SCRIPTURAL ENCOURAGEMENTS
‘Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the
father of mercies and God of comfort, who comforts us in all our tribulation,
that we may be able to comfort those who are in trouble, with the comfort with
which we ourselves are comforted by God. For as the sufferings of Christ abound
in us, so our consolation also abounds through Christ.’ 2 Corinthians 1: vs. 3-5
ORPHANOS
Dulce Refugio, an orphanage in Aguascaiebtes Mexico, just
celebrated its seventh anniversary this month. Dulce Refugio provides a
safe haven for children and teaches them about our savior Jesus Christ. We
give thanks that this orphanage has never lacked food, clothes or God's loving
protection. While the home has never lacked they have never had support of
the government where the home is located. During the celebration of the
anniversary of the home a social worker from Queretaro who helps children at Pan
de Vida, another orphanage in Mexico, came to raise support for the orphanage
with the government social services in Queretaro. Due to the hostile
relationship between the Aguascalientes Social Services and Dulce Refugio, the home is having to look for
other social service agencies in other states to help them.
-
Please pray that the Aguascalientes Social Services will
change and become more willing to work with Dulce Refugio.
-
Please pray that the home will find other Social Services
from other Mexican states to assist them.
-
Please pray for the children who are affected by these
decisions.
RWANDA -
The events of 1994, when around one million Rwandans were
brutally killed in genocide, had a devastating impact on the country and its
people. Today Rwanda is rebuilding itself socially and economically, with
communities determined to restore their lives. But this optimism for the future
is challenged by the presence of HIV disease. With around 3% of the adult
population living with HIV, and over 200,000 children orphaned by AIDS, the task
of building healthy stable lives is not easy. Rwanda commemorated the 15th
anniversary of the end of the genocide on the 17th of this month.
Bethany Children’s Trust request prayer for their partner
projects in Rwanda. Aprecom is working with children through Inshuti Nziza
clubs, meaning ‘good friends’. These are support clubs for children who may have
HIV themselves or have been orphaned by the disease. Here, children can play,
build friendships, learn life skills and develop supportive relationships with
team members.
Abisunzimana now runs support groups for around 100 adults
and 150 children living with or affected by HIV. Both projects need more
international partners to enhance their financial stability and the
sustainability of the work.
-
Please pray that at this time of commemoration of the end
of the genocide, the world would look favorably upon assisting this country to
continue the restoration process.
-
Pray for favor upon Aprecom and Abisunzimana, that
financial support would be forthcoming to enable a sustainable work.
-
Pray especially for the children who have benefited from
the work of both projects and pray that God would continue working through the
church in this country.
BANGLADESH –
Looking to the future we want to be one step ahead in
starting to pray for a planned children’s workers conference being held from 22
- 24th October. ‘Generation Bangladesh’ will be facilitating this gathering and
ask for prayer in all the planning and preparation involved. They are expecting
500 children’s workers from 18 different church bodies in Bangladesh.
-
Thank God for how He is using this ministry for children in
Bangladesh and pray for Sukhen and Puspa who head up the team.
-
Pray that the right people would get to know about the
event and that there would be a good response with people wanting to attend.
-
Pray for the planning and conference framework that it
would be inspired by the Holy Spirit, allowing great fruitfulness to flow in
the lives of the children’s workers who will attend.
SOMALIA –
Deadly violence between government troops and al Shabaab
terrorists have forced more than 200,000 residents to flee the capital city of
Mogadishu since May 2009 according to the United Nations. The city is virtually
deserted with militants having taken over many buildings. Since 5th July at
least 50 military troops have been admitted to hospitals and the UN have no way
of knowing how many citizens are still trapped in Mogadishu. Refugee camps are
overflowing and lacking in many basic necessities. Families have an agonizing
choice according to the Associated Press notes, ‘stay in the streets where men
fire mortars and machine-guns that have killed children asleep in their beds, or
head out of town, where camps for the displaced are severely overstretched.’
-
Pray for the internally displaced persons (IDP’s) who are
struggling to survive, many along the sides of the road between the capital
city and Afgoye, and in the overstretched camps.
-
Pray that good and Godly people would rise up and be role
models for the children caught up in the suffering.
-
Pray that children would be inspired with faith and hope in
a future; that our heavenly Father can make a difference through our prayers
and actions prompted by the Holy Spirit.
-
Pray for God to give wisdom to President Sharif Ahmed, the
head of the fragile, interim government, that he will make all of his
decisions based on biblical principles. (Ecclesiastes 7:19)
-
Pray for God to arise and intervene on behalf of those who
are suffering in this crisis. Pray that there will be an abundance of clean
drinking water, food, shelter and safety for those who are trying to avoid the
violence.
DEMOCRATIC
REPUBLIC OF CONGO – SEXUAL VIOLENCE IN CONFLICT
Just over a year ago, in answering a question raised through
the situation in DRC, the United Nations security council tabled a resolution
which was unanimously adopted, finally recognizing sexual violence as a widely
used strategy of warfare. While this cleared the path for the council to respond
to the issue worldwide, it is a tragedy that the Congo remains the worst place
on the planet to be a woman. Over the last 12 years, in a regional economic war
for resources, hundreds of thousands of women and girls have been raped and
tortured, their bodies destroyed by unimaginable acts. According to Anneke Van
Woudenberg of the Human Rights group, it would appear that since January, rape
cases have more than doubled. Children as young as three are being raped along
with whole families of girls.
-
Please pray for the girl children and women of the
Democratic Republic of Congo who continue to be brutally raped and tortured.
-
Pray that the perpetrators, who are almost never prosecuted
or held accountable, will be brought to justice.
-
Pray for the girl children born of rapes, who are now being
raped.
-
Pray for the healing—physical, emotional, and spiritual—of
these terrorized girls and women.
-
Pray that God will open the eyes of the leaders of the
Democratic Republic of Congo and Africa’s Great Lakes region and help them put
a stop to rape as a weapon of war.
-
Pray for an end to this 12-year nightmare of sexual
terrorism for the women and girls of eastern DR Congo.
