Lifewords in Africa

October 23rd, 2011

Sammy Kamore from Lifewords in Africa writes, “The ongoing drought in Sub-Saharan Africa continues to have a huge impact on the surrounding region, with over 400,000 Somalians and other nationals displaced from their homes. This week, please join us in praying for those affected by the crisis, and also for the wider work of Lifewords in Africa.”

  • In September we received requests for material in languages for Somalia and Sudan, especially for use with refugees. One missionary came to collect a large supply of booklets as she was returning to work in camps in Northern Kenya and just across the border in Somalia. Please pray that she will be able to bring light and hope to those who are suffering, through the comfort of God’s Word.
  • Last month, 160 people were killed when petrol leaking from a damaged pipe set fire to a slum in an industrial region of Nairobi. Many people were hospitalised and a large number lost friends, homes and families. Please join us in praying for all those affected by this tragedy, that they would come to know the comfort of God.
  • We have had so many opportunities to minister God’s Word to children and young people through our Pavement Project and Choose Life programmes this year – in Kenya, Uganda, and DRC. Praise God for this faithfulness. And please pray that through this work, young people would experience the power of God in their lives.

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Looking ahead

October 16th, 2011

Pray with us as we look ahead to Christmas, and to 2012 and beyond.

  • This week SGM Lifewords’ global leadership team (drawn from around the world) is meeting in the UK. The team will be meeting with the UK Council for a time, and praying and planning for 2012 and beyond. Please pray for wisdom, unity, and a clear sense of God’s leading.
  • In the UK, adverts will be in Christian publications this month and next, featuring SGM Lifewords’ Christmas material. This year’s range includes Christmas cards (as well as booklets, and downloadable resources). Please pray that the adverts will catch people’s eye, and encourage some to share the Bible with a friend for the first time.
  • In the latest issue of Interact, you may have seen the sketches for the updated version of You Matter – telling the story of the prodigal son. With the artist just finishing his work, please pray for the final stages of design and print of this booklet, and pray ahead for its impact as it’s made available and put to use.

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SGM Lifewords in Europe

October 9th, 2011

Zbiginew Szalbot from SGM Lifewords in Europe writes: “We are thankful to God for all that we continue to receive from his hand. With our new Global Bible Resources website now up and running, we are looking forward to the opportunities it offers us to share God’s Word and equip Christians around the world.”

  • Since the launch of the Global Bible Resources website, we’ve been greatly encouraged to see new orders coming from countries as far afield as Australia, Sri Lanka and Paraguay. Pray that through this initiative God’s Word will be shared with others who have never heard it before.
  • As part of the Global Bible Resources Project, SGM Lifewords is committed to producing new resources in a range of strategic languages. Last month we told you that we’d translated two resources (Jesus: An Introduction and Day by Day) into Portuguese, Chinese and Ukrainian. Now both booklets have also been completed in Vietnamese. Pray that those who order these booklets will find great opportunities to share them, and use them to bring a ’word in season’.
  • In last month’s edition of Interact, we asked for help in finding translators for several key languages. We’d had an overwhelming response to the request, so thank you to all who replied. We still need someone to work on some French translations, so please pray that God would provide the right person for the role.

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Lifewords in Latin America

October 2nd, 2011

Cleisse Andrade, Pavement Project Coordinator for Latin America writes, “Mexico is one of the biggest challenges for Pavement Project, and a context where we’re praying to see a real work of the gospel. 22% of the population is under 19 years old; domestic violence is reported in more than 50% of households; and more than 2.3 million children between 6 and 14 years are out of school. We would like to invite you to pray this week for the development of Pavement Project in Mexico”

  • Mexico City is one of the largest cities in the world. Lifewords is running our first Pavement Project Worker Training Workshop there next month (7th to 11th November). Please pray for the organisations that will partner with us; for God’s blessing on the workers who will be trained; and for the children who will hear the message of Jesus’ love and welcome for them through the Bible stories workers tell.
  • In Acapulco, Pavement Project partners are facing a lot of problems with violence and insecurity caused by drug dealers. A few weeks ago a youth attending the Sobre el Puente (‘On the bridge’) project, where our facilitator works, was killed. Please pray for protection for all children, adolescents and young people living on the streets, many of whom are the most vulnerable to attack.
  • Please continue to pray for the impact of Pavement Project in Acapulco, Pray that children will find hope, self-worth, and healing through the Picture Me process. And join us in praying that, as children are introduced to Jesus, they will put their faith in him and trust him to care for their lives.

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The kindess of God: a prayer reflection for October

October 2nd, 2011

But when the kindness and love of God our Saviour appeared, he saved us, not because of the righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. Titus 3:4 (NIV)

There are some events in life that are so sudden, so striking, that we remember exactly where we were when they happened. Two planes hitting the Twin Towers on September 11th 2001; hearing the news of Princess Diana’s death; or (for me) an event that occurred in a small coffee shop in Oxford on a cold October night several years ago. I had agreed to meet a friend who wanted to talk to me about the Christian faith, which I confess at the time was of little interest to me. After coffee, she asked me whether she might read me some words from the New Testament, specifically the Book of Titus. I agreed and listened intently as she read me the following words:

 “At one time we too were foolish, disobedient, deceived and enslaved by all kinds of passions and pleasures. We lived in malice and envy, being hated and hating one another. But when the kindness and love of God our Saviour appeared, he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us generously through Jesus Christ our Saviour, so that, having been justified by his grace, we might become heirs having the hope of eternal life.” Titus 3: 3-7 (NIV)

Of all the passages of scripture, this is the one that I treasure the most. It was the act of listening to this passage that brought me to faith and convicted me of two unchangeable truths: that forgiveness is available to all, and that Jesus really does have the power to save. I encourage all of you to hold onto these truths, so that whatever the situation, you will find the strength to continue to speak out for Christ and hold him in your hearts.

