By Prayer. September-October 2018

Transcription

1 By Prayer September-October 2018 Prayer Focus: Compassion work in training and discipling medical workers, community health, relief, agriculture, and outreach Many people initially are not interested in or resist hearing about Jesus until they have personally received loving care from His followers. The compassionate care they are given makes them receptive to hear about Jesus and come to love Him, too. Through this edition of By Prayer we will be praying for relational ministries that extend compassion in the name of Jesus. Some offer medical help or training, others help improve agriculture, relieve hunger, or teach basic skills. Meeting these simple life needs often opens the door to introducing spiritual health in a saving relationship with Jesus. Thank you for partnering by prayer to compassionately reach out through these tireless workers to those who do not yet know Him. September 2018 SEP 01 SATURDAY International Leadership & Services September SIM is holding a Healthcare Leadership workshop in Kenya with 53 health workers from seven countries. Pray the leaders of the SIM International Health Ministry team model and develop godly and vision-directed leadership in attendees. SEP 02 SUNDAY Sports Friends Malawi has faced a food crisis since Sports Friends Malawi is able to help assist youth by sending food supplies home with them. Pray God would continue to provide funds so Sports Friends can support youth and their families. THE AMERICAS SEP 03 MONDAY Ministry Focus, Caitlin Lawrence, Bolivia - Our team paid Juan, a cancer hospice patient, several visits during the last few months of his life. He and his family asked meaningful questions as we read the Bible and prayed with them. We weren t sure how much Juan understood in his weakened state. But one day we asked, Who do you say Jesus is? and Juan openly confessed the truths of the gospel. We were blown away! After confirming his belief, we prayed with him to accept Jesus. Ask the Lord to comfort his family and bring them to salvation. SEP 04 TUESDAY Bolivia Allinta Ruwana is the only organization with a hospice program in Potosi. Pray God would prepare hearts to hear and receive the hope in Jesus as the team seeks to love and help patients and their families during their last days.. SEP 05 WEDNESDAY Canada Sign language classes have started for youth and staff at the Mekelle Youth Center (MYC). Pray the MYC team significantly helps the many deaf youth whose current education and employment opportunities are extremely limited, and for them to meet and follow Jesus. SEP 06 THURSDAY Chile Chilean associate Manuel Carrasco works together with local municipalities in Mapuche communities in southern Chile to improve quality of life while focusing on the Giver of Life. Pray for a current project providing clean water for a remote Andean community. SEP 07 FRIDAY Ecuador Misuse of meager family income makes many vulnerable to an at-risk lifestyle. Testimonies from recent biblical financial principle studies indicate the teaching is effective and sorely needed. Pray God prepares additional leaders to reach more families. Latinoamérica Praise for the teachers and volunteers who serve where Jesus is not yet known. Pray they teach effectively and impact families and communities with wisdom and sound doctrine in culturally appropriate ways so many hear and come to know Jesus.

