Prayer Requests

Please pray for this specific needs from JSM-Langham scholars, graduated scholars, staff, board members, and supporters.

 October 2008

Chee-Chiew Chua Lee - Praise and thanks for the dental work that has been done and is ongoing for her husband, Vincent at U. of I (Chicago).  There is  the challenge of meeting the costs of treatment.  Vincent’s brother, James, just had cancer surgery on his kidney, and there is concern that this may be genetic, so testing may take place for that in their family.  Chee-Chiew has completed her course work and is now writing full time on her dissertation.  She feels she is progressing well.  She has also been having dental problems concerning her wisdom teeth and is seeking guidance on treatment soon or to be postponed.

Elisee Ouoba - Progress of writing on his dissertation was disrupted in July when his family had to move out of the college-owned house they occupied and search for a different apartment.  Elisee now bikes to campus.  This meant a change of schools for the children, but they are making a good adjustment.  Please pray that Elisee will stay focused and finish his work next spring.  Two major chapters to go, and possible re-writes.  There are concerns about his seminary at home; he seek prayer support for that situation.

Cynthia Chang - Praise that her trip to Calif. to see her ailing grandmother went well and that her grandmother, a strong Buddhist, did make a decision for Christ.  Cynthia passed one section of her comps in July and will do the rest in Feb.  Her aunt, a believer, died from cancer and Cynthia will go to Denver to speak at the funeral.  Her son, Clement, is improving in reading and math, but will continue to be tested for health concerns.  She continues to look forward to returning to Singapore to teach.   She has only 11 months to write her dissertation as her second reader will be away and she needs to finish before he leaves.  This makes for a tight and demanding schedule.  Please pray.

Jules Martinez - Jules has as finished his course work and is preparing for his comps. He is preparing for his dissertation topic of kingdom of God; theology and ethics. He went to Puerto Rico in July where he connected with family members as well as his seminary. They have asked Jules to come down to teach an intensive course next summer when he will be able to try his abilities and  cement his relationship with the seminary for the future.   Son, Jules, 7-1/2 months, is doing well in therapy to catch up to his age level as he was born one month early.

Lukas Gao - Just returned from visiting his critically ill mother in China.  She is a strong Christian, so they had good prayer and Scripture reading times together.  His father is 87.  Please pray for them.  As for his studies, Lukas praises God that he survived his first year, but is finding the second year just as difficult though he expected it would be easier.  He has many papers to write in English and has to read in German and French.  He needs more sleep, and relies on God to see him through.  He is concerned about his daughter, Carol (1 year), who had milk from powder produced in China so she needs to be tested for the bacteria that has become a problem there.  Praise that the family is doing well.

Yacouba Sanon - Yacouba gives praise for their new baby born Aug. 5, a surprise, but a blessing.  He expressed thanks for the help of many during the pregnancy.  Praise that Yacouba passed the German exam right after her birth.  Seeks clarity and wisdom regarding his dissertation topic - he is presently working with his mentor on this.  Pray that he will survive the semester, especially one very difficult class.  He asks that we pray for the elections soon to take place in his home country (Burkina Faso) that all will go smoothly; also, for his seminary at home which is experiencing financial problems.

Cesar Lopes - Praise that they are adjusting and adapting to the newness of being here, though still feel  at the “tourist” stage.  Wife, Amanda, is studying English.  Daughters are frustrated with the language in school and as they play with other children.  They are thankful to be living on campus and neighbors are friendly and helpful.  Cesar seeks prayer for his writing ability in English.

Jason Tan - Jason is halfway through his course work.  He seeks prayer for:
1. a preaching assignment at a missions conference at Cornerstone Church
2. his studies, especially two subjects that are stressful and demanding.

He must repeat a paper that he thought was just right.  Has to prepare a book review every week.  Jason’s father-in-law has asked him to lead a missionary training school at home that he has founded.  Jason may also teach at the seminary that sent him here.    There are financial concerns there.

Julie Chu - All her prayer requests are for praise to God - to be at TEDS, to have scholarship help and personal friendship from JSM, for strength, and for the support of her family as they have released her to come here to study.  Her brother has epilepsy but his condition has been helped by surgery and he can now work.  Her dad had a stroke, so her mother (a believer) is caring for him as well as for her brother.   She is their only source of income.  Pray that God will change, mold and equip her for His work.

