Day of Prayer 2024
Your prayers answered!
Your prayers make a real difference across the world. As we gather for the BMS World Mission Day of Prayer on 4 February 2024, take a look at how your prayers from last year have been answered!
You prayed: We give thanks for the safe space that BMS partner All4Aid provides on the Greek island of Lesbos. We pray that as well as practical support, centre users will experience a deep sense of God’s love.
We give thanks to God for how you gave so generously to our Safe Haven appeal to support refugees in Lesbos, Greece. In the most recent issue of Engage, the BMS magazine, we shared about how your support has provided women like Bibi* with food, hygiene items and a warm place to rest and make friends. Our partners in Lesbos, All4Aid, remain determined to provide a safe space for women like Bibi and to share the love of Jesus with everyone who uses the centre. With the ongoing conflict in Israel and Gaza and unrest in Eritrea, Afghanistan, and Sudan, the work of our partner All4Aid could not be more vital right now. Your support will continue to help refugees rebuild their lives and encounter the love of God as we begin this new year.
You prayed: Almost one in three women have experienced gender-based violence. We pray for those who are in this fight and who will not allow women who have been abused to be forgotten. We pray for justice and dignity for all women and girls.
Our partner in Uganda, Justice, Livelihoods and Health (JLH) help to protect young girls from child marriages. They raise awareness of gender injustice and train cultural and religious leaders in the Kasese and Gulu districts of Uganda. One of the girls they work with is a young 14-year-old mother. She and her baby have found a new home where their needs are being met. They have also received sponsorship from good Samaritans in their village to continue her secondary school education. God has answered your prayers, and women in Uganda and across the world are now being treated with the dignity that they deserve.
You prayed: Please pray that we would uphold creation stewardship across all our work, and invest in projects from Uganda to Afghanistan that are combatting food fragility and loss of soil fertility.
Your prayers for God’s creation have made great strides in both protecting our planet and helping those in need. Not only have you helped farmers in Uganda grow bountiful crops in the face of climate change, but you’ve also helped bring a buzzing beehive to the highlands of Afghanistan! BMS worker Ruby* hopes that the beehive will help the community orchard she works on thrive, and bring abundant, healthy food to the local community. Life is still incredibly hard under the de facto leadership of Afghanistan, but we pray that these bees will be a symbol of hope for many.
You prayed: Many women are becoming disciples in North Africa. We pray for BMS partner BigLife to identify four women to be sent to mentor and disciple women there coming to faith in Christ.
Over the last year, several men and women in North Africa have expressed an interest in seeking the Lord. One person gave their life to Jesus and was baptised. God continues to grow the Church in North Africa, especially amongst university students. One student has even started a home group, and he is rejoicing in the Lord, because God has opened so many doors for sharing the gospel in 2023.
In India, a man from a Hindu background has recently become a believer. When he heard the gospel for the first time, he repented of his sins and decided to follow Jesus. His life changed completely, and he was baptised on Christmas Day. Praise God for his salvation! Your generous giving and prayers will help Christians mentor and support these new believers as they begin their journey of faith.
You prayed: BMS has the privilege of telling stories of both joy and difficulty around the world. We pray that BMS would do this sensitively and wisely, honouring those who have trusted us with their life stories.
Over the last year, the BMS Communications Team have worked hard to tell stories sensitively and to honour the people who have entrusted us with their stories. God has even given us opportunities to share how we use stories with the people that BMS works with. Our Days of Plenty appeal featured Barbara, a farmer from Gulu in Uganda. When a BMS filming team visited her, they showed her and her family how they had used her photo in a previous edition of Engage magazine – she and her children were delighted! We are always learning how to improve how we tell stories ethically, and we continue to ask God to guide us in this area of our work.
If you’re keen to pray with us next Sunday, 4 February, on the BMS Day of Prayer, you can find all the resources you need to run your service right here. We can’t wait to see how God moves through your prayers in 2024!
*Names changed for security reasons.
Words by Chris Manktelow and Laura Durrant.
