Missionary Prayer Requests

As we support missionaries, we want to be in prayer for them as well. Below is a long list of prayer requests we recently received from our mission partners. Please be in prayer for them. We will try to have prayer requests regularly listed somewhere on the church website (still figuring exactly where, websites don't always do everything we want), but this blog post will remain up as well if you want to return to it.

TURKS IN MADAGASCAR

Elizabeth and I are very glad to be back in Madagascar. The rainy season seems set to finally get started here.

Specific prayer requests:

-for good decisions from the government and church in the face of rising COVID cases -- we expect some restrictions to take place in early 2022;

-for all the people of Madagascar who are having a hard time making ends meet, especially for people in the far south where hunger is affecting hundreds of thousands of people;

-for Elizabeth’s work with the FJKM church to help people avoid getting COVID;

-for my work helping FJKM churches become “Green Churches” and helping farmers grow fruit trees.

Many thanks to all at FPC Marshalltown for your support of our ministries in Madagascar.

Merry Christmas,

Dan

CARTER STRAND: JONATHAN'S HOUSE

The Lord has blessed the Jonathan’s House ministry this year. We have not had staff or children sick due to COVID 19. We have a full time missionary from Georgia with us who speaks French and English. We have rescued several children this year who would have died without intervention. The school lunch program continues to feed 425 children per day. My prayer request is that we will be notified when children in CAR are in dark and desperate situations. Unfortunately, children still die there before we are ever notified. That’s unnecessary because we are ready with resources to help.

Thank you very much for your prayers and support.

Carter Strand

THE PALMS IN THE PHILIPPINES

Thank you for your concern and you letter is timely. We are trying to recover from a destructive typhoon that has come through our area this past weekend. This has been devastating and unfortunate being so close to the Christmas holidays. The typhoon came through our region and by the grace of God no lives were lost as far as we know now. However, damage to the homes and buildings have been extensive and disruption of power and communications systems left people in the dark for several days.

Several communities have been damaged to the extent that families have moved to evacuation centers. We are working as best we can to respond to the water needs in these evacuation centers and to requests by churches in the affected areas.

I will have more updates in the days ahead. Please keep us in your prayers.

Again thank you for your concern,

Cobbie

CHILDVOICE

Hello, everyone!

Hopefully this update finds you well! It's been a busy season here as we enter into the last few months of 2021, and as normal, there’s never a shortage of things to pray for, but we have many praises as well. We continue to be in awe of His faithfulness to us and grateful for Him allowing us to play a part in this work.

· We are really excited to report that on November 1st, we officially reopened the Lukome Center. Since the second lockdown in June, we were forced to scale down many of our activities. Thankfully we were able to keep all the students at the center during these past months instead of sending them home. But now we were able to fully reopen all of our operational programs.

· We praise God for a general ease of lockdown requirements in Uganda. It’s been a very difficult few months for the country and the people who have tried to survive through the strict regulations.

· We are thankful for a good harvest at our boys farm in Nigeria. This was our first term in the agricultural program and we praise God for such great success. Pray that this continues to encourage the boys in the program.

· We are thankful for a new staff member joining the Nigeria team, Samson, who will be working on our monitoring and evaluation program. We are so blessed to have such amazing team members who work hard to carry out all of our programs.

Please join us in lifting up the following needs:

· Lukome Center:

o Pray for our many graduates who are still trying to recover from the loss of their primary livelihoods because of Covid-19 and the government lockdowns.

o Pray for the country of Uganda who continues to experience major changes in weather patterns. Because of an excess amount of rain this year, much of the northern region will not be able to plant in the second season, which is the major season for most farmers.

o Pray for peace and safety in the country as there have been three recent terror attacks from a rebel group coming out of the neighboring DRC.

· Imvepi:

o Continue to pray for the refugees in Imvepi and all throughout Uganda. The effects of Covid-19 along with the lockdown has hit this community the hardest and has had devastating effects.

o Pray for the young boy of one of our students from Imvepi who was recently diagnosed and treated for hydrocephalus (a buildup of fluid around his brain). Please pray for quick and smooth healing as well as comfort for his mother.

o Pray for 52 of our students who recently graduated from the first phase of the Imvepi community-based program. Pray that their transition to independence in a very unstable world be smooth and they continue to look to the Lord in all that they do.

· Nigeria:

o We are thankful for the progress we have made so far on the Youth Empowerment Center in Nigeria. Please pray for our team as they continue to move the program forward.

o Pray for the country of Nigeria as they are experiencing a significant rise in inflation nationwide (16%). The result has meant an extreme increase in the cost of basic goods, making an already difficult life even harder.

o Please pray for our team as we continue to search for a water source near our new land. This is an important resource not only for our Youth Empowerment Center, as also for our farm.

· US

o Conrad and a group of seven others are going to be traveling overseas this November. Please join us in praying for incredible fellowship, constant protection, and smooth travels as the group comes together and visits our programs on the ground. Navigating travel in these unprecedented times has proven to be a challenge for sure.

o We continue to have a great need for funds as we close down 2021. The Lord has been so faithful to us as an organization, so while we don’t know how it will all come together, we continue to thank Him for His provision as we’ve seen Him come through time and time again.

LORI ADAMS-FCA

Pray for 15 teachers to say yes to going with me to Colorado Springs in July for a time of encouragement and equipping. Also, pray for at least 3 coaches at Iowa State to say yes to doing Bible study in this next semester. Thank you!!

JEN DAVIS-Cornerstone Church Rhode Island

Thanks so much for reaching out! We have many things coming up that we could use prayer for: -Winter Conference in Colorado for college students. Please pray that students who attend winter conference will grow in their understanding of the gospel and be able to be more effective in their local church when they return home after the conference. -Campus Fellowship on RIC’s campus. Please pray CF would get approved an official organization on RIC’s Campus. -Laborers to be raised up in the city. Please pray Luke 10:2 “He told them, the harvest is abundant, but the workers are few. Therefore, pray to the Lord of the harvest to send out workers into His harvest.” I am so thankful for all your prayers and support!

With love, Jen Davis