(pri-TOR-ee-uh) – Just a few weeks ago, in mid-January, the stores lined their shelves and kiosks with pencils, notebooks, scissors, and calculators. In South Africa, the school year begins around about January 15 and runs through the first of December. Pray for the teachers and students in Pretoria this month as they settle into the schedule of a new year of education. Classrooms at the government schools in Pretoria boast 40-70 children per classroom! “Lord, we pray specifically for the teachers whose hearts are fully committed to You. Fill them with the knowledge of Your will for each of their many students through all the wisdom and understanding that the Spirit gives (Colossians 1:9). Strengthen the teachers of the preprimary, primary, secondary, and tertiary schools. Strengthen them with all power according to Your glorious might so that they may have great endurance and patience (Colossians 1:11)! May the name of Jesus be lived out and His love spread boldly and gently by the teachers this school year in Pretoria.”