Click on this link to download and print the Prayer Calendar – June 2018
June 1/2
Give thanks to God for the number of people who have financially helped the compassion work by giving money raised at: coffee mornings, tea afternoons, BBQs, in place of birthday/Christmas presents, sponsored running, church choir concerts, offerings in church at weddings and funerals and many other ways. Please pray that other friends of Hands of Mercy will be able to help with the financial costs of helping the poor and needy in Mandaluyong and Baguio/La Trinidad. Give thanks too that the four boxes full of food, clothes and medical items have arrived safely in the Philippines.
June 3/4
More than 7,000 islands make up the Philippines, but the bulk of its fast-growing population lives on just 11 of them. Much of the country is mountainous and prone to earthquakes and eruptions from around 20 active volcanoes. It is often buffeted by typhoons and other storms. The Philippines – a Spanish colony for more than three centuries and named after a 16th century Spanish king – was taken over by the US in the early 20th century after a protracted rebellion against rule from Madrid. Spanish and US influences remain strong, especially in terms of language, religion and government. Self-rule in 1935 was followed by full independence in 1946 under a US-style constitution. The U.S. is a close ally and has provided military aid to help combat Muslim and communist insurgencies. Please pray that the Government will govern with integrity and give justice to the many families in the communities that have desperate needs.
June 5/6
Please pray for Jane Deles and her children and Perpetua Bucatcat and her children with the recent death of their husbands. Everyday life is difficult for families but when the breadwinner is taken from them, there is a lot of suffering for the wife and children when they do not have any regular financial income. Both wives attend the Mercy Community Church in Barangka, and they would be grateful for your prayers for God’s guidance and provision for the future.
June 7/8
Please continue to pray for two of the Hands of Mercy staff members who are suffering with cancer. Tess M. is recovering from an operation and is having chemotherapy followed by radiation treatment. Myrna currently is having a course of Herceptin injections as part of her post-operation treatment. Ara has been diagnosed with macular degeneration, Jane has a heart defect and is taking medication and Sally needed hospital treatment recently. Please pray for all the staff to have a full recovery and to know God’s peace at this difficult time.
June 9/10
Please remember in prayer the Philippine staff members who are preparing the new Profile Cards of the sponsored children and sponsored families for 2017-2018. This takes time as there are many photographs to be taken and information to be written as well as the printing of all the Profile Cards. Please pray for Fran and Julie in the UK office as they receive the parcel of Profile Cards which then will be sent with a letter to all the CSP and FSP sponsors in the UK.
June 11/12
Please continue to pray for Sally Escoto as she handles the many responsibilities as Director of the Compassion Ministry. Please also pray for Mila Espanola and for all the staff who help in the Hands of Mercy Philippine office.
June 13/14
Being a parent is never easy. Please pray for the parents of our sponsored children and for those who attend the Mercy Community Churches. Please ask God to give them love, wisdom and limitless patience in bringing up their children in situations that are extremely difficult for them. Please especially pray for single mums and dads bringing up their children.
June 15/16
ICHTHUS is the Hands of Mercy water purification business producing clean drinking water. The water refilling station is in Mandaluyong City and has two filtration systems producing both alkaline and purified water. Water is placed and sold in refillable containers of varying sizes. ICHTHUS welcomes walk-in customers and offers a home/business delivery service. Please continue to pray for the business that it will attract more customers and that the staff involved will be given strength and wisdom as they develop the business. Please pray for Greg, Arnold, Joey, Sally and Anita.
June 17/18
June 17th is FATHERS DAY – Please pray for the fathers of all the sponsored children and for the fathers in the families that receive supplementary food through the Family Support Programme. Give thanks for the men’s group at the Mercy Community Church. Please pray that God will enable them as they seek to reach out and help their neighbours. Please pray that the men in the communities who drink, gamble and harshly treat their wives, will meet with the living God and experience a transformation in their lives.
June 19/20
Please pray for the Hands of Mercy UK Trustees as they meet during each year – Samantha, Keith, Rob, Bob, Fran, Michele and Sarah. The next meeting is on July 3rd. Please also pray for the Hands of Mercy Philippine Trustees as they meet throughout the year – Beth, Myrna, Bing, Remy, Sally, Mila, Malou, Joey and Anita (pictured above).
June 21/22
Please remember in prayer the 30 families living in the Florante Street squatter community who heard recently they were being evicted, as the owner of the land wants to sell it. This is where the compassion ministry of Hands of Mercy began in 1997. There was a wonderful answer to prayer as the families have been given a loan towards the cost of buying the land by The National Home Mortgage Finance Corp. and the City Mortgage Programme but have been told the shanty homes will be demolished and the families must build new breeze block homes to include a toilet and electricity. This is a mammoth undertaking for these people who live in poverty. Please pray that the Hands of Mercy UK trustees will have wisdom and guidance as they seek to raise money to help as many families as they can to build a home.
June 23/24
The following information has been taken from the CARE Prayer Diary (Christian Action Research and Education):
- 2.3 billion people in the world – one in three – do not have a decent toilet.
- 844 million people in the world – one in ten – do not have clean water.
- Around 289,000 children under five die every year from diarrhoeal diseases caused by poor water and sanitation.
- That’s almost 800 children per day, or one child every two minutes.
Please pray for the children and their families in the squatter communities of Mandaluyong, Manila, that they may have the help to obtain clean water and a decent toilet.
June 25/26
The Family Support Programme is an enormous help to the very poor and needy families in Mandaluyong, many of whom need to scavenge each day to afford a meal. Hands of Mercy needs more sponsors to help these people receive supplementary food each month. We may not be able to change the whole world, but we can change the life of a “family”. Please pray that God will nudge concerned individuals to offer to sponsor a “family” with food items. £20 a month would make a great difference in a family’s life. Please contact the UK office on 01582 416151 if you would like to help a family. At the moment we have 12 families waiting for help.
June 27/28
Please pray for the five Mercy Community Churches as they meet each week. (Four in Mandaluyong and one in Baguio) Please continue to pray for the “Men’s Group” at the Mercy Community Church, as they befriend and help men who now attend the church, to grow in their faith and relationship with God. Please pray for them too as they reach out in practical ways to help their neighbours in the communities. Please also pray for the ladies who meet regularly to study the Bible in their “Home Groups”. May they too, mature in their faith and love of their Heavenly Father. Please remember in prayer Sevalyn and Godofredo who lead and share God’s Word at the Mercy Community Church in Baguio City. Please also pray for Sevalyn as she co-ordinates the Baguio Child Sponsorship Programme.
June 29/30
Please give thanks and praise to God for His great faithfulness to the Compassion Ministry of Hands of Mercy in the Philippines and pray that we all might have a joyful expectation of all that He plans to bring about in the future.
Find out about our compassion programmes and how you can help. Visit: Hands of Mercy Compassion Programmes
Return to News update and subjects for prayer