Standing in the Gap Together

Greetings to all in Jesus’ name,

 

By standing in the gap for others, we are truly blessed.

 

This week, please pray,

that we will find success in our 2012 goals:

1)     Increasing church involvement inside our communities in Africa and internationally

2)     Increasing support to our offices across Africa (10 Service Centres across 8 African countries)

3)     Strengthening of our Zambia Regional Support Team and our Hands Community in Zambia (where the majority of our work is happening: supporting 3 countries, 5 offices and 41 communities)

4)     Increasing emphasis on mentoring and discipleship within our Hands family

As well as continued implementation of our 2011 goals.

 

The Democratic Republic of Congo service centre is looking for an administrator and field coordinator. Pray that God will open doors that will bring about His will.

-    The team is also travelling to Goma in the near future to start up work there – please pray for wisdom and discernment in this new step.

-    Angel, our Hands at Work accountant in the DR Congo, is expecting; please pray that the Lord will assist her and give her strength to care for the new baby.

-    A care worker, Museba Kasowa is improving and gaining strength after a long illness. Please continue to pray for total recovery.

-    Adam Bedford, a long term volunteer from the UK, has just arrived to assist Erick and his team in the DR Congo. Pray for safety and encouragement as he continues to follow the heart of the Lord in servant hood.

 

The wings of faith carry us far and high

–Oswald Chambers

Thank you,

Oumie

Standing in the Gap Together

Greetings to all in Jesus’ name,

 

By standing in the gap for others, we are truly blessed.

 

This week, please pray,

that we will find success in our 2012 goals:

1)     Increasing church involvement inside our communities in Africa and internationally

2)     Increasing support to our offices across Africa (10 Service Centres across 8 African countries)

3)     Strengthening of our Zambia Regional Support Team and our Hands Community in Zambia (where the majority of our work is happening: supporting 3 countries, 5 offices and 41 communities)

4)     Increasing emphasis on mentoring and discipleship within our Hands family

As well as continued implementation of our 2011 goals.

 

The Democratic Republic of Congo service centre is looking for an administrator and field coordinator. Pray that God will open doors that will bring about His will.

-    The team is also travelling to Goma in the near future to start up work there – please pray for wisdom and discernment in this new step.

-    Angel, our Hands at Work accountant in the DR Congo, is expecting; please pray that the Lord will assist her and give her strength to care for the new baby.

-    A care worker, Museba Kasowa is improving and gaining strength after a long illness. Please continue to pray for total recovery.

-    Adam Bedford, a long term volunteer from the UK, has just arrived to assist Erick and his team in the DR Congo. Pray for safety and encouragement as he continues to follow the heart of the Lord in servant hood.

 

The wings of faith carry us far and high

–Oswald Chambers

Thank you,

Oumie

New Year's Prayer

Greetings in Jesus’ name,

“He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak”

Isaiah 40:29

Please pray for:

Luanshya, Zambia
Children who were selected to go into grade eight this year are unable to do so because of a lack of funds to pay for their school fees, and must stay at home.

South Africa
The training of careworkers from Bushbuckridge and Clau Clau continues during February.

1)      That preparations will be done in a spirit of excellence and the trainers will be well-prepared

2)      Hearts of Care Workers to receive all that God has for them, and lives changed in the attitude towards children will bring acceptance, belonging and resilience.

3)      God to fulfill His promise to do immeasurably more than we can think or hope

4)      Care Workers to take this change into their lives and the community that they serve

United Kingdom
Please pray that those who have been identified as the right people to build their operation team will confirm their availability to serve God sacrificially, and that God will reveal the final pieces of the puzzle to complete this amazing team.

George plans to visit Hands UK in October; please pray for safety and that the visit will be strategic. Pray that the preparation for a Hands Family retreat will be successful, that the hearts of those involved will be stirred to build partnerships to the next level.

Nigeria
That God will open doors for the advocacy team for Badia so they will be able to start a “Three Essential Services” (Food, education, basic health-care) program to share the needs of the community.

“Joy is the echo of God’s life within us” – Joseph Marmion

Love,
Oumie (Hands at Work Intercessor Coordinator)

Prayer for Peace during D.R.C. Elections

Hello friends,

We would like to ask you to join with us in prayer for Democratic Republic of Congo today, their election day.

Violence is expected and poorest most vulnerable always suffer the most.

Please pray for the communities we work in, especially the most at risk in the Goma area in Eastern DR Congo where rebels are ready at any spark of conflict.

Henri Ladyi, director of the Centre Resolution Conflits in DR Congo, was quoted by the The Observer in London as saying: ''The election motivates many people and many armed groups to go back to using guns as a way to try and gain power... Many ex-combatants are going back to the bush now: Violence is what they know.''

Read more about the elections in DR Congo here. 

Thank you for lifting up the most vulnerable with us at this time. We pray for peace—the kind of peace that surpasses all understanding and brings about an outcome that could only be God.

Update on 2011-12-03 13:19 by Hands at Work

Hello friends,
Here is an email from Erick in the Democratic Republic of Congo to inform your prayers. Election results are said to be announced on December 6th, although many opposition leaders have called for a cancellation due to widespread rigging.

Email from Erick:

Hi friends, I felt to update you on the current situation in the DRC during this time since I know you are earnestly praying for us daily.

