Ebenso News


Ebenso Update 6th January Hmm! Thanks to those who pointed out the ‘deliberate mistake’ in our last update email! Of course, I had meant to write ‘this will be our last Ebenso Update prayer email until 2012.’ Thank you for the cards, emails and gifts we received for Christmas. It really was great to hear from you all. We had a great break together as Bassey was so chilled out as he submitted his draft thesis before Christmas . He is now waiting for comments to come back from his supervisors. Please continue to pray for him, that he can correct the thesis and submit the final version as soon as possible ready for his viva. He is still attending the university and reading around the subject more and more. Back to work Well, how I struggled to get Tuesday morning. I have enjoyed long lie ins for the past two weeks. Some days not waking until 10am! This week has been a week of sorting through emails (700+ dealt with so far) and planning for the weeks and months to come. The work plan is now sorted, but I expect that things will change as the weeks go on, so the plan is not written in stone. New Year’s Honours List Join is in thanking God that Stephen Hammersley, chair of TLM Trading and has been awarded a CBE in the New Year honours list. ( A CBE is a "Commander of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire" - a very British award generally announced in the New Year and awarded by the Queen who is the sovereign of the Order.) TLM Finances The income for 2011 was lower than expected and the forecast for 2012 is not good either. Unfortunately that has meant we have had to close some projects and reduce our input in many others. Â Please pray that God will surprise is with income from unexpected places so that we will be able to continue the work that he has asked us to do. Just a few minutes ago I received an email saying that we have received an extra donation of $17, 500 (yes, you read it right - seventeen thousand, five hundred dollars!) from the USA towards the cost of my own work as Global Disability Adviser. Isn’t that amazing? That means there is more money available for a project. Thank you Lord! Nigeria The security situation in Nigeria is expected to get worse with the recent lifting of the fuel subsidy. Dr Sunday Udo, Country Leader for Nigeria, writes: Â I am writing to intimate you of the situation in Nigeria and ask that you remember us in your prayers. From the 1st of January 2012, the Federal Government announced the removal of the subsidy on petrol. The price of petrol has now risen from N65/Litre to N140/Litre. In some places a Litre is selling for as high as N200. The price of goods and services have doubled overnight and the implications on project budgets and living costs are worrisome. As a reaction, [the trade union movement] has mobilized and called for a general strike action commencing from midnight of 8th January 2012. The fact that this is coming at time when the country is going through all kinds of security challenges has complicated the situation. We don't know how long the strike might be. If it does go on we think it may be up to three weeks. It could be less or more. Some of us have questioned the wisdom on the part of government to remove the subsidy on petrol at a time when the security situation is so precarious. We ask that you keep Nigeria in your prayers at this time for a quick and peaceful resolution of this looming crisis. Please do join us in praying for Nigeria. New Country Leader for TLM Papua New Guineaâ€‹ TLM welcomes Tweedy Malagian as the new Country Leader for TLM PNG. Based at the PNG office in Madang Province, Tweedy began his role with TLM on 1st January 2012. Tweedy has worked with CUSO (Canadian University Services Overseas) managing and developing community programs and managing volunteers within PNG. Until December 2011, he worked with Oxfam to provide community support in the highlands of PNG, establishing relationships, community development projects and networks amongst the tribal community. Join us in thanking God for Tweedy, and praying for him and his team in PNG, that they will gel together quickly and that the work there will go on to bigger and better things as God directs. TLM Bangladesh James Das, left TLM in December, so we are currently without a Country leader in Bangladesh. We thank God for the time he spent with us and all that he contributed to the Mission. We pray that God will continue to bless him in what he is doing now. Piet Both is acting as Country Leader while we look for a new person. Pray for Piet as he leaves for Bangladesh tomorrow (7^th January) for 3 weeks. He will be missed by his family in the Netherlands. Pray for the staff of TLM Bangladesh at this time of transition and ask God to lead the right person to apply for the role of Country Leader. Programmes meeting The end of the month sees about 20 of us meeting together again in London for the annual programmes meeting. Please pray for those who are applying for visas and sorting out tickets to enter the UK from India, Nigeria, Bangladesh, DR Congo, Australia and New Zealand. The agenda for the meeting is coming together and looks to be full and interactive. Pray also for Raj, Alan and Stephanie as they put the agenda together. New TLM quarterly prayer diary Please find attached the new quarterly prayer diary for January â€“ March 2012. We hope that using the quarterly prayer diary along with the annual ASK prayer diary you will be able to continue to pray for the work of The Leprosy Mission as a while, not just the work Bassey and I are involved in. World Leprosy Day Don’t forget that World Leprosy Day is coming up on 29^th January. Check out The Leprosy Mission website in your country for resources and information. Jannine Ebenso Global Disability Adviser Email: janninee@tlmint.org Skype: jannine.ebenso2008 .