24-25 august...4. pray for the 70 patients who recently received surgery at kothara hospital for...

2019

24-25 August

1800 537 767 leprosymission.org.au [email protected]

BY SUPPORTING people affected by leprosy, you’re participating in God’s mission for the world. We’re dependent on God to bring healing and hope to people affected by leprosy. Prayer is a powerful tool that recognises this trust in Him.

The Leprosy Mission is gospel-focused and Christ-centred with a desire to see all people experience fullness of life.

Your prayer engages in this mission.

How to use this GuidebookTHIS GU IDEBOOK is in a format that you can follow for either a large or small group, for a couple of hours or just a short focus.

The guidebook is divided into six sections focusing on different countries and project goals. It shows the prevalence of leprosy in each country, taken from the most recent global leprosy update by the World Health Organisation in 2017-18. You may like to focus on one or more depending on the time you have allocated.• Begin with the short bible study to focus your thoughts

on the Gospel of love. • Have a group chat about the country and project. You

may like to supplement with information from the website www.leprosymission.org.au

• Either pray as a whole group or divide into smaller groups to pray.

• Finish off your prayer time with The Leprosy Mission Prayer (see card enclosed).

In Jesus and through faith in him we may approach God with freedom and confidence.” — Ephesians 3:12

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“For Paul, prayer is not a substitute for Christian service; it is part of it. And apparently he cannot long pray for believers without longing to serve them himself.” D.A. Carson

Bible StudyRE AD :

EPHESIANS 3:14-19

14 For this reason I kneel before the Father, 15 from whom every family in heaven and on earth derives its name. 16 I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, 17 so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, 18 may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, 19 and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.

Paul’s letters to the churches he supports are full of his prayers for them. He is always talking about how he is praying for them. Paul never sees prayer as a secondary means of serving God. For Paul prayer is not less effective than a financial gift. Prayer is not less useful than doing something, like volunteering. Prayer is the seeking of God’s will, of God’s blessings, of God’s power to be poured out so we might better know and be made like Christ. How could it be the second option, the one we feel as if we do if we can’t give a gift, or give time? Rather prayer is what we should seek to do first.

When we pray we may well then long to serve others. Whether it is writing a card to someone affected by leprosy, making a financial gift, giving a short talk to our Bible Study group. “These things ought not to be done without prayer; conversely, praying with Paul will impel us to do some of these things, and more.” (D.A Carson)

Think about:

• Have you ever felt as if prayer is a less effective means of serving God, than giving or volunteering?

• Do you feel encouraged to know that for Paul prayer was a high and mighty service?

• As you pray for people affected by leprosy – maybe you can start by praying Ephesians 3:14-19 for them.

1800 537 767 leprosymission.org.au [email protected] 1800 537 767 leprosymission.org.au [email protected]

NepalCountry LeaderShovakhar Kandel

Leprosy PrevalenceNepal had 2,626 cases of leprosy in 2017.*

Gifts of Love Focus Children’s Scholarships

This will help children affected by leprosy obtain the education they need to rise out of poverty.

Project Focus Education

The Leprosy Mission Education Program helps ensure that children affected by leprosy and/or disability (as well as children from families affected by leprosy and disability) don’t miss out on receiving education. This project provides a scholarship so students can buy everything they require to attend school—uniforms, books and even food. Support covers primary, secondary and even tertiary education.

Prayer Points1. Give thanks for the 392 Nepali students who are affected by leprosy or

disability that we support with scholarships. Pray for their education, their vocation, and for their future.

2. Give thanks for the successes of the PACED project, which officially concluded on June 30th 2019. The project established 64 self-help groups (SHGs) and 16 cooperatives across three districts of Nepal. The participants, who are people affected by leprosy and people with disabilities, have benefited socially, economically and politically from the project.

3. Pray for the new IMPACT project, which will build on PACED, in three new geographical areas. Pray especially for the right staff and volunteers to be recruited for this project; particularly so that people affected by leprosy and disability themselves can be involved as leaders.

4. Pray for the Nepal Leprosy Fellowship and TLM Nepal teams as they work with Nepal’s newly decentralised government. Pray that they can establish strong relationships with local-level officials and that this may lead to new micro-funding opportunities.

