OPERATION CHRISTMAS CHILD - Quarterly Day of Prayer and Fasting - February 5th, 2020
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Table of Contents Testimonies and Impact Stories 3 Praise and Prayer Requests from Africa 9 Praise and Prayer Requests from Americas and Caribbean 15 Praise and Prayer Requests from Eurasia 20 Praise and Prayer Requests from Affiliate Offices and Partner Ministries 26 Praise and Prayer Requests from IHQ 27 2
OCC QUARTERLY DAY OF PRAYER AND FASTING February 5th, 2020 Testimonies BELARUS My name is Galina. I work in an orphanage. Believers often visit our orphanage. I met them many years ago when they started to bring gift boxes around Christmas. They also told children about God and played with them. They were sharing their love with children. I was watching them and thinking, “Who are those people? How come they have so much love? Why are they doing it?” Orphans were always happy to see volunteers and receive gift boxes as well. I am thankful to all who are a part of this project, who collect and share love with children through those boxes. They appreciate and value them very much. I also received God into my life through those people who brought Christmas gift-boxes to us. I wasn’t a Christian before, but now I always tell children about God. One of my graduates also received Christ into his life. Many children change when they hear stories about God. Thank you very much and praise the Lord for everything! BOLIVIA Children in many places in Bolivia were not taken into account within their churches, and no one believed that they could be beautiful instruments of evangelism in the midst of their family, church and region. However, God is using Operation Christmas Child to change this mentality within the church. BRAZIL – RIO DE JANEIRO Testimony #1: In PIB do Rocha, a community of Mexico, a mother testified that her son was previously very difficult to handle, and the school came to praise her son for his good behavior. The mother testified that the improvement was due to the participation of the Operation Christmas Child project in discipleship. Testimony #2: A church in Belford, which hosted The Greatest Journey and previously had no children in their church family, celebrated the first church service with more than fifty children present with their families. To God all the honor and glory. Now the church has an active children’s ministry. BRAZIL – MANAUS Testimony #1: A sister is taking care of children from families linked to Candomblé (witchcraft). These girls cut themselves and one day they decided to tell their teacher that they wanted to stop. They gave The Greatest Journey teachers the razors. Today, these girls continue to struggle, but Christ has already strengthened them to take the first step to change their lives. 3
Testimony #2: The Discipleship Coordinator faced an illness and needed surgery. Today, she is recovering and is ready to return to project activities. BURKINA FASO A sick child attended an Outreach event. After a prayer done for the children, the child recovered from his sickness. The next day, his parents called the Regional Leadership Team members to tell them that the shoeboxes are really a source of blessings for the village. The event ended by having a new church in this village. Praise be to God. CHILE Testimony #1: A 22-year-old who attended a Vision Casting event recalled that in his childhood he had received a gift box. Seeing this beautiful opportunity, he wanted to participate in the Operation Christmas Child project in his church. It was a great blessing, because he tells that he still has the toy he received at that time. Testimony #2: Before beginning The Greatest Journey, a church in the Maule region had 20 faithful children. Today, after The Greatest Journey, the church now has 56 children. Glory to God for His work. COTE D’IVOIRE (IVORY COAST) During an outreach event, six children all brothers and sisters from the same family were present and they all received a box and they were very happy. They were afraid to attend The Greatest Journey class because their parents are Muslims. Praise God, they were able to overcome the fear and went through the 12 lessons and they graduated. They were so enthusiastic and full of love to share the Gospel. Their behaviors prompted two Muslim ladies in the neighborhood to come to the class and listen to the Word of God during the seventh lesson. We praise God for all that He is doing through this ministry. DOMINICAN REPUBLIC In one of the training events for The Greatest Journey, the Prayer Coordinator came across an 18-year- old boy. The young man had received a shoebox when he was a child at an Outreach event. At that event, he heard the Gospel message. He certainly can never forget how the event simply left a huge mark in his life. He went through The Greatest Journey as a student, and now at 18 years of age, he is now in the process of receiving training as a teacher to guide children through the best journey of their lives. ECUADOR The Lord responded with love and power in Rita Angamarca’s surgery. She was dealing with a tumor on her brain and God provided all of the economic resources that were needed for the surgery. 4
GABON During this past season, a child whose parents were impoverished attended TGJ faithfully. After one of the sessions, the teacher encouraged the children to pray for their parents. This 9 year-old boy invited his father to pray together, that God would give him a job. Three days later the father was hired by a good company. GAMBIA Testimony #1: A 9-year-old Muslim girl, Aja Danso, received a shoebox and joyfully got home and showed it to her parents. They were amazed when they saw a pair of shoes, skirt and blouse and other lovely items. Behold that day was her birthday and the parents had no money for birthday presents. The parents were filled with joy, went to the teacher to thank her for the gift, and said, “Please kindly extend our appreciation to your Christian friend for extending Jesus love to our daughter.” To god be the glory, Aja received Jesus and attended and completed The Greatest Journey. Testimony #2: Another Muslim child by the name of Amie, got a shoebox and opened it and she was thrilled with all that she got including school materials and a measuring tape, which she gave her father. With excitement, her and two other girls took their boxes straight to their (Arabic teacher) and asked him what he thinks about the gift items. Not suspecting anything, he made wonderful comments about the gifts. They told him, “You have fooled us with lies and told us to hate Christians that they are bad, demonic and evil influence. However, we know the truth now. If Christians from Canada who are far away from Africa could send gifts even to Muslims, that means that Christians are not bad or evil but good.” After a while, their Arabic could not hold back the tears. To God be the glory, Amie and her two friends attended The Greatest Journey, but two completed and graduated. They are all now regular members of Royal Kids Ministry. GUATEMALA Two sisters suffered the loss of their mother. They became orphans a month before the Outreach event in their area. They lived in extreme poverty along with her mother in a nearby village, when their aunt decided to adopt them into her home. The change of location