Prayer Focus 2017 - November
Wednesday (1st) – Chile:
Lately, we have be been giving away copies of The Way to God (D.L. Moody) and More than a Carpenter (Josh McDowell) in an evangelism effort to reach thousands of people in our country. Please pray for those who have received, or will receive, one of these books. May God be revealed to them as they read, and encourage them to pass the book on to more friends and family.
Thursday (2nd) – Indonesia:
Please pray for our team as we continue to distribute gospels tracts to the needy areas, such as Papua and Timor. May this outreach bring the light and hope of Jesus to the lives of those we meet along the way.
Friday (3rd) – Central Asia (CA2):
Our team is feeling called to do more evangelism in our shop. For this reason, we are searching for a new worker that would enable us to do more of this. Please pray that we will find the right person to join our team. Please also pray that the Lord would help us to continue increasing the number of Christian books available in the local language.
The Weekend (4th/5th) – Uruguay:
Our team was very challenged when we learned about the Mozambique Bible Project. We have decided that a percentage from the sale of certain Bibles will be given to help get Bibles into the hands of Mozambicans. Please pray for us as we share with our customers about how they can be involved in something that could really change lives!
Monday (6th) – Dianne & David Desch (CLC USA):
The Lord provided the way for us to go to Mexico in August for alternative cancer treatment for Dianne’s Mesothelioma. It was a good experience, great people and knowledgeable doctors. Along with some experimental procedures and diet to strengthen her immune system she will receive supportive supplements and low dose chemo at home. We will know in about 3 months how it is working and in the meantime, we trust the Lord to fulfil His plan for our lives, one day at a time. Please pray for discipline, time management and some pain management.
Tuesday (7th) – Romualdo Macinas (CLC Asia Pacific Regional Director):
In August, Romualdo Macinas’s mother went to be with the Lord. Please continue to pray for him and his family as this coming Christmas will be their first without her. May the Lord bring them an extra sense of His love, peace and comfort during this season.
Wednesday (8th) – Alfred KaiKai (CLC Sierra Leone):
Please pray especially for our team member Alfred Kaikai who lost his uncle and five other family members during the disastrous mudslide in August. What a heartbreaking loss for one family to bear! May the Lord draw Alfred and the rest of his family closer to Him on their journey through grief. May His comfort, love and peace be evident in their lives and draw others to know Him.
Thursday (9th) – CLC Beira, Mozambique:
Please pray for the CLC team in Mozambique. In September, we heard the sad news that the wife of Jose Sacramento (CLC Beira) died unexpectedly. Although she had been unwell recently, her death was a huge shock to Jose and the team. Jose is in his mid-30s and they had only been married for about 2 years. Father, please surround Jose with your love and comfort at this time.
Friday (10th) – Ada Hiley (Former CLCer / Co-Founder of Book Aid):
In early September, Ada Hiley went to be with the Lord. Ada and her husband Bob played a big role in CLC’s early years and through them Book Aid’s ministry was founded. Book Aid is a second-hand book ministry which makes sure Christian books, that are desperately needed in Africa, Asia and the Pacific, are widely available through CLC bookshops and other booksellers. We know that the Lord has a very special, ‘Well done, my faithful servant’ message for her. Please pray for her husband, Bob, and four daughters as they are certainly missing her. May God’s love and comfort surround them this season.
The Weekend (11th/12th) – Sandro Arroyo (CLC Chile):
Please continue to pray for the health of my daughter, Emilia. Although, she is still connected to a BIPAP, a respiratory support system for patients who have difficulty breathing, the truth is she continues to be a miracle from the Lord! Praise God with us that she can now walk freely.
Monday (13th) – Cyprus:
We would value prayer for our November Book Fairs which will be held on Saturdays (12th, 19th and 26th). Pray that the Lord will bless us with new encouraging contacts and sales, as they are extremely important for the upkeep of the CLC bookshop in Nicosia. Thank you.
Tuesday (14th) – Germany:
In September, a group of Christian booksellers met together near Frankfurt to discuss what we could do in partnership (as both retailers and publishers) to help the remaining Christian bookshops survive. Each of these booksellers has already implemented e-commerce, social media and more, but a certain well-known international web-store continues to take over the sales of books in our country. It can be very disheartening at times to learn that another shop has had to close. Please pray that together we can find a way to attract more customers!
Wednesday (15th) – Germany:
Recently, we refurbished our shop in an effort to send a clear message to our customers that we will press on, despite the difficulties we are facing in today’s market. We are so glad to see the positive feedback from our customers who obviously have appreciated our efforts.
