Transforming Communities is about revealing hope where things feel hopeless. It’s about local people facing crushing poverty creating lasting change themselves. Families and communities breaking free from extreme poverty. This week, pray for the expansion of our Transforming Communities work across South Sudan.
Sunday 12 January
Extreme poverty impacts every aspect of a person’s life, devastating families, destroying local businesses and draining communities of their resources. This overwhelming reality is not God’s plan for our world. Pray that through our Transforming Communities work with the local church, churches can empower their communities to recognise challenges and release people’s God-given potential to overcome them.
Monday 13 January
Charles is 68, married and has two children. Before the training he received through his local church, he lived without income and felt he had lost hope. Life is hard in Mundri, where people have struggled to recover from a civil conflict that has pushed people deeper into poverty. Pray for Charles and other people in South Sudan – that they would experience a deep sense of God’s love for them in these challenging times.
Tuesday 14 January
‘When I was introduced to Tearfund’s training in my church, I was inspired by the Bible verses in Matthew’s gospel,’ says Charles. ‘These verses, where Jesus empowers his disciples to feed over 5,000 people, illuminated my mind to think in God’s way. I realised my God-given potential, needs, resources and priorities.’ Pray that more people would be inspired by the training.
Wednesday 15 January
A busy mother of six children, Jenifer took part in Transforming Communities training in her local church. ‘I have learnt from the book of Genesis about God’s purpose in creating us in his image, and not to depend on handouts or others.’ Thank God that he has helped Jenifer see her worth in him as a precious daughter.
Thursday 16 January
Praise God that Jenifer joined a tailoring school and is now running her own business, her new-found sense of identity and purpose spurring her on. ‘Our family relationship has been improved. I go to church services together with my family including my husband, which was not the case before [the Transforming Communities training].’
Friday 17 January
Before joining the training through her local church, Jenifer said, ‘I have nothing.’ Now, her vision is to start a training school for others so that they too could be trained in tailoring. Thank God for giving Jenifer this vision and pray that it comes to fruition.
Saturday 18 January
Lord, we thank you for the growth of the Transforming Communities programme. We pray that thousands more local churches around the world will help people turn their lives around for good. Amen.
