Presbyterian Church in Ireland - Mission Overseas - PL2009-42, 21-Oct-09

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PL2009-42, 21-Oct-09

The 'Day' and 'Country' designations below refer to the respective right-hand page(s) in the 2009 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 8 – UKRAINE

Jenni Wolfe travelled last weekend to Budapest in Hungary to renew her Ukrainian work visa and is still there. The process hasn’t been as straightforward as Jenni had expected. Several problems have arisen with no immediately clear way to resolve them. In particular, she’s missing an important piece of paperwork but no one seems to know quite how to get it!

Jenni’s friend, Angel, who is with her in Budapest, has been a great support, doing much of the ‘leg-work’ in regards to the Embassy. Jenni says, “Monika has also been helping from the other end [in Ukraine], even though she is not feeling well. So I’m grateful to God for great friends. I have sent the important emails to the people that I have been told to contact and now it is a waiting game with numerous ways this can go.” [See Jenni's blog for more details]

Prayer Points –

• Pray that Jenni will be able to obtain all the paperwork she needs for the renewal of her Ukrainian work visa; and that her application will be approved and a new visa issued soon.
  
  
• Pray that Jenni may know God’s peace and strength at this testing time. Give thanks for the support she has had from her friends.
  
  
• Remember Monica, in Nagybereg in Ukraine, and pray that she will soon be feeling well again.

Days 12 to 14 – KENYA

In Galana, the official opening of the new church building will be taking place next Tuesday (27th), while the footbridge across the Galana River is to be officially opened the following day, Wednesday 28th. Derek Roulston and his daughters, Laura-Jayne and Amy, are due to leave Dublin tomorrow (22nd) to travel to Kenya for these opening ceremonies. PCI will be represented by Rev Stephen Richmond, Convener of BMO’s Outreach Ministries Committee. 

This is an important time for the Galana Community Development Project – now officially known as PCEA Pwani Presbytery 'WHEAT' Project – and the local community.  The Vice-President of Kenya and a number of other government officials will be attending, along with representatives from Gorta and Irish Aid, who have both provided substantial funding for the project.  Several members of congregations from Ireland that have helped fund the Bridge Project, will be in Galana, along with a group of nine from Raphoe Royal & Prior Comprehensive School in Donegal, who will be there to build on the links they’ve started to make with the school in Galana.  It will be a busy time for the community, particularly with organising accommodation, and providing transport and food for all the visitors. 

Prayer Points –

• Give thanks for the new church building and for the many people in the Galana area who have come to faith in Jesus Christ.
  
  
• Give thanks too for the building of the footbridge across the crocodile-infested Galana River.  People can now cross in safety without fear of drowning, or being attacked by crocodile or hippo.
  
  
• That God will be glorified in all that takes place in next week’s celebrations.
  
  
• For all the arrangements, that everything will go well and the ceremonies will run smoothly.  Pray too for safety for all who will be travelling to Galana over the next few days.

Patrick Ole Kipetu reports from Olkinyiei, that the drought is severe with the Maasai being forced to cut leaves from the tops of the trees in order to supply food to their animals, while the few livestock that remain are very thin. The community water tank on the PCEA Acacia Grove Mission (AGM) compound is now being used to provide water to the animals, as well as supplying families with their needs. Few men remain in Olkinyiei, as the majority have left with their animals in search of grazing. Gangs have again come into the area, which has resulted in increased insecurity as they go around stealing.

As part of the Programme for Pastoral Instruction(PPI), Patrick Ole Kipetu and Naomi Leremore recently compiled teaching materials for use at primary school level.  Patrick has now begun to try these new teaching resources in selected primary schools in Olkinyiei. It is hoped this trial will be successful, paving the way for AGM to become more active within the school environment, enabling the Word of God to be taught to the children, as well as opening up opportunities for discussion on cultural issues.

Prayer Points –

• For the Maasai people, that through this time of hardship God will become even more real to them; and that He will not only send physical showers but also spiritual showers of blessing on a dry and thirsty land.
  
