Prayer Focus March & April 2014

March 2014 1-2 Sat./Sun UK - London Shelley Webb, the CLC London deputy manager, takes over from Petra Nemansky as the new manager today, Saturday the 1st of March. Pray for her as she settles into a very demanding role. Pray too for Petra as she is on furlough and has an extended time with her home church in Amsterdam. Pray for her as she thinks and prays over what her next assignment should be.

3 Mon. Japan – Annual Conference Today and tomorrow, the CLC team in Japan will meet for their annual staff Conference.

Among other subjects, the sales over the past year and related financial matters will be discussed. Mr. Satoru Nakano, the National Director, asks for prayer that God would give the team both wisdom and courage as they plan for the future and that the team will be kept in good health, both physically and spiritually.

4 Tue. Romania – Christmas Cheer An updated edition of CLC Romania’s children’s bilingual Bible was reprinted, at very short notice, just before Christmas.

A large order for these books meant that it needed to be printed quickly – and the order also helped to pay for the printing costs! In addition, another large order came in for CLC Romania’s title Abide in Christ

by Andrew Murray and the organisation ‘Mission without Borders’ ordered hundreds of books from CLC for their Christmas projects. Christmas sales were very good and Ronela Micula, the CLC Director, says they were ‘miraculous’. Praise the Lord for this much needed encouragement.

5 Wed. Korea – Bible Seminaries During the month of March, staff members from the Sales Department of CLC Korea will be visiting a number of Bible seminaries with a CLC publications bookstall. Please pray that this will be well received, and used, by students. CLC Korea works mainly with publications and their one bookshop is used almost exclusively for their own books.

6 Thu. CA2 – Ordering Books Please pray that we would be able to get another order of stock from Russia soon. It has been a long time since the last delivery, partly due to being short-staffed last year.

At the time of writing, the Director and new bookshop manager were working on an order and the manager was learning about the ordering process at the same time.

Please pray that our part of the paperwork will be done quickly, and that the religion committee would give permission to import the books without long delays as it can often take a year or more!

7 Fri. Antigua – Crime Concerns Arah Martin, the manager of the CLC bookshop in St. John’s, writes to ask for prayer for the island of Antigua. The crime

rate has been increasing over recent years with numerous break-ins and hold-ups, quite frequently at gunpoint. Elections are due this month and Arah and her co-worker Cecelia say that although they are unsure of what the outcome may be, they know that it is in the hands of Almighty God. Please pray for a safe and violence-free election process 8-9 Sat./Sun. UK – Speaking Volumes A number of the UK shops are starting to work with the Christian Trust ‘Speaking Volumes’. The aim is to place Christian books into public and school libraries and similar institutions. Pray that the shops involved will enthuse churches and customers to take part. The way the project works is that the customer pays 50% of the cost of a book and Speaking Volumes pays the rest. The CLC bookshop processes the order, and benefits from the sale. Give thanks that this scheme fits in so well with our mission objectives.

UK while they seek God’s will for their future. Please pray for the right person to take over the management of the bookshop from Roger. (Family & Team Photo)

12 Wed. Myanmar – Major Project Please pray for wisdom and God’s guidance for Jacob Mung and the other members of the CLC publishing team in Myanmar as they work on a major project this year. They are translating and publishing a study Bible.

Praise the Lord for the help and support they are receiving.

10 Mon. India – Ranipet ELS/CLC India opened another bookshop in the country, making 20 in total, in January 2014. The shop is located on the compound of the Scudder Memorial Hospital in Ranipet. ELS has had a small book-outlet there for some time but, praise the Lord, we have been given a larger space, in a prominent position, where we can operate a full bookshop.

11 Tue. Russia – Changes in Moscow Roger and Anita Jones are preparing to leave CLC Russia later this year. Anita, who is Russian, has been involved with the CLC bookshop in Moscow since we first started serious plans to work in Russia and she was the shop manager when it opened in 2006.

