family praise history

Around the time Nate was born, Rodgers' and my Bible study class was studying prayer. Our study leader mentioned a great prayer study course called Disciple's PrayerLife, which was out of print. I mentioned this to my mom, and she said that about 20 years ago, she and my dad had done this study, and she still had her notebook. She gave it to me, and I managed to start week 1 during my maternity leave, but that was as far as I got. I really wanted to do the study, though, so it was one of the few books I brought with me when we moved here. I recently started it again.

During week 5, it teaches about a life of gratitude which involves (of course) expressing gratitude in prayer. Throughout the Old Testament, we see the Israelites singing the history of what God has done for them: rescuing them from Egypt, parting the Red Sea, providing manna in the desert. One of the assignments in week 5 is to write a praise history with your family. Recount the major things that God has done for your family, use scripture to thank and praise God, and read this as a family at least once a year, adding on to it as you go. This is about major events or blessings that have impacted your family. This is about a big picture perspective. We are to be thankful daily for "small" blessings as well, those things which we possibly take for granted. However, the praise history is for big, major things.

I love this idea, so I shared it with Rodgers, and he loves it, too. We wasted no time writing our family's history, starting with our marriage, though there are many big things that God did in each of our lives, before we got married, which impact our family. We may yet go back and add some of those. For now, I am just including our personal salvation. Since we'll be reading this as a family, I'm referring to us as "Dad and Mom." We are planning to to read through and add to our praise history every New Year's Eve, as a family tradition.

[God] chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him.
—Ephesians 1:4 

For it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure.
—Philippians 2:13 

Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good, for his steadfast love endures forever.
—Psalm 136:1  

family and life events

• As children, Dad and Mom both gave their lives to Christ
• Dad and Mom got married
• Dad was given permanent resident status in the US, miraculously hassle-free
• Dad graduated from UMHB
• Nathanael was born, active and spirited
• Benjamin was born, goofy, but thoughtful
• God sustained us financially through low paying jobs, unemployment, and beyond

He who calls you is faithful; he will surely do it.
—1 Thessalonians 5:24

The Lord is my strength and my song, and he has become my salvation; this is my God, and I will praise him, my father's God, and I will exalt him.
—Exodus 15:2 

Great are the works of the Lord, studied by all who delight in them.
—Psalm 111:2 

31 Therefore do not be anxious, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ 32 For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. 33 But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.
—Matthew 6:31-33

maisha kamili [www.maishakamili.org]

• Maisha Kamili was dreamed up, at the encouragement of our pastor
• Maisha Kamili board was formed
• We moved to Camp to prepare for moving to Kenya
• We received the remaining 60% of our fundraising goal at once, making us financially able to move to Kenya
• We moved to Kenya to start Maisha Kamili
• Maisha Kamili began sponsoring community MKKs
• We had great support (in many forms) of Maisha Kamili during our trip to Texas in 2013

And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.
—Philippians 1:6 

He remembers his covenant forever, the word that he commanded, for a thousand generations.
—Psalm 105:8 

You have led in your steadfast love the people whom you have redeemed; you have guided them by your strength to your holy abode.
—Exodus 15:13

And my God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus.
—Philippians 4:19 

By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to a place that he was to receive as an inheritance. And he went out, not knowing where he was going.
—Hebrews 11:8

discipleship and spiritual growth

• Dad and Mom took discipleship courses and learned to disciple others
• We started teaching discipleship classes at one church in Kenya, with 2 others to join in the next year

Who is like the Lord our God, who is seated on high?
—Psalm 113:5 

1 Praise the Lord! Praise the name of the Lord, give praise, O servants of the Lord, 5 For I know that the Lord is great, and that our Lord is above all gods.
—Psalm 135:1, 5 

Who is like you, O Lord, among the gods? Who is like you, majestic in holiness, awesome in glorious deeds, doing wonders?
—Exodus 15:11  

1 Oh give thanks to the Lord; call upon his name; make known his deeds among the peoples! 2 Sing to him, sing praises to him; tell of all his wondrous works! 3 Glory in his holy name; let the hearts of those who seek the Lord rejoice! 4 Seek the Lord and his strength; seek his presence continually! 5 Remember the wondrous works that he has done.
—Psalm 105:1-5a

advent - day 25

Merry Christmas!!!

Today, I want for us to focus on our local ministries. Pray for your church, your pastor, the local food bank, homeless shelter, pregnancy help center, and any other local ministries you know of. Pray that they will be united in ministry to meet both physical and spiritual needs of the people in your town or city.

