connectPRAYER A prayer letter of the Methodist Missions Society September 2022 to December 2022 How long shall I cry for help? Habakkuk 1:2
All Scripture quoted is based on the English Standard Version (ESV), unless otherwise stated.
O Lord, how long shall I cry for help, and you will not hear? Or cry to you “Violence!” and you will not save? Why do you make me see iniquity, and why do you idly look at wrong? Destruction and violence are before me; strife and contention arise. Habakkuk 1:2-3
Cover photo: Early morning prayer walk in Nepal. Cover photo credit: Richard Lepcha
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O Lord, how long shall I cry for help, and you will not hear?” is not an uncommon human expression when we are faced with troubles and unfavourable conditions. This is so apparent today when we continue to pray for God’s grace and help for our personal, family, and ministry concerns as well as the effects of the raging COVID-19 pandemic across the nations, and the wars and conflicts in Ukraine and Sri Lanka just to name a few. We would not be alone in feeling a sense of helplessness in trying to address or even understand these crucial issues. Therefore, we turn our hearts to our Father in heaven and cry out to Him, just as the prophet Habakkuk did -not with a sense of despondency but with a spirit of honesty and earnestness to see the Hand of God acting promptly to relieve the sufferings at hand. We cry to the Lord for His blessings in meeting the needs of the mission fields. We profoundly believe that in His good time, He will act, as He is faithful and will never leave nor forsake His children. (cf. Psalm 94:14, Hebrews 13:5).
Let us keep on crying [i.e., praying] to the Lord of mercy, grace, and compassion. There are pressing issues that we shall bring to the Lord. For example, reaching the vast (over two billion) unreached people in our region, raising new missionaries, serving the missionaries we send out, MMS’ engagement with the churches to reach the nations, rising inflation, the COVID-19 pandemic, wars and conflicts, natural disasters like fires and floods, shootings, etc.
How Long SHALL I cRY foR HELP?
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Before I pen off, let us rejoice that we have recently obtained approval to proceed with the construction of the St Paul Methodist School Project in Timor-Leste. May the Lord bless this project that seeks to reach and transform the lives of the Timorese. Rev Derrick Lau Executive Director Methodist Missions Society
I wish to highlight two key prayer items for this issue of PrayerConnect. The first is our MMS Leaders’ Summit [18-20 August] where we discern God’s direction for MMS in the years to come. The other is our MMS Missionary Retreat [22-26 August] where we focus on the theme “ONE-derful”.
2.Pray for more labourers in the field even as we ask for God’s strength, health, wisdom, creativity, and grace for our current MISSIonARIES (Carol Loh, Carol Ong, Johnson & Josephine Lim, and Timothy & Cindy Tan) as they lead their ministries and those under their care, and seek innovative ways of reaching out especially during the upcoming Christmas season in the midst of a possible COVID-19 surge.
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1.Praise God for Carol Loh’s willingness to step up to be the Acting Country Director from July as Tan Li Diang had to retire early due to family matters back in Singapore.
Thank God for the diligent service of Loh Han Chew who retired at the end of July after serving for some years in reaching out to the underprivileged children and young adults. Thank God too for the faithfulness of missionary couple Wee Teck and Joy Low who served 8 and 10 years respectively in Cambodia (with their young son Nathan), completing their missionary term at the end of July.
3.Pray for all students of the METHoDIST ScHooL of cAMBoDIA (MSC) to prepare and fare well in their upcoming year-end exams, especially those in Grades 6/9/12 who will sit for the national exams. Pray for God’s grace for the teachers to further inspire and empower their students to realise their charges’ maximum potential. Pray for God’s empowerment for parents to be able to pay school fees on time so that the school can remain financially sustainable. Praise God that MSC celebrates her 25th Anniversary with decentralised programmes of thanksgiving and of blessing the community, and deepened interaction with parents, students, and alumni.
5.Pray for creativity and faithfulness of the HoPE HoUSE staff as they minister through enrichment programmes, Sunday School, and provision of daily meals for 50 slum children as well as in reaching out to the children’s families. Ask God to open hearts of more persons to serve as volunteers and staff.
6.Pray for creativity, joy, faith, perseverance, and wisdom for the METHoDIST cHURcHES In cAMBoDIA (MCC) pastors to nurture disciple-makers, be more selfsustainable through livelihood measures, be empowered through training, and be resilient to meet the challenges of ministry.
7.Pray for God’s anointing on the leadership of the cAMBoDIA METHoDIST BIBLE ScHooL (CMBS) as they seek to raise godly pastors, full-time staff, and lay leaders who will impact the different spheres of community, bringing positive transformation.