2 SEP 08 SATURDAY Paraguay Please pray for the SIM Paraguay team transitions wisdom for the interim director, opportunities as they enter into new ministries while continuing their church plant focus, and team unity and clear communication among the new families and seasoned veterans. SEP 09 SUNDAY Peru Several SIM missionaries in Peru took a Community Health and Evangelism course in April. Pray they will be effective in putting the principles into practice and training others to meet physical and spiritual needs. SEP 10 MONDAY United States The Global Missions Health Conference will be held in Louisville, KY in early November. Pray for the preparations, and for God to work through the SIM Health Ministry team to enable medical professionals to discern His calling to make disciples of Jesus. SEP 11 TUESDAY Uruguay Christ Church s head pastor is returning from a year-long sabbatical following 14 years of tireless work in Uruguay. Pray for a seamless transition for him and the church as they reconnect and build on the momentum and growth that took place while he was gone. EUROPE, NORTH & WEST AFRICA SEP 12 WEDNESDAY Ministry Focus, Christopher and Nancy Zoolkoski, Niger - Faroukou is a 5-year-old who came to Galmi Hospital very weak and with tuberculosis. He and his mom spent two intense months here before going home. Two months later they returned, and Faroukou had gained four pounds and was walking. Last week, we decided to make the long journey to visit them. Faroukou looked healthier than ever! The villagers sat and listened as we explained how we desire good health for them, but also life everlasting. Pray they will listen to the Gospel of John recordings we left, and consider the claims of Jesus. SEP 13 THURSDAY France The Pignys are serving short-term in Bembéréké hospital in Benin. Anna nurses in the maternity ward and Henry works in the maintenance department. Please pray their help will enhance the patients care and comfort, and encourage the hospital staff. SEP 14 FRIDAY Switzerland Manassé and Béatrice Orouyina work in Benin with a project for people affected by HIV, and teach farmers improved agricultural methods. The farming techniques also help HIV patients earn a living, and encourage them to trust in God. Pray for a harvest of faith. SEP 15 SATURDAY United Kingdom Give thanks for a trauma healing training event held recently in the UK. Please pray the Lord will use those who attended to lead people to Jesus as they listen compassionately to those affected by the wounds of trauma. North Africa One team has successfully reorganized thanks to a partner s help. Pray for healthy dynamics on this team. Pray also for the focus on trauma healing and training events. May Jesus be revealed among those who are being reached. SEP 16 SUNDAY Benin Praise for the recently opened Hope for Aids clinic in Parakou. Pray staff members serve patients with understanding and compassion with the comfort of Jesus, both spiritually and physically. Pray the Church is mobilised to love those often ostracised by society. Burkina Faso Ask the Lord to send enough rain through September to ensure people have food this year. Shifts in ministries and positons, plus security issues have put some of the SIM team in upheaval. Pray kingdom work continues to expand in the midst of these changes. SEP 17 MONDAY Côte d Ivoire In mid-june Abidjan was hit by massive flooding with lives lost and tremendous damage. Families have lost shelter and belongings, including cars, and children have been traumatized. Pray for safe, concerted efforts to provide reconstruction of roads and buildings.

3 SEP 18 TUESDAY Ghana Steve and Cyndie are learning the language and culture of the Sisaala people. Pray for God s guidance as they learn and walk alongside this farming community, and for the Holy Spirit to be preparing hearts to hear the gospel in their mother tongue. SEP 19 WEDNESDAY Guinea Praise God for the children involved in the three weeks of science camps last month and their encounters with Jesus followers, both missionary and Guinean. Pray for open hearts to consider Jesus and for lasting gospel fruit. SEP 20 THURSDAY Liberia Pray for the Liberian physicians-in-training through the SIM Family Medicine Residency Project. This specialty residency program prepares doctors to serve Liberians with quality medical care in clinics and medical centers (like ELWA Hospital Medical Center). SEP 21 FRIDAY Mali Pray as the rains fall the harvest will be abundant, and in the same vein that the Holy Spirit will rain down mightily, watering the hearts of Malians for a grand spiritual harvest this year. SEP 22 SATURDAY Niger Praise God for the faithful leadership of the former and the new SIM manager and director. Pray for courage, wisdom, and dependence on God for Amos, the new office manager, and Roger, the new director, as they learn and adapt to their new responsibilities. Nigeria The Lord is generating enthusiasm to emphasize medical ministry in northern Nigeria! Pray for consultation sessions among SIM and church leaders to develop a plan to revitalize strategic clinics in impoverished and devastated communities where Jesus is least known. SEP 23 SUNDAY Senegal The Sanderfers are ministering through community health and praying for people in a village where the gospel has never been