Christmas Prayer Campaign 2020

Make Jesus known in Asia this Christmas

In 2020, the question left weighing on millions of hearts has been, ‘Where is the hope in all of this?’ This Christmas, BMS World Mission partners across Asia are coming together to share the answer – the wonderful hope they have in the good news of Jesus Christ.

This December, you’re invited to be part of a series of joy-filled outreach events taking place across Asia. A network of passionate believers from India, Bangladesh, Thailand and Cambodia is coming together with the collective vision to reach as many people as is possible with a Christ-centred message of hope. And with plans for a series of Covid-secure festivities, celebrations and outreach events throughout December well underway, the only thing missing is you!

The BMS Christmas prayer campaign 2020 invites you to make Jesus known to people across Asia by upholding and supporting the plans of our partners in dedicated prayer. Our faithful partners (who we’ll introduce you to below!) know they fall at the first hurdle if they don’t seek God’s guidance for the month ahead. So, please join them and Christians across the UK, praying for God to shine his light at the end of a dark year. Please pray for questioning hearts to receive gladly the message of a God who reaches out and beckons them into a relationship with him this Christmas.

How you can be involved in sharing the good news in Asia this Christmas

Set aside five minutes every day for the next four weeks to pray for one of the amazing partners below.
Pick one of the upcoming events described below and pray it would be fruitful, bringing the plans and people involved in them before God.
Share the BMS Christmas prayer campaign with your fellowship or on your social media accounts. Perhaps you could choose one of the partners to be your church’s special prayer focus?
Follow BMS World Mission on Facebook or Twitter to hear updates, and stay tuned as we hope to share the fruit of this inspiring Christmas outreach with you in 2021.

Benjamin Francis, BMS Team Leader for India, working with BMS’ partner Big Life

Christmas Prayer Campaign, BMS Worker Ben Francis waves from a boat

In Ben’s words:

“I don’t have to tell you what kind of depression people have been in this year. Whether people have been affected by Covid-19 or not, there is another virus which is going round, which is fear. Only faith can cancel fear. And faith, which is the hope of eternity, is the message people long to hear.

People in India are thinking, ‘If I go out, I may contract Coronavirus. But if I stay in my house, I’ll definitely die of hunger.’ They want to know, what is the hope in all of this? And this Christmas, all our outreach programmes are focused on that: Christ in me, the hope of eternity.”

Plans to share the gospel in India

Ben’s team are planning hundreds of small events, starting from 1 December and led by fellowships of around 10 to 15 people in a socially distanced manner.

The events will include cultural presentations, dancing and singing. “The people we’re reaching out to have never experienced things like this: re-enactments of the Nativity, singing Christmas songs, seeing children getting involved – in the villages it’s a huge thing,” says Ben.

Christmas cake and tea will be shared, drawing people into fellowship and community. Ben hopes the generosity people see in his team will reflect the generosity and kindness of God. Tracts and Bibles will also be distributed to those who have questions about the meaning of Christmas.

Last year, Ben saw an amazing 600 new small fellowships starting because of similar Christmas outreach events.

Ben’s prayer points:

Pray for the safety of our team, because there has been some persecution in the villages. Pray also for safety for me, travelling to so many different places.
Please pray that the Bibles my team give out would be joyfully received. We hope to give out about 5,000 Bibles just in West Bengal to people who are asking questions.
We’d love to see baptisms coming out of these events, so please pray for that.
Please pray for safety for all involved as we follow government Covid-19 guidelines.
We plan to reach 50 to 60 villages, so please pray for a huge harvest!

Download Ben's prayer points

Rev Ashim Baroi, General Secretary of long-standing BMS partner, the Bangladesh Baptist Church Sangha (BBCS)

In Rev Ashim’s words:

“We are using this Christmas project to bring glad tidings to people in the Tea Garden areas and to people in the hill tribes.

During our Christmas programme, we will teach them Christmas songs and explain to them how God loves us and has come to be with us.

Some of the people live in very sad conditions, now we have opportunity to make them glad. We will let them know about Emmanuel – God with us. Many have emotional pain and fear because of the Covid-19 situation. We want to bring them hope and love in the name of Jesus Christ.”

Rev Ashim Baroi and John Karmakar from the Bangladesh Baptist Church Sangha stand in front of a mosaic of William Carey at BBCS Head Office in Bangladesh.

Plans to share the gospel in Bangladesh

Most of the people Ashim’s team hope to reach are from Hindu and Muslim backgrounds, or follow different tribal belief systems. The majority of them have never heard the gospel of Jesus. In the next five years, BBCS hopes to plant 20 new churches and invite many thousands of people into a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ. The team want to share the story of Jesus’ nativity in 50 villages. This ‘birthday’ celebration, complete with songs and gifts, will also give the chance for believers from Muslim and Hindu backgrounds to share their testimonies.

“We will bring them food and soft drinks,” adds Ashim. “We will distribute gospel tracts, and after the Christmas programme we will do medical camps there later in the year”.

Ashim's prayer points:

Please pray for us that people will open their hearts to the Christmas message.
Pray that they would be encouraged by the gifts that we bring and find hope to believe that all is not lost.
Pray for the safety and sensitivity of BBCS workers who will travel to these villages.
Pray that many would believe and be baptised as witnesses in the communities.

Download Ashim's prayer points

Rev Jlalduha Lalduhawma, mission worker with the Baptist Church of Mizoram (BCM) to Cambodia

Rev Jlalduha Lalduhawma from the Baptist Church of Mizoram against a beige background.

In Rev Jlalduha’s words:

“The Christmas season is one of the best times for doing evangelism in Cambodia. People are aware of Christmas as one of the important festivals of Christianity, without knowing the reality about Christmas and its background.

Taking advantage of this special occasion, we plan to gather the parents and friends of local students (both Christians and non-Christians), providing lunch or dinner with a Christmas gift and an invite to a proper worship service or fellowship. Here, we’ll tell the living story of Christmas. Besides this, we’ll have a Christmas outreach ministry to the village.”

Plans to share the gospel in Cambodia

The team at Horaios Baptist Church will share the message of Christmas through a sermon, drama, a dance group and the singing and teaching of Christian songs.

There will also be a charitable Christmas gift of food, cloths and other items to rural villages where there aren’t yet any Christian believers. The area has been specially chosen as one where there is no Christian presence. Jlalduha’s team would love to build bridges, fellowship and community there, paving the way for more outreach opportunities in 2021.

Download Jlalduha's prayer points

Jlalduha's prayer points:

Please pray that the parents of the students who become Christians will support them.
As many Cambodians enjoy the Christmas celebrations, pray that their hearts and minds would be open to understand that God has come to give us eternal life through Christ Jesus.
Pray for our students who will share their testimonies and for those who will preach, that God would give them boldness and powerful words that will win people to Christ.
Pray that after the Christmas programme many people would want to know more about Jesus.

Mr Prateep Dee, General Secretary of the Thai Karen Baptist Convention (TKBC)

In Prateep’s words:

“It is a traditional event for us in December to go preaching the gospel to many unreached fields. Yearly, many of our local churches and associations and TKBC departments reach out to the working fields and unreached marginalised areas, to proclaim the good news of Jesus Christ our Lord.

Why? Because Thailand needs the gospel. Only one per cent of the Thai population is Christian, and that’s counting all denominations of Christianity and Roman Catholicism. Though the majority of Thais are Buddhists, Thai people hunger for peace and salvation.”

Thra Tim, also known as Prateep Dee, with the Thai Karen Baptist Church.

Plans to share the gospel in Thailand

“The events we organise provide the opportunity for the community to come together,” explains Prateep. “This has been an extremely difficult year for many people. This may be one of the only occasions where they can relax, laugh, and have some food and fellowship. We will provide cultural dances and Christmas songs in our native language. There will be a short drama to demonstrate God’s love for people.”

Prateep believes this will be the first time some of the people in surrounding areas hear the name of Jesus. The planned events will give people the opportunity to ask questions, and those who believe the chance to be baptised. It’s hoped that these new believers could become the nucleus of a church plant.

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Prateep's prayer points:

Please pray that hearts would be opened to believe in the name of Jesus as Lord and Saviour.
Pray that the Holy Spirit would give us the right words to speak.
The journey into some of the places, especially into the hill tribes, is long and deep. Please pray for the protection of the team and for strength for the journey.
Please pray that people will understand the meaning of Christmas and their hearts would be filled with the joy of Jesus.
Pray that after the events those who believe would continue to hold onto Jesus as their Lord.
May people feel like they can lay aside futile rituals and experience the grace of God that begins with a loving relationship with Jesus.

Download Prateep's prayer points

Words by Hannah Watson
Editor of Engage, the BMS World Mission magazine

Picking up glass: The human stories behind the Beirut blast

Picking up glass:

The human stories behind the Beirut Blast

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On 4 August 2020, a huge explosion became the latest tragedy in a string of devastations for the nation of Lebanon. But hope has not left Beirut, in part because Christians around the world have been a light in the darkness to those in need. Here are the human stories behind the blast – and here’s how BMS World Mission supporters can keep hope alive in Lebanon.

“We all went to help her pick up the glass the next morning. Claudette was very emotional. She was saying that they were sitting right where the glass fell just ten minutes before the blast happened… if it had happened ten minutes earlier, we would’ve had people injured, or even dead…”

Gateway bookstore in Beirut, Lebanon after the blast — Just ten minutes earlier, and the shattered glass at the GateWay Bookshop would’ve splintered over the heads of customers.

Daniella Daou is picking up the pieces of the last few months, turning them over in her mind and trying, gently, to put them back together. It’s been seven weeks since the explosion in Beirut’s port area that killed at least 200 people and injured thousands. There’s the memory of clearing broken glass from the floor of the GateWay Bookshop, where store manager Claudette Jarjoura and her customers narrowly escaped horrific injury. Then there’s the past year for Lebanon, punctuated by political protests and gunfire in the streets. Between the Covid-19 lockdowns, and all the shifting unrest, there is so much brokenness, so many painful shards of glass to reckon with. But restoration and recovery, picking up the pieces for herself and for so many other Lebanese citizens, is exactly what Daniella and her team feel called to do. Even when they’re hurting too.

