Monthly Prayer Focus

Approximately 648 million people worldwide live in extreme poverty, earning $2.15 a day or less.¹ Many of them live in developing countries of Africa and Asia. Often entrenched in cyclical poverty, they struggle to meet the basic needs of their families. Their focus is often survival, with no hope of offering a better future for their children, unless they have help.

An income-generating gift such as a sewing machine can offer them such help and hope. It can empower them to earn a sustainable living, feed and educate their children, look forward to a better future and grasp their chance to break the cycle of poverty.

GFA missionaries often distribute sewing machines to people in need in the communities they serve. Many lives have been transformed by these gifts, given in Christ’s name. Many, however, remain in need.

Join us as we pray this month for those in need of sewing machines.

1 Schoch, Marta, et al. “Half of the global population lives on less than US$6.85 per person per day.” World Bank. December 8, 2022. . https://blogs.worldbank.org/developmenttalk/half-global-population-lives-less-us685-person-day

In some developing communities, widows—or women whose husbands have abandoned them and are essentially widows—face the daunting task of earning a living in a culture that shuns them. Some succumb to the pressures of begging or working in prostitution so they and their children can eat. In other cases, married women may find themselves the main breadwinner for various reasons and struggle to feed their families. These dear women need a dignified means of earning income, such as a sewing machine, to meet their needs.

Pray that women in need of an income will find dignified work, whether that is tailoring from their homes or another appropriate job, and will be able to provide for themselves and their families.

The gift of a sewing machine is futile without the skills to use it. GFA World offers tailoring classes and other vocational training to provide women with skills that will position them to earn an income. Such skills allow women to provide for their families and offer their children a better future.

Pray that vocational training classes will be effective, and that the women enrolled will gain the skills they need to earn a sustainable income.

Every gift that GFA World gives is out of Christlike compassion to offer practical solutions to real-life needs. These gifts can empower people to break cycles of poverty and provide for their families, but more importantly, these gifts represent hope. They represent Christ’s love. They can represent life change on a much deeper, eternal level.

Pray that each sewing-machine recipient will experience Christ’s love. Pray that with every stitch of that sewing machine, the recipient will be reminded of His loving care. Pray that Christ will draw recipients to Himself and transform their lives as they put their trust and hope in Him.

There are many needs in the communities where GFA missionaries serve. They need discernment to determine how to best meet those needs and who would most benefit from a sewing machine or other income-generating gift. The missionaries also need resources to meet these needs.

Pray that God will give missionaries supernatural insight into the needs of their community. Pray that they will have the resources they need to make a difference in their communities.

Deeply entrenched cycles of poverty are not broken overnight. Even with the proper tools, it takes time to overcome the challenges of poverty. These tools need to last a long time so recipients can continue to climb out of poverty and provide for their families.

Pray that sewing machines will endure in good working order for many years to come. Pray they will continue to shine as beacons of hope and reminders of God’s love and provision.

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