2009 Week 33

The Lord has established his throne in heaven, and his kingdom rules over all. Psalm 103:19 (NIV).

1. Vacation Bible School (VBS) is entering this summer's final week of ministry. Ask for perseverance and discernment for the counselors to lead the children in a fun time, and as opportunity arises, to lead them to Jesus. Pray for the children's enjoyment and learning - may seeds be sown for a lifetime of receptivity to the Lord. Remember also the families represented by each child.

2. Please pray for the August adult Sunday School classes. August 9: Paul Zung will will teach about a how a socialogist looks at the church to gain a better understanding of how the world perceives us, and be more able to share the good news about Jesus. August 16: the Rancourts will be sharing with us about their life's work, and where the Lord is leading them from this point forward. August 23 and 30: James Lam will teach about leadership and counselling.

3. Please pray for missionaries who are or will be visiting with us this summer. Please pray for the R & L as they transition from ministry overseas to Canada. Pray for the Whitbournes who will visit at the end of August. Pray for the Walls who are in town this and next month. Keep the various workers from a number of fields in East, South and Central Asia in prayer also as they spend time with us and prepare for future work.

4. Please pray for our church's CCSA softball teams this year. The Harbingers (Senior Team), Pi and Seraphs (Junior Teams) are all active now. Ask the Lord to give all team members spiritual growth through fun and fellowship. Pray for the leaders (coaches, governors) to encourage players with their sportsmanship and testimony for Christ. Ask especially for non-believing friends to be drawn to our Saviour.

5. Please pray for Anita Cheng currently on an 8-week medical mission to Galmi, Niger, leaving on July 28, 2009. She will be working in paediatrics at the Galmi Hospital during the busiest season of meningitis, malaria, and malnutrition. A special and challenging focus will be researching and teaching newborn resuscitation. Pray for Anita's spiritual perseverance. Ask the Spirit to prepare patients,parents, and others to hear the Good News of Jesus, to create receptivity in the hearts of locals to newborn resuscitation, and to give Anita wisdom as she works and ministers in Christ's name. Please pray also for peace and increasing faith for Anita's parents.

6. Please continue to pray for brothers and sisters among us who are looking for work and/or facing challenging situations and people in the workplace. Pray for endurance and hopefulness for those who are dealing with change, and looking for new work. May the Spirit help them to make decisions concerning their jobs, and perhaps their careers. Ask the Lord to grant guidance and peace as they depend on him.

7. Please pray for the church building project:- The Building Committee is still in discussion with a bank about obtaining a loan and getting a "letter of committment." Please pray for the committee as they negotiate. Ask the Spirit to guide the committee with wisdom to make decisions that reflect God's will for our church.- Members from the ESC are planning a number of possible fund-raisers that will appeal to people like us. This will bring the ESC into the building project in new and exciting ways. Please lift up the remaining initiatives before the Lord: golf tournament (October 3, pray for people to sign up); "donate a day's pay" event (soon); other intiatives are still being planned.

8. Please pray for brothers and sisters among us who are suffering. Lift up those you know who are sick or suffering before the Lord. Ask for healing and comfort, and practical things such as help from others. Ask the Lord to move any of us to respond and be those helping hands.

9. Please pray for the five young people who are getting baptized later this month (August 23). Ask the Lord to guide them as they prepare their testimonies, and as they get ready to witness to the Lord Jesus by way of baptism.

10. Please pray for growth in discernment and conviction among the college/university group over this summer. Ask for trust to grow between members, (even though they have been away from each other on different campuses) and a willingness for people to respond to all that they hear from God through their prayer and discussion. Pray also for students to consider attending the Urbana Student Missions Conference (Dec 2009) which is held once every three years. This is an opportunity for them to see what God is doing in the world and how they might become participants in God's global purposes.

11. Please keep praying for 5-month old Anissa. This following is from her parents, Winnie and Marvin: Anissa just had another visit with the cardiologist, Dr. Musawe on July 16. During this latest visit, Dr. Musawe said that he was encouraged by Anissa's weight gain during the past couple of months. He now is taking a wait-and-see approach to Anissa's condition to see if the hole between the ventricles will close. He did emphasize that if the hole does not close by itself, then surgery will be necessary. It is encouraging that Dr. Musawe has changed his assessment of immediate surgery to wait-and-see and the appointments have changed from monthly to 6 weeks. So for the near future, there is no surgery.Thank you all for your prayers and love for Anissa.