  
• That the AGM Team will be able to help the local community as they minister to their needs.
  
  
• For Patrick and Naomi, as they continue to develop the PPI material, that it will be contextually appropriate and spiritually rich in content, helping the Maasai children to understand God and His plan of salvation.
  
  
• For the safety of the Maasai people in Olkinyiei and the staff at the Mission during these difficult times, particularly with the rise in insecurity in the area.

In Tuum, the Cowan’s telephone and email connections have been restored after being down for some weeks. In recent weeks there’s been much insecurity and tension associated with watering points in the area. Two people were recently shot dead at Marti and an attack last week left another person dead. Over the past week, there’s been good rainfall in many parts of Kenya and, in Tuum, the Girls’ Secondary School compound is showing good signs of grass recovery after serious overgrazing by sheep.  

The monthly Bible teaching is taking place this week in Tuum, when people from surrounding villages gather to learn from the Word of God. The outreach location will depend on how much it rains, and where.

Encouragingly, lives do change over time with people thinking differently, as they see things from a biblically-enlightened perspective. Such people, and particularly those who have not gone through cultural initiations, can speak with authority about their change of outlook and where it has come from.  When hard times come, such as drought, people are usually more open to looking at life from a different perspective. Whilst relief programmes can cushion the impact of hardship by meeting urgent physical needs, those who benefit from such help are more likely to close their minds to the need for change. 

Preparations are underway for the Youth camp being held in December. A group of over 80 students, Christian Union members from one of the campuses in Nairobi, will be around Mt Nyiru involved in outreach and some of them will be responsible for taking the youth camps.

Prayer Points –

• Give thanks that Cowan’s telephone and email connections have been restored.
  
  
• Pray for peace and calm in the area and for better relations between different communities.
  
  
• Give thanks for the recent rainfall.  Pray that it will continue in the right amounts to provide sufficient water for people and animals, and enabling crops to grow steadily and produce a good harvest. 
  
  
• Remember Caragh Cowan, as she returns to school after the half-term holiday. Give thanks that she is enjoying boarding school.
  
  
• Continue to pray for many of the young girls in Tuum who have professed faith and made obvious spiritual progress but often drift back into sin.
  
  
• Pray that the outreach around Mt Nyiru will challenge the young Kenyan generation to have a desire to support and be involved in mission in their own country.
  
  
• Pray for Julius, as he prepares to move to Seren, where there is no gospel witness.  After the rains there should be improved water supply, so many more people are likely to return to this area of the Ndoto Mountains.

Day 23 – PAKISTAN

After a lull in violence in Lahore during the summer, there were three vicious attacks last Thursday (15th) on military and police centres in the city; there were also many other violent incidents in other parts of the country. Then, yesterday (20th) two suicide bombers attacked a university in Islamabad. Late yesterday evening the Provincial Government ordered all educational institutions throughout the Punjab to close "until further notice". [More from BBC News]

Prayer Points –

• Pray for the safety of the people of Pakistan, and all associated with educational institutions in particular. Pray that the suspension of teaching activities will be short and that it may help everyone to remain calm.
  
  
• Pray that the people will not lose hope; that the plans of those who are intent on violence will come to nothing, and that their hearts will be changed.

Day 26 – MISSION INVOLVEMENT

‘Moving out, moving on’ is the theme for this autumn’s two ‘Celebration of Global Mission’ evenings, taking place on:

Tomorrow, 22nd Thursday in Ardstraw Presbyterian Church, near Omagh (7.45 pm – 9.30 pm)

Speakers: Gary & Mary Reid (KENYA); Heather Lennox (JAMAICA); Moderator, Rev Dr Stafford Carson (on his recent visit to ETHIOPIA); and Naomi Keefe (BRAZIL)

Next Tuesday, 27th October in Church House, Belfast (7.30 pm – 9.30 pm)

Speakers: David Steele (MALAWI); Moderator, Rev Dr Stafford Carson (on his recent visit to ETHIOPIA); Mervyn & Raing McCullagh (INDONESIA); and Naomi Keefe (BRAZIL)

The offering on both evenings will be going towards Jivandwar Mission in Gujarat (India), where abandoned children or those from difficult home situations, as well as adults suffering from leprosy, are provided with a home and support. The aim at Jivandwar is to provide for the educational, medical and spiritual needs of all who live there within a loving, caring Christian community.

