Anonymous
Beloved of All
Short version:
1. I am an ordained missionary. Pray for my ministry.
2. Pray for a decision that I have to make before Christmas.
3. Pray for my family's extremely bad financial situation (Please note: I am not asking for money here. I am just looking for prayer, and maybe sound advice).
Thank you for your prayers.
Longer version and explanation:
1. I am an ordained missionary in my own country. I have been stuck for one year at my home because of the lockdowns, and now I am back in the field. It was too long a break. I was new to this field when I came. And now I have to restart everything again. My wife and I need prayer. I have already rejoined my teaching services at a small Bible School/College with few students. But my board did not send me to do this. But I did this to help me in learning the local language as well as to help me to get contacts - hoping that a student from the local area will be free to work with me and my board to help start a church. So, I am here to plant churches. I am planning to start a house church at my home. I am planning to even start an Inductive Bible Study course for some of the Christian youths that I have met here. Pray for my ministry.
2. The decision I have to make by Christmas. When I came to the mission field, I came without knowing anyone here. Somehow we met a group of pastors who were very helpful to us. Through one of them I got the rented appartment which my board approved. I am very thankful to them and especially the one who got me the appartment. He is my next door neighbour and he is also on rent. By December he will move to the appartment that he has been paying for and which will be completed by then. Since this pastor is very "slick" he pays less to his appartment owner while I pay double to my own appartment owner (different owners). So he has been suggesting to me for sometime now that he would sublet to me: A. I move into his current appartment after he moves out and that I pay him a lesser amount and that I pocket the balance that my board has been paying me. I told him that this is not something I would want to do. B. Then recently, he told me that I still move to his current apartment before Christmas but pay him the same amount that I am currently paying. But he has told me that he will pocket the extra amount himself. And pay the owner the leser amount. This is a very wierd situation. Because he is very influential in the city - he knows politicians and rich people. He even convinced his own apartment owner to keep taking less rent from him. I am inclined to say no. But he has mentioned that the relationship with him will be better because of all the people he knows. I think I should say now. I will tell the board members everything and I will not be afraid of whatever he is trying to suggest. This is so dumb. Please do pray for my decision, reputation and safety.
3. (Please note again: I am not asking for money here. I am just looking for prayer and maybe sound advice). Its in two parts. This is the part where it is really blowing up. It all started with my cousin seeking a loan from local money lenders in my home town. And she approached my mother for this purpose. My cousin introduced her to someone in the neighbourhood who knows someone else who would lend money. So she got 600,000 in our local currency with a high-interest rate. I did not see the agreement that they draw out but I think the rate is between 10-20 %. This is an illegal rate but my cousin was convincing enough to all parties that she would manage the repayments regularly. This is a lot of money and my mother had to be the surety. And sure enough, my cousin was not able to pay the money back and the lenders approach my mother. This is where everything started to go downhill. It turns out there were others people around town who have given my cousin money on with a high-interest rate. We don't know how many. And we don't know how much. By my estimate the total sum from different lenders would be more than 20,000,000 and I can only imagine how much it would come to with unpaid principal and interest. And it also turned out that my cousin has been staying as a renter in the house that used to belong to her because of her. A lender had taken her deeds and when she could not pay back the money she lost the house. I don't know the legality of all of this. The house was a gift or an interitance that her mom/my aunty had provided for her. She had shifted since to another rented place. So naturally, my cousin could not pay back the loan that my mother was surety for. And my mother borrowed from other people to pay, she is still paying and the cycle is going on. And she has her own loans to pay back. The situation is bad. So much so that I too took a personal loan (with my small salary) from a bank recently to help my mother out. But it is not enough. We are desparate and very few avenues are now available. We live in a culture where if we go to the courts we may win the legal battles but loose our face in the society. Our clan members may have a vague idea about what is happening but the moment they know, it could go either way - I don't know.
The second part. I will be brief here. Some investments from my side have failed a few years ago and I am paying back the people I myself owe. And there has also been a big financial disaster from on my wife's family side and I helped them by selling my car and giving some extra money that I had. That too is not enough.
So everything is blowing up financially. I cannot disown my own mother or cousin or even my wife's family. I cannot go to the law because I don't have enough funds to do anything. Left and right, I am so lost for words and ideas. My aunty is now having serious health issues. My mother is crying almost everyday. I turn to the Lord and I know that he knows everything, but I don't know how... I may go for bankruptcy but I don't know how - or is it even possible in my country.
Thank you for taking the time to read this. I need your prayers. Thank you for your prayers.
Signed by Befuddled Pastor
1. I am an ordained missionary. Pray for my ministry.
2. Pray for a decision that I have to make before Christmas.
3. Pray for my family's extremely bad financial situation (Please note: I am not asking for money here. I am just looking for prayer, and maybe sound advice).