James Willby
SGM Lifewords

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Lifewords in Brazil

September 25th, 2011

Cleisse Andrade from Lifewords in Brazil writes: “The last few months have seen a number of changes for the team in South America. This week, please join us in praying for members of staff and our plans for the future.”

  • In July, Lifewords staff said goodbye to Cleide Alabarce da Silva who has overseen much of the work on Pavement Project in Brazil. We’re so grateful for all the work that Cleide has done for Pavement Project and for Lifewords, so please join us in giving thanks to God for the contribution she has made and praying that she will enjoy her retirement.
  • Over the next few months, Lifewords staff will be taking part in Pavement Project Worker Training Workshops in the northern Brazilian towns of Recife, Natal and Porto Velho. Please pray that God’s presence would be felt by both the workers and they children they will be counselling.
  • Like India, the government in Brazil has been rocked by allegations of corruption in the last few months. With the resignation of a fourth senior politician, there is a growing movement calling for sweeping reforms to the political system. Please pray that there would be concerted pressure from all parts of Brazilian society to address these issues.

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Lifewords in India

September 18th, 2011

Serah Thomas, Pavement Project coordinator in India writes, “It’s been a busy time for Pavement Project over the last few months. We have hosted Worker Training Workshops in a number of cities and we have been working closely with our partners to identify new opportunities to introduce India’s children to Jesus.”

  • Praise God for the successful Pavement Project training in the city of Hyderabad during July, where nine new workers were trained to use the Pavement Project materials. Pray that God’s hand would be over them as they begin to minister to children-at-risk through the Bible’s life words.
  • Please pray for the Worker Training Workshop taking place next week in the Indian state of Kerala. Thirteen workers from our partners Compassion will be taking part.
  • In recent weeks, people from across all sections of Indian society have been going out onto the streets of towns and cities to protest against government corruption. With leading dissidents planning public hunger strikes in the next few weeks, pray that these would be peaceful as people work towards an India free from ’graft’.

Posted in Pavement Project, Prayer points | 2 Comments »

SGM Lifewords in Europe

September 11th, 2011

Zbiginew Szalbot from SGM Lifewords in Europe writes: “We thank God for all the progress we have made on the Global Bible Resource project over the past few months. This week, join us in praying for our endeavours to make God’s word freely available to people all over the world.”

  • Over the past few months, we’ve been translating some of our Inspire Bible resources into several major world languages, including Chinese, Ukrainian and Brazilian Portuguese. By the end of September, the first editions of Jesus: An Introduction and Day by Day will be available in these new languages, so please give thanks to God for providing the resources to complete the work.
  • In addition to Chinese and Ukrainian, we’ve has been looking into producing a number of translations in Russian. We have recently recruited a new member of staff to complete the work and we are now looking for someone to do similar work on some French translations. Praise God for those who are willing to lend both their time and their talents to this work.
  • It’s great to have new resources to offer people; our prayer is that they will be well-used, and useful in sharing the Bible’s life words and introducing people to the gospel. Please join us in praying that these new booklets and leaflets won’t stay on our shelves, but will be shared widely and effectively.

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Jesus: An Introduction nominated for design award

September 6th, 2011

Our booklet Jesus: An Introduction has been nominated for a design award, we heard last week. It’s been nominated for a Cream Award under the category of ‘best use of photography’.

The booklet was designed for us by IE Design in Birmingham, who have worked with us on a number of different projects over the years. Their imaginative concept was to use string and knots to represent the stories from the gospels, and each string creation was carefully photographed to create the final artwork.

You can order copies of Jesus: An Introduction here.

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Christmas Cards from SGM Lifewords

September 5th, 2011

New for 2011 – Christmas Cards

Every year supporters get in touch and ask us if we do Christmas cards. It’s not something we have offered recently, with the exception of some Pavement Project cards a few years ago. However, with a strong set of booklets in the range, this year we thought we’d diversify and offer something a little different.

New to the Christmas range for 2011 are packs of cards, but with an SGM Lifewords twist. There are two distinctive things about our cards. First, each one has a snippet of the Christmas story from the gospels, to whet the appetite of those who receive them to read the story for themselves.

Second, there is an invitation on the back of the card to order a free limited edition calendar, 12 Words for 2012. This calendar draws on our 12 words project for inspiration, and features 12 words which sum up the story of the Bible, one per month. It’s a great way to spend 2012 reflecting on the story the Bible tells.

The Christmas cards come in packs of ten, five each of two different designs. Each one has a beautiful illustration from Japanese artist Chinatsu Sunaga, who also illustrated our popular children’s resource A Little Story About Something Big. They’re perfect for sending to your friends and family, and encouraging those you know and love to look at the Bible with fresh eyes.

The cards are at the press as we speak, and will be available to order shortly.

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