“Until [the explosion], we thought we’d been through it all…” says Nabil Costa, President of BMS World Mission partner the Lebanese Society for Education and Social Development (LSESD) where Daniella works. Coronavirus cases are back on the rise in Beirut, and Daniella estimates there are now more than 600 new cases a day. With tens of thousands of people made homeless by the blast, the idea of self-isolating in separate family units is woefully unrealistic. How can you, if your home has been destroyed? “Forest fires and financial crisis,” Nabil continues, “Bankruptcies, unemployment, a refugee crisis, revolution in Lebanon, Covid-19…” The explosion was devastating, but it came on the heels of so much else. Daniella’s friends are understanding more of the trauma their parents – the civil war generation – lived through.

Nabil Costa, CEO of BMS partner LSESD shares how you can bring hope back to Lebanon.

“We haven’t had any blasts in a while,” says Daniella, explaining the state of confusion so many were thrown into after the explosion, unsure if this was the sound of terrorism, an assassination, or old echoes and ghosts of war resounding in their heads. At a counselling session for LSESD staff, a psychologist explains the idea of ‘intergenerational trauma’: children growing up with inherited anxiety and stress from parents raised in a warzone. It’s a concept that resonates with the team. Daniella thinks of the young people she knows just finishing university, hoping to get married and find work – and terrified for their future. They can’t bring themselves to go downtown to near where the blast happened, or sleep near glass windows. They’re not sure whether they can, or should, stay in Lebanon.

LSESD staff in an emergency prayer meeting after the Beirut blast — Staff at LSESD pray at an emergency meeting called to discuss the relief effort.

But it’s the generation after Daniella’s that worries her the most, a generation who have never lived through such things before. It’s the happy, confident toddlers in LSESD’s educational outreach programme (SKILD) who have suddenly stopped talking, who are back to wearing nappies and who cling to their mothers’ legs where they used to roam carefree. The children who display worrying signs of trauma in the sensory playground set up by the SKILD team to support vulnerable families. The teenagers who don’t have the right language to communicate how they’re feeling. “Because you’re not injured, part of you feels guilty… so you want to help others,” Daniella says. But when you see little being done on a national scale to help those suffering, it can be hard to stay positive. “Of course,” Daniella adds, “we know there is hope, because we know where our hope lies”.

Calssroom after the blast in Beirut — Despite the damages, the LSESD team still see this school as a beacon of hope.

You can support the vital relief work through our Disaster recovery fund. BMS World Mission raises money before disasters happen so that when they do, we’re there as soon as possible: working with local partners on the ground to restore and rebuild. To be one of the Christians making a difference when it matters most, give below today.

Any money raised through this, or any other disaster recovery appeal in excess of the amount required will be used by BMS World Mission to support other work in areas of significant need.

Hope is what’s galvanised the team on the ground – hope in God and hope brought about by the incredible generosity of Christians around the world and in Lebanon itself. Partnering with BMS World Mission, the LSESD team is able to ensure that relief programmes are in place to support people in need, to bring help in whatever form it’s needed. The past month has been spent locating vulnerable families who can be rehomed in LSESD’s buildings and getting hot meals to people whose homes have been destroyed. There’s also a commitment to restoring a sense of security by repairing doors and windows and handing out PPE. The scale of the need makes it a momentous task. LSESD is contending with the damages done to its own buildings, too – the bookshop and their educational centre, Beirut Baptist School. Wonderfully, generous BMS supporters have raised an astounding £85,000 towards the effort so far, enabling 40 families to be housed and many more to receive psychological and practical support.

Hot food is handed out to people who have lost their homes due the blast in Beirut — Hot food is handed out to people who have lost their homes, allowing them to enjoy a comforting meal.

Hope, beyond all things, is what is keeping Daniella and her colleagues looking beyond themselves, despite all they’re going through. Beyond themselves to a nation in need around them, and beyond themselves to the Saviour who promises to walk with them through the storm. At Beirut Baptist School, glass crunches under Chaplain Tony Haddad’s feet. “Even with the damages around us, this is still a unique setting,” he insists. The school is just one of LSESD’s buildings seriously affected by the blast, but Tony isn’t seeing ruins, he’s seeing redemption. “This will remain a lighthouse, because the keeper of the lighthouse is our Shepherd the Lord Jesus Christ.”

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Words by Hannah Watson
Editor of Engage, the BMS World Mission magazine

Pray for Beirut

Pray for Beirut:

Huge blast rocks Lebanon

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On Tuesday 4 August, reports emerged of a huge blast which has killed at least 200 civilians and injured around 5,000 in the Lebanese capital of Beirut. Please join us as we pray for Beirut.

We are now accepting funds for our Disaster recovery fund. Please give here.

At least 200 people are reported dead after a huge blast rocked the Lebanese city of Beirut on Tuesday 4 August. The incident occurred in the city’s port area and is suspected to have originated in a warehouse storing 2,750 tonnes of ammonium nitrate. The blast also injured 5,000 civilians, and hospitals already struggling to contain the tide of Coronavirus cases are said to be overwhelmed. President Michel Aoun said that the chemical had been stored unsafely after reportedly being unloaded from a ship in 2013.

The aftershocks of the huge explosion registered as a reported 3.5 magnitude earthquake whose effects were heard and felt in Cyprus, over 200km away across the Mediterranean Sea.

Support Disaster recovery: give now

At an already fraught time for Lebanon, this new unexpected devastation will contribute to rising tensions caused by the economic crisis, political protests and rising Covid-19 cases. The explosion has also caused huge damage to Beirut’s port, increasing fears of food insecurity in the country. BMS World Mission is in active contact with our partners and friends in the country, and has ensured that our brothers and sisters in Lebanon are safe and accounted for, though understandably shaken. Many thanks to all those who have been in touch to ask after our partners in the area.

A message from BMS' partner on the ground in Beirut

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You can help today by joining us as we pray for Beirut:

Please pray for all those who have lost loved ones in the explosion, that they would know God’s comfort.
Pray for those who have been injured, or whose homes and offices have been damaged by the blast.
Please pray for the doctors, nurses and paramedics who are caring for the injured. Pray that they would have energy and wisdom, and that hospitals would be able to cope with the number of patients they are taking in.
The people of Lebanon have already faced so much this year – from a collapsing economy to the spread of Covid-19. Please pray for hope for those who are feeling hopeless, and that Christians can be a positive witness in this immensely challenging time.
Our partners at the Lebanese Society for Educational and Social Development (LSESD) are under a lot of stress (both mentally and physically) as they seek to support the most vulnerable in an increasingly volatile context. Pray for wisdom, energy, protection and strength for this dedicated team.
Pray for refugees living in Lebanon, who may be reminded of past trauma following the explosion. Pray for BMS work supporting Syrian refugee children in Beirut.
Pray for staff and students at the Arab Baptist Theological Seminary (a department of LSESD), based in Beirut. Pray that they would experience the peace of Christ and would be used as vessels to bring that peace to others.

Pray for Beirut after a devastating explosion — Please pray for Beirut and for our brothers and sisters in Lebanon.

Download the prayer points powerpoint

Download the prayer points PDF

Please give to Disaster recovery here. Disasters like the recent explosion in Lebanon need a quick response. That’s why we value every gift for our Disaster recovery fund. BMS World Mission raises money before disasters happen so that when they do, we’re there as soon as possible: working with local partners on the ground to restore and rebuild. To be one of the Christians making a difference when it matters most, find out more, or give now.

BMS World Mission has been working and partnering in Lebanon for two decades, most particularly with the Lebanese Society for Educational and Social Development (LSESD). Our work in the country centres around supporting theological education and social development projects, including ensuring access to education for Syrian refugee children.

Sign up for our weekly email update for more updates, and to keep up with all the latest news from BMS.

A Nation in Exile

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Threatened, bereaved, kidnapped: these are the stories of resilient Venezuelan settlers in Lima, Peru. They represent just some of the people caught up in the second largest refugee crisis in the world, a mass exodus of five million, living in exile across the globe.

Smiling faces welcome people into a church full of joyful chatter. It’s nine o’clock in the morning, and the mouth-watering aroma of cornflour patties reaches every corner, wafting its way over to children who are singing and dancing to Christmas tunes. These delicious fried buns, otherwise known as ‘arepas’, leak melted cheese and tasty ham. Breakfast is served.

Arepas are a taste of home and staple comfort food for the 100 Venezuelan asylum seekers here today at the Primera Iglesia Bautista de Lima (First Baptist Church of Lima) in Peru. Working in tandem with the Peruvian Baptist Convention (CEBP), BMS World Mission workers Daniel and Regiane Clark chose this centrally located church to host a social action event dedicated to supporting Venezuelan settlers.

Every room in this large church offers a free service, thanks to Regiane’s careful planning. In the central hall is an experienced doctor, with a volunteer dentist checking people’s teeth and teaching children good oral hygiene. Upstairs sit psychologists, expert lawyers and a physiotherapist, all offering advice and a listening ear. Outside, volunteers host children’s games and even a puppet show. Everyone has given up their Saturday to serve.

And what volunteers offer their Venezuelan guests today provides a striking contrast with what they’ve left behind. “We couldn’t find any food in the supermarkets,” says Carmen Mora, a mother of three who arrived in Lima in January 2019. “You needed to get up early to join the queue. You’d stay there until 6pm – and then the food would have run out.”

A Venezuelan woman. — Arepas are a taste of home for so many Venezuelan refugees.

A male dentist in a mask. — A crowd of children watch a volunteer dentist in action.

Carmen is one of the 800,000 Venezuelans who have fled political persecution and desperate poverty to arrive in Peru, a country now home to the second largest population of Venezuelan refugees after Colombia. “The idea was to come to Peru, earn a living to send back home and then return when the situation improved,” explains Daniel, who heads up a BMS-supported Baptist Seminary in Lima. “But now they have no hope of returning to Venezuela. Or there’s nothing for them to go back to.”

Carmen decided to leave when her home’s electricity, gas and water were cut off. She gathered her children and grandchildren to take a series of buses across Colombia and Ecuador to Peru. It took a terrifying and uncertain six days. Her eldest son and her husband remained, her son wanting to complete his studies and her husband committed to working at a company he’d been loyal to for 25 years. “But then my husband started to get ill,” Carmen explains. “They said he had a type of hepatitis. But it was pancreatic cancer. With the lack of treatment there – everything was so expensive – he died.” There was no way Carmen, a Venezuelan with an unresolved refugee status, could leave Peru to attend the funeral. “But my faith in the Lord has strengthened me,” Carmen says. “Please pray for my son who stayed in Venezuela, that God would console him.”

