Monday - Augusta

  1. Pray for the staff in all aspects of their life- spiritually, physically, and emotionally.

  2. Pray for the student leaders of the ministry, that they would continue to pursue holiness and walk deeply with the Lord.

  3. Pray for the lost to continue to come to Christ, and that we would have favor with students during our virtual weekly meetings.

Tuesday - Manila, Philippines

1. Our team’s physical, spiritual and emotional health.  We are in our third week of home quarantine with at least two more to go.  Pray that our team would love, serve and encourage one another well and draw closer to the Lord during this season.

2. Our ministry to deepen and expand.  Our staff are continuing to connect with students online for Bible studies and discipleship groups and are trying to think of creative ways to reach out online to friends of our students with messages of encouragement and hope in Christ.

3. Our city and our nation.  That God would mercifully spare the 13 million people living in this city from a mass outbreak of the Coronavirus and that government leaders would have wisdom to do what is best for the people.

Wednesday - Memphis

1. That our staff and students would be abiding in the love of God in this season and experiencing great joy and intimacy w/ Christ and loved ones around us.

2. Peace and healing from God for many of our staff who have family members and loved ones who are ill.

3. That we would see a movement of God’s Spirit on our campuses over the next 5 years and many laborers raised up for the harvest.

4. Wisdom and discernment for us as we make decisions regarding this summer and next year of ministry.

Thursday - Athens, Greece

  1. Pray for the leadership of the Polis church network in Athens, that God would give them wisdom and use them in this difficult time.  

  2. Pray that God would use this to shake the spiritual apathy of college students in Athens.

  3. Pray that God would continue to raise up a team of people to go to Athens.

Friday - Lexington

  1. For Staff and students to have greater dependence on the Lord (Isaiah 42:16)

  2. Peace and rest for our souls during this time (Proverbs 3:24)

  3. For refreshed energy for our work (John 21:7b)

  4. For wisdom (James 1:5)

Saturday - Lusaka, Zambia

  1. Pray that God would be merciful on the country of Zambia and protect us from a large outbreak that could be detrimental to the nation.

  2. Pray for students who are connected to the ministry to continue to grow, and that their identity would be rooted in Christ even in uncertain times

  3. Pray for CO Next and LEAD Staff who are in the process of preparing to join the team, that the timing and logistics would work out and they would be able to join in this exciting work!

Sunday - Charleston

  1. Please pray for a deeper sense of gospel rest/stillness for our staff. This seems to be a moment to pause and reflect on all that Christ is for us, and for him to reveal our idols of self-sufficiency and performance. 

  2. Many students have professed faith this semester, and many others are seemingly right on the cusp of trusting Christ. Please pray that the cares of the world(represented by life at home) would not choke out what appears to be legitimate heart change. 

  3. We are holding out hope for a late-summer, in-person training project. Please pray that it would be able to happen, and that our students feel a deep longing for Christian community because of this season of isolation. 

“Even If…”

by Samantha Roberts, CO South Africa Women’s Coordinator

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Though the spread of the COVID-19 virus has been growing over the last several weeks, it all became more real just over a week ago when the South African government, recognizing the increasing number of cases in the country began implementing travel bans and social distancing. With many others around the world, it didn't take much time for my mind to be consumed with the what-ifs of this virus. My mind was everywhere. How will this impact the world? Those who I love? What does this mean for my already struggling support account? What about the fact I have chronic asthma? And this is just the trailer to my thought life. Before I knew it I was up in the middle of the night, my mind was running its course to every place that I allowed it. 

By the time the morning came, I can tell that my heart had shifted from the what-ifs to despair of feeling like if the COVID-19 itself didn't take me out being in isolation would since I am an extrovert who lives alone. I said to the Lord that morning when this is all done I might as well just go ahead and pack up my bags.

In my time with the Lord, I brought all these many concerns to Him. Then Psalm 46 came to mind. It starts in vs. 1 with “God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.” One of the greatest lessons I continue to learn as I live overseas is what it means for the Lord to be my refuge. My refuge can not be in people, places or things, but in God alone. Then I paused at, ‘a very present help in time of trouble’. If what is going on in our world with the spread of COVID-19 isn't trouble I don't know what is. I said out loud ‘God is very present in times of trouble’ … I kept repeating these words over and over until peace began to make its way into my heart. 

Then vs. 2 says “Therefore we will not fear though the earth gives way, though the mountains be moved into the heart of the sea..” Over the years it’s been helpful to put vs. 2  in my own words “even if everything around me is falling apart”. EVEN IF. There it was. The turning point. I started considering the list of what-if’s that had been consuming me, reminding myself of God’s faithfulness. So even if all my support runs out, God is faithful and will provide exactly what I need. Even if I do have to spend time in lockdown alone, God is with me and will provide my manna that I need every day. Why? Because He is faithful. Even if I were to catch this virus having chronic asthma, I have to trust God will provide the care that I need and trust in His will for my life. Why? Because He is faithful.

As someone who struggles with anxiety often, God has taught me over the years to work through it and not wait long. I have ‘cares of my heart time’, often. This is from Psalm 94:19, which says “ When the cares of my heart are many, your consolations cheer my soul” or as the CSB version says ‘ your comfort brings me joy’. Oftentimes in my anxiety, I am asking “ Am I going to be ok?” And when I look to my Heavenly Father I can say yes. Not that it won’t be hard, we are living in a fallen world after all. But God will look after me, making provision for my needs just as He does the birds in the air. 

Author Pam Roswell, who was the assistant to Corrie Ten Boom in her later years of life, wrote a book with a quote that has been so good for me in this time, it reads:

“I said to the man who stood at the gate of the year: ‘ Give me a light that I may tread safely into the unknown.’ And he replied: ‘ Go out into the darkness and put your hand into the hand of God. That shall be to you better than light and safer than a known way.” M. L. Haskins

May we trust the Lord to lead us into the unknown, giving us the manna we need for the day. He has always been a faithful Father, and we can trust Him, even if…

Continue to follow along every day at coserve.org/prayer or on Instagram: @co.lead