100 days to Christmas

Yep, it's that time of year once again. 16 September marks 100 days until Christmas Day. Although for many it's an exciting time, for others it's a stark reminder of the impact of their financial struggles. As the weather grows colder, many people will dread the cost of heating the house over winter. As the Christmas adverts begin, pressuring us to spend, many families will be worried about putting food on the table every day - let alone a lavish spread on Christmas Day. And as the sparkly decorations go up and the happy songs start to play, many people won't feel at all like celebrating.

Please would you join us in praying that those struggling financially will get the help they need sooner rather than later, whether it's from CAP or another source, that they would be surrounded by friendship, joy and faith throughout this season and that they wouldn't feel alone? Let's pray and believe for lots and lots of happy Christmases across this nation!

Prayers answered

Last month we asked you to pray into our Discovery Breaks taking place across the country. We're delighted to say they all ran smoothly and hundreds of clients and their families have been able to relax, reconnect, make new friendships and find out more about God. Here are a few quotes from the Sneaton Castle break, which was funded entirely by the staggering generosity of our supporters through a crowdfunding campaign:

'I have really enjoyed spending time with my son Oliver and seeing him letting Jesus into his heart and making friends.' - Shelley (She and Oliver had never had a holiday before!)

'The break has given me an opportunity to spend time with my kids. I've made lots of new friends. I don't feel like I'm on my own anymore. Even when I go home now I won't be alone because I've opened my heart up to God.' - Sam

'Thank you CAP for making me happy and so I could have a fun time.' - Josh (Sam's son)

 'I feel so calm now. It's been fun meeting new friends as we're all in the same situation. It's brought me back to God. I would never have joined in before but here I have because of all the staff and new confidence I have.' - Lee

'This break has meant a lot to us as a family, I finally got the answers from God I needed. CAP have helped me whenever I need them and my debt is 100% better.' - Skye

Thank you so much for your ongoing prayers. They are making such a difference!

Still engaging

Our Engage internship programme continues this month, with another bunch of lovely people coming to CAP HQ to help out, gain valuable experience and get a taste for CAP life. Please continue to pray that these individuals will be positively impacted by their time at CAP and that the precious time they're giving up over the summer will all be worth it for the lives they'll help to transform!

Summer stresses

With the kids off school and the sun shining, August is a time for fun, joy and rest. Or at least it should be. Sadly, for some families it will be a time of worry and stress, due to the financial pressure involved in keeping the kids entertained and satisfied. Your prayers are seriously invaluable here. Please pray that these families would remember that spending time is so much more important than spending money, and for God to bring peace and a solution over any worries they might have.

Of course, there are lots of clients working with CAP to sort out their debts and they'll have a CAP Plan to stick to. Please pray that this budget will help them to manage their money over the summer and give them the freedom to enjoy it!

Discovery Breaks

We've got lots of Discovery Breaks happening in August, in Devon (2-4), Hertfordshire (17-19), Norfolk (21-23) and North Yorkshire (28-30). These breaks are a chance for our clients to get away from the ordinary, relaxing, rebuilding relationships, and hearing the Gospel. For some, it'll be their first holiday in months, years, or ever. Please join us in praying for all the families attending these breaks, for the teams running the show, and for decent weather! Your prayers are also appreciated for our crowdfunding campaign, which aims to fund 90 clients going on the North Yorkshire break.

Summer is well and truly upon us, but while we're enjoying the sunshine (or avoiding the rain) we mustn't lose sight of our prayers needs. There's lots going on at CAP throughout July and therefore lots we need to give to God!

Engage

July sees the start of this year's Engage placement, where a crop of passionate, enthusiastic individuals will come to CAP HQ for a month of learning new skills, getting a taste for CAP life, and of course changing lives! This is a great opportunity for those taking part, but it's also a real blessing for us to welcome a group of people ready to get stuck in and help CAP grow. We'd love you to pray for all the Engage interns, that they'll get lots out of the opportunity and go home with invaluable new skills, for those living away from home - potentially for the first time - and that they'd grow deeper in their understanding of God and his heart for the poor during their time here.