Thursday (16th) – France:
The annual International Christian Book Fair will be held in Paris from November 19th - 21st. Please pray that our warehouse sales team will be organised and ready for this event so that we can have an efficient book table and good fellowship with our partners. Please pray for the seven CLC staff members who will be working at this event.
Friday (17th) – Romania:
We need God’s help concerning a new legislation that says that we need special authorisation from the local authorities to have a bookshop in Timisoara. We have had this bookshop for 15 years, yet without this approval, we will not be able to sell books in our own building. The procedure to obtain this approval it is long and complicated, with a very uncertain future for the shop. Please pray for us! May God open the necessary doors for us to continue our ministry.
The Weekend (18th/19th) – Italy:
Rudy Kuijer (CLC IO), from the Netherlands, asks for prayer for wisdom and vision in developing the growth of evangelism within our bookshops. Rudy was recently in Florence, Italy, helping the team there reach out to the public in this area. Please pray for God’s guidance to discover new ways to better promote the work of CLC and to recruit new workers. With Rudy’s assistance, more people have already applied to volunteer in the Florence bookshop. Pray for CLC Italy, and especially for the teams in Florence and Bari, as they begin to put into practice the things they learned from Rudy’s visit.
Monday (20th) – Romania:
Please join us in praying for wisdom and strength so that we can continue to develop and grow our publishing efforts. We hope to increase both the quantity and the quality of our publishing.
Tuesday (21st) – Portugal Bible Society & CLC Mozambique:
Although we can’t quite call it a “CLC publication”, as this is in conjunction with the Bible Society of Portugal, we are very happy to have the opportunity to co-produce a Portuguese economy Bible in a modern translation. This Bible will even have both our ministry logos will be on the cover - Bible Society and CLC Mozambique! We are very excited that there will be a page in the introduction explaining the Gospel and pointing the reader in the direction of receiving Christ. May the LORD really use the distribution of His Word to bring many new sons and daughters to faith!
Wednesday (22nd) – Kenya:
We thank God that our publishing department has developed faster than we had hoped for. We now have a new Publishing Administrator and an in-house Designer to meet the growing demands from the local authors. We are hoping to have an in-house Editor by the end of the year.
Thursday (23rd) – USA:
Please pray for Yuko Momose who began her new role as CLC USA’s Sales Representative for their publishing house in September. We hope that this newly created position significantly improves our customer service and increases the sales of our CLC titles.
Friday (24th) – Poland:
Praise God that a number of CLC Poland’s customers have been buying multiple copies of books published by CLC to give away to their family and friends. What an encouragement for the team to see their publications really impacting lives.
The Weekend (25th/26th) – Colombia:
CLC Colombia recently translated and published Pray for the World (WEC) by Patrick Johnstone. Their initial print run for the book was 750 copies, but within just three days they sold 690 of them. Praise God with us! Please also pray for the release of the Spanish versions of The Blessing of Humility by Jerry Bridges and Luther and His Katie by Dolina MacCuish of Christian Focus Publishing.
Monday (27th) – Showroom/ Warehouse:
CLC India is planning to construct a showroom/warehouse in their Purasawalkam property in Chennai. As it will require a large amount of money, they are in the process of raising funds. Please pray that God−in His grace−will help them meet their target! The team is looking to Him for He is able to do above all that we could ask or think!
Tuesday (28th) – New Director:
Sohail Javed is now the new Director of ELS Pakistan. When not involved in his pastoral duties, former leader Justin Javed will continue to assist as needed, but they are seeking his replacement. Sohail does have a serious heart condition, so we need to make sure he has the support he needs. Please pray for him as he settles into his new role.
Wednesday (29th) – More Contacts Needed:
CLC Thailand needs more contacts and opportunities to hold book tables, in both Thai and English, at events and conferences in Chiang Mai. They are also looking into the possibility of a Bible project if God allows. Please pray for His wisdom and for open doors.
Thursday (30th) – CLC Asia Pacific Conference:
Thank you for praying for our Asian Leaders’ conference held in Chiang Mai, Thailand during September. Our theme was Passion with a Purpose and it was a great time of learning and fellowship for our CLC leaders. Please pray that whatever training (spiritual, publishing, etc.) each leader received will now be applied to their life and ministry. After a lot of necessary meetings, it was a real joy to spend the day exploring Thailand together in fellowship. Here are a few photos from the event.