40 Days of Prayer

Day 31 - Community Living

…. I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received. Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. Ephesians 4:1-3

Across Africa, Hands at Work volunteers live in multi-cultural communities, reflective of our Father’s vision for interdependence and Kingdom Culture. We believe that for us to serve the most vulnerable in the poorest communities in Africa, we must first serve the people we live and work with every day. Pray for our communities to be ones of love, grace, generosity and vulnerability, with Christ at the foundation.

Day 29 - Holy Home Visits

Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world. – James 1:27

At the core of a Holy Home Visit is what Christ has done for us. We visit because Christ visited us first, and in our state of brokenness and pain accepted us as His children. Pray for each Holy Home Visit to be filled with the Holy Spirit. Ask God to give each person the spiritual eyes to see what is happening beneath the surface. Through these visits, pray that each child and their family will see Christ at work in their lives. Pray for our Care Workers to be bold in sharing the hope of the gospel.

Holy Home Visits are an opportunity for Care Workers to connect and build strong and loving relationships with whole families, as can be seen with Elizabeth’s family.

Having been identified as one of the most vulnerable families in the community of Mwaiseni, Zambia, Elizabeth’s children now attend the Care Point there.

One of Elizabeth's children, Ezra*, was in poor health, but since receiving a hot and nutritious meal daily, his health has started to improve. Ezra still requires regular medical attention, something the Care Workers are committed to providing.

The family are visited in their home by Care Worker Rebecca, who brings support and encouragement. Elizabeth shares, “Rebecca is like a little sister to me in how she cares for Ezra”.

#40Days2022

Day 28 –Community Investment Projects

Unless the Lord builds the house, its builders labour in vain. – Psalm 127:1

We are committed to the safety and security of the most vulnerable children in their own homes as well as at the Life Centre. Projects including regular home repairs and upgrades to facilities, including toilets, cooking shelters, shade structures and play areas, help to strengthen communities towards greater sustainability. Pray that God will make a way for each project that has been planned for 2022. Pray for the safety of each person who will be involved in the construction of these projects. Pray that these projects will be seen by the Care Workers, Primary Caregivers, children and wider community as examples of God’s faithfulness, love and provision.

Day 27 – African Leadership Development

The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’ – Matthew 25:40

We are committed to continually investing into and raising up African leaders who love Jesus and long to be a part of His calling to serve the most vulnerable. This is done through intentional discipleship, regular exchange visits, skills development and the addition of new team members. Pray for each person who will be joining Hands at Work; that they will have a heart of grace and compassion, and a desire to see God at work in the lives of the most vulnerable. Pray for each of our African leaders, that they will continually grow in humility and servanthood as they serve the children in the communities.

Earlier this year, there was a two-day Young Leaders’ training session facilitated by Hands at Work leaders at Kachele Village in Zambia. It was a time of going deep into God’s word and learning what it means to live by the Spirit and have Godly character.

Luwis Lengwe, (Young Leader, Zambia) reflects on the impact of this training and discipleship on his life: “Thank you to everyone who organised the meetings that we had. It was a huge encouragement to hear how people were praying for us, and sending us messages saying that they were praying for us. We had a good time. One of the things that touched me was when we spoke about the Holy Spirit. The Spirit Himself that is in us. We live in this body but we need to be in charge of our bodies. We need our body to know that we are in charge. Whenever the body feels like it wants to get tired of doing the things of God, we need to stand firm and say that our body needs to submit. It is a choice each day that comes. A seed was being planted in our lives. It was a time of weeding but also of fertilising and application in our lives.”

#40Days2022

Day 26 – Church Mobilisation

But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light. – 1 Peter 2:9

Central to our vision is seeing the local church actively involved in caring for the most vulnerable children within their own communities. Through church mobilisation, Maranatha Workshops and Hands at Work’s foundations training, we are committed to helping our church leaders grow in their understanding of the Biblical mandate to care for the most vulnerable. Pray that our church leaders will participate and will be willing to learn about what it means to care. Ask God to give courage and wisdom to each person facilitating these trainings.

#40Days2022