January & February Prayer Requests

Praise God! This month’s prayer requests are a combination of January and February. We have much to be thankful for, as well as some important requests. Thank you for joining with us in prayer!

Praise! 

• New branches! We set out to open two new branches as well as begin the hiring and training process for staff for a third new branch to open in January 2023. The Lord was faithful, and with your generous support we were able to accomplish this huge goal! Rhino, Lamwo, and Kiryandongo branches are in full swing forming groups to bring the hope of Jesus Christ and economic empowerment to more people.

• Successful Staff Training in Kiryandongo! As noted above, we launched Kiryandongo in January of 2023 and our staff has been equipped to serve more members in new areas.

• New Life! We are praising God for the safe delivery of Seed Effect Uganda Staff members Thomas’and Malish’s babies.

• Honoring Jessica Riddlesperger as she faithfully devoted her time to helping make Seed Effect’s prayer team possible. Over the course of the past few years, every month, Jessica collected praises and prayer requests from both Seed Effect Uganda and Seed Effect USA and synthesized the information into the prayer points that comprise this monthly prayer newsletter. She and her husband, Kurt, have been blessed with two precious children in the past couple of years, and with this as well as stepping into additional responsibilities with their local church she is stepping down from leading the Seed Effect prayer team. Jessica and Kurt actually went to Uganda with Seed Effect back in 2018, which is when the consistency of this newsletter was born thanks to Jessica’s care in her continued fostering of relationships with Seed Effect Uganda staff upon their return back stateside.

Seed Effect Uganda 

• Our refugee brothers and sisters: As this is a new year let us pray all refugees in Uganda (and beyond) as they live in the tension of present safety and stability alongside the pain of being out of their nations and longing for home. Please join us in praying that they feel God’s presence, remembrance, and care of them in 2023.

• Health, protection, and safety of Staff: please continue to join us in the ongoing prayer of health, protection, and safety for our staff and their families.

• Salvations! Pray for the two members who gave their lives to Jesus Christ in Ajobere Seed Effect Savings Group.

• Seed Effect’s 2023 Operations: for smooth operations to serve more people with Seed Effect’s program bringing economic empowerment and the hope of Jesus Christ!

• Kiryandongo Branch. As aforementioned, our 7th branch has officially opened with the first groups forming in January. We ask for prayer for the Kiryandongo branch staff as they continue to grow the Seed Effect family by serving South Sudanese refugees and their Ugandan neighbors.

• Families with School-Aged Children. Please pray for both Seed Effect Ugandan staff as well as our members for the provision of finances to pay the necessary school fees so that their children can attend school.

• Procurement of Supplies. With the launching of new branches as well as necessary maintenance, repair, and replacement of supplies in existing branches, Seed Effect Uganda is currently in the process of securing new savings kits, vehicles, computers, and other operational supplies. Will you join us in praying for the successful and efficient procurement of these supplies?

• Graduated Savings Groups! Prayers for the Seed Effect savings groups that have successfully completed the three-cycle program and are now equipped to continue saving independent of a Seed Effect trainer. Join us in praying that they will continue saving successfully and feel confident and empowered as they sustain the teachings of Seed Effect’s three-cycle program.

• Our Seed Effect Members. Please pray for existing, new, and graduated Seed Effect savings group members as they enter into a new year. Please pray for successful saving, loan repayment, financial growth and empowerment, strengthened and restored relationships, and above all that each member feels the palpable love of God envelop and sustain them – that their lives our completely transformed through the power of the Gospel.

• Successful Loan Repayment. Please join us in praying for our members as they take loans. That they will successfully repay their loans, which leads to the empowerment of their fellow group members in future loan cycles as well as the group’s overall strengthening as this impacts their total return on savings.

• Restoration Amidst Grief. Pray for restoration of Seed Effect members who have lost family members, especially for the family of Grace Andezu in Aliodrozu Seed Effect Savings Group whose son passed away, for Gara Social Seed Effect Savings group who experienced the loss of a member’s baby, and for Econi Seed Effect Savings Group who experienced the loss of a member’s brother.

• Healing for the Sick. Please join us in praying for family members of both our savings group members as well as staff that are experiencing illness. Some of these individuals are experiencing sickness in hospitals, others are at home. Some are experiencing physical ailments, whereas others are combatting mental illnesses. Would you join us in praying for total healing for these individuals and also pray for the family members that are helping to care for their loved ones?

• Financial Breakthrough and Provision. Lord, we pray for our group members who are struggling financially especially since the governmental refugee food ration has been drastically reduced.

• Expectant Mothers. Will you join us in praying for the safety and health of our staff and group members’ and the children they are expecting?

• Knowledge and Wisdom. Pray for knowledge and wisdom for the spiritual leaders in all of the branches

Seed Effect USA

• Inaugural Staff Summit in March 2023! As you well know Seed Effect has experienced significant growth over the past three years, and this is especially true for this past calendar year as we opened two new branches in Rhino and Lamwo with the third new branch in Kiryandongo launching in January of 2023. With the launch of these three branches we are officially working in all seven major refugee settlements in northern Uganda. Thank you for your faithful support in helping make this possible! With growth comes new staff and so we are hosting a staff summit for all seven Seed Effect Uganda Branches from March 16 – 18 in Gulu, Uganda. We are so excited to share vision, team build, and simply be together and praise God for all He is doing through Seed Effect. Would you join us in praying for the planning logistics and overall success of the summit? That every staff member would leave feeling strengthened, equipped, and encouraged?

• Team Trip in August 2023! We’re back! We have not taken a participant trip to Uganda since the fall of 2019, pre Covid, but come this August that is changing. We will be leaving the States on August 9th and returning on August 19th. Would you join us in praying for a successful first trip back? That the time would be recalibrating and further ignite passion for participants and strengthening/encouraging to our local staff and members?

• Interested in joining the August 2023 Trip Team? Spots are limited! If you or someone you know is interested in joining the trip team, please email Ashley Godsil, Director of Development, at ashley@seedeffect.org by March 15th!

• Growing our Partners. Would you continue to pray for Seed Effect as we expand our community of supporters within the DFW area and beyond? We have two low impact ways that current supporters can share Seed Effect’s work with new people: Seed Effect Socials and Seed Effect Gather.

• Health of our team and families. Would you pray we’d stay healthy physically, emotionally, and spiritually and be fully present?

• Wisdom as We Grow. We continue to grow and are so thankful! Pray we will steward this growth and expansion in a way that is worthy of the Gospel.

• Keeping Christ as Our Focus. Pray we remain committed to honoring the sabbath, seeking solitude to hear from the Lord, and praying for this ministry. Ask the Lord to help us keep Him at the center of everything we do.

  Now all glory to God, who is able, through his mighty power at work within us, to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think.