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| PRAYER CIRCLE |
Up to 29 June 2015 |
| Relief boxes ready for distribution to Iraqi refugees in Lebanon. So many families need help.
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'
Nehemiah said, "Go and enjoy choice food and sweet drinks, and send some to those who have nothing prepar
ed. This day is holy to our Lord. Do not grieve, for the joy
of the
Lord
is your strength."'
This was an incredible occasion when God's people assembled and stood listening for 2 days while Ezra read the law. They were so distressed by the challenge in what they heard that they were grieving. Nehemiah reminded them to remember the joy of the Lord - for there lay their strength. I find it interesting that the people were commanded to go and enjoy their food and drink BUT they were also to support those without and that was to go hand-in-hand with their rejoicing. An automatic part of our worship should be serving those who are in need. We see this demonstrated today in wonderful ways through the Bible Society Fellowship and through you - our kind local supporters. Praise the Lord. |
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Bringing relief boxes to Iraqi families.
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Refugees in Lebanon
Lebanon is currently hosting over 1 million registered Syrian refugees, on top of the many thousands of Iraqi refugees who have also flooded the country. There is a huge humanitarian crisis that the world community is unable to handle. Hundreds of aid and humanitarian agencies are struggling to keep up with the refugees' basic needs. Growing up in refugee camps robs the children of so much. They miss out on so many opportunities we take for granted and there is, naturally, a negative atmosphere that the children are growing up with. The Bible Society in Lebanon (BSL) has been approached by several humanitarian agencies to provide assistance in entertaining children in camps using positive and hopeful strategies. The Bible, the book of hope, will be the source of these presentation tours/visits to the camps. These visits run alongside the ongoing distribution of relief boxes. Each box contains items for cooking and cleaning as well as a the New Testament in Arabic and a Bible story book for kids. The team in Lebanon make sure that every family they reach receives a copy of the New Testament. One children's worker with BSL said 'We're glad we were also able to bring smiles to the young and the old...something we cannot put in a relief box'. Please pray for this ministry to reach desperate people with God's hope and love. May the joy of the Lord flood the hearts of all who come in contact with the Bible Society team.
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Charly takes the distribution van to the interior of Gabon.
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Reaching Gabon
The Bible Society in Gabon are involved in various aspects of ministry. Please pray for encouragement, protection and provision for them as they continue to make God's Word known. It is always difficult in countries where many people live in poverty. Illiteracy continues to be a widespread problem. Please pray for the efforts to bring God's Word to rural areas through Faith Comes by Hearing listening groups. These groups are very popular as people seek to understand God's Word and desire to go deeper in their relationships with Jesus. For those who can read, access to God's Word can be almost impossible as travelling to cities to buy Bibles is not something most people are able to do. Charly works with the Bible Society, taking a distribution van to areas where access is difficult. Executive Secretary Georges Thierry Mabiala Tchibinda writes, "This morning I made a field visit to see the work of our distributor Charly. I was very encouraged to see his passion for distribution. Praise God for Charly. My dream is to see several vans travelling to the interior of the country with the Holy Scriptures."
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Violent Honduras 
Two years ago, Angel López, the 35-year-old Project Coordinator of the Bible Society of Honduras, was shot and killed in what was classified as a 'fluke' killing. Like so many in Honduras, his murder has gone unpunished. Angel was among more than 60,000 Hondurans killed in violent attacks between 2010 and 2013 - around 10 times higher than the global average. Honduras has been labelled as the most dangerous country in the world. Rather than hide from this, the Bible Society were compelled to take action. General Secretary, Jorge Gomez said, "The president and other influential figures have asked the Christian community to take action to influence our country with the Word of God. So, in the midst of all this violence and corruption, the door is swinging wide open for the Bible to be distributed." The government has asked the Bible Society to help provide the Word of God as part of the process to bring healing to this broken nation. Please pray as the Bible Society there provides Scriptures for those at the forefront of trying to reduce crime - including the police, the military and others. "Around 36,000 people will be reached through this project over three years. Please pray that as people engage with God's Word, the world's most violent country will become a land of peace and harmony." says Mr Gomez.
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Speaking Engagements and Events
It is coming into the summer now, so there are fewer invites over the coming weeks. Ask God for a time of refreshing for John & Leah who are usually kept very busy.
Sunday 21 June: John will be speaking in Drumlee Presbyterian Church Children's Day near Rathfriland at 10.30am followed by Ballyroney Presbyterian Church at 11.45am
Pray for the BSNI Board meeting on the evening of Wednesday 17 June at 6.00pm.
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Renowned evangelist,
R T Kendall
, will be speaking at two separate meetings in the Assembly Buildings Conference Centre, Fisherwick Place, Belfast on Monday 7 September 2015 at 2.30pm and 7.30pm.
We are so excited about this event which BSNI is jointly hosting with Precept Ministries NI.
Please pray:
- That many clergy and laity will be drawn to hear RT Kendall's message and be encouraged to make the Bible even more important to their lives and ministries;
- That God will bless us as we seek to make this event widely known in our land;
- That RT Kendall will be guided by the Spirit in his times of preparation;
- That all the arrangements and plans being made will be richly blessed and used by God to speak His message to open hearts.
This is an opportunity not to be missed! Our website has all the information at www.bsni.co.uk
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