Week Three, Sunday

I'm including the notes and verse on the side of the prayer pamphlet for this week. It's a good reminder during times of leadership change on both sides of the pond.

"Why should we pray for our leaders? Because their decisions - about healthcare, education, justice, social care - affect us all. Because we need wise, visionary, servant-hearted people in these toughest of jobs. Because we're commanded in the Bible, to play our part in society by remembering our leaders before God."

"I urge, then, first of all, that petitions, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for all people, for kings and all in authority." - 1 Timothy 2:1-2

Sunday - Give thanks for the 31,000 police officers and 2,600 community support officers who help keep London's streets safe. Pray they'll carry out their duties with wisdom, care and compassion. Pray for God's protection over them in their work.

Week Two, Saturday

"Unloved and unwanted, Shane knocked on the youth worker's flat door. 'Can I come in? My stepdad has kicked me out.' Shane, 17, has never known unconditional love. To him, love was a dirty word...until he was told about Jesus by the youth worker and shown love in actions and words. Pray for lads like Shane, lonely and searching, that they would find wholeness in Christ."
- Richard Shaw, Scripture Union Regional Team Leader
(Pray for London 2016)

Week Two, Friday

"Twelve-year-old Milek is Polish, which is uncommon at his school, and he often seems like the odd one out. But he feels accepted at our Forest Gate youth group. He's shown an interest in coming to Bible study, but hasn't been along yet. Ask God to prepare Milek's heart to receive the good news."

Thanks.

On a personal note, the upcoming week will be my last week at my current job, as well as my last week of college. There's a lot to get done, and I would appreciate prayers that I would be focused and finish strong.

Week Two, Thursday

"At 3:30 p.m., the street outside London City Mission's Forest Gate centre in East London is awash with teenagers from three local secondary schools. So when Missionary Sammy Gunnell started a weekly youth group here, it was a big hit. Pray for Sammy, who says, 'We're trying to think of activities where we can also talk at a deeper level.'"

Week Two, Wednesday

"'The first time two foster kids came to our art workshop, they hid under the tables and screwed up their work,' recalls Missionary Andrew Kwapong, based in Hale Village, Tottenham, North London. 'But in a year, we saw their transformation before our eyes. The constant love, care and belonging meant God worked amazingly. Please keep praying for them!'"

Week Two, Tuesday

"Fifteen teenage boys were knifed to death on London's streets in 2015, and a street in Haringey, North London has been named the city's stabbing hot spot. Pray against violence, hatred and fear in the lives of young people, and urge God to break into their darkness."

Week Two, Monday and a Personal Note

"Jack is a proper Eastender, an ex-Ford factory worker in his 70s. He has four kids but rarely sees them. Recently Jack was in hospital. His brother, who he'd not spoken to for 15 years, was in the next ward, dying of cancer. Even then, Jack refused to see him. Damage from broken families runs deep in Dagenham, says LCM Missionary Brandon Thesee, and many elderly people are isolated. Pray for healing and forgiveness for Jack." - from Pray for London

This weekend I've been praying for confidence in God's love and greater trust in him. Today, a woman that I work with unexpectedly gave me a copy of The Bible Promise Book for Women and said she'd been thinking about me being so far away from home. It was an incredibly sweet gesture, especially since we hadn't talked much about our faith at work and she couldn't have known for sure how I would respond.

A verse I've been reflecting on recently:
^"Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good." - Romans 12:21 (The whole chapter is worth a good reading over.) 

The Bible recognizes we will face evil, and it doesn't tell us to fight fire with fire. We can't overcome evil by our hatred, our bitterness, our cynicism, our apathy, or our ignorance.

^"But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law." - Galatians 5:22-23

Week Two, Sunday

Loneliness. This crushing sadness and sense of isolation affects people right across London. Almost one in five older people have contact with others less than once a week. Pray our missionaries would reach the most vulnerable elderly people as they go door to door, and pray for strong, inclusive communities.

Week One, Saturday

"We're in touch with people who aim to get lost on the streets on a Friday night. Only recently, we had a call about a rough sleeper, a man in his 30s, who died from the cold. My prayer is that the Church - us - would recognise the importance of acts of love and kindness in communicating the gospel. Next time you see someone in need, before they ask you, help them." - Eustace Constance, Operations Director with Street Pastors

Week One, Friday

"Be open to God's prompting about how you can show love to someone on the margins of society. Who are the forgotten people in your community? Is there a homeless person you could reach out to? Ask God to help you step out in faith to share his love." - From Pray for London

 

Week One, Thursday

"On Thursdays, the LCM team runs a Bible study at our day centre for homeless people, Webber Street in Waterloo, South London. Pray for open hearts among our guests; that they'll hear God's Word, grapple with it, and consider what it really means for them.

Week One, Wednesday

"John turned up at the The Bridge church in Battersea asking for help to understand the Bible. But he's schizophrenic, and his mind wanders. There are things he doesn't want to reveal about himself. We've thoughtfully shared the gospel with him, many times. Pray now that God will break into his heart." - From Pray for London

Week One, Tuesday

(I meant to post this earlier today, but school kind of ran away with me.)

From Pray For London: Missionary Martin Street ministers to those with mental health issues in Battersea, South London. He said, "If someone is vulnerable, they could easily be manipulated. I don't want to do that, but I need to be intentional and persuasive - because this is good  news. Pray I'll strike that balance."

Pray for London - Week One, Monday

Give thanks for Street Pastors, who have teams in all but two of London's boroughs. Praise God for night shelters and foodbanks across the city, and the vital support they offer to people facing desperate times. Pray too for churches active in their communities.

Pray for London - Week One, Sunday

On their website, www.lcm.org.uk, London City Mission has a five week prayer guide available. I invite you to join in praying for the City of London as I go through this prayer guide.

Week One, Sunday
Pray against anything which prevents women involved in prostitution from coming to our weekly Bible study in King's Cross, North London. "We focus on Jesus' stories of people on the margins," said LCM worker Laura Heffernan. "These women, they are so responsive to the gospel. They carry so much shame, but they really understand God's love."

The last update you'll have to read on my visa situation, honest.

This is indeed the last update on my visa you'll have.

Why is that? Because my application was successful.

I'm ecstatic, but there's a lot of work to get done before heading out. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have some schoolwork I should definitely look at.

God bless!