Prayer for Malawi

Happy new year! Thank you so much for your continued prayers for Hands at Work. 2010 was such a wonderful refining time as we learned to wait on our God. We are excited about what God has in store for us this year as we reflect on who we are and what we are living for through the shining example of Christ.

Today we’d like to hold up our Malawian family in prayer.

Please pray for Roy, who is our Service Center coordinator in Malawi. On his way to our Zambia family for a regional gathering of Hands, his bag and passport were stolen. Please pray that he would quickly and easily obtain the travel documents he needs to return to his family in Malawi and also that all his needs will be provided for in the meantime.

Malawian team has asked that we stand with them in prayer for: 

• God to guide their steps and show them the right new communities to break in to
• unity and love to abound in the Hands at Work team in Malawi
• better and deeper relationships with the communities they serve
• God’s heart to continue to be imparted to the care workers and give them the strength and motivation to continue caring for vulnerable children

Let us seek God while He’s here to be found and pray to him while He is close at hand. (Isaiah 55:5-6) and pray for the abundant life described in Isaiah 55:12-13 for our family in Malawi:

            “For you shall go out with joy,
            And be led out with peace;
            The mountains and the hills
            Shall break forth into singing before you,
            And all the trees of the field shall clap their hands.
            Instead of the thorn shall come up the cypress tree,
            And instead of the brier shall come up the myrtle tree;
            And it shall be to the LORD for a name,
            For an everlasting sign that shall endure forever."

World AIDS Day - Pray for AIDS Victims and for Zambia

Hello prayer advocates,

Today on World AIDS Day we think of all mothers and fathers who have passed away due to AIDS, leaving behind broken families and orphaned children. And we ask you to lift up in prayer the broken families and, in particular, any orphaned children that you personally know of.

Ask the Lord to help your church be an example of the Lord’s love for orphans as written in Psalm 10:17-18, “The helpless put their trust in You. You are the defender of orphans Lord, You know the hopes of the helpless. Surely You will listen to their cries and comfort them. You will bring justice to the orphans and the oppressed, so people can no longer terrify them.”

Today we’d also like you to stand in prayer for our family in Zambia. Below is a letter from them: 

Thank you for wrestling in prayer with us. May the Lord remember you for all this work and we pray that the He strengthens you and gives you deep insight as you spearhead His work.

Here are some of the things that we’d like to bring before our Lord:

• Please pray for unity and understanding in everything and for everyone. In particular in our 3 Hands at Work offices in Zambia: Kitwe, Luanshya and Kabwe, in the communities that those 3 offices support, and in our Regional Support Team located in Luanshya, Zambia that supports our Zambia, Malawi and D.R.C. offices.
• Pray that because of God’s mercy, He will continue to provide caregivers and counselors for children who have been orphaned. Pray also for those children who have been abandoned and abused that they would find courage to open up to a loving caregiver or counselor and in doing so find healing.
• Please pray for wisdom and zeal for all the Hands at Work team in Zambia
• Also pray for God's guidance as the team moves forward in new areas in Zambia
• Pray for Todd, Katie, Alicia, Tyler, Chris, Morgan and Margie (6 Canadian + 1 South African mid-term volunteers) who are in the region visiting, encouraging and providing support where they can.
• Lastly pray for more international partners and individuals with generous and willing hearts in order that we may find support to care for all the children in the communities we are currently working in.

Thanks and may the Lord be with you.

James

Prayer for Democratic Republic of Congo

Please Join us this week in praying for the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC)

· Today, pray that because of God’s mercy, He will provide caregivers to counsel children who have been abused. Also pray for the extremely vulnerable children left behind while their parents and caregivers go off to the mines in DRC to try to make enough money to support their family, that those children would be protected from any harm.

· Please pray that God continues to strengthen our communities in DRC with strong leadership and with a heart for the children. That in all the work that they are doing, that they work to the best of their ability and as if they were working for the Lord, not for people. (Colossians 3:23)

· Also pray for the new communities we’ve recently stirred up, like Luambo and Kitabataba, as there is no outside funding yet, that God may strengthen them to stand firm and to support with their local resources according to the needs.

· Pray also for the Likasi, DRC Hands at Work team as they will be hosting Todd and Katie, a couple from Canada, in the DRC and that God may bless Todd and Katie as they support the team.

· Pray also for our brother Erick, Hands at Work coordinator in DRC. He has asked for prayer at this time for God’s guidance and direction in order to do His will in his life.

Thank you for standing firm with us in prayer!

“Let us think about each other and help each other to show love and do good deeds.” Hebrews 10:24

As we begin our time of prayer together

As we begin our 24 hour prayer and fasting, we encourage our global family to share by commenting on this post any thoughts, words or pictures you might receive, during this time.

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.