Thank you for your prayers.
Longer version and explanation:
1. I am an ordained missionary in my own country. I have been stuck for one year at my home because of the lockdowns, and now I am back in the field. It was too long a break. I was new to this field when I came. And now I have to restart everything again. My wife and I need prayer. I have already rejoined my teaching services at a small Bible School/College with few students. But my board did not send me to do this. But I did this to help me in learning the local language as well as to help me to get contacts - hoping that a student from the local area will be free to work with me and my board to help start a church. So, I am here to plant churches. I am planning to start a house church at my home. I am planning to even start an Inductive Bible Study course for some of the Christian youths that I have met here. Pray for my ministry.
2. The decision I have to make by Christmas. When I came to the mission field, I came without knowing anyone here. Somehow we met a group of pastors who were very helpful to us. Through one of them I got the rented appartment which my board approved. I am very thankful to them and especially the one who got me the appartment. He is my next door neighbour and he is also on rent. By December he will move to the appartment that he has been paying for and which will be completed by then. Since this pastor is very "slick" he pays less to his appartment owner while I pay double to my own appartment owner (different owners). So he has been suggesting to me for sometime now that he would sublet to me: A. I move into his current appartment after he moves out and that I pay him a lesser amount and that I pocket the balance that my board has been paying me. I told him that this is not something I would want to do. B. Then recently, he told me that I still move to his current apartment before Christmas but pay him the same amount that I am currently paying. But he has told me that he will pocket the extra amount himself. And pay the owner the leser amount. This is a very wierd situation. Because he is very influential in the city - he knows politicians and rich people. He even convinced his own apartment owner to keep taking less rent from him. I am inclined to say no. But he has mentioned that the relationship with him will be better because of all the people he knows. I think I should say now. I will tell the board members everything and I will not be afraid of whatever he is trying to suggest. This is so dumb. Please do pray for my decision, reputation and safety.
3. (Please note again: I am not asking for money here. I am just looking for prayer and maybe sound advice). Its in two parts. This is the part where it is really blowing up. It all started with my cousin seeking a loan from local money lenders in my home town. And she approached my mother for this purpose. My cousin introduced her to someone in the neighbourhood who knows someone else who would lend money. So she got 600,000 in our local currency with a high-interest rate. I did not see the agreement that they draw out but I think the rate is between 10-20 %. This is an illegal rate but my cousin was convincing enough to all parties that she would manage the repayments regularly. This is a lot of money and my mother had to be the surety. And sure enough, my cousin was not able to pay the money back and the lenders approach my mother. This is where everything started to go downhill. It turns out there were others people around town who have given my cousin money on with a high-interest rate. We don't know how many. And we don't know how much. By my estimate the total sum from different lenders would be more than 20,000,000 and I can only imagine how much it would come to with unpaid principal and interest. And it also turned out that my cousin has been staying as a renter in the house that used to belong to her because of her. A lender had taken her deeds and when she could not pay back the money she lost the house. I don't know the legality of all of this. The house was a gift or an interitance that her mom/my aunty had provided for her. She had shifted since to another rented place. So naturally, my cousin could not pay back the loan that my mother was surety for. And my mother borrowed from other people to pay, she is still paying and the cycle is going on. And she has her own loans to pay back. The situation is bad. So much so that I too took a personal loan (with my small salary) from a bank recently to help my mother out. But it is not enough. We are desparate and very few avenues are now available. We live in a culture where if we go to the courts we may win the legal battles but loose our face in the society. Our clan members may have a vague idea about what is happening but the moment they know, it could go either way - I don't know.
The second part. I will be brief here. Some investments from my side have failed a few years ago and I am paying back the people I myself owe. And there has also been a big financial disaster from on my wife's family side and I helped them by selling my car and giving some extra money that I had. That too is not enough.
So everything is blowing up financially. I cannot disown my own mother or cousin or even my wife's family. I cannot go to the law because I don't have enough funds to do anything. Left and right, I am so lost for words and ideas. My aunty is now having serious health issues. My mother is crying almost everyday. I turn to the Lord and I know that he knows everything, but I don't know how... I may go for bankruptcy but I don't know how - or is it even possible in my country.
Thank you for taking the time to read this. I need your prayers. Thank you for your prayers.
Signed by Befuddled Pastor
Let's lift up 
**
**@ElizabethF**’s sister Margaret needs continued prayers for strength and healing.
**Larwaith**’s dog Riley starts chemo, prayers for healing & tolerance.
**Pragyteros** needs prayers for family restoration.
**Myndarren** & boyfriend need job blessings.
**Kensem** seeks prayers for a loving partner.
