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A Month of Missions-Minded Prayer

Prayers are vital to the longevity and influence of missionaries in the places they’re sent. Though they may carry impressive knowledge or have an inspiring willingness to serve, their own human strength isn’t always going to be enough—they need help. Thankfully, we serve an all-powerful God who is faithful to intervene in ways beyond our own limitations. 

Though not everyone will call themselves an intercessor, as believers, we are all called to pray. Why not press in closer to God and support a global worker through intentional prayer? Why not choose one month this year to devote to serving a worker in a way that is powerful and effective? 

If you’re up for the task of committing a month to prayer, consider following our guide to lead you. Each prayer can be offered on behalf of a specific worker or the mission field in general. If you are personally connected to a global worker, we encourage you to reach out and ask them if they have any specific prayer needs. Incorporate those into your month of prayer and let them know you’re lifting them up. 

Let’s jump in expectantly, knowing that He is capable of answering each and every one of our prayers! 

I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.

John 15:5

Week One 

Focus: The Worker’s Relationship with God 

Day 1: Take a moment to lift the global worker up in prayer. Pray that they may be confident in God’s Word, knowing it to be not only trustworthy and reliable, but living! 

“All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.” 2 Timothy 3:16-17 

Day 2: Pray today that the worker would be filled with God’s Spirit—a vital requirement for being effective on the mission field. 

“But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you.” John 14:26 

“So I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. For the flesh desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the flesh. They are in conflict with each other, so that you are not to do whatever you want.But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law… But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.” Galatians 5:16-18, 22-23 

Day 3: Let’s pray that the worker will continue growing in their faith, becoming fully mature in Christ. 

“Anyone who lives on milk, being still an infant, is not acquainted with the teaching about righteousness. But solid food is for the mature, who by constant use have trained themselves to distinguish good from evil.” Hebrews 5:13-14 

Day 4: Just as we all need rest, pray especially for the spiritual rest of the worker today.  

“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.” Matthew 11:28 

Day 5: Sometimes it’s hard to be obedient when the Lord asks you to do something you’re uncomfortable doing. Pray today that the worker would be obedient, that it may lead to the salvation of others and more glory to God. 

“For just as through the disobedience of the one man the many were made sinners, so also through the obedience of the one man the many will be made righteous.” Romans 5:19 

Day 6: Pray today for victory for the worker when experiencing spiritual warfare.  

“For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does.The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds.We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.” 2 Corinthians 10:3-5 

Day 7: Pray that the worker will hold firm, continually knowing and remembering their identity in God. 

“For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.” Ephesians 2:10 

Week Two 

Focus: The Worker’s Country of Service 

Day 8: Pray for the protection of the sovereignty of the country. 

“And I will give peace in the land, and you shall lie down, and none shall make you afraid: and I will rid evil animals out of the land, neither shall the sword go through your land.” Leviticus 26:6 

Day 9: Pray for the country’s leader(s) to be responsible and wise. 

“Happy is the land whose king is a noble leader and whose leaders feast at the proper time to gain strength for their work, not to get drunk.” Ecclesiastes 10:16-17 

Day 10: Pray for blessings over the land. 

“I will make them and the places surrounding my hill a blessing. I will send down showers in season; there will be showers of blessing. The trees will yield their fruit, and the ground will yield its crops; the people will be secure in their land. They will know that I am the Lord, when I break the bars of their yoke and rescue them from the hands of those who enslaved them.” Ezekiel 34:26-27 

Day 11: Many people have prayed prayers over the land that the worker is serving in. Pray that those prayers will be answered. 

“If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land.” 2 Chronicles 7:14 

Day 12: Pray for peace among the residents of the country. 

“Let us therefore make every effort to do what leads to peace and to mutual edification.” Romans 14:19 

Day 13: Pray for provision for the people—that it may be a prosperous nation. 

“All creatures look to you to give them their food at the proper time. When you give it to them, they gather it up; when you open your hand, they are satisfied with good things.” Psalm 104:27-28 

Day 14: Pray that there would be revival and a spiritual awakening across the nation. 

