Contents

Conversion

Road repairs are an on-going action all over the world. In some of our countries we may wish it were more proactive as we swerve to miss ever increasing pot holes. In other countries the paved roads, gardens and cities are causing problems with flooding as water has nowhere to go.

As we draw to the end of 2011 and begin 2012 the news is flooded with economic, political and environmental disasters. Poverty increases. Yet we find our leaders preferring to continue on the same road, trying to avoid the deepening potholes, even creating some off-roading around obstacles. The direction however remains the same – a stubborn belief that “we” can solve all our problems if only we drive better, fill in the holes quicker,  borrow money to build better roads, increase safety on the road. What is not challenged is the direction.

Repairing or rebuilding the road will not help if are heading in the wrong direction. We need to turn around! We need a conversion.

Whether we work in an aid or mission organisation, teach at a college, lead a local church or simply considering our own person lives, we need to ask the question: are we going in the right direction? This “conversion” or turn around is difficult because we may well have been captured by the traffic jam caused by our society’s drive for success, wealth, status and comfort. As Christian leaders we may feel unable to change the momentum or face the hard choices that are required in order to challenge the status quo so we fall back on old reform techniques of boosting morale, management formulae guaranteeing success, training programmes aimed at improving performance – but these costly solutions seem unable to make the breakthroughs we hoped for. Our success indicators so often aligned with numbers and income statistics.

Do we Christians really stand out in the crowd? Do we really live our lives in such away as to demonstrated Kingdom values? I am personally convicted by this question because my answer is no not really. If you, like me long to live out your faith in a radical and real way then together we need to recognise that only a fundamental transformation in the way we think and live will work. We need a conversion!

At the heart of conversion is repentance as we need to honestly face the truth of our conformity to the ways of this world. Conversion means turning around, going in a different direction, making a fresh start, letting go old fallen values and habits and setting our hearts on God.

“The people living in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of the shadow of death a light has dawned. From that time on Jesus began to preach ‘Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near.’” (Matthew 4:16-17)

Reflection:
• Will you follow Jesus?
• Will you and your organisation, church or college be the presence of Jesus in the world?

Let us dare to consider honestly what this looks like today, repent where we know we have simply followed the road, turn around and go the way of the Kingdom. Let 2012 be a new beginning!

Prayer Focus: 2nd to 8th January 2012

Change and transformation will come about as we unite in prayer.

Please send all requests and thanksgiving by each Thursday to prayer@micahnetwork.org

Prayer requests sent in for this week from our members are as follows:

Petition for Asia Bibi

On the 8th November 2010, Asia Bibi was sentenced to death under the Blasphemy Laws in Pakistan. A “Call for Mercy” petition has been created to support the appeal for her release.

Pray for Asia who is currently is prison awaiting the decision of court. Reports from December 2011 state that she is frail and in poor health.

Pray too for her family (husband Ashiq and her two daughters Isha and Isham - see picture) who also fear for their lives and long to be re united with Asia.

Do look up the petition at www.callformercy.com and consider signing the petition.

Zimbabwe Prayer Focus

From Leonard Makoni, SU Zimbabwe

January 2nd to 13th have been set aside as days of prayer for Zimbabwe. Elections are expected to be announced for the early part of this year.

Leonard also asks us to pray for:

In a few days many parents will be required to pay fees, pay for new uniforms for some children and yet very few have the money. Let us pray for God’s provision and peace at this hour

SU Zimbabwe have been through some tough times in 2011 and many staff were retrenched. Please pray for them as they seek new jobs.

Mozambique Prayer Focus

2012 is the Global Year of United Prayer for Mozambique. Many Christians in Mozambique have joined together to fast and pray throughout the month of January. Their heart cry is for God to forgive their sins and heal their land. Do join with members as they pray for a revival throughout Mozambique.

We have four members at present – lets pray for each of them:
• ACRIS
• Kubatsirana
• MMD (More than a Mile Deep)
• Angelica Mazive

HIV Prayer Focus

The International Conference on AIDS and Sexually Transmitted Diseases in Africa was held in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia in December 2011. Hope Carter from SIM sends out a monthly prayer letter that helps us prayer through the issues and this month’s letter has drawn from the outputs of the Conference. You will find the full prayer letter with daily focus points in the Micah Network HIV Forum (log on through our web site). Below is one prayer point extracted from this that we can prayer together on this week:

Imagine a world with no HIV infected babies!  Wow!  Though fantastic, this is one of the goals that is possible with united efforts – just as smallpox was eradicated many years ago.  When an HIV+ pregnant woman is given ARVs in the second half of her pregnancy, and when her newborn baby is treated during its first weeks of life, the chances of the virus being transmitting to the baby are very minimal.   As you pray, visualize the pre-natal clinics in your area and pray for all the women waiting to be seen.  Pray that they would receive wise and sensitive counsel about HIV testing and the benefits of early diagnosis and treatment.  Visualize also the women in your community or region who have not been able to access the full range of antenatal services.  Pray for them to be reached with counsel about the importance of antenatal care including HIV screening and follow up, so that they too can deliver a healthy baby.  As funds for professional community outreach programs dry up, can the church step up to fill some of these needs?  Pray that your own faith community would develop a strategy to reach out to these women with encouragement and assistance to help them access the care that they need.  Pray that the vision for zero mother-to-child transmission of HIV would be reached in the next few years.  Isaiah 46:3,4

Global Triennial Consultation

The global consultation takes place between the 10th to 14th September 2012. Please pray with us as we prepare the schedule, finalise the budget and logistics and confirm the speakers and facilitators.

Pray for TearFund Switzerland as they have volunteered to host this consultation. Pray for their contact with the local churches within the country that this may be an opportunity for Christians to engage in integral mission discussions and action.

Pray for finalisation of speakers and the programme schedule – that we would hear from God in how this week should be structured and who should be amongst those invited to speak. Please pray that God would be at the heart of all we do and prepare.

Pray for the resources need to ensure the consultation is as accessible as possible for all those wanting to attend.

This consultation is an important one for us as we decide together how to take Micah Network forward. Will you commit to pray regularly for this event. Thank you. Please do send through any thoughts, words of wisdom and suggestions.