Bridge of PrayerFebruary-April 2014

Dear MWB Prayer Partner, We love having your prayer support! If you would like to see this Bridge of Prayer online, go to our web site: www.mwb.org.nz. We now publish our Bridge of Prayer every 3 months. The next one will be sent out at the beginning of May 2014. Thank you for supporting us through prayer – Mission Without Borders NZ.

Background info and prayer needsWinter is at its coldest in February. Families need warm clothes, boots, and firewood, as well as food - and hope. March brings the start of Spring, with planning well under way for children’s summer camps. April means Easter with special services and opportunities for outreaches to many un-churched people.Please pray –FebruaryFor our field staff (Coordinators) who travel on treacherous roads to take help and comfort to families; and for our drivers who take deliveries of food and clothing over long distances, especially in Romania and Ukraine. Safety is a key issue for them.

For the staff and volunteers working with the homeless: Our StreetMercy staff and volunteers, and partner churches, need your prayers. We are seeing good results, but it is a difficult area of

ministry that takes much patience. The leaders in Craiova (Romania), Ionut and his wife (Salvation Army leaders), want to see their work expand to providing more care to restore personal dignity and good lifestyles (showers, haircuts, laundering of clothes for a start). Please pray for this work in Craiova, Straseni (Moldova) and Sofia (Bulgaria). Pictured: Marian, Craiova.

MarchFor a much over-looked group – the elderly and disadvantaged. State care for the elderly is virtually non-existent. Many elderly and disabled folk turn to the Mission for help – lonely, hungry, ill, without money. Pray for our MWB staff in Bulgaria who run classes (English,

computers - pictured) and Bible studies, and provide meals and clothing and pray for the folk that they might experience God’s love for them in a personal and life-changing.

AprilFor Easter outreaches: Our teams (staff and volunteers) in all 6 field countries prepare for special events at Easter – plays, puppet shows, films, talks etc. Some events are held in cooperation with local churches. Some are for sponsored families; for children in orphanages (especially Moldova and Ukraine); and some are held in community centres and soup kitchens and even out in the communities. These outreaches allow the Gospel to be communicated with special reference to the real Easter events.

ThanksgivingA letter from a pastor in Berat, Albania (we have started a soup kitchen and family sponsorship there):

“Greetings to the Staff and Supporters of Mission Without Borders!

I want to thank you for the wonderful cooperation that we have had during

2013 and for the immense help that the mission has given to our ministry. Through your support, we had the opportunity to open the Kingdom of Heavens and to lead more people to faith; and we have been able to take care of their physical and emotional needs, while keeping the focus above all, on their spiritual needs.

Secondly, I want to thank you for the new ministry that we started together: the Family to Family programme. This project has enabled us to assist 30 families, blessing them with food, clothing, and hygiene items. We have become a new member of these families and have shared the Word of God with them; we have counselled them, laughed and cried together and on one occasion, also seen a precious person leave us but be saved, and go to a better place in the presence of our Lord.

I have seen families like the N--s become members of the church, become faithful to our Lord and to spreading His Word. We have also witnessed families like the K--s leave the church and yet come back like the lost sheep and finally coming back home again. We have seen God take care of the families that have become members of our congregation because He listens to the ones who seek him and takes care of the widows and orphans such as the V--s and V--s.

I thank you, the mission and to those people that donate to it, with faith and commitment in prayer - without them, we would not be able to see so many blessings… (cont’d over).

Ps Petrit Sinaj, Berat, Albania

Last winter – MWB Moldova vehicle

Albania: (Pastor’s letter continued from page 1)

“Paul writes in 1 Corinthians 3:6, “I have planted, Apollos watered; but God gave the increase.” We are partners in the Lord, it is important that the cooperation we have keeps growing so that we see His Kingdom grow.Once more, I want to thank you for the cooperation, hoping that more families will become part of this project and that even more will join the church.In Christ, Petrit Sinaj, Pastor - Berat Church”

Please pray for him, the people at Berat Church and MWB soup kitchen, and the sponsored families, that God would continue to work powerfully in their midst.

MWB Coordinator Sonila at Berat Soup Kitchen (taken during sponsor tour, Oct

2013) – lives are being changedMoldova:Please pray for sponsors for newly enrolled families, especially in the northern parts of Moldova. Please pray also for new National Manager Anatolie Chirilov (pictured.as he gets to grips with his role and leads his staff. He himself was brought up in a State Home and understands the difficulties that such children face from personal experience and worked as a children’s work coordinator for the Mission a few years ago. Bosnia and Herzegovina:A Christian conference for youth (“Are You Ready?”) was held in January in a suburb of Mostar at a partner church. Attendees included teens from our family sponsorship programme as well as struggling families. Please pray that the fruit of hunger for Christ and young lives changed for good will continue in this largely Muslim country. Youth respond in Bosnian conference

Bulgaria:Bulgaria has a large population of elderly people. The Mission operates 11 clubs for the elderly and disadvantaged in Bulgaria. Please pray for our staff and volunteers how help run the clubs. Please pray that God will use the Bible studies and simple acts of practical love (food, clothes, Christmas parcels, English classes etc) to touch lives by His Spirit, giving hope and the gift of His redeeming love to those who come. Please pray for Sarkis and his wife Marina who head up our work in Bulgaria (pictured with a class receiving certificates for completing their computer course).

Romania:Please pray for warehouse manager Viorel (pictured at left of group) and his team of drivers and storemen (3 were there when we visited – the others were driving) who handle the large quantities of donated goods and food and take truckloads to various parts of Romania, to community centres, churches and other points. One member (second from right) received help from the Mission as a child and now works in the warehouse.Please lift Jimmy and his wife Ana who lead the MWB Romania staff in prayer, asking for great wisdom, good health and boldness in faith.Ukraine:A prayer request from MWB Ukraine’s National Manager:

“Dear Brothers and Sisters, I'm asking you all to join us in prayer for the situation in Ukraine. Please pray for God's grace and mercy upon the officials, opposition and all our nation of Ukraine. Mykola Bogdanets”

Please also uplift all of our workers and the church leaders in Ukraine at this critical time. Ukraine’s flag (blue/yellow)International and general needs

We have begun an important season of planning for our future work. This will culminate in a leadership gathering in the UK in September 2014. Please pray for all of our leaders that they would have great wisdom and inspiration in making plans for 2014; the field countries for their new initiatives; and the fund-raising and supporting countries like NZ that they would find ways to attract many more supporters with hearts for our field countries.