shared. Pray they do this winsomely so many become interested in studying the Bible, and physical and spiritual healing occurs. SEP 24 MONDAY Togo Noelie Barassounon (from Benin) meets with a small group of widows from her local church. Pray these women cling to Jesus, encourage each other in prayer, and learn to depend on Him as they strive to raise and educate their children to love Jesus. SEP 25 TUESDAY West African Missions Office Praise for three medical doctors interested in serving with SIM through WAMO. Two plan to serve in ELWA Hospital in Liberia while one wants to serve in Galmi, Niger. Pray God provides for them and guides them through preparation and training to serve with SIM. EAST & SOUTHERN AFRICA SEP 26 WEDNESDAY Ministry Focus, Bob and Gayle Murray, S. Sudan - A healer sought Christians at Doro Clinic to treat his sick son. He heard the Bible and talked to our chaplains. They asked whether charms his son was wearing had protected him, and the man admitted they hadn t. The chaplains shared about Jesus and the man gave his heart to follow the living God instead of trusting in dead things. He then removed his son s charms. At his request, chaplains followed him home where he removed charms from all his family. Pray he attends Bible study and understands, and nothing separates him and his family from their new faith. SEP 27 THURSDAY Angola Praise God for the De Souzas and the Ellers who have come to work at Central Hospital in Lubango. Request the Lord to give them a smooth transition to Angola, and swift adaptation to the steep learning curve as new medical personnel. SEP 28 FRIDAY Botswana Dave and Ginny Long are retiring after serving for 30 years in Botswana. Pray they end well and their farewells are a witness of Christ s love. Ask the Lord for a local pastor to soon answer the call to serve in their settlement.

4 SEP 29 SATURDAY East Africa Service Center (EASC) Pray for the EASC financial team to complete the financial year-end process swiftly and accurately, and for a smooth beginning of the new financial year. Pray for the whole EASC staff to continue to seek ways to better serve those in their care. SEP 30 SUNDAY East African Office The East African Sending Office works hard to fulfill the vision of sending workers to spread the kingdom of God to unreached areas. Pray churches see the need to support and fund workers, especially young East African doctors who have a heart to serve globally. October 2018 OCT 1 MONDAY Eritrea Praise God for answered prayers regarding a peace agreement between Ethiopia and Eritrea. Please pray this agreement results in changes in Eritrea that will be a long-lasting blessing to the people. OCT 02 TUESDAY Ethiopia Ethiopia ACT is looking to expand their ministry to families affected by HIV. Pray for wisdom as they try to figure out how to help some of their long-term beneficiaries who recently started showing signs of failing health. OCT 03 WEDNESDAY Kenya Praise God with the team in NE Kenya for opened ministry doors. Pray for the integration of God s Word, truth and love in team life and teachings, and for the team to be a clear and gentle but also bold testimony of Jesus. Madagascar In June, an Ethiopian surgeon came to train Ted Watts in the special techniques of fistula repair. Thirty-nine women underwent surgery. Pray these often outcast ladies would encounter the divine Healer during their stay at the hospital. OCT 04 THURSDAY Malawi The Malawi office is still in transition and urgently needs administrative personnel to support the workers on the field and in the office. Pray God sends a gifted administrator and other needed workers to provide care for the team. Mascarene Islands Sheila and Jacques are active SIM members serving in church leadership training, children and youth ministry, discipleship and outreach since Please pray for more supporters locally and internationally to join their team. OCT 05 FRIDAY Mozambique Praise God for a fruitful book set conference for 35 local pastors. Pray pastors use the resources they received to grow their understanding of God s Word. Pray their preaching and teaching bring many to know Jesus and grow to share the gospel with others. OCT 06 SATURDAY Namibia SIM is working with the Evangelical Bible Church to start a discipleship ministry for church leaders. Pray for the church to find the right person to coordinate this ministry, and for support from the local churches. OCT 07 SUNDAY Southern Africa Service Center (SASC) Pray for SASC s finance team supporting the diverse needs of nine SIM entities in southern Africa, and for a smooth transition to the new financial year. Pray also for the regional council meetings and the southern African church leaders conference October OCT 08 MONDAY South Africa Mseleni Care and Compassion Ministries is prayerfully planning a center for medical care, police assistance, and counseling for abused children and adults. Pray for salaries and a building, and for people to receive healing and come to know the love of Jesus. OCT 09 TUESDAY South Sudan & Sudan Pray for stability and continued gospel witness in the face of often difficult dynamics. Ask God s help for believers, and for opportunities to minister to those struggling without knowing Jesus. Pray deep healing for the traumatized and peace for the fearful.