As an example, one of the local ministries I'll be praying for is Helping Hands in Belton.

advent - day 24

Perhaps best known for Operation Christmas Child, Samaritan's Purse is what we're focusing on today. They have a handful of other ministries and are at work in many countries throughout the world. Their other ministries are Relief and Development, Children's Heart Project, HIV/AIDS Prescription for Hope, and World Medical Missions. If you click on "where we work" on the home page, a map will pop up which will show you where these ministries, as well as where OCC, are active.

Currently, one of their most urgent needs is for medical personnel who are willing to go to Haiti to fight the cholera outbreak. Let's pray that doctors and nurses will be called to go to Haiti.

Now is the time of year that shoe boxes full of gifts are being delivered to needy children in some 100 countries through Operation Christmas Child. If you packed and sent a box (or more), pray specifically for the child(ren) who will receive the box you packed. If you didn't send a box, choose a country or region and pray for the children there. Pray that they will be encouraged by the gifts. Pray that their lives may be made better through their connection with Samaritan's Purse. Most importantly, pray that they may come to know Christ.

advent - day 23

I wasn't sure what missions organization to pray for today. I have one for tomorrow and something special for Christmas Day, but I exhausted my knowledge of missions organizations. So I googled "pray for missions." The second hit was for Overseas Missionary Fellowship.

Formerly China Inland Missions, OMF is a missions organization that focuses on reaching people in East Asia. They have over 1600 workers from over 30 countries. Flipping through their website, I noticed that every page has a different prayer point on the banner at the top. This is an organization with a strong emphasis on prayer. I like that! Their December prayer requests are listed here. You'll have to scroll down to the 23rd.

advent - day 22

ALARM (African Leadership and Reconciliation Ministries) was born in the wake of the Rwandan genocide in 1994. This video explains more history. Their ministry has expanded to include seven other eastern African countries.

ALARM’s passion is to help the African church serve as an agent of change, fostering transformation that goes deeper than superficial, nominal Christianity. In addition to regular conferences for pastors, ALARM trains men and women for church leadership in a variety of venues.

As western missionaries are more and more desiring to hand over church leadership to locals, there is a great need for training. ALARM recognizes that need, and they have conferences and training programs for pastors and church leaders. They also recognize that women have especially suffered as a result of the violence that takes place in Africa. Thus, they have special training programs for women. They also (and this is particularly close to my heart) train kids. They have schools as well as vocational training and discipleship. The vocational training is key for these children to have a more prosperous life than that which they were born into. The discipleship ensures that the next generation will have effective church leaders.

Let's pray that ALARM will be well supported financially in the coming year. Pray that many would be willing to go to conferences and go through training in order to become more than nominal Christians. Pray that this ministry would catalyze the change that is needed.

advent - day 21

TEAM is an organization I learned about while compiling this advent list. They are affiliated with more than one of the other organizations we have prayed for. They have over 600 missionaries serving full-time, who are joined but 150-200 short termers each year. They are working in 39 countries around the world, mostly doing church planting:

Church planting is our focus. We are involved extensively in related ministries that include community development, ESL, counseling, sports, technology, healthcare, business, linguistics, music, and education.

Here is their prayer journal for December. http://www.teamworld.org/pray/187-prayer-journal-december-2010.html Scroll down to the 21st.

advent - day 20

Rodgers loves jail ministry, so I knew I needed to include Prison Fellowship. You may be familiar with Angel Tree, which is a program to provide gifts for children of prison inmates. It is a program of Prison Fellowship. They do a lot more than Angel Tree, though. Here is their mission statement:

To seek the transformation of prisoners and their reconciliation to God, family, and community through the power and truth of Jesus Christ.

Here is a link to their various programs. Let's pray especially for Angel Tree, and thank God that so many families have been blessed by this ministry. Check out the prayer request list for a brief Bible reading and two prayer requests:

http://www.prisonfellowship.org/get-involved-with-prison-fellowship/prison-fellowship-pray/prayer-requests

advent - day 19

Rodgers and I had a chance to sit down and talk with the Africa Inland Mission recruiting representative for this region of the US a year or so ago. Since Rodgers had been granted a green card, and could be employed and sent by an American missions organization, this rep was encouraging us to join AIM. He told us that AIM's focus is on working with local churches across Africa. When AIM starts something new, it's because a church in African has asked them to start something. I thought this approach was very unique. Rather than assessing the need from their own western mindset, they work with local churches and let the churches tell them where the major needs are in their areas. We eventually decided that AIM wasn't right for us,* but we still love their work.