“Restore us, Lord God Almighty; make your face shine on us, that we may be saved.” Psalm 80:19 

Week Three 

Focus: The Worker’s Wellbeing 

Day 15: Pray for the worker as they continue learning the country’s language and culture. Pray they would adjust well and not be stressed. 

“Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 4:6-7 

Day 16: Pray that the worker would collaborate well, and not quarrel, with the other Christians in their serving country. 

“But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin.” 1 John 1:7 

Day 17: Pray that even when things get hard, they will still find joy. 

“In all this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. These have come so that the proven genuineness of your faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed.” 1 Peter 1:6-7 

Day 18: Pray for Christ-like humility to characterize the worker. 

“Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time.” 1 Peter 5:6 

Day 19: Pray for the worker’s financial provision. 

“And God is able to bless you abundantly, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work.” 2 Corinthians 9:8 

Day 20: Pray for the worker’s physical health. If you know they need healing, pray for healing; otherwise, pray that the worker remains healthy. 

“Beloved, I pray that in all respects you may prosper and be in good health, just as your soul prospers.” 3 John 1:2 NASB 

Day 21: Pray for the worker’s mental health. Christian workers are not exempt from depression, anxiety, and other mental hardships. Pray for healing where it’s needed, and for their faith to remain firm in all circumstances.  

“Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and pleading with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 4:6-7 

Week Four 

Focus: The Worker in Action 

Day 22: Pray for unity and effectiveness among their team.  

“Now I urge you, brothers and sisters, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you all agree and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be made complete in the same mind and in the same judgment.” 1 Corinthians 1:10 

Day 23: Pray that God would use the worker, and those they are connected with, to plant and multiply churches successfully.  

“…Be strong and courageous, and do the work. Do not be afraid or discouraged, for the Lord God, my God, is with you. He will not fail you or forsake you until all the work for the service of the temple of the Lord is finished.” 1 Chronicles 28:20 

Day 24: Pray that the Gospel message will be clear through them. 

“And pray for us, too, that God may open a door for our message, so that we may proclaim the mystery of Christ, for which I am in chains. Pray that I may proclaim it clearly, as I should.” Colossians 4:3-4 

Day 25: Pray that God will open the hearts of the people in that nation. 

“One of those listening was a woman from the city of Thyatira named Lydia, a dealer in purple cloth. She was a worshiper of God. The Lord opened her heart to respond to Paul’s message.” Acts 16:14 

Day 26: Pray that the worker would have perseverance to continue the good work. 

“Seek the Lord and His strength; Seek His face continually.” 1 Chronicles 16:11 NASB 

“Blessed is a man who perseveres under trial; for once he has been approved, he will receive the crown of life which the Lord has promised to those who love Him.” James 1:12 NASB 

Day 27: Pray that the worker would successfully make disciples. Pray for a multiplication of disciples across the worker’s serving country! 

“Go, therefore, and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit.” Matthew 28:19 

Day 28: Pray that God reveal Himself through the worker with signs and wonders. 

“So Paul and Barnabas spent considerable time there, speaking boldly for the Lord, who confirmed the message of his grace by enabling them to perform signs and wonders.” Acts 14:3 

Thank you for your commitment in pursuing God’s Kingdom here on earth! We hope that spending a month in prayer has brought you closer to God and has stirred more passion in what He’s doing through missions. 

 Want to join in prayer but would rather have a printable version of this prayer calendar?

Click below for the PDF:

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Did you know?

This article, and others like it, can be found on the Global Missions Toolbox – a resource created by The Sending Collective.
Check it out here: https://globalmissionstoolbox.com

Written by:

Leanne Monge Barrera

Leanne Monge Barrera is currently serving in central Canada as a storyteller and social media content creator with GEM Canada. She also serves at home, homeschooling her four children.

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Stories from Our Missionaries: God’s Call to Europe

How do you know what God is calling you to do?    

In a world of seemingly endless possibilities, it may feel overwhelming to find the answer. Perhaps you know you’re meant to serve missionally––but do you know how?   

