Tearfund Latest Prayer Points
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Dear Friend,
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Recently, Tearfund’s Anthony Rama was published in The Times talking about the hospitality he has witnessed in South Sudan (where he is our Country Director). Communities there are already struggling to survive an extreme hunger crisis and now they are also taking in people who have fled the violence in Sudan – sharing what little clean water, food and shelter there is available with strangers.
He writes, ‘It’s not always easy to smile as you stretch your only meal of the day to feed another mother’s child, knowing that your own children may be even hungrier as a result, but this is what people here do and, more often than not, do it with love.
‘There is something deeply soulful about true, compassionate and uncompromising hospitality. When we are able to put ourselves and our own needs aside and pursue a mutual love and respect for one another, regardless of where we come from or where we think we or “they” belong, there is transcendence of sorts. We touch a glimpse of Heaven.’
Hope away from home
Tuesday 20 June is World Refugee Day and the theme this year is ‘Hope away from home: a world where refugees are always included’. Over 27 million people around the world are refugees (people who have been forced to seek safety in a country that is not their own). If we also consider those who have been displaced within their own countries, the number of people who have had to flee their homes because of conflict, disaster or economic crisis is 82 million.
Often, both in the UK and in the places where Tearfund works globally, the local church is right at the centre of responding to meet the needs of these people – with ‘compassionate and uncompromising hospitality’. (Here you can read two stories from Ukrainian refugees who have received support through our local church partners.)
This week, we start by taking some time to thank God for each church member around the world who has taken up the call (as in Hebrews 13:2) to welcome in strangers.
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Pray with us
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Lord God, we lift up to you the church around the world. We thank you for each and every person who is part of the body of Christ. We praise you that you have given every single one of us, wherever we are, the ability to make a difference in some way. We pray that the church will be right at the forefront of helping to bring hope to those who have lost everything as they have been forced to flee their homes. We bless every person who gives selflessly to strangers in acts of kindness and service. Please will you continue to provide for them. Amen.
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Hope in the world's largest refugee camp
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This World Refugee Day, we reflect on Cox's Bazar in Bangladesh, which is home to nearly a million Rohingya refugees – more than half of whom are women and children. Thank God for the child-friendly spaces that our local partner has established, creating safe places for children to learn and play. Pray for wisdom for leaders in Bangladesh as they look for long-term solutions to help Rohingya refugees.
For more ways to pray for refugees, our Prayer Diary this week focuses on the theme ‘Supporting and empowering refugees’.
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Nepal National Creation Care Conference
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In light of World Environment Day last week, we give thanks to God for the National Creation Care Conference that we were able to lead with our Tearfund staff in Nepal. More than 160 participants from different churches and denominations attended, who all contributed to action plans relevant to their contexts. Pray for continued progress and accountability as we work together. Ask for impact and influence within communities as we work together with the local church.
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Zimbabwe
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Recent dips and difficulties in the Zimbabwe economy have resulted in a lot of hardship for the majority of Zimbabweans, who are suffering from the effects of hyperinflation, price increases and a looming shortage of goods. Pray for Zimbabwe’s economy, and for provision and protection for people living there.
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Prayer Diary: supporting and empowering refugees
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Each week, Tearfund's Prayer Diary will focus on a specific topic or country to help guide your prayers for global issues and people living in poverty.
Sunday 18 June - Saturday 24 June
Each year on 20 June, the world marks the UN’s World Refugee Day, which celebrates the strength and courage of people who have been forced to flee their home country to escape conflict or persecution. This week, pray for Tearfund and our partners across the world as they welcome, support and empower refugees.
To access the daily prayer points please click below.
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