TEARFUND PRAYER DIARY – JULY 2012
Local and global: 1 - 7 July
This week, we focus on how churches and supporters in Northern Ireland are outworking Tearfund’s vision locally and globally, prayerfully and practically. And we hear some inspirational stories from Christians living out the gospel in this region.
Sunday 1 July
About 300 people attended the Re:Ignite conference in February, which launched Tearfund’s One Voice prayer week in Northern Ireland. They were inspired and challenged to ‘be the change’ in a world of need. Pray that God will ignite our hearts to be faithful to his call to act justly, love mercy and walk humbly with him.
Monday 2 July
Tearfund’s Discovery programme encourages churches to get involved in their communities and develop a community plan. So far seven churches in Northern Ireland have completed the course. Thank God for touching the hearts of elders at First Island Magee Presbyterian Church as they prayed over a map and pictures representing the needs of their local community.
Tuesday 3 July
Give thanks for the transforming involvement of Tearfund partner Knocknagoney Parish Church in the life of their local community. Police in Northern Ireland have reported a huge drop in anti-social behaviour as a result of church work with young people.
Wednesday 4 July
Every year, 500 people from local schools and churches in Northern Ireland take part in an annual sponsored walk. Over the years, the walk has raised £250,000 which has helped thousands of vulnerable children and young people across the world. Give thanks for this amazing success and pray that others will be inspired to do the same.
Thursday 5 July
Young newlyweds Jonny and Tara Bradley from Belfast began their married life with a commitment to giving regularly through Tearfund’s See for yourself programme. ‘We know what it means to be blessed by God emotionally, financially and spiritually,’ says Jonny, ‘so we feel it’s appropriate to give something back.’ Praise God for their amazing example.
Friday 6 July
People across Northern Ireland are choosing to step outside their communities to see poverty for themselves. Recently, ten local healthcare professionals visited Haiti, and seven people went on a business trip to Uganda and Rwanda. Pray that they will be inspired to have a life-long commitment to people living in poverty.
Saturday 7 July
To mark World Aids Day on 1 December last year, 150 people attended screenings of the film Africa United in Tullycarnet, Bloomfield and Kirkpatrick Presbyterian Churches. These events raised £1,500 to help some of the 33 million people worldwide living with HIV. Pray that, this year, many others will get involved in raising awareness and support for HIV.
Welcome to the weekend - what you can do
Tearfund’s Northern Ireland team have their own section of Tearfund’s website. If you hail from Northern Ireland or if you are interested in our work there, visit www.tearfund.org/northernireland or call 0845 355 8355 to find out more.
Transforming knowledge: 8 -14 July
As part of Tearfund’s work to empower communities living in poverty, we produce resources which help to inform and inspire people to bring about transformation where they are. Topics include health, environmental issues, disasters and agriculture.
Sunday 8 July
Imagine living without the internet, a local library or a bookshop. For many we serve across the world, information is hard to access. This ‘knowledge gap’ often means simple messages about issues such as health don’t reach the people who need to know. Pray for God to use Tearfund’s international publications to help close that gap.
Monday 9 July
Footsteps magazine is now in its 23rd year of publication. It goes out to more than 40,000 readers across 160 countries! Aimed at community health and development workers, it provides practical guidance and shares stories relevant to those living on the frontline. Praise God for the thousands of readers we are privileged to serve.
Tuesday 10 July
Jean Abou, a Footsteps reader from Togo, sent us this photo (right) of his son in their new door-sized small garden. They were inspired by reading an article in Footsteps and are now reaping a harvest for their family. Pray for families such as theirs who are being inspired to take steps out of poverty.
Wednesday 11 July
Our God is a God who multiplies. At the last count, Tearfund publications had been translated into 230 languages! This means that they reach many more people, often in remote places. Ask God to equip translators and provide financial resources for more translations.
Thursday 12 July
The Umoja programme (see page 10) is mobilising both churches and communities to work together to bring positive change. The manuals for facilitators and coordinators are already enabling new audiences to start to explore ways they can bless their neighbours. Praise God for all those who are supporting and training communities using these resources.
Friday 13 July
The world is changing fast. Mobile phone use is increasing, even in places where there is no running water. In Africa alone, more than 500 million people have a mobile. Pray for wisdom and innovation as we adapt our publications to reach people in new ways.
Saturday 14 July
Dear Lord, there are so many challenges facing poor communities across the world. Please open up more opportunities for Tearfund to produce new resources and bring fresh ideas and perspectives into their situations. We ask for discernment for those involved in commissioning and editing publications. Help them to see and meet the needs of those they serve. Amen.
Welcome to the weekend - what you can do
You can read all our international publications on the Tearfund International Learning Zone website at www.tearfund.org/tilz or order hard copies from www.tearfund.org/publications. Why not read more about protecting your house against flooding or learn how to build a bicycle ambulance? Reading Footsteps magazine will give you insight into the daily challenges faced by people living in poverty. Perhaps you can also share what you learn with others.
Communities envisioned: 15 - 21 July
The apostle Paul described the church community as a body with many parts, each essential to fulfil God’s work. As we focus this week on communities envisioned through the transformational Umoja programme, we praise God for how these ideas are being brought to life.
Sunday 15 July
Umoja, which means ‘togetherness' in the Swahili language of East Africa, is an exciting programme that inspires and equips local people with a vision for determining their future using their own resources. Pray that more communities across the world will take hold of Umoja’s biblical principles.
Monday 16 July
Herry, an Umoja trainer in Cambodia, asks us: ‘Praise God that a group of Umoja members in the village of Kandal, Cambodia, showed love and care to one drunken man. Today, he is changed to be a creative person, using the resources God has given him. And best of all, his marriage is restored.’
