|
|
|
|
[At the bottom of this page is an e-mail from a dear friend and former neighbor (I think we lived about ten miles apart <g>). Jonathan has given me permission to reprint his message, and I pray you, too, will take it to heart (no pun intended)... I also attached another prayer letter I believe you'll find of interest!]
A big thank you to those of you in SBC groups who sacrificially gave once again! Your thoughtfulness will go a long way! Lottie Moon offering nearly matches 2003 record amount. I've been tinkering with a video introduction of the International Prayer Center and welcome your feedback! I usually give you links to various stories from Baptist Press and, hopefully, you're already aware of this one: Saudi Arabia conducts worst crackdown on Christians in decade, group reports. I found the story ID number to be rather interesting. Since most of the 9-11 hijackers were from Saudi Arabia, I still wonder why military action was never initiated there. I guess that's why I never venture into the political realm. And then there was the lady who wanted to reform Islam so men and women could pray side by side (isn't that part of what Jesus did?). Finally, a word on the 57-year-old fight between Muslims and Jews: they should stop since it would be the Christian thing to do :-) I'm glad to have you with us. Have an awesome week! May God find us listening more attentively to His voice this week as I am, Yours because His,
+ <L A S T W E E K>< ++ You prayed with Jasmine for her Muslim friends at school to know Jesus... what a joy it is to hear Jasmine tell us of how she tells her best friend, Nana, to trust Jesus to take care of her; unfortunately, she hasn't done that yet. I do believe, however, that Jasmine is laying some solid foundation for future possibilities. Your ongoing intercession will water these seeds, and God will bring increase! + You joined us in praying for Shirin's mother to experience a spiritual birthday as she celebrated her 75th natural birthday last week... time is running out and, oh, how we covet your intercession. + I was way behind on the ever growing urgent/important to-do list and deeply appreciated the intercession to finish things in a timely manner without feeling "overwhelmed," so to speak... thanks to your fervent intercession, I was able to finish a few things in a timely manner with feeling "overwhelmed." Thank you for praying!
<T H I S W E E K><<>< I'll have opportunity to assist a co-worker with various computing needs and definitely need your intercession to provide the insight requested. <>< Shirin needs continued prayer as she works with Jasmine to finish the A Beka kindergarten lessons. The end of the year just seems to drag. <>< Jasmine is learning "it's not how you start but how you finish" and wants to do well. One of her nightly prayer requests is "to have a good day tomorrow." Pray with her along these lines.
>< Pray for the Bagri people.>
CALENDAR UPDATES<If you're not receiving our bimonthly snail-mail newsletter, let us know so we can send it to you!>< 1, May we continue to give Him the firstfruits of our lives this month. * I stayed overnight in the Olive Tree Hotel with our friends from West Virginia summarizing our time together and expressing my appreciation for the work they did