There are a couple of resources for praying for AIM. One, they have a ministry called Pray Africa, which has new posts every day. Two, there is a "Fuel for Prayer" (I love that phrase) section on the AIM website, with a short paragraph posted each day.

*No hard feelings. We really want to work in Kenya, but AIM doesn't send Kenyans to be missionaries in Kenya. He would send us anywhere other than the countries we were born in. Also, our desire is to start, run, or otherwise work with an orphanage/home for street kids, but AIM relies on local churches to dictate what ministry opportunities they will pursue, and churches rarely request ministry to street kids.

advent - day 18

One of the most amazing experiences I've had was the time I spent aboard the MV Doulos, one of the OM Ships, which is part of Operation Mobilization, which we prayed for previously. (Doulos was decommissioned last year and is currently under renovations to be opened as a convention center, but will not sail anymore. If you want to know more about Doulos, check out the Doulos Phos Facebook page. This post is really about OM Ships.) The current OM Ship is called Logos Hope. The motto of OM Ships is "bringing knowledge, help, and hope." The knowledge is in the form of the books they carry and sell. The help is typically relief work. And the hope, of course, is the Gospel.

During my time on board, I taught English classes, represented the United States/Texas/the "Old West"/cowboys, spoke in churches ranging in membership from about 20 to several thousand, preached on street corners, acted in skits for school children, became a clown and a face painter, and had many other adventures in missions. I also worked 5 days a week on the ship. I had one day off each week, during which I explored the world as much as possible. I believe most OM Ships missionaries have similar experiences.

OM Ships' prayer page is here: http://www.omships.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=142&Itemid=335&lang=en

advent - day 17

One of the people I was in Wycliffe training with had gotten started in Bible translation through Lutheran Bible Translators. LBT published one New Testament this year, and they are working on many more.

Almost 80 LBT missionaries are serving in 19 countries on 4 continents. They are involved in 80 Bible translation, Scripture Engagement, Vernacular Media and language projects.

Their Christmas newsletter pdf is available on their website here, but for easy access, I've copied and pasted the prayer and praise section below.

Botswana
Give thanks for Carl and Melody Knight, who are retiring at the end of 2010 after 25 years of Scripture engagement ministry.


Cameroon
Pray that Kory and Cara Fay will be able to begin their first field assignment to the Nizaa people of Cameroon in February.

Ecuador
Praise God that the entire Bible in the Cañar Quichua language will be available sometime next year.

Ghana
Pray for Rev. Nathan and Sarah Esala and family, who have returned to Ghana and resumed their translation ministry to the Komba people.

advent - day 16

Buckner International is a ministry that seeks to make life better for orphans, vulnerable children and families around the world. They have published a beautiful advent devotional guide. You may download an electronic copy: http://www.buckner.org/downloads/2010advent.pdf.

December 16 is on page 32. It isn't a prayer guide, but this is an important message about love. What strikes me most as I think about orphans, street kids, abused/neglected/abandoned children is that they have no one to love them. Of course they need safe places to live, clean water, good nutrition, clothes, and education, too.

My first prayer for them is always that someone would find them and love them. I was born into a loving family. I grew up always knowing that I was loved. This is definitely something I took for granted because I never knew any different. What would my life have been like without parents who loved and took care of me?

My second prayer is: what do I need to do to show love to these children? What steps of faith should I take?

advent - day 15

Today I'm praying the daily posting of the Bibleless Peoples Prayer Project. This is an effort of Wycliffe (I know we keep coming back to that one; did I mention they are my favorite?). Prayer partners of BPPP are given a specific Bibleless people group to pray for. They receive prayer requests for that people group as well as an annual update. This not only infuses Bibleless people groups and translation progress with prayer, but also gives partners a stake and a vested interest in Bible translation. It is not unusual for BPPP prayer partners to eventually join Wycliffe. On the BPPP website, they also share a prayer request for a different people group every day. Go here to find out what people group we're praying for today: http://www.wycliffe.org/Pray/BiblelessPeoplesPrayerProject.aspx

*Note: I still have 1 slot left to fill, if you have a group/agency/organization you'd like for us to pray for, let me know!*

advent - day 14

Bible Translation and Literacy Kenya combines two of my loves: Bible translation and Kenya! BTL partners with other translation organizations, such as Wycliffe and The Seed Company. Their first goal is Bible translation, but they also publish educational booklets, especially booklets about health. The literacy side is as important as the translation side. What good is it to have the Bible in your own language if you can't read? My own mother-in-law grew up in an era when girls didn't go to school. She is illiterate.

