31 Days of Prayer for LRI
Dear Praying Friends and Partners,
We asked you to pray at the beginning of last year. Good news! . . . the Lord has graciously answered your prayers. For example . . .
Last year, you prayed for our staffing needs – a North America regional director, an expanded development department, and critical support staff. Dave DeHaan and Brad Warren joined our development team, and Joe Paglia took over as our North America regional director. Praise God for these provisions.
You prayed for new trainings in the Middle East. We now are able to conduct trainings in three countries in this region. We are still looking for the right partners to launch ongoing pastoral training groups in each. Prayer is still needed!
Precious friends, we covet your prayers! The opportunities before us and our partners are greater than ever, but the challenges are daunting. Entering into 2019, we again invite you to pray with us.
Here are 31 more prayer requests, one for each day of the month. Please pray for . . .
- A country in South Asia – key mentor trainers who are leading the movement. Pray for God’s protection over them because of the anti-conversion laws in this country. There have been reports of arrests and fines.
- Our team – that God will continue to fuel our sense of total dependence on Him for everything needed for successful ministry.
- A restricted-access country – that westerners like LRI workers can still be allowed to come in undetected and not jeopardize the security of the pastors who are being trained.
- Ethiopia – that our training would permeate the traditional Ethiopian Church so that ministers are able to properly handle God’s Word in their context.
- Our team – for wisdom as we face this question: how much flexibility and adaptability should we allow in our training process?
- Brazil – a deepening movement of the Word in churches where pastors often struggle against neo-liberal theology, syncretism, prosperity gospel, and pragmatism.
- A restricted-access country – that God would continue to grow His Church in a country that is undergoing great oppression by the government – some are experiencing church closures, imprisonment, and persecution.
- Ukraine – for wisdom for our in-country leader as he forms a national training team empowered to lead training throughout the country.
- Our team – for wisdom: how much caution or risk should we take as we minister in countries strongly opposed to the gospel?
- India – that key leaders there would develop in confidence and competence as mentor trainers for northwest India.
- USA – that a movement of God’s Word would develop among the 100 Nepali-Bhutanese pastors/churches in North America.
- Ethiopia – for wisdom for Country Director Eshete Belete as he selects 3-5 regional training directors to expand the training within the country.
- Our team – Rejoice with us over the many generous partners that the Lord has given to us . . . including many of you!
- Europe – for new partner churches to support the expanding work in Europe for 2019 and beyond.
- Haiti – for pastors who face heavy spiritual darkness and daily struggles.
- Our team – that God will protect the integrity and reputation of LRI by superintending over every spending decision, wherever it is made and whoever it is made by.
- Poland – that the Church would be strengthened through our training and that Mateusz Wichary would grow as a leader of the training in Poland.
- Russia – that our leadership team would meet the growing desire for training in their nation and organize themselves for expansion.
- Uganda – that doors would be open for new training groups in new locations and for the establishment of a strong national training team led by Country Director, Jacques Masiko.
- Our team – for wisdom regarding how aggressive or conservative we should be in hiring new staff.
- Russia – for God’s favor in obtaining visas so we can enter the country . . . it’s a big problem.
- A restricted-access country in Southeast Asia – Praise God that these men are making great strides to exposit the Word and shepherd the people of God with its transforming purpose.
- Bangladesh – for wisdom for a third training venue to be launched in 2019 and protection and provision for our 36 pastors being trained in this, the fourth most populous Islamic nation.
- Our team – for wisdom in how to be both generous with our national partners and, at the same time, promote local sustainability.
- A restricted-access country – for safety of trainees during travel and the time at the training center.
- Indonesia – that the mentor trainers become more skilled in training others in expository preaching so that our national leader there is supported by a strong team.
- Our team – that the Lord would raise up many new partners who resonate with our mission to equip and encourage pastors around the world to teach God’s Word with God’s heart.
- USA – for increased capacity to facilitate additional training groups in North America and wisdom about how to best promote these new groups.
- Peru – that God would transform the hearts, minds, and wills of pastors as they study His Word and give them a strong sense of sufficiency in His Word alone.
- Our team – for wisdom as we develop a Global Leadership Team to guide the work around the world. How centralized or decentralized should we become?
- God – that He be glorified in every training, every conversation, and every decision made by our team and our partners.
So many of these requests admit to our lack of wisdom. Thanks be to God for his invitation and promise in James 1:5: “If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him” (ESV).
With much confidence in Christ,
Craig Parro
President
PS: You can use this PDF to print a copy of the prayer requests.