Thankfully, as we spend time with God, He speaks to us. He tells us, often uniquely, what is best for us, directing our path. Greater Europe Mission’s global workers are no exception. God called each to serve in a continent that is hungry for truth, but lacking in true Gospel teachings.  

These GEM workers shared with us the unique ways God called them to serve in Europe.   

***  

DP Strellman found God directing him to great need and historic opportunity in Russia.  

In 1990, I was between jobs and spoke fluent Spanish. I thought perhaps God could use my business skills in some way in Latin America, so I loaded a backpack and travelled for four months in Mexico, Ecuador, and Chile. At the end of the trip, I realized that God had plenty of workers there. I wasn’t really needed.


When the Berlin wall fell in 1989, many countries were opened to the Gospel for the first time in years. In 1992, I headed to Moscow, not knowing a word of Russian. I served in a new bilingual church and helped in the Moscow Billy Graham crusade where 100,000 came to hear the Gospel. I ended up serving Russian evangelists for 12 years during the most open years of its history, which led to another 18 years serving in Eastern Europe where the need is still great. I am so glad I didn’t limit myself to Latin America!  

***  

Allison De La Torre’s sister lived in Europe for over 15 years and married a German, so the continent already had a big place in Allison’s heart.  

In November 2022, God clearly spoke to me that He was calling me overseas for His mission. As I pursued different options, I learned about GEM, and I had both peace and major excitement. The kind of work I’ll get to do with GEM aligns with multiple dreams of mine…God has clearly written this as the next step in my “career” journey.  

Allison’s heart goes out to those who intentionally or unintentionally keep Jesus at a far distance. She hopes as she moves from missionary appointee to cross-cultural worker, she’ll see a revival like that of the Acts Church 2000 years ago.   

***  

Dave Zehr’s obedience to God’s calling led to a successful church plant in Austria.  

When I completed my junior year at Taylor University in 1952, the quartet I was singing with was asked to go to Germany to help Youth for Christ with tent campaigns for the summer. We saw approximately 1,000 decide for Christ that summer, but then learned from some of the young people that they had no local gospel preaching church in their area. At that moment, a seed was planted in my heart.  

Four years later, after determining God was leading my wife and me to Germany, we went to a small church in Ohio for some pastoral experience. During that time, we were appointed with GEM and in April of 1962, we headed for Germany, fully supported at $435 per month.  

After leading Dave and his wife to Germany, and then to Austria––where there were no GEM missionaries––He connected them with a zealous, local Christian lady. Together, they started a home Bible study that is now currently one of the largest Evangelical churches in Austria.   

***  

“My life has been made up of God presenting me with opportunities of many types, and serving Him in Europe is no exception,” Fred Naff starts.  

I went to Florence, Italy for my last year of college, studying architecture. While I was there, I met a couple with InterVarsity (IFES) and joined a summer evangelism team in the town of Perugia after my studies were done. I ended up going back to Perugia two years later with InterVarsity to try to reach university students for Christ. While I was there, I met my wife, who is Greek, and I moved to Greece to marry her in 1988. We thought of leaving Greece for the US, but the Lord brought me an opportunity to serve Him as an architect with GEM. So, I started doing that in 1995 and have been doing it ever since with GEM Design Group.  

*** 

Kathy Stalnaker spent 34 years serving in Belgium and the Netherlands, but it all started in the US.  

Not long after we were married, Cecil and I decided to attend the Urbana Missions Conference to see what the Lord would show us. Each evening in their sports arena, we watched a multi-media presentation about a different part of the world. On the evening that they featured Europe, we were both struck by all the cathedrals there that were mostly empty.   

A few years later, at GEM’s candidate school, we learned that there was a need for professors in the French side of the Belgian Bible Institute. We also learned that in the US there was one Christian worker for every several hundred people, while in Belgium there was only one Evangelical worker for every 32,000 people.  

Through these findings, God stirred their hearts to serve, leading the Stalnakers to become full-time missionaries in Belgium and the Netherlands.    

