Anna mentions: Fuel supply continues to be an issue. Please pray the Lord will allow us to continue despite this. I’m thinking particularly of MGO.
This appeared online recently:
Please pray as we make final preparations for MGO 2023. Over the next week, the team in Malawi will be finalising details of the program of activities, and other necessary arrangements.
As mentioned previously, our team this year is much smaller and has much less experience than previous years, so please pray that the Lord will guide, direct and enable us for the task in hand. MGO has been a great blessing in the past, and we look to the Lord to make his strength perfect in our weakness.
Brother Goodson asks that we pray for three men who have requested Baptism. Each bore testimony to discovering since starting to attend the Gospel meetings at Saidi that salvation is not by good works but through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ alone.
While we give thanks for this, Goodson asks that we pray that he will have wisdom and discernment and that the reality of their profession will become apparent.
Please pray for a day of peaceful protest and prayers planned in defence of the Biblical position on Marriage and Sexuality across Malawi on Thursday 13 July. This has been planned by various church alliances, who are also calling for church leaders to organise “intensive prayers and teaching in our Churches” between Friday 14 and Sunday 16 July. This anticipates an upcoming legal challenge to Malawi’s laws prohibiting same-sex relationships.
Urging all Malawians irrespective of faith to stand and protect the family, their Press Release states,
“As Churches we believe that sexual acts are only permissible between man and woman (Married partners). Hence we would like to make it clear that Same Sex unions are ungodly, unnatural, and culturally unacceptable and a direct perversion of Gods ordained order of family. We therefore reaffirm our position against the legalization of acts which directly threaten the existence of the family in this country.
“We are convinced that marriage is between two people of the opposite sexes- male and female. Anything contrary to this divine order is unacceptable and does not please God, our creator. Malawi cannot afford to take a rebellious path of disobedience to God at a time when we need Him most to heal our nation. Let us all unite and defend our nation from self-destruction. “
The need for such a statement would have been unimaginable in Malawi a very short time ago. This is clear evidence of unwelcome western influence driving the social agenda. As one of the poorest countries in the world, constantly in need of financial support, it is very difficult for Malawi to resist the pressure to liberalise its laws. It is also a salutary lesson that we cannot take for granted the liberty we enjoy in the Gospel.
Please pray that the planned protest will be peaceful, and that Malawi will be preserved from the “self-destruction” spoken of in the press release.
Please pray for the final preparations for MGO 2023, which is now just 4 weeks away.
We have a very much smaller overseas team than in previous years, but this will give opportunity for local believers to play a larger part.
Please specifically pray
Anna writes: Please pray that our visit to Dzaleka and Divine Touch (Street Kids’ Feeding Program) will be a blessing and encouragement to them and that the Lord will watch over us as we travel.
Note: Anna and Wati will be travelling this incoming week to monitor the progress of the Bibletime work at Dzaleka, as well as the various relief programs SALT supports there and in Lilongwe. In recent months the Government has been forcibly returning immigrants to the camp, exacerbating the overcrowding there.
During the past week we had the following reports from William (Dzaleka) and Edward (Lilongwe):
Anna requests that we pray for the upward and outward growth of the new little assembly.
While it is thrilling to see the progress so far, please pray that the Lord will add more to the number there, and that each will progress toward spiritual maturity. The will undoubtedly be difficulties and there are many potential pitfalls, so please pray earnestly for the preservation of the work.
According to Brother Harold there were “tears of thanksgiving to the Lord” on Lord’s Day for what he has done at Saidi.
Six believers were baptised, with many people coming to witness the event. The Gospel was preached, and together with the newly-baptized believers they all sat down to break bread as an assembly for the first time.
This is the fruit of years of labour in the area. As you give thanks for all that the Lord has done, please also pray that those who have obeyed the Lord in baptism will be richly blessed in their souls, and that the new assembly will be preserved and prosper in the days ahead.
Anna asks that we give thanks that the Bible studies we held in May have borne fruit, and that a number of people have requested to be baptised. This is not only a testament to the Lord’s goodness, but also to the labours of Brother Goodson who has faithfully preached the Gospel and taught the Word of God in the area of Saidi / Thondwe for several years.
Please also pray that those who will be baptised next Lord’s Day will continue to grow in grace, and that we will soon have the joy of seeing an assembly planted in the area. Please also pray that the baptisms will speak to the many others who regularly listen to the Gospel at Saidi, but have not yet responded.
The team in Malawi will be meeting on Monday to discuss preparations for MGO 2023. Please pray that they will be guided in their deliberations. They will also be further discussing the development of our Child Protection procedures, following the very useful training held earlier in the year, prior to the cyclone.