You can also pray for The Leprosy Mission International

INTERNATIONAL DIRECTOR

Brent Morgan


Project Focus Advocacy

The Rights for People with Disabilities project works in close partnership with several disabled peoples organisations within Timor Leste. It aims to strengthen the voice of people with disabilities, both within their local communities, and at a national level. Project activities range from advocating for government policies (e.g. equal rights to education) to working at a community level to give people with disabilities access to small loans and training so they can start their own small businesses.

Prayer Points1. Pray for Francisco, the project manager for the Better Health project

(ended June 2019) and the ILS project (began July 2019). Give thanks for his commitment to people affected by leprosy, and pray for him as he trains health workers across the country in leprosy diagnosis and care.

2. Pray for Joel Costa and Victoria (currently on maternity leave), who run the Rights for People with Disabilities project. Give thanks for the way they nurture and strengthen the disability sector in Timor. Pray that they would continue to gain traction in encouraging the government to ratify the UN Convention on the Rights of People with Disabilities.

3. Pray for Nelson and his team of field workers, who support SHGs through the Community-based Rehabilitation project. In 2019, they are making a huge push to strengthen all 21 groups to the point that they will be independent of TLM and sustainable in their own right.

4. Pray over TLM Timor Leste’s ongoing process of establishing itself as a local NGO. Pray that their new, majority Timorese board would have productive and fruitful meetings, and that the registration process to become a local NGO (and potential name change) would go smoothly.

You can also pray for The Leprosy Mission Australia staff members

FINANCE

Geraldine Toh, Kent Zang, Linlu Liu and Bill Macdonald

Timor LesteCountry LeaderAfliana Nona Lisnahan Reis

Leprosy PrevalenceTimor Leste had 106 cases of leprosy in 2017.*

Gifts of Love FocusGrant for a Self-Help Group

This will help people affected by leprosy access their rights, gain employment, and become leaders in their communities.


NigeriaCountry LeaderDr Sunday Udo

Leprosy PrevalenceNigeria had 11,230 cases of leprosy in 2017.*

Gifts of Love Focus Self Care Packs

This will help people affected by leprosy and other neglected tropical diseases manage their condition and prevent disability.

Project Focus Neglected Tropical Diseases

The Strengthened Integrated Neglected Tropical Disease and Disability Project works among communities in Nigeria’s Zamfara State so they can access quality leprosy, lymphatic filariasis and disability services as part of an integrated health system. Working in partnership with the Government of Nigeria, together they are providing improved health services at a local level and are helping to ensure people with disabilities are included in society.

Prayer Points1. Pray for peace in Zamfara state. Ongoing instability (including attacks by

Fulani herdsmen) continues to endanger the lives and livelihoods of project participants. Pray for their protection.

2. Give thanks for the work of the Integrated Neglected Tropical Diseases project, which saw the rates of people affected by leprosy who already had a disability at the point of diagnosis fall from 12 percent to 6 percent. This means leprosy cases are being diagnosed earlier than ever.

3. Pray for men affected by lymphatic filariasis (which causes painful swelling), who will receive surgery through a new project commencing this year. Pray that through surgery, their pain would dramatically reduce and they would be able to return to a normal life.

4. Give thanks that six community health clinics have been modified, and are now accessible to people with physical disabilities, thanks to the work of TLM Nigeria.


CEO

Sheldon Rankin

CORPORATE SERVICES

Nerida Collard and Simon Xue


IndiaCountry LeaderDr Mary Verghese

Leprosy PrevalenceIndia had 90,709 cases of leprosy in 2017.*

Gifts of Love Focus Counselling

This helps people affected by leprosy overcome discrimination and stigma.

Project Focus Disability Prevention

The Leprosy Mission Hospitals in Kothara and Salur provide all important medical care to people affected by leprosy including Multi-Drug Therapy, reconstructive surgery, rehabilitation, physiotherapy, counselling and ulcer care. The hospitals also provide general medical services to their local communities.

