Prayer Diary Update November 2020-February 2021

JANUARY: PRAY FOR OUR OVERSEAS PARTNERS ‘God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble.’ PSALM 46:1 NIV WEEK 1 The financial impact of the Coronavirus is particularly challenging in the countries where we work. Many people and communities affected by leprosy face uncertainty in their livelihoods and struggle to meet their daily needs. Pray that people can still manage to work and support themselves and their families.

Pray for wisdom as we work with these communities and that we are able to meet any shortfalls.

WEEK 2 Praise God for the amazing courage and dedication of our teams who reach out to people and communities affected by leprosy. Our colleagues overseas often work in very challenging areas with high levels of conflict.

Travel is also more difficult than ever due to restrictions and fears caused by the Coronavirus.

Pray for divine protection over our staff and their families as they continue to work sacrificially to bring healing and fullness of life to those we serve.

FEBRUARY: PRAY FOR MOZAMBIQUE ‘You make known to me the path of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence.’ PSALM 16:11 NIV In Mozambique, our small team works to support the Government Leprosy Control Project in Cabo Delgado. One of the features of this programme has been the innovative use of mobile phone technology for recording cases of leprosy. The team also works closely with ALEMO. This is an association of people affected by leprosy, working to improve the livelihoods of members through agriculture techniques , training, and advocacy.

WEEK 3 Give thanks that, to date, staff at Anandaban Hospital Nepal have not been diagnosed with the Coronavirus.

Pray for the successful and safe implementation of the Rapid Response project which will provide a Covid isolation ward and PPE training for staff.

Pray too for complete healing for any patients who need critical care.

WEEK 4 Praise God for our relationship with Alice Cruz, the UN Human Rights Special Rapporteur on the elimination of discrimination against people with leprosy.

Pray for new and impactful opportunities for representatives from Sri Lanka, Myanmar and Bangladesh to work with Alice towards our goal of zero discrimination.

WEEK 1 In Mozambique, the Coronavirus has not been as lethal as in many other countries in the south of Africa (for reasons health professionals do not yet fully understand). Praise God for His divine protection and please pray that numbers will continue to remain low, as the health service in Mozambique is very limited.

Pray for the relationships with local partners to continue and strengthen.

WEEK 2 Give thanks for new technology and the way it has helped our team in Mozambique to implement novel ideas such as building community hubs as training centres in the villages.

Pray that this work will bear fruit and lead to better leprosy interventions and treatment.

WEEK 3 The team in Mozambique has been led by Dr Arie de Kruijff and his wife, Marie, for over 15 years. Praise God for their passion for His mission and their faithful response to His call to ‘love your neighbour as yourself.’

Pray for continued protection for Arie, his team and their families, as local unrest from militant groups has been reported in some of the areas where the work.

WEEK 4 Praise God for the success of the UMOJA church mobilization project, which trained pastors to recognise the signs of leprosy.

This has been a positive way to connect the church with people affected by leprosy.

Pray that, although the Coronavirus is impacting churches and gatherings around the world, the long-lasting positive effects of this work will continue.

JOIN US IN PRAYER DO YOU KNOW ANYONE WHO WOULD LIKE TO JOIN IN SUPPORTING THE WORK OF THE LEPROSY MISSION IN PRAYER? IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO BECOME A ‘PRAYER PARTNER’ OR WANT MORE COPIES OF THIS PRAYER DIARY, PLEASE CONTACT US: envelope PRAYER@TLMEW.ORG.UK

NOV ‘20 — FEB ‘21

This Prayer Diary is for use individually or with small groups as we praise our heavenly Father God for His goodness which enables the work of The Leprosy Mission.

We thank you for your partnership and ask that you continue to pray for breakthroughs as we work together to defeat leprosy and transform lives.

Thank you for your part as a faithful and valued Prayer Partner.

Peter Waddup (National Director) If you have vision or hearing difficulties and you would like to receive our resources in a different format, please let us know.

Call 01733 370505 or email prayer@TLMEW.org.uk

 The Leprosy Mission England, Wales, the Channel Islands and the Isle of Man, Goldhay Way, Orton Goldhay Peterborough, PE2 5GZ  01733 370505  post@tlmew.org.uk

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INSTAGRAM leprosymission DESKTOP leprosymission.org.uk Registered Charity No. 1050327 A Company Limited by Guarantee Registered in England and Wales No. 3140347

NUHU’S LEG WAS AMPUTATED AFTER LEPROSY LEFT HIM WITH SEVERE ULCERS. YOUR SUPPORT HAS PROVIDED HIM WITH A PROSTHETIC LEG AND TRANSFORMED HIS LIFE.

“

ON THE MOUNTAIN OF THE LORD IT WILL BE PROVIDED.