did not change their socioeconomically status, as her aunt is also very poor. The girls had very little clothing. They only had the clothing on their bodies, and maybe one or two additional pieces of clothing. Both girls came to an Outreach event where they received a gift box. To their surprise, both of them received brand new clothes. God surprised them with love and kindness providing for what they exactly needed. They felt the love of God, as well as the fact that God knew exactly their needs. A couple of months later the pastor of the church shared that the two little girls and their aunt are still a part of the local church because of the love they received from God from a shoebox. HAITI Testimony #1: Pastor Medithe Sanon, of the Church of Christ Pentecostal of Cyvadier, reported that 45 children decided to follow Jesus after completing The Greatest Journey. Of these 45 children, half of them had no church that they were attending. Testimony #2: In spite of being confined to a wheelchair, Sister Katie Beautexte of Morel Church has taught and led The Greatest Journey in her church and has impacted many children’s lives. 5
Testimony #3: Robert, an 8-year-old boy, who is physically disabled but was able to participate in The Greatest Journey said that he felt included and the lessons touched his life. HONDURAS As a prayer warrior, “I am extremely happy because in our region, new churches participated with Operation Christmas Child, not only doing Outreach events where the Gospel was central to the program, but also going through The Greatest Journey discipleship program. Finishing strong to the point where our local church has officially established a children’s ministry program. We thank Operation Christmas Child for training our teachers to work effectively with children.” MALI In a region, three Christian brothers were taken hostage by terrorist/rebel groups. The National Prayer Coordinator, after being alerted, shared the prayer requests with all the teams and the different Prayer Partners. They persevered with prayer and in 24 hours, the hostages were all released. Praise the Lord. MEXICO The Strategic Prayer Coordinator for the state of Veracruz wrote: “We bear witness to how the hand of God has been evident in these first months of the 2020 season. We have seen His intervention, and allowing us to conduct our training events for Ministry Partners and The Greatest Journey in three different cities, distant from each other, facing a series of adversities and unforeseen events, it is wonderful. In addition, we have seen prayer meetings being held with excellent participation in each of them.” MYANMAR There were 75 children who participated in a distribution event and 30 children enrolled for The Greatest Journey. But because of some extremists they had to stop the lessons after 3 lessons. But believers pray hard heartily together with the teachers and by the grace of God, they can restart teaching. Before the event there were only 15 children in Sunday school but now more than 30 children attending regularly. PANAMA Testimony #1: In an area called Arraijan, a young man who was in a coma for days, after praying, God did a miracle in his life and is now healthy. Testimony #2: We were praying for two children, brothers, who wanted to continue in the discipleship class after the Outreach event but the parents would not allow them to attend. They would not allow the children to continue going through The Greatest Journey, however to the glory of the Lord, now they are part of Bible school in the community of Chorrera. 6
PARAGUAY Mrs. Caterina has 11 children and her husband is disabled due to a transportation accident making it impossible for him to work. Their eldest son sold drugs on the street, and two other children routinely went to the supermarket to steal so they have food or a toy that they liked. God guided us to this family's house. We talked to the father about the Word and invited the family to participate in the Evangelical event to be held in the church. To our surprise they went all the way to the event, and there they all accepted Christ as their Lord and Savior. Today they all attend church and the children graduated from The Greatest Journey class. The children and the whole family changed completely, from sadness to smiles and great joy. God has changed their lives in a powerful way. PERU An evangelistic event that was held in a place in northern Piura called El Tablazo, Pastor Jose Luis Marchan and his team had the vision and courage to go and share the gospel to children who had never heard of Jesus. As a result of the event they held, one of the villagers provided their home to open a new work with 85 children and 25 adults. They are currently gathering and the work of God continues to grow. RECA- SENSITIVE COUNTRY A 10 year old boy from the countryside wrote: “A sports team from a church from another district visited our school and organized games that we never played but only saw on TV. After that they read us Bible stories about Jesus Christ and did a lesson from The Greatest Journey, they also asked us and our parent’s questions. We enjoyed listening, but the most interesting part of the program was a gift box that came as a total surprise. I was very glad, and so were the other children. In my box I found everything necessary for school: pencils, markers, clothes, and flip-flops. We would like to hear more stories about God. REPUBLIC OF CONGO In one area, the doors were closed to the Operation Christmas Child ministry for a long time, but through prayer, this year we have had more ministry partners than we could provide opportunities for. ROMANIA Recently the Lord has done a miracle inside our Ethnic Communities (Oltenia). Four Hungarian women from Zigoreni received the love of God by hearing about Him. Two Roma families that came with their kids and after the Operation Christmas Child event took part in fellowship in a Baptist Church from Campulung. These people are now being used by the Lord to spread His Word and further His Kingdom. SOUTHWEST Testimony #1: A lady in Scottsdale, Arizona was packing shoeboxes with her son who was visiting from Los Angeles, California. When he arrived back in LA, his Uber driver asked about his day and he told the driver about making the shoebox gifts. The driver said he is from Guatemala and HE received a box himself at age 8 and it completely changed his life! He was motivated by that gift to come to America as a young adult and eventually was able to track down the person that donated it and they came to 7