Prayer Points1. Pray for the students of the Vadathorasalur Vocational Training Centre in

Tamil Nadu. Thank God for the provision of this centre, which provides a free vocational education to students who are affected by leprosy or disability, or come from marginalised families. Pray for the cohort of girls who are currently training to become electrical engineers.

2. Give thanks for the leprosy and disability champions developed through the PARTI project. People like Nagammal and Prabhu have been recognised as community leaders, who are advocating for the full inclusion of people affected by leprosy and disability in society.

3. Pray for the construction of a new mobile rehabilitation clinic, which will provide at-home physiotherapy and care to people affected by leprosy and disability in Tamil Nadu. Pray that this would reach people who otherwise struggle to access good healthcare.

4. Pray for the 70 patients who recently received surgery at Kothara hospital for disability caused by leprosy. Pray that their rehabilitation would go well, and that they would each regain full use of their hands, feet, and eyes.


CUSTOMER SERVICES

Tina Mitchell, Miriam Ullrich, Georgie Barclay, Lisa Sturzenegger, Kelly Lackovic, Angelene Carr and Alan Couper

ENGAGEMENT

Tim Collison


ThailandCountry LeaderDr Trevor and Heather Smith

Leprosy PrevalenceThailand had 345 cases of leprosy in 2017.*

Gifts of Love Focus Walking Aids

This helps people affected by leprosy obtain greater mobility and physical independence.

Project Focus Rehabilitation

The McKean Community Based Leprosy Control project and Hospital Based Rehabilitation project strengthens leprosy and disability services in the northern and western border regions of Thailand. The McKean Senior Centre promotes detection of new leprosy cases, and provides appropriate treatment whilst supporting government and health care workers. Project staff also provide high quality disability services to marginalised and disadvantaged non-Thai citizens.

Prayer Points1. Give thanks for Heather and Trevor Smith’s 50 years of service in Thailand. 2. Pray for the people from persecuted ethnic minorities in Myanmar, who

make their way to McKean for medical care. Pray for safe journeys, and successful treatment of leprosy and other conditions.

3. Pray for the non-Thai people affected by leprosy who were under McKean’s care, who were recently forced to leave the country when labour laws changed in Thailand. Many of these patients were taking MDT, and now face the threat of not completing treatment. Pray that they would find health providers who can supply MDT and offer nonjudgmental care.

4. Pray for the 28 elderly people affected by leprosy who live at McKean. Give thanks for the way they meet with primary students weekly and share their stories about overcoming the challenges of leprosy and stigma.


INTERNATIONAL PROGRAMS

April Holmes

MERCHANDISE

Supa Thejana, Jocelyn Lee, Joel Fernandes and Mark Macknamara


Papua New GuineaCountry LeaderNatalie Smith

Leprosy prevalencePapua New Guinea had 632 cases of leprosy in 2017.*

Gifts of Love Focus Train a village health worker

This improves the diagnosis and treatment of people affected by leprosy.

Project Focus Vocational Training The Leprosy Control Project aims to strengthen leprosy detection, diagnosis and management in the Western Province of Papua New Guinea. Many communities in the Western Province are remote and difficult to access, so health clinics in these communities have typically not received the training and medicine supply they need to adequately address leprosy. Working alongside the National Department of Health, the project will help make sure people affected by leprosy in remote communities are not neglected.

Prayer Points1. Pray for the new Leprosy Control project in Western Province of PNG,

which will train health workers and ensure that people in extremely remote locations are still able to access leprosy care.

2. Pray for Elma Maraga, the Project Coordinator of the new project, based on Daru Island. Pray for her safety as she travels across the Western Province delivering the project.

3. Give thanks for other organisations working in the West who are partnering with TLM PNG, including YWAM’s Mercy Ships and Australian Doctors International. Pray for more connections that will help expand access to care for people affected by leprosy.

4. Give thanks for the provision of a new office in Port Moresby, which is also a new home for country leader Natalie Smith.


FUNDRAISING AND MARKETING

Paul Andrews, Belinda Pettman, Leanne Li and Timothy Lam

Leprosy prevalence data was taken from the most recent global leprosy update by theWorld Health Organisation in 2017-18*.

24-25 august...4. pray for the 70 patients who recently received surgery at kothara hospital for...

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