April Prayer Calendar

APRIL 2011 PRAYER CALENDAR
The Swazi Team

Friday April 1:
March 31-April 7, Todd and Deborah Hoskins’ friend, Tia from Georgia and her son Caleb will be in Swaziland for a visit. Please pray for safe travel. Pray they will have an enjoyable and meaningful trip as they see various ministries.

Saturday April 2:
Praise the Lord the Allens’ crate arrived in March and they continue to sort through everything. Pray for the Allens as they go through the house and decide what items to give away that no longer are needed to make room for the new items from their crate.

Sunday April 3:
Pray for the new outreach Bible study in northwest Swaziland in the rural area near Piggs Peak. Individuals from this area contacted missionary Steve Allen through friends at Hawane Baptist Church pleading for a Bible study to be started. This new study group is about 40 kilometers north of any previous work. Pray many people will attend this new outreach and come to faith in the Lord.

Monday April 4:
April 4-6, the Myers are attending the Community Development Training (sponsored by Baptist Global Response-BGR) in Jo’burg, South Africa. Pray this training will be helpful in ministering to the various needs of the Swazis.

Tuesday April 5:
Susanna Yawn’s (Deborah Hoskins’ sister) appointment with her heredity specialist went well. It is fairly certain that she does have retinitis pigmentosa. Susanna and the rest of the family seem to be doing well. Pray for Susanna as she deals with this new development in her life. May the Lord walk beside her each step of the way.

Wednesday April 6:
On March 16th, the Board of Trustees of the International Mission Board (IMB) voted to accept Tom Elliff as the new President of the IMB. Please pray for the Elliffs as they begin a new chapter in their lives. Ask the Lord to provide wisdom for Tom as he leads the IMB.

Thursday April 7:
A former pastor of the Velebantfu Baptist Church was told years ago that he was HIV positive. Before his marriage both he and his wife had other sexual partners. This pastor was taking the anti-retro viral drug (prolongs the life of AIDS victims) until a few months ago when he discontinued the use of the drug because he felt the Lord had healed him. Unfortunately, his symptoms have continued and he was recently admitted to the psychiatric ward of the hospital due to irrational speech and behavior. Unless he begins his ARVs, there is nothing that can be done for him. Pray this pastor will be able to hear when the Lord speaks to Him concerning the needed treatment. Pray for this family as they deal with this situation.

Friday April 8:
Pray affordable and beneficial training will be provided for Swazi leaders and pastors to help with their leadership tasks and responsibilities. From this training pray spiritually strong Swazi Baptist churches will develop.

Saturday April 9:
Please continue to pray for Wayne Myers’ brother, Terry with stage 4 cancer in remission, sister Patsy with COPD and her husband Jim and sister Lynda with various health issues. Pray also for Barbara’s great-nephew recovering from pancreatitis.

Sunday April 10:
Five individuals from the Peace Baptist Church will be baptized today. Please pray for these new believers as they take this public step of obedience to Christ. Pray for good weather and autumn temperatures will remain warm.

Monday April 11:
Pray God will give Deborah Hoskins wisdom as she helps with the older children’s Sunday School at the Mphembekati Baptist Church. The children of the Mphembekati Baptist Church recently took a tour of the Voice of the Church (TransWorld Radio) with snacks at the Hoskins’ apartment afterwards. The trip was a huge success! Everyone had a great time and the children recited verses and sung songs on the radio!!

Tuesday April 12:
Recently missionary Wayne Myers received a phone call from a youth of the Big Bend Baptist Church. He told Wayne his grandfather and other family members were telling him to take a wife. Wayne encouraged the youth to consider the need to take a wife that is Christian and of like faith. So many Swazi youth are pressured by family members to take a wife and have children to ensure the continuation of the family name. Pray this young man will seek the Lord first before taking this big step. Pray the Lord will give him peace and comfort as they walk through this together.

Wednesday April 13:
Pray the Bible study in the community of Macethuka (approximately 5 kilometers from the Vuvulane Baptist Church) will soon begin. A group from the area requested a Bible study since it was too far for families with small children to walk to the Vuvulane Baptist Church. Pray a strong work will begin in this area that will reach the many loss Swazis for the Lord.

Thursday April 14:
Todd Hoskins meets with a friend each morning to study a basic Bible study on who is Jesus. Please pray that God will give Todd wisdom in his interactions and study with his friend.

Friday April 15:
Pray the Lord will provide a pastor for the New Hope Baptist Church (without a pastor for over three years). Pray the faithful will continue to be fruitful and the adults will strive to teach the youth and children the ways of God.

Saturday April 16:
Pray God will reveal Himself to the Swazis following the Muslim faith. Pray Swazi Christians will be a light in the darkness sharing the love of Jesus with their people.