Guatemala to meet his whole family. He learned from that gift how to be kind and generous and he was never the same. When packing the boxes, the son really didn’t appreciate how much these could actually impact someone but when he heard it first-hand, the value of it came alive for him. Testimony #2: Jaylynn and Joe are two young siblings who are homeless. They live in a motor home with their grandparents. Their mom and dad are both drug addicts and the grandparents also struggle. They park their motor home in the neighborhood of the Central Drop Off church in Salt Lake City and most days after school they come and hang out at church. The church feeds them, lets them shower and sometimes does their laundry. The children wanted to help all during National Collection Week and Jaylynn drew pictures and wrote letters to go in shoeboxes. They were such sweethearts and wanted to help so much. The faith of a child is truly beautiful. SLOVAKIA The Regional Prayer Network has been praying for a 3 year old child. She was diagnosed with leukemia and she had started chemotherapy. Results from the hospital in Bratislava are negative. Thus, no bad cells were recognized. Analysis in Prague is even more accurate, but even if the result was not completely zero, will be very close to zero. Treatments while continue (and will for about 2 years), but today's result is very good and we thank you for your prayers. Please keep this little girl in your prayers. UNITED KINGDOM Testimony #1: Staff and volunteers around the United Kingdom worked incredibly hard to gather in shoebox gifts and to process them. The head of Operations and Logistics said, “Just an incredible massive praise and thank you to God who has sent us the staff and volunteers and energy to deliver what seemed an impossible mission for this year. We have stepped out in faith with many changes and yet at this point it looks as if all the boxes have been collected and all those boxes will be sent on to the children.” With the news that one company was no longer going to be able to offer their shops as drop off locations this year, the prayer for an alternative was answered in the form of A-Plan insurance opening their doors for use as drop off locations. This, together with churches and local businesses around the UK acting as DOL’s meant that donors were able to drop off their shoebox gifts, 75 Church Collection Centers were able to share the mission of Operation Christmas Child and of the local church with donors as they dropped off their gifts. Testimony #2: A group of 25 British Telecommunications (BT) staff volunteered for a day at our regional Processing Center in Northern Ireland. After the orientation which clearly shared our Christian aims, one of the BT staff declared that he was an atheist and didn’t support the Christian aspects of the project. However he remained on site and began to process boxes. As he left at the end of the day he commented that it had been a great day, and that Operation Christmas Child is a great project and he would be recommending that his office would pack shoeboxes in 2020. Praise God for the opportunity for this man to encounter winsome Christian community that gently challenged his misconceptions about Christianity and Christians. 8
AFRICA Praise & Prayer Requests BENIN Praise God for the vision casting and the Ministry Partners / The Greatest Journey teachers training events which went well within the different regions. Praise God for the divine protection over the team’s coordinators all along their coaching trips. Pray for a divine direction in Recruiting, Selection and Training the new Regional Leadership Teams so that they could be oriented in the direction of the country strategic plan. Pray for the season of outreach events and The Greatest Journey classes to be transformational and impact the lives of the children and even the lives of the parents. BURKINA FASO Praise God for the birth of a new church. Praise God for the vision casting events throughout the country. Pray for the Ministry Partners and The Greatest Journey teachers training events to go well and help them be effective in their roles. Pray for a divine direction and protection over the new teams recruiting, selection and training process. Pray for peace and restoration. BURUNDI Praise God for the good health and protection of our teams. Praise God for the Ministry Materials and Boxes that are now sailing to get to us soon. Pray for the containers that are sailing to Burundi. Pray for the peace and general elections coming in 2020. Pray for the economy of Burundi. CAMEROON Praise God for twenty new prayer partners. Praise God for a scooter God provided to one of our Prayer Coordinators for his ministry with Operation Christmas Child among an unreached people group. Pray for an increase in prayer partners who will carry the ministry in their hearts. Pray for unity among our teams and ministry partners so that our season goals are reached. Pray for good health for all our volunteers as the start of dry season brings lots of sickness. CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC Praise God for successful Ministry Partners and The Greatest Journey teacher trainings. Praise God for the love shown to us by the Operation Christmas Child family during the passing of our Discipleship Coordinator who is now with the Lord. 9
Pray for the recruitment and selection of team members to fill vacant spots. Pray for peace and stability in our country. CHAD Praise God for the launch of a new season of vision casting and Ministry Partner training by several Regional Leadership Teams. Pray for evangelism and discipleship materials to arrive in time and in good condition. Pray for several volunteers and their families who are experiencing many health problems. Pray for the tense political/social situation to improve and for peace. COTE D’IVOIRE (IVORY COAST) Praise God for filling vacant positions. Praise God for the different Ministry Partner training events. Pray for the upcoming presidential election planned for 2020. DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF CONGO - BUNIA Pray for peace in the entire area and especially in the Ituri Province so that children in war zones can complete The Greatest Journey this season. Pray that God will help us to launch new Regional Leadership Teams in the locations of Mahagi, Mambasa and Aru this season. DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF CONGO – LUBUMBASHI Pray for the Ministry Partners and The Greatest Journey teachers to have the ability to evangelize and disciple children. Pray for gift boxes and literature to arrive safely. GABON Praise God for continued addition of ministry partners. Pray for peace in Gabon. Pray for a greater mobilization of ministry partners. GAMBIA Praise God for good health and protection for the National Leadership Team and Regional Leadership Coordinators. Praise God for the successful completion of Vision Casting in the different regions and Journey mercies over members of the team and God’s protection over our nation. Pray for our government and pending changes. Pray for this new season, that children will be willing and zealous to do the discipleship program. 10