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GENESIS 22:14 NIV

leprosymission.org.uk

NOVEMBER: HAVE FAITH PRAY AGAINST ANY NEGATIVE IMPACT FROM THE CORONAVIRUS ‘But God will never forget the needy; the hope of the afflicted will never perish.’ PSALM 9:18 NIV In April, staff members, trustees and supporters joined together for a virtual day of praise, worship and prayer, interwoven with individual quiet time to listen to God. We felt a tangible confirmation of how much God loves people affected by leprosy. We were reminded of how God had provided for the work of The Leprosy Mission through two world wars and the Spanish influenza outbreak of 1918. We were encouraged to trust that God would continue to heal and comfort people affected by leprosy through the faithfulness of our supporters.

WEEK 1

WEEK 2

Thank God for protecting people affected by leprosy during the pandemic.

Continue to pray for a supernatural hedge of protection for those who already have compromised immune systems.

Give thanks for the innovative ways our overseas partners have responded to the impact of the Coronavirus on their communities. Many people affected by leprosy were suddenly unable to work, facing starvation and despair.

Pray especially for our teams overseas as they diligently continue to serve people affected by leprosy, despite limited protection.

Several of our staff in India, Bangladesh, Nigeria and Myanmar have been diagnosed with the virus.

Please pray for complete healing and restoration.

WEEK 3 We have been humbled and amazed by the sacrificial generosity of our supporters, and

by God’s favour as He has given us success in several funding applications. Give praise to Jehovah Jireh, our God who provides!

Pray that every penny raised will bless and transform the lives of people affected by leprosy in the places where we work.

WEEK 4 We praise Father God that we were blessed with new funding from Comic Relief to rebuild young people’s self-worth and mental health in Nigeria.

Please pray that the lives of young people struggling with rejection and stigma will be transformed.

DECEMBER: PRAY FOR RESEARCH BREAKTHROUGHS Praise God that since Multidrug therapy became available in the early 1980s, over 17 million people have been cured of leprosy. Sadly, however, there are still more than 200,000 new cases of leprosy reported every year.

Our aim is to achieve zero transmission and zero disabilities caused by leprosy. Please pray with us for new innovations and approaches that will help us to reach this goal and defeat this complex disease.

WEEK 1 1 in 5 leprosy patients develop ulcers and healing can often take many months, even years. Too often, the worst cases lead to amputation. As a result, many people spend months in hospital and lose opportunities for work and education. (see cover picture of Nuhu).

Praise God for the exciting development of Leukocyte and Platelet Rich Fibrin (LPRF), a new treatment to aid ulcer healing. This innovative technique uses a small amount of the patient’s own blood to create a healing membrane that is applied directly to the ulcer. It accelerates the body’s natural healing process and dramatically reduces ulcer healing time.

Pray for the success of this research project, led by Dr Indra in Nepal, as trials continue over the next

three years. Pray that it will lead to fewer disabilities and better quality of life for people affected by leprosy.

WEEK 2 Up to 50% of patients will develop leprosy reaction at some stage. This can happen at any time before, during, or even years after treatment with Multidrug therapy.

Leprosy reaction is not a side-effect of these drugs; it is an overresponse of the patient’s own immune system to the dead leprosy bacteria in their body.

The symptoms can be severe. Many patients experience extreme pain, fever, swollen glands, headaches and nodules on their skin. Reaction is also the primary cause of nerve damage, but treatment options for this complication are limited.

Please pray that the research into leprosy reaction in India,

Bangladesh and Nepal will continue despite the Coronavirus. Pray too that it will lead to successful new treatments that will improve the lives of thousands of people.

WEEK 3 Current methods of diagnosing leprosy are not always accurate and come too late for many patients.

Give thanks for the collaboration between The Leprosy Mission and Leiden University Medical Centre in the Netherlands. The team at Leiden University have developed an early diagnostic tool that will more accurately and sensitively diagnose leprosy, helping us to find and treat people earlier.

Pray that trials to test the feasibility of this tool in Bangladesh will proceed, despite the impact of the Coronavirus.

WEEK 4 Preventing the transmission of leprosy is still a key challenge as we aim to reduce the number of new cases.

For over 20 years, trials have been running in various countries to test Leprosy Post-Exposure Prophylaxis (L-PEP).

This treatment uses the most powerful drug in the Multidrug therapy treatment regime: rifampicin. A single dose of rifampicin is given to the household and social contacts of anyone who is confirmed to have leprosy. If they have been infected, rifampicin will kill the bacteria and stop leprosy from developing and spreading. Trials into this preventative treatment are ongoing.

Pray that work in this area will continue to bring positive change and reduce the number of new cases of leprosy.

From distributing emergency food parcels and protective equipment in India, to giving out agricultural seeds in Sri Lanka, many people in leprosy communities have been blessed through the continued generosity of supporters like you.

Photography: Tom Bradley