Ministry in Montreal

Pray for Dave and Virginia, ReachGlobal personnel in Canada, as they work with volunteers, organize small groups and care for leaders at two church plants. Mosaique Montreal was born in May with a congregation of 50-70 people attending the weekly services. This body of believers has come together from different backgrounds to offer Montreal a community of faith, hope and love. The second daughter church Dave and Virginia saw God open in 2010 and are ministering in is River’s Edge Vaudreuil, outside of Montreal. Pray for this body of 50 people as they impact their community with the message of God’s hope and love.

Discipling and leading small groups

Pray for the church in Craiova, Romania, that is growing in number, in depth of understanding of God’s Word and in its identity in Christ. Pray for Doug, ReachGlobal personnel in Romania, who is co-leading one of the four small groups with one of the men he is discipling. The church leadership and the Craiova City Team are praying that God will use the small groups to develop mature Christians and to begin the process of planting new churches in Craiova and in the surrounding villages. Please pray for unified hearts and eternal fruit in these things.  Also pray that God would provide the funds so that there is a supply of Bibles available to distribute in the church and future church plants.

Update on two health concerns

Praise God for the answers to prayer on behalf of Lois and Jill, ReachGlobal personnel serving in Europe. The results of Lois’s procedure are encouraging and the prognosis is good. It will be at least two weeks before Lois can travel back to the U.S. for continued recovery and rehabilitation. Jill's wrist surgery was completed without complications. Her fingers are fully mobile and she will wear a wrist brace for several weeks. Please continue to pray for good long-term healing and recovery for both Lois and Jill.

Urgent prayer request

Pray for Lois, ReachGlobal personnel in Russia, who is hospitalized after suffering a heart attack on December 26. Pray for wisdom for the cardiologist as he evaluates the vascular status of her heart and makes decisions concerning the most effective treatment for Lois. Ask God to give Lois peace and comfort as she trusts Him in this difficult situation. Pray for discernment and wise choices on the part of ReachGlobal Europe leadership as they assist Lois in follow-up care.

Surgery today

Pray for Jill, ReachGlobal personnel in Bosnia-Hercegovina and currently on home assignment, who is undergoing carpal tunnel surgery in Cedar Rapids, IA, this morning at 10:00 a.m. Pray for excellent surgery by the surgeon with no complications. Ask God for His grace and mercy during her recovery in the next several weeks that she will regain long-term strength in her hand.

Open Hearts to the Gospel

Pray for the 90 people from diverse backgrounds who came to the home of a ReachGlobal couple working in a creative access area in Asia for a Christmas get-together. Ask God to open the hearts of the people as they read the written explanation of the meaning of Christmas and a summary of Jesus’ teachings that was given to them. Praise God for the trust established with these friends and neighbors. Pray for the Holy Spirit to work in these peoples’ lives so that they will have comments or questions about Jesus and that this couple will give wise and spirit-led answers.

Christmas event in Belgium

Pray for Joel and Dennise, ReachGlobal staff in Belgium, and the members of The Lighthouse Church as they host a Christmas event on Sunday, December 26. Ask God to bless the nearly 60 people they plan to invite, most of whom are poor and live near the church, with this outpouring of God’s love and hope. 

Healing and Hope at Christmas

Pray for the Good News of Christ’s coming to bring healing and hope in the lives of sex trafficking survivors in many different countries. As they receive Christ-centered aftercare from loving and compassionate staff, pray that the young women and girls will receive their new life in Christ this Christmas.

Newborn in Africa

Michelle and Aaron, ReachGlobal staff serving in DR Congo, are currently in Gamboula, Central African Republic awaiting the imminent birth of their first child. Pray for a safe delivery, a healthy mom and baby, and for Dr. Tim, ReachGlobal staff, who will be delivering the baby.

Health Concern

Pray for John, ReachGlobal personnel in Asia, who has been unable to walk due to extreme back pain. An X-ray and physical exam found nothing wrong, so the doctor has John on pain medication to help him get around.  Pray that the Lord would restore his back to full mobility so he will be able to preach the Christmas Eve services and the two English services on Sunday, December 26. 

Health concern update

Pray for Martha, ReachGlobal personnel in Costa Rica, who has been undergoing chemotherapy for cancer. Her final treatment is December 20, and she will also have a PET scan. Pray that the scan will show no cancer as a result of five months of chemo. Pray that God would give Martha strength and endurance as she receives radiation treatments daily for six weeks. She will continue to receive intravenous smart drugs that attack just the cancer cells and not her healthy cells every three weeks until the end of October. Please pray that the side effects be minimal and for complete permanent healing.

ReachGlobal Personnel Needs

•  Pray for God's provision and encouragement concerning the support needs of ReachGlobal personnel and their families.
•  Pray for God’s grace that those who recently arrived on their ministry field may adjust quickly to their new culture and learn the language.
•  Pray for empowerment of the Holy Spirit as our staff does outreach events in their locations around the globe telling the story of our Savior’s birth.
•  Pray for our home assignment personnel who are traveling and have speaking engagements with their supporters.

Coaching English as a Second Language

God has opened up an opportunity for Steve and Carol, ReachGlobal personnel in Tanzania, to train bi-vocational government school teachers to be church planters to unreached people groups. They have been asked to teach conversational English at a teacher’s training college. Steve and Carol have asked Linda, ReachGlobal personnel trained in ESL, to come to Tanzania to coach and prepare them for the second semester that starts January 17. Ask the Lord to provide the necessary funds for Linda to make this trip. Pray that God will use her to help Steve and Carol become effective in reaching their ministry goals in Tanzania. Pray that God will start church planting movements in each of the unreached people groups in Tanzania.