Today might be the closest to home that people like Carmen have felt in years. “When you’re with other Venezuelans – it makes me feel at peace,” says fellow settler Barbara Marquez. Christmas has turned her thoughts back to her homeland. “I’ve laughed all day, had a chance to celebrate. This has been a rollercoaster, but I thank God for your support. It brings the feeling of heaven just that little closer to earth.”

Barbara is just 26 years old. Her dream one day is to travel, to embark on a very different type of voyage to the one she felt forced to take across Latin America. “I left my mum, my dad, my home, my whole life,” she explains. “The journey was dangerous because of the street riots. And everything was so expensive.” Barbara and her husband sold everything they had. “You want to take everything and everyone with you. Even the dog!” She laughs a little, brushing away tears. “But it was the right decision.”

A Venezuelan woman with her two young daughters. — Barbara jokingly introduces her children: “This is Victoria – she’s three and is Venezuelan. And here’s Valeria – she’s one and is Peruvian.”

And it’s events like these that have helped Barbara feel her difficult choice was the right one. Her face lights up as her three-year-old daughter brings her a large bowl of food supplies. She picks up the items one by one to show the girls; arepas, cooking oil, gelatine, lentils, pasta and milk, each accompanied by an excited exclamation: “Look!” She also took her youngest daughter, Valeria, to the doctor at today’s event. Valeria struggles with a condition called hip dysplasia. “They say her hips are aligning,” Barbara says, delighted. “God is healing her!”

But leaving the past behind hasn’t been easy. “My eldest son was kidnapped,” says Diana*, visibly shaken as she recounts the events. “They only kept him for two hours, but after that he was traumatised.” As a university student, he’d been taken away in a car and interrogated by political investigators before they decided he was no threat and released him. Her son decided to leave for Peru immediately. Diana felt like she might never see him again.

Two Venezuelan girls. — Volunteers host games that give children a chance to be children again.

Diana and her husband gave up their electrical engineering business to sell food on the streets of the Peruvian capital so they could be reunited with their son. “As a business owner it’s so hard to start again at zero,” she explains. “Many of us have studied at university. But because we don’t have any documents, we can’t find proper work.” For legal employment, asylum seekers need to have refugee status, for which the waiting list is becoming increasingly long.

But hope is emerging. The day before the event, Brazil began a process to accept Venezuelan asylum seekers as refugees. The news left Robert, a professional Taekwondo coach who has been seeking political asylum for three years reeling with excitement. He hopes that soon neighbouring countries like Peru will begin the same process.

A woman in a blue top. — “I’m so grateful to God. He’s supplying all we need to help,” says Dorcas.

The gathering is the second of its kind, and Regiane and Daniel, along with the CEBP would not have been able to organise it without your support. “It’s with your help that we’ve been able to do campaigns like this. It’s incredible that total strangers help from so far away,” says Pastor Homero, President of the CEBP’s social action projects. “There is so much need here. It’s all done in the name of the Lord. It leads people to Christ.”

Supporting hundreds of thousands of refugees is a mountain of a task for Peruvians to tackle alone. “We don’t have all the resources here,” says Dr Dorcas Gambini, a psychologist who is volunteering her time to counsel those who need support today. But when God’s people work together, he makes seemingly immovable mountains move. “You heard us and offered us help. Together we are praying and doing,” says Dorcas.

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Originally published in Engage, the BMS World Mission magazine.

Covid and the care home: A wake-up call for the West

Covid and the care home:

A wake-up call for the West

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It was reunion day at the Chênes Verts nursing home in the Parisian suburb of Gif-sur-Yvette – a long-awaited moment for residents and their families who had gone two months without any visits. It had taken staff almost three weeks to work out how to safely re-open the doors of the care home in this new world, one governed by Covid-19. But finally, on 11 May 2020, the first three visitors were able to see their loved ones face-to-face, and the emotion was palpable…

BMS World Mission worker Christine Kling has been visiting the Chênes Verts nursing home regularly since becoming a part-time chaplain there in 2017. Amongst her other pastoral responsibilities, she counts her visits to residents in their 70s and 80s, many living with dementia, depression, or other serious health conditions, as an important part of her job. In the West, our interest in nursing homes is likely related to whether we’ve ever visited one, had a relative move in or perhaps worked in the sector. But recently care homes have been front page news, with questions raised over whether they have been woefully underserved by governments in the Coronavirus pandemic.

Refreshingly, Chênes Verts has always been front page news for the residents of Gif-sur-Yvette. “The care home is the only one in the town and everyone has known a relative or a friend staying in it,” says Christine. Many people’s childhood memories include singing Christmas carols to its residents. The care home is at the heart of the community – a rare position for most care homes in Western culture. Christine lists underpaid staff, the difficulties of the job itself: the pain, long hours, night shifts and a lack of recognition as just some of the well-worn issues many Western countries have yet to address. But the arrival of the Coronavirus forces us to confront them.

Indeed, we’ve been required to confront many things this year. And as Chênes Verts prepared to welcome back visitors for the very first time, we could become inured to the talk of strategies, of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), of five-step plans and coded alert levels. But take a step back, and it’s heartbreaking to think of a world where something as simple as an aged parent being visited by a son or daughter must now be handled like a military operation.

Two women in PPE — Christine mobilised a group of volunteers to sew 40 surgical gowns from old bedsheets for the care home staff. More gowns are still needed, as PPE is in short supply.

The risks to health of opening Chênes Verts care home back up were high, but the emotional toll of refusing family visits was just as high a price to pay.

An elderly woman with two people in PPE. — Full PPE has to be worn to protect the residents at the care home.

So, on 11 May, visits were by appointment in a dedicated room. Social distancing measures were in place, of course, along with temperature screening and the compulsory wearing of masks. “The elderly residents didn’t always understand why they could not touch their visitor, why it was only one relative at a time and for 30 minutes,” says Christine. “There were expectations and stress from both sides after having waited for so long – a lot of emotions – so we had to be sensitive and caring.”

An elderly woman in a chair — Irma, a care home resident, had been a member of the French Resistance in her youth.

An initial screening test set the opening of Chênes Verts back, as it revealed asymptomatic cases of Covid-19 among residents and staff. Ten of the residents were discovered to have contracted the virus, and devastatingly, three passed away in one weekend. Thankfully, a number of others are on the road to recovery. “Death is very much part of care home life,” says Christine. “Every six months we have a memorial service to remember the ones who left us.” But, in the context of Covid-19, death feels different. “After having fought for two months to keep the residents safe, the staff feel like we’ve lost a battle.”

How does Christine offer up support in such difficult times, and how can we as Christians do the same? “Fear, grief and stress characterise the overall mood in France,” explains Christine. “In a secular country where death has been ‘sanitised’, managed by experts at hospitals, care homes, etc, for many years, this crisis has been some sort of awakening in rediscovering human vulnerability and finitude. For the time being I am listening to the staff and residents when they want to speak, to acknowledge their pain and grief. If people want to pray, I offer prayers.” And as Christians offering comfort in uncertain times, we have the additional promise that we will never be alone.

“The Holy Spirit, the comforter, the helper, is with us always, teaching us how to love others as Jesus loves us,” Christine says. She’s been reading John 14 with her church, and is very aware of both the challenges and opportunities created for Christians in the West by the Coronavirus crisis. “Covid-19 might be the new challenge for the Church to reach out to the ones in need, to dare to care.”

The care home is just one place where Christians can share this love and serve the local community. Indeed, reunion day at Chênes Verts was only possible thanks to the bravery and help of volunteers who stepped in to co-ordinate the visits, sew gowns and gather enough PPE. “The first day of the visits was a very special day. The laughter behind the masks and the sparkling eyes provided moments of happiness but also a little balm for the heart,” says Christine. “When it is possible to come together again, we will remember this day at Chênes Verts.”

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Words by Hannah Watson. Inspired by this blog post, written by Christine Kling

BMS Coronavirus world response

You are playing a key role in the global response to the Covid-19 Coronavirus through your support of BMS World Mission.

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Coronavirus has changed the world – and every one of us has been affected. Yet, while the pandemic threatened to disrupt our local and international bonds, you have been standing with your brothers and sisters across the globe and saving lives.

You have been at the heart of the global Baptist Coronavirus response through your support of the BMS Coronavirus appeal. As of November 2020, you have helped more than 36,000 people, in 24 countries, across four continents. You have so far donated more than £288,000 to help thousands of the world’s most vulnerable people survive this pandemic.

And, with your support, BMS will continue to respond for as long as help is needed.

The impact of your gifts has been experienced by people in countries across the globe, including Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Chad, Colombia, Greece, Mozambique, Nepal, Peru, South Sudan and Yemen. You have kept hospitals running, fed the hungry, counselled the fearful, prayed with the isolated, healed the sick and helped to stop the spread.

Coronavirus global response: you helped more than 36,000 people

The Coronavirus pandemic has impacted every single one of us, and many of our global neighbours do not have access to the health and social care systems we are blessed with here in the UK. You have chosen to make a difference to tens of thousands of these people through your generous giving. Thank you for sacrificially choosing to help others when things in your own life may have felt uncertain.

BMS is continuing to accept financial gifts to support the global Christian Covid-19 Coronavirus response. Visit the BMS Coronavirus appeal page if you would like support this critical work.

Most of our mission workers and partners remain in their countries of service, following social distancing measures and continuing to bring hope and help in the communities to which they are called. We are so thankful for your ongoing support for all of our team and our work across the globe.

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Our local response

BMS UK staff continue to work from home wherever possible. Our commitment to churches and supporters remains as great as ever, so you will continue to enjoy resources, hear updates and receive news about your part in God’s work around the world.

If you need to get in touch with us, you can give us a call, drop us an email, or write to us using these contact details. We want to do everything possible to support you and your church family at this time.

BMS workers on home assignment are following Government guidelines and continuing to share stories of their work with UK churches through virtual speaking engagements. BMS Speakers are also available for virtual visits. If you would like a mission worker or BMS Speaker to ‘visit’ your church, please contact Meg by emailing mchester@bmsworldmission.org on phoning 01235 517631.