Tuesday 17 July
For the Ghumitika community in Nigeria, the Umoja programme opened the eyes of local church members to see that their neighbours, a group considered outcasts by the rest of the community, were actually made in God’s image. Danladi Musa, Tearfund’s Country Representative in Nigeria, says, ‘Let us give thanks that, through this change, positive relationships developed and 60 members of the outcast group became Christians.’
Wednesday 18 July
Umoja is triggering changes in people’s mind-sets across the developing world, envisioning communities and churches to consider their future. Let us lift up the vision of Umoja today and pray that we will have the income to continue the work of mobilising churches and communities around the world.
Thursday 19 July
‘Praise God that a Pakistani church reached out to a family living in desperate need in a nearby village,’ says Tearfund’s Programme Officer in Pakistan, Obed Caleb. ‘Through months of helping with hospital treatment for the eight-year-old daughter and providing food packages, the relationship between church and family grew stronger. Today, we can give thanks that the entire family accepted Jesus Christ as their Lord and Saviour.’
Friday 20 July
God desires that we work together in unity. One pastor from Phnom Penh, Cambodia, describes how Umoja had a unifying effect on a group of churches. ‘The pastors, church leaders and members are envisioned, showing God’s love and living as salt and light in their communities. They have become less selfish and more caring of the villagers.’
Saturday 21 July
Father God, thank you for the individuals whose lives have been transformed through the Umoja programme. May each of these faithful people grow closer to you and experience real community and relationships through their local church. Amen.
Welcome to the weekend - what you can do
Pick the prayer story that most connected with you this week. Memorise the details and encourage someone else this weekend by telling them about the story of transformation. Let’s spread the message of God’s power at work through the local church.
Brink of disaster: 22 - 28 July
Once again the Sahel region of West and Central Africa is being plunged into a food crisis, caused mostly by drought and failed harvests. This week, we pray for the millions of people facing hunger as a result and for Tearfund partners dealing with this unfolding disaster.
Sunday 22 July
Hunger has the people of Burkina Faso, Chad, Mali and Niger firmly in its grip. These agriculturally dependent countries have seen erratic rainfall blight their crops and livestock. This is the third time in seven years they have faced this scenario. Pray this cycle of misery will be broken.
Monday 23 July
The drought-affected countries of the Sahel are among the world’s poorest. Chronic poverty means their ability to recover from natural disasters is limited. Ask for God’s renewed blessing on Tearfund’s long-term work to help communities raise their standard of living.
Tuesday 24 July
Recurring droughts are another reason why people in Sahel are hit so hard. Low levels of nutrition have become endemic, weakening people’s strength and ability to cope. Pray for the effectiveness of Tearfund’s partners as they increase people’s resilience, for example by introducing people to new ways to grow food.
Wednesday 25 July
High prices for everyday foods - increases of 40 per cent are not unheard of - are a regrettable fact of life which has pushed people to the limits of endurance. Tearfund partners have reported that villagers are eating the leaves of wild plants because there’s no other food available. Pray for prices to stabilise and ask the Lord to send rain at the right times and in the right quantities so the next harvest will be successful.
Thursday 26 July
Conflict has exacerbated the need for food in West Africa. The uprising in Libya led to many thousands of people returning to Niger, while a rebellion in northern Mali has displaced tens of thousands of others, many of whom have sought sanctuary in hard-pressed Niger, as well as Mauritania, Burkina Faso and Algeria. Conflict in Mali has displaced 100,000 people from bordering countries, and a further 95,000 have fled their homes. Pray for peace to prevail.
Friday 27 July
Tearfund partners, often working with local churches, are stepping up their efforts to help the most vulnerable in hunger-affected communities. Emergency food distributions and cash-for-work projects are ways in which they are responding, in addition to their continued long-term development work. Pray that these efforts will bless as many people as possible and that more funds are found.
Saturday 28 July
Dear Lord, help West and Central Africa’s food-deprived countries break the cycle of drought and hunger. Open my eyes to what I can do to help, give me your heart to pursue justice on behalf of those who are hit hardest. Amen.
Welcome to the weekend - what you can do
Keep in touch with the latest on the food crisis, and find out how you can pray and give to support Tearfund’s relief work in the region by regularly visiting www.tearfund.org/sahel
Finishing the race: 29 July - 4 August
More than 200 countries, from the richest to some of the poorest - including Burundi, Bangladesh and Bolivia - will be taking part in the London 2012 Olympic Games. This week, we lift up this major sporting event in prayer.
Sunday 29 July
Just over a week ago, Tearfund supporter Mark Blythe, from Molesey in Surrey, carried the Olympic torch through Greenwich. ‘I am blessed to represent all the Christians who serve in their communities, doing hours of work showing God’s love to many people. I’m just one of thousands who could have been chosen,’ says Mark. Praise God for this amazing witness.
Monday 30 July
Team Zimbabwe, including Olympic swimming champion Kirsty Coventry, will be hoping to take home some gold medals from London 2012. Zimbabwe is one of the world’s leading gold producers but - sadly - few of the profits are shared with its desperately poor citizens. Pray that the scales of justice will be re-set, and Zimbabweans will begin to benefit from the riches of their own land.
Tuesday 31 July
‘Oh God, bless our land of Malawi. Keep it a land of peace. Put down each and every enemy: hunger, disease, envy. Join together all our hearts as one, that we be free from fear.’ This is the first verse of the Malawi national anthem, which will be heard during the opening ceremony of the London 2012 Games. Make it your prayer for impoverished Malawi today.