Presbyterian Church in Ireland - Mission Overseas - PL2009-49, 09-Dec-09

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PL2009-49, 09-Dec-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 4 - SPAIN

Derek and Jane French are thankful for the valuable input Lina and Jonny have given to the work of GBU in northern Spain this semester. 

      Prayer Points –

• For Lina as she seeks God's guidance with regard to her future. 
  
  
• For Jonny as he does one to one Bible studies with some of the lads (Aitor and Alex). This is an important aspect of the work, teaching and training students to get to grips with God's Word. 
  
  
• Continue to pray that God will provide a team of six to eight members to help with the work of GBU from September 2010.
  
  
• Give thanks to God for Derek and Jane’s precious daughter, Gabriela Xinlan. Praise God for His faithfulness, for a safe and smooth trip to China for the adoption and for choosing Gabriela to be their daughter. Pray that Gabriela would come to know Christ early on in life. Derek and Jane are also thankful for the many new opportunities they have with Gabriela to get to know more people.
  

Jacki Hartsmith-Foy, the congregation in Torre del Mar and the church plant in Torrox Park are grateful to all those in PCI who pray for them, and send PCI special Christmas greetings. Last Wednesday, (2nd), a carol service was held in Torrox Park.  Jacki writes, “Praise the Lord it was absolutely packed, a great evening, with time for prayer for people afterwards. Our Lord certainly went before us, and if we had any doubts about the validity of our mission in Torrox Park, God showed us the ground in which we have sowed the seed.”

      Prayer Points –

• Pray for the candlelit carol service at Torre del Mar due to be held this Friday evening (11th) and that the true message of Christmas will reach hearts so taken up with secular things. 
  
  
• Give thanks and pray too for the ministry team who work so hard. Pray for a rich time of learning and fellowship in our new outreach "fresh expressions".  
  
  
• Pray for God’s blessing on all the congregations’ friends and visitors who are so faithful in prayer for the congregations, both in Spain and in Ireland. 
  
  
• Pray for wisdom and guidance for the leaders, as they take up the challenge to follow him in 2010.

Day 5 - PORTUGAL

James Cochrane will conclude teaching his module on ‘The Church’ this Friday (11th). On Sunday (13th), he has been invited to preach at a special anniversary service (48 years old) of a Portuguese church in Faro. 

      Prayer Points –

• Give thanks that the module has been going well and for the 18 students who have attended. 
  
  
• Pray that the students would benefit from the mentoring programme.  Remember James and Heather as they continue to meet individually, as mentors, with each student. 
  
  
• Pray for the church service James will be speaking at this Sunday, and for James as he prepares for it. 
  
  
• Continue to pray for Alana and Lucy at school, as they cope in a very secular environment. 
  
  
• Pray also for more opportunities for Alana and Lucy to hear and use Portuguese.  (They are being schooled in English). 

Days 12 to 14 – KENYA

Stephen Cowan sends the following prayer points:-

• Please continue to pray for ongoing preparations for the outreach organised by the university students from Nairobi. This is their last week of term and they are under pressure to complete assignments, do exams and find the necessary finances to come to Samburu.
  
  
• Stephen is in Nairobi liaising with the organisers and getting general work and outreach supplies. Pray for safety in travel as the whole group head north on Saturday.  Stephen will pick up Caragh from school on Friday afternoon and meet the others en route.
  
  
• In Tuum preparations are ongoing. The vehicles will go out on Wednesday to collect translators from the various villages. Pray that the 20 young people who will be involved in the translation will take their responsibility seriously and gain much from working alongside young committed Kenyan Christians.

Since last Sunday night (6th), there have been a series of earthquakes in the Karonga District of Northern Malawi. The latest, early on Tuesday (8th) morning, registered 5.9 on the Richter scale.

Diane Cusick felt the tremors in her house in Mzuzu, almost 100 miles south of Karonga.

It has been reported that many people have been injured and at least two have died, while many houses have been damaged, including in the village of Kasowa, where the church and manse have been badly affected and may have to be pulled down.  People are living in fear of further quakes.

