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.”

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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.

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Day 25 - Community Gardens

You crown the year with a bountiful harvest; even the hard pathways overflow with abundance.- Psalm 65:11

Our dream is to continually build resilience in our Care Workers, the most vulnerable children, and their families, so that when challenges come they are better equipped to stand. One way that this is done is through the provision of community gardens, enabling greater support and sustainability for whole families. Pray for all the logistics involved in these gardens, that God’s hand will be upon them. Pray that there will be a bountiful harvest and that the right amount of rain will fall. Pray for our Care Workers and Primary Caregivers to feel empowered and better equipped to care for their own families.

Read more about how we build resiliency in our communities through community gardens: www.handsatwork.org/newsroom/2022/3/17/community-gardens

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Day 24 - Under 5s

Train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old he will not depart from it. – Proverbs 22:6

Recognising that a significant amount of a child’s development happens between the ages of zero and five, Hands at Work is developing facilities and programmes at Care Points for children under the age of five. These include simple routines and tailored programmes incorporating breakfast, play, rest time, and learning basic skills – all whilst their older siblings are in school. Pray for each Care Worker and Primary Caregiver to understand the vision behind these under-fives programmes. Pray for the Care Point to be a safe place for the children, where they can experience the love, care and nurturing that they need.

Pictured here are photos from several of our communities across Africa where under-five programmes have been started!

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Day 23 - Youth Discipleship

Don’t let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith and in purity. - 1 Timothy 4:12

Our dream is to raise up a generation who love Jesus, are committed to their families, belong to a local church, are generous to the poor and are positive role models in their communities. This is done through activities such as youth discipleship programmes, youth leader exchange visits, youth camps and community-based youth groups. Pray for each of our youth, that they will know the depth of Christ’s love for them. Pray that they will experience healing from their brokenness and trauma; enabling them to bring the love and hope of Christ to others in their community.

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