BMS Coronavirus response

This is what we have achieved, together:

Kept hospitals running in Nepal by providing Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) for staff and contributing to hospital running costs
Provided emergency food parcels for vulnerable families in Sri Lanka
Provided food and hygiene parcels to people with little to no daily income in Nepal
Enabled the BMS-supported Guinebor II hospital to continue saving lives in Chad, safely
Counselled frontline workers, Coronavirus patients and affected families in Afghanistan, as well as providing PPE. Averting suicides and spreading positive key messages across the country
Helped slow the spread in Mozambique by providing soap and handwashing guidance to thousands of children and teachers
Provided food parcels and basic PPE to at-risk families in Albania
Supported the provision of medical care in Yemen
Enabled pastors to continue supporting their communities (which had been impacted by Covid-19 and Cyclone Idai) through the provision of phone credit in Mozambique
Improved food security in northern Uganda through the provision of seeds
Set up a Covid-19 hospital in northern Chad, providing the initial equipment and medicines needed
Provided food parcels and soap to vulnerable families in Bangladesh
Delivered food parcels and basic hygiene items to struggling families in Tunisia
Supported preschool education in Mozambique by supplying workbooks for children and support for teachers
Provided food parcels for vulnerable families in Peru
Distributed more than 28,000 meals to people struggling to find work in India
Provided food and basic hygiene items for struggling families in western Uganda
Provided face masks and food parcels for health centres in Mozambique
Helped provide food and hygiene supplies for those struggling in Lebanon
Provided face masks for refugees living in Lesvos, Greece
Provided food supplies for struggling refugees in Turkey
Provided small grants and training for people to re-start and strengthen businesses in Colombia, Ecuador and Peru
Provided food and medical support for vulnerable families through churches in Palestine
Provided food and raised awareness of Coronavirus in Nigeria
Provided food parcels in South Sudan
And more!

Outside a Chadian hospital. — Your support is enabling crucial temperature screening at a BMS-supported hospital in Chad.

Thank you for your continued support

The actions of faithful Christians like you are even more important in times like these, as we seek to do more to fight the threat to life, health and wellbeing posed by the Coronavirus pandemic. We ask that you continue to pray for the world as it responds to Covid-19. Here are some prayer points to guide your prayers, which you can download and share with your church family. Please feel free to download the prayer points PDF and email or message it to your fellowship or small group.

Pray for the response to the virus around the world. Pray that God will enable the work of our partners to continue where possible, and that our workers who are actively fighting the virus will remain healthy.
Pray for our mission workers and UK staff. Pray for those who have travelled back to the UK, that they are able to continue their crucial work remotely.
Pray for people spending time in quarantine or self-isolation. Pray that they might receive the support they need, and that they might stay safe. Praise God for the commitment of those in voluntary isolation, that they will play a real part in slowing the spread of the virus.
Pray for governments and world leaders globally. Pray that the Lord will bless them with wisdom and that they will make proactive decisions that will benefit their countries, and the global community.
Pray that God will slow the spread of the virus. Pray in the name of Jesus that those who are ill will be healed and pray that God will bless the work of the people and organisations who are working on a treatment. Please pray especially for the medical workers around the world who are risking their own health to treat the most vulnerable. Pray that they will stay healthy and that their work will be fruitful.

Support the global Coronavirus response

Download the prayer points

Prayer resources

In addition to the prayer resources available below, we have a wide range of video updates from our workers and other resources to help your church engage with the global response to Coronavirus.

Visit our online church resources page to download these copyright free for your recorded or live online service.

Take me to the online church resources page

Coronavirus appeal prayer points

Use these prayer points in your online, streamed or recorded church service to pray for the global response to the Covid-19 Coronavirus pandemic.

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Coronavirus appeal prayer PowerPoint

Use these PowerPoint slides copyright free in your online, streamed or recorded church service to pray for the global response to the Covid-19 Coronavirus pandemic.

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Remembering the Easter bombings: prayer for Sri Lanka – PowerPoint for your church

One year on from the Easter bombings, we’d love the Church in the UK to lift up Sri Lanka. Use this copyright free PowerPoint presentation in your online service to pray with us for Sri Lanka.

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Video: life under lockdown in Nepal

This short video showing empty streets in Nepal can be used to raise awareness of how our neighbours around the world are being affected by the Covid-19 outbreak, and how your support through the BMS Coronavirus appeal is already making a difference.

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Why money isn’t a dirty word

This is what a BMS worker looks like:

Why money isn’t a dirty word

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Benon Kayanja does not save people.

Benon is surrounded by people who are still struggling years on from the conflict in Uganda that saw the deaths of 100,000 people, and displaced two million others. Every day, he sees people who are dealing with effects of poverty, who can’t get a job, who can’t provide for their families. Benon oversees BMS World Mission’s work in Uganda, his home country, where he serves as an international mission worker. He makes sure that the various projects BMS supports there run smoothly – from hooking up rural churches with solar panels to teaching people how to make charcoal. His work has changed the lives of people living in poverty and has brought stability to people dealing with the aftermath of war.

And yet. Benon Kayanja does not save people.

Because Benon has a passion for one project in particular. It’s called Village Savings Groups (VSGs), and they exist to provide an income to people in rural communities. “I have a lot of passion for financial inclusion,” says Benon. “I want to make it possible for communities away from cities to have easier access to finance.”

A group of people sit in a circle under a tree. — The village savings groups that BMS worker Benon helps run are raising people out of poverty in rural Uganda.

But for anyone concerned that all this sounds rather mercenary, the VSGs do so much more than just give people money. Take Andrew’s story for instance. When he first joined his local group, he didn’t have a job, and had no way to provide for his family. He heard about his local VSG through his church, and knew that it could change his life. To join the group, Andrew had to raise some money to put into a shared fund. Right from the off, he was investing in the scheme with his own money, and investing in the other people in the group who were now, in a way, his business partners. He invested to improve his life, and the lives of his community with it.

The three parts of a village savings group

1. The shared fund

Every member puts the same amount into the pot when they first join the VSG. It means everyone is invested in the programme and gives each member a sense of ownership over the group.

2. The social fund

This fund is used to help the group members when they run into problems in their everyday lives. If they need help paying for the children’s school fees, or need to buy materials to fix their home, they can borrow money without interest from the social fund.

3. The development fund

Money borrowed from this fund is invested in a business. When you’ve made enough profit, you pay back your loan, and also contribute some money towards the social fund.

When it came to Andrew’s business, his idea was simple: he withdrew 200,000 Ugandan Shillings (the equivalent of around £40) from the shared fund and bought 50 chicks. He reared them and sold them on for profit. Your straightforward success story, right? A man without a job was able to start a business and earn some money. You could leave the story there. But if you look further, you’ll see how much more has come from this. Why money’s not only not a dirty word, but in this case, a source of blessing.

Two men and a woman stand in a hut with chicks. — Thanks to his village savings group, Andrew can now support himself and his family.

“Andrew now has a job and he’s working for himself,” says Benon. “We need to thank God that he has found work that equips him and that he runs himself.” Within six weeks, Andrew was able to pay back the money he had borrowed, and invest some money in the group’s social fund. He had a stable and sustainable way to provide for his family, and best of all, he doesn’t have to rely on the VSG any more. He’s able to carry on his business and support himself with his own money, but he knows that he has a community to turn to – his farmer ‘business partners’ – if he’s ever struggling again.

So Benon didn’t save Andrew. Nor did he save the other hundreds of people that have been through the VSGs programme. Because he didn’t have to. The scheme helps people save themselves. They don’t need handouts; they’re working together to enable and empower one another to raise themselves out of poverty. And you can stand alongside them as they do. By supporting workers like Benon, you’re enabling people to help themselves. Thank you.

We have some amazing people serving with BMS. Every single one of them has taken an incredible step of faith by serving God overseas and we are so grateful for them. If you’ve enjoyed this story about Benon, keep an eye out for the rest of the stories in this series about some more of our international mission workers! Sign up for our weekly email update to see when we release the next story in this series.

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Words by Laura Durrant.

Coronavirus outbreak: pray for China and Italy

Coronavirus outbreak:

pray for China, Italy and the world

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A global health emergency has been declared by the World Health Organisation as the coronavirus spreads across China and and other parts of the world. Please pray for China, Italy, and other countries affected by the coronavirus outbreak.

For all our latest updates on the Covid-19 Coronavirus world response, please click here.

Over 3,000 people have died and over 80,000 cases have been recorded nationally, after confirmation on 30 January that the virus had spread to every region in China. There have been over 17, 000 cases of the virus recorded worldwide, and over 300 deaths, most of which have been recorded in Italy and Iran.

The city of Wuhan, where the virus is thought to have initially broken out, was put under effective quarantine on January 23, two weeks after the new virus was identified.

“Our hearts cry out for those who have lost loved ones to the coronavirus and for all those impacted by the virus in China, East Asia and now worldwide, as it is declared a global health emergency,” says BMS’ Roger Pearce. “Please join us in praying for the continued safety of mission workers across the region, and for the eradication of the virus.”

Please pray for China, and for the other countries affected by this virus. Pray for God’s hand of protection over all doctors and nurses, governments and health authorities working across the world to stop the spread of the coronavirus.

Pray for China

Pray for healing for those currently affected by the virus, that they would respond well to treatment and that they would recover quickly.
Pray for all those being kept under quarantine across the world. Pray that no symptoms will appear, and that God would bring them peace until they can return home.
Pray for the medical workers across the world fighting this virus. Pray that they would remain safe and strong while they carry out this vital work.
Pray for China. Pray that God will protect this nation and stop the virus spreading further.
Pray for authority figures working to combat the spread of the virus. Pray that they will be wise, and that their efforts will be fruitful.

Download the prayer points

Map of the Hubei province, China. — The coronanvirus outbreak began in the city of Wuhan, in the Hubei province of China. Please pray for China, and for all those affected by the virus across the world.

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Cyclone Bulbul: pray for Bangladesh and India

Cyclone Bulbul

Pray for Bangladesh and India

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Join us in prayer as Cyclone Bulbul causes widespread destruction across Bangladesh and India, leaving millions displaced.

Urgent prayer is needed for the millions of people across Bangladesh and India who have been displaced by Cyclone Bulbul.