GHANA Praise God for a successful and impactful Volunteer Conference in Ho, in the Volta Region of Ghana. Praise God for His protection, blessings and journey mercies upon volunteers in the various regions, as they move from one place to the other in the discharge of their duties. Praise God for a renewed commitment and passion on the part of volunteers in the various regions. Pray that the upcoming Vision Casting and training of our Ministry Partners by the National and Regional Leadership Teams will go well. Pray that the Holy Spirit will lead teams to select committed and faithful Ministry Partners for the training of the children and gift box Outreach events. GUINEA Praise God for unity in the National Leadership Team. Praise God for the mobilization in different areas. Praise God for the lives of the children who accepted the Lord Jesus through The Greatest Journey. Pray for upcoming elections. GUINE BISSAU Pray for the distribution of boxes by Ministry Partners and for The Greatest Journey lessons. Pray for peace after the Presidential s elections. KENYA Praise God for the opportunity to disciple over 41,000 children this season. Praise God for the unity we have among the Ministry Partners. Praise God for our volunteers as they continue to carry the mission and vision of Operation Christmas Child. Pray for strong and committed Ministry Partners this coming season. LIBERIA Praise God for the new season which is going well throughout the country. Pray for the shoeboxes to arrive safely. Pray for the volunteer teams and the Ministry Partners while they are focusing more and more on the Muslim regions. Pray for the on time arrival of ministry materials. MALI Praise God for the progression of the ministry in Mali. Praise God for the Unreached People Groups training event which helped to deeper prepare the hearts for this ministry. Praise God for the training events going well with the teams. 11
Pray for good implementation of strategies in different regions. Pray for the shoe boxes to safely arrive. Pray for safety within our country. NIGER Praise God for the different training events that went well. Praise God for the divine protection of the National Leadership Team members during their different trips to go to train or coach the other regional teams. Praise God that the door is still open to present the Gospel. Pray for peace and restoration within in the country. NIGERIA Praise God for overcoming logistical barriers. Praise God for the Outreach events. Pray for the National and Regional Leadership Teams. RWANDA Praise God for the boxes that have been collected all over the US and are now being shipped across the world. Praise God for the people praying for this season around the world. Praise God for our volunteers as they get ready to receive the materials and teach the children. Pray for the Ministry Partners as they prepare to receive the boxes for evangelism. REPUBLIC OF CONGO Praise God for successful vision casting in all our regions and a strong start to the new season. Pray for God’s help as we choose new volunteers and create some new teams. Pray for the ability of Resource Coordinators to learn the necessary accounting methods. SENEGAL Praise God for new projects to further the Gospel. Pray for the entire team. Pray for the health of the National Coordinator. Pray for the seed of the Gospel that it will bear fruit among the children of Senegal this year while we press forward with Operation Christmas Child. SOUTH SUDAN Praise God for the peace we now have in South Sudan. Praise God for another season that is coming up soon to reach over 35,000 children. Praise God for the Churches that will be participating this season that God’s mighty hand will be upon them. Pray that we will have a good season and good outreach events. 12
Pray that the teachers that will start The Greatest Journey classes will have wisdom to lead the children in the way that would be pleasing to God. TANZANIA Praise God for open doors to do ministry this season. Praise God for the shoeboxes and materials. Pray that the gospel will touch the lives of many children and entire families. Pray for the other follow up programs and trips to the Rufiji delta. May the Lord connect us with the right Ministry Partners who will plant churches in these Islamic areas. TOGO Praise God for the Regional Leadership Teams and the Volunteers commitment to move the ministry forward. Praise God for the good relationships. Praise God for the peace and restoration within Togo. Pray for the Presidential elections. Pray for the commitment of the children going through The Greatest Journey program, that they remain faithful in sharing the gospel. UGANDA Praise God for the training of The Greatest Journey teachers. Praise God for how He is using each shoebox to share His love and bring hope among Muslim families in a tangible way. Praise God for another season. Another opportunity to reach over 99,000 children. Pray for the Ministry Partners that are getting ready to receive boxes this season. MENA – SENSITIVE COUNTRY Praise God for a successful Volunteer Conference that help lead, equip and encouraged the teams as they start their new season. Praise God for filling all the vacant positions on the National Leadership Team. Pray for all of the trainings that will take place this season. MENA - SENSITIVE COUNTRY Praise God for equipping and training the new Regional Leadership Teams. Praise God for the prayer coordinators safety and the birth of her beautiful baby girl. Pray for safety and peace within our country. Pray for the completion of the National Leadership Team and Regional Leadership Team within our country. MENA - SENSITIVE COUNTRY Praise God for the training that took place. Praise God that He opened new opportunities for the teams to reach out to new areas. 13
Pray for the ministry, that we will impact lives among the unreached people groups. Pray for church leaders to have a new vision to influence children outside the church walls. MENA - SENSITIVE COUNTRY Praise God for the Ministry Partners training that took place. Praise God for the equipped and encouraged National Leadership Teams and Regional Leadership Teams. Pray for the Ministry Partners as they do their outreach events and present the Gospel. Pray for the children that are going through The Greatest Journey classes. MENA - SENSITIVE COUNTRY Praise God for the new ministry partners that are still interested in the ministry despite all the challenges. Praise God for a successful Volunteer Conference of two countries that was extremely inspiring and appealing for the teams to plan ahead for their new season. Pray for safety and peace in our country. Pray for the completion of a new Regional Leadership Team in one area. MENA - SENSITIVE COUNTRY Praise God for all the effective distributions that took place. Pray for resilience of the National Leadership Team so they stay strong and don’t lose hope. Pray for the security issues within our country. MENA - SENSITIVE COUNTRY Praise God for a successful season. Praise God for the dedicated National Leadership Team members who are ready to serve the Lord even with all the challenges they are facing. Pray for finding the right Ministry Partners who are ready to share the good news with children through the ministry. Pray for the unreached people groups. MENA - SENSITIVE COUNTRY Praise God for opening the door and the National Leadership Team receiving the gift boxes. Pray that the Lord will open the door for printing ministry materials in our country. Pray for protection and safety of the National Leadership Team. MENA - SENSITIVE COUNTRY Praise God for the gift distribution throughout the country. Pray for the filling of the vacant positions on the National Leadership. Pray for the Lord to open the heart of teachers to be willing to teach The Greatest Journey. 14