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We are seriously adjusting to the task of parenthood and studies. To this end, we do solicit your prayers. Indeed, we need divine wisdom to guide the new born baby in the way of the Lord. Despite the many demands around us, this goal we conceived to be our highest aim for the moment. Though sometimes, we are afraid that the nature of the present studies would conflict with such aspiration. Please we covet your prayers.

Juliana & Matthew Michael

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My oral surgery is scheduled on Dec 16, 2008. The surgeon recommends the removal of all four wisdom teeth, and he will attempt to save my second lower molars by doing a bone graft, & using my blood protein concentrate to stimulate bone growth. It will take several months after the surgery to see if my second molars can “survive”. From the X-ray, there is also possibly a cyst (usually benign) attached to my left wisdom tooth that needs to removed and sent for biopsy. Thus, some of these treatments may be treated as medical, rather than purely dental work.

There may be some items in the treatment that the medical insurance might cover. I will know in about 2-3 weeks of the estimated cost that are not covered.

Your prayers are valued for the following: (1) the risk of the surgery involved, especially the major nerve that is right below the wisdom teeth; (2) my chapter on prophets be completed before the surgery; (3) wisdom to manage the cost involved.
Yours in Christ
Chee-Chiew Lee

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Langham Preaching Events taking place this week:

Ghana: this week the Langham Regional Council for West Africa meets in Akropong, Ghana.  Jonathan will have discussions about the Preaching programmes with our country coordinators from Nigeria, Ghana, Liberia, Congo (DRC) and a possible new venture in Sierre Leone.  Please pray for wisdom in planning the next stage of work in each country.

In addition to these discussions, the wider Council will look at the work of all 3 Langham programmes. Please pray for the choice of a new chairman for the Council in West Africa; for safety in travel (some are coming by car from Cameroon); and for God’s clear guidance in the development and leadership of the work in West Africa as a whole.

Chile: the new Langham Preaching programme launches this week in Santiago, Chile, with 50 pastors registered for the level 1 programme.  The local team has worked hard to prepare the seminar, and delegates will be coming from different parts of the country and from different denominations.  Ten facilitators have already met, and they will serve as mentors of 5 pastors each.  After the seminar these 10 small groups will continue to meet at least once a month.  Please pray for our Regional Facilitator, Igor Amestegui, and for Jorge Atiencia from Colombia, who will be the trainers for this launch event.  And please pray for the local team led by Eduardo Jacob.
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September 2008

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Dear all,

The situation in India continues be grave.  But many Christians (and leaders of other religions too) are protesting to the government and seeking some better form of response. Here is a memo from  memo from EFI - the Evangelical Fellowship of India:

September 26, 2008: In protest of the failure of Government of India’s Constitutional bodies to protect Indian citizens - Christians in Orissa & Karnataka gathered to demand ban on VHP, RSS and Bajrang Dal: propagators of communal terrorism and religious cleansing.

The 7 days Sit-in Dharna started today, September 26th, at Jantar Mantar, at 10 a.m. It will conclude at Raj Ghat on 2nd October at 5 p.m. All denominations turned out in big number today. The Dharna is supported by all Christians of Delhi and National Capital Region and other faith communities: Hindu, Sikh, Muslims, Buddhist and Jains in Delhi.

Bishop Joel Mall, the moderator of the Church of North India inaugurated the dharna with a word of prayer, which was followed by a time of singing devotional songs and speeches by various religious and civil society leaders.

The bogey of forceful conversion was exposed by public testimonies of people who had a life changing encounter with the Lord Jesus Christ.

Christians who suffered at the hands of militant Hindu fanatics in Delhi shared their painful experiences as well as their hope and joy of being counted worthy to suffer for the sake of Jesus Christ.

Religious leaders from other faiths also spoke of the pain and shame they are experiencing at the persecution of innocent Christians in Orissa.

Pray, Pray, Pray for the homeless and suffering brothers and sister in Orissa. Pray for social peace in India.

Please pray for God’s grace and guidance for our brothers and sisters in India.

