Pray - River of Life Alliance Church

ALLIANCE PRAYER REQUESTS July 28, 2008 JULY PRAYER FOCUS: Pray for wisdom and protection for Alliance workers serving in difficult areas of the world. Update GREAT COMMISSION FUND: Praise God! To date, $1,024,946 has been received from the G.C. Sunday offering. Thanks to all who prayed and gave! Due to the recent surge in Great Commission Fund giving, the decision to implement a proposed 10-percent salary reduction for all personnel paid out of the GCF has been deferred until the Board of Directors meeting in October. Pray that the proposed salary cuts will not be necessary. Pray for God's wisdom and continued provision during these challenging times. Praise God for the spirit of sacrifice demonstrated by Alliance churches, pastors, missionaries, and individual donors. AFRICA REGIONAL OFFICE: Continue to pray healing for Jaynee Walker's father, Ray, as he receives chemotherapy treatment. Also, pray that he will gain weight. BURKINA FASO: Pray for healing for Karen Wolter's father. He has had prostate cancer, and now it has spread to the bone. Pray for wisdom concerning treatment options. Pray that chemo will not be necessary. Continue to pray for safe travel, protection, and effective ministry for short-term teams. Pray that these trips will have a lasting impact on every team member. Praise God for Emma Oberg's improved health! After tests revealed that she was malaria free, other tests indicated typhoid or a possible infection. She is on medication to cure both and is doing much better. Pray that she will continue to improve and that whatever she has will not relapse. Pray for Kevin Oberg as he travels to Ouaga on Tuesday to meet with a man who is working for a group that is helping to finance the construction of several churches in Burkina. Pray for safe travels and for a positive meeting. COTE D'IVORE: Pray for lasting peace as the cost of living continues to escalate. Two weeks ago, gas prices increased by more than 40 percent overnight. The subsequent week of strikes led to a small reduction, but at today's exchange rates gas costs $6.55 per gallon. Pray for wisdom in the use of ministry funds in the face of unplanned cost increases. GABON: Lisa Nicky requests prayer for 100 percent healing after having dengue fever. Also, pray for Lisa as she prepares for home assignment. Pray for Doussala village, especially that the men/chiefs of the village will faithfully follow God. MALI: Pray for Nancy Pierce, retired missionary, as she continues to recover from serious attacks on her health, including a pulmonary embolism and blood clots in her legs. Pray for complete restoration to health. REPBULIC OF THE CONGO: Pray for God's anointing on a College of Prayer that will be held in Pointe Noire, Brazzaville, and Kinshasa July 25-August 8. Pray for safe travel for team members and God's hand in all the logistics. SENEGAL: Pray for Brian and Michelle Davis who are in Toulouse, France, to practice their French in a ministry setting with a French-speaking church prior to beginning their service in Senegal. Pray that God will bless them with friendships in the church and in their neighborhood to help them improve their French and to help others move closer to Christ. Praise the Lord for a good JESUS film showing last week. The local religious leader walked out upset but later returned and watched the movie. Afterwards, an elderly lady said it was good for "the children" to see the film. There has been such interest among the villagers who saw the film that they could not fit everyone in the car who wanted to go to church the following Sunday. The team is encouraging them to start a cell group in their village. Please pray for lasting fruit. ASIA/PACIFIC CAMBODIA: Pray for church members in the Malay district, most of whom are plantation farmers. Despite a good harvest this year, these farmers are unable to sell their produce due to border tensions. Many have debts that they promised to pay off once their crops had sold. Now, things look hopeless, if not impossible, for these farmers. Some have already questioned their faith as a result. Pray for God's miraculous intervention. The dengue fever season is here. Many church and local children suffer greatly with this ailment. Last week a baby girl nearly died. Pray for protection and divine healings. Recently, Soeuth and Syna Lao's guard found a huge snake skin behind their house. The serpent still is hiding outside. Pray for safety and protection from snakes! Soeuth and Syna are praising God for sending their son Jonathan some playmates. Every day, five or more local children come to play with Jonathan, who has been overcoming his shyness as a result of these friendships. Continue to pray for healing for Jonathan's broken arm. Pray that he will not reinjure it, especially while playing with his new friends. Pray for wisdom and discernment during a leadership meeting this Wednesday to plan ministry for the coming year. INDONESIA: Pray for national church district conferences being held in various regions. These follow the national-level conference and often involve election and appointment of new administrative staff. Pray that godly leaders will be selected to serve. Pray that God will prepare the heart of the person or persons coming to work in the C&MA field office. Pray that God will provide office administration staff with bookkeeping experience and computer skills as well as fluency in the Indonesian language to be a firm support to the missionaries. Praise God for His blessing on the national youth retreat held last week. About 150 campers attended nightly services, youth-relevant seminars, evangelism events, and