Winds of up to 120 km/h were reported as the cyclone hit the coastal regions of Bangladesh and India on Saturday night, bringing with it torrential rain and life-threatening gales. 24 people are reported to have lost their lives after being struck by uprooted trees or falling branches.

Airports and ferry ports have been closed across both countries, with Shah Kamal, Bangladesh’s Disaster Management Secretary, sharing that evacuated residents had been moved to more than 5,500 cyclone shelters.

BMS World Mission is maintaining regular contact with all personnel in Bangladesh and India to ensure their safety as the storm moves north and continues to weaken.

Urgent prayer is needed for the millions who have been forced to flee their homes because of the storm.

Pray for Bangladesh and India

Pray for those involved in recovery and relief programmes to act swiftly to help those affected by the storm. Pray that they would have wisdom as they decide where best to allocate resources and personnel.
Pray for the local authorities, particularly those in coastal regions most affected by the storm, to have wisdom and resilience during this time.
Pray that BMS World Mission workers in the region would be kept safe, and that they would be a source of great comfort and strength to those around them.
Pray for those who have lost loved ones or who are looking after those affected by the storm. Pray that God would console them and give them strength.

Map showing the pathway of Cyclone Bulbul, November 2019.

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Praying for the Amazon

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The Amazon is burning. Tens of thousands of fires, many deliberately started, are destroying the Amazon rainforest. We asked Laura-Lee Lovering, a BMS World Mission environmental scientist based in the Peruvian Amazon, to tell us why this rainforest matters.

A black and white image of BMS World Mission worker Laura-Lee Lovering in the Peruvian Amazon.

It’s hard to believe the Amazon is on fire. I’ve seen the news and heard the reports that the jungle is burning, and I look outside and see nothing but greenery and blue skies.
When I came to the Peruvian Amazon, I knew I was going to have to work to contextualise my ideas about creation stewardship. The only thing people knew about carbon was carbón, the solid fuel that is created when wood is slowly burned in a heap covered with soil – charcoal to us. Talking about carbon footprints and CO2 was not going to work. Even the concept of creation stewardship drew either blank stares or dismissive comments – it’s all very well for environmentalists to talk about saving the trees, fishes and animals, but what about the humans living in their midst?

The biodiversity here can sometimes be presented as something to attract tourists, excite ecologists or inspire pharmacologists. What I’ve learnt over the years is that what we call biodiversity is the grandest shopping mall for the residents of the jungle. Are you hungry? Go to the jungle. Do you need fuel? Go to the jungle. Do you need to make a bed, build a boat, construct a house? Go to the jungle. Do you need medicine? Go. To. The. Jungle. The outside world is useful for providing tools, but all the raw materials that those tools serve are provided by the jungle.

Usually, we humans fail to value a thing when we can’t see what purpose it serves. Perhaps we fail to conserve a thing when we do not give it a worthy and accurate value. The Amazon rainforest and the knowledge and ingenuity of the people who inhabit it is a luminous example to the industrialised nations and God forbid that that knowledge and ingenuity, or that rainforest, be devalued and lost. The Amazon should remind us of the diversity of natural resources with which the Lord has blessed even us, and it should inspire us to re-value these resources, even as we re-evaluate our way of living.

I’m not much for writing ‘love letters’ as such, but this is my version of one for the Amazon.

Want to support Laura-Lee as a 24:7 partner? Click here

A black and white image of a boat in the Peruvian Amazon.

At BMS World Mission we’ve begun several creation stewardship projects, such as using solar panels to power a BMS-supported hospital in Chad and teaching sustainable jungle agriculture in the Amazon itself, and have recently published our Creation Stewardship policy, which goes into more detail about our commitment to protecting the environment. We’ve written a prayer of lament for the Amazon rainforest and the indigenous people who live there, which we encourage you to read and share.

We know that we need to do better to protect our planet. We are called to be stewards of creation, and yet the Amazon is still burning. We all need to do better.

As the fires in the Amazon continue to burn, please continue to pray:

Pray for Jair Bolsonaro, President of Brazil. Pray that he might be wise and compassionate when tackling these fires, and that he would enforce necessary policies against deforestation in the Amazon rainforest.
Pray for indigenous communities being affected by the fires. Pray that people will stay safe, and that they will find comfort in God in the face of extreme loss.
Pray for world leaders and international communities to come together and seek the most effective solutions to protect the Amazon for future generations.
Pray for BMS worker Laura-Lee Lovering, working in the Amazon region of Peru. Pray that she will use her passion for creation stewardship to teach others how to care for the world they live in.
Pray for BMS World Mission as we commit to doing as much as we can to protect our environment.

Click here to download these prayer points, and a prayer of lament, and share them with your church and friends.

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Words by Laura Durrant.

Pray for Afghanistan: violence in Kabul

Pray for Afghanistan:

Violence in Kabul

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Sometimes only poetry can express our cries before the Lord. We ask all BMS World Mission supporters to pray for Afghanistan.

An ISIS suicide bomber targeted a wedding in Kabul on Saturday, killing 63 men, women and children, and wounding over 200 people. Very young children and grandparents were killed. People like you, me, our friends. They were members of a minority Shia community, described as “poor people” by one surviving guest. They were there to celebrate a marriage.

The Taliban condemned the attack. Ten more bombs went off in Jalalabad on Monday.

In Britain we were also trying to enjoy the weekend, worrying about the future of our own country, doing our best to be the light of Christ in our churches, the Body of Christ in our food banks and ministries. We probably didn’t realise what had happened.

Pray for Afghanistan -Four Afghanistan flags on flag poles in front of a blue sky.

And how could we? We’re so used to it, so collectively numb to the violence in countries too far away to feel it, that we almost expect these things. Lord, forgive us.

Rory* was not in Kabul or Jalalabad when the attacks happened, but he could have been. He’s one of many BMS workers who live in Afghanistan, working with Afghan people for a better future. They are not superheroes or white saviours. They are ordinary Christians stepping out in faith to serve God and a country that needs as much hope, faith and love as we can offer. They see things, hear things, meet and love the people who have experienced things that most of us will never have to deal with.

On Monday he wrote this moving reflection on the violence, and he’s given us permission to share it here.

They are ordinary Christians stepping out in faith to serve God and a country that needs as much hope, faith and love as we can offer.

Monday

Write when you feel like it and write when you don’t feel like it

The regular predictable fireworks were there again tonight, same as two days ago

But in between

Oh God

The unthinkable has its teeth in the neck of the unpredictable, stealing its identity

The city shudders and rails against yet another day of anguish and because everyone knows someone who

And by the city

I mean the people

Though the rocks themselves would cry out too

They slowed down the clocks today. Has a hundred years of acceleration brought us near to lightspeed? Or just a hand upraised that says, another day will do for that, it doesn’t matter (doesn’t really matter), not compared to how people matter

And also today I did marvel at a tiny red flower with ten shades of gloss in each petal, and the brightest merry yellow pollen, facing straight up to signal in peace to the watchers in the skies, come and make me more than I am, I am motionless but you can change me from flower (an idea, an advert, a petition) to fruit

BMS workers in Afghanistan are aware of the risks involved in living in a country that has been a pawn for centuries in international struggles. They believe that God has called them there and they believe the risk is worth it. They’re helping Afghan people to rebuild their country – from trauma counselling and mental health work to helping villages prevent death through maternal health training and safe water supplies. And the risk our workers face is different: conscious and temporary. It is the people of Afghanistan who most need our prayers.

Pray for Afghanistan

Pray for the children, women and men mourning the loss of loved-ones. Pray for healing and peace, and that they would know the support of their communities.
Pray for God to have mercy on Afghanistan and to bring peace and an end to the extraordinary suffering there.
Pray for stability, a minimum of violence and safety in the run-up to Afghanistan’s elections, currently scheduled for September. This is a period of high tension, so pray especially for the Afghan Government at this time.
Pray for the ISIS fighters who planned the attacks. Pray that God would change their hearts. Pray fervently that they would be prevented from killing more people.
Pray for BMS workers serving, often with their children, in parts of Afghanistan it is not safe to name here. Pray for God’s protection over them. Pray that they would know God’s protection and sustaining presence, and that he would use them to bring glimpses of his kingdom among those who need it most.
Afghanistan was celebrating 100 years of independence from Britain when the bombs went off. Pray for wisdom, humility and concern for the Afghan people on the part of countries intervening in Afghanistan. Pray for repentance for wrongs done and for opportunities to make amends.
Pray for BMS work and the work of our long-established partner in Afghanistan, that God would use our offerings to bring about lasting change.

We know God is good and that he loves the people of Afghanistan. And we pray in faith that he will help.

*Name changed.

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Words by Jonathan Langley.

Ebola outbreak: pray for Uganda

Ebola outbreak

Pray for D R Congo and Uganda

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Join us in prayer as Ebola cases are confirmed in the Uganda / D R Congo border region.

Update: Thank you for your prayers

You prayed with us against the Ebola outbreak in Uganda escalating into a public health emergency. Thank you for interceding for Uganda!

Praise God for the country’s preparedness through vaccination programmes, symptom awareness training and presence of specialised health care workers, all helping to reduce loss of life.

“When we heard of this outbreak in Congo, it was yet another opportunity to strengthen our systems even further,” said Ugandan Minister of Health Jane Aceng.

Please pray on for D R Congo, still fighting this ruthless and deadly disease.

Urgent prayer is needed that the highly infectious Ebola virus will not spread across Uganda, spiralling into a health crisis.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) has confirmed the presence of Ebola Virus Disease in Uganda. The BBC has since reported two deaths in Uganda from Ebola — a young boy and his grandmother who had travelled across the border to Uganda from D R Congo.

D R Congo has been fighting an outbreak of the virus for some time. Ongoing prayer is needed, as nearly 1,400 people are reported to have died from the devastating disease so far.

BMS World Mission workers in Uganda are taking every precaution, avoiding all travel to the area surrounding the border region.

Urgent prayer is needed for the Uganda and D R Congo border region.

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You can download prayer points for Uganda and D R Congo by clicking the button below.

Download the prayer points

The spread of Ebola has been called “truly frightening” by the head of major medical research body The Wellcome Trust. Thank you for praying, and please do continue to pray for Uganda and D R Congo.

A purple map shows where Kasese, Uganda is. — Kasese is at the centre of the region affected by the Ebola outbreak.