4.Pray for God’s wisdom and strength for the managers and leadership teams at coSI, coSY, METHoDIST (MH) & JoY HoSTELS (JH) as they give care and direction to their charges, some of whom are PcoSIIP students. Pray for all children and youth at COSI and COSY as they prepare for the upcoming exams even as they seek to bless others in the surrounding community in different ways. Pray for the young adult residents at MH and JH to be able to balance between their studies, work, and spiritual growth.
3. Pray for our ministry in the wEST REgIon. The wife of our District Superintendent and Pastor-in-Charge of Abhishek Methodist Church is suffering from a serious illness and is undergoing dialysis at this time. MCN has had to reassign the roles and responsibilities of some of our Elders to ensure the ministry continuity in the West Region in the midst of this challenge. Pray for her healing and full recovery. Pray for our ministry in Abhishek Methodist Church. Pray that our leaders and members will experience the power of the Holy Spirit in the midst of tribulation.
4. Pray for the Mcn LEADERSHIP as we review our Goals, Objectives, Strategies, and Action Plans for the coming years. May God grant our Elders the wisdom, strength, and courage to undertake and complete the plans that we prepare.
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5. Pray for the 14th Session of the Mcn AnnUAL MEETIng which will be presided by Bishop Dr Gordon Wong on 1-6 November 2022. Pray for a favourable situation in Nepal that will enable the meeting to be conducted onsite as the last two Annual Meetings were conducted via Zoom. Pray for the smooth and safe travel of our Singapore delegates, national leaders and delegates. Pray for the Elder who will be ordained at the Closing Service.
2.Pray for our ministry in wESLE Y BARDAn METH o DIST cHURcH . Pray for the Pastor-in-Charge as he brings the believers together as one body in the face of challenges. Pray for wisdom and a spirit of discernment over him.
1.Thank God that our cHURcHES are now conducting their worship services and other activities onsite. Pray for protection for all the believers. Pray for them to return to their churches and attend the onsite worship services as one corporate body.
my gift for his great commission through mms mmsthroughcommissiongreathisforgiftmy STEP 1 Either select a Specific Area and a Country, or allow us to direct your gift where it is needed most: STEP 2 Decide how much you would like to give either on a monthly basis or as a one-time gift: [ ] Pledge a monthly gift of S$ ________________ commencing ___________________________ [date] until further notice. [ ] Make a one-time gift of S$ ________________. noTE: If you need more details, please call 6478 4818. For more information on Student Sponsorship Schemes, please visit https://www.mms.org.sg/sss PDPA: MMS is committed to ensuring the security of all personal data she collects. MMS shall use and disclose such data only for her necessary purposes and if so, shall adhere to the guidelines of the Personal Data Protection Act (PDPA). All personal data shall be kept strictly confidential at all times. If ever MMS has to disclose any personal data to any third party, she shall do so only with the prior consent of the owner of the personal data. [ ] gEnERAL fUnD [ ] wHERE IT IS nEEDED MoST [ ] cHURcH PLAnTIng [ ] coMMUnITY DEVELoPMEnT [ ] REV DR cLAREncE LIM MISSIonARY DEVELoPMEnT fUnD [ ] coUnTRY [Cambodia, East Asia, Laos, Nepal, Thailand, Timor-Leste, or Vietnam]
Rev/Dr/Mr/Mrs/Ms: _____________________________________ Date: Address: ________________________________________________________________ Postal Code: _________________ Church: ___________________________________ Phone: _______________________ Email: _____________________________________ [ ] I would like to make my gift through: [ ] I would like to regularly receive: [ ] Prayerconnect [ ] Harvest force [ ] Pray for MMS in 60 seconds prayer email. [ ] I would like to be an MMS Intercessor. mmsthroughcommissiongreathisforgiftmySTEP 3 Fill in your payment instructions: For more information and details, please email mms@methodist.org.sg or call us at 64784818. PRAYERconnect《祷告连接》 Email mms@methodist.org.sg to receive the Chinese version in pdf format. 若您想索取电子版的《祷告连接》，请发送电邮至mms@methodist.org.sg TRAnSLAToRSPRoofREADERS Wendy Tan, Goh Tuan Gee Henry Wang, Ng Hsu-Fen, Shyuan Wong, Susan Koh, Thng Pheng Soon
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7.Pray for the McA YoUTH. There are currently 21 youth leaders from our churches who are meeting regularly for activities. Pray that they can attend our YoUTH cAMP in October 2022.
5.Pray for the continued PRoTEcTIon of our pastors, members, and their families from the coVID-19 pandemic.