youth leadership training. Pray that seed sown will continue to bear fruit. Pray for Todd and Debbie Adams as they reach out to people within their sphere of influence. Pray for anointed conversations and opportunities to plant seeds of truth. Missionary Frank Peters will attend the opening of a Bible school in Sentani August 11-15. Pray that this time will be an encouragement to those in school leadership and provide a time for vision casting and information exchange for these new school plants. On August 15-17 Todd Adams will be sharing at the World Team Conference as the speaker. Pray for God's anointing as he imparts the truth of God's Word. Pray as Todd takes time to prepare and that his words will be timely and relevant to the needs at hand. Pray for Debbie Adams as she prepares for a three-day speaking opportunity in Hitadipa September 23-26. Many women will be gathering for a retreat. Pray for times of preparation, God's leading in thoughts, and language ability to share clearly God's Word. JAPAN: Pray for a new ministry to be started by Ken and Kathy Young called Hope House. They will be opening the doors of the home near a hospital in Hiroshima in hopes of reaching out to those who have loved ones in the hospital and who need a place to rest and wait while loved ones recuperate. They will also be teaching English and Bible studies there. Pray that this ministry will be used to lead people to Christ. Praise God! New people are coming to Kawaguchi Church, including a high school girl who has started attending as a result of a high school outreach. Pray that she will give her heart to the Lord. Pray for safety for Don and Hazel Schaeffer and family as they are in the States for their daughter's wedding. Pray for God's blessings on Kawaguchi Church as they are away and strength for the church leaders during this time. Pray for two believers at Sengendai Church who are experiencing personal difficulties. Pray that they will see God's provision in their needs. Pray for Dale and Heidi Lemke as they minister to seekers at the church and also university students in the area. Pray for the congregation as it anticipates the arrival of Dick and Janice Kropp who will lead the church the next two years. Pray for Amy Cervone, missionary apprentice, who will arrive in Japan in early August. Pray for her perseverance and understanding in language study and her involvement at Kotesashi Church and other outreaches. Pray for Alan and Jill Kropp as they wait for the paper work to be completed for visas as they prepare to come to Japan as Alliance missionaries this summer. Pray for Harry Landaw as he speaks at the first annual Deeper Life Conference of Filipino Churches here in Japan August 10-14. Pray for God's blessings on this time. Also, please pray for wisdom in dealing with building up a struggling church and continued miracles in the budget needs. God has been faithful. Pray for Jane Landaw's classes for young mothers who are open to Christianity and for an English/Bible class that is studying the Book of John. MONGOLIA: Thanks to all who prayed for a recent youth camp! More than 100 young people attended, and there 10 first-time decisions for Christ. Pray for four new families: the Jason and Ruth Kim Lee and family, Larry and Krista Lain and family, Mark and Cinda Wood and family, and Erik and Christina Wahlen and family who are arriving on July 29. Pray for the many adjustments to be made. Pray for the annual field forum August 2-7. Rev. John Kitchen will be the speaker. Pray for a time of spiritual, physical, and emotional refreshment for all. Also, pray that it will be a great time of team building for the growing team. EUROPE/MIDDLE EAST GERMANY: Continue to pray for the English camp that is taking place this week. Pray for hearts that are open to what God is doing. Pray for strength, wisdom, and unity for the staff. Pray for Valary Mullenix as she closes field books and sets up budgets for some fields. Thanks to those who prayed for Valary's neighbor Kristine, who was studying away from home to be a dental hygienist. She is now back at home with her children. Pray for God's blessing on this family. RUSSIA: Pray for Steve and Wendy Lovell as they prepare to return to Russia on August 17 following home assignment. Pray for safe travel and for the many details that need to fall into place, including the finalization of the Lovells' visas in Washington. Pray that God will send a buyer for their van, which must be sold before they depart. Also, pray for a miraculous healing for Steve Lovell's grandmother, who is quite ill. Pray for Jason and Joy Jordan as they transition into Russian life. Pray that the children will thrive in their new environment. Pray for protection and good health as the Jordans have had several health issues this past month. Pray for Steve and Christy Volstad who are participating in an English camp outside Moscow this week. Pray that they will develop relationships that will continue after camp ends and that they will be able to share with the campers about spiritual matters. Pray for JB and Iris Hecock who will hold an English camp in Ekaterinburg. Pray that the gospel will be clearly presented and that the campers will trust in Jesus as their Savior. Alan and Trish Eggleton are praising God that their church's camping and rock-climbing weekend was a great success. A total of 13 people participated, including several non-Christians. Thanks to all who prayed! Pray for members of a short-term team that will be visiting from California. They will be in St. Petersburg serving some Baptist churches, but they have some days during which they will be ministering with the Eggleton's