5 OCT 10 WEDNESDAY Tanzania SIM ministry Mama wa Nuru seeks to empower pastors wives by encouraging interdenominational fellowship, providing skills training, and producing small supplemental income. Pray for unity, vision, and the drive needed to continue their work with excellence. OCT 11 THURSDAY Zambia Give thanks for the work and witness of Mukinge Hospital. Pray for doctors Daren Tompkins and Missy Sandberg and nurse Lynn Hacker, and for more medical personnel to answer the call to work alongside them. OCT 12 FRIDAY Zimbabwe A missionary who developed a ministry reaching over 100 disabled people cannot renew her work permit. Pray urgently for a replacement to keep up the momentum of this ministry. Pray also for reliable rainfall throughout the coming growing season. WEST & SOUTH CENTRAL ASIA OCT 13 SATURDAY Ministry Focus, D and S, Asia - A malnourished man from the village where I hold a women s Bible study came to the hospital with a bowel perforation. He needed blood, which is difficult to get, and his lungs were bad, so D was not even sure he would survive surgery. We prayed through it, and he did well and recovered. He has since listened in on our Bible studies, knowing the Lord had mercy on Him. Pray he and his wife would come to faith. Praise the Lord also for a new doctor who came in August to carry much of the medical responsibility, and free D up to focus on ministry! Pray the new doctor adjusts well. OCT 14 SUNDAY Middle East A number of Middle East churches are welcoming and reaching out to displaced people. Pray for them as they answer many questions about inherited faith and especially about Jesus Christ, and as they continue to minister with care and compassion. Bangladesh The Arsenic Poisoning Prevention Program distributes hundreds of household filters each year, helping thousands to stay healthy during the arsenic crisis. Pray workers serve with compassion and communicate effectively as they interact with dozens of people daily. OCT 15 MONDAY India Pray for Christian doctors and community health professionals with Shalom, Chetna, and EHA hospitals providing support to people who need palliative care, are HIV positive, or whose healthcare access is restricted by their rural location or the stigma of their disease. OCT 16 TUESDAY Nepal Please pray for Keisi and Sonu as they share the love of Jesus through after-school programs among a minority religious group in the southern part of the country. OCT 17 WEDNESDAY Pakistan Local church leaders have asked SIM to work with them as they reach out with the gospel through basic healthcare training. Please pray for the Lord to grant wisdom, the right workers, and for this ministry to be fruitful. OCT 18 THURSDAY Sri Lanka Praise for the many contacts the Abrahams had in the U.S. with candidates to fill two teaching positions in the seminary counseling program. Pray God moves two godly leaders to swiftly answer this urgent call to teach counseling in Sri Lanka ASIA-PACIFIC OCT 19 FRIDAY Ministry Focus, David Park, Continental & Southeast Asia (CSEA) - Church leaders in East Gobi don t want to depend on foreign support, and yet they can t live on church offerings. All have second jobs or businesses. With SIM s help, they have started a network to minister to three unreached districts in the province. What they couldn t do alone, due to lack of resources, they are doing together! The Green Gobi NGO is their vehicle to impact the public through education, family, and water sanitation. They are turning desert towns green with the gospel, education, trees and water.

