Francisca Sosa whose teenage son committed suicide just before Christmas and for Nelson and Carmen Franco whose 15 year old daughter also took her life at the beginning of January.
Audible Bible in Guarani: One thousand copies of The Audible Bible in Guarani are to be given to people living in villages in the La Patria settlement. This will complement the Bible studies already taking place and should be an enormously valuable resource as these people mainly speak Guarani and many have low literacy levels. Other communities who are Enxet (Lengua) speaking are also showing interest and there are plans to give them a ‘reading the Bible in a year programme’, so that they can read/listen to it all and not just their favourite passages. Pray that God will speak powerfully through His word and pray for the ongoing development of Bible study materials in new languages and formats.
Prison fellowship: A man sentenced to 190 years behind bars for a brutal murder is now leading a prison church in Colombia. Mission partners in the area have shared that this came about through the prayers of Christian prisoners. "This man was so violent he’d served eight years in solitary confinement. But his Christian fellow prisoners prayed for him daily - they would sit outside his cell singing and praying… One night God touched this man and he believed." This had a big impact in the prison. The man eventually graduated from the SEAN theological education programme in 2005 and now helps lead the prison church. His sentence has been reduced to 19 more years for good behaviour and the SEAN programme has been welcomed in 23 out of 25 major prisons in Colombia.
Rural pastors: Please pray for rural pastors working across the vast rural area of the Paraguayan Chaco and give thanks for a recent conference where over 300 pastors were able to meet together and spend time learning from each other. Please pray especially for leadership training across large distances with little good transport or infrastructure available. Finally, please pray for translation projects which are enabling more and more of the bible to be available in these pastors’ own mother tongues.
Alone and helpless: Chinimaya’s husband went to India to earn money a month after they married. She hasn't heard from him in eight years. "I know he visited brothels and he sent no money home. I was alone and helpless" she said. However, thanks to the ministry of Grace Community Services (GCS) in Kathmandu, Chinimaya now has a new life, new friends and has found faith in Jesus. She has even been helped to open a small cosmetics shop in the village. Give thanks for the ministry of GCS which also includes raising awareness amongst church leaders of HIV and sex trafficking, providing scholarships for HIV-affected children to attend school and distributing clothing to marginalised and homeless people.
Relationships with immigrants: Spain has long been a transit point and destination for migration. Immigrants formed 2% of the population in 2000. With jobs readily available, especially in the construction industry, this figure rose to 12% by 2010. With jobs scarce since the economic crisis, the competition between immigrants and Spanish citizens is the source of considerable tension. With over one third of immigrants unemployed, many are now leaving because life is easier back home. Pray for the economic situation in Spain and for a softening in relationships between locals and immigrants.
Sexual exploitation: UNICEF estimates that there around 500,000 children involved in the sex industry in Brazil with another inestimable number suffering systematic abuse within their own home. Since the 2001 Asian tsunami, the northeast of Brazil has overtaken Thailand as the ‘capital’ of sex tourism. Indeed a government study on children forced into prostitution in Recife found that the majority of them are aged between 5 and 14 years old with the average age of their first sexual encounter being just 10 years old. Pray for ReVive, a new project which will work with young girls who have been forced into prostitution or who are being sexually exploited or abused. There are lots of projects working with boys in the area, but none working exclusively with girls.
Frightened and confused: There is often a lack of support for women who have experienced domestic violence in South America. Over the past year a new initiative has begun which aims to help some of these women in Santo Domingo, Ecuador. Please pray for God to be at work through this ministry as the workers seek to befriend frightened and confused women and to change attitudes and patterns of behaviour amongst the men in the community.
Amerindian communities: Please pray for the many changes which are going on in the world surrounding the Amerindian communities in Northern Argentina. Nationally the emphasis on mining and crop production is threatening subsistence cultures. ASociANA (the Social Accompaniment group linked to the Anglican Church) works closely with lawyers and NGOs to help the communities monitor and respond to this situation, whilst the charity Land for Life tries to focus on the bigger picture of environmental change. Please pray for people living in this region as some of the outcomes of ‘development’ have had adverse effects locally. For example, engineering work done in recent years has upset the ecological balance with regard to fishing. With communities depending on fish to survive, even changes that make them easier to catch can have serious long-term consequences.
Dignity and empowerment: Fixing sanitation problems, stopping domestic violence, preventing child marriages. These are just a few of the ways in which Bangladeshi women who have gained dignity and empowerment through a church-run programme are now transforming whole villages. The Church of Bangladesh Social Development Programme has formed development groups with around 20 women who meet for discussion and skills training. They are often given small loans and taught how to save money. Pray that these women and others would continue to be empowered, and would spread the Good News in their communities.
Hungry asylum seekers: A new shelter set up by a mission partner has helped keep 17 homeless and hungry asylum seekers off the streets this winter in Glasgow. They were able to take in asylum seekers from Afghanistan, Libya, Zimbabwe, Palestine, Uganda and Tanzania. Pray as they follow up with them and show Christ’s love, and for F, an asylum seeker from the Middle East who recently decided to follow Jesus after attending Bible studies.
My Father’s House: Rafael grew up with his grandmother in Olinda, a city known for violence and poverty. As a pre-teen, Rafael joined a local gang and started sniffing solvents and stealing. Following a gang fight, a death warrant was issued for Rafael. He fled to the streets, where he was picked up and sent to My Father’s House, a Christian-run haven for vulnerable boys. After a few weeks, Rafael gave himself to Jesus. He kicked the glue habit and enrolled in school. Because of the death warrant, Rafael couldn’t return to his grandma so a CMS team found one of Rafael’s uncles, and then found a larger house with a shop for the family to run. They arranged for business training for Rafael’s uncle and for Rafael to visit the family on weekends. Before long, he was ready to move in full-time. Pray for Rafael and others like him, as well as for the ministries of those trying to reach them.
Safe house: Miguel and Marta Tamayo head up the work in the Anglican Cathedral in Montevideo and, through the churches there, they run many outreach projects across the city. One of these is a Christian youth hostel safe house where young people without a place to live can stay, as long as they attend school and abide by the rules of the home. They also run feeding and wellbeing programmes for young children of disadvantaged families and have recently started a programme which enables women to get cleaning jobs with the state to help them to support their families. Please pray for these initiatives, that the people who these ministries touch will experience God’s love and will want to learn more about Him.
Witnessing to the transgender community: Some of the most marginalised people in India - the transgender community - are now hearing for the first time that God loves them. Dr Lalita has earned the trust of many people in the red-light area of Pune, including several eunuchs. One of them is B, who ran away from an abusive home at age 8 and entered the sex industry as a teenager. “It is often the only option available, as hijras are considered the lowest of the low in society and face constant discrimination and rejection,” explained Dr Lalita. Following harassment on a train, B met a pastor who offered prayer and a listening ear. After meeting with the pastor and attending his church several times, B began following Jesus and has since left the sex industry to minister to other transgender people. “We must work to change the perceptions of the church and of hijras, who believe the abusive things they have heard about themselves.” said Dr Lalita.