Roger and Anita and their three daughters will spend time with family and friends in the

13 Thu. Chile – Annual Conference The annual staff conference for CLC Chile will take place this weekend, from the 16th to the 19th of March. The theme, taken from Psalm 78:72, will be ‘Integrity and Ability’. Jacob Mung, Director of CLC in Myanmar, will be the guest speaker.

Following the conference, Jacob will visit the CLC Chile bookshops in Concepción, Temuco,

Valparaíso, Viña del Mar and Santiago. In each of these cities, CLC Chile is organising a presentation of CLC as an international mission and Jacob will be participating in these events.

14 Fri. Romania – Partnership with OM “We thank God for another donation of books that we have received from OM (Operation Mobilisation) Special Projects, and for a new project, in partnership with OM, to publish the book AIDS Action by Dr. Patrick Dixon. We hope this book will be launched in February or March 2014.” Ronela Micula. This book may not attract a lot of interest, as an AIDS problem is not generally recognised within in the country. However, CLC Romania trust that this will be an important resource as there are people affected by AIDS including a number of young adults who received transfusions of unscreened blood while in institutional care as young children.

15-16 Sat./Sun. UK - Guildford After a period of managerial uncertainty, Graham Lapthorn (the previous manager of CLC Kingston which recently closed down) is now running the CLC Guildford shop. Pray for him and the team as they overhaul the shop systems and re-engage with customers and local churches to restore our ministry in the area.

18 Tue. CA1 – Merchandise from Moscow Please pray that it will be possible to order a container load of books from Moscow.

These books are badly needed, but the logistical and financial difficulties in such an operation are considerable.

19 Wed. Panama – Warehouse Needed Please join with the team in praying for a suitable property that would serve as a central warehouse, both for the books imported for the CLC shops and for their wholesale work. At the moment they are using shop and office space in the main CLC branch (Via España) in Panama City, and this is not ideal.

20 Thu. Kenya – New Team Member Edith Wamalwa writes to say that they have found it difficult to find someone to fill the Retail Sales and Marketing role but the team thank God for Margy who took on this job from the beginning of February. Please pray that Margy will settle in well with the team and quickly adapt to this part of the ministry.

21 Fri. Uruguay – Nearing Home 14% of the population in Uruguay is over the age of 65 and Billy Graham’s book Nearing Home (Casi en Casa) has been a blessing to many older people as they near the end of their earthly journey. We have heard many

17 Mon. Bolivia – Seven Months Old “We give thanks to God for the first few months of the CLC bookshop ministry in Santa Cruz, Bolivia. During this time, we have seen God’s blessing and provision for our needs on a daily basis. The shop sales continue to increase and each month we visit churches and take book tables to special events in the city and surrounding villages. The customers are very grateful that we are able to supply such a good variety of books and Bibles.

Glory to God!” Gamaliel Padilla Page 3 (March)

testimonies from people grateful for the impact this book has had on them and the challenges the author puts forward.

“Explore with me not only the realities of life as we grow older but also the hope and fulfilment and even joy that can be ours once we learn to look at these years from God’s point of view and discover His strength to sustain us every day.” Billy Graham 22-23 Sat./Sun. UK -Newcastle CLC Newcastle is in the early stages of working with a Christian charity and local churches to present copies of the Lion Storyteller Bible to every school in the city.

Pray that the negotiations are successful and the project comes to fruition.

24 Mon. Switzerland – Shop Rental We are thankful to God that the owner of our shop has understood the economic difficulties we face and has agreed to reduce our rent costs by 17.5% for six months. In July, we will have to contact the owner once more to review the situation. For the time being we are relieved to have a more affordable rent, but we would need to move if it is increased unless sales improve significantly.