International Prayer Day

We're taking part in International Prayer Day on Thursday 20 July - why not put aside some time and join in? We'll be praying for our clients, our country and the issues faced by the poor and vulnerable today, and our needs as an organisation, including some key roles which need filling.

New Wine

We'll be heading to New Wine festival at the end of July to spread the word about CAP and drum up some more much needed support. This all contributes towards our goal of having 1,000 CAP services open across the UK by 2021, so that we're able to reach every community and help every person who needs it. Please keep our festival volunteers in your prayers - they're going to need lots of energy for a tiring but rewarding week!

Thanks for praying!

Looking ahead to June, it's going to be a busy month for us here at CAP, with fundraising dinners, training days and more happening in amongst our usual poverty busting business. As ever, your prayers are so vital and so appreciated - thank you in advance!

Insight Day

On Wednesday 7 June, we'll be welcoming 150 people to CAP HQ, including creditors, banks and key contacts. We've seen some great referral relationships built and developed off the back of these events in the past, which have lead to lots of clients being helped. Two very brave clients will be sharing their stories and inspiring our guests about the real difference CAP is making in people's lives - please would you pray for these two brave individuals to be filled with confidence and not held back by nerves? Please also pray for those visiting to be open minded and engaged as they learn more about the work of CAP. It's going to be an exciting day!

Fundraising dinners in Manchester and Harrogate

On Friday 9 and Saturday 10 June, we're heading to Manchester and Harrogate respectively to host fundraising dinners. These dinners are a chance for our supporters to find out more about how and why we do what we do at CAP, and for us to raise vital funds, all while sharing a nice bit of grub together. Please will you pray for the success of both these dinners? Pray that our guests will be open minded and open hearted, and that they'll be able to see our heart and passion for giving the very best service to those with the very least.

Training for new debt centre and group services staff

Mid-June sees another crop of new centre staff heading up to CAP HQ for training. They'll be learning the ropes and getting prepared to start fighting poverty in their communities through our debt help, job clubs, release groups and/or life skills services. Please join us in lifting up these new members of the CAP family as they take in a lot of new information before heading out onto the frontline to offer practical and emotional support to our clients.

John heads down under

Towards the end of June, CAP's Founder, John Kirkby, will be donning his International Director hat and heading over to visit our sister charities, CAP Australia and CAP New Zealand. We would love you to pray for energy and wisdom for John during this trip, but also for our international branches in general. CAP Australia, CAP New Zealand and CAP Canada are all relatively young compared to CAP UK, and yet the work they're doing is second to none. They're seeing people going debt free left, right and centre, people coming to know Jesus, and group services like CAP Job Clubs and CAP Release Groups getting off the ground. Please lift up these teams as they continue to bring an end to poverty around the world.

Last week, our CEO Matt Barlow jetted off to Australia where he'll be working for the next few weeks. He's gone to visit our sister charity CAP Australia, and will also be visiting CAP New Zealand while he's around that neck of the woods (AKA the other side of the world).

Times like these are ideal to turn out attention to the international branches of our ministry. The teams at CAP Australia, CAP New Zealand and indeed CAP Canada have exactly the same heart to see people in their country set free from debt and other burdens as we do in the UK, and they're doing some absolutely fantastic work in achieving it. Let's just lift up for the staff over there, the frontline workers, the partner churches, and of course the clients, and ask God to really bless them over the coming months.

And let's pray for Matt too! CAP UK wouldn't be half what it is today if it wasn't for the drive and courage of this guy, so we pray God uses him as productively as possible during his time with our sister charities. Let's pray for energy while he works hard, for wisdom in how best to help CAP Australia and CAP New Zealand, and for encouragement as he spends a hefty stretch of time away from his family.

Thanks as ever for your prayers and support.