Day of Prayer for Peace – 23 February 2018
On Sunday 4th February speaking at the recitation of the Angelus Prayer, Pope Francis called for all people of all denominations and faiths to commit to a day of prayer on 23rd February, praying for an end to all violence but specifically for peace in South Sudan and the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Both nations are home to Mission Aviation Fellowship programmes where staff have seen first-hand the effects of war on its citizens and all the challenges that brings.
Below are some specific prayer points gathered from our staff in this location, please join us in praying for these issues.
James Mollenhauer, South Sudan
James Mollenhauer is the Facilities Manager in our South Sudan programme. Here he has written a prayer for the nation:
“We lift up this nation of South Sudan before you Lord our God. Only you truly know the complexities of the situation here and the turmoil brought about by centuries of conflict, exacerbated by recent quests for power and fueled by animosity towards those who are also created in your image.
Father we plead on behalf of those who have been persecuted and downtrodden that you will have mercy on them, that they may be able to find in their villages a place of peace and rest.
For those who are persecuting others Lord, please convict them and cause them to show mercy and forgiveness even to those on whom they may feel justified in paying out retribution.
Lord we particularly pray for the leaders of South Sudan. May the government make fair and just laws to govern the land. May the local elders guide wisely the communities over which you have placed them and may the leaders of the church in South Sudan seek to glorify you in all their ways, renouncing their loyalty to any power other than you our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.
We know Lord that true, lasting peace will never come from legislation, armament or aid programs but rather from the heart of every man, woman and child. So Lord we pray for a change in the hearts of the people of South Sudan, that each individual will genuinely seek your face, that they will renounce evil and embrace you, clothing themselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, patience and forgiveness and most of all, the love that comes from you.
In Jesus’ name we pray
Amen”
Sam Johnston, South Sudan
Sam Johnston has been working as a pilot in South Sudan for nine months. Here he talks about what it’s like living in South Sudan and what it would mean to have peace in the country.
“South Sudan can be challenging at times. It is an unstable country. I personally haven’t felt threatened or insecure, I think you just operate on a level of awareness that comes with how the country is. Flying into remote areas is a bit of an unknown – you don’t know what kind of reception you’re going to get. We won’t fly into areas that are potentially hostile – but when you land in a new place and greet people with a bit of Juba Arabic it goes a long way and it really does break the ice.
But it’s a very rewarding country. The South Sudanese people are beautiful. They daily show you how to be content with very little. It’s a very poor country, you can’t escape that, in Juba and throughout the country. You get to see a lot of humanitarian projects going on and what the church is doing and that is quite exciting. It’s a big reason why the flying is so enjoyable there.
The need in South Sudan is vast. Since 1956 that area of Sudan or South Sudan has been at war, civil war, all but ten of those years and that has basically led to the area of South Sudan being totally under developed.
Pray for peace in South Sudan. Pray for a spirit of forgiveness. The people need to learn to forgive their neighbour. That spirit of forgiveness from a grass roots level is what will make the difference. It’s hard to do, coming from Northern Ireland I am no stranger to it but it comes with the gospel. There’s a lot of hope in the gospel in that context that breaks down that barrier of holding things against people. Pray that MAF can be a part of that.
If something happens to their tribe, if the neighbouring tribe comes in and raids their cattle they need to forgive, that’s hard to do but that’s the only way, but for the last X amount of years they would just retaliate and then it just goes on for generation after generation.
Pray for the church in South Sudan, there are a lot of locally ordained ministers which is great to see and they can reach their communities on a level that is more challenging for MAF. Pray they would be led by the spirit of truth and bring that into their communities as an example of good leadership leading with honesty and integrity and with a desire to see the common man benefit from decisions that are made.”
Nick Frey, West DRC
Nick Frey works in our MAF programme in West DRC. Here he writes his prayer requests for the nation:
“Congo can always use prayer. We believe in the power of prayer and if we can get enough people praying than hearts will be lifted.
A march is planned for 25th February in Kinshasa where the people are demonstrating to raise awareness and hopefully bring about change. Everyone wants elections which are overdue since Dec 2016. Because it’s Sunday, many are unable to go to church and even get stopped or prevented from going which is sad.
May the peace of Christ fill hearts here and may Gods wisdom guide the leaders of this country so that their hearts would soften and heed His voice and direction.”
Jonathan Cadd, East DRC
Jonathan Cadd is programme manager in East DRC. Here he writes his prayer requests for the nation:
“We can certainly use prayer. We have seen an upswing in violence in our province as ethnic fighting has started up again. Most of the problems are about 50 to 70 miles away from where we live in the Djugu area. There have been a number of killings and burning of villages and thousands of displaced people both internally and into neighboring Uganda. Please pray that the hand of the Lord would be over the area to bring peace to the hearts and mind of these people who have been traumatized by this harsh lifestyle for so many years now.”