A week before the elections the dollar rate dropped down from 900fc/$ to 750fc/$ making the situation in the country so complicated. No one knows the reason why and everyone has to wait till the announcement of the elections to see how far things will move.

We had our elections on the 28th of November but tensions were recorded everywhere in the country. And a rumour of fraud is making things worse and already a cold war is starting in the hearts of local people in Katanga region. This is reminding me of how the civil war broke in 1992 in this region again and lots of people were killed. The situation is not too well after all the things which happened during election day.

A couple of days before the elections a vehicle was stopped on Kasumbalesa road,the way to the Zambian boarder. People with guns coming out from the big bush along the road were asking the passengers who they will have to vote. Those who said they would vote for Kabila were stripped, beaten to death and some killed. There are alots of scenarios happening here this time as you can get some news on Internet and radio broadcasting. No one feels secure to travel long distances or to walk in the night freely. The situation is not promising because people were firstly stressed because of the drop of dollars and now the tension of violence is bringing more stress. Soldiers are spread everywhere for security but people dread them the most because everyone is looking for a way to plunder his neighbour! 

The election results will be announced on 6th. Who will win between Kabila and Tshisekedi? How will be the DRC situation after the proclamation of results? Already there are differents views of violence no matter who will win. This may bring a bloodshed chaos between people because of each one's conviction. We dread the worse but we trust God to see us through in this kind of situation because our people have suffered alot and blood was shed many times in such periods! Please continue to pray for us and the children in DRC so that peace and justice may prevail no matter the outcome results of the elections.

Thanks and regards,
Erick

Rom 13:1-7 “Let every soul be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and the authorities that exist are appointed by God.

-       Ask God in His wisdom to reveal and appoint the leaders He approves of and who will best serve God’s purposes for Democratic Republic of Congo.

Deu 1:15 “So I took the heads of your tribes, wise and knowledgeable men, and made them heads over you, leaders of thousands, leaders of hundreds, leaders of fifties, leaders of tens, and officers for your tribes.”

-       Pray that leaders of wisdom and understanding will be raised up to lead Democratic Republic of Congo as a nation in righteousness and justice.

Fighting a Cholera Outbreak

War-torn, rebel-ridden, poor and down-trodden Goma: It's hard to believe that things can get worse for the vulnerable communities in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). After refugee camps closed across the DRC and in neighboring countries on the eve of the country's 50th independence anniversary, groups of stunned and, again, displaced people congregated to form makeshift communities.

Here is an extract from the account of Hands at Work founder, George Snyman's, first visit to the area a little more than a year ago: "The eight-year, bloody war has been over for seven years, but the fighting continues. Despite this, the government which is celebrating its 50th year of independence, has closed most of the refugee camps scattered across the eastern provinces of the DRC leaving millions of people homeless. Left with little choice, refugees are returning to their burned-down, vandalized towns often without family members. Stunned, groups of people - unrelated other than sharing the same adversity - congregate to from huddles of make-do communities." (Read a second letter about Goma here.)

One such community is called Luhonga. It is remote, poor and extremely vulnerable. George and Hands at Work DRC representative, Erick Rukang, made a follow-up trip to this community a few months ago and started work in the area. Erick is presently back in Luhonga and found the village awash with a cholera outbreak. Known for his compassion towards suffering children, he wrote a letter to the Hands at Work Hub yesterday:

We found the village of Luhonga in a big crisis. The entire village is in profound distress, but they were strengthened when they saw us. One care worker lost her child in this incident.

The Luhonga people were very grateful for George's last visit. They said that if he did not come at that particular time, teaching about emergency medication to fight diarrhoea, all the children could have died at this time; perhaps even the entire village! So far only one child has died though the clinic is full of patients laying everywhere, even on the floor. Almost everyone--from the leaders to the children--has been affected. Tomorrow [Monday, 31 October] we will look for a way to purify the water.

We are so grateful for your prayer support. Your prayers are effective: It is amazing to see children surviving in such critical conditions, a situation of desperation. All the people are frightened because of death on their doorstep, especially in light of the other challenges they are facing.

We invite you to intercede with us for all those residing in Lahonga: the widows, orphans, leaders, clinic staff and Hands at Work representatives. Let's pray for no more deaths, for a quick and effective intervention, for wisdom and strength for Erick and his team, and that God will use this seemingly hopeless situation to transform and strengthen the community.

Equipping and new beginnings

Greetings to all who faithfully pray

“He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak.”    - Isaiah 40v29

Please pray for:

Four teams from the US will be coming to Zambia during August and September. We trust for travelling mercies and that they may be obediant to what God wants them to do AFTER their visit to the care workers in Zambia.

We are running a training workshop in Malawi on the Walking with Wounded Children programme with participants from four African countries. Pray that those attending, would be committed to the vision to see many vulnerable children experiencing compassion and acceptance.

On 12 August we are running a workshop in South Africa on how to improve our parental home visits. We pray that the team will be inspired to improve on their personal work.

George is leaving Goma tomorrow after a ten day visit. Erick, our coordinator in the DRC who joined George in Goma, will be staying on for another week. Pray for the relationships that have been birthed with local churches.

God's blessings,

Oumie Snyman