MENA - SENSITIVE COUNTRY Praise God for the National Leadership Team as they continue to carry the mission and vision of Operation Christmas Child. Praise God for building new teams. Praise God for the completion of Ministry Partner and The Greatest Journey trainings. Pray for Ministry Partners to reach out to unreached people groups. Pray for the recruitment of a Regional Coordinator for one of our teams. MENA - SENSITIVE COUNTRY Praise God for the enthusiastic and steadfast National Leadership Team. Pray for the National Leadership Team. AMERICAS & CARIBBEAN Praise and Prayer Requests BOLIVIA Praise God for the great privilege of having the Build a Box project in Bolivia. Praise God for having the honor of training Pastors, teachers and mobilizing churches for the spiritual training of new generations who will know God. Praise God for the new challenges that are presented to us in this new Operation Christmas Child season. Pray that the Holy Spirit will touch the hearts of Bolivian children to believe and receive Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior. Pray for the Presidential elections in April of 2020, that there would be an established government according to His will. BRAZIL – MANAUS Praise God for the effective work of evangelism and discipleship among the Operation Christmas Child Ministry Partners. Praise God that through the ministry, the Gospel has entered the interior of the Amazon region. Praise God that the recent surgery of our Discipleship Coordinator went well. Pray for a sister in Christ who is working with children from families involved with witchcraft who has had significant spiritual struggles. Pray for God to raise up two new Regional Leadership Teams for this 2020 season. Pray for our new Prayer Coordinator, Eduardo Yasuda, as he learns about this vital role on the team. BRAZIL – RIO DE JANEIRO Praise God for the training and unity of the new Regional Leadership Team in Niterói. 15
Praise God for the beginning of the new 2020 season, with opportunities for evangelism and discipleship among the children of the communities of Niterói and Baixada Fluminense. Praise God for The Greatest Journey teachers who have received strength to continue facing violent circumstances in some communities and the joy of serving God as disciples. Pray for God to grant a Prayer Coordinator for the Niteroi team. Pray that The Greatest Journey teachers will not be discouraged, rather strengthened every day to continue to disciple their students. Pray for wisdom for the Regional Leadership Team in Rio de Janeiro, to be able to move forward successfully every day. CHILE Praise the Lord for his care and protection with the Regional Leadership Teams and National Leadership Teams during the difficult times in Chile over the last 2 months. God has been faithful and Vision Casting events have been completed in various sectors. Praise God for the new Church Mobilization Coordinator for the National Leadership Team, God has provided us with a very faithful servant for this role. Pray for Chile and its current political-social situation. After 2 months of a social unrest, many have been injured and the capital has mostly been paralyzed. Pray for peace to be restored. Pray for the health of the National Leadership Team, as three of its members have been sick, requiring hospitalization and surgery. Pray for locations to hold the shoeboxes. COLOMBIA Praise God for our first training of Prayer Coordinators in the country and we thank the international team for this initiative and support. Praise God for every new Operation Christmas Child volunteer in our country. Praise God for his protection and help amidst the difficult circumstances that our nation is currently experiencing. Pray for the evangelistic events coming up, that the children who attend give their lives to Jesus. Pray for every child who still start The Greatest Journey this season. Pray for each teacher who will be teaching The Greatest Journey classes. DOMINICAN REPUBLIC Praise God for the opportunity Operation Christmas Child has given our country to host Ministry Partners and staff in February and March to observe Outreach events and be a blessing to our nation. Praise God for the passion with which the new volunteers are working this season. Praise God for the recovery of one of our dear friends. Pray that the Lord in His wonderful grace will provide the opportunity to reach out people in places of difficult access throughout this season. Pray that the Ministry Partners will continue to reach out to cities and areas where the project has not reached yet. That the Gospel message moves forward in a powerful way. 16
Pray that the vacant roles within our 18 regions are completed and that we will be able to reach 108 roles in all 18 regions. ECUADOR Praise God for The Greatest Journey, we continue Saturday after Saturday with a group of children sharing the love of God. Praise God for opening the door for us to be able to disciple a very difficult access Indigenous region. Praise God who is faithful in providing everything we need to fulfill the Operation Christmas Child ministry. Pray for the mother of one of our students who in six months has lost her vision and is undergoing tests to look for tumors or other causes. Pray for the children from the Shuar community in the Amazon jungle who have been discipled through The Greatest Journey but are very vulnerable to abuse, mistreatment, drugs, and alcohol. Pray for the new opportunities to share the Gospel during the 2020 season. GUATEMALA Praise God for the satisfactory results we had in Guatemala in 2019. Expectations where exceeded beyond our planning. Praise God for the lives, commitment and passion of volunteers in our Regional and National Leadership Teams. Pray for the impact of The Greatest Journey. Pray for the children and teens that will hear the gospel. Pray for spiritual awakening within the country. GUYANA Praise God for the good health of our Regional Coordinators as we launch into the peak of the season. Praise God for the new Regional Leadership Teams, especially in Unreached People Groups area. Praise God for successful Ministry Partner and The Greatest Journey trainings. Pray for safe distributions. Pray for favorable weather for secondary delivery through the jungle to the Brazil border. Pray for coordinators as they work among the Unreached People Groups in a Malaria infested area. HAITI Praise God for the success of The Greatest Journey program across Haiti. Thousands of children were disciples and many came to faith for the first time through the program. Pray that the social unrest being seen across the country will settle so we are able to implement the project. Pray for all the children who have become followers of Christ through the program. 17
