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Thank you for being part of the Boaz community and standing with us in prayer this month. |
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“I will give thanks to you, Lord, with all my heart;
I will tell of all your wonderful deeds.
I will be glad and rejoice in you;
I will sing the praises of your name, O Most High.
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The Lord reigns for ever;
he has established his throne for judgment.
He rules the world in righteousness
and judges the peoples with equity.
The Lord is a refuge for the oppressed,
a stronghold in times of trouble.
Those who know your name trust in you,
for you, Lord, have never forsaken those who seek you.
(Psalm 9:1-2, 7-10) |
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Welcome to our November prayer letter
Greetings from Boaz!
We hope that you are keeping well, as we find ourselves adjusting to life in lockdown once again. We've been working hard over recent weeks to support our clients as well as we possibly can during this time. This includes providing accurate and up to date health information and government guidance in a range of languages as well as making sure peoples' practical needs are met as we make regular well-being phone calls and safe house visits.
Over the last few weeks we had our first confirmed case of Covid-19 in one of our shared houses. Our housing manager and support workers were able to ensure that the household had everything they needed (from access to testing through to cleaning and hygiene supplies and food) and that they all understood the NHS guidance regarding isolation. Thankfully we can report that the virus wasn't passed on and the individual concerned has recovered well.
We have been really encouraged to receive some lovely feedback from our 2019-20 annual review which we recently sent out. You can read a copy online here and if you would like to order a copy of the paper version (or maybe even a few copies to pass on to others), please drop Lisa an email on info@boaztrust.org.uk- she'd love to hear from you! It is truly amazing to look back over the last year and a half, and to reflect on how our work has had to change and develop during this time. In this current season where we can feel overwhelmed in the midst of so much uncertainty, it is a real encouragement to be able to look back and to see God's faithfulness at work and to recognise so many answered prayers.
Thank you for reading our prayer letter and for standing with us in prayer this month. We are so grateful for each and every one of you at this time.
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| We give thanks... |
- for news from a former client who heard that he was recently granted refugee status, two years after leaving Boaz.
- for our continued work with GMIAU who are supporting several Boaz clients. Two long term clients have submitted fresh claims in the last month!
- for the kind donations we received during the Harvest season. It was so encouraging to receive these gifts of food and money, despite the fact that many churches were not able to have their traditional Harvest celebrations this year.
- for our new floating support pilot project. We are working with GMIAU and local 'A Bed Every Night' providers to support people seeking asylum who have somewhere to stay but who need additional specialist support.
| - for our client coffee mornings which have been going really well over the last few weeks. Give thanks for the opportunity for staff and clients to share together over Zoom.
- for one of our clients who is taking part in some media training. Pray for bravery and courage and positive opportunities to speak out and make a real difference.
- for safe, socially distant, 1:1 wellbeing walks with support workers and individual clients who have been particularly struggling with their mental health during this latest lockdown.
- For clients who are supporting each other during this time when many services are closed. It was wonderful to hear of some clients baking a birthday cake for one of their housemates recently!
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| Prayers for the month ahead... |
- pray for several clients who are currently struggling with various health issues. Give thanks for unexpected success with a local (emergency) dentist recently and pray for our support workers and clients who are struggling to book medical appointments.
- pray for our clients as they continue to engage with opportunities for learning, training and development, usually online. Pray for clients who have recently joined local ESOL classes and another who has just applied for an NHS training placement.
- pray for all those organisations and individuals who are campaigning for an end to asylum evictions during lockdown. Although there has been some promising progress with the Home Office, there is still a lack of clarity and uncertainty.
| - pray for the situation unfolding in Ethiopia where hundreds of people have been killed in recent attacks. Many of our clients are anxious as they try to get in touch with their loved ones and as they try to get the latest news from the region. Pray for peace and end to the hostility.
- pray for a Boaz client who has recently applied to be a trustee with another organisation. Give thanks for their desire to contribute and make a difference here in the UK.
- pray for our Boaz trustees who are due to meet (via Zoom) this weekend. Give thanks for their commitment to our work and pray for wisdom and clarity as they consider important strategic questions and priorities during such uncertain times.
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| Thank you for praying with us through the month. Please feel free to share this email with others who might like to join us in prayer. If you have any feedback on this email, or want to share anything after praying, please do reply to this email address - we'd love to hear from you. We'll be in touch again next month. |
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“I am convinced, however,
that our constant activity is fruitless without first making that humble act of kneeling to pray.
I am convinced that prayer is not only our greatest privilege, but also our greatest source of power."
Pete Greig
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| If you would like to respond by making a donation to our work you can make a one off gift, sign up to give regularly, or donate to help stock our Free Shop, so we can shop for food and toiletries for our clients who've been refused asylum.Thank you so much, we simply could not do the work we do without the generosity of people like you! |
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Copyright © 2020 The Boaz Trust. All rights reserved. |
