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Friday (1st) - Bo, Sierra Leone:

“One day, a woman came into our Bo shop, in the Southern part of Sierra Leone, looking very sad. I tried to enquire as to the reason she was upset, and she opened up and told me she was encountering a serious situation in her marriage. I prayed for her and she left encouraged after purchasing a couple of recommended books, Love and Respect by Dr E. Eggerichs, and His Needs, Her Needs by W.F. Harley. After a few weeks, she returned to the shop testifying about the impact those two books had made in her marriage and requested other marriage books that she could also utilize.”  Matthew Hanciles, CLC Bo Bookshop.

 

The Weekend (2nd/3rd) - Central Asia (CA2):

A few years ago, a woman bought a Bible for a family friend who was in prison.  She said she went with little faith, but wanted to do her part to share the good news with him.  She shared some with him and left him the Bible.  She didn’t know if he’d know where to read but just trusted God could use it.  He read that Bible and accepted Jesus as his Saviour.  Out of the joy of finding forgiveness and hope, he shared it with others in prison.  They also became believers and started meeting and reading it together.  Sometimes, they would call out loudly down the halls to each other, “May Jesus protect you.”  There were some other prisoners there who were religious extremists.  They accused these others of betraying their religion.  But these new Christians showed them this Bible and challenged them to see what it said.  Now they are reading it! Praise God and pray that this continues!

 

 

Monday (4th) - YWAM Author, Darrow Miller, to Visit Chile:

CLC Chile, together with local publishers and pastors, are bringing author Darrow Miller to Temuco and Santiago. Darrow Miller is a highly regarded international speaker and an author at YWAM publishing. He will be giving a seminar entitled ‘Transforming Cultures’ during the first week of May in both cities. We would appreciate your support in prayer as CLC will be taking on the majority of the responsibility for organizing these events. 

 

Tuesday (5th) - CLC Chile Connecting with Churches:

The most direct contact we have with many churches is through our mobile ministry. It allows us to display a good selection of literature in a variety of locations. This service is particularly appreciated by churches that are a long way from a CLC centre or any other Christian bookshop. In the south of the country, churches receive a CLC visit every two months.      

 

Wednesday (6th) - CLC Chile’s Answer to Prayer:

In partnership with the publishing houses Portavoz and Unilit, it was possible for CLC Chile to arrange a visit from Jim and Elizabeth George, authors from the USA of a number of books. Conferences were held for men, women and couples in the cities of Santiago and Temuco, with around 2,000 people participating. Included in the price of an entrance ticket for the conference was the right to a book or two from CLC.  

 

Thursday (7th) - CLC Mexico’s Ministry:

We give thanks to God because His Word is being taken to a country with a population of more than 122 million people who are seeking to overcome conflicts in society. We are pleased because the bookshop has become a centre for counselling. In recent days, we have been sharing with a destitute, young person who was experiencing family problems.  

 

Friday (8th) - Mexican Mobile Ministry is Essential:

We pray that CLC Mexico will continue to expand and become recognised as a ministry. In order to do that, we feel that we need a small van as part of our work already involves making personalised visits to churches and other ministries. Culturally, in Mexico, family ties are very strong and you need to find a way to be welcomed into the fold.  For this reason, we are taking every open opportunity to attend events and seminars that we are invited to in order to present a living Gospel to the people.

                           

The Weekend (9th/10th) - CLC Mexico’s Answer to Prayer:

In January, Maria del Carmen, the manager of the bookshop in Mexico, and her fellow co-worker, Daniel, had to leave Mexico to return to Colombia due to some apparent problems with their visa paperwork. Maria and Daniel were the two Colombian missionaries CLC sent to begin the work in Mexico in 2014.  Praise the Lord that, by mid February, they were granted a provisional visa from the Mexican embassy in Bogota which allowed them to return to Mexico.  Upon arrival, it was validated for a year, with the possibility of renewing it from Mexico at the end of that period.

