Monthly Prayer Focus

More than 1.05 billion people live in slums worldwide.¹ Many of those people live in extreme poverty with a lack of necessities like proper shelter, clean water and adequate sanitation, let alone education. Daily work can be hard to find, and even when it is found, it typically only covers one day’s expenses. No savings means no significant purchases (such as a reliable form of transportation), and that means no hope for escape. Because of this relentless cycle, it’s nearly impossible for these individuals to improve their situation. GFA World is dedicated to offering practical help and the hope of Jesus to people living in slums, whether it’s by providing an income-generating gift, access to health care and education, or even friendship.

Please join us in praying this month for GFA’s slum ministry.

1 “Number of people living in slums from 2000 to 2020.” Statista. https://www.statista.com/statistics/267714/urban-population-in-slums/ December 2020.

For people living in slums, every day is a fight to survive. Most shelters are poorly constructed, leaving families extremely vulnerable to harsh weather and natural disasters.² Many do not have access to bathroom facilities, putting women and children especially at risk.^3,4 In addition, those living in slums have few, if any, assets, making them vulnerable to financial crisis, dangerous jobs as they try to make ends meet, and a cycle of poverty that is difficult to escape.⁵ When GFA missionaries enter a slum, they offer long-lasting solutions to these problems, such as tin sheets for stable roofs, community bathroom facilities and income-generating gifts like sewing machines.

Pray that God will protect and provide for men, women and children living in slums. Pray for relief from anxiety.

2 “What is a Slum?” Habitat for Humanity. Accessed June 2024. https://www.habitatforhumanity.org.uk/what-we-do/slum-rehabilitation/what-is-a-slum/.

3 “What is a Slum?” Habitat for Humanity. Accessed June 2024. https://www.habitatforhumanity.org.uk/what-we-do/slum-rehabilitation/what-is-a-slum/.

4 “Sanitation Fact Sheet.” World Health Organization. 22 March 2024. https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/sanitation.

5 “World Cities Report 2022.” UN Habitat. 2022. https://unhabitat.org/sites/default/files/2022/06/wcr_2022.pdf.

Very few children who live in slums are able to go to school. Without a good education, it’s nearly impossible to break the generational cycle of poverty. Many children in slums bear the burden of helping earn income or taking care of younger siblings rather than attend school. There are also millions of children who have been abandoned and roam the slums, often begging for their livelihoods. These precious kids are left vulnerable to exploitation by people who could appear to be helping them. GFA missionaries who serve in slums are especially compassionate toward children, offering free tutoring classes or school supplies so they can get an education.

Pray for children in slums to have the opportunity to learn. Pray for God’s protection against those who would take advantage of them. Pray for our missionaries to build relationships with these kids and their families and be able to demonstrate God’s love for them.

Slums can be incubators of illnesses. The lack of clean water and proper sanitation facilities contributes to diseases such as diarrhea, malaria and typhoid fever.⁶ Infections and viruses can spread swiftly in the overcrowded environment of slums. In addition, limited access to health care and education leads to delayed detection and treatment of these ailments. Many of these illnesses are easily treated and largely preventable. Missionaries in slums bring health-care treatments to help struggling residents, echoing Jesus’ compassion for the sick (see Matthew 14:14).

Pray that everyone needing health care will receive immediate help. Pray that people will understand and practice preventative hygiene tactics, such as washing hands. Pray for solutions for the sources of their sicknesses. Pray for God to encourage their hearts.

6 “About Global Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH).” CDC. April 2024. href="https://www.cdc.gov/global-water-sanitation-hygiene/about/index.html">https://www.cdc.gov/global-water-sanitation-hygiene/about/index.html.

GFA missionaries gladly enter slums and other harsh settings to offer the hope of Jesus. They have unique insight into the people’s struggles. Some missionaries serve in the very slums where they grew up. They know what it’s like to dig around in the trash, desperate for something to eat. They know how it feels to live every day without hope. These missionaries demonstrate the love of Christ in tangible ways to widows, children and whole families.

Pray for national missionaries serving in slums. Pray they will be a blessing and encouragement to people in need. Ask the Holy Spirit to fill them and give them wisdom and grace for their work.

GFA missionaries help slum communities in practical ways, including offering literacy classes, building toilets and giving income-generating gifts. But even though missionaries’ compassion is great, their resources are finite. They need God’s wisdom to best prioritize their communities’ needs.

Ask God to provide for every aspect of these missionaries’ ministry. Pray for wisdom in knowing which people would be the most blessed by a gift. Pray for more people to partner with us to enable these missionaries to be the hands and feet of Jesus.

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