Prayer Diary July 2018 through December 2018
Dear friends, Thank you so much for praying for the ministries of the Diocese of Egypt with North Africa and the Horn of Africa. In this booklet, we have included prayer requests gathered from our ministries across the region in the areas of community development, spiritual growth, education, health, and many others. We hope that his booklet will provide you with encouragement, and inspire you to keep our ministries in your prayers each week. Although the challenges in this region are many, we have great hope found in Christ. Your prayers are of vital importance to our work at the Diocese. Through prayer, you are connected with people from all around the world. When you pray, you lift up those who are disadvantaged, such as those with disabilities, prisoners, and refugees. You support the leaders of churches throughout Egypt, North Africa, and the Horn of Africa. We can t wait to see what blessings your prayers will bring over the coming year! Please also keep me in your prayers. Please pray that I would continue to serve the Lord according to His will. May the Lord bless you. +Mouneer The Rt. Rev. Dr. Mouneer Hanna Anis Bishop of the Episcopal / Anglican Diocese of Egypt with North Africa and the Horn of Africa
July July 1 Please pray for the Diocese s Prison Ministry. Pray that more people would volunteer with them so more prisoners can be cared for oneto-one. July 22 Give thanks for the first full time students of the three year Diploma course at St. Frumentius Campus in Gambella, Ethiopia, who will graduated in June. Pray for the faculty, staff and students One student, Chot, who graduated in June, is a candidate for ordination. He is a teacher by profession. He expressed his priority as being faithful to God, and wants to commit his life to teaching and preaching. He said, Tribalism is a problem that hinders the church from having a vision. July 8 Pray for those graduating from Alexandria School of Theology this summer. Pray that they would be able to use the knowledge they have gained to continue to honor and July 15 Please pray for EpiscoCare s administration team. Pray that God would continue to bless them help them to focus on their mission as they support the field staff and beneficiaries. EpiscoCare is an NGO that empowers poor and marginalized communities in Egypt through education, medical, and economic programs. Students from St. Frumentius with Bishop Samy July 29 Please pray for the Diocesan leadership during the process of appointing a new area bishop for the Horn of Africa region.
August August 5 Please pray for the Youth Ministry in the Diocese of Egypt. Pray that the youth would use their gifts that God has blessed them with in the various churches in the Diocese, and that new leaders would be developed. August 12 Please pray for EpiscoCare s field staff. Pray that they receive courage to make a difference despite challenging circumstances, and show compassion to the beneficiaries. A workshop at one of EpiscoCare s Community Centers August 19 Pray that resources produced by the Episcopal Publishing House would be distributed around Egypt and the Middle East, and that each CD and book would grow and strengthen people in their faith and be a source of encouragement. Youth from the Diocese at a conference August 26 Thank God for improving the situation of women like Omhani Abdallah Abdelkerim. She came to Egypt from Sudan nine months ago with her husband and four children. She initially worked in a factory, but had to quit after her employer refused to pay her the full salary that she was owed. Then Omhani heard about Refuge Egypt. She came and explained her situation to the staff there. Life for Omhani was very difficult. Her husband was too ill to work, and she was unemployed and struggling to support her family. Omhani had only ever worked in a factory before. The staff at Refuge Egypt suggested that she enroll in Refuge Egypt s free cleaning course to learn domestic work skills. A week after she completed her course and received her certificate, she found part time employment for four days a week. She is very happy with her work.
September September 2 Pray that the Gusour and Arkan Cultural Centers would not simply be a places for art and activities, but that participants would build deep, meaningful relationships that reflect the love of Christ. Arkan (in Alexandria) and Gusour (in Cairo) Cultural Centers are aimed especially toward the youth, with the goal of building bridges of understanding between different groups of people through fun and creative activities. The centers host a wide variety of activities, including movie screenings and discussions, musical events such as concerts, and different artistic projects. September 9 Please pray for safety for the Christians in the North Africa region. September 16 Please pray that the Deaf Unit would be able to find funding to build a preparatory school. Currently, many of the children will enter the school when they are between 5 and 6 years old, and will study until they are 15 and continue on into the local government schools for higher levels of education. September 23 A girl participating in a sculpting workshop at Gusour Cultural Center, Cairo Please pray for the interfaith development programs in the Diocese. Thank God for enriching relationships between those of different faiths. September 30 Please pray that the hospital in Sadat would be able to install a fire extinguishing system.
