Dear friends and family,

Thank you all for your incredible support for Bread & Life International! 

Our team will be flying off for the Philippines mission trip this Friday, the 28th April. Not only appreciating the financial support that has been generously offered, we also value the importance of prayers as a Christian charity. 

Please see the following issues and challenges that you can pray for:

PRAY FOR THE PHILIPPINES, AS A COUNTRY:

• Pray for political stability throughout the country
• Pray for peaceful resolutions to the anti-government insurgent movements
• Pray for righteousness and justice to prevail in all levels of governance
• Pray that churches will work together effectively in transforming society
• Pray for a continued spiritual openness and a real hunger for the Truth

“May he defend the cause of the poor of the people, give deliverance to the children of the needy, and crush the oppressor!” Psalm 72:4

PRAY FOR SAN ISIDRO & RIVER OF LIFE MISSION (ROLM), THE PARTICULAR PLACE AND CHURCH WE WILL BE VISITING:

• Pray that there will be healing - for the hearts of the people as well as physical healing
• Pray that a fresh fire & hope will be set alight in the ROLM people, and that they will be strengthened and encouraged in their walks of life
• Pray that the medical/dental clinics will be used as ways to reach out to the people who are not yet Christians and for the Spirit of the Lord to bring about the salvation of souls, so that they may come to know the Lord and see Christ in all of His Glory
• Praise God for the building of the second orphanage. Pray for all the children at God’s Children's Home
• Pray that the children and youth will stand strong in their faith, that they would grow both in stature and understanding of the Lord, fully-committed to Him and thus raising up an new army for His Kingdom
• Pray for the Holy Spirit to work through the outreach team members at ROLM, many of whom are youths themselves, in reaching out to the youth who are involved in drugs and prostitution as a source of income
• The youth leaders at ROLM have recently been going out to feed hungry children they find in the streets with the hope to also make a connection with them to share Jesus. Please pray for God's will, provision and protection over this ministry, so the youth can continue to show kindness and share the gospel
• Pray for the prisoners to continue their walk with Christ and that their bible studies to continue to be fruitful and nourishing.
• Pray that the love of God would be manifested in all we do in service for Him, that many would be drawn closer and have fresh revelation of God, for salvation 
• Pray that the Holy Spirit would go ahead of the team and prepare the hearts of the lost to respond to Christ and would draw unbelievers to Christ through the preaching of the gospel
• Pray for God’s blessing to be upon Pastor Fely and the leaders at ROLM; that they would continually grow in closeness and dependence on God in their walk with Christ, both personally and collectively 
• Pray against the works of the enemy, that any weapon formed against Him shall not prosper. Bind every confusion, spirit of idolatry, and spiritual blindness.

“Blessed be the Lord, who daily bears our burden, The God who is our salvation.” Psalm 68:19

PRAY FOR THE BLI MISSION TEAM:

• Pray for good health, energy and safety in our travels. Also for us to be very sensitive to the Holy Spirit and really listen to what God wants us to do in the Philippines in terms of medical work and sharing His Message
• Pray for the spiritual development, strength, and growth of the partner churches and missions that the team will work with
• Ask God to give them the joy of service
• That all final preparations will come together for His Glory
• Clarity and boldness of speech on those that share the gospel message
• Pray for unity, protection, wisdom, guidance from the Holy Spirit in all we do, and for God to keep the team safe & strong mentally, physically and spiritually
• Flexibility of the team - to learn to trust God’s plan; to be flexible in our planning and be spiritually discerning (discern what God wants to accomplish on the mission trip)
• May God grant the team resiliency, ability to handle glitches and changes of plans gracefully and to not lose sight of the goal of sharing God’s love with others
• Restful sleep at night in unfamiliar surroundings and adjustments to cultural differences
• Good work relationships form in the mission to be one in spirit and one in mind; that the team will remember to edify one another (Philippians 2:2-5)
• To be true ambassadors for Christ through their actions both on and off the job, both with those they serve and with fellow team members
• Be good representative of Christ’s love to those we meet on the trip
• That team members will be abundantly wise and discerning as well as filled with love for those whom they will serve and share with
• Each team member will find a unique way to exercise their spiritual gift

“then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and of one mind. Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others. In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus” Philippians 2:2-5

PRAY BEFORE - DURING - AFTER

Thank you for reading all the way to the end, we would encourage you to pray for the Philippines and our team BEFORE our trip, DURING and even AFTER we return. To pray for God’s hands to continue the works in the lives of those whom He loves.

Love & Blessings,

Philippines 2017 Team / Bread & Life International