Christmas events in Japan

Pray for Bob and Joan, ReachGlobal personnel in Japan, holding a Christmas party for Lami Club (outreach ministry to young moms and their children) on December 16, and the neighborhood kids’ party December 21. Most of those who attend these events do not know Jesus, so these are wonderful opportunities to share the true meaning of Christmas. Pray for opportunities to share the gospel as they spend time with these mothers and their children and live out God’s love in front of them.

International English Class Christmas Celebration

Pray for Steve and Joan, ReachGlobal personnel, involved in the International English Class Christmas Celebration December 14. To convey the true meaning of Christmas, a pantomime of the Chilean miner rescue story will be presented to show how Christ came to rescue people from spiritual darkness. Pray for the students and children representing 21 countries and 29 languages participating in the program. All the students will receive an evangelistic booklet explaining the pantomime in their own language Ask God to fill all believing English Class staff and believing students with His Spirit to spread His love to those who attend. Pray that this evening of food, music and diverse cultural interaction will bring glorify to God.

Breakdown of hydro-electric power plant in Africa

Pray for Tim and Ann, ReachGlobal personnel in Gamboula, as a major problem has developed at the hydro-electric power plant that will necessitate waiting for parts to arrive from Europe to make the repairs. The hydro-electric power is what runs their stove, refrigerator, lights, washing machine, and computers. Since all the appliances are electric, there is concern about food and medicines spoiling due to limited electricity from an expensive diesel generator ($20 per hour to run). There is also the concern for sterilization of surgical packs and enough light to see well during surgeries at the hospital. Please pray that all those who depend on this power plant can creatively learn to live in this situation and that the parts and expertise to repair the turbine would be available.

Christmas Outreaches

Larry and Bella, ReachGlobal personnel in Japan, are involved in several Christmas events this week. Pray for them as they share the message of hope and the meaning of Christmas to a senior citizens group on December 13, and to a children's group on December 17, at another community center. Pray that many children will also be able to attend the Children’s Christmas event put on by the church on December 18. Ask God to use the gospel presentation, central at each event, to touch the lives of those seeking.

Ministry in Russia

Pray for Lois, ReachGlobal personnel in Russia, whose ministry focus is evangelism, teaching and mentoring. Ask God to bless her time with two friends in Moscow, both believers and one she led to Christ several years ago. Pray that God will minister to each of their needs through one other in ways that brings glory to Him. Pray for safety as she travels by train to Trinity Equipping Center in Kursk for the start of her teaching sessions December 20. Pray for the anointing of the Holy Spirit on her as she teaches and for sustained health.

Trip to Haiti

Pray for Jill, director of GlobalFingerprints, the child sponsorship ministry of TouchGlobal, who will be in Haiti December 9-11. Jill is preparing for a 24-member youth team that will be traveling to Haiti in March 2011. Ask the Lord to grant her safe travels and wisdom as she seeks God’s leading regarding involvement in bringing God’s Kingdom to Haiti. Pray that the gospel and God’s light would break into the darkness gripping Haiti.

Church planting in Africa

Pray for Nubako Selenga and Nzuzi Mukawa, African leaders of ReachAfrica, the missions sending coalition of African Evangelical Free Churches, who are in Kisangani, Congo exploring opportunities for church planting and meeting with potential Congolese church planting missionaries. This is one of the strategic areas for ministry in Congo as there are many people who have yet to be reached with the gospel. Also, pray for Dave Kiamu from Liberia, Reach Africa Church Planting Director, who is in Sierra Leone conducting Multiplication Church Planting training with a group of church planters working in a highly unchurched area. 

Shipment to Congo

The shipment of supplies to Congo that was scheduled to go out last week was postponed and is now scheduled to be loaded and go out today. Ask the Lord to superintend all of the details surrounding this. Ask God to pave the way for its entry into the country and its safe and expeditious arrival.

BCA in Romania

Bucharest Christian Academy (BCA) continues to wait for its building permit. Pray that the city council who requested further revisions to the drawings for BCA’s building will accept the more precise drawings the school submitted. This delay is actually one in BCA’s favor because it has learned that school inspectors often levy big fines for discrepancies between design and the finished product. Pray that the permit will soon be issued and this project can get underway without further delay.

SERVEurope Team Retreat

Pray for God’s blessing on the ReachGlobal SERVEurope team retreat in Budapest. This team serves the church planting and educational teams throughout Europe. Pray for Dale, team leader, and Gary, one of the team coaches, as they lead a seminar on The Heart of the Healthy Individual. Pray that this will be a meaningful time of encouraging one another and that God would grant them wisdom in vision-setting and in decision-making.

Youth Center in Austria

Pray that God would provide wisdom and vision concerning the Lighthouse Youth Center project in Innsbruck, Austria. Pray for clarity on next steps concerning this potential ministry and that the churches would be unified in their decision. Pray that God’s will would be clear for the meeting and vote on December 2, where the future of this project will be determined.

EFCA TouchGlobal Team Retreat

Pray for the EFCA TouchGlobal leadership team meeting December 1-3, in Minnesota. Pray for travel safety for the team members coming from other cities. Ask God to give them insight, guidance and unity of spirit in their discussions and decisions.