DAY 5 - Welcome to Nigeria (#40Days2024)

Nigeria is one of eight countries Hands at Work is serving in across Africa. Nigeria has a population of 220,631,54 people, with 32% of the population living in extreme poverty. Ranking 163 out of 187 on the Human Development Index, there are 130,000 children living with HIV/AIDS and 880,000 children who have been orphaned because of this life-threatening illness. –Sources: UNAID, UNDP, World Poverty Clock

As we start the week, please join us in praying for the country of Nigeria:

• Pray for safety and security for people living in Nigeria, that God will protect them.

• Pray for good leadership, and that those in positions of authority would lead with integrity and honesty.

• “Pray for the rising cost of food and basic necessities in Nigeria. Pray that God will make a way and sustain His people.” (Toyin and Vivian, Local Leaders, Nigeria)

As you pray, remember the International Offices in Australia, Canada, Germany and the US who serve with Hands at Work to care for the most vulnerable in Africa. Pray for each of the advocates and churches in these countries that partner with Hands at Work. Pray that they will remain steadfast in their calling to serve. Pray that they will be encouraged even in times of difficulty.

Day 4 - Care Workers and Primary Caregivers across Mozambique

In Mozambique, there are 88 Care Workers who have committed to caring for the most vulnerable children. In many communities in Mozambique and across Africa, the Care Workers are also the Primary Caregivers of the children they serve. A Primary Caregiver is the mother, father, grandparents, aunts, uncles, older siblings or other relatives that live with the children coming to the Care Point.

Today, we invite you to spend time praying for the Care Workers and Primary Caregivers:

  • Pray for the Care Workers to serve wholeheartedly and continue to grow in their understanding of the Biblical mandate to serve. Pray that they will be united in their calling.

  • Many of the Primary Caregivers are wounded by the loss of their children and grandchildren. “They hoped their children would look after them in their old age, but now they find themselves looking after their children and grandchildren. Pray for the Primary Caregivers in their grief and pain; that they would experience healing and restoration through the love of Christ.” (Audrey, Regional Support Team Leader, Mozambique)

Day 3 - Children across Mozambique (#40Days2024)

Within Mozambique, there are 600 children being loved and cared for. Today, we invite you to pray for children across Mozambique:

  • “Across Africa, it is common for young girls to be given in marriage as early as 12 years old. Pray against this cultural practice and that people will speak up and advocate for the children.” (Sandra, Local Leader, Mozambique)

  • “Within the communities, there is a lack of positive and Godly female role models.” (Audrey, Regional Support Team Leader, Mozambique). Pray for the children to have positive role models they can look up to.

  • “Often when children are sick, the hospital isn’t the first place they go.” (Audrey, Regional Support Team Leader, Mozambique). Pray for protection over the children and that God will keep them strong and healthy.

Clara is one of the 600 children being cared for in Mozambique. In 2022, while the Care Workers were looking for more children to welcome to the Care Point, they met Clara* and her siblings. They truly were in a tough spot; a widow with three young children, no home of their own and trying to find a sense of belonging in a new community where they were complete strangers. Building trust took time, finding odd jobs was difficult, and Clara’s mother struggled to fulfill her role in caring for herself and her children.

Thankfully, Joyce, a local Care Worker, bonded with this family. Being a single mother herself, she felt their brokenness and embraced them wholeheartedly. Through the Care Workers’ love and being welcomed daily to the Care Point, Clara’s family began to see hope again. The children have returned to school, they are being fed a hot, nutritious meal daily, and healing is being found simply by knowing that they are not alone. At first, Clara was very reserved and only came to the Care Point to eat, but through the Care Workers love and dedication, she now stays and plays with the other children. – Matsinho B Community, Mozambique

#40Days2024

Day 2 - Meet the Chimoio Service Centre (#40Days2024)

Across Africa, Hands at Work has local teams comprising of Christian men and women who have answered God’s calling on their lives to serve the most vulnerable. Each of these teams exists to encourage, challenge and support local volunteer Care Workers as they care for the most vulnerable children in the most broken and desperate communities across Africa. We call these teams Service Centres.