25 Tue. Indonesia – What is in a Name?

CLC in Indonesia has always been known locally as Yakin (which means ‘confidence’ or ‘assurance’) but in April there are plans to change it officially to CLC. The initials in Indonesian will stand for Cahaya Lintas Cakrawala, which means ‘Light on the Horizon’. *Please note that CLC originally stood for Christian Literature Crusade but many years ago the decision was taken to just use the CLC initials. However, a few ‘CLC’ countries still want to have an explanation for the initials, and that can vary depending on the language!

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26 Wed. Korea – CLC Conferences CLC meetings involving Publishing delegates, Asian Regional delegates and Regional Directors will be held, consecutively, from Monday, May 12th until Friday, May 23rd.

Please pray for successful and productive meetings and pray too for CLC Korea as they host these events and are involved in looking after all the CLC visitors.

27 Thu. Spain – Sales and Stability Please pray that God would guide the ministry in Spain through the very difficult times they have experienced over the past two or three years. Pray for increased sales in the bookshops, warehouse and the on-line shop so that there will be adequate finances to cover costs and pay bills. Please also pray for economic and social stability for the country of Spain.

28 Fri. Chile – Coquimbo and La Serena Some encouraging news is that CLC Chile is preparing to open a new bookshop just over 450 kilometres north of Santiago.

Coquimbo and La Serena are two cities that are linked together - Coquimbo is a port and La Serena is the second oldest city in the country. At the time of writing the team were waiting for paperwork from the city council in order to buy a property on a main road in Coquimbo and convert it into a bookshop. Please pray that God would guide Isaac Zuñiga, the CLC National Director, and the team through this process.

29-30 Sat/Sun UK - Wholesale As the warehouse takes on some new suppliers, lack of space becomes an increasing problem.

Pray for Chris Magee (Head of Wholesale), Geoff Bearham (Warehouse Manager) and the team as they work out how to use the space and facilities to the best advantage. Give thanks for the increasing orders for Bibles and books from the Alresford warehouse.

31 Mon. Austria – New Computer System Shop manager Edeltraud Heumann would value prayer as she investigates possibilities for installing a new computerised stock system. As well as finding the best system for the shop, she needs to find the right person to help her with this process, and it will require time and training. This coming weekend, the shop team have one of their biggest book tables of the year, at a women’s conference in Carinthia.

April 2014 1 Tue. – Publishing Conference From March 31st to April 2nd, various CLC European leaders involved in publishing will be meeting for training and to strategise how to significantly increase CLC publishing on the continent. Various experts are already scheduled to hold important sessions such as ‘obtaining rights’ and the ‘mathematics of publishing’. Please pray that our leaders from Portugal, France, Italy, the Netherlands, Belarus, Romania, Hungary, Poland and Bulgaria will greatly benefit from these days together.

2 Wed. – Techie Conference We are hosting our first ever ‘techie day’ (actually it will be two days, April 3rd and 4th) for a number of team members from different European countries. These are people involved in websites, social media and eBooks. Please pray for all those involved in the new technologies, as they seek to understand how they can best be used for the future of CLC. Pray for Cristi Cotovan as he leads this conference. *Both conferences mentioned on April 1st and 2nd will be held in the Netherlands.

3 Thu. Italy – Special Meetings On the 4th and 5th of March, the Italian Christian booksellers’ and publishers’ association

will meet together with representatives of the Evangelical Alliance in Italy. We expect between 100 and 150 participants. The aim is to improve collaboration between literature ministries (such as CLC) and churches to stimulate church growth and vision for mission. CLC’s Italian Director, Andreas Bader, is very involved in organising this whole event and would appreciate prayer for an encouraging outcome.

4 Fri. Romania – Staff Needs Please pray for Director Ronela Micula and the team as they need to see God step in and provide for their staffing needs. At the time of writing, Lidia Gusu, who has worked faithfully in the Brasov shop for over 15 years, is planning to leave CLC. Please pray that God would guide Lidia as she considers her future, and pray too for someone to take her place – a key role - in CLC Romania. Over recent years the team has been reduced in numbers and this means an increase in responsibilities for those who are left.

