November 2007

Give praise for the generous donations from several people in response to our item in last month's prayer letter about the six third year students experiencing financial difficulties. They are now able to complete their studies. Praise the Lord!

Please pray for the spiritual and emotional needs of all our students. We are nearing the end of the academic year and so the students are exhausted. They have all finished teaching practice placements recently and it was a stressful time for many. Final exams are coming up for the first and second years and on top of all that, a number of students are also facing difficult issues at home.

Please keep praying for the first year students, as we told you about last month. There have been a number of issues over the past weeks which have brought individuals in the year group into a spiritual conflict with the college. Please pray that those students who want to stay would do so and that those who have difficulties with FEISA's Christian philosophy would consider carefully whether they should continue to study here.

Bishop John and Judie's leaving service on 21st October was a wonderful celebration of their nineteen years of faithful service in Paraguay. Please praise God with us for the Bishop's invaluable support and advice since FEISA began in 2000. (See photo: On the left, Sam and Gloria as they presented FEISA's leaving gift, on the right, the Bishop with the engraved leather document folder.)

Please pray for John Tompkins, our UK treasurer. He is experiencing some health difficulties and would value your prayers. Praise God for the valuable work John does for us in communicating with donors and our UK bank.

The drought and fires over recent months have led to many problems in Paraguay. There is a milk shortage as a result of the deaths of cows and a fuel shortage due to the level of the river being too low to allow the ships to bring the fuel into the country. This has led to rising petrol and diesel prices, which in turn has led to fewer buses running and an increase in the bus fares. The fires also damaged crops which are what the majority of Paraguayans living in the countryside rely on for food and income. All this has provoked a rising cost of living in this developing country, where salaries are unable to keep up with inflation. Please pray for abundant rain in the whole country and for the provision of fuel and food at affordable prices.