Pray for the Uganda Ebola outbreak

Pray for medical supplies and personnel to arrive quickly. Pray that doctors would know what to do and that God would give them wisdom to decide what action to take.
Pray for the local authorities, especially in Kasese and where there have been Ebola cases reported, that they would know how to respond.
Pray that aid agencies would be well-coordinated in responding to the crisis. Pray that God would guide them in their decision-making.
Pray for those have lost loved ones or are looking after people who are suffering from Ebola. Pray that God would console them and give them strength.
Pray that God would stop the spread of this terrible disease.

Download the prayer points

Cyclone Idai: Mozambique needs your prayer

Cyclone Idai:

Mozambique needs your prayer

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On Thursday 14 March, Cyclone Idai hit the city of Beira, Mozambique. Please join us in prayer for those affected.

Beira suffered high winds, heavy rains and flooding and 90 per cent of the city may have been affected. Hundreds of people have lost their lives. BMS World Mission has made contact with local partners and is in the process of assisting relief responses. Please pray for Mozambique at this time.

The destruction

Debris from the cyclone is piled shoulder-high beside roadways that have been covered by sand blown in by heavy winds. Buildings have lost their roofs, and trees are uprooted.

Flooding from burst riverbanks and heavy rain pose a threat to the safety of survivors. The outbreak of waterborne diseases is a concern, due to the disruption of water supplies, as is the lack of shelter, food and clothing. Cases of cholera and diarrhoea continue to rise.

The aftermath

President Filipe Nyusi announced that search and rescue operations to find survivors from the cyclone had come to an end. As of 30 March 2019 it has been reported that 501 people died as a result of the cyclone.

Devastation is extensive, with around 100,000 houses identified by the authorities as having been destroyed. Efforts are now concentrated on rebuilding infrastructure and helping those affected.

A vector graphic map shows where Beira is located in Mozambique. — Beira was at the centre of the devastation caused by Cyclone Idai.

Debris is piled up on a sandy road. — Debris from Cyclone Idai is piled shoulder-high, and roadways are covered in sand.

The intervention

BMS is assessing the best way to assist in the aftermath of Cyclone Idai. “We are supporting the Baptist Convention of Mozambique (CBM)’s relief response by strengthening capacity support and lending our help to its relief programme,” says Rachel Conway-Doel, BMS Relief Facilitator.

Rachel was able to attend meetings with the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UN OCHA) on 30 March 2019. She said of the meetings, “It is encouraging to hear of all the work that is being done — but much more is needed.”

BMS will continue to consult with CBM on how British Christians can best support the Mozambican Church in its response. Thank you for all your generous giving and faithful prayers as we do so.

Updates on personnel

“We were getting messages from a friend saying that her windows had broken. Water was coming into the lounge and kitchen and she was worried. We also got a message from a friend who thought that the roofing on her daughter’s bedroom had come off,” says Liz Vilela in her latest blog post, describing the cyclone.

A tree is uprooted from the ground, breaking the pavement, — Trees were uprooted by strong winds.

We have been in touch with our mission personnel on the ground:

Carlos Tique Jone is in Beira assessing damage to buildings. “I praise the Lord that I am alive,” he told BMS.
Jane Edwards has flown into Maputo instead of home to Beira.
Sergio and Liz Vilela are safe. Sergio has returned to Beira to assist relief efforts.
Annet and Damien Ttendo-Miller are currently in Uganda.
Mark, Susanna, and Lizzie Barrell are at their home in Maputo.

Please pray especially for our local workers in and around Beira. BMS has been in touch with:

Pr Moises, General Secretary
Anibel
Carlos
Fernando and Lidia, Association of Mozambican Christian Lawyers (AMAC)
Staff at the AMAC office

A terracotta church building against a blue sky that has lost its roof. — Liz and Sergio Vilela's church is the Igreja Baptista do Aeropuerto in Beira. It lost its roof and suffered damages in the storm.

Pray for Mozambique

Pray for all those in Beira, including BMS World Mission worker Carlos Tique Jone and his family. Pray that those who need help would receive it soon and that God would use his people to bring relief and help even now.
Pray for those who have lost family members and homes. Pray that God would bring them the help they need and that we who have not been affected can find ways to be useful and merciful to them.
Pray for God to strengthen those helping and comfort those traumatised.
Pray for all BMS mission personnel and local workers, that they will be safe and be used by God in the lives of their community at this very difficult time.
Pray for the relief response following this tragedy. Pray that Beira will recover quickly.
Pray for a compassionate, sustainable and God-inspired response from the international community, including our community of churches.

Thank you for your love for Mozambique. Please keep praying for the people of Beira and for our partners there. If you would like to do something more, you can help our Mozambican partners on the ground with relief and recovery work by giving to BMS Disaster Recovery now.

Download the prayer points to print and share

Helping people see their lives are worth living

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A counsellor in Nepal hears many moving stories.

One day it might be a woman who was married too young, and felt trapped in a life she didn’t want. Another day, it might be someone who lost everything and everyone they loved to the devastating 2015 earthquakes. Their stories are different, but both people came to the same conclusion: one dose of a lethal pesticide, readily available over the counter, and it would all be over.

In places like Nepal, where people have suffered unimaginable trauma, and where there is a huge stigma attached to discussing mental health, suicide might seem like the only way out for some who are experiencing terrible suffering.

But your support for BMS World Mission is helping to change that.

BMS counsellor Jenny Saunders is working with the Elijah Counselling Training Centre (ECTC) in Kathmandu, training local people to become counsellors in communities across Nepal. Critical to the work is raising awareness of the symptoms of trauma. Jenny trains people to find individuals who are trusted in their local communities, so they can identify the symptoms and help people get support.

One of the first people Jenny trained was Binsa. Binsa then trained counsellors in rural communities. “Counsellors in Nepal have very little access to supervision,” says Jenny. “So we want to promote a more holistic approach to supervision, in which we can supervise each other.”

That approach sees Jenny train her counsellors to work in peer groups to give each other the emotional support they need, and the structure to work ethically and professionally. Binsa saw this as a great opportunity for the people she worked with. As they worked in rural communities, they would never be able to access the supervision they needed. But by approaching their training the way Jenny suggested, Binsa ensured they would be able to rely on each other to meet their support needs, and the needs of the people they were counselling.

A partially collapsed building. — The trauma of the 2015 earthquakes still affects people every day.

A woman sits on a table. — Jenny helps save lives by ensuring people get the emotional support they need.

Jenny is undertaking further research into supervision techniques in Nepal. And she’s hoping to make as big an impact as she can.

“We want to make changes at a policy level. We’d love it to be mandatory for counsellors to have supervision,” she says. It might not seem like that big of a deal on first reading, but Jenny’s work is putting the key steps in place to ensure that people won’t see suicide as the only way out.

“Without supervision, it’s very easy to burn out or not do a good job,” says Jenny. “You need someone to support you.” By supporting BMS, you’re supporting Jenny’s work. That means you’re helping people in very real need of help.

Jenny’s work is pioneering new ways of treating mental health issues and trauma in Nepal. But she and her colleagues still need your prayer. Please pray for:

1. Pray for the training centre’s work. Pray that more people will be able to support those still suffering from the 2015 earthquakes.

2. Pray for people with mental health problems in Nepal, and across the world. Pray that they know they aren’t alone, and that they receive the support they need.

3. Pray for Jenny, as she continues with her research in supervision techniques, and for her husband Andy in his teaching at The Nepal Baptist Bible College. Pray that they have energy and encouragement in all they do.

4. Pray for those who are today contemplating suicide. Pray for an overwhelming sense of God’s love.

Download the prayer points

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BMS Day of Prayer 2019: people around the world need you

BMS Day of Prayer:

People around the world need you

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Are you ready for the BMS World Mission Day of Prayer? It’s nearly here.

Let’s start with the invitation. We would love you to join us in prayer this Sunday (27 January) for God’s work through BMS around the world. To pray for people whose lives have been torn apart by conflict and disaster. For those who are persecuted and exploited. For those who have yet to welcome Jesus into their lives.

Please scroll down for six specific prayer points for our Day of Prayer. We want church after church in the Baptist family to be praying with us this Sunday, so please share the prayer points, which you can also download here. We’re sure that you, our faithful prayer warriors, will be keen to add more prayers to the list which is why we’ve put extra prayer needs in this article. Please do check them out and encourage your friends to join you in prayer on this critical day in the BMS calendar.

The scene of devastation caused by an earthquake and tsunami on the Indonesian island of Sulawesi — People suffering from disasters such as the earthquake and tsunami on the Indonesian island of Sulawesi need your prayers today.

We don’t believe we need to make our prayers complicated or impressive for God to answer. So here are six simple areas to pray for:

What the BMS family will be praying for

We have six prayer themes we would really love you to read and share with your church for our Day of Prayer:

1. Pray for wisdom, safety and resilience for our mission workers serving around the world.

2. Pray for encouragement for our partners around the world. Pray that lives would be transformed through their work.

3. Pray for those affected by disaster and conflict today. Pray that God will bring peace and stability to their lives.

People sit on the floor in India, praying — Thanks to you, people’s lives are being transformed in the name of Jesus. Please pray today for our work around the world.

4. Pray for those who offer and receive training at BMS’ training facility. Pray that the growth of the kingdom is served through our work there.

5. Give thanks for the prayers and generosity of our faithful supporters. Pray that the Lord will continue to bless them.

6. Pray for opportunities to share faith and for disciples to be made in places where Jesus is not yet known.

Why not print these prayers and put them on your fridge? Or save them to your favourite device? All you need to do is hit the button below. You can also find them on the Day of Prayer page on our website.

Download the prayer points

In addition to those larger themes, here are some extra prayer needs we’re currently focusing on in the office:

– Pray for energy for the team at Guinebor II hospital in Chad. Pray too for encouragement and good health for BMS workers Claire and Kalbassou.

– Pray for the Syrian refugee children who are being helped at a BMS-supported education centre near Beirut. Pray they might have stability in their lives and that they find joy in learning.

– Pray for South Sudanese refugees in Uganda to sense God’s love. Pray for extra resources for the BMS local workers who are helping them.

– Pray for warmth for those displaced by conflict in Ukraine. Pray for safety for Ukrainian Baptists who, with your support, are distributing heaters and thermal underwear.