5-6 Sat./Sun. UK - Wolverhampton CLC Wolverhampton has recently installed the Merlio point-of-sale and stock control system. Pray for the staff and volunteers as they receive training and become familiar with using this new system.

Give thanks for the opportunity CLC Wolverhampton has to provide the bookstall for the biannual residential weekend of The Westminster Theological College at Telford, and for good sales at the first two events.

7 Mon. Dominica – Rent Reduction “Praise God for the landlord’s willingness to reduce the rent of the Dominica bookshop for a one year period. For a number of reasons, shop sales are suffering; please pray for an increase in sales, for efficient delivery of new stock (we are experiencing delays in the shipment) and for a boost for the economy in general for Dominica.”

Davis Laudat, Bookshop Manager.

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8 Tue. India – Sri Lanka Plans are going ahead for opening once more in Sri Lanka. Brian Athisayaraj, who will be the shop manager, is already selling books through book tables and the plan is to generate enough income through this to help start a bookshop. Current restrictions in loaning or sending money abroad mean that ELS (CLC in India) is not able to fund the initial process directly from India though they have been able to send stock. Praise the Lord that at the first church book table, sales were extremely good – and that was without prior advertising as it was a last-minute arrangement!

Family Photo > 9 Wed. Kenya – Growth in Tough Times Edith Wamalwa, the Director of CLC Kenya, writes to say that despite the tough times they have experienced over the past year, the team feel God is asking them to move forward in faith and to trust Him to take them to ‘higher ground’ this year. Plans are underway to set up their next ‘Shop in a Box’ - a bookshop in a converted shipping container. Please pray with the team for God’s guidance and direction in this project.

10 Thu. CA1 – Good News!

Praise God for at least two people who have come to know the Lord as a result of picking up free literature outside our bookshop.

Tracts and New Testaments are made freely available. One young lady and an older man subsequently returned to the shop to say that the books had been the catalyst for them to understand and receive the Gospel.

Hallelujah!

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11 Fri. Ecuador - Conference CLC Ecuador is due to meet for their Annual Conference tomorrow, April 12th. Please pray with the team as they meet to discus various issues, and to spend time together around God’s Word and in prayer. One particular prayer concern is to know God’s leading and provision with regard to a new location for the Quito bookshop; they need a bigger space to accommodate both the bookshop and administration offices.

12-13 Sat/Sun. UK - Aberdeen The Aberdeen Passion play takes place next weekend, the Easter Weekend. The event is being held at an Exhibition and Conference Centre. CLC Aberdeen is selling tickets in the shop and we are providing a bookstall for the event. Please pray that good contacts are made for the shop, and that there are good sales.

14 Mon. Kenya - Relocating Kitale We have been looking into relocating CLC Kitale from its current location.

The bookshop is in a converted shipping container so it can be physically moved, with shelving and stock, to a new plot of land. With the current situation in the country, this has not been an easy move to arrange but now the landlord of the church compound, where the shop has been situated, has given us notice to move as the area is required for other purposes. At the time of writing the team were praying they would find a suitable new location before March. Please pray with them for the right outcome.

15 Tue. CA2 – Part-Time Position Please pray for the lady who started working with us on a part-time basis in February.

Her role in the team is marketing and she is learning what we are already doing, and how to expand it, along with helping with translation and website development. We want many more people to know about our

bookshop but we need to be wise with how we use our resources, using both free and paid methods of getting the word out.

16 Wed. Uruguay – Road Works! (photo) CLC Uruguay has a new van specifically for use in the well-established mobile CLC ministry. Please pray for wisdom as the team plan the journeys and prepare the stock to take to churches and communities around the country. Pray too for more staff for the team, people who are called and equipped by God for the job.

