April Prayer Guide

Click here  for printable version for the month of April 2020 prayer requests.

Hotline – Tuesday, March 31, 2020

Click here for printable version

AFRICA:

Pray for African congregations as they find new ways to stay connected during this time when they
cannot meet face-to-face.
As the Coronavirus reaches the African continent, there are a growing number of challenges:

• Pray for a rapid understanding of the importance of social distancing and not meeting in
groups.
• Pray for countries whose food and fuel prices have drastically jumped. Also, pray for places
where food is scarce.

Praise the Lord! Amid the virus and the challenges presented, the Spirit of Christ is present in many
African believers. They are seizing opportunities to share the gospel with those whose
circumstances are bringing them to a deeper thoughtfulness about their lives.
Praise the Lord! Ken and Letty Myers made their trip back to the U.S. without difficulty.
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ASIA:

Thank God for a life well-lived! One of our FM pastors in Creative Access Country-V died this week
after a battle with cervical cancer. Her services underlined her love for Jesus, and many observers
were impacted by the Christian funeral. Please pray for her 21 year-old-son, her parents, her sister,
and the many she cared for regularly as a pastor.

Documents for a new foundation have been submitted in Thailand. Pray for this process. Pray also
for the many members of the FMC in Thailand, who are sick or without work because of the
COVID-19 social restrictions.

Pray for the humanitarian crisis developing in Creative Access Country-I and throughout much of
Asia. As a result of quarantines, lockdowns, and the closure of businesses, people are walking miles
in the heat, through the night, returning to rural homes in the hope of finding food. Beyond the
desperation for basic needs, this has the potential to spread the virus.

Please pray for our FM churches in Myanmar. Some villages are locked down, including four villages
where we have FM churches: Hmunhalh, Vomkua, Aiak A and B, and Belhar, where at least 40 are
quarantined. There is only one place for tests, and only 10 people at a time can be tested. Food
supplies are running out.

Please continue to pray for missionaries who are “sheltering in place” in Asia.
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EUROPE:

Larry Winckles reports they started recording daily devotions in English and Hungarian since the
quarantine. People who have never been to the church are watching the videos. Pastor Péter, of
the Budapest church had been doing weekly faith classes for children. They have not been able to
meet because of the quarantine. Several parents have reached out to Péter through email, asking
for the classes to continue. As a result, Peter has started recording the class. They will have their
first interactive class this Friday on zoom. Praise the Lord for these opportunities!

Michael Long (Greece) requests prayer for Maria. She has been in the U.S. since early March.
Because of the flight restrictions to Europe, she is not able to return to Greece.

Several members of the European missionary team have elderly family members living in the U.S.
who are high risk for the COVID-19 virus. Please pray with them regarding the concerns for their
well-being. One of the toughest challenges for missionaries is to be away from family in times of
illness and crisis.
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LATIN AMERICA:

Most of Latin America is in quarantine. Many people are suffering economically because they live
off of day-by-day income. They cannot generate income in this new reality. A good number of
pastors in the area are struggling financially because churches aren’t meeting, and offerings aren’t
being collected. Please pray for God’s provision.

We praise God!
• The Carmen de Areco church (Argentina) youth and Pastora Maria Elena Salas are preparing
meals every day for more than 120 people.
• The Pura Vida Church (360 Mission District – Costa Rica), under Pastor Dennis León, has
collected groceries and created a food pantry for those who need it.
• Camino de Vida Pereira (Colombia) and Pastor Yeni Mena, are buying groceries and giving
them to families in need, many of them women who have moved out of prostitution.

We thank God for these examples of His light shining in the darkness and pray for His continued
provision for these ministries.
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MIDDLE EAST

Pray for leaders throughout the Middle East who desire to minister to those in need but because of
the Coronavirus are greatly restricted. Ask the Lord to give them wisdom and reveal creative ways
to be the body of Christ in a suffering world. Pray for all who are affected by the
pandemic, especially those who are ill or have lost loved ones.

Iraq, Jordan, Israel, and other creative access countries all have “stay at home” orders. Pray for our
team as they use technology to connect groups and leaders. Pray for Egypt. While no official “stay
at home” order has been issued, reports indicate infections are rising. Our leaders are required to
work from home.

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INTERNATIONAL CHILD CARE MINISTRIES

Please be in prayer for ICCM work around the world:
• Protection and health of ICCM staff
• Supply and distribution of food, soap and water filters where needed
• God’s special protection in densely populated areas
• Physical and emotional health of children and their families
• Spiritual and emotional strength of the workers

To learn more about ICCM, click here.

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SEED

Pray for SEED’s partner livelihood groups. They face trials and tribulations every day. The
Coronavirus situation has made their lives even more difficult. Please pray SEED will be able to help
greatly during this time, and for God to miraculously provide and protect them.

To learn more about SEED, click here.

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SET FREE

Join with the Set Free Movement in praying this prayer that was linked to one of their recent
Lenten newsletters:
A Prayer and a Hope
Anonymous
May we who are merely inconvenienced
remember those whose lives are at stake.

May we who have no risk factors
remember those most vulnerable.

May we who have the luxury of working from home
remember those who must choose between
preserving their health or making their rent.

May we who have the flexibility to care for our
children when their schools close,
remember those who have no options.

May we who have to cancel our trips
remember those that have no safe place to go.

May we who are losing our margin money
in the tumult of the economic market
remember those who have no market at all.

May we who settle in for a quarantine at home
remember those who have no home.

As fear grips our country,
let us choose love.

During this time when we cannot physically
wrap our arms around each other,
let us find ways to be the loving embrace
of God to our neighbors.

Amen

Learn more about SET FREE click here.

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VISA MINISTRIES:

Due to the current complications of travel and for the health and safety of our volunteers, all VISA trips have been canceled until at least June 1. (FMWM Statement for Short-Term Volunteers)
Ask the Lord to begin preparing teams who will serve later this year.

learn more about VISA click here.

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CURRENT NEWSLETTERS

Kevin Austin (SetFree)
Thom and Sherry Cahill
Phil and Debra Gilmore
Roger and Ellen Haskins
Al and Diane Mellinger
Don Rogers
Chris and Yuko Wilkins

FMWM RESOURCES:

April Heartbeat
Missions Alive! – South America Curriculum

The new 2020 Missions Alive! – Middle East will be available soon.
Missions Resources

The FMWM Ministry Prayer Directory is a print only piece, including information and prayer requests for each country and missionary. To receive copies of the 2019-2020 Ministry Prayer Directory, contact Janet.Coates@fmcusa.org.

QUICK LINKS

* Affiliate Partners
* Men’s Ministries International