Presbyterian Church in Ireland - Mission Overseas - Overseas Prayerline

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Overseas Prayerline

The 'Day' and 'Country' designations below refer to the respective right-hand page(s) in the 2012 edition of the Points for Prayer Handbook, which contains useful background information to these prayer requests.

Click on these links for further information on Countries, Partners and People.

Day 5 – PORTUGAL

The last couple of months have been particularly busy for James and Heather Cochrane. James has been travelling to Lisbon each week to teach a class at the Portuguese Bible Institute - Instituto Bíblico Português (PBI). His final class was last Thursday evening. This Friday evening (18th), he begins a new module in the Algarve, so for the next five Fridays, James will be teaching Hermeneutics to the 10 students in Olhão. A few of these students are expected to graduate on 30th June, having completed the necessary requirements of the first year degree programme. The course will continue during the next academic year, to give the remaining students the opportunity to complete sufficient modules to graduate in 2013.

• Give thanks to God for these students and pray that their time of learning and study with PBI will greatly benefit their ministries in their own churches. 
  
  
• Give thanks for a local pastor, Pastor Mário, who has been teaching for the past year in Olhão. He has been a great help and blessing to the students.
  
  
• Give thanks for the students on the Obreiro Aprovado course (a two-year discipleship course for church members, studying the gospel of Matthew) which continues on Monday evenings. 
  
  
• Pray for James and Heather’s involvement with the GBU group in Faro. Pray for a Bible study group to be set up for international students.
  
  
• Give thanks for the opportunities James has to speak at various church services and meetings. Pray for James as he communicates God’s truth at these. 

Day 8 – ROMANIA 

Rev Uel Marrs, Overseas Secretary, is currently on a short visit to Romania.  From Monday 14th to today (Wednesday 16th), he attended a round-table consultation in Oradea on the mission work of the Transylvanian and the Királyhágómellék Districts of Hungarian Reformed Church (HRC) in Romania.  Tomorrow, Thursday (18th), Uel will travel to Cluj-Napoca to meet with partners and with the Veres family. 

• Pray that the conference will be a very beneficial time and for wise decisions to be made. 
  
  
• Pray too that Uel’s visit will be an encouragement to the Veres family.
  
  
• Pray for safe and trouble-free travel and for good health for Uel throughout his trip. 

Days 12 to 14 – KENYA

It is raining in many areas of Kenya. The rains have come very late this year and sadly some areas have been flooded, destroying crops and livestock, whereas other areas have received too little rainfall.   

• Give thanks for the much-needed rainfall and the benefits it has brought to many areas. 
  
  
• Pray for people in areas affected by flooding, and those suffering where the rainfall has been insufficient.

Local farmers in Timau are very happy with their harvests, as most have produced twice as much as previous harvests. However, they would like more seed, and also for fertilisers to be provided the same way as the seed. 

• Give thanks for the good harvests in the Timau area.
  
  
• Pray for staff working to produce more seed to keep up with increased demand. 

The students who have received bursaries through the WHEAT Foundation are very happy and performing well now that they are able to concentrate on their studies, as they have no fear of being sent home due to unpaid fees.  They greatly appreciate WHEAT for sponsoring them.

• Give thanks for the difference WHEAT’s student bursaries are making in the lives of children and their families. 
  

The concentration of rainfall that has fallen in the past weeks in Nairobi has put pressure on the Galana river, and several areas are badly flooded. Land around one side of the first footbridge had flooded so much that people cannot reach the walk way, so the local community are now walking all the way to the second footbridge!

• Give thanks for the provision of the two footbridges and pray that the walkway to the first footbridge will soon be able to be used again. 

Stephen Cowan sends the following prayer points from Tuum:-

• Pray for safe travel on roads made much more dangerous due to the rain.
  
  
• Give thanks that most girls have returned to Tuum Girl’s Secondary School following the holdiays. Continue to pray for a resolution of school leadership problem at the school. 
  
  
• Pray for the monthly adult Bible Teaching time in Tuum which is due to start this Sunday, (20th). Pray too for the outreach time which will follow it. (The location has yet to be decided and will depend on the rain). 

Day 15 – SPECIALIST SERVICE AGENCIES

SAT-7 broadcast Christian television programmes into the Middle East and North Africa. 

• Pray for a tenfold increase this year in people in the Middle East and North Africa who have access to a Bible and who read it.
  
  
• Pray for SAT-7 staff members and their families; for good health, safety, energy, and joy as they work to strengthen God's kingdom on earth.
  
