Day 24 - Pray for the Church in South Africa and Eswatini

Day 24 - Pray for the Church in South Africa and Eswatini

Hands at Work envisions the local church in Africa effectively caring for the orphaned, the widowed and the dying in partnership with the International Church. Today we invite you to join us in praying for the local church in South Africa and Eswatini:

• “For South Africa may we please pray together for our churches. As a Christian organisation whose foundation is Christ, mobilising the church in serving the most vulnerable is the main thing. However, in South Africa, we have many kinds of churches with different doctrines, thus it becomes a challenge for us with Primary Caregivers, Care Workers and children coming from families that mix Christ with traditional worship. Pray for God’s guidance and intervention as we try to teach and preach about Jesus to our people and trying to get them belong to the right churches. - Nontobeko, Service Centre* Coordinator sharing on behalf of the Hazyview and Oshoek Service Centres.

• “We can stand in prayer for pastors, because we know that pastors are the only people that can influence the whole church. If they buy into the Hands at Work vision, it’s easy for the whole church to follow because they trust them. A big problem in Eswatini is that the pastors themselves they don’t have relationship. There is this thing of different churches, different denominations. So, they look down upon each other and it’s not easy for them to come together even though they need to work together so they can care for the children after we graduate. Also, inside one church, you find that there is division which if the church is divided, it’s not easy for the church to take ownership at the Care Points. Please pray for unity in the church.” – Futhi, Service Centre* Coordinator, sharing on behalf of the Lomahasha and Phophonyane Service Centres*.

To learn more about South Africa, the communities that we serve and about our Service Centres (local Hands at Work teams), please visit: https://www.handsatwork.org/south-africa-links

To learn more about Eswatini, the communities that we serve and about our Service Centres (local Hands at Work teams), please visit: https://www.handsatwork.org/eswatini-links

Day 18 - Pray for the Church within the DRC (#40Days2025)

Day 18 - Pray for the Church within the DRC

Hands at Work envisions the local church in Africa effectively caring for the orphaned, the widowed and the dying in partnership with the International Church. Today we invite you to join us in praying for the local church in the DRC:

• “Pray that we have the commitment of pastors and their participation in our activities in order to better prepare for the graduation of our communities. Pray for the pastors that they can take community responsibility according to the biblical recommendation.

• We must pray for the pastors so that they can understand the vision and mission of Hands at Work in order to play their role well as a church.” – Francis, Service Centre* Member (DRC)

• Pray for the church in Goma, that in the midst of pain and chaos, they will be a place of peace and safety.

To learn more about the Democratic Republic of Congo, the communities that we serve and about our Service Centres (local Hands at Work teams), please visit: https://www.handsatwork.org/drc-links

Sunday Reflections (#40Days2025)

Ritha (Regional Support Team) reflects on the role of the International Church and the Local Church working together to care for the most vulnerable:

“The International Church, they are really playing a big role in encouraging the work that we are doing. Sharing their stories which are so encouraging that we are one despite having different cultures. Together with the Local Church reminding each other on their mandate as Christians. It also encourages the communities seeing the International Church and the Local Church walking together doing Holy Home Visits and giving hope to the hopeless. For example, Clinton and Greg from the Australian church coming on the ground to do church mobilising and sit together with pastors to encourage one another on how to care for the vulnerable people in the communities. The International Church coming and serving together with the Local Church to encourage the Care Workers and help to care for the children, it really impacts their lives.”

Day 12 – Pray for the Church in Mozambique (#40Days2025)

Day 12 – Pray for the Church in Mozambique

Hands at Work envisions the local church in Africa effectively caring for the orphaned, the widowed and the dying in partnership with the International Church.

Today we invite you to join us in praying for the local church in Mozambique:

• “Pray that the church will continue to be true to the true religion of caring for the orphans.

• Pray that the church leaders will live undefiled lives and not to fall in traps of love of worldly things.

• Pray that the church will be able to discern the times we are living now and will be only focus on the power of the cross.” – Audette, Regional Support Team Leader (Mozambique)

To learn more about Mozambique, the communities that we serve and about our Service Centres (local Hands at Work teams), please visit: https://www.handsatwork.org/mozambique-links

Day 6 – Pray for the Church within Zimbabwe (#40Days2025)

Hands at Work envisions the local church in Africa effectively caring for the orphaned, the widowed and the dying in partnership with the International Church.

Today we invite you to join us in praying for the local church in Zimbabwe:

⁠- “Please pray for the church in Zimbabwe that knows and understands the undiluted truth of the gospel to be bold and stand up and speak truth as there has been a lot of deception.

- ⁠In recent years there have been splits in some major churches in Zimbabwe due to disagreements around money and properties and corruption. Please pray that the love of money and corruption stops within the body of Christ as this has caused sheep to scatter.

- ⁠Zimbabwe has a big number of white robe cult churches that preach false doctrines especially in the vulnerable communities. Please pray for boldness in the body of Christ to share true doctrine to those that follow these churches, in the vulnerable communities. We find a lot of our Care Workers and Primary Caregivers follow these churches.” – Kupa, Regional Support Team Leader (Zimbabwe)

Day 9 – Climate Change

Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful. – Hebrews 10:23

Over the last several years there has been an increase in natural disasters and extreme weather events. Without the support infrastructure in place, and with little means to gain additional security, the most vulnerable are most affected when a crisis comes. Pray for each person who has been impacted by these crises. Pray for Hands at Work to continue to find creative ways to build resilience and self-sustainability in our communities, so that when a crisis comes they are better equipped to withstand it.

In February, many areas in Southern Africa experienced high winds and heavy rainfall. In Zambia, the Kabwe and Chisamba regions were hit very hard. There has been significant damage caused to a number of homes within the communities where Hands serves. In some cases, homes collapsed in the night, leaving families with nowhere to go. Mary, pictured here, is the Primary Caregiver for one of these families in the Chisamba region.

When the local Hands at Work team in Chisamba, alongside the Regional Support Team and the Care Workers, began walking in the community, they discovered that there were families whose homes were in danger of collapsing.

Mary’s home was one of those homes. What had been a small crack in her mud-brick home was getting worse as the rains came down. Care Worker Brenda came to check on Mary and her family and invited them to come and stay in her own home for a few nights, out of concern that Mary’s house would collapse.

The next morning, when they returned to Mary’s house, the roof had caved in and one of the walls had crumbled in the night. It was an answer to prayer that the family had been in the safety of Brenda's home when their house fell.

#40Days2022

Marys home when it collapsed.

Mary and her families temporary home.