Currently, BTL is working with fourteen language groups: Aweer (Boni), Borana, Daasanach, Digo, Ilchamus, Ilwana (Malakote), Giryama, Marakwet (Endo), Orma, Pokomo, Sabaot, Samburu, Suba and Tharaka.

BTL doesn't have a prayer page on their website, so I suggest we pray for one or more of their projects. I have chosen Giryama, as that is Rodgers' native language. BTL published a Giryama New Testament in 2004. According to the map on their website, they have ongoing work on the Old Testament. They have completed and published the book of Genesis and the stories of Elijah and Elisha. Here is the Giryama page. You'll see the other languages listed to the left.

I pray that Giryama people will have a burning desire for God's Word. I pray that they will be able to get their hands on that which is already translated, and that it will come alive for them. I pray that God will use the portions of scripture in Giryama to draw people to Christ and to call ministers. I also pray that literacy classes will be available for those who can't read, and that they will take advantage of them.

advent - day 13

When I talk about the year I spent as a missionary on a ship, everyone, and I mean everyone, asks me if it was one of the Mercy Ships. No, it was not. But today, that's who we're praying for.

Mercy Ships is a global charity that has operated hospital ships in developing nations since 1978. Mercy Ships brings hope and healing to the forgotten poor by mobilizing people and resources worldwide, and serving all people without regard for race, gender, or religion.

On the Mercy Ships website, there is a prayer page, where you can type in and upload a prayer. I believe the purpose is both to be an encouragement for the Mercy Ships crew, as well as to encourage website visitors to pray for them.

The Ship's Watchmen is a video aimed at Mercy Ships' prayer partners. December's edition is here. It's about five and a half minutes long.

Also, you may want to check out their blog: http://www.mercyships.org/blog.

advent - day 12

The International Mission Board is the sending organization of the Southern Baptist Convention. It is the international version of NAMB, which we prayed for on the 6th.

Here's a video from the IMB's Christmas 2010 promotion.


Their daily prayer requests can be found here: http://www.imb.org/main/pray/prayerrequests/todaysprayer.asp
They also have an advent prayer request, located here: http://www.imb.org/main/pray/default.asp

advent - day 11

I worked with The Seed Company for one wonderful year, as a graphic designer at their HQ in Arlington, TX. The Seed Company is not, as the name may seem to suggest, in the agricultural industry. They are a Bible translation organization. They have a unique angle which allows for accelerated Bible translation. The Seed Company trains native speakers of Bibleless languages (i.e. a language which the Bible has not yet been translated into) to translate the Bible. Where there are related languages, The Seed Company sets up workshops for the translators to learn and translate together. I don't have the stats, but I know that they have been responsible for a large percentage of the translation projects started and completed in the past 17 years. Their daily prayer focus is here: http://www.theseedcompany.org/prayerfocus.

[As an aside, I just want to point out that there is still need for western translators. The Seed Company's method, which is highly effective, only works for people groups in which believers already exist.]

EDIT: I just realized that The Seed Company's prayer guide runs Monday through Friday, and today is Saturday. I'm going to pray for yesterday's (Dec 10) people group.

advent - day 10

In the 1920s, a group of Chinese believers began striving to fulfill the Great Commission. Their efforts have become an organization called Back to Jerusalem. Their mission field is the area, the countries, the unreached people groups from the eastern part of China to Jerusalem, and all in between. From their website:

Our organization partners with the church of China to not only evangelize the religiously oppressed areas of Asia, but to also train and send Chinese missionaries into the unreached regions of the globe, including Muslim, Buddhist, and Hindu nations.

They don't have a prayer list on their website. I feel it is fitting, being that this is an Advent prayer calendar of sorts, for us to pray for a specific ministry of Back to Jerusalem called Christmas in China.

There are still huge areas of China that have not yet been evangelized. By introducing Christmas and sharing the birth story of Jesus, Back to Jerusalem missionaries have been able to reach many who before would have been extremely resistant to the Gospel. Some 500 million children in China need to hear of God's precious gift.