  
• Give thanks that children are learning to pray to Him by hearing the prayers offered on SAT-7 KIDS.
  
  
• Pray for the SAT-7 TÜRK programme ‘A Day in His Courts,’ that theworship services broadcast will introduce thousands of Turkish people to the Lord.
  
  
• Pray for the series of programmes, entitled ‘My Generation’ broadcast on SAT-7 PARS, which aim to tackle issues faced by young people in Iran and Afghanistan. Pray that many will watch the programmes and that they will see the purpose and hope available in Christ. 

Day 21 – INDIA

Last Friday evening (11th), Rt Rev Vinod Malaviya, Bishop of the Diocese of Gujarat of the Church of North India, was awarded an honorary Doctor of Divinity degree by the Presbyterian Theological Faculty Ireland (PTFI) at a ceremony at Union Theological College. Bishop Malaviya and a group of people from the Diocese of Gujarat, including some of his family members travelled to N. Ireland to attend the graduation. This will be Vinod’s last visit to Ireland as Bishop of the Gujarat Diocese before he retires this summer. The process for the election of a new Bishop has now begun and should be completed by the end of July. 

• Give thanks for Bishop Malaviya’s many years of service. 
  
  
• Pray that he and the other visitors will have safe and trouble-free travel home. 
  
  
• Pray for God’s guidance for all involved in the appointment of a new Bishop. 

Day 22 – ASIANS in the UK

Ms Shobhna Shah, a good friend of Christopher and Nivedita Benjamin, is grieving for her brother who died yesterday (15th). Shobhna, a Christian lady, regularly hosts a monthly prayer meeting in her home. 

• Pray for Shobhna and her family at this difficult time, that they find peace and comfort in God and His Word.
  
  
• Pray that the Christian members of the family will be strengthened in their faith and be a great witness to other family members who are Hindus.

Day 24 – NEPAL

The Nepali Christian Community is encouraging Christians throughout the world to join them in ‘40 Days of Global Prayer for Nepal’, (18th April to 27th May) and have put together a list of prayer requests which are being included in Prayerline over this period. 

Pray for the growth of God’s Kingdom and Revival in Nepal

• For a renewed zeal and passion for prayer, and that the Kingdom of God will be established across Nepal.
  
  
• To see at least one church and one trained leader in each village throughout Nepal.
  
  
• For church growth among the Nepali diaspora around the world.
  
  
• For God’s blessing to flow from the highest place in the world to the rest of the world.
  
  
• For the success of 40 Days of Global Prayer for Nepal - that many would join in prayer across Nepal and beyond.

Day 26 –MISSION INVOLVEMENT

Very positive feedback has been received following the recent training events, designed to help prepare teams and individuals who are going overseas to engage in short-term mission, as well as those who are sending / debriefing them, ('Prepared to Send?' 'Prepared to Go?' and 'Prepared to Unpack the Experience?'). Around 80 people attended one or more of the training days, the majority of whom are from Presbyterian congregations. Each year, especially during the summer months, upwards of 20 'Presbyterian' teams - sent centrally and by congregations - go to different areas of the world, where they connect with local Christians to do a variety of work, including children's and youth outreach, building work, practical projects and leadership training.

• Give thanks for the Training Days and that those who attended found them beneficial. 
  
  
• Pray for God’s guidance for all those planning to go overseas in the coming months to engage in mission. 

Day 28 – INDONESIA

The Evangelical Christian Church in Timor (GMIT) is holding its annual Assembly this week. This is an important Assembly as it is the first one to be held under the new leadership team, and also the new ministry programmes for the Synod Commissions have to be approved and passed by the Assembly.

• Pray for God's guidance and wisdom and that Jesus would truly be at the centre of all that GMIT does. 

Barryy and Elsye McCroskery very much appreciated the recent visit of Rev Cheryl Meban (Convener of the Board of Mission Overseas) to Kupang.  Following this, Cheryl travelled to Medan in North Sumatra in western Indonesia and has been representing the Presbyterian Church in Ireland (PCI) at the Executive Committee of the World Communion of Reformed Churches (WCRC) meeting there from 10th to 17th May.

• Give thanks for Cheryl’s encouraging visit to Kupang.
  
  
• Pray for wisdom and spiritual protection for the WCRC executive as they discern the way forward for the WCRC, to make us best able to serve each other in the Reformed family, and particularly to be equipped and envisioned to give a voice to minority and persecuted churches around the world.
  
  
• Pray that Cheryl will have a safe and trouble-free journey home. 

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