CPA Praying Together – May 2022Thank you for joining with us. Please feel free to pass onto friends.

Please use this opening prayer for both yourself and our African friends.

Holy Lord, everything we need is found in you.
For those of us who come here feeling broken, bring restoration.
For those of us who come here feeling weak, bring strength.
For those who come here weeping, bring joy.
For those of us who come here with doubts, bring faith.
For those who come here feeling shame, bring freedom.
For those of us who come here feeling burdened, bring rest.
For those of us who come here feeling anxious, bring peace.
Through Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen.

Please feel free to use this short update to help you pray for our friends in Africa.

Sometimes it is extremely difficult to put into words, and know how to pray using words, especially when we are made aware of gravely concerning situations. Perhaps allow thoughtful silence to aid your prayers this month, as we look at two countries close to our hearts here at CPA.

Occasionally, I like to look back at some of our old prayer letters and see what’s changed. Sometimes this means rejoicing over good news and answered prayer, other times it brings a sadness at not seeing the change hoped for. Last April we were praying specifically for parts of war-torn Ethiopia and Mozambique. I was reminded to keep on praying, keep on asking our Father for peace to reign.

Uganda:

We have had further good news!

• The kids are back in school! After such a long time with Covid-19 restrictions in place, we thank God things are beginning to feel normal, albeit a new normal, and the children can get stuck into their education again. Pray for their success and ability to concentrate on their studies. Please pray for the families and guardians as they make the necessary adjustments.
• Julius reports that the day out, (sponsored by CPA) with the children/young people from the former Komamboga Children’s Home went so well. Each young person could take a guardian and they had a wonderful day of being together with lots of laughter and treats.
• Paul and Chris have begun discussions with our partners in North Kigezi about expanding the project to include many more vulnerable families within the community. It is early days, but please pray for good communication and understanding between us all. Please pray for our partners as they develop a good strategy to set up new savings groups, along with training and support, on the ground. This is such a great way to lift people up and empower them. Pray that the love of Christ would be shared, and that this development would be holistic and inclusive in its approach, helping many more families to get up on their feet.
• The cost of living, like in so many places in the world, has taken a real hike upwards in Uganda. We ask and pray for some stability in prices.

Ethiopia:

CPA, together with an organisation called Compassion International, have managed to send funds to help the communities we know, in the humanitarian disaster that is unfolding in Ethiopia.  Firstly, we thank God for this opening door.

• Please pray for a developing of this relationship so that we can help to serve more people.
• Our small part in this is to supply funds to buy food parcels, which will be distributed to those in greatest need, regardless of their ethnic/religious background.
• Let’s be bold enough to pray these food parcels will be multiplied, like the story of Jesus feeding the multitudes, as this can happen!
• Let us continue to pray that the corridor, set up to allow aid to reach those in the north of Ethiopia, will be protected, so that much needed food and provision can make it through.
• Pray for the churches throughout Ethiopia to be able to serve the poor, with both physical and spiritual food.

Please take a moment to think over these words spoken by Jesus, in the gospel of John, and allow the enormity of them to sink into both your own life and into your prayers for our friends in Africa.

“I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world”.

John16 vs 33       

Thank you for joining with us

Raymond and the team.