In the Chimoio Service Centre are: Elsa, Maria, Philippe, Sandra and Sozinho. They serve five of the most vulnerable communities across Africa.

“Pray that we will have unity and be brave in the midst of fear. There are many challenges in the communities. Pray that we will remain strong as we fight for the children.” (Sandra, Local Leader, Mozambique)

Many youth camps and workshops are happening in the next few months. Pray for God’s hand to move and for people’s lives to be transformed.

Day 1 - Welcome to Mozambique (#40Days2024)

“Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or discouraged because of the king of Assyria and the vast army with him, for there is a greater power with us than with him. With him is only the arm of flesh, but with us is the Lord our God to help us and to fight our battles.” And the people gained confidence from what Hezekiah the king of Judah said. - 2 Chronicles 32:7-8

Mozambique is one of eight countries Hands at Work is serving in across Africa. Mozambique has a population of 33,956,560 people, with 67% of the population living in extreme poverty. Ranking 185 out of 187 on the Human Development Index, there are 150,000 children living with HIV/AIDS and 1,300,000 children who have been orphaned because of this life-threatening illness. –Sources: UNAID, UNDP, World Poverty Clock

As we start 40 Days of Prayer, we invite you to join us in praying for the country of Mozambique:

  • In the midst of changes in the country and a season of transition for the Hands team in Mozambique, pray for peace and comfort.

  • Over the years, the cost of food and basic necessities in Mozambique has risen significantly. Pray that God will make a way and sustain His people.

  • “Pray for the rains to continue and that there would be a good harvest across Mozambique.” (Audrey, Regional Support Team Leader, Mozambique)

  • Ask God to pour out His spirit and pray that people would understand more of the gospel.

As you pray, remember the International Offices in Australia, Canada, Germany, the US and the UK who serve with Hands at Work to care for the most vulnerable in Africa. Pray for each of the advocates and churches in these countries that partner with Hands at Work. Pray that they will remain steadfast in their calling to serve. Pray that they will be encouraged even in times of difficulty.

#40Days2024

40 Days of Prayer 2023 (Week 7 of 7)

Day 35 of 40 - Prag

My name is Prag. I am the wife of Levy. Currently, we are serving in South Africa. Please stand with us in prayers for our region, South Africa. You will hear me use the word sangoma. Sangoma means being involved in ritual practice or being trained as a witch doctor, or traditional healer or ancestral worship. Please pray with us for our Care Workers, Primary Caregivers, and our children who have been involved in sangoma practice.

Sangoma practice has really affected our community with fear. Currently, we have one of our most vulnerable child who has been taken to be trained as a sangoma. She’s required to pay a thousand Rand. She is treated like a slave by the people who are training her. Please, pray with us, that God will give us wisdom and courage on how we can intervene in this situation. Pray with us that God will raise local church leaders, together with our local Service Centre office, to stand and to have courage to share the truth in our communities.

Please pray with us, as the Word of God says, “We shall know the Truth, and the Truth shall set you free.” Please pray with us that God will give us courage and will give us strength as we walk into our communities, that we will share the truth about Jesus. Thank you.

  • Have you ever felt pressured to do something even though you know it’s wrong? Have you ever seen a friend do something that could be dangerous for them and you didn’t know how to help them?

Day 37 of 40 - Vivian

Good day everyone. My name is Vivian. I work with Hands at Work, and I serve at Lagos Service Centre [Nigeria]. I would like you to please pray with us today. Please pray for our Youth Boys in Amakoko Care Point, in Ilaje community.

One thing we’ve observed in the community is that the men don’t take care of their wives. The culture encourages a man to marry as many wives as possible and to get as many children as possible A man can have up to four wives, can have up to six wives, and he can get like eight children, 10 children, and even more than. But he will not take care of the wife. He will not take care of the children.

He will not support the wife. He will not support the children. The responsibility of feeding the children, the responsibility of buying clothes for the children. The responsibility of treating the children when they are sick, the responsibility of even providing shelter is mostly on the woman.

