Fwd: Good work, hand in hand

---------- Forwarded message ---------
From: EMM <catherine.merkey@emm.org>
Date: Thu, Oct 1, 2026 at 6:01 AM
Subject: Good work, hand in hand
To: <gehmanmennonitechurch@gmail.com>

By noon, the linoleum tables inside McCaskey High School are crowded with a gallery of preschool palms and almost-grown hands. A hand lies flat against the paper, a radiating anchor of heat on a humi

GOOD WORK, HAND IN HAND “In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now, being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion ...” —Philippians 1:4–6 By noon, the linoleum tables inside McCaskey High School are crowded with a gallery of preschool palms and almost-grown hands. A hand lies flat against the paper, a radiating anchor of heat on a humid July afternoon. The pencil rounds the thumb, climbs each finger, dips through the narrow valleys between them, then closes the gray perimeter at the wrist. The hand lifts. Its outline remains: graphite evidence of four ancient words—fearfully and wonderfully made. Another hand takes its place. By the end of the activity, the tables hold outline after outline, each unmistakably its own.  READ MORE   DAILY PRAYER WEST AFRICA 1 | Pray for the Deaf community in the Gambia, who are severely underresourced and face systemic barriers. Pray for provision for them, and for them to hear from the Lord in ways that are significant to them. 2 | Ask the Lord to call individuals and families to serve short-term in West Africa. 3 | Pray for the Badyara people in Guinea-Bissau, of whom 79% are adherent to the Muslim faith. Pray that they would have meaningful encounters with Christ that speak to their hearts. 4 | Pray for the Bambara in the Gambia, of whom over 80% are adherent to the Muslim faith. Many also participate in traditional religious practices. Pray that Christ would be illumined to them as savior. 5 | Ask the Lord to call individuals and families to serve long-term in West Africa. LANCASTER, PA 6 | Ask the Lord to sustain and encourage those who volunteer with Neighbors Community Center at Hub450, our building in Lancaster City, Pa. Ask the Lord to prompt more volunteers to serve. 7 | Ask the Lord to fill the open EMM staff position for a recruitment and placement specialist. 8 | Please pray for Linda and Phil Gottschalk as they begin teaching this month online for the Baptist Theological Institute in Bucharest, Romania. Linda will teach two courses on the survey of church history: one for master’s students and one for first-year bachelor's students. Phil will teach survey of theology to master’s students, history of Christian thought to second year bachelor students, and Christian ethics to fourth year bachelor students. Pray also for Phil as he assumes new roles with the Christian-Muslim Relations Team. 9 | Pray for the refugee and immigrant community living in Lancaster, Pa. Pray for God’s provision for them, and for their businesses to thrive. 10 | Pray for a partnership-building opportunity for EMM this morning. Pray that this interaction will yield meaningful outcomes of prayer, connection, and shared vision. 11 | Pray for the ‘26-’27 Advance cohort as they engage in the discipleship training phase of the program in Lancaster, Pa. Pray that they would learn well and receive from God what he has for them in this time of learning and growth. Pray for them to engage meaningfully with the Kairos course, and for the Kairos class cohort to gain insight from that opportunity. CENTRAL ASIA 12 | Join Elizabeth* in prayer for her and her team as they host a team of 8 people from 5 countries in their city for a prayer and service tour of the region. 13 | Ask the Lord to call individuals and families to serve long-term in Central Asia. 14 | Pray for the Chenchen people in Kazakhstan, of whom 85% are adherents to Islam. Pray for the Lord to reveal Christ to them in ways that are compelling to them. 15 | Pray for Evan and Faith* as they settle in Central Asia. Pray for provision for their needs, physically, emotionally, and spiritually, as well as meaningful confirmations of God’s sovereignty in the timing of their arrival to the region. 16 | Ask the Lord to call individuals and families to serve short-term in Central Asia. CENTRAL EUROPE 17 | Join Nick* in prayer for proficiency as he learns both Russian and Farsi, so that he can interact meaningfully with the many speakers of those languages in the context in which he ministers. 18 | Ask the Lord to call individuals and families to serve long-term in Central Europe. 19 | Pray for the Vietnamese population living in the Czech Republic. Pray that the 5-10% of the group who are Christians would reach out to others in their group, 53% of whom are Buddhists. Pray for meaningful opportunities for those who are Christ-followers to connect with others. 20 | Ask the Lord to call individuals and families to serve short-term in Central Europe. SOUTHEAST ASIA 21 | Ask the Lord to call individuals and families to serve short-term in Southeast Asia. 22 | Join Brody and Abigail* in prayer as they get closer to their departure date. As they prepare to leave for Thailand at the beginning of November, ask the Lord to provide what their family needs during this transitional period. 23 | Pray for the Brao people in Cambodia, many of whom follow ethnic religions. Pray that the 5-10% of their group who follow Christ would be bold and courageous to share with others the truth they have found. 24 | Join John and Jeanette Puckett in praising the Lord that their language abilities are growing and for the good health they have been experiencing. 25 | Ask the Lord to call individuals and families to serve long-term in Southeast Asia. OTHER PARTS OF THE WORLD 26 | Pray for Peter and Christy* and their family as they adjust to life in Beirut, Lebanon. Pray for good friendships for their children at the French school. Pray also for a meaningful first semester at the Near East School of Theology for Peter, teaching contemporary issues in Christian ethics this term. Ask the Lord for continued strength in learning Lebanese Arabic and in acclimating to life in a big city. There are over 42,000 people per square mile in their neighborhood! 27 | Join Carissa Sherer in praying for Hope for Home, the ministry she works with in Guatemala. Ask that God would use a challenging season to further glorify God and draw ministry workers closer to Him as they increase in trust. 28 | Pray for the All-nations Association of Bible Schools (AABS) video conference for their six affiliated schools in India/Bangladesh on November 10th. Pray for good attendance, a stable internet connection, and good fellowship among these Bible school directors, and that they will benefit from teaching on practical pointers on how to run a Bible school. 29 | Pray that God will call youth who are gifted in leadership to apply to serve during the 2027 summer Kingdom teams season. 30 | Pray that the Lord would begin to put Advance on the hearts of young people, and that they would feel prompted by Him to apply for the 2027-2028 Advance year. 31 | Pray that the upcoming EMM vision and fundraising banquets would be meaningful times of connection and inspiration for those who attend. Some prayer requests adapted from joshuaproject.net. *Names changed for sensitivity reasons.

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