PLEASE PRAY ABOUT THESE PANDEMIC CONSEQUENCES IN THE MISSION FIELD.
1. Spiritual Confusion. “The gods must be angry” is what 90% of tribal people believe about the COVID 19 pandemic. Our evangelists are trying their best to teach them to teach about a God of love and mercy, who is full of grace. PRAY FOR THE HOLY SPIRIT TO WORK WITH POWER – SO PEOPLE’S HEARTS WILL BE OPEN TO LOVE OF GOD IN CHRIST.
2. Physical trials. Terrible hunger has affected many. Some 80% of the believers are very poor. Many are landless, so only rely on unskilled labouring for their source of income. The World Transform “Food for a Family for a Week” emergency project has blessed many believers and unbelievers alike. Pray that God would bless the efforts to show the love of Christ in providing food for those with critical need. It is also a great opportunity to showing compassionate concern in the name of Jesus. PRAY THAT PEOPLE HUNGER FOR THE BREAD OF LIFE.
3. Emotional Issues. There’s confusion in the isolation. Sunday worship, mid week meetings etc have not been able to be held. Pray for young believers in their isolation. PRAY FOR YOUNG BELIEVERS TO TRUST CHRIST ALONE in these difficult days. Many migrant labourers are stranded far from home and can’t return because of travel bans. Families are torn apart and there is fear about loved ones. PRAY FOR THOSE WHO ARE ANXIOUS AND DISTRESSED.
1. Our hearts are filled with sadness for the whole world suffering due to the pandemic. Suffering and death is tragic wherever it happens but the scale in India is beyond our comprehension. Given that published figures probably need to be multiplied by a factor of 10 – we grieve for the millions suffering there. Please continue to pray for India, that the aggressive spread of Covid19 would be halted.( All infection records are being broken. The health system cannot cope. The country is again in lockdown which also seriously affects the poor who will go hungry.) Please pray for God’s mercy that in his grace he would bring comfort to many sick and those who mourn.
2. Pray for India’s leaders, they don’t seem to be managing Covid well.
3. Pray for the 15,000 young believers from the Bhil tribe, may they be a witness to the God of grace in the way they too suffer and that they look to Jesus in faith.
4. Please pray for the 70+ evangelists that they be kept safe so that the preaching of God’s grace would go on unhindered. One GOSPEL evangelist Rajesh, has recovered completely (PTL). Others: Prakash, Suhas, Somu, Chimu are unwell at this time.
5. Two of the CRFI Board members and an office staff member have tested positive. The director Newbegin and his wife Salome have both been recently exposed to Covid19. If infected they would be very vulnerable because of their age. Uphold them in prayer.
- There were 80 evangelists and workers who attended CRFI Annual Training Seminar last month. Dr. Murray Capill’s theme of “Preaching the Gospel of Abraham.” helped them grasp the unity of Scripture and ways of preaching Christ from the Old Testament.
- We praise God for the newly baptised people who accepted Jesus Christ as their Saviour and Lord. As many as 113 believers took baptism in the month of October 2017 from different fields.
- Please pray for evangelists Suresh and Ratan who have been on sick leave. May they be healed soon.
- Teaching for the evangelists doing the Diploma course is going on this month in two locations. There will be lot of travel involved for our workers as well as the Seminary faculty.
1. 110 women from 6 villages participated in women’s meetings last month. Apart from being encouraged from the Word, they were also challenged about what God’s Word says about the role of women in church and society. Pray that the training will help these women understand their dignity in Christ.
2. Twenty-nine GOSPEL workers attended a week of training given by Presbyterian Theological Seminary (PTS), subjects covered were: Preaching God’s Word; Developing of the local; the role of the church in society; and Christian living. Pray that the young churches will be strengthened by able preachers.
3. Sunday school teachers have been trained in six clusters. This will be a valuable tool for kids to learn God’s Word. (There are no Christian schools and parent often don’t know the Bible as they haven’t been taught and many can’t read.) Please pray for so many youth may grow in knowledge of our Saviour.
4. A few reports for praise and thanksgiving:
a. Rulsingh gives thanks to God for six new families.
b. Jamsingh field praises our Lord for twelve new believers from 2 villages.
c. Santial has started a new prayer group in an outreach village. Fourteen new believers were added to one congregation in April.
1. All thanks and glory to God for the successful annual gathering of GOSPEL workers at Baroda during the first week of October. 23 graduated in our very first graduation ceremony for the Diploma in Mission Altogether.
2. This month the Hindu festival of light called Diwali, will be celebrated from 6th to 9th November 2018. However, it is not really about the true light. Please pray that many of our contacts in the mission fields will come to truly find the “Light of the World” in in our Lord Jesus Christ.
3. Please pray for the forthcoming training seminars for Tuition Centre Teachers which will be held on 10th to 12th November 2018. Tuition centres are opportunities to help over 600 primary school kids learn more about God’s World and his Word.
4. Praise God for the 85 new people in congregations who are showing an interest in the Gospel. Please pray that these interested people will continue to grow in the knowledge of our Lord so that they fully accept Jesus Christ in the days to come.
5. We have started two new mission fields in Alirajpur and Bhabarh with 10 new workers. These two fields are very responsive to Christ, but also the areas are potentially areas where persecution may be stirred up. Please pray that our Lord will protect our new workers to take up this challenge to reach out to many new people to tell them of the love of God in Christ.