Pray for all of The Greatest Journey teachers and team leaders across the country who lead the project. HONDURAS Praise God for the different Ministry Partners in remote areas within our country that just finished their training process. Praise God for each one of the children that heard the Gospel message and went through the entire The Greatest Journey discipleship program. Pray for the strengthening of prayer in our country. Pray for the entire logistics process in our country. Pray for strong growth among our Ministry Partners. MEXICO Praise God for the opportunity to host once again in our country a nation-wide training event for Discipleship Coordinators. Praise God for the opportunity to hold our final meetings of 2019 in Boone, NC. Praise God that most of the training events for Ministry Partners and The Greatest Journey have been carried out in a timely manner. Pray for the safe journey of the shoeboxes scheduled for the 2020 season. Pray for the more than 700,000 children that will receive a shoebox after hearing the Gospel message. That their hearts become sensitive to the Lord Jesus Christ along with relatives and neighbors. Pray for an increase of children enrolled in The Greatest Journey as well as more children going through the graduation process. PANAMA Praise God for the strengthening of training events that by God’s power will translate into more evangelism, discipleship and multiplication in our country. Praise God for the new Ministry Partners that have joined, and especially those with prayer warriors with the purpose of reaching children and their families with the gospel message. Praise God for the start of this new season. Pray for the new teachers this season. Pray for the Ministry Partners during their Outreach events. PARAGUAY Praise God for the life of each child that will hear the Gospel this season. Praise God for the simultaneous prayer gatherings that are taking place in different regions. 18
Pray for coverage for each of the National and Regional teams and each of their families, as well as trainers, teachers and volunteers. Pray for the area of Logistics. PERU Praise God for opening the new Apurimac Regional Leadership Team, that God will do great and wonderful things in this place of much need. Praise God for the privilege of working with Operation Christmas Child and the many lives that will be impacted in 2020. Praise God for the first prayer event held in Peru with our Regional Prayer Coordinators. It was a blessing and encouragement for them. Pray for all logistical processes. SURINAME Praise God for a successful Ministry Partner training that took place in the Para region. Pray for The Greatest Journey trainings across the country. Pray that the church leaders will understand and capture the vision of Operation Christmas Child. Pray for the ministry as it goes into new areas and regions. TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO Pray for the salvation of children throughout the east/west corridor. Pray for the protection and safety of our visitors on the roadways and as they visit these events. Pray for revival in our nation as the word of God is taught at these events. Pray for those who will be hosting events, that they would be filled with the Holy Spirit and power. URUGUAY Praise God for new Ministry Partners for this 2020 season. Praise God for all of the new teachers who will be trained starting in February. Pray for more Prayer Partners who can maintain their commitment throughout the 2020 season. Pray that Uruguay’s evangelistic events have a massive impact. Pray that God would double the percentage of children who enroll in and graduate from The Greatest Journey. 19
EURASIA Praise and Prayer Requests ARMENIA • Praise God for being able to restart Operation Christmas Child in Armenia. • Praise God for a newly selected National Leadership Team and for God’s leadership in this process. BELARUS Pray that God will help us to find children that never heard of Christ and tell them about Him so that children, their friends and family members will follow Christ. • Pray for God to bless Ministry Partners and teachers during the 12 lessons and after graduation, for His help to keep children interested, for the Holy Spirit to work, and for everyone involved to be encouraged. • Pray for God’s help for Regional Leadership Teams and National Leadership Teams in the process of collecting testimonies and reports. BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA Praise God for a good partners meeting where ideas and experiences were exchanged. Praise God for the success of logistical matters. Pray for a strong season with The Greatest Journey. Pray for the many children who will hear the Gospel through Operation Christmas Child. Pray for the National and Regional teams to grow in their roles, in unity and be strengthened. BULGARIA Praise God for 180 children in kindergarten who graduated from The Greatest Journey at the end of November. Praise God for the work of our new Regional Team in the North-West, which mobilized new ministry partners and with the help of the National Leadership Team, did their first training this year. Pray for opportunities for The Greatest Journey to be taught throughout the whole country. Pray for upcoming trainings. Pray for the protection of children and families as potential legislation might be passed to severely threaten their safety. GEORGIA • Praise God for new Regional Leadership Teams in Batumi. • Praise God for new Ministry Partners. • Pray for safe transportation of gift boxes. • Please pray for all Regional Leadership Teams and for wisdom to manage ministry resources well. Please pray for all Ministry Partners, outreach events, and children. 20
GUAM Praise God for the outreach events that are beginning. Pray for upcoming special outreach events. Pray for The Greatest Journey classes and the children who will be discipled in them. LITHUANIUA Praise God for a new Regional Team in Vilnius, the capital. Praise God for His perfect timing with the delivery of shoeboxes. Pray for boldness and wisdom of Partners to be able to invite as many children as possible to be a part of The Greatest Journey. Pray that many children would give their hearts to Jesus. MACEDONIA Praise God for new areas of ministry in the western parts of Macedonia. Pray that there will not be rain on the day of unloading the trucks. MALAYSIA Praise God for successful recruitment of ministry partners from the new zone and territory of Anglican churches in Tawau. Praise God for more openings for Vision Casting and interest shown in local churches. Pray for our Regional Leadership Team Logistic coordinator, Rev. Rajiman's family members. Our logistics coordinator has gone be with the Lord last month. Pray for replacement for our logistic coordinator. MICRONESIA Praise God for excitement from local churches. Pray for Ministry Partners to effectively host outreach events. The Greatest Journey classes and the children who will be discipled in them. MOLDOVA Pray for children to hear and receive the Gospel. Pray for God to use The Greatest Journey to teach lots of children about Jesus. Pray for the right number of gifts to be collected and sent to Moldova. Pray for efficient collaboration between the Regional Teams and local churches. MONGOLIA Praise God that we have 16 Regional Leadership Teams and hundreds of Ministry Partners and volunteers to distribute gift-boxes. May God bless each one of them. • Praise God that 80% of the Regional Leadership Teams started doing Ministry Partner trainings already. 21
