TEARFUND PRAYER DIARY AUGUST 2016
Light and life in Kenya: 31 July - 6 August
The church and community mobilisation process (CCMP) is a wayof tackling poverty whereby people are awakened to new ideas andtheir God-given potential through a series of Bible studies. Thisweek, let's be inspired by the transformation flowing through ourchurch partners in Kenya.
Sunday 31 July
'Before CCMP, we viewed ourselves as a poor church that neededaid to survive,' says the leader of Badassa Church. 'But now, ourperspective has changed and our eyes have opened.' Give thanksthat CCMP is challenging dependency and feelings of helplessness,and empowering people to overcome poverty.
Monday 1 August
'Today, people refer to the school as a resource, but a few yearsago we were struggling to see children enrolled,' says Kimathi, ateacher. 'Since our community did CCMP, we have seen anincredible increase in enrolment, and there are more girls in schoolthan ever before!' Give thanks that parents are beginning to want tosee their children realising their potential.
Tuesday 2 August
Since CCMP, Bombolulu Church looked creatively at what theycould do for the community, and started a football club. A number ofyoung people from outside the church joined, and the club hasplayed a vital role in keeping them away from drugs and alcohol, aswell as sharing God's love with them. Pray for increased creativity inchurches around the world, including here in the UK.
Wednesday 3 August
In many churches, CCMP has led to more and different peoplebeing involved in decision-making. 'There are now six women onthe leadership team, whereas before there was just one. We've alsostarted involving young people in Sunday School planning,' saysone church leader. Pray that more people will be empowered tocontribute in church and wider society though CCMP.
Thursday 4 August
In Bombolulu village, electricity is scarce, meaning school childrencan't see well enough to study at home in the evenings. FollowingCCMP, the church decided to invite children to study in itscomfortable, well-lit hall. Pray for the children in the villages we'velifted up in prayer this week, that they will flourish and grow up tolead happy and fulfilled lives.
Friday 5 August
'Through CCMP, I've realised that poverty is in the mind!' saysJoyce, a mother of six. She and her husband were so motivated byCCMP that they have hugely increased their harvest, from two bagsof maize to 12. 'This is the miracle of studying the Bible throughCCMP,' says Joyce. Give thanks for the miracles flowing throughCCMP in Kenya.
Saturday 6 August
Father God, thank you for your powerful, precious word, and for theway it brings light, hope and tangible change in lives all over theworld. We thank you for these amazing stories from Kenya, and wepray for these communities and the many others working their wayout of poverty and towards fullness of life in you. Amen.
Live your passion: 7 - 13 August
Brazil, home to the world's seventh-largest economy, is currentlyhosting the 2016 summer Olympic games. Meanwhile, there aremany in the country for whom life is a daily struggle to survive.Tearfund has been supporting projects in Brazil for more than 30years and we currently work with eight partners there.
Sunday 7 August
One of the dark sides of being Olympic hosts is an increase inhuman trafficking. From the beginning of May to August this year,Tearfund's Go Overseas sent a gap-year team to Sao Paulo andRio de Janeiro to work alongside communities threatened bytrafficking. Pray that the team will come back determined tocontinue the fight for children's freedom.
Monday 8 August
'One big concern in Brazil is about the levels of violence,' saysSerguem Silva, Tearfund's Brazil Country Representative. 'Therewere 58,500 assassinations in Brazil last year - the highest in theworld. That's nearly 30 people per 100,000. The reasons arecomplex, including inequality, segregation and youth involvementwith drugs.' Pray for peace and an end to violence in Brazil.
Tuesday 9 August
Charlene works in a village bakery in the semi-arid region ofnorth-east Brazil, set up by Tearfund partner Diaconia to improvethe economic prospects of women and young people. 'The benefitsare for the families, but also for the community,' says Charlene.Pray that the Olympics will be an opportunity to highlight andaddress issues of inequality in Brazil.
Wednesday 10 August
In another village in northeast Brazil, Diaconia is helping womenmake better use of their fruit production. When picked, sometropical fruits deteriorate, cannot be sold and are thrown away.Diaconia has provided juice-making equipment and freezers tokeep the fruit fresh. Pray that this will boost the livelihoods ofwomen in the community.
Thursday 11 August
The Zika virus, spread by mosquitoes, has been linked to babiesbeing born with underdeveloped brains, a condition known asmicrocephaly. Following a Zika outbreak this year, Brazil reported3,893 suspected cases of microcephaly in February. Pray that aneffective vaccine and treatment for Zika will be developed, andefforts to control the outbreak will be successful.
Friday 12 August
'We work through sport because that's what many young peopleenjoy,' says Fred from Sporting Chance International (SCI). 'Sportbrings people together from all spheres of life.' Based in Githurai, onthe outskirts of Nairobi, Kenya, SCI aims to improve the lives ofyoung and vulnerable people through sport. Pray that Fred will be encouraged and see many lives changed through sport, boosted bythe Olympics in Brazil.
Saturday 13 August
'Let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing oureyes on Jesus ...'
Hebrews 12:1-2
The motto of the Rio 2016 Olympics is 'Live your passion'. Lord, weask you to inspire us by the example of the athletes taking part inthe Olympics, to be passionate about what we do and run the racemarked out for us. Amen.
Offering our lives: 14 -20 August
'Take your everyday, ordinary life -your sleeping, eating,going-to-work, and walking-around life - and place it before God asan offering.'
Romans 12: 1-2 (The Message)
We can love our local and global neighbours through our small,everyday actions, including how we source and use energy topower our homes and churches.
Sunday 14 August
Can we love our neighbours through our energy bills? We believewe can. The Big Church Switch (tearfund.org/switch) encourageshomeowners and churches to make the switch to renewableenergy, as part of what it means to follow Jesus where the need isgreatest. Pray that many homes and churches will be inspired tomake the change.
Monday 15 August
Change starts with our lifestyles. We want to see the impact of TheBig Church Switch to reach the corridors of Westminster. Praythat the church's collective voice will demonstrate to the governmentthat we care about tackling climate change and its impacts on theworld's poorest.
Tuesday 16 August
'We were afraid for our lives because the water was so high,' saysJorge. 'We feared it might sweep the children away. I told my wife tohold on to the children. So they all held on to each other and to thetrees as tight as they could.' Jorge and Nina lost four children, theirentire home and all their crops to the worst floods on record inMozambique. Pray for them and their community as they continueto come to terms with the impacts of the floods.
Wednesday 17 August
Tearfund partners are working in Mozambique to resettle hundredsof families pushed from their homes by flooding in January 2015.Our partners, the Diocese of Niassa, described it as the worstfloods they had ever experienced. Vulnerable families like this areat the heart of why we need to tackle climate change now. Pray forour partners and for the families that they seek to serve.
Thursday 18 August
In December 2015 world leaders gathered in Paris to agree anhistoric deal on tackling climate change. Please pray for leadersand officials as they take this agreement forward into action. Prayfor boldness, for generosity and for a willingness to stick to thecommitments that were made at the Paris summit.
Friday 19 August
Give thanks for the launch of Eco Church (ecochurch.arocha.org.uk), an award scheme and resource that enableschurches to care for God's world in all areas of church life. Pray thatchurches are inspired to get involved and dare to care for God'searth.
Saturday 20 August
Dear Lord, we thank you for the beautiful world you created. Helpus to care for it in the way that we live. Keep us mindful that whatand how we consume has a direct impact on the lives of our globalneighbours like Jorge and Nina from Mozambique. Help us tocherish what we have and to treat it well. Amen.
Purpose and power in Pakistan: 21 – 27 August
'It's great to be part of Tearfund's team in Pakistan, working amongsome of the poorest communities,' says Country RepresentativeAshraf Mall. 'However, there is still so much to do as we strive tomake a difference in the lives of those most vulnerable.' This week,we join Ashraf in prayer for this complex and fascinating country.
Sunday 21 August
'I was waiting to die on my bed,' says 70-year-old Taj, rememberingthe day when Tearfund started working in his struggling village.Tearfund's team helped the community to start kitchen gardens andsavings groups - steps towards a healthier and more prosperousfuture. Now, Taj's life is full of purpose, and he helps other familiesto produce vegetable seedlings. Praise God, and pray for betterlivelihoods for people across Pakistan.
Monday 22 August
Pakistan is frequently hit by disasters, such as floods, droughts andearthquakes. Last summer, monsoon rains caused heavy floodingonce again, affecting 1.5 million people. Tearfund's partner ABESwas quick to respond, providing medical camps, hygiene kits andnutritional supplements for remote communities. Pray for protectionand resilience for all who are vulnerable to natural disasters.
Tuesday 23 August
Pakistan has the world's second-highest number of children out ofschool, and two-thirds of them are girls. Tearfund's partner PEP isworking hard to change this situation. PEP's village schools aregiving girls like 13-year-old Shazia* new opportunities to developand grow. 'As my teachers encouraged me, I felt like my fear ranaway,' she says. Praise God!
Wednesday 24 August
Housewife Waali never had the chance to attend school. However,after attending a Women's Empowerment Group run by PEP, shebecame a passionate defender of education and women's rights.Now she leads a local women's group, and has helped 20 girls toenrol in school. 'An uneducated woman will hide away, but aneducated woman will be different: she can face people!' she says.Pray for greater opportunities for women across Pakistan.
Thursday 25 August
An estimated 40 million people do not have access to a toilet inPakistan. Tearfund's partner SSEWA-Pak has been helping familiesto construct their own low-cost latrines and to learn more abouthygiene. 'Fewer people are getting sick in our village now,' saysNarain happily. 'We spend less on doctors, and use the money forother useful things.' Praise God for this progress.
Friday 26 August
Violence from extremist groups is all too common in Pakistan.Christians, Hindus and other minority groups often sufferpersecution and discrimination. Ask God to bring about atransformed society where all can live together in peace, and praythat churches in Pakistan will be beacons of love and hope for theirneighbours.
Saturday 27 August
'He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of theweak.'
Isaiah 40:29
Loving Lord, we lift before you the people of Pakistan. We ask youto protect all who are vulnerable, to empower those who do nothave a voice, and to give all people your strength and resources torelease them from poverty. Amen.
*Name has been changed to protect her identity.
A disaster for children: 28 August – 3 September
Dr Pratibha Singh is Director of Baptist Christian Hospital in theIndian city of Tezpur - run by Tearfund partner Emmanuel HospitalAssociation (EHA) - which helps poor and marginalised people inAssam. This week, she asks us to join her in praying for Assam: thestate is hit regularly by devastating floods which leave poor familiesmore vulnerable to child trafficking.
Sunday 28 August
When EHA set up health camps in villages devastated by the 2012floods, we discovered that the entire year's rice paddy crop hadbeen destroyed. Without their harvest, parents knew they had nohope of feeding their children. So they began to sell them. Pray forfamilies who are put under extreme pressure by disasters, that theywill have enough food.
Monday 29 August
I heard of a 12-year-old girl being sold for 10,000 Rupees [about£100] and taken to Delhi to work. Families believe that by sellingtheir children, they are offering them a better life – a good job,education and hope for the future. Pray for EHA'sawareness-raising programmes that teach families the truth abouttrafficking.
Tuesday 30 August
Trafficked children often end up as house servants for more wealthyfamilies living nearby. These children – the youngest we've seenwas three or four years old - work from 4 am to 10 pm every day inappalling conditions. Ask God to protect the many vulnerablechildren working as house servants, and pray that their masters willtreat them well.
Wednesday 31 August
I once found a five-year-old girl working as a house servant whohad fallen into a fireplace in the centre of a room. The owners didnot bother to get her any treatment for the burns. She was in shockand couldn't speak, but they just kept her working. Pray that Godwill comfort children facing such traumatic experiences.
Thursday 1 September
That we do at EHA is try to prevent people from becomingvulnerable in the first place, so that families are not placed in theimpossible position of having to decide whether or not to sell theirchild. Lift up the work of EHA today, and ask that it will be blessedand that our anti-trafficking message will spread far and wide.
Friday 2 September
We work with families to encourage them to grow a more diverserange of crops such as ginger, turmeric and yam that can be grownin different seasons and sold throughout the year. Pray for bountiful harvests in Assam, so that families stay well fed throughout theyear and are less likely to be forced to sell their children.
Saturday 3 September
When you hear news of disasters hitting poor communities,remember it's not just about the loss of lives, homes andbelongings. Disasters cause severe long-term problems, and childtrafficking always increases when poor families are pushed to thelimit. Bring to mind a recent disaster and pray that God will keep thechildren there safe.
Tearfund Prayer Diary August 2016 – tearfund.org/praying