While the youngest child of the house is still crawling, the woman is pregnant again with another child, the culture forces the children into child labour. Sometimes children are sent to go and work in order to take care of themself and also the family.

Sometimes children are not allowed to go to school. They are forced to stay at home in order to take care of the younger ones while their mom will go and sell fish in order to be able to provide food for the family.

Please pray for our youth boys that even as we’re raising them in the Care Point, even as we’re sharing the word of God with them and showing them the way that the Holy Spirit will minister into their hearts and that the Holy Spirit will open their eyes to see the culture for what it is, that the culture is a culture that endangers the lives of women and children.

Please, let us pray for our youth boys that our youth boys will not follow in the steps of their fathers - their fathers, their brothers, their uncles - this is a culture they have known since they have been born. Let’s pray for our youth boys that they’ll not follow in the footsteps of their parents. That the Lord will deliver them from that evil mentality of having many children and many wives that you cannot care for.

Let’s pray that our youth boys will not be influenced by this evil culture, but rather they, themselves, will begin to influence the community positively. Please let’s pray our youths will know the truth and that the truth, which is the word of God, will set them free from this evil culture and this evil mentality.

Please pray for our youth boys that when it’s time for them to settle down, they will take one wife and they will only bear children that they can care for, and that the change will begin with them. Thank you very much.

  • Has your mom or dad ever asked you, “If your friend jumped off a bridge, would you also do it?” Do you ever feel like it is easier to go along with what everyone else is doing, even if you know it isn’t right?

Day 39 of 40 - carolyn

Friday has come. The crucifixion. Jesus was on the cross. From noon until three there was absolute darkness. Jesus cried out just after three. The curtain tore from top to bottom. The earth shook. Rocks split. Tombs broke open. Why do we call it good Friday? Actually, if we think about it, common sense would say, “There’s nothing good about it.” But, that terrible Friday has been called Good Friday because it led to the resurrection of Jesus and his victory over death and sin.

Let’s pray today, that we can recognise in the darkness, Jesus took all our sin. His father turned his head away from him. He could not face him for all our sin. The miracle of that curtain tearing from top to bottom, the earthquake, the rocks splitting, let us take a moment and pray for ourselves. For the forgiveness of our sins. To pause and to acknowledge and to try and consume or think or absorb what Jesus actually did for each one of us on that day. He died for us, but yet we know that in three days he will rise because he promised. He said, in three days, I will rise. Grace, be with you all. Peace to you. Bless you.

  • Think of the most painful thing you’ve experienced.  What Jesus went through for you was much, much worse, but he did it for YOU. Talk with your mom and dad about what Jesus did for us, and take time today to thank him.

Day 40 of 40 - Levy

Hi everyone. Greetings in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. My name is Levy, married to Pragcidence, and we are serving together in Hands. Today is Easter Sunday and we are celebrating the resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ. As we are celebrating the resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ it gives us hope. Hope for salvation. Hope for our community. Hope in our life. For discipleship. I want all of you, wherever you are, across Africa and outside Africa, to pray with me - that our children in the community, they’ll have hope in Jesus. And those who know Jesus, they’ll continue to believe in Him. And those who don’t know Jesus, let’s pray together that they’ll know Jesus. Pray with me for the Primary Caregiver, the Gogo, the Auntie who are looking after our children, that they’ll have hope in Jesus.

As they go through difficult times when they’re looking after our children, because they’re the ones who face the challenge every day. Pray with me for our Care Workers who are visiting our children, that they will have hope in Jesus. Pray with Hands and our Care Workers who share the Jesus we know to our children, that there will be more children who shall receive the salvation.

Pray that Jesus Christ, he’ll guide them. Jesus Christ, He will be on their side and let them have hope. Pray with me that us in Hands at Work, we’ll go to share Jesus to make discipleship. As you know in Hands, we don’t hire but we make sons and daughters. Sons and daughters are those we disciple them and they grow in faith. They start, also, to share Jesus.

Thank you so much. God bless you. And all of you, there’s hope in Christ because of his resurrection. Thank you.

  • Spend time today thanking and praising God for raising Jesus from the dead, for offering us salvation, and bringing hope to the world.