Pray for team members to have unity in their understanding, commitment, and fruits. MONTENEGRO Praise God for the Volunteer Conference in October. Praise God for a successful 2018-2019 Operation Christmas Child season. Praise God for 5,979 gift boxes what we received. Pray for leadership within the government. Pray for our Ministry Partners. MYANMAR Praise God for the vision casting. Praise God for the volunteers who serve faithfully. Pray that God will raise up Ministry Partners which we need to reach our 2020 goals. Pray for the press to be able to print the materials on time. PALAU Praise God for Outreach events that are beginning. Pray for upcoming special outreach events. Pray for The Greatest Journey classes and the children who will be discipled in them. PHILIPPINES Praise God for the Training that the Church Mobilization Coordinators received. Praise God for the past 5 Training the Trainor’s ( TTT) events for the Discipleship coordinators . We had one more TTT event in Western Visayas to complete the whole country , which was delayed due to the typhoon that passed. Praise God for the faithful implementation of Resource 2.0 seen in the different regions through quick returns of expenses and receipts. Pray for the volunteers and ministry partners that were affected by typhoon Tisoy in Bicol, Tuguegarao and those affected by an earthquake in Mindanao. POLAND Praise God for all training conferences in the country, new partners and new teachers who wish to bring the Gospel to children and families. Praise God for every shipment and every single box that have been sent to Poland. Pray for a newly started season and new locations where we would be able to reach children with the Gospel. Pray for unity for all volunteer teams in our country. ROMANIA Praise God for new teams. 22
Praise God for The Greatest Journey and the many children who hear the Gospel through this ministry. Pray for the many teachers and students who are in remote villages. Pray for the newly made team from Caras-Severin County. SERBIA Pray for the National Leadership Team Prayer Coordinator who just lost her husband. SLOVAKIA Praise God for all the donors who have donated to the project this season. May the Lord give them a rich blessing. May the Lord protect them and their families. Pray for children to come into a relationship with Jesus. Pray for the families of the children. Pray for the protection of all volunteers, partners and children who receive gifts. Pray that the children will join The Greatest Journey. SOLOMON ISLANDS Praise God for excitement of local churches. Pray for Outreach events and The Greatest Journey classes and the impact they will have on the children and churches. THAILAND Praise God for the success in The Greatest Journey Teacher Training. Praise God for the success of the Vision Casting in many areas in Thailand. Pray for a full staff, that all positions would be filled. Pray for the hard work of all teams to prepare The Greatest Journey teacher training for 300 teachers around Thailand in January-February, 2020. VIETNAM Praise God for His servants from churches in Ha Noi. Together, they organized two crusades during Christmas reason. Many people received Jesus Christ as their savior at the crusades. Praise God that He is sending many pastors from overseas to Vietnam to open many teaching sessions on bible to believers. Pray for many Vietnamese people, including Government Officials to be saved in Jesus Christ. Pray for opening doors for the Operation Christmas Child program in Vietnam to be implemented. RECA- SENSITIVE COUNTRY • Praise God for everyone who takes part in this project. 23
• Praise God for understanding among Ministry Partners. • Praise God for unity among National Leadership Teams and Regional Leadership Team members. • Pray for recruitment and selection of a new Regional Leadership Team in the South. • Pray for God’s help to reach children from all regions of the country and to share the gospel with gift boxes. • Pray for more opportunities to reach the unreached kids with The Greatest Journey. RECA - SENSITIVE COUNTRY • Pray for growth of ministry teams. RECA – SENSITIVE COUNTRY • Praise God for the recruitment and selection of new Regional Leadership Teams in hard to reach areas of the country. • Praise God for the opportunity to do outreach events in this hard to reach area in November of 2019. • Please pray for new Regional Leadership Teams in hard to reach area of the country as well as for other Regional Leadership Teams to be filled. • Pray for parliamentary and the presidential election this year. • Pray for trainings and coaching meetings. RECA – SENSITIVE COUNTRY Praise God for Ministry Partners who continue to pray for Operation Christmas Child and encourage us not to give up and look for ways to share the Gospel. Praise God for members of Regional Leadership Teams and National Leadership Teams who believe and stay with us. Pray for the strength of our Ministry Partners. RECA – SENSITIVE COUNTRY Praise God for the new teams that have been built. Pray for open positions among Regional Leadership Teams. RECA – SENSITIVE COUNTRY Praise God for a successful season. Praise God for good stewardship of resources. Pray for Ministry Partners and Teacher Trainings in the region. Pray for the ministry to reach Unreached People Groups this year. RECA – SENSITIVE COUNTRY Praise God for His help in rebuilding team structure. Pray for a new National Coordinator. Pray for aligned Ministry Partners and trainings that have been planned. 24
RECA – SENSITIVE COUNTRY Praise God for the new team recruited and selected in a tribal area. Praise God for successful completion of the previous season. Pray for protection for the upcoming season. Pray for scheduled trainings. RECA – SENSITIVE COUNTRY Praise God for the new Regional Leadership Team that has been built. Praise God for successful discipleship. Pray for the new team as it starts a new season. Pray for the two Regional Leadership Teams, that they will grow strong and efficient. RECA – SENSITIVE COUNTRY Praise God for the new National Leadership Team. Pray for the scheduled trainings. RECA – SENSITIVE COUNTRY Praise God for the new team that was recruited, selected and trained. Praise God for the successful completion of the previous season. Pray for scheduled Ministry Partner and Teachers trainings. Pray for the Regional Leadership Teams to have a strong year. RECA – SENSITIVE COUNTRY Praise God for the new team recruited and selected. Praise God for the new Resource Coordinator. Pray for the new Regional Leadership Team, that they may have a successful year. Pray for the new Church Mobilization Coordinator. RECA – SENSITIVE COUNTRY Praise God for two new teams. Praise God for a successful coaching season. RECA – SENSITIVE COUNTRY Praise God for committed Prayer Coordinators in the region. Pray for greater alignment of the Ministry Partner process. Pray for continued multiplication of teams. 25
RECA – SENSITIVE COUNTRY Praise God for the new teams recruited and selected. Praise God for positions being filled. Pray for protection and timely distribution of all gift boxes. AFFILIATE OFFICES AND PARTNER MINISTRIES Praise and Prayer Requests AUSTRALIA Praise God for the Donors who are so generous with their time and gifts over the 2019 processing season. Praise for the dedication and generosity of volunteers in 2019, what a blessing they are. Pray for all the children who will receive a shoebox, pray that they feel God’s love. CANADA Praise God for our volunteer and church partners – for their commitment and dedication to share the gospel through shoebox gifts. Praise God that our gift in kind provision was tremendous in 2019. Praise God for our Processing Center volunteers. Pray that the Lord would continue to call Connect volunteers to the team. Pray for the Regional Managers and Area Coordinators as they recruit and select volunteers. GERMANY Praise God for many shoeboxes. Praise God for many volunteers in the two Processing Centers. Praise God for more than 30 seasonal staff members that supported us through last year’s busy season. Pray for the two Vision Trips in March to be inspiring for all participants. Pray for all the preparations for the Vision Trip, that all goes well. Pray for Connect Meetings this year. UK Praise God for 75 churches becoming Church Collection Centers this year and for them sharing about the mission of Operation Christmas Child with their local church and with those who dropped boxes off. Praise God for the high number of great opportunities in local press, regional TV and on national radio, especially through our Full Circle speakers (Rebeca, Bogdan and Angel). 26