***  

As a new believer at 21, Mo Blackmon barely understood her own faith, let alone missions.  

God brought Debbie Williams (now Deborah Bourbeau) into my life, and we quickly became close friends. Her parents––GEM missionaries in Sweden––invited us and two others to join them in the newly independent country of Latvia where GEM had just been invited to start a new work. This led to a desperate need for understanding if God Himself was calling me to Latvia or if the calling was just for my friends.  

Mo began asking others how they understood their call, looking for her own answer, but to no avail. They each gave her a unique reply, none of which resonated with her.   

At the fall conference of my final year of Bible college, Dr. Helen Roseveare spoke. She said, “I want to talk with you about how to know God’s calling on your life.” I literally sat up straight in my chair, certain that this was God responding to the question of my heart.  

I was not disappointed. She spoke from 2 Corinthians 5:17-21, saying that if you have answered God’s initial call to become a new creation in Christ, then the following Scriptures applied to you as well: God has therefore given you the ministry of reconciliation, He is entrusting to you that message of reconciliation, you are therefore an ambassador for Christ. That was it! I later left the auditorium and walked around the edge of town by the wheatfields in the cool prairie evening, praying, “Okay God, I know you are calling me to Latvia. I’ll go! Where is that again?!”  

We four college grads were invited to Latvia for an initial eight months. At last year’s Annual Conference, three of the four of us celebrated 30 years of God’s faithfulness in His call for us to serve him in Latvia.  

***  

God made the paths clear to these individuals because they were listening.  

Are you listening?    

Is God calling you to serve missionally or perhaps support those who are already serving in obedience? If you’d like to explore the options of serving in Europe, contact [email protected]. 

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Preparing for the 2024 Summer Olympics: Are Christian Workers Ready?

Welcoming a new year often brings renewed anticipation for what’s to come. For the country of France, 2024 brings its own level of anticipation, though much greater in scale and with more required preparation than our own resolutions may require. 

Since 2017, the world has known the 2024 Summer Olympics would be hosted in the vibrant city of Paris. Following the announcement of this honour, Paris, and other cities across France, began the process of preparing for the games.   

“Any major sporting event will inject a certain amount of excitement to the community,” says Tom Hawkins, a Greater Europe Mission worker in Paris.  

Hawkins partners with Go+ France, a Christian association with the goal of uniting around the passion of sport, leisure, and fitness. “In 2016, when the European football championships took place in France, churches and ministries had open doors to planning events that involved the community because of the environment that the sporting event created.”   

With only about seven months until the games, missionaries and ministers across Paris are again considering how best to utilize the unique opportunity a large influx of people coming to the city brings. It’s not every day the world comes to their doorstep! 

Ministering during the Olympic games extends far past sports ministry or ministering within a church building. Events that will take place amidst the Olympics are being thoughtfully and creatively planned and will be supported by Conseil National des Évangéliques de France (National Council of Evangelicals of France, or CNEF).  

“Under the banner of Ensemble 2024, ministries interested in doing things before, during and after the games are growing in number,” reports Hawkins. “Festivals, art exhibits, events surrounding the 100th anniversary of Eric Liddell’s story,”—the subject of the film, Chariots of Fire—” even a Christian fashion show.”  

Without a doubt, ideas and opportunities to reach people with the Gospel abound during this exciting time. However, this does not come without its challenges.   

“I imagine the biggest question we are all asking is the question of space,” says Doug Irwin, GEM missionary and church planter in the twelfth arrondissement of Paris. “Paris is already generally tight on space. Apartments are small, hotels are limited. I really don’t know where this city plans to host everyone. That can also make ministry hard.”  

In addition to the limited space, the ability to conduct outreach and evangelism efforts during a massive global event may also be limited. Heightened attention around things like protests and demonstrations, and the resulting high level of security is also a concern for missionaries in Paris.   

