Meet Nancy 

The Lord your God is with you, the Mighty Warrior who saves. He will take great delight in you; in His love He will no longer rebuke you, but will rejoice over you with singing. - Zephaniah 3:17

When Nancy’s* father forced her out of the family home because of bad behaviour, Nancy was left with no choice but to come to Apatuku in Nigeria to stay with her aunt. Nancy’s vulnerability and feelings of rejection increased once again when her aunt also became overwhelmed by Nancy’s bad behaviour and she was forced out of the home in the middle of the night. Suddenly, Nancy was totally alone with nowhere to go and no one to rely on. 

Wandering around Apatuku, she met Mama Taiwo, who after hearing Nancy’s story and hearing from the aunt about the challenges at home, brought Nancy to stay with her. Soon after, Nancy began attending the Life Centre in Apatuku. Today, 16 year old Nancy attends the government school in Apatuku and helps Mama Taiwo by working in the family shop after school. Mama Taiwo is committed to teaching Nancy responsibility and helping her grow into a healthy adult. 

Thank God for the work that He is doing in the lives of the most vulnerable children across Africa like Nancy. Pray that each child will come to know God's love and will experience His healing and restoration.

Praying for Primary Caregivers 

“It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery.” - Galations 5:1 

Primary Caregivers are the men and women who care for our children and are often the children’s grandparents, aunties, uncles or other relatives in the absence of their parents. Struggling with their own brokenness, several Primary Caregivers struggle to care for the children in the way that they need in order to grow into healthy and whole adults. 

  • Pray for each Primary Caregiver to know God’s love and believe in His truth instead of believing the cultural norms and traditional practices in their community.  

  • Pray that they will experience God’s healing, transformation and freedom through the love and compassion of the Care Workers and local Hands at Work teams. 

  • As they experience healing, pray that their newfound freedom will overflow to the children that they are caring for.

Praying for Hands at Work Partners

I will give thanks to you, Lord, with all my heart; I will tell of all your wonderful deeds. - Psalm 9:1

Hands at Work has partners across the world who give of their time, energy and resources to speak and advocate on behalf of the most vulnerable in Africa. Most partners have been unable to send teams to Africa over the last two years because of the COVID-19 pandemic. 

  • Pray that they will feel encouraged and uplifted. Pray that they wouldn't grow weary and that God would be their strength. 

  • Praise God for the new partnerships that have been developed - even though they have been physically unable to come to Africa. Pray that these partnerships would continue to grow and flourish.

  • Pray that they would continue to find unique and creative ways to advocate on behalf of the vulnerable.

Praying for the Leaders Training 

Complete my joy by being of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind. 
- Philippians 2:2 

Next week, a group of Hands at Work volunteers will gather in South Africa for a week of planning and preparing the way forward. 

  • Pray for the logistics involved in gathering together in one place, in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, while abiding by the rules and regulations.

  • Pray for people to come with a willing heart to receive all that God wants to do in and through them. 

  • Pray for each person to have wisdom and a sensitivity to the Holy Spirit as they meet.

Praying for Hands at Work’s International Offices

Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. – Galations 6:9

Hands at Work has International Offices across the world, comprised of men and women who are committed to living out their calling to serve the most vulnerable in their home countries. Today we invite you to join us in interceding on their behalf. 

UK

A number of UK teams who have not been able to travel to Africa this year are fundraising for Community Investment Projects. Pray that this will be a success and that it will help them feel connected to the communities that they partner with Hands at Work to support, even though they can’t travel. 

North America

Pray for wisdom as Hands at Work in Canada and the US navigate travel restrictions within their own countries, but also crossing International borders. There is a team due to travel from North America to Zambia in September. Pray for God’s favour in making a way for this team to come.  

Pray for some upcoming gatherings of advocates and partners: two in the US on the West coast (in the San Francisco Bay Area in August) and East coast (in Maryland and New York in September), and one in Edmonton, Canada (in October). Pray for the logistical and spiritual preparation that goes into planning these gatherings.  

Pray for the role of our International Offices in spurring on our advocates, especially those partners who haven't been to Africa in a while or even at all because of the pandemic. Also pray for those advocates who need encouragement to keep Hands at Work in the forefront of their minds.

Pray for the upcoming online gathering of the International Offices on July 29th. Pray for their time together to be impactful and that much fruit would come from it.