17 Thu. Bolivia –Spreading the Word The CLC ministry in Bolivia only started last year and there is still a lot of work to do in terms of getting the word out that we are there! Please pray for increasing opportunities to contact churches, colleges, other bookshops - both Christian and secular – and any other organisation that would benefit from the books we have to offer. May God give Gamaliel Padilla and the team ideas and creativity in how best to serve and support the Christian community.

19-20 Sat./Sun. UK – Elim Bible Week The Elim Bible Week runs from Easter Monday, April 21st, to Friday the 25th and CLC are once again providing the bookstall.

Pray for Geoff Fanning, John Watkins and others as they set up and staff the stall. Give thanks for the excellent relations CLC has with the conference organisers and pray we can serve them and those who attend well.

21 Mon. Korea – Clearance Sale “CLC team in South Korea is having clearance sale of some of their publications.

This event takes place from the 21st to the 25th of April. Please pray for us that it will go well.” Young Ho Park, Director 22 Tue. Ecuador - Goals and Dreams Director Carlos Marin writes: “We are asking the Lord to enable us to realise our CLC goals and dreams; there is so much to do in this wonderful country! May we have wisdom in Christ to use the tools he has entrusted to us – primarily the printed page – to reach more souls who need the Lord, and to win them for Christ.”

23 Wed. Swaziland - Changes on the Board Steve & Lorraine Stavropolous, Trans World Radio missionaries in Swaziland for 35 years, are moving to Benin to continue their ministry there. Since last September, they have been on the Board of CLC Swaziland, and they have made a big difference in a

18 Fri. Good Friday CLC’s purpose statement is ‘To make evangelical literature available to all nations, so that people may come to a faith and maturity in the Lord Jesus Christ’. Pray that we will fulfil this purpose in all our work and extra activities over this Easter weekend.

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short time! We will miss them! Thank God we have three new people joining the Board, including the CEO of the local Bible Society.

The efficiency of the Board is crucial in our ministry. Please pray for all these changes!

24 Thu. – International Office Trustees Today there will be a meeting of the International Office Board of Trustees. This group plays a vital role in overseeing the work of the International Office. We thank God for all the time they give to CLC and for the skills they make available.

25 Fri. USA – Annual Conference Please pray for the CLC USA team as they hold their annual conference on Sunday, April 27th and Monday, April 28th. One of our CLC authors, Pastor Tony Hart, will be the devotional speaker. Pray for wisdom, unity and good times of fellowship for everyone.

26-27 Sat./Sun. UK - Canterbury CLC Canterbury asks for prayer as they are seeing a significant decline in customer visits to the shop. There is a need for an additional staff member to help with shop outreach and networking with local churches and organisations. Pray that the right person comes forward.

28 Mon. Mexico - Distribution Commences At the time of writing, it is hoped that a new CLC ministry in Mexico will be in operation by now. We anticipate working both in retail

and wholesale in Mexico City. CLC Colombia is spearheading this project and at least one member of the Colombian team will probably move to Mexico. Pray for the many details involved in starting a new work and praise God for this exciting opportunity.

29 Tue. Bolivia – Strength for Today (and Bright Hope for Tomorrow!)

Gamaliel and Marlene Padilla left CLC Venezuela to pioneer the CLC work in Bolivia. Please pray for them during this time of adjustment, especially as they have left families, including grown-up children, and friends behind. They have both had health problems recently and would value your prayers that God would give them the daily strength they need. Pray too for others to join the team as possibilities arise to extend the ministry beyond the city of Santa Cruz and the bookshop there.

30 Wed. Colombia - New Shops Our team in Colombia recently had the opportunity to acquire two bookshops in the city of Ibague. The previous owners wanted to get involved in other ministries and asked CLC to take over. The work has already made a good start, but please pray that the staff of the two shops would soon feel part of the ‘CLC family’. Pray for the two experienced CLC workers – Maria del Carmen Castañeda and Kike Aguirre – who have moved to Ibague to manage the bookshops.

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