 

 

Week 16: CLC Philippines

Monday (11th) - Manila International Book Fair:

The selection process for booths and spaces at the 37th Manila International Book Fair (MIBF) was held at the end of January. We were pleased to be able to secured six booths for this year’s event, which is to be held September 14 - 18 in Pasay City. This book fair is attended by more than 10,000 people from Manila and the nearby provinces. Last year, CLC had very good sales for the five day event. Please pray with us as there is plenty of work to be done regarding the stock, staff, and the promotional campaign. Also pray that this year’s MIBF would surpass last year’s sales.

 

Tuesday (12th) – Philippines Website:

CLC Philippines has partnered with LAZADA, the Philippines’ biggest online shop, to sell books through their online store.  Many books and Bibles have been sold through this partnership. Please uphold us in prayer so that more people will be able to access their site, resulting in more book sales.

 

Wednesday (13th) - Importing Books:

CLC plans to increase the importation of books in 2016 in order to fill the gap in the market. While others have stopped their imports due to limited resources, CLC would like to take the opportunity open for us to be active in this area. Please uphold us in your prayers so that we will be able to meet the desire of the people for literature.

 

 

Thursday (14th) - The Filipino Bookshops:

Please uphold in prayer our two provincial bookshops in Cebu City as they are struggling to increase their sales.  Please pray that the staff will be able to cope with this challenge.  Our branch in Davao City needs your prayers as well. There is huge potential for this branch as shown by their performance. Unfortunately, the manager is planning to resign and, currently, there is no one to replace her. Please pray for God’s direction in filling this position.

 

Friday (15th) - Connecting with Churches:

Praise be to God for the successful anniversary celebration of one of our partnering churches (Jesus Is Lord Church). It was a great blessing for us to be invited as one of the exhibitors at their event. With an attendance of more than 5,000 people, many books and Bibles found new homes. It was a very glorious day to celebrate!

We also have regular book displays at different churches every 3rd and 4th Sunday of the month. We are serving at least eight churches during those weeks. We praise God for all the opportunities He is giving our CLC Ministry.

 

The Weekend (16th/17th) - CLC Philippines’ Answer to Prayer:

For CLC Philippines, 2015 was a very successful year. Almost all of our income-generating units have shown an increase in sales, with some surpassing their target goals. We praise the Lord for all these blessings! The coming year, 2016, will be a challenge for us as we are looking to God for the strength and guidance to surpass last year’s targets.

 

 

Monday (18th) - Switzerland/Italy Editorial Committee:

CLC Switzerland does not publish books locally, but Carlo Ciafani, their bookshop manager, is also a member of CLC Italy’s editorial committee. This year, among other things, they have been engaged in the reviewing and updating of an Italian book of daily meditation, originally published about 100 years ago. The book is titled Più presso a Te Signore (Closer to You, Lord) and is a wonderful book that touches the heart.  So far, the process is going extremely well. Please remember Carlo as he assists this committee and also works to fulfil all his duties as the manager of the Lugano-Agno shop. 

 

Tuesday (19th) - Miami Bookshop (CLC Colombia):

Sadly, news has come in that CLC Colombia’s bookshop in Miami (Florida, USA) closed at the end of February. Various factors have contributed to this decision, but the location was proving unsuitable and CLC Colombia has made a change in their strategy concerning the Spanish book market in the USA. As a result, both the bookshop and the adjoining wholesale building are up for sale.  Please pray for God’s leading and guiding in this situation as the CLC staff seek Him with regards to the next step.

 

Wednesday (20th) - Amsterdam Bookshop (CLC Netherlands):

Last December, the decision was made to close the Amsterdam shop due to ever-increasing overhead costs and the inability to find a new shop location that would fit our budget. This was hard on all the team, but they knew it was the Lord’s will and timing.

