Each year, two Week of Prayer are held on campus, although all are unique in many ways, this semester’s week of prayer is quite memorable. On August 21, 2016, Sunday at 7 p.m., Pastor Daniel Villoso, former North Philippine Union Mission president, opened the evening programs with a message about “God Revealeth Secret.” The morning and evening meetings went on until August 27, Saturday.
Throughout the week, everyone was encouraged to hang prayer requests and thanksgiving on the assigned tree. The morning sessions were filled with various programs including praise worship, testimonies, prayers, and lessons of loving one another. A participant commented, “These programs uplifted my spirit, I felt closer to Jesus Christ. I was inspired by the testimonies of faith each participant shared, how they struggled yet they trusted God. I have learned that even in disappointments and victories, in sickness and in health, in challenges and success we need to praise God. This week of prayer indeed fulfilled my spiritual needs.”
Students, staff and faculty alike were reminded of the powerful way of praying—ACTS (Adoration, Confession, Thanksgiving and Supplication). But what truly set apart this week of prayer is the launching of the Bible transcription. Every individual in AIIAS was assigned specific chapters of the Bible to rewrite in their own languages or in their preferred Bible versions. The AIIAS officers, Student Association president and the tower captains led off the Bible transcription. The pages will be bound together and will remain to be an AIIAS heritage. This will serve as a reminder that through Bible transcription, anyone can be shaped to someone God intends he or she to be, and through this, one can learn more about God deeply and personally.
According to Youssry Guirguis, a Seminary student, “I think it was very creative. I have not read my Arabic Bible for the past 25 years. So this time when I was forced to write the specific chapters in Arabic, I have to open my Arabic Bible…I was able to copy word per word and I learned a lot of things. It was a very creative way of doing that.”
The week of prayer focused about the change of character in preparation for the second coming of Christ. Maranatha!—the week of prayer theme—illustrates that there is a message of hope everyone must proclaim throughout the world and AIIAS community is charged to share about Christ’s second coming and to help others prepare for this great event.
“Prayer is not a preparation for work, it is work. Prayer is not a preparation for the battle, it is the battle. There will be a time to realize that there is nothing we can do unless we pray.”
By: Mac Carlos
AIIAS Public Relations Staff
Pastor Daniel Villoso, Speaker
Praise and Testimony program
Bible Transcription
AIIAS Officers and SA president lead off the Bible Transcription
Tower captains rewriting specific chapters in the Bible assigned to them
Prayer request and thanksgiving trees
A.C.T.S. prayer
Children’s Program at 6 p.m.
Children rendering special number