church. Pray for Pastor Dima and for Yura as they plan some sporting events in the community around this church plant. Just before leaving for home assignment, Alan Eggleton met with Pastor Dima and the lawyer that will be attempting to register a new community center. Pray for this process to move along with no major complications and that the center will become registered by November. SPAIN: Pray for God's continued blessing on the River of Hope Chinese Church in Madrid. Missionaries John and Lorraine Young are leading this work. Pray for God's provision as John (just back from home assignment) seeks new housing for the family and to purchase a new vehicle. Both are urgent needs, as are the approval of visas for their two children. Pray for Craig and Katie Lewis as they finish packing their belongings and await approval of their visas. They are scheduled to arrive in Spain later this summer to begin language studies and their first term of service. Most of our local churches in Spain have a significant number of immigrants from Latin America. Many have lost their jobs in recent months due to the severe downturn in the construction industry. As a result, several of Alliance churches are experiencing significant financial problems. Pray for God's provision and for wisdom as church leaders seek to deal with these challenging circumstances. LATIN AMERICA CHILE: Pray for follow-up of the first Men's Encounter in Reñaca that took place this past weekend. About 50 men attended, many of whom were unchurched or who had never attended an evangelical church. Pray for lasting fruit. DOMINICAN REPUBLIC: Praise the Lord for the quality time Linda Pace could spend with her mother on her 90th birthday. Pray that the Lord will strengthen Lois on July 28 as she receives a painful shot in her hip to relieve arthritis pain and keep her mobile. Pray for safety and lives dedicated to the Lord as work teams come to minister in construction, VBS in several churches, and an adolescent English camp over the next several weeks. Pray for Jeff and Deborah Climie as they lead the team from their district. Pray for the second couples' dinner to be held in the Model City area. Pray that it will result in many positive contacts and that all those involved will be greatly encouraged. Pray for renewed interest in following the Lord as the McBrides minister to their neighbors whose son and daughter-in-law were kidnapped and later rescued safely. Pray for Zac and Julie Stutler as they resume ministry after returning from home assignment. Pray that the Lord would clearly direct them in all decisions concerning their ministry assignment and that He would open doors so that they will be able to help others to know Jesus and become His disciples. Pray that Zac and Julie will reconnect well to friends in the Dominican Republic as well as with new people who are hungry for a vital connection with the living Lord. Also, pray that God will provide for their practical needs, including housing that has a generator or another backup source of electricity. UNITED STATES Pray for Mel Carter (former missionary to Gabon and Senegal) who recently suffered a stroke. Tests indicate that he has a hole in his heart, and more tests are scheduled to determine if he is at risk for another stroke. Pray for complete healing and wisdom for the doctors. Pray also for peace for Mel and his family. CENTRAL DISTRICT: Pray for church plants in the Central District. Center Pointe Church will continue having a Goal Keepers soccer camp for the next several weeks. Pray that the Lord will open many doors and many hearts through this outreach. Please lift up Rosedale in prayer as there is a possibility that several new families will be moving into the area. Pray that doors will open making it possible for these families to enter this community and those families will come to know the Lord. Also, 50 people were in the area last week working on missions projects. Pray that these individuals and the work they did will have an impact on this community. GREAT LAKES DISTRICT: Continue to pray for Carley, the three-year-old niece of Pete Hoffman, a C&MA missionary candidate doing his home service at Acts 29 Fellowship in Hamtramck, Michigan. A tumor was found in her spinal column that is causing anemia and severe pain in her legs, and she is unable to walk. She was admitted to Riley Children's Hospital in Indianapolis where the doctors diagnosed her with stage four neuroblastoma. The treatment will include aggressive chemotherapy, radiation, and bone marrow/stem cell transplant. It will be a long and difficult road. Joel and Teeny (her parents) are obviously devastated but trusting in Jesus. Teeny is expecting their third child in six weeks. Please storm the gates of heaven on Carley and her family's behalf. NEW ENGLAND DISTRICT: Pray for John Tsang, pastor of the Chinese Christian Church of Rhode Island, who is recovering from extremely delicate surgery that involved John's brain and his eye socket. The expectation is that he will be hospitalized post-operatively for about two weeks. WESTERN GREAT LAKES DISTRICT: Pray for Rev. Darrell Grant who continues to recover following liver surgery in June. His recovery time is estimated to take eight weeks. Once he has regained his strength, he will have a minimum of six months of chemotherapy. CREATIVE-ACCESS COUNTRIES: Remember CAC workers around the world. Pray for protection as well as for opportunities to share the good news. Pray that contacts will be drawn to Jesus. Pray for an eight-year-old boy who needs life-saving surgery. Pray that his father will come to know Jesus and that his mother's faith will be strengthened.