Pray that this Christmas, missionaries would have open doors to share about the birth of Jesus and the meaning of Christmas.

advent - day 9

GoNow Missions, a ministry of the Baptist General Convention of Texas, sends teams of college students to minister around the world. There are seven teams being sent over Christmas break. You can download the flyer here, but to make things easier, I've pasted the info below. Pray for all of them today, or just choose one group to focus on. Also, it would be great to "adopt" one group. Post a reminder of their names, dates, and project where you'll see it. Then pray for them every day of their trip!

Moldova: Winter Boot Mission - Carlee, Aubri, Elisa, Cole, Mindy, Julie, Brittany Ri, Brittany Ru, Bailey, Katie - December 10, 2010 through December 19, 2010 - They will be giving new boots and sharing love with orphans.


New York City: Sharing the GIFT at Christmas - Hector B, Hugo, Regina, Azri, Amanda, Molly, John - December 17, 2010 through December 22, 2010 - They will be bridging the gospel to immigrants by engaging them in conversation & building relationships.


East Asia: Harvest is Ripe! - Kelly, Hilliary, Monique, Marcus, Taylor J, Jordan, Ashley, Clayton - December 17, 2010 through January 3, 2011 - They will reach out to university students through sharing American culture & revealing the truth of Christ.


East Asia: City of Lights - Allison, Chris, Gabriel, Stephanie, George, Marcus, Dashia, Amy, Lexie, Buddy - December 18, 2010 through January 3, 2011 - They will engage college students, host English corners, and lead Christmas parties.


Haiti: Relief & Recovery - Sarah B, Hector C, Jonathan, Alyssa, Diana, Ali, Whitney, Ryan, Chelsea, Sarah S, Clay, Stephen - December 27, 2010 through January 3, 2011 - They will help rebuild a village and bring hope back to Haiti.


South Asia: Culture Exchange - Jessica, Ben, Gary, Jen - December 31, 2010 through January 14, 2011 - They will share the gospel with college students and encourage local believers.


Jamaica: Won by One - Katie, Melissa, Dani, Ciera, Blair, Cory, Krista, Taylor V - January 2, 2011 through January 9, 2011 - They will help build a house for a Jamaican family & deliver hope to the people of the Harmons.

advent - day 8

One reader suggested we pray for Mission to Amish People. I had not heard of this ministry before, so I spent a little time on their website. The ministry is run by a couple who were Amish and faced excommunication as a result of receiving Christ as their Lord and Savior. Here is an excerpt from their bio on the website:

Shortly after they both got saved, Joe and Esther were married in the Amish church, and at that point, had full intentions of raising their family within the Amish system. However, they soon realized that if they wanted to believe that salvation was by faith alone, grace alone and Christ alone, they would either have to be quiet about it and not tell anyone, or be excommunicated and shunned by our own family members and the church.

In 1987, nine months into their marriage, Joe and Esther made one of the hardest decisions they would ever make and that was to leave their family, friends, and Amish way of life forever. Today, they have two wonderful children named Jonathan and Rachel who are serving the Lord in various ministries at their home church.

Now, they minister to those who are leaving the Amish system, helping them to integrate into society, as well as discipling new brothers and sisters in Christ, and even sending out missionaries. MAP has a goal of raising up 1,000 pray warriors for their ministry. I hope you will consider joining the team. Check out the various aspects of their ministry here: http://www.mapministry.org/ministries/ministries

I contacted Joe to give us a few prayer requests. These are the top three things on his list:

1. We lost our biggest donor because of economic conditions. Meeting the financial needs, seems impossible, however, we know the Lord is very capable.
2. Spiritual protection around our ministry and staff families
3. For an awakening to come to the Amish people, who are very religious but fail to understand the free gift of salvation.

MAP Homepage

advent - day 7

We're going back to Wycliffe today. Wycliffe is a faith mission, which means that members (the missionaries they send) must raise their own financial support. This can be a source of frustration and discouragement, or it can be an opportunity for a missionary to trust God's provision and involve their church, friends, and family in the work God has called them to. When you first load the "pray for a Wycliffe missionary" page, it lists those who have the greatest need for financial partners first.

Not all Wycliffe missionaries are struggling with support. However, they do all need prayer! If you run a search or adjust the "sort as," you can see different missionaries, some have a notation in the "funding" line; some do not. I encourage you to find a Wycliffe missionary to pray for today. Whether you want to pray for someone in a location you love, someone who needs more financial support, or someone who shares your name is up to you. Find a Wycliffe missionary to pray for here: http://www.wycliffe.org/Pray/PrayforaWycliffeMissionary.aspx