Praise God for the opportunity to talk with and pray with those who volunteer at our Processing Centers. Pray for the continuation towards a lower number of Processing Centers in 2020. Pray for a strong Affirmation Campaign, aiming to speak to every church who took part in Operation Christmas Child in 2019 to celebrate with them and to encourage them as they begin to think about 2020. Pray for volunteers and Project Leaders considering attending the Connect conference in March 2020 that they would come with open hearts to receive what God has for them. IHQ/US DOMESTIC REGIONS Praise and Prayer Requests CAROLINAS Praise God for a wonderful National Collection Week and processing season. Praise God for all Carolinas volunteers who have served so faithfully year-round, as well as the short-term volunteers in processing centers. Praise God for his faithfulness and joy that has infused our region and volunteers this year. Pray for all of the Gospel Opportunities that the Carolinas region packed this year and that they would allow children around the world to come to know Jesus. Pray for all Carolinas volunteers to have a restful and safe start to the new year. LOWER MIDWEST Praise God for increased Gospel opportunities from our five-state Region, and engaged and passionate year-round volunteers. Praise God for the way our 546 Drop-off locations ministered to the thousands of donors who came through their doors, representing Christ in word and action. Pray for Area Coordinators from Illinois, Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska and Oklahoma as they gather for our AC Planning Meeting in February – that they would further capture a heart for multiplication. Pray as we prepare to host the Lower Midwest Connect 1Day later this spring, and for leader volunteers to bring their entire Area Teams to the event. Pray for our 45 Area Teams to be inspired and motivated by John 4:35 – “Open your eyes and look at the fields! They are ripe for harvest.” MID-ATLANTIC SOUTH Praise God for wonderful weather during National Collection Week and Processing Season last year. Praise God for a bountiful harvest of Gospel Opportunities in 2019. Praise God for the shoeboxes that were processed and the lives that were touched at the Baltimore Processing Center. Pray for the Mid-Atlantic South Area Coordinator Planning Meeting. Pray for Mid-Atlantic South Connect 1Day Event. 27
Pray for the Regional Team as we strategize how to grow shoebox gifts in 2020. MID-SOUTH Praise God for the great harvest of shoebox gifts collected in Arkansas, Kentucky and Tennessee during National Collection Week in 2019 and the volunteers who ran the Drop-Off and Central drop-Off locations, receiving these precious gifts. Praise God for the hundreds of volunteers from our region who volunteered at Processing Centers, preparing shoebox gifts for sending abroad. Praise God for all of our Mid-South volunteers who committed to be well equipped by completing their online training and who served faithfully in 2019. Pray for a harvest of many souls to Jesus as shoeboxes are given and children hear the gospel and hear about the tremendous, unconditional love Jesus has for them. Pray for renewed vision and passion for our Area Coordinators as they plan and prepare to lead their teams in 2020. Pray for the Mid-South Regions Connect1Day event on May 2, 2020 in Nashville, TN. Pray for the planning and preparation by staff, that the event would be a valuable time of equipping and connecting and that many of our volunteers from Arkansas, Kentucky and Tennessee would attend. NORTHEAST Praise God for the growth in servant leadership, seven Area Coordinators in 2019. Praise God for the increase of shoeboxes collected in 2019 resulting in more children hearing the Good News and Great Joy of Jesus Christ. Praise God for the faithful Prayer Mobilization Coordinators who lead monthly Regional Prayer Calls. Pray for called servant leaders to step into key Ministry Coordinator roles which will bring foundational strength to Area Teams. Pray for the quality and quantity of Logistic volunteers needed for Area Teams to multiply either Central Drop off or Drop off locations, which will increase Gospel Opportunities. Pray for continued engagement and partnership with Spanish and Chinese churches. SOUTHEAST Praise God for several Area Coordinator prospects. Praise God for amazing new volunteers. Pray for wisdom and a strong start for 2020. Pray for God to raise up more leaders for our Area Teams. SOUTHWEST Praise God for an increase in the collection of shoeboxes in the Southwest Region. Praise God for the opportunities to demonstrate and share the love of Christ with people during National Collection Week and at the Processing Centers. 28
Pray for many new leader volunteers to join us in 2020, especially in the areas of prayer, church relations and logistics. Pray for God’s leading on goals and initiatives for 2020 ministry plans. UPPER MIDWEST Praise God for a successful 2019 Shoebox Season. We are forever grateful for our ministry partners in the Gospel - our Year Round Volunteers, short-term volunteers and donors. May God bless them in the New Year. Praise God for a successful inaugural year of shoebox processing at the Chicago Processing Center. We are grateful for the management team, our associate staff, and the many volunteers who made this first year in Chicago a season of hospitality, efficiency and productivity. The children of the world will hear about Jesus thanks to their heart for the Gospel and for our Lord Jesus. Pray for the success of 1st quarter activities – Re-Commitments of volunteers, the technology that supports the Region’s Monthly Report and Affirmation Campaigns to express gratitude to our shoebox donors. Pray for a multiplication of new leader volunteers and team members across the Upper Midwest Region, especially in our developing areas that are without local leadership. WEST COAST Praise God for a successful and blessed National Collection Week across our three states, with growth in shoeboxes seen within our Regional Logistics Network. Praise God for a remarkable Processing season in the West Coast Ministry Center and the joyful shipment of over 1 million gospel opportunities - a record number for this location. Pray for the roll out of our 2020 Regional Theme and Vision. That it may embraced and applied by our Area Coordinators and leader volunteers as we head into the new year. Pray for the planning and registration for the West Coast Connect 1Day event in Orange County. Pray for an incredible response to our early season (2020) Connect volunteer recruitment efforts, specifically in Los Angeles County, CA. 29
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