“It was sad, but also special to dismantle the shop. On the last day, we stayed open after closing hours and had a special time of sharing, praying, singing, talking, eating and reminiscing. It showed that our shop had never been a ‘normal’ place. It had been a welcoming place where Gods presence was felt. We can honestly say that God really went before us throughout all these years!  We want to give Him all the glory and honour for all the undeserved favours, which we so richly enjoyed. With all our hearts we will strive to see His work continue through the books and other items we sell on the internet, through our publishing efforts and our  shop in Apeldoorn.”  Els Oosterhuis, former CLC Amsterdam Manager.

 

Thursday (21st) - CLC Japan Team:

The CLC ministry here continues to struggle due to sales decreasing each year and their ever-increasing financial problems. The team asks for prayer for their health—physically, mentally, and spiritually—as they continue to try to improve the situation.  Please pray that the Lord will ‘find a way’ for them through these trying times and that they will be open to making whatever necessary changes He asks of them. 

                                                                                                 

Friday (22nd) - CLC Warehouse, Indonesia:

At the time of writing (end of February), we received word that our warehouse in Surabaya, needs some repair work done due to termite damage.  Please pray that this damage is minimal and that they will quickly be able to make the necessary repairs.

 

The Weekend (23rd/24th) - CLC France Publishing:

Praise God! We have now translated (into French) and published these three new books: Wisdom for Women by Denise Glenn, You and Me Forever by Francis and Lisa Chan, and Resisting Gossip by Matthew Mitchell (CLC USA author).  Publishing plays a key role in our ministry’s future, and we continue to ask for prayer in dealing with all the new and varied challenges that come along with it. 

 

 

Monday (25th) - The Country of Venezuela

Join us as we continue to pray for the political, economic and social situation that affects the whole country.  If you are following the news, you know that there are continuing struggles that only God can remedy.  You may not know this, but the supply of foreign currency is state-controlled. There have been no funds released to us in over a year, and we urgently require US dollars to pay our suppliers.

 

Tuesday (26th) - God’s Provision:

Join our team in praying for God’s provision for this country. May God supply, in supernatural ways, the basic products like food and items for personal hygiene that are so scarce, but so necessary, in our homes. Please also pray that God would protect all the CLC staff from the different illnesses and viruses that are in evidence.  At the moment, a lot of medicines are also in scarce supply.

 

Wednesday (27th) - Publishing:

We are grateful to God for the possibility of starting local production of the devotional book, Una Pausa en tu Vida Vol.4 (A Pause in your Life), together with the calendar, El Autor de tus Dias (The Author of Your Days), both of which are published by CLC Colombia. We give thanks to God and CLC Colombia for this opportunity. It is our hope that we, in the coming months, can produce more titles locally.

 

Thursday (28th) - Website:

CLC Venezuela has been working to improve and advance the website clcvenezuela.com, and it is satisfying to see that we are winning the trust and confidence of our online customers. We have seen increased user traffic on the site and a considerable number of orders annually. The most satisfying thing is to see how we are reaching distant cities, where there are no bookstores or distributors and, thus, meeting the needs of churches and believers in such areas. We trust that God will continue to allow the growth of the online market in Venezuela.

 

Friday (29th) - Encouraging Story from San Felix Bookshop:

A customer visited the bookshop asking for the book, Love is a Decision, by Gary Smalley. She was surprised that we had the book as she had been looking for a copy for a long time. In fact, she had borrowed a copy, but had to give it back. She explained how the book had been a blessing for her marriage and now wanted to use it in giving advice to other couples going through similar problems.

 

The Weekend (30th/1st) - CLC Venezuela’s Answer to Prayer:

We have seen God’s answers in sustaining the ministry of CLC Venezuela in the middle of the crisis that affected the whole of our country. Every one of our bookshops continues to serve the public and local churches even though other independent bookshops have been forced to close.

 

 

 

Thank you for praying for our teams and projects around the CLC World - you are vital to our ministry!

Please note that there may be slight differences between these online CLC prayer/praise topics and what is available in printed form as we are able to add updates online after our publication has been released.