For more information, see 'News'

• Pray for all those who have been affected by the earthquakes; especially for those who have been injured, have lost loved ones, or have suffered damage to their homes, possessions, or livelihoods.
  
  
• Give thanks that the rains have not yet come to Karonga District, as this would undoubtedly have made matters very much worse.

Day 24 – NEPAL

Nepal is seeing the effects of climate change in a number of ways. The ice in the high mountains is melting more and more, causing dams and lakes to form it places where, should they burst, they pose a real danger to vulnerable communities living in their path. While approximately the same amount of rain is still falling each year, it is coming later and is more intense, causing damage to the land and serious flooding. This winter has been much colder, and has come earlier than normal. With these uncertain weather patterns, farmers find it difficult to sustain crops and crop rotation.

Conflict Transformation staff from around the country, who work with Joe Campbell, will be in Kathmandu from next Sunday (13th) to take part in a 5-day training course on ‘Negotiation Training for Peace-builders’. There will be 14 people attending, almost all of them young Nepali staff.

The trauma training that Janet Campbell was delivering earlier this week at the YWCA in Kathmandu went well and Janet is thankful for the prayer for this event at a time of political instability in the country.

      Prayer Points –

• That the current Copenhagen summit on climate change will attend to the needs of developing countries like Nepal and provide adequate support for measures to reduce the impact on local communities.
  
  
• That the Nepali staff involved in UMN’s Conflict Transformation work in different parts of the country will benefit from next week’s training programme. Pray that they will be inspired and have a sense of God’s calling to the work of peace in their own country.
  
  
• Give thanks for the work of the YWCA among woman in Kathmandu and that the training earlier this week went well. Pray for the women who were trained, that they will be able to serve other woman in need and distress.

Day 28 – INDONESIA

Elsye McCroskery's father, Mr Niap, suffered a stroke just over a week ago, on Sunday 29th October. For the past few days, Barry and Elsye have been in Atambua, where Elyse’s family is from, but they are due to return to Kupang tomorrow, Thursday 10th. Elsye’s father has been showing some improvement although he is by no means fully recovered, so two of her brothers will be staying to look after him at home.

      Prayer Points –

• Give thanks for the improvement in Mr Niap’s health and that Elsye's brothers have been able to get leave to be with their father.
  
  
• Continue to pray for healing for Mr Niap; and for peace and strength for the whole family at this difficult time. Please keep remembering Elsye in prayer, as she is understandably very anxious about her father. With her return to Kupang imminent, it will be even more difficult for her to cope when she’s at a distance from her father and the family in Atambua.
  
  
• Please pray for Barry and Elsye as they leave the Niap family in Atambua and return to Kupang tomorrow (Thursday 10th). It’s a long way back to Kupang; pray for safety and a smooth, trouble-free journey.

Mervyn and Raing McCullagh, who are coming towards the end of their deputation speaking commitments, are not planning to return to Sumba but are seeking God’s guidance on where they should go next. With the help of BMO staff, they are investigating possible opportunities for service in other countries.

• Give thanks for the blessings Mervyn and Raing have experienced over the past few months as they have shared their story of what God is doing in building His Church in East Indonesia, and of the part they have each had in serving the Church and wider community on the island of Sumba.
  
  
• Pray for them as they now look to the future and continue seeking God’s guidance for what comes next. In particular, pray that it may soon become clear if any of the opportunities, which are currently being investigated, are for them or not.

Day 31 – WORLD DEVELOPMENT

The UN Climate Change Summit 2009, taking place in Copenhagen from 7th to 18th December, is gathering world leaders and NGOs to discuss climate change and find long-term solutions to its consequences. It is hoped the Summit will produce an agreement more abiding and powerful than the Kyoto Protocol. Developing countries, where people are poor and depend on the land for survival, are amongst the most vulnerable to climate change. 

• Pray that appropriate agreement can be reached to protect God’s creation. 
  
  
• Pray for people in different parts of the world who continue to struggle to survive in the wake of climate change. 

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