6 OCT 20 SATURDAY Australia Praise God for raising the financial resources for several compassion ministry projects, one of which is the Children s Uplift Program. Pray for God to raise up more health workers to places in need. OCT 21 SUNDAY China Thank the Lord for compassion ministries SIM is able to be involved in. Please pray the families of children participating in these programs will take advantage of opportunities to hear the gospel and come to believe in Jesus. OCT 22 MONDAY Continental & Southeast Asia (CSEA) Pray for CSEA s ongoing coaching efforts for facilitating new initiates in new or small countries including Mongolia, Myanmar, and Vietnam. Pray team leaders are equipped for building up team ministries of new initiatives that mobilize churches around the world. OCT 23 TUESDAY East Asia Pray for more workers to join SIM EA offices to serve churches, applicants, candidates and missionaries well. Pray for workers serving in Region C to continue trusting in God and not be unduly anxious in any way by events or situations they may face. Indonesia Praise God for a seminary in South Sulawesi sponsoring several workers from NE India to learn culture and language. Pray for wisdom in finding appropriate placements for these individuals sometime next year. OCT 24 WEDNESDAY Japan Praise for recent staff training on evangelism and disciple-making in the Japanese context. Pray for divine encounters, deepening relationships and fruitful conversations resulting in many more Japanese coming to Jesus and growing as faithful disciples. OCT 25 THURSDAY Korea Pray for SIM Korea s task force, formed in June, as members discuss many issues, and strategize how to mobilize young adults and churches. Personnel Director Doo-Shik returns to Ghana early next year. Pray for the recruitment process for his replacement. OCT 26 FRIDAY Mongolia B and M hosted several short-term medical teams this summer. Pray B and M s follow-up visits yield much physical health and spiritual fruit in the Mongolians visited. Pray the Lord moves in the hearts of team members as they reflect on their time in Mongolia. OCT 27 SATURDAY Myanmar SIM workers provide public water filtration systems to rural villages with no knowledge of the gospel. Pray these communities thirst after the Living Water, Jesus. Please ask God for contacts in new villages to benefit from this filter and receive the Living Water. OCT 28 SUNDAY New Zealand Pray for SIM NZ as personnel prepare for their training weekend Nov 2 4. Pray they are able to accomplish all they need to in a short amount of time, and have a wonderful weekend of training, prayer, and fellowship with friends. OCT 29 MONDAY Philippines SIM and another organization work together to feed children in multiple SIM partner communities. Pray many of the children s families are drawn to know and love Jesus through this cooperative program that helps their children. Thailand Pray wisdom and discernment for workers in SIM Thailand as they explore local needs and seek to identify opportunities for compassion ministries as part of beginning gospel work in the unreached area of Ayutthaya. OCT 30 TUESDAY Vietnam Vietnamese pastors are learning how to serve people in trauma and crisis through a new chaplaincy course. Please pray pastors and Christian leaders receive wisdom from the Lord to determine how to best share the love of Jesus through these new chaplaincy services.

7 OCT 31 WEDNESDAY West Malaysia West Malaysia ministers through cottage industries and children s shelters, and also provides medical and dental clinics, and skill training for refugees. Please pray workers serve with the heart of Jesus so refugees see and claim Him for themselves. Thank you for praying. If you would like to receive these prayer calendars by , please reply to simusa.byprayer@sim.org. To update your postal address or request to be added or removed from this mailing, call (800) It is not primarily out of compassion for humanity that we share our faith or pray for the lost; it is first of all, love for God. John Piper The Togo Story - Noelie was widowed with young children. She married Pierre 13 years later, and together they serve with SIM, sent by the West African Office. Her own experience with widowhood led these women to quickly accept her so she can compassionately help them heal. Operation World, created to provide fuel for prayer, is a good resource for facts and figures about every country including people groups, religions, history and government. Operationworld.org "When [Jesus] saw the crowds, he had compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd." Matthew 9:36 ESV Because you prayed In 2014, you prayed for the growth of the book ministry. This is now based in Sindh, and includes basic medical ministry for very poor families who do not have access to local health facilities. Praise God for the families reached and served through this ministry.