You can view or download this month’s Prayer and Praise diary here or read all of the points below.
Week 1
Sat 1st – DR Congo On Friday the 24th of January the civil conflict in the DRC came to a climax when M23 rebel forces began bombarding the city of Goma (where almost a million displaced people had been seeking refuge from the civil conflict). For almost a week the city was an active warzone. Praise God that the fighting has now eased (with the rebels claiming victory and the city) but pray for our partners and the people of Goma as they face the challenges ahead.
Sun 2nd – Uganda Pray for the staff member at CFM who is recovering after a recent miscarriage that threatened her life. Praise God for saving her life. Pray for His healing over her body and His peace and comfort over her mind as she mourns her lost child.
Mon 3rd – India Praise God for the teachers, social workers, and program staff who work tirelessly to support the children and families in BCM’s programs. Pray that God would continue to give them strength, wisdom, and encouragement in their mission.
Tue 4th – Indonesia It’s currently rainy season in Southwest Sumba and there’s often an increase in cases of dengue fever and malaria at this time. Pray that God would protect our partners and the people in their community – particularly the children, who are more vulnerable – from these diseases at this time.
Wed 5th – Cambodia Pray for the girl in one of Sunshine’s programs whose mother has been suffering from a number of illnesses and then was recently struck down by a motorbike and hospitalised. Pray for a quick and full recovery and pray for the family as they support her at this time.
Thu 6th – Uganda Praise God for the young woman at Wakisa who carried her twin pregnancy to full term and recently gave birth without complications (this is very uncommon with twins in Uganda and it’s actually the first time it’s happened at the Wakisa Centre).
Fri 7th – DR Congo Pray for Anicet (the translator at Ephphatha). He recently lost his brother and now his father is seriously ill in hospital. Pray that God might pour down His peace and comfort on him at this time.
Week 2
Sat 8th – Uganda There’s been an outbreak of Ebola in the regions of Uganda where our partners serve. Pray for protection for our partners, their families and the people of Uganda, and pray that the outbreak can be contained and doesn’t spread any further.
Sun 9th – DR Congo Praise God that, so far, none of our ministry partners’ staff members, or their families, lost their lives during the invasion of Goma. Continue praying as many of them have stories of near misses and trauma from the horrors they’ve experienced.
Mon 10th – Cambodia Praise God for Sen (Program Manager at Sunshine Cambodia) and his wife who is due to give birth any day now. Pray for a safe delivery and good health for both mother and child.
Tue 11th – Indonesia Praise God that the early stages of the new Child Sponsorship Program in Southwest Sumba are going well. Our partner recently completed the initial data gathering for all 80 families that are going to be part of the program.
Wed 12th – India Continue praying for Shanthi, a teacher at BCM’s Women’s and Children’s Centre, who has been frequently unwell in recent months. Pray for good health and if there is an underlying cause for her illness they can find and treat it.
Thu 13th – DR Congo Pray for the security guard at Ephphatha, who was on duty when a bomb struck the chapel during the M23 attack. Pray for him as he recovers physically (he went three days without food while remaining on site) and pray that he can recover from the trauma of what he saw and experienced.
Fri 14th – Uganda Pray that God would bless CFM’s pastor and church leader training event this month.
Week 3
Sat 15th – DR Congo Praise God for all the doctors, nurses, and social workers at the HEAL Africa hospital who selflessly kept the hospital running during the invasion and treated more than double their usual capacity (they have 250 beds but received 517 injured patients during the first 48 hours of the battle).
Sun 16th – Uganda Praise God for Paula (manager of the Wakisa Centre) and Marion (a midwife), who are both doing well in their studies and are looking to complete their courses in the next few months.
Mon 17th – Indonesia Continue praying for our partners as they’re currently recruiting a new health worker to join their Southwest Sumba team.
Tue 18th – India Praise God for Mr. Uday at BCM and his wife, who are expecting their first child this month (particularly because – in their own words – they got married ‘later in life’). Pray for a safe delivery and good health for both mother and child.
Wed 19th – Cambodia Praise God that the Sunshine team recently completed their annual reports for both donors and relevant ministries, department offices, and local government authorities. It’s a lot of hard work but it’s important and it’s also encouraging to see how much they achieved over the year.
Thu 20th – DR Congo Pray for Elyse (a laboratory technician at Ephphatha) who narrowly escaped stray bullets during the invasion of Goma. She is physically ok but traumatised. Praise God for protecting her life and pray that He would help her work through her fear and trauma and give her peace.
Fri 21st – Uganda After all the flooding earlier this year (and the impact it had on families in CFM’s agricultural program) praise God for a recent run of favourable weather for the latest round of crops.
Week 4
Sat 22nd – Uganda Praise God for the girls at Wakisa who have accepted Jesus Christ as their Lord and Saviour over the last few months.
Sun 23rd – DR Congo Pray for the families from the Mugunga displaced people camp where HEAL Africa supports the primary school. The M23 forces hit the camp on their way into Goma. We believe that most families in the camp fled in the days and hours before the rebels came through but please pray for safety and protection for them as they are once again displaced and fleeing for their lives.
Mon 24th – Cambodia Pray for everyone at Sunshine and their families, as there are a lot of colds and flus going around the community at the moment. Pray for their good health and protection from these illnesses.
Tue 25th – India Many families in the communities that BCM serve lack proper identification documents. This causes many challenges in terms of accessing housing, services, loans, etc. Pray that local political leaders can prioritise the welfare of these vulnerable communities and help get the documents they need.
Wed 26th – Indonesia Pray for safety for our partners as they travel between the office and the villages. The roads are particularly challenging right now in rainy season as they become slippery, and many are prone to landslides.
Thu 27th – DR Congo Pray, now the fighting has eased, that the people of Goma would be able to get food and water into the city again after the supply routes into the city have been cut off for so long.
Fri 28th – Uganda Praise God for the recent success of CFM’s village savings and loan program and pray for His blessing over the business training they’re running for members of the program this month.
Week 5
Sat 29th – Cambodia Continue praying for Sunshine’s fundraising efforts. Many of their international donors have had to reduce their financial support, so pray for God’s guidance as they seek new partnerships and opportunities.
Sun 30th – DR Congo Continue praying for the soldiers on both sides of the conflict. Pray that God would give them hearts of grace and mercy towards all the civilians they come across in this battle.
Mon 31st – Uganda Continue praying for people affected by the flooding and deadly landslides in Eastern Uganda earlier this year. Hundreds of families are still rebuilding after losing their homes and livelihoods.