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Scott B

Please pray urgently for full recovery for our long-serving faithful Elder, Scott Bessenecker
Recent tests revealed that Scott needed two stents for a blocked artery, but after the procedure he developed stroke symptoms. He is now in an inpatient rehab center trying to regain use of his left side. Thanks everyone for your prayers.

ORIENTATION PARTICIPANTS

It was very encouraging to have 10 participants at the Servants Orientation course in January. Please pray for these people in their next steps:

  • three people have immediately joined teams: two are continuing with the Asia-based teams where they were already serving, and Sharne has begun her role coordinating the North America linking team
  • four are continuing towards joining immersion teams in the next 2 years
  • two may join teams in Asia in future after further discernment and preparation
  • one is less sure yet what the future holds

Teams in Asia

Indonesia
  • Pray for a peaceful resolution to the presidential elections (held on February 14th).
  • Pray that Gusti* would find a new house to rent in a different part of the community.
  • Pray for healing for the husband of one of our teachers. He is in a lot of pain when he walks, making it difficult for him to work.
  • Pray for I* and Y*, as they have both returned to their passport countries after their internships here.
  • Pray that God would help them in this time of transition and discerning next steps. Pray for Yanni’s* parents and sister, as they have many different health issues going on.
Cambodia
  • We are grateful that we could join the Servants forum and reconnect with the wider Servants family.
  • Now that we are back in the community, please pray as we try to settle back to our rhythm and routine.
  • Pray that we can find an organization near our community where we can do volunteer work.
  • Pray for discernment and direction on how we can strengthen and deepen our engagement with the children and women in the community.
  • Pray also for our health
India
  • The Indian election coming up in April/May. Pray that religious violence will not be a factor, and that people of all different views will be able to talk respectfully with each other.
  • Wisdom in potential new directions for our projects, e.g. trying to address girls’ underage marriage, and making a series of simple informational videos about government entitlements and healthcare systems.
  • Wisdom in how best to tackle difficult issues like corruption & inefficiencies in government systems.
  • Smooth travels and a fruitful time for Anas* and Aliya*, now back in India for a few weeks before returning to Germany to get married and prepare to come long term.
  • Good re-entry for the H family in US and finding an intentional Christian community that suits them well.
Philippines
  • Give thanks that the Servants Forum gave friends in our wider network fresh awareness that they are part of a bigger movement and that serving the poor is really a calling, rather than simply a job for a living.
  • Pray for Hapag-asa, a monthly meeting of local people serving the poor. It offers a time to share the heart and scripture and prayer, all around a snack on a Sunday afternoon. Please pray for deepening relationships, and for participants to be nurtured for their work in God’s Kingdom.
  • Pray for Manilyn, whose community work raises many challenges and sometimes confusion over how to balance so many tasks. Mani says “I feel happy in spite of the difficulty. Because of my strong belief in the plan of God I believe there is bound to be an answer to every question and confusion. Please pray for me.”
  • Praise God for Kathrin’s many years of service in Manila, and pray for good farewells and right priorities in the remaining weeks before her retirement and return to Switzerland at the end of March.
  • Pray for the participants in the recent couples retreat at Sakahang Lilok retreat-farm, and for Efren and Becky in the process of introducing others to this important ministry.

Answers to Prayer

Thank you for praying for our teams and their neighbours and wider concerns. Rejoice with us that our prayers are being answered … here are some examples:

  • We are extremely grateful that the boundary dispute at Sakahang Lilok retreat-farm has been resolved enough with the difficult neighbors to now build a fence in the correct place. This comes with much relief and thanks to God, after at least a year of stressful incidents and challenging negotiations.
  • Praise God for the growing participation and leadership of our Asian members – this has been a desire and prayer for many years. Our recent leadership meeting consisted of half Asians and half Caucasians, which felt a very good mix for this time.
Stay in the prayer loop

For a fuller list of points for prayer, including our leaders and teams outside Asia, please subscribe to our monthly prayer letter by writing to Anne (info[at]servantsasia.org).

(* Names changed for security reasons)

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