Midlands Churches Team visit to Hands at work in Africa 3-16 June 2017

                               West Midlands Team Visit to

 

Hands at Work in Africa
      3-16 June 2017

 Prayer and information

 Thank you for your interest and support for the team of people who will be going from a number of local churches to visit the work of the charity Hands at Work in Africa this year.

This prayer and information sheet can be downloaded at
https://1drv.ms/w/s!AhPZRHZ8gWS8ju4xaJP2BFp7rcX3oA

But if you to see more detials now or share it then please read on...

Hands at Work support and train local community volunteers to care for orphaned and vulnerable children in eight countries in Africa – helping in the neediest communities to provide food security, health and education for the children and their carers

A team of people from Lichfield Diocese Churches will be joining two members of the church from Matlosane Diocese (one of Lichfield’s companion diocese) and together they will visit communities in South Africa and Swaziland who are being supported by Hands at Work in Africa
 

Volunteer care workers cooking at the care point in Sommerset

.

Remarkable volunteer care workers at Siyathuthuka

Below are some prayers and prayer suggestions which have been put together by one of the team (Val Cox), as well as some topics for prayer and an outline of the team’s activities. 
Thank you for your prayer and support.

Please pray especially at this time for The West Midlands Churches Team and the two members of the Anglican Church in Matlosane who will be joining them this June. 

Team members …

Sheila Bott and Richard Westwood                      (from St Annes, Chasetown)

Rosanne Wilshere and Debbie Blakemore          (from Holy Trinity, Heath Town)

Cathy Mark                                                                (from All Saints, Streetly)

Yvonne Twigger                                                        (from St John's, Heath Hayes)

Val Cox                                                                      (from St Mary's, Wheaton Aston)

Lebogang Senatla (Mr)                                            (from Matlosane Diocese, South Africa)

Thato Moilwa (Ms)                                                   (from Matlosane Diocese, South Africa)

Please pray for safety in travel, good team unity and care, stamina and good health, that God will help them to listen well and to be a blessing to each and every person they meet.

Please also pray for the families and friends that the team members will leave behind at home.

Some prayers you may like to make your own…

Sovereign and Almighty God we thank and praise You for all the work carried out by Hands at Work in Africa and for its founders Carol and George Snyman who saw the great need in southern Africa.

Loving God we pray for all the care-workers who voluntarily give so much of their time and themselves to care for and support the children as part of the Hands at Work Project.  Give grace, skill and wisdom to those who train the care-workers and all volunteers who give of their time to support this work.

Gracious God, we pray for Hands at Work, in a central part of its work, as it actively seeks to build partnerships with churches outside Africa so that communities in Africa and churches in other countries are changed and blessed by each other.  Through this work may the needy communities and individuals in Africa know that they are not forgotten and the churches and schools involved in these partnerships find them life-giving and are challenged to bridge the huge gap in wealth and health

Please speak by Your Holy Spirit through George Snyman as he visits our area over the Pentecost weekend.  As at Pentecost the disciples were set on fire by Your Holy Spirit to continue Your work, so may people's hearts be so open to George's words that the work of Hands at Work in South Africa can continue to flourish and increase in order to improve more and more lives of some of the most vulnerable children in our world.

The West Midlands Churches Team Program

Sat 3^rd  June - Leave from St John’s Church, Heath Hayes at 12.30pm
                        Evening flight from Heathrow
Sun 4^th June - Arrive Johannesburg, travel by mini bus (4 hrs) to Hands at Work Hub, White River

Mon 5^th June - Orientation, and visit to community of Mluti, time spent at care point

Tue 6^th June – Community visit to Sommerset… home visits, time spent at care point

Wed 7^th June –Visit regional support centre, then visit Siyathuthuka, time spent at care point

Thur 8^th June – Community of Share, play with children after their lunchtime meal at the care point

Fri 9^th June – (am) Hands at Work Hub, worship and prayer (pm) rest and prepare for Swaziland

Sat 10^th June  Travel to Oshoek (border of S Africa and Swaziland) support youth activities led by local care workers

Sun 11^th June -Oshoek - support youth activities led by local care workers

Mon 12^th June – Travel to Bhandeni (Swaziland) time at care point, help with feeding program and play with children at the care point
Tue 13^th June – Care workers relationship groups, home visits, revival meeting
Wed 14^th June – Walk with children to school, leave Swaziland and travel to Hands at Work hub Evening Debrief
Thur 15^th June – Final debrief, travel back to Johannesburg for evening flight to UK (Richard stays)

Fri 16^th June  - Arrive back at Heathrow Airport, travel back to Midlands by mini bus