Prayer List...04 DEC 2017

CLC Mission Opportunities Prayer List

04 DEC 2017

1.      Six pastor/evangelists/students in Livingstone, Zambia met for pastoral training on Dec. 1^st and 2^nd. They have been in studies with Pastor Ibrahim for the past two years. On Sunday, Dec. 3^rd they received certificates of completion for the first phase of their instruction.

2.      The main leader in the Livingstone Zambia district recently died and there have been many struggles as a result. But it would appear that the Lord is using even this tragedy to strengthen His work in this area. More will be reported in an upcoming Spokesman article.

3.      Pastor Ibrahim and I will be traveling back to Lusaka by bus tomorrow (12/5) where we will spend the next four days training pastors and doing evangelism and home visits in two different areas on the outskirts of Lusaka. Then we will travel to Kitwe, a city near the D.R. Congo border where we will meet with Pastor Yumba of the CLC in D.R. Congo.

4.      Before I return to the U.S. I will visit the D.R. Congo embassy in Lusaka with a letter from Pastor Yumba requesting a longer-term missionary visa. In recent years it has become quite difficult to obtain any type of visitor visa, making CLC visits impossible. The last CLC visit to D.R. Congo was in January of 2013 when Missionary Ude and his wife Vanessa visited. Pray that the Lord will bless this effort to secure the necessary visa.

5.      The CLC-India, BELC-India, CLC-Myanmar, National Lutheran Church of Myanmar, and the Himalayan CLC of Nepal are all making preparations for the 2018 Joint Asia Pastoral Conference scheduled for early February. Pastor Tim Daub is making plans to attend as well. I will also be in India during this time and will be privileged to attend.

6.      Part-Time Visiting Missionary David Koenig and I are making plans to visit Myanmar in late February. Seminars will be held with both church bodies that we work with in Myanmar. The National Lutheran Church is located in Yangon on the South-East border and the CLC-Myanmar is located on the South-West border.

7.      Following the Myanmar visit, I will be in Nepal for a few weeks in early March to work with the pastors and leaders of the HCLCN.

8.      Sanju Bhitrakoti – Raju’s wife was diagnosed with gestational diabetes. She is doing much better. They are expecting their baby on January 15.

9.      Pastor Kham in Myanmar recently reported that they were successful in registering their church body with the local and state government and they are now in the process of registration with national government. They will register as the Church of the Lutheran Confession of Myanmar rather than the Zomi Lutheran Church (as they have been know) which only identifies them with the local Zomi tribe.

10.  Pastor John Hein and Pastor Em. Dave Koenig have recently returned from Liberia. Pray that the Lord will bless His word that has been taught and proclaimed. And thank Him for this new opportunity to be His witnesses to the ends of the earth.

11.  Individuals in Senegal, DR Congo, Haiti, and Bangladesh continue formal Online Theological Studies correspondence courses this month.

12.  Pastors from the Nigerian-CLC of the Lutheran Confession and MELC in Togo met last week. Pastor Kossi had some difficulties in his travels from Togo to Nigeria but the Lord protected and delivered him safely to the conference and home again. Thank the Lord for His protection of His servant in difficult circumstances.

13.  Progress has been made in preparing for Missionary Ohlmann and Pastor Mayhew’s visit to Tanzania in early 2018. It has been three years since the last CLC visitation to Tanzania and there is much work to be done. They will conduct pastoral training seminars and will also be investigating opportunities to reestablish organized efforts to train pastors.

14.  The MELC in Togo has just recently been approved by the Togo government to begin caring for orphans and providing for children in need in the impoverished portion of the city of Lome where the main congregation is located. Through Kinship sponsorship they are now caring for six orphans. They are also providing help with a weekly nutrition program, clothing, school supplies, and a weekly Bible school.

15.   The BELC in India continues to train new men for leadership roles as the opportunities to start new pastoral training districts increase.

16.   The CLC-India makes preparation for their Christmas outreach efforts. Pray that the recent anti-Christian rhetoric does not interfere with their plans to proclaim the birth of the Savior of the world.