October October 7 Thank God for the work he is doing in the lives of children such as Kirolos at the Menara Center for children with special needs. When Kirolos Samy Fahmy first enrolled at the Menara Center at the age of three, he was shy, anti-social, and unable to communicate with his teachers and friends. The staff developed a therapy plan that included social, physical, and speech therapy; as well as life skills training. The improvement that he showed this year greatly exceeded expectations. He can properly vocalize sounds, socialize with others, play games, recognize colors, shapes, letters, October 21 Thank God for the new land He has blessed us with in Gambella, Ethipoia, part of the Horn of Africa Episcopal Area. The new plot of land is very big- about three acres, and it is strategically situated next to Gambella University. Please pray that God would guide us October 28 Pray that there would be unity in the Council of Churches in Egypt. Pray that the church leaders would support each other and work together. October 14 Kirolos at the Menara Center Please pray for EpiscoCare s field staff. Pray that they receive courage to make a difference despite challenging circumstances, and show compassion to the beneficiaries.
November November 4 Please pray that St. Luke s Church would be able to build another two classroom for their current building. They started a kindergarten in the old church building. 300 children gather there every day, and the space has become too crowded and is no longer sufficient. The current kindergarten building November 11 Thank God for the patients who have found peace at the Harpur Memorial hospitals, such as Farha Mina Abanob, who has been coming to the hospital for more than 15 years. She says she comes to the hospital because she is treated kindly and it provides excellent services. Abd El-Menem Abdallah, who says that he feels at peace in the hospital. It is clean and nice. It provides full-services November 18 Thank God for changing the life of Fairoz. When Fairoz arrived in Egypt, she was extremely vulnerable. She was pregnant with twins, and was going through anemia and a repeated urinary tract infection. She was also allergic to penicillin. She had no one to rely on or turn to in case of emergency, and was under significant psychological stress. She could have lost her babies without proper medical assistance. Refuge Egypt s medical department provided Fairoz with all the care and treatment she needed. Thanks to their help, Fairoz delivered two healthy babies. Today, she is a happy mother living in Egypt. She says that without Refuge Egypt s help, she would not have made it. She named her daughter after her doctor. November 25 Pray that more people would come to serve at Gusour Cultural Center. Recently God has brought a lot of people to the center, but we need more volunteers to serve them. The cultural center also wants to expand the selection of activities and programs offered, but needs more help in order to do so.
December December 2 Please pray that Harpur Memorial Hospital Sadat City would be able to build an extension would add 25 beds, 5 more clinics, a waiting area for patients, and nurses stations. The number of patients seeking care at the hospital has grown rapidly, and there are sometimes not enough beds for patients. December 23 Please pray for the families who are supported by the Wady Craft Shop and the Touch of Egypt Craft Shop. December 9 Please pray that the Boulaq Centre, one of EpiscoCare s community centers, would be able to provide Christmas gifts for the 300 families that it supports. December 16 Please pray that God would provide funding for the inmates that the Prison Ministry cares for can be provided with Christmas gifts. Please pray for the families of the prisoners, who are unable to visit them or support them because they live so far away. Pray that God would comfort and provide for these families in their absence, especially during this time of year when they wish they could be celebrating the holidays with their loved ones. December 30 Give thanks to God for improving the situation of refugees like Omhani. Before she came to Refuge Egypt s Domestic Office, Omhani had a job where she was treated unfairly by her employers. When she came to Refuge Egypt, she had no job, four children, and a husband who was too sick to be able to support them. Omhani completed her cleaning course training, received her certificate, and found a job where she is treated fairly and earns enough to support her family.