Pray for Slum Ministry
To outsiders, slums are not viewed as lovely or beautiful in any sense of the word. Because they are underdeveloped and densely populated, dirt and disease spread quickly. Torn metal, plastic, mud and other temporary materials give structure to the buildings. But the people who live there are beautiful, lovely, and precious to God. They are precious in His sight. And that’s why we do ministry there: because each person is someone whom Jesus died for.
Even if we are never able to directly serve the people in the slums of Africa and Asia, we can join with our brothers and sisters sharing Christ’s love there through prayer. Please join us in praying this month for GFA’s slum ministry.
Imagine that you live in a slum. You have a structurally unsound home that could easily be destroyed in any natural disaster. If you have kids, you constantly worry about their education. You worry about feeding them. You worry about them getting sick, because if they do, you can't afford to visit a doctor or buy medicine. You don't have a stable source of income so you take any work you can find, because if you don't, you and your kids won't eat. Each day is a struggle to survive.
But God sees every need and has a plan for every person. He told us to look at the birds of the air and the flowers of the field and trust that if He cares so much for them, He will take care of us. He told us to not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself (see Matthew 6:26-34).
Pray that the precious people who live in the slums will come to know and put their trust in the Heavenly Father and ask Him to provide for all their needs and bring them perfect peace.
GFA missionaries have a heart to serve the least of these. This God-given love is what leads missionaries to serve in slums. But slum ministry can be extremely taxing, physically and emotionally. Missionaries are also exposed to unsafe conditions. They cannot effectively do this ministry without God's help.
Pray that God will encourage these missionaries and grant them rest. Pray that He will fill the missionaries with supernatural love for the people around them. Pray He will give the missionaries wisdom on how to best show Christ's love to people in the slums. Pray God uses our brothers and sisters in mighty ways.
When a person has little or no education, it's much more difficult to get a good-paying job and thus buy necessities such as food, clothing and medicine. Without an education, parents often see this cycle of poverty continue in the next generation.
GFA's child sponsorship program, literacy classes, vocational training classes and other initiatives serve to help people break out of the cycle of poverty.
Please pray that those in the slums will be able to retain the things they're being taught. Pray for the teachers in GFA sponsorship programs and vocational training classes to be patient and examples of Christ to their students. Pray that the students will thrive and be able to pursue new opportunities.
In a slum, diseases spread easily because so many people live in tight proximity. And when a person in a slum gets sick, there's not much they can do. Transportation in and out of a slum is often difficult, and funds are limited. In response, GFA workers hold medical camps to provide free, easy access to much-needed healthcare.
Pray that GFA workers can hold more medical camps in slums. Pray that people will get the help they need and they will be healed in Jesus name. Pray that God uses medical camps to show people that God cares for them. Pray for the brothers and sisters that serve in these medical camps to reflect Christ well.
To help alleviate some of the challenges that people who live in the slums face, GFA workers distribute essential items such as warm clothes, hygiene kits, and groceries. These acts of generosity help families in desperate times.
GFA workers also provide income-generating gifts such as farm animals and sewing machines to help families overcome cycles of poverty.
Thanks to so many people who have partnered with GFA, our missionaries serving in the slums and elsewhere are able to bless and share Christ's love with those around them.
Pray that God will provide the funds needed so these missionaries can best serve their communities. Pray that God will place it on people's hearts to give cheerfully toward slum ministry.
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