No matter where you are, whether at home or in church, at work or on holiday, you can be part of our Day of Prayer. You just need to pray. And remember, there are daily prayer points to be found in our Prayer Guide, and you can also receive them by following us on Facebook and Twitter. Please help spread the word about Sunday.

We can’t wait to see what God is going to do.

If you’re praying for this Click here

Fighting domestic abuse in Mozambique

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You are helping bring access to justice in one of the poorest nations in the world, by supporting BMS World Mission and giving poor people the empowerment of knowledge.

You can’t report a crime if you don’t know you’re a victim. And that’s often the case for people in Mozambique. In a country with a tumultuous past, it’s not unusual for many people not to understand the law. Not to know your rights. But BMS workers and partners in Mozambique are changing that.

BMS lawyer Mark Barrell is working with the Association of Mozambican Christian Lawyers (AMAC). “The aim of AMAC is to provide access to justice to the most poor and vulnerable people,” says Mark. And in a country with only around 2,000 lawyers in a population of 30 million, AMAC’s work couldn’t be more necessary. The lawyers from AMAC work hard to provide advice, education and sometimes legal representation to those who need it.

A group of Mozambican lawyers. — The staff at the Association of Mozambican Christian Lawyers are committed to bringing justice to people who need it most.

“We support many different people in different circumstances,” says Mark. “But often the people we help will be women, whose status in Mozambican society can be very low.” AMAC regularly works with women who have been left by their husbands or partners and who don’t have the means to support their children. Women whose husbands have passed away and whose families are trying to take their homes. Women who are regularly subjected to domestic abuse. Women like Isabel*.

Isabel was abused by her husband. But she didn’t understand what domestic abuse was, or that it is illegal. Fortunately, AMAC was there to help.

AMAC regularly partners with local churches to hold education sessions where local people can learn about issues ranging from domestic abuse and inheritance to employment law. Isabel attended a session on domestic violence and was taught about what is defined as abuse, and why it’s wrong. Isabel spoke to a lawyer on the AMAC team, who quickly realised that she was a victim of domestic abuse. She was taken to the police station that same day to report the crime.

“Often it can be difficult to get the police to take any action,” says Mark. “But on this particular occasion the person they saw launched an investigation very quickly, and it was soon referred to the local court.”

Just a few months later, Isabel’s husband was brought before a judge. The court placed a restriction on him, and he was told that he could face imprisonment if Isabel reported any further abuse.

With the help of the AMAC lawyers, many vulnerable people have been helped out of difficult situations.

There are so many more people just like Isabel in Mozambique who need AMAC’s support. Please pray for this vital work, so that more people can live without fear. Pray for:

1. Mark and Susanna Barrell, as they continue serving with BMS in Mozambique.

2. The work of AMAC, that it will continue to bring support to the most vulnerable people in Mozambique, and the wonderful Mozambican Christians who are partnering with BMS to make a difference.

3. Victims of abuse like Isabel in Mozambique and across the world, that they might know hope, justice and fullness of life.

4. For Mozambique as a country, that its people will be able to learn more about correct legal practices and learn their rights.

*Name changed

Download the prayer points

If AMAC hadn’t been there, there’s no telling how long Isabel would have continued to suffer. But now Isabel can live without fear, and also in the encouragement of knowing that AMAC will keep helping other people like her. And that they are determined to keep bringing access to justice to those who need it.

Please pray that AMAC is able to carry out their vision, and bring help to the people who need it.

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Help us fight child abuse in schools

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The threat of abuse is very real for pupils in many Ugandan schools. You can help by getting your church to pray for our child protection work.

Imagine a classroom with 100 or more primary age schoolchildren in it. Put aside how crammed it might be and concentrate on this: more than two thirds of the children in front of you have been sexually abused by a male teacher, according to a Unicef survey. The percentage of children who have been caned is even higher, yet their abusers get away with the abuse, free to inflict suffering on a child in a place every child should feel safe: school.

The survey on the prevalence of abuse in Ugandan schools shows that people are aware of the abuse – but it still continues. Do not think it is going completely unchallenged though. Ugandan officials are making strides. And, with your support, BMS World Mission lawyer Linda Darby is working tirelessly in Gulu, northern Uganda, to change attitudes towards child protection in schools.

BMS mission worker Linda Darby guides teachers in child protection policy work — Linda Darby’s mission to tackle abuse in schools begins with training future nursery teachers about child protection.

Backed by local government, Linda has so far taken 21 schools through training on how abuse can be identified, reported and prevented. And the message of protecting children from sexual and physical abuse is not restricted to the school environment. Community leaders also attend the training, alongside the school’s senior staff – and ends with a school developing a child protection policy. With your prayers, we hope even more schools in Gulu will develop more effective child protection approaches.

“At first, people can be defensive, but as we explain the types of abuse, especially sexual, they realise it is happening and they are more open to listening,” says Linda. “This work is important because it is helping children thrive in school, and that will improve their circumstances in life.”

A BMS project worker helps teachers identify signs of child abuse — We’re helping teachers and community leaders in Gulu, Uganda, identify signs of child abuse.

The work Linda does in Uganda couldn’t happen without your prayer support. We encourage you and your church to please pray today for:

1. More local trainers to come forward to help Linda in her work. Pray for the right people, with the right skills, and with huge hearts to protect children from harm.

2. Energy, wisdom and strength for Linda in her work. Pray that she knows the encouragement of your prayers when she talks to schools about why child protection policies must be developed and put into practice.

3. The children who are being abused. Please pray for the abuse to stop, and that the children sense God’s love for them in their lives.

4. The adults who commit abuse. Pray that they understand the darkness of their actions and are guided towards a new life in which they never hurt a child again.

Download the prayer points

Through your prayers today, we believe that even more schools in Gulu will take child protection more seriously. We know it’s possible. You can play your part today in protecting children you will never meet.

Please pray.

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Spiritual workout advice from the heart of the red light district

Staying strong:

spiritual workout advice from the heart of the red light district

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Ashleigh Gibb shares how she’s learnt to maintain her spiritual health as she shares God’s love in the bars and brothels of Bangkok’s red light district.

They seem contradictory: strong spiritual health and Bangkok’s notorious red light district. But for BMS World Mission worker Ashleigh Gibb, who has been serving there for the last two years, staying spiritually healthy is one of the most important parts of her calling.

Ashleigh works with BMS partner NightLight. She goes into bars and brothels to provide the women working there a safe space where they can share their stories and be themselves. She spends every day with victims of human trafficking. She is surrounded by women who sell their bodies because they have nothing else to sell. Understandably, it takes a toll on her spiritual strength. So Ashleigh takes action to keep her spirit healthy, so she can get through every day serving these women in the best way she can.

We asked her to talk us through a spiritual workout, so you can keep your spirit as strong as Ashleigh’s.

Ashleigh Gibb in Bangkok — Ashleigh Gibb stays physically and mentally strong while working in one of the world's most unloving places.

1. Don’t skip leg day

Your physical and spiritual health are two parts of one whole – make sure you’re working on them both. As personal trainers (like Ashleigh used to be) will often say: “Don’t skip leg day,” meaning: don’t just do the things you find easy or fun. For Ashleigh, discipline has paid off. “God has blessed me with a phenomenal gym,” says Ashleigh. “I’m able to work out physically, but it’s also a good outlet for me to get all that trauma and anger out on a barbell.”

You don’t have to go to the gym as often as Ashleigh does, but why not try out something like pilates or a fitness class? It’s a great way to strengthen your physical body, as well as keeping your mind focused, so you can spend some time in prayer without distractions.

2. Stick to your exercise routine

It’s easy to say that you’re going to spend more time focusing on your spiritual health, do it for a couple of days, and then forget about it. Ashleigh knows all too well how difficult this can be. “I have to be so intentional about prayer and about being in the Word of God,” she says. “Because if I take myself away from that, then that’s when the enemy starts to feed me lies.”

It might be difficult at first. But if you create a routine and stick to it, you’ll soon find that it becomes a natural part of your daily life. Try to find a regular time when you can work on your spiritual health in whatever way you find helpful.

Ashleigh Gibb in Bangkok's red light district. — Ashleigh Gibb keeps her spirit healthy, so she can always support the women she meets in Bangkok's red light district.

3. Find a workout buddy

You don’t have to do this alone. Let other people into your life who can encourage you and who can hold you accountable. “I’ve got some spiritual mentors,” says Ashleigh. “They love me, they guide me, and they aren’t scared to ask me difficult questions about where I’m at in my spiritual journey.”

Find someone you trust and who you can rely on as your spiritual mentor. Be open about your spiritual journey with them and encourage them to be open about theirs with you. Hold each other accountable when you make commitments in your spiritual lifestyle and tell each other when you are struggling. It’s easier to do it together.

My spiritual mentors aren’t scared to ask me difficult questions about where I’m at in my spiritual journey

4. Use your mistakes to bulk up

Ashleigh is open with the women she meets about the struggles she’s had in the past. She tells a story of an African woman she met on the streets of Bangkok, and how shocked she was at how similar their lives were. “We just stood on the street and wept,” says Ashleigh. “In that moment, she needed to be loved. And she needed to know that she was loved by Christ and I was able to offer that to her because I was vulnerable.”

Be open about your mistakes and learn from them. You’ll only hurt yourself more if you keep them shut away and refuse to grow from them. Use them to improve your spiritual strength, and, like Ashleigh, you will be able to help others improve theirs.

Ashleigh couldn’t be where she is today without your prayers. Please continue to pray for her:

Pray that Ashleigh’s spiritual strength continues to grow as she continues working with NightLight and serving the women in Bangkok’s red light district.
Pray for a brothel Ashleigh goes to regularly. It was recently raided and all the women who worked there were put in prison. Pray that these women are treated fairly.
Pray for the Thai Government, that they will be able to crack down on human trafficking while still preserving the dignity of victims.
Pray for victims of human trafficking worldwide, that they will receive justice and be liberated.

if you're praying for this Click Here

Download the prayer points

Lessons from a secular state: four ideas to help your church

Lessons from a secular state:

four ideas to help your church

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The Church in France has long faced hostility. After decades of hard work, one BMS couple is seeing people begin to open their hearts to Christ.

