Guatemala

From the 21st to the 17th July we give thanks for work delivered through our Children At Risk fund, helping us act in times of crisis, deliver planned interventions and start new initiatives. Give thanks for: - helping domestic violence victims and HIV+ children in Sri Lanka - improved educational facilities in Ethiopia and South Sudan - bikes for secondary school students in Zimbabwe - the delivery of urgent medical help for children worldwide - all the donors who support our Children At Risk programme.

Potter’s House in Guatemala would like us to pray for families who lost their homes and belongings in a recent fire. Please pray that, with support, they can rebuild their houses quickly & safely. Also, ask God to provide Potter’s House with funds to buy hats, water bottles, electrolytes, sun cream and calamine lotion to help the children they serve to cope in the recent extreme heatwave.

Give thanks to God that new children have been enrolled into the Potter’s House education programme in the Western Highlands of Guatemala. Pray the support they receive will help them to succeed in school. Pray as well for God’s protection over children supported by Potter’s House in Guatemala City - there has been a wave of violence in some communities near the rubbish dumps.

Potter’s House would like us to praise God that communities they support are becoming increasingly open to receiving psychological care. People are using the tools they’ve been taught to move forwards. Pray also that Potter’s House would be able to find a larger facility for their community centre in the Western Highlands. They would love to have the capacity to serve even more Treasures.

Potter’s House would like us to pray for God to lead them to the right people to bring onto their microenterprise programme. Pray those who need it most would get the opportunity to advance their small business. Praise God for the way that Margarita has improved in her health and studies since being supported through the Potter’s House nutrition programme. She is on track to become a preschool teacher!

Praise God that last month, Potter’s House were able to reopen their dental clinic serving a community where they recognised a significant need. Pray this service is a blessing to those who will benefit the most. Pray also for the 25 secondary school students supported by the Potter’s House Education Programme who will be graduating in 2024. Ask God to sustain them and give them wisdom through their final year.

Pray for Potter's House, for positive and strong relationships with community leaders to work together for the common good of the community. Pray for Potter's House, asking for protection and guidance for their dedicated volunteers as they travel and use every project as an opportunity to share the message of Jesus. Pray also for the ‘Treasures’, parents, and the communities of Potter's House, seeking healing from various diseases. In particular, pray for Yefrey, a young man who is suffering both physically and mentally. Ask God to bring him healing and hope.

Pray for Esmeralda, a single mother in the Potter's House community, recently diagnosed with womb cancer, who is facing financial struggles as well as caring for four children. May God provide healing, comfort and the necessary resources for her family. Pray for the Potter's House community, especially for the many families struggling with religiosity, that they may find profound, authentic connections with God. Additionally, pray for families to experience healthy relationships and dynamics within their homes.

Pray for God's provision so that Potter’s House can continue to serve nutritious lunches to the children there, especially in the face of increasing costs from their providers. Pray for members of the Potter's House micro-enterprise community. Pray for Lesbia, who has been hospitalised for two months after a diabetic coma, and for Blanca in Chiquimula, who recently suffered a stroke. May God bring healing, strength and comfort to their lives.

Please pray for Mark and Rosalie Balfour as they continue to offer pastoral care to Street Kids Direct-supported projects in Guatemala and Honduras. Pray for wisdom and sensitivity to the Holy Spirit as they spend time with people and protection for them as they travel. Most importantly, please pray that they keep Jesus at the centre of all they do.

Pray for guidance and wisdom of the facilitators at Potter's House in Guatemala, who give love and care on a daily basis to 'Treasures' that do not usually receive it in their homes. In particular pray for those who are experiencing feelings of loneliness and abandonment, for peace in their hearts and minds. Pray also for opportunities for dental and health clinics in the Western Highlands Community Centre in Guatemala. Some of the 'Treasures' have severe dental problems, as well as diabetes, cancer, respiratory and stomach problems for Treasures and their parents.

Due to its proximity to Central American countries such as Mexico and Guatemala, Belize is known as a transit point for illegal drug trafficking. Numerous incidents of drug discovery in schools in the south of the country involving students have been recorded. Many university students have expressed feelings of hopelessness and being stuck due to government corruption and nepotism. The pandemic saw the IS/ IVCF (IFES movement in Belize) ministry contract, but new shoots are emerging. Pray for students, staff and volunteers seeking to share Christ’s hope in schools, colleges and universities.