june.july prayer guide · disabilities stemming from polio, cerebral palsy, muscular dystrophy, and...

CURE International Prayer Guide June/July 2013

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June/July 2013

I will extol the Lord with all my heart in the council of the upright and in the assembly. Great are the works of the Lord; they are pondered by all who delight in them. Glorious and majestic are His deeds, and His righteousness endures forever.

He has caused His wonders to be remembered; The Lord is gracious and compassionate.

He remembers His covenant forever. Psalm 111:1-5


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Prayer “To pray for others means to make them part of ourselves. To pray for others means to allow their pains and sufferings, their anxieties and loneliness, their confusion and fears to resound in our innermost selves. To pray is to enter into a deep inner solidarity with our fellow human beings so that in and through us they can be touched by the healing power of God’s Spirit. When, as disciples of Christ, we are able to bear the burdens of our brothers and sisters, to be marked by their wounds, and even be broken by their sins, our prayer becomes their prayer, our cry for mercy becomes their cry. In compassionate prayer, we bring before God those who suffer not merely ‘over there’ …but here and now in our innermost selves. As so it is in and through us that others are restored; it is in and through us that they receive new light, new hope, and new courage; it is in and through us that the Spirit touches them with God’s healing presence.” (From Henri Nouwen’s book Compassion) Pray for the New Believer in your email who has recently come to Christ through the ministry outreach of CURE. Continue to pray for the impact we have on patients, both physically and spiritually. This month we will highlight our ministry in Kenya. Not only is the AIC-CURE International Children’s Hospital (CURE Kenya) CURE’s first hospital, it is also Africa’s first orthopedic pediatric teaching hospital for children with disabilities. What’s more, CURE Kenya is the first hospital in the CURE network to fully transition its leadership to national staff, with Peter Kyalo serving as Executive Director, Dr. Joseph Theuri serving as Medical Director, and Christine Kithome serving as Spiritual Director. Opened in 1998, this 30-bed hospital provides medical and surgical care to children with conditions such as clubfoot, cleft lip and palate, curvature of the spine, burn contractures, and disabilities stemming from polio, cerebral palsy, muscular dystrophy, and other congenital abnormalities. Located on the edge of the Great Rift Valley in Kijabe, CURE Kenya is situated approximately 30 miles west of Nairobi, the country’s capital city. In addition to providing medical and surgical care to children with disabilities, this hospital ministers to the spiritual needs of these patients and their families and has developed a strong network of pastors, lay leaders, and clubfoot clinic counselors, holding training and refresher courses to better equip these key individuals for identifying children with disabilities and effectively ministering to them and their families. CURE Kenya is the site of the country’s only orthopedic residency program. Certified by the College of Surgeons in East, Central, and Southern Africa, this program is widely recognized as one of the leading orthopedic surgical training programs in East Africa. Since inception, CURE Kenya has had over 105,000 outpatient visits, performed more than 29,000 surgeries for children with disabilities, and witnessed over 44,000 expressions of faith in Jesus Christ.


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Afghanistan Praise God for the compassion of the doctors at CURE Kabul. They see the patients not just as medical conditions listed on charts, but as real people with real stories. Pray for the local people as security concerns have remained an issue. They carry traumatic memories from violence in the past and live with the fear of reliving it. Pray that their anxieties would be relieved. Bethlehem Pray that we will continue to be faithful to the Lord’s guidance as we await His plans for CURE’s presence in Bethlehem. Dominican Republic Praise God for eight-month-old Elvis David Perez and his 23-year-old single mother, Maria Leonidas. Elvis was born with clubfoot. His mother was very upset and could not even bear to see her nephew, who is the same age as Elvis and has perfect feet. At three months old, the baby was taken to rehab at another hospital, which cost Maria $2,500 Dominican pesos each week until they could no longer afford the treatment. A friend approached Marie and encouraged her to visit CURE. They came and Elvis was treated at CURE. By the end of his casting and surgery treatments, his feet were healed and in the correct position. Elvis is currently in the final process of the corrective boots. His mother said that their experience at CURE has been amazing. For Maria, CURE is more than a hospital; it represents the support she has always looked for. Pray as Elvis grows older and learns to walk. His mother, Maria, looks forward to the day when her baby starts walking, something she had previously wondered would ever happen. Egypt Praise God for the children who have undergone surgeries in the last month. Praise Him that young patients look forward to going to physiotherapy sessions because the staff has worked hard to make it a positive experience for the children. Pray as political tension continues in Egypt. Pray that CURE’s patients, staff, and hospital would remain safe as protests take place throughout the country. Pray also that these concerns would not inhibit patients from traveling to CURE. Pray for protection on their journeys. Ethiopia Praise God for favor in relations with the government, the community, and individual families and patients. Praise Him for all of the ways children and families hear about CURE, especially by word of mouth. Pray for patients who have become believers through the ministry of CURE. Pray especially for those who have returned to communities where they are now the minority. Pray for strength and courage for those who find it difficult to go back to their families and villages.