Sunday April 17:
Five individuals from the Victory Baptist Church will be baptized today. Please pray for these new believers as they begin their walk with the Lord. Since baptisms are done outside, pray for warm autumn temperatures.

Monday April 18:
Kym Pennington, True Love Waits International consultant returns to Swaziland in May to conduct three three-day TLW trainings. The first training is scheduled for the 15th-17th; the second 19th-21st and the third training 23rd-25th. Pray for Kym as she prepares for this time of training. Pray for the Swazi Team as they encourage possible attendees and prepare for these training events.

Tuesday April 19:
Pray for King Mswati today on his birthday. Pray the strongholds that keep him, his wives and children from accepting Christ will be broken and they will commit their lives to serving Jesus.

Wednesday April 20: Pray for Steve Allen today on his birthday!!
Two men from the Peniel Baptist Church recently came to Steve to tell him they want to assist with preaching at Swazi Baptist churches (Hhohho region) currently without pastors. This is an answer to prayer and the Allens are excited for these new workers to join the ministry. Pray for a wonderful working relationship between these two committed Christian men and the Allens.

Thursday April 21:
April 21-24 the National Good Friday/Easter Services begin in Manzini. “To the Praise of His Glory” is the theme and sessions are provided or adult/youth and children as well as evening worship. Pray the 2011 Good Friday/Easter Services will be a blessing to those attending. Pray for a wonderful time of unity and rejoicing.

Friday April 22: GOOD FRIDAY!!
Swazis do not have a word for Easter. When asked what word is used when talking about Easter, Good Friday is the answer. How sad to not know that hope did not end with the crucifixion. Without celebrating the resurrection they have left Him in the grave. Pray Swazis will see their hope lies in a resurrected Savior who is not in the grave!!

Saturday April 23:
SUB-SAHARAN AFRICAN UNENGAGED PEOPLES: Day after day the Zengaga people of Senegal live their lives without hearing “the words of prophecy” because there is no one to tell them. There is no known Bible in their language. There are no teachers and no preachers—no one to help them hear the Good News of Jesus. Please pray God will burden one or more of His churches to be missionaries to the Zengaga people of Senegal.

Sunday April 24: EASTER SUNDAY!!
Up from the grave He arose,
With a mighty triumph o’er His foes.
He arose a Victor from the dark domain,
And He lives forever with His saints to reign,
He arose! He arose! Hallelujah Christ arose!
(Robert Lowry)
Pray the Swazis will understand the significance of the resurrection. May they accept the victory found in our Lord Jesus Christ.

Monday April 25:
Seven True Love Waits missionaries will minister in Swaziland June and July (2011) sharing the True Love Waits message in churches and schools. Four “Hands On” missionaries will arrive in June and August to also share the True Love Waits message throughout the country. The “Hands On” missionaries will be in Swaziland until May 2012. Pray the Lord will continue preparing these missionaries for their task of sharing the TLW message in Swaziland. May hearts be touched and changed and the AIDS pandemic will lose its grip on the Swazi people.

Tuesday April 26:
With the new True Love Waits missionaries arriving in June, dynamics will change for the Swazi Team. Instead of 3 families (8 team members), the numbers will increase to 14 families (22 members). Pray the Myers, Allens and Hoskins will be able to adjust to working with the Lord’s provision of new workers for the harvest. Pray mighty blessings will occur!

Wednesday April 27:
Due to the shipment of Home Health Care Kits (assist AIDS victims) being denied entry into South Africa, the shipment was given the “OKAY” to enter Swaziland. The Swazi Team is blessed to receive these kits (BGR buckets). Pray for members of the Swazi Team as they begin preparing and training Swazi Baptist churches on the use of the buckets to help AIDS families care for their loved ones. Pray these victims will know they are loved by caring people and especially the Lord.

Thursday April 28:
Pray the Lord will be able to draw strong spiritual leaders from the congregations of the Swazi Baptist churches. Pray many Swazis will truly understand what it means to be a Christian.

Friday April 29:
The last week of May two volunteers, Hunter and Katy will arrive in Swaziland for a time of ministry and for Hunter the reuniting with many Swazi friends. Hunter as well as her sister Brinkley and father Jimmy have made many trips to Swaziland as volunteers. During their first week they will work in the Tshaneni area with the Myers and the month of June will find them ministering with the Allens in Mbabane and Hoskins in Manzini. Pray for Hunter and Katy as they prepare for their ministry in Swaziland. May this be a wonderful experience for Katy’s first trip to Swaziland and for Hunter as she returns to Swaziland.

Saturday April 30:
Pastor Mkhiliphi and his wife have been together for many years with many children. When young they were married in the Swazi traditional way but now wish to be obedient to the Lord and have a Christian wedding. Pray for this couple as they invite their friends, family, church members and community to their Christian wedding today at the Ntuthwakazi Baptist Church. May their wedding be a wonderful witness to their family and the Ntuthwakazi community.