Hands at Work

In Preparation - Our Defining Moment

Hands family every person, family, community and country had defining moments—moments they will look back to and say “that was a turning point!” I am convinced we are in one of those defining moments – it started this year with our watchword.

“I will wait for the Lord,
my soul does wait and in His word do I hope.”
—Psalm 130:5

It continued with many shakings and now I believe we are responding to God this weekend in the appropriate way. The appropriate way is:

Firstly to set time apart for Him that is worthy of having our time! I encourage you STRONGLY do not do anything else in this time – let go off all the things and give this 24 hours to our God!!

Secondly I ask you to worship Him in spite of what happened so far. Job say something amazing, “I will worship you even if you slain me” Wow what an attitude! Think of all what happened and then chose to worship like never before.

Thirdly be very aware of each other and the pain around you. God cares about the person next to you and if you are full of Him you would care too. Ask Him to show you the pain in others and stand in the gap for them. I want to ask you something weird… don’t pray for yourself this time – worship Him, give thanks and pray on behalf of others. Remind God of His goodness and how He loved the children. Call on His Name to come to our help!!

We are together more than ever. Not just with each other but with Jesus! Tell Him we are together!! 

Prayer for Mozambique

This week please join with us in prayer for Mozambique.

We praise God that after years of delays and challenges the registration of Hands at Work as a foreign NGO in Mozambique is within view. Also we thank God for His provision in finding a Hands at Work office and accommodation for visitors and volunteers in Chimoio, Mozambique – which is a larger center than where we were previously located now we also have high speed internet!

Please stand with us in prayer for:

  • The work in Mozambique among the poorest-of-the-poor.
  • Carlos, Manuel and Timossee and their families as they transition to community leadership roles.
  • Those serving in the communities of Gondola, Nhamatanda , Amatongas and Dondo and their families.
  • For Abel, who is the coordinator for Dondo community. He and his 2 small children are grieving the death of wife and mother who recently passed away.
  • Dara, an American volunteer who is serving in our office in Chimoio and going through the process of adopting a child from Mozambique, that nothing will stand in the way of God’s will and for Dara and Nede’s (her adopted daughter) for their new mother-and-daughter relationship.
  • Marc Damour, a Canadian volunteer who is managing many projects in the area.
  • Our ongoing relationships with all those whom we are serving in Mozambique.

Thank you for your ongoing prayers! Check our prayer room daily for updates this week as we prepare for our 24 hour time of dedicated prayer.

Prayer for our work as God's servants

This week in our Monday morning prayer meeting we reflected on the following scripture: 2 Corinthians 6:1-13 (The Message) 

Companions as we are in this work with you, we beg you, please don't squander one bit of this marvelous life God has given us… Our work as God's servants gets validated—or not—in the details. People are watching us as we stay at our post, alertly, unswervingly . . . in hard times, tough times, bad times; when we're beaten up, jailed, and mobbed; working hard, working late, working without eating; with pure heart, clear head, steady hand; in gentleness, holiness, and honest love; when we're telling the truth, and when God's showing his power; when we're doing our best setting things right; when we're praised, and when we're blamed; slandered, and honored; true to our word, though distrusted; ignored by the world, but recognized by God; terrifically alive, though rumored to be dead; beaten within an inch of our lives, but refusing to die; immersed in tears, yet always filled with deep joy; living on handouts, yet enriching many; having nothing, having it all…

I can't tell you how much I long for you to enter this wide-open, spacious life. … The smallness you feel comes from within you. Your lives aren't small, but you're living them in a small way.... Open up your lives. Live openly and expansively!

This week let us pray that we are all able to enter in to the wide-open spacious life God is calling us to; to receive this blessing of life by not giving up, by continuing through hard times, tough times, bad times, when we’re praised and when we’re blamed. Let us remember that God desires so much more for us then we could even imagine but we must trust Him through the circumstances before us, not giving up because in due time our perseverance in these maters will reap a harvest of freedom in our lives.

Let us continue because our work is validated in the details. God loves that we have chosen to serve Him in this way—choosing to see those who are vulnerable, to speak and care and pray on their behalf—but we’ve only fought half the battle by showing up to do this work. Let us pray that we can go all the way and choose to do it through His power and strength, never giving up, working hard, working late, working without eating; with pure heart, clear head, steady hand; in gentleness, holiness, and honest love, in sunshine and in shadow.

Now is Her Time - Prayer for Goma, DRC

George received many scriptures for Goma from around the world with one message. We feel God is asking us to pray NOW for Goma for this is her time. Download Scriptures Here.

Children in streets of burned down village.Hands at Work in Africa founder George Snyman is in Goma, DRC this week. You have heard about Goma: it’s the war-ravaged region in north-eastern DRC where millions have died, suffered mass rapes, and been driven from their homes into refugee camps. The war was recently declared over, and the camps have been closed. People are streaming back to burned and destroyed villages, trying to figure out how to start re-building. This is the time for Hands at Work to get involved. The situation remains unstable; division and suspicion within communities are rife. But we are committed to reaching the poorest of the poor, and right now that’s in Goma. Now is the time to be there. 

Please pray for George. Pray for wisdom, for guidance to find the local people burning with compassion, and for the right village to establish a model of local churches collaborating to serve the most vulnerable orphans and widows with basic care.

Read on...

24 hours of Prayer

We would like to invite you to join with us in a prayer this weekend. We feel God at this time calling us to reflection, restoration with him and a time of refining. We are gathering together for a time of prayer and fasting starting on this Friday, September 18 at 19h00 and end on Saturday, September 19 at 19h00. We would love for you to partner in prayer with us wherever you are as we: Prepare Our Hearts to Meet Our King!

We would like to share in this with you through our website where we will have scriptures to reflect on as well as an area for you to communicate with us on what God is revealing to you!

Listen to this message from George (mp3 file) and be expectant for what He has to show us through this time!

 

Bushbuckridge (SA)

 

  • Pray that the many teams that come through will be impacted and able to contribute to the work on the ground
  • Pray that people overseas are stirred up to contribute financially to the $15 three services fund.
  • Pray that we can proceed faster with the establishment of the Service Center and that things run smoothly
  • Pray for the new bookkeeper that she can learn quickly and that she has a big impact in the communities in building financial capacity
  • Pray that God stirs up a trusted, influential, Godly man in Bushbuckridge with a strong heart for his community to join the vision
  • Pray that God strengthens us and continues giving us His heart in order to continue running the race