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Malawi Praise God for the Marriage Encounter weekend that the spiritual team hosted. This was a weekend where members of staff leave the pressures of work and family and go somewhere to focus on God and their spouses. A first-time attendee testified, “After attending the Marriage Encounter training, I now know very well how I can approach my wife and my daughter in whatever situation I find myself in, the thing I wholeheartedly believe will strengthen our relationship in my marriage. My wife is now very happy for the change and I feel that she also has been changed in certain areas that will make our family better.” Pray as the Jersey Oversees Aid Commission team is busy working on renovating CURE Malawi’s hostel to make it more appealing for guests. The hostel serves as a source of revenue for the hospital. Niger Praise God that more and more Nigerien pastors are coming to the hospital and bringing patients. Praise Him as this may lead to opened doors and more opportunities to give the pastors more credibility in Niger as they work towards finding healing at CURE for those in their communities. Pray for the security of Niger. Recently there have been a number of terrorist attacks throughout the country. Pray for continued protection of the hospital, and the hospital personnel. Also, pray for the protection of the local churches, some of which have recently been under attack. Philippines Praise God that the construction of the hospital continues to move forward as planned. Its exterior walls are almost competed and its interior walls are in process. Pray that funding would come in to supply the hospital with medical equipment. Uganda Praise God for the opportunity to counsel and disciple mothers who make decisions for Christ. Seit Gamar, the mother of baby Juma William, is a mother from Southern Sudan who thought she had committed many sins and God was punishing her by giving birth to a baby with hydrocephalus. She came to the hospital very angry with God, but left having given her life to God and beginning a journey of trusting Him. Pray that the truth of the Gospel will continue to be declared and demonstrated at CURE Uganda so that other mothers like Seit Gamar may find peace and hope in Christ. United Arab Emirates Praise God for Oasis Hospital’s ongoing relationship with the royal family. The family has been a great source of encouragement and financial support for the hospital.


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United Arab Emirates (Continued) Pray as Oasis Hospital will have major leadership transitions over the coming months. Pray that God would continue to make Oasis Hospital a place that glorifies Him. Pray that these new members of leadership would guide the staff into a greater vision for Oasis Hospital and that the transition would be smooth. Pray also that the patient relations department would be able to find a qualified candidate who speaks Urdu to join the team. Zambia Praise God for a team of plastic surgeons that visited the hospital this month. Praise Him for the transforming surgeries the team was able to perform during their time in Zambia. Pray for the country of Zambia and its president, Michael Sata. The country’s economy has been weakening and prices have been on the incline. Pray for wisdom as President Sata and the leadership of Zambia makes decisions that will affect the entire country. CURE Clubfoot Worldwide (CCW) Praise God that Linda Hansen and Phil Hudson were able to successfully travel to and train new CCW coordinators in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). The training had previously had to be canceled twice because of escalated conflict earlier this year. The counseling training done by Phil went extremely well. On the final day of the training, Phil asked the participants if the counseling training was what they had expected. They were all very enthusiastic about the huge impact and value that the additional counselor training would add to the medical treatment. The director of the partner organization, Masika Prosperine, said, “This is a wonderful program and I'm so glad CURE has bought this to DRC. It is rare to have partners who recognize the importance of the spiritual needs people have. Sometimes we have been able to work with groups on a spiritual level, but to be supported to do this and work one-to-one with people is very unique.” Pray as the coordinators begin putting their new training into practice and that the CCW program would grow deeper and stronger in the DRC. CURE Hydrocephalus Praise God for the completed construction project of the additional operating theatre, ward, and ICU and the expansion to the outpatient clinic areas. There was ribbon-cutting ceremony on May 31, 2013. The ceremony’s attendees included local medical and church leaders and members of the CURE Uganda board. A choir of seven children who had been patients at the hospital sang and danced. A group of dancers comprised of CURE Uganda hospital staff also performed, and Eunice, a former patient, and her mother spoke. Pray for continued blessings on the staff at CURE Uganda. Pray for financial help to continue the hospital's work, especially in training and supporting the surgeons they train through CURE Hydrocephalus.


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CURE Board Praise God for the commitment the CURE board members have made to the organization and for their excitement about what God has done, is doing, and will continue to do through CURE. Home Office Praise God as CURE Headquarters welcomes a new Director of Human Resources. Krystell Fox has her Senior Professional in Human Resources certification and has a significant experience in human resources and finance. CURE is excited that she has joined the organization and look forward to her leadership in human resources. Pray for the extensive staff travel scheduled for this summer. Please use these lines to add prayers and praises as they come up over the next month.

701 Bosler Avenue • Lemoyne, PA 17043 • 717-730-6706 •

www.cure.org • [email protected]

june.july prayer guide · disabilities stemming from polio, cerebral palsy, muscular dystrophy, and...

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