6.Pray for our new believers and members in our churches. Pray that they will continue to gRow AnD DEVELoP their faith in God.
3.Thank God for the nEw BELIEVERS in Khon Kaen and Nong Bua Lumphu. Thank God for the fruitful evangelistic efforts of our pastors, members, and missionaries.
4. Pray that our church members will return to church for physical woRSHIP SERVIcES. Pray that they will continue to be discipled in the Lord and also to become disciple makers. Pray for our cHILDREn’S MInISTRY. Pray that the parents would allow their children to return to church for SUnDAY ScHooL.
2.Thank God for a smooth TRIP in June 2022 to conduct the MCA ExCo meeting, school board meetings, and onsite visits to our schools and churches.
1. Thank God for the continued progress of the LITTLE cAnDLES ScHooL construction. Thank God that the contractor is still committed to complete the construction on time despite rains and some delays.
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1. goVERnMEnT & nATIon: Pray for the new president, José RamosHorta (sworn in on 20 May 2022) to lead well and use his governmental and parliamentary powers wisely. Pray for God’s redemptive work in TL.
b) DUnAMIS HoUSE (DH): Pray for increased capacity and strength for the house parents, See Jin Hoe and Rev See Swee Fang, to lead DH and oversee the young leaders managing SH for the next few months. Pray for the tuition ministry to the children in neighbourhood. Pray for the local gang situation to stabilise, and that there will not be disturbances to the outreach work in the community.
5. SPMS DEVELoPMEnT PRoJEcT: Pray for God’s favour and wisdom as MMS awards the construction contract, and applies for the local construction permit. Pray for funds to cover the higher-than-anticipated budget. Pray that there will not be any delay in the building process and the school will be built soon to accommodate the urgent needs of the rapidly growing school population.
a) SUnDERMEIER HoME (SH): Pray for the three graduates of SH who will take charge of the hostel when the house parents, Joseph and Grace Mannar, return for their home leave in Singapore until October. Pray for the Mannars as they seek God for direction after 10 years of service in SH.
4. ST PAUL METHoDIST ScHooL (SPMS): Pray for David, Jessie, their children, and Rasanya to have strength and wisdom to teach and lead the school and local staff. Pray for the smooth operations of SPMS and its management of 500 students across 20 classes and 3 locations. Pray for open doors and opportunities for SPMS graduates to find employment or further education.
2. MISSIonARIES: Pray for perseverance in all the trials they face on the ground, big or small. Pray for good relationships with the local authorities and people. Pray for wisdom and good health.
3. HoSTEL MInISTRIES: Pray for all hostelites to grow in spiritual maturity and walk in God’s presence.
METHoDIST MISSIonS SocIETY 70 Barker Road #06-01 The Methodist Centre Singapore 309936 6478 4818 mms@methodist.org.sg www.mms.org.sg mms.org.sg mms.org.sg mmsorgsg TIMES In goD’S ARMS
difficult days from now!” I felt relief that I would be healed after three painful days though I also doubted whether I would be healed, thinking that God would take me home instead. My church members continued to pray for me and encouraged me with prophecy of my safety and impending healing. However, the pain of my sickness meant I could not be uplifted to believe or hope for anything good. For the next three extremely painful days, I cut off all connection with my family and stopped my daily routines including using the internet and other enjoyable activities. I even told my wife not to let anyone come into my room, even if it was for prayer, as I wanted to remain alone. My church members would come, pray in another room, andOnleave.19 September 2021, I was down with COVID-19. As I wrestled with the sickness for about two weeks, I felt God drawing me close to Him. I vividly remembered hearing a voice on 27 September: “It is going to be three extremely ~ by Rev chandra Bomjan, Pastor-in-Charge of Vijayee Methodist Church, Nepal. He is also the MCN Prayer Coordinator. Through this, I had a chance to have fellowship with the Lord. Although it was short, I felt a deep connection with God. The revelation I received at that moment became the direction of my path ahead. When gold is being refined, it is put into the fire alone; it is not put into the fire with other gems or stones. I felt the same way in those three days. God separated me from everything. He revealed all that He wanted me to correct in my life. As God was pointing out my shortcomings, my spirit was contrite, yet I felt an assurance that He was purifying me too. We need to serve God like refined gold. I am thankful to God for all that happened. I renewed my service to God after having spent time alone with Him, and my flame for God was fanned again. I also saw many blessings in the church as a result of my sickness. As I received prayers for my healing, I know that our church is growing and becoming a house of prayer. Our church members started spending quality time with the Lord.
Note: This testimony was first featured in ‘ Projec T Me Ta M or P hosI s’. Check it www.mms.org.sg/projectmetamorphosisout:
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