Today is the National Day of Prayer.

For many of us, it is also the seventh or eighth straight week of staying home to avoid COVID-19. Even though we may be separated from our families, friends, and co-workers, we can be joined together through prayer. Prayer is a way to participate with God in what He is doing in our communities and throughout our world. What a joy and privilege it is to be a prayer partner with all of you.

While we pray together, let us all remember we are not alone. With stay-at-home mandates, closed schools, and church activities happening remotely, it is easy to feel isolated. We are created for relationship. However, one of the best ways to build connectedness and unity is through prayer. At Medical Teams International, we are praying for all of you, and we appreciate your prayers for us.

On this day, we invite you to join with us in prayer as we continue to learn about and respond to this pandemic on a local and global level.

Locally, please pray for:

• God to open doors for us to expand our service reach and provide COVID-19 testing to the most vulnerable and marginalized in our communities.
• Continued protection of our staff and volunteers as they continue with COVID-19 testing support and resume non-emergency dental services to those in greatest need.
• The recruitment of dental volunteers. With dental offices reopening, dentists and hygienists may not be available to volunteer as readily, and retired dentists who are still considered to be high risk for COVID-19 may not be available to volunteer. Recruitment of dental volunteers may be a challenge … but God is able.
• Wisdom for our state and federal leaders in deciding when it is safe to relax current restrictions.

Internationally, please pray for:

•  A seamless opening of the “Main Road Clinic” in Kutupalong Refugee Camp, which has just been converted into a 50-bed COVID treatment facility for Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh.
• Our staff in Uganda who are working in strict lockdown. Pray for those staff separated from their families — that they will have peace, and all stay healthy.
• The safety of our staff and local health care workers in Guatemala, Tanzania, Uganda, Bangladesh, Liberia, Colombia, and Lebanon. May the Lord protect and strengthen these front-line servant-heroes.
• Wisdom for our staff as we work with national governments and other international organizations in planning and responding to prevent the spread of COVID-19 in their countries.
• The Church in Guatemala and Tanzania, trained in Channels of Hope. Pray that they will not only provide health messages to protect the physical body from COVID-19, but that they will also address emotional and spiritual needs within the community.

COVID-19 cases are beginning to rise in several countries where Medical Teams works. In each country we are collaborating with local health authorities and UN agencies to reduce the spread of the virus. We are deeply concerned about the most vulnerable – refugees in crowded camps or settlements in Tanzania, Bangladesh, Lebanon and Uganda; the marginalized in under-resourced communities of Guatemala; and the poor living in crowded and unsanitary conditions. The spread of COVID-19 would be catastrophic for these communities.

Thank you for your prayerful and generous spirit for those most impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.

You can always find up-to-date prayer needs on our website here.