John and Sue Wilson have been serving in France with BMS World Mission for 30 years. When they first arrived, they were treated with hostile suspicion. But after years of dedicating their lives to the Church across France, they are seeing fruit, and more people than ever before are coming to Christ. Here’s how John and Sue’s experience in France could help you and your church engage more people.

People worship in a church — The Wilsons committed themselves to using these four ideas in every aspect of their work. Now, their church is bigger than ever before.

1. Pray

It may seem obvious, but we so often forget. Praying about your situation and struggles is one of the most powerful strategies for growing and engaging your church. “Through the people who pray regularly, we have constant support and encouragement,” says John. “Without them, we couldn’t be here.”
Could you create a prayer network that is regularly praying for your church? The benefits could be breathtaking.

Through the people who pray regularly, we have constant support and encouragement

2. Learn to trust

It’s not unusual for churches in France to be investigated by the Government. So, it’s natural that, when a woman who worked for the French Government rang up the Wilsons’ church, they were suspicious. “She had bought a Bible in a shop and didn’t understand it,” says John. “So, she contacted me at the church and asked if she could come to our Bible study.” She could have been spying on the church. John could have turned her away. But he didn’t. Next year, she’s planning to be baptised.
It’s easy to distrust new people, even if you don’t realise you’re doing it. By making a conscious decision to open your heart to new people at your church, you can create a space that is safe and welcoming for all.

It’s really difficult to keep time with them because they spend ages afterwards just chatting together and talking about things

3. Understand the needs of new Christians

For new Christians, getting more involved in church can be a daunting prospect. It’s easy to be put off by people who are confident in their faith. John and Sue saw this happening in their church and decided to do something about it. “The existing Bible study is more for mature Christians,” says Sue. “People who have just come to faith don’t feel able to ask what they might consider obvious questions.” The Wilsons set up another Bible study group specifically for new Christians to explore their faith. And they’re seeing real results!
“It’s really difficult to keep time with them because they spend ages afterwards just chatting together and talking about things,” Sue says. They even ask for homework!
Why not set up a group in your church that specifically makes space for new Christians? It’s a great way to ensure that they have a safe space to ask questions without feeling alienated from the rest of the church.

4. Be patient

John and Sue have seen powerful changes in France. But they’ve been working there for 30 years. Don’t lose heart when you don’t see results straight away. It might take a while to see a real difference in how people are engaging at your church. But keep attempting for God and expecting from him. It might take months, it might take years, but if we humble ourselves, pray and make space for God to work, he will be faithful. Just ask John and Sue!

Please pray for:
1. The Wilsons, that they continue their work in France with the same determination and enthusiasm that they have for the last 30 years.
2. French people who may find it difficult to profess their faith due to France being a secular state—that God would encourage them and empower them with love.
3. BMS mission workers Christine Kling, Claire-Lise and David Judkins and Philip and Rosemary Halliday, who, like the Wilsons, are currently working to strengthen the Church in France.
4. UK churches who might be struggling to engage members of their church family.

if you're praying for this Click Here

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‘Bring me a teacher’- the Syrian girl who demanded an education

‘Bring me a teacher’

The Syrian girl who demanded an education

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BMS World Mission supporters like you are helping to get Syrian children back to school.

Bombing, fighting and the threat of being kidnapped forced Shakala* and her family from their home in Syria. When they arrived in Lebanon, Shakala spent two years out of school because her mum was too scared to let her leave the house. But now, she goes to class and has dreams of becoming a detective. This letter she wrote to her teacher shows how much her life has changed.

“My beloved teacher, despite the distance between us, your image is in my heart and in my mind and it will never leave.”

Shakala didn’t know if she would survive until nightfall most days when she and her family lived in Aleppo, Syria. Bombings, fighting and kidnappings were part of daily life. In all the chaos, Shakala herself was almost kidnapped. A man tried to carry her away, but her mother found her and took her back just in time. “It took her four years to get over that,” said Ashti*, Shakala’s mother. “She started having nightmares and crying at night saying, ‘They came for me.’”
Ashti had to lock her children in the house whenever she went out to buy food to stop people getting in and taking them. Eventually, they were forced to flee Syria and try and make a new life in Lebanon.

Shakala and her family live in a single room in Lebanon. Your support is giving her hope of a future different from her past.

“As hard as the days might be on us… you are healing my wounds.”

Shakala and her family left Aleppo in 2012, when she was just eight years old. They were supposed to find a better life. But life in Lebanon was almost as hard as the one they’d left. When Shakala’s mother found work, she wasn’t accepted by the people she worked with. “They started saying bad things about me and I used to come home and cry,” she says. Only the hope of finding a better life for her children could convince her to stay. But Shakala and her siblings weren’t finding their new life any easier than their mum. Haunted by Shakala’s attempted kidnapping, Ashti kept her children in the house without education for two years. But Shakala was determined to go to school.

“From you I’ve learnt that everything is possible.”

“Bring me a teacher!” Shakala asked her mother over and over again. Her mother didn’t know what to do. She knew how important it was that her children had an education and that school would bring some stability to their lives. But she was terrified of letting her children go. For two years, Shakala asked for school and her mother had to say no. But then some neighbours told her about a BMS-supported learning centre, held at a nearby church. This was the chance that Shakala had been dreaming about. She started school. And she thrived. She loved it so much that she asked for school during the holidays, and the church was able to set up camps for the children to go to. Her teachers didn’t just teach her about maths and English, but about commitment and working hard. Things were starting to look up for Shakala. But her future was still uncertain.

“You’ve taught me a lot about perseverance and sacrifice.”

From Shakala’s letter you might think that she was leaving school. The reality is that she knows it’s likely she will leave the area soon and have to say goodbye to her beloved teachers forever. Her letter shows how uncertain her life still is. Her father and extended family are still in Syria, but if Shakala were to go back there, she might be forced to abandon her education and marry her cousin. She is 14 years old. Her mum doesn’t want that to happen: “I want her to study and pursue her dreams,” she says.

“I will go with my head up to face the world.”

Shakala is determined to achieve her dreams. “She wants to continue studying and travel abroad and become a detective,” says Ashti. Shakala’s letter shows how much her school means to her. They’ve taught her to believe in herself. Because of Christians like you across the UK, this learning centre can employ more teachers to inspire children every day. Your support is bringing stability back into the life of a child who would otherwise have been forgotten. Your support has allowed her to have dreams and has given her the ability to make them a reality. But there are still children that need help.
“I want to thank you a lot for not forgetting us,” says Ashti. “I wish that you would continue and maybe make the projects bigger because there are some students that are not registered and there’s no place for them.” With your continued support the learning centre can be expanded. And more forgotten children can be found again.

A letter of thanks written from a student to her teacher — Shakala’s beautifully written thank you letter to her teacher. She wrote it in Arabic, but we’ve translated it into English for you below.

“You will always be my teacher, the one that I love, and I will never forget what you’ve done for me.”

Please pray

For peace and justice in Syria.
That all the Syrian refugee children in Lebanon, and across the world, receive education, and that they will be as passionate about learning as Shakala is.
For the teachers at the learning centre in Lebanon. Pray that they know that the hard work they are doing has an amazing impact on the children they teach.
That the learning centre will be able to expand and that more teachers will be trained so that they will be able to accept all the children that come to them and give them the education they deserve.

if you're praying with us Click Here

You can see from Shakala’s letter how much her teacher means to her. With your continued prayer and support, more children will be able to write letters like Shakala’s. Because more children will be getting the education they deserve.

Download below the prayer points and a full English translation of Shakala’s letter, and use them as a daily reminder to pray.

Download now

*Names changed

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Thank you

Christmas Prayer Campaign 2020

Make Jesus known in Asia this Christmas

Benjamin Francis, BMS Team Leader for India, working with BMS’ partner Big Life

Plans to share the gospel in India

Ben’s prayer points:

Rev Ashim Baroi, General Secretary of long-standing BMS partner, the Bangladesh Baptist Church Sangha (BBCS)

Plans to share the gospel in Bangladesh

Ashim's prayer points:

Rev Jlalduha Lalduhawma, mission worker with the Baptist Church of Mizoram (BCM) to Cambodia

Plans to share the gospel in Cambodia

Jlalduha's prayer points:

Mr Prateep Dee, General Secretary of the Thai Karen Baptist Convention (TKBC)

Plans to share the gospel in Thailand

Prateep's prayer points:

Picking up glass:

The human stories behind the Beirut Blast

Nabil Costa, CEO of BMS partner LSESD shares how you can bring hope back to Lebanon.

Pray for Beirut:

Huge blast rocks Lebanon

A message from BMS' partner on the ground in Beirut

You can help today by joining us as we pray for Beirut:

A Nation in Exile

Covid and the care home:

A wake-up call for the West

BMS Coronavirus world response

Our local response

BMS Coronavirus response

Thank you for your continued support

Prayer resources

This is what a BMS worker looks like:

Why money isn’t a dirty word

The three parts of a village savings group

Coronavirus outbreak:

pray for China, Italy and the world

Pray for China

Cyclone Bulbul

Pray for Bangladesh and India

Urgent prayer is needed for the millions who have been forced to flee their homes because of the storm.

Pray for Bangladesh and India

Praying for the Amazon

As the fires in the Amazon continue to burn, please continue to pray:

Pray for Afghanistan:

Violence in Kabul

Pray for Afghanistan

Ebola outbreak

Pray for D R Congo and Uganda

Pray for the Uganda Ebola outbreak

Cyclone Idai:

Mozambique needs your prayer

The destruction

The aftermath

The intervention

Updates on personnel

Pray for Mozambique

Helping people see their lives are worth living

BMS Day of Prayer:

People around the world need you

What the BMS family will be praying for

Fighting domestic abuse in Mozambique

Help us fight child abuse in schools

Staying strong:

spiritual workout advice from the heart of the red light district

1. Don’t skip leg day

2. Stick to your exercise routine

3. Find a workout buddy

4. Use your mistakes to bulk up

Lessons from a secular state:

four ideas to help your church

1. Pray

2. Learn to trust

3. Understand the needs of new Christians

4. Be patient

‘Bring me a teacher’

The Syrian girl who demanded an education

“My beloved teacher, despite the distance between us, your image is in my heart and in my mind and it will never leave.”

“As hard as the days might be on us… you are healing my wounds.”

“From you I’ve learnt that everything is possible.”

“You’ve taught me a lot about perseverance and sacrifice.”