Chris Wright

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Seminars taking place this week:

Burkina Faso: from Monday to Friday this week there will be a major 3 level seminar programme for Burkinabe pastors coming for their first, second and third year training.  Roland Tamini has faithfully coordinated the programme. Please pray for Roland and the facilitators (Gordon Woolard, Mike McGowan and Ed Moll) as they seek to train and equip over 100 participants in their preaching ministry.

Colombia: Igor Amestegui (our Latin American facilitator) has asked us to pray for the meetings that will take place from tomorrow to next Tuesday. They will meet with the coordinators of the ‘escuelitas’ (local preaching clubs), hold a national workshop for the escualitas members and then they will meet with future facilitators. Igor says that this will be ‘the most important meeting for our ministry’ as the participants will be trained to lead workshops for the first Langham seminar in April.

Reports from last week and other requests:

India: Jonathan has just returned from Delhi with requests that we pray for the growing persecution of Christians in the northern states.  Thousands of Christians are displaced, church buildings destroyed and at least 40 Christians murdered, including several pastors.  Finny Philip and Paul Swaerup, two of the participants in the Langham Preching consultation, are leading the response in their communities.  Finny works among new churches, many of which have been impacted by the persecution with over 2000 believers in refugee camps.  Pray for wisdom and integrity for political and Christian leaders, and comfort and courage for many Christians who are suffering.

Bolivia: Igor also asks us to pray for Bolivia as ‘the truth is that these have been very difficult days, with a lot of deaths.  We were very saddened to learn that pastor Luis Antonion Rivero, who was trying to keep the peace in the midst of the protests in Cobija, died after being hit by three bullets.’  Please pray for his two orphaned children.

Langham Preaching

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Events taking place this week:

China: 30 Chinese pastors from a cross-section of mainland china are, from today, gathering for a weeklong training programme, hosted at the Alliance Bible Seminary in Hong Kong.  Please pray for safe travel to and from the event, especially after recent typhoons in the area.  Please also pray for the facilitators at this event: Rennie Tsang, David Cheung and local leaders.  This is a small pilot project as we look towards other initiatives in China.

LPIC: this week, the Langham Partnership International Council will meet in the south of England. Please pray for helpful orientation for Paul Windsor as he prepares to join the Langham preaching team in 2009.  Please also pray for useful discussions that will enable us to serve our brothers and sisters around the world more effectively in the year ahead.

Reports from Last week:

Burkino Faso: the country coordinator reported that ‘I praise the Lord for the wonderful things we are learning since Monday. I was a little discouraged because of the participation. We were expecting 75 people to come but finally only  28 came. But what encourages me is that they highly motivated.’

Thank you for praying,
Langham Preaching

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My mother’s condition is critical and she is at the point of
going home with the Lord, so I will leave tomorrow morning and come back on
September 23 if I get the visa smoothly. Hopefully I can pay her the last
visit on earth.

Please pray for my mother, the family members, and my visa back to Trinity.

Lukas Gao

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Langham Preaching asks for these prayers:

• Levels 1, 2 and 3 training programme in Cote d’Ivoire: please pray for country co-ordinator Younoussa Djao and Langham facilitators Gordon Woolard and Mike McGowan
• Training of local facilitators event in Albania: co-ordinated by Andy Oliver with Langham facilitator Mark Meynell
• India Consultation: Monday - Wednesday near Delhi, where Jonathan Lamb will meet with 15 people from northern India to learn about preaching training activities already happening and to explore options for the future
• Sri-Lanka line-up visit: a discussion in Colombo on Thursday with local leaders to assess the training needs in the country

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Please pray for Virginia Emedi, wife of Philippe. Her father passed away in August. Virginia and Philippe visited him in June—their first visit to the Democratic Republic of Congo in many years.

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Ming Gao is returning to China as his mother is near death. He hopes to return Sept. 23. Please pray for peace and strength during this time. Also pray that Ming will be able to get his return visa without any problem.

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My father-in-law just passed away and we had to make an emergency trip to gather with family in Michigan. I am unable to deal with much outside of mourning and visitation and funeral plans at this point.

Please pray for our family at this time of sorrow.

Ruth Padilla Deborst

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