IGLESIA ANGLICANA PARAGUAYA - Prayer Calendar - October 2003

1. There is still no news of the whereabouts of little Saul Romero. Pray that he may be protected & found quickly. For grace & strength for his parents & family as they face this terrible pressure.
2. Pray for the trip being made now by FEISA students from the city to indigenous & rural schools. For greater understanding & openness to God's calling for future work. For Samantha as she leads the group & for good health & safety in travel.
3. Pray for the guidance of the Holy Spirit in the meetings in Rio Verde, Chaco this weekend as Bishops John & Andres prepare together with the indigenous pastors & deacons for the forthcoming Synod.
4. Pray for the interdenominational retreat this weekend organized by the World Day of Prayer Committee. Praise God for fellowship with Christian women from many parts of Paraguay & surrounding countries, as we prepare for the 2004 Service written by the women of Panama.
5. Give thanks for the refreshment of last week's half term holiday for staff & students of St. Andrew's School & pray for a renewed vision of God's purposes for them as they return to school. For health & strength as they start preparations for exams in the steadily increasing temperature & humidity.
6. Give thanks for the beginning of rain in the country & Chaco regions. Pray for an adequate rainfall to enable the preparation & planting of crops. Give thanks for co-operative agricultural projects in the indigenous communities & pray for their successful outcome.
7. Pray for the two follow up groups to the last EMA weekend & for those leading them. Pray especially for two couples on the verge of divorce who have decided to make a new start to their marriages. For pastor Tony & Chris Somervell in their role as co-ordinators, & for their family. For the parenting course they lead with couples from past EMAs & for their ministry in Villa Guarani.
8. Pray for the weekly Wednesday morning CALEB meeting for pastors & leaders. Give thanks for increasing unity as we have this regular opportunity to share, study & pray together. Also for those who attend the Wednesday evening study sessions in "Paso a Paso".
9. Give thanks for Asunción Rojas' improved health & pray for him as he translates Exodus. For Tim, Martin & Juan as they continue their first check of work done on Genesis & Judges. For the steady development of their translation skills. For Tito Lahaye (Paraguayan Bible Society) as he counsels & encourages them & for Helen working in St. Andrew's School. For their family.
10. Give thanks for the wonderful EJE weekend in Roque Alonso, for the hard work of volunteers from the St. Andrew's School EJE who ably supported it & for the way God is breaking down barriers between young people from very different backgrounds. Pray for Rosie, Patrick, Esteban & Raquel in the follow up groups to both EJEs, especially for wisdom over future development with so many young people involved. For another adult couple in leadership.
11. Pray for the Dedication service tomorrow in San Carlos, El Estribo of the newly completed church building. Give thanks for the vision & hard work of Phil Grainger & the team from the UK & Ireland who made it possible. Pray for the pastors & lay leaders in the El Estribo community.
12. Pray for the team working in Concepcion & its surrounding areas & for the lay leaders in Tacuati, San Juan & Yvypobo. Give thanks for the vehicle donated to Bishop Andres enabling him to fulfil his episcopal visits to the rural & Chaco communities. Pray for another vehicle for church use in Concepcion as the team travel long distances in their evangelistic & teaching ministry. For the resources urgently needed to maintain the vehicles we use in the diocese over very difficult terrain.
13. Pray for Osvaldo Riquelme as he works as Liaison person for rural & Chaco matters. Give thanks for the greater coherence this brings in the area of health & education. Pray for safety in travel & for his family in Quyquyho. For the annexe congregation in Quyquyho & its future development.
14. Pray for the staff & pupils of the Annexe School & for developing links with parents. For Sharon as she gets alongside pupils with difficulties & for the Christian witness of the maintenance staff. For School Head, Victor Santa Cruz.
15. Tomorrow the Billy Graham Association begins a 3 day series of evangelistic evening programmes "Mi Esperanza" (My hope) on the national TV Channel 9. Churches have long been preparing for this event. Pray for a good response from friends & neighbours to the invitations from Christians to meet together in their homes.