Despite the challenges that are brought by hosting the Olympics in a city like Paris, missionaries and ministers are hopeful. “The Olympic committee is encouraging every town, village, and city to participate in Terre de Jeux, and almost 4,000 have signed up,” notes Hawkins.  Through this “Land of the Games” program – whose goal is to have the entire country playing a part in the Olympics – local churches throughout the country will have increased opportunities for outreach efforts and hosting events for visitors and locals, alike. 

As GEM workers stationed in France prepare for the fantastic ministry opportunity that awaits them, will you consider joining us in prayer? We pray that God will open doors, give Christian workers creative ideas to participate in and serve the community, and boldness to present the Gospel in a loving way. 

If you would like more information on Ensemble 24 and other Paris ministry opportunities, contact [email protected]. 

beenhere

Originally Written by Emma Turner, GEM missionary in Paris, France.
Revised for GEM Canada by Leanne Monge Barrera

Read original article here: https://gemission.org/paris-2024-olympics-a-nation-in-preparation/ 

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The Appointee’s Journey To Becoming A Full-time Missionary

What does it take to become a full-time missionary? What does the preparation process look like? Is it difficult? It can be hard to fully comprehend the complexities of this journey; an appointee commonly goes through a whirlwind of experiences, including a wide range of emotions and a furthering of their dependency on God. Willing to share their own personal journeys of becoming full-time missionaries, are GEM Canada’s Katarina Colegrove, now in her first year overseas, and Joel Kennedy, a current appointee.

Appointed to serve with Greater Europe Mission in 2018, Katarina Colegrove and her family spent five years support raising, planning, and preparing for their move to Germany, where they now reside. “Support raising was different [and harder] than I had expected… but this process has shaped us,” Katarina explains. “We wouldn’t have been [spiritually] ready to be immediately sent to Germany. It helped us to be more faithful over a period of time.”

Much of the time between getting appointed and arriving in the serving country is spent contacting and meeting with churches, friends, family, and even strangers. It’s a time of sharing one’s vision and extending an invitation to support one’s cause financially and prayerfully. “Remaining excited all the time was more difficult than I had thought. When you’re on your 100th appointment and you’ve said your thing 100 times, remembering that the other person doesn’t know your whole story is so important,” Katarina says.

Joel Kennedy and his family of four have recently been appointed with GEM and are now eager to make disciples in France. Although they knew in their hearts, for the past 14 years, that God wanted them in France, they’ve just recently felt God’s go-ahead to pursue it, and are now raising support to make it happen. “There’s been a lot of things that God has had to teach us,” Joel reflects. “A lot of things that we didn’t know that we needed to know, including the idea of surrendering to and worshipping God through the process.”

An important distinction all appointees need to discern is when God wants them to begin ministry. He knows what growth or equipping they may need before becoming a missionary. For those who are in the midst of support-raising: “Try to remember that putting in more hours of time and work does not necessarily mean you will be supported faster,” Katarina remarks. “Yes, you have to put in the effort, but it’s when God wants you to be there, and that’s how it’s going to be.”

Raising financial support isn’t the only item on an appointee’s agenda. There are books to be read, resources to be accessed, and leaders to meet with – all for the sake of ensuring appointees are well equipped for the road ahead. Events like Mission Prep are important for further preparing the person for the massive life change they’re embarking on.

“[Mission Prep] was two-weeks of training,” Katarina explains. “At the time, I don’t think I realized how helpful it was. [Now that we’re in Germany], it’s really nice to be able to go back [to what we had learned] when feeling confused, or [when] there’s a lot of things happening.” “We were stretched and challenged in many meaningful ways… it was truly vital in the process of preparing our family for our future on the field,” Joel added.

Whether a person is an appointee for only a few months before reaching missionary status, or a few years, it’s a busy and productive time! Between raising financial and prayer support, taking any necessary classes, and meeting all other requirements for moving into a new land, it’s an exciting, and often exhausting time. If you know an appointee, we encourage you to reach out and offer your support. A word of encouragement goes a long way and knowing they are being prayed for is often the fuel they need to continue in their journey! If you do not know an appointee, but are looking to offer your support, please contact our office today and we’ll connect you with someone! You can email [email protected] or call our toll-free number: (866) 241-3579