Prayer Points –

• Pray for all involved in organising and preparing for these evenings; particularly those who will be speaking; that each would be sensitive to the guiding of the Holy Spirit.
  
  
• Pray that many will be encouraged to attend one of the Celebrations to give thanks to God for what He is doing in His world today and to learn firsthand about aspects of our Church’s involvement in mission overseas.

Days 27 to 29 – INDONESIA

This week (19th – 23rd October), Elsye McCroskery is providing a week of teaching on the New Testament for a number of evangelists/pastors from the Protestant Church of East Timor.

Prayer Points –

• Pray that this will go well and that Elsye will have the stamina she needs to complete this intensive course of seminars.
  
  
• Pray for a safe and a comfortable journey back to Kupang. She will be travelling by bus and the journey will involve some 10 hours of travelling along winding roads!

This Sunday (25th), Barry McCroskery plans to travel to Salatiga in Central Java to attend a forum on the Church, Environment and Economic Accountability which is being run by the Christian Conference of Asia (CCA).  The conference will last a week and each church will develop an action plan to be followed up after the forum. Church representatives attending the forum will also be involved in drawing up a message from the Churches in Asia, which is to be sent to the fourthcoming Copenhagen Climate Conference.

• Pray that God will guide the various member churches in thinking how they can best care responsibly for God’s creation in their own locality.

Mervyn and Raing McCullagh are on home assignment at present and involved in deputation speaking in both the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland.  In order to be able to be in Northern Ireland, Raing requires a UK visa.  Her current UK visa expires at the end of the month and this morning (Wednesday 22nd), as part of the application for a renewal, Mervyn and Raing had an appointment at the British Embassy in Dublin.

• Pray that the process of obtaining Raing’s UK Visa renewal will go smoothly and that it will be issued without any difficulties or delays.

Day 31 – WORLD DEVELOPMENT

The 2009/10 World Development Appeal, the first of a two-year series of Appeals under the title: 'Credit Where Credit's Due', was launched yesterday, Tuesday 20th, at a special gathering held in Church House at which the Moderator, Dr Stafford Carson, was the principal speaker.

The goal of this year's Appeal is to help Tearfund and Christian Aid give modest financial aid to self-help groups (SHGs) in a number of countries in the developing world.  The projects being highlighted this year are in Ethiopia (Tearfund), India(Christian Aid), Cambodia(Tearfund) and Mali(Christian Aid). 

Information on the Appeal is being distributed to congregations over the next few weeks.  Alternatively, by going to Current Appeal it’s possible to learn what this year’s ‘Credit Where Credit’s Due’ World Development Appeal is all about.

Prayer Points –

• Give thanks for all those who support the World Development Appeal each year and pray that those who have seldom or perhaps never supported the Appeal will do so this year.
  
  
• That the Appeal will receive good support again this year.  This is so important at a time when much of the world is struggling with financial difficulties and those in the developing world more than ever need help to help themselves, as they seek to overcome poverty and improve the quality of their lives.

OVERSEAS TEAM

INDIA – An all-age team of eight people from High Kirk Presbyterian Church, Ballymena, which has been working in Kollegal Girls’ Home in India since 8th October, is expected home this Friday (23rd).

Prayer Points –

• Give thanks for this opportunity to go to India and for all that the team members have learnt in their brief time there. Continue to pray for their health, and for a safe journey home.
  
  
• Remember them as say their ‘goodbyes’ to new-found Indian friends and prepare to come home.
  
  
• Pray for team members as together and individually they reflect on their experience and the impact it has had on their attitudes and ways of thinking; and as they think about how they are going to share all they have seen, experienced and learnt with their families and the High Kirk congregation.

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