16. Pray for the congregation in Rio Verde, for the lay leaders & for Ed Brice as he co-ordinates pastoral visits. Pray for the possible extension of the national electricity company's service to cover Rio Verde & the lower Chaco region. For God's protection on personnel & buildings in the Anglican Centre there.
17. Continue to pray for the many people who will hear the gospel through the Billy Graham Assoc. TV Programmes. For openness to God's word so that their hope may be centred on Christ & not just on an improved national economy & security.
18. Pray for the witness of St. Andrew's English speaking congregation, both through the weekly services & the different house groups. For strength & vision for Stephen & Eileen & the pastoral team giving thanks for their support of other areas of diocesan ministry.
19. Pray for pastor Jorge, Rebeca & the team in Luque. For the discipleship groups & contact with young people, including many from San Lorenzo. For pastor Jorge as Secretary of the group preparing for the formation of the Association of Evangelical Churches in Paraguay
20. Pray for all the preparations taking place for the forthcoming Diocesan Synod which starts on Friday evening & for those travelling from the Chaco & other rural areas. For the Holy Spirit to fill & direct us into deeper fellowship & interdependence across the cultural barriers.
21. Pray for many church members who are still without regular work. For hope & perseverance & a deep trust in the Lord. Give thanks for a positive visit by the new Paraguayan President to the USA & pray for the development of this nation & for success in the fight against corruption.
22. For pastor Alberto & Ester & the church council in Zeballos Cue & for wisdom in difficult pastoral situations. For the ministry amongst children & young people & the regular discipleship groups. For the witness of the church in the surrounding area.
23. Pray for the witness in the centre of Concepcion & for wisdom over the use of the indigenous hostel in the grounds of the church centre. For God to raise up more leaders to encourage & disciple others. Pray for Claire & Alison in their ministry amongst children, young people & Bible study groups.
24. For God's hand on the Diocesan Synod beginning tonight. For genuine love between people from such different backgrounds & for good understanding & fluency whilst working in 3 languages, Spanish, Guarani & Enxet. For bishops John & Andres & the Diocesan Executive Committee.
25. For wisdom over the redevelopment of the San Andres Cathedral building & diocesan centre area to provide more appropriate facilities for ministry today. Due to the building of large shopping malls the focus of the city of Asuncion has come nearer to us making a need for adjustments & reordering of the existing buildings. Pray for God's provision of sufficient finance for this project. Also for pastor Agustin as he completes his theological studies & for Teresa & the family.
26. Pray for the students & staff of FEISA . Eileen Murphy's 5 year contract with the Evangelical University finishes next year. Pray for Eileen & for the future leadership of FEISA. Give thanks for the high standards being attained by the students.
27. Pray too for the meeting tonight of the governing body of the Evangelical University. For bishop John & Caroline Gilmour White as they participate in it. For unity & greater coherence as different denominations work together in this key area of education.
28. Pray for the development of the ministry amongst children & adolescents in San Lorenzo & for the team working there. For God's guidance for Andy & Liz Cain as they seek his will for their future.
29. Pray for pastor Cefe & Ana, pastor Luis & Regina & the lay leadership team in Roque Alonso. Give thanks for the growing congregations in the centre church, Mirador & Remansito. Give thanks for those young people blessed through the EJE weekend. Pray for them & their parents.
30. Pray for nurse Beryl Baker in her Chaco clinic & in visits to indigenous communities. Give thanks for her long faithful service in the Chaco & pray for safety at home & in travel. For wisdom & perseverance for the indigenous health auxiliaries & for a positive government response to those who still don't receive a salary.
31. Pray for Chris Hawksbee in his work with ProdeChaco, giving thanks for the benefit this NGO has brought amongst the Enxet indians & other groups. For wisdom & guidance for him & Alison over future ministry & for their family.