Tearfund’s Prayer Diary
June 2013
Join us in prayer this month for issues affecting poor people across the world. Feel free to print off this email using the button above. You can also cut and paste the text to use in your church newsletters and website.
IF WE ACT AND PRAY: 2 – 8 JUNE
On 17 and 18 June, the leaders of the G8 nations are meeting in the UK. This is a great opportunity to show them that God is passionate about ending injustices such as hunger – and to call on them to do the same.
SUNDAY 2 JUNE
It’s a global scandal that one in eight people goes to bed hungry when there’s enough food in the world to feed everyone. This coming Saturday, churches will come together as part of the Enough Food for Everyone IF campaign to lobby, pray and demonstrate their desire to see an end to this injustice. Thank God that he empowers us all to respond to injustice by speaking out.
MONDAY 3 JUNE
Poor communities across the world tell us they are already feeling the impact of changes to their environment. Pray for those who struggle to feed their family as harvests diminish – a result of the impacts of climate change.
TUESDAY 4 JUNE
Thank God that decades of faithful campaigning by the church in the UK and others ensured that this year the UK government met its promise on the amount of money spent on overseas aid – funds that can help people feed themselves.
WEDNESDAY 5 JUNE
Individuals, communities, governments and businesses all have their part to play in the fight against hunger. David Cameron is keen to discuss transparency at the G8 this year.
Pray that this discussion will include the need for increasing government accountability for budgets; pray too that talks will cover how multinational food companies can be more accountable for food stocks and food prices.
THURSDAY 6 JUNE
The local church is at the heart of so many communities, literally feeding people in times of crisis, in the UK and around the world. But churches like Tearfund partner River of Life in Zimbabwe are also at work helping people to feed themselves, bringing material and spiritual transformation. Praise God for local churches living out their faith in this way.
FRIDAY 7 JUNE
As G8 leaders prepare to travel to Northern Ireland for the summit, ask God to be preparing their hearts and minds to do all in their power so we start to see the end of hunger.
SATURDAY 8 JUNE
Today’s the day! Thousands will gather in central London to declare that we believe in a God of abundance and justice who wants to see the hungry fed and invites us to be his hands and feet on earth today. Pray that this message will be heard by the G8 and real action taken as a result.
Welcome to the weekend – what you can do
We have some great IF campaign prayer and reflection resources to help you pray and reflect individually, in small groups or at church. Visit
where you’ll also find weekly prayer reflections on the theme of ‘Our daily bread’.
ENDURING LOVE: 9 – 15 JUNE
‘Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name. For the Lord is good and his love endures forever; his faithfulness continues through all generations.’ (Psalm 100:4 –5) Let’s give thanks this week...
SUNDAY 9 JUNE
The response to our 2012 West Africa appeal has enabled us to help more than 70,000 people so far. One village to benefit was Kaiwa Ganwo in Niger. Here’s an excerpt from a letter they presented to us: ‘The people thank you with pleasure for this aid which we will never forget. It has filled our hearts with joy!’ Praise God that we’ve been able to save lives in West Africa.
MONDAY 10 JUNE
Padma grew up in a marginalised community in Pakistan where it was unusual to get an education. But thanks to Tearfund’s partner, Padma finished school. Ten years later, Padma is a teacher and is training other teachers. Praise God for the gift of education, and the way it can transform lives like Padma’s and communities like hers.
TUESDAY 11 JUNE
‘Inspired Individuals has had an enormous impact on my work! It gave me credibility, and opened new doors. Now we’ve developed projects in four more countries,’ says Anne-Marie Wilson, who runs an organisation campaigning to stop female genital mutilation. Praise God for Tearfund’s Inspired Individuals programme, making it possible for people like Anne- Marie to transform lives.
WEDNESDAY 12 JUNE
For many years, the people of Shikhraz village in Afghanistan suffered and even died from diarrhoea-related conditions and other preventable diseases – 95 per cent of villagers had no hygienic place to go to the toilet. Thanks to a Tearfund health project, Shikhraz is now a healthier and happier village. Praise God.
THURSDAY 13 JUNE
In August, we asked One Voice email readers to pray for people living in squalid conditions in Los Bordos, Honduras – that those in power would make good their commitment to relocate the community. Days later, Alexis, Tearfund’s representative in Honduras, wrote to tell us that funding had been released for the first 149 families to be relocated. Thank God for hearing our prayers.
FRIDAY 14 JUNE
‘I thank God, and I’m proud of him for the great work Tearfund does. It does everything I want a charity to do, helping people spiritually as well as in other ways,’ said Adam Carruthers from Worksop, Northamptonshire. We thank God for you, our wonderful supporters, who give, pray and inspire us. Let’s thank him that we can work together in his strength.
SATURDAY 15 JUNE
Oh God, within your temple we meditate on your unfailing love. Like your name, oh God, your praise reaches to the ends of the earth; your right hand is filled with righteousness. For you are our God for ever, and you will be our guide even to the end. Amen. (Based on Psalm 48:9 –14)
Welcome to the weekend – what you can do
Harvest is a time of giving thanks and blessing others. You can order Tearfund’s new harvest church pack now by visiting or calling 0845 521 0021.
HUNGRY FOR GOD: 16 – 22 JUNE
Across the world, one in eight people goes to bed hungry every night, even though there is enough food for everyone. This week, Ruth Valerio, Theology Director for A Rocha UK, helps us reflect biblically on hunger and how we think about food, as part of the IF campaign.
SUNDAY 16 JUNE
Food is Good:
(Genesis 1: 26 –31)
This passage gives us our foundational theological principle for how we should view food as Christians – part of God’s creation, which he pronounced as being very… very… good! Give thanks to God today for the amazing gift of food.
MONDAY 17 JUNE
Food is Gift (Exodus 16:11 –18)
This is a wonderful story of God’s provision to the Israelites in the desert. Food always comes from somewhere, even if it sometimes seems to us to appear magically in the shops. Giving God, thank you for your gift of food – may I likewise
be generous with my food.
TUESDAY 18 JUNE
Food is Life (Proverbs 12:10)
Food is, literally, life. It gives us what we need to grow and stay alive. And that life comes from others – whether animals and fish or plants, fruit, nuts and seeds. Pray and reflect on the humbling sacrifices made for us in every mouthful of food.
WEDNESDAY 19 JUNE
Food is Enough (Micah 4:1 –5)
We live in a world where there is enough food to feed everyone, and yet one in eight goes to bed hungry every night. Ask God to inspire you through this passage to pray and stand against the massive inequalities that exist so that each person can be in control of the food they eat and produce.
THURSDAY 20 JUNE
Food is Jesus (John 6:26 –40)
I love food and I am fairly certain that you do too. And yet Jesus’ words remind us that, ultimately, we find our richest satisfaction in him and in the life that he gives us. Pray and ask Jesus to make you more and more hungry for him.
FRIDAY 21 JUNE
Food is One Body
(1 Corinthians 11:20 –34)
We learn from the Eucharist that ‘we all share in one body’. We are not isolated beings: we are part of the worldwide body of creation and the body of Christ, the church. Lord Jesus, as I remember you so I commit myself to the rest of your body and to working to see your shalom brought to all its parts.
SATURDAY 22 JUNE
Food is Future
(Revelation 19:1 –9)
I love the fact that the Bible pictures God’s kingdom as being like a wedding feast (see also Matthew 22). There is no vision of an ethereal future, no disembodied souls floating around. Heavenly Father, I commit myself to you and your future, to treating food with care and respect, and working to see food for all.
Welcome to the weekend – creative prayer idea
Visit to find out more about Ruth Valerio and her work. This is a shortened version of a full biblical reflection on food that Ruth wrote to support the IF campaign. You can find and sign up to the full prayer reflection here:
A DECADE IN DARFUR: 23 – 29 JUNE
Tearfund has been active in Darfur since 2004, working to help people affected by the 2003 crisis and to meet the basic needs of the 1.4m people who continue to live in camps (according to UN figures). Tearfund helps them and other vulnerable groups to access nutritional support, safe water, sanitation, health and hygiene education.
SUNDAY 23 JUNE
Despite the continuing humanitarian crisis faced by many families still living in camps, Tearfund is determined to provide for families still suffering ten years on from the start of the conflict. Praise God that last year Tearfund was able to help about 300,000 people through our relief and development programmes.
MONDAY 24 JUNE
There has been great instability over the past decade in Darfur and there have been many changes in the type of support people have been given. Despite this, one Tearfund staff member who was raised in Darfur said, ‘We have made major progress in the last nine years.’ Pray that a good relationship will be maintained between the people of Darfur and international organisations helping them, including Tearfund.
TUESDAY 25 JUNE
In Ed Daein, East Darfur, parents often bring malnourished children to Tearfund centres to feed them a nutritional food called Plumpy’nut – a ready-to-use food designed to treat malnutrition. Please pray for such children in Darfur, whose growth is currently stunted, that they will have enough food to lead healthy and happy lives.
WEDNESDAY 26 JUNE
Many families and communities in Darfur have been separated over the last ten years by violence. Some have fled to other countries, some moved within Darfur to towns and camps, while others remain in their villages. Pray that these families and communities will be reunited with loved ones.
THURSDAY 27 JUNE
Many women’s committees have been established across Darfur, including one in a small town in Central Darfur. Give thanks that, for the first time ever, women in this town are represented and have a voice in community matters – and pray that more women will be heard.
FRIDAY 28 JUNE
Give thanks for lives saved and improved in Darfur over the past ten years, through the government, donors, civil society and international organisations. Ask God to continue to bless these efforts and give people hope for the future.
SATURDAY 29 JUNE
Dear Lord, you have told us to rejoice in hope, and be constant in prayer. Thank you for the many different ways you have given hope to the people of Darfur over the past decade. We lift these people to you and ask you to bless them from this day forward. Amen.
Welcome to the weekend – what you can do
Tearfund is marking ten years since the start of the crisis in Darfur with a season of prayer throughout this year. Visit to view and download our Darfur Prayer Guide 2013, use it for your private devotions or share it with your church group.
PEACE AND HEALING IN CHAD: 30 JUNE – 6 JULY
Chad is a land-locked country in Central Africa. Plagued by conflict and corruption, Chad is among the poorest nations in the world, despite being rich in natural resources such as oil.
SUNDAY 30 JUNE
In recent years, flooding has been a recurrent problem in Chad, setting back development for hundreds of thousands of people. Government bodies, local churches and organisations have been overwhelmed by resulting problems. Pray for those struggling due to floods, and for Tearfund’s partners helping them recover and prepare for future crises.
MONDAY 1 JULY
In the last year, Chad has been experiencing serious civil unrest. Most civil servants, including medics and teachers, have been on strike. This has brought Chad pretty much to a standstill, and tensions have been rising as people are denied access to vital services. Please pray for peace – that civil servants and the government will find a way forward.
TUESDAY 2 JULY
HIV is widespread in Chad. In some areas, one in 11 people lives with HIV. Tearfund partner Ethics, Peace and Justice (EPJ) works with those affected by HIV, particularly women, forming groups to help them both materially and emotionally. Pray for this work, and for an end to the stigma surrounding people living with HIV in Chad.
WEDNESDAY 3 JULY
‘When I fall sick, I now have money to buy medicine,’ says Nicole. And Madji adds, ‘Our health improves, and we aren’t as isolated as before. It is thanks to this group we are alive today.’ Both of these women have benefited hugely from EPJ’s HIV work. Thank God.
THURSDAY 4 JULY
Tearfund partner Entente des Eglises et Missions Evangéliques au Tchad has been working with government officials to help them recognise the importance of giving the vote to ‘ordinary’ citizens – that is, not just to people with money or power. As a result, the electoral process in Chad is becoming fairer and more open, and in the 2011 elections significantly more people voted. Praise God.
FRIDAY 5 JULY
‘I used to hate non-Christians,’ says Esther. But, when Esther sat in on a Bible study about the Good Samaritan run by Tearfund’s church partner, something changed inside her. ‘Now, I strive to demonstrate God’s love towards every person I meet,’ she says. Pray that God will continue to transform Chad – one individual, one church and one village at a time.
SATURDAY 6 JULY
Dear God, we pray for the people of Chad to hear you as you speak love, peace and healing over them. We pray for the leaders of Chad to hear you as you speak wisdom, justice and compassion over that land. And we pray for churches, Tearfund partners and individuals working to build your kingdom in Chad. In Jesus’ name, amen.
Welcome to the weekend – what you can do
Tearfund’s campaigners make a real difference in the fight against poverty by addressing issues such as HIV and corruption. If you can, please campaign with us – it could be as simple as sending a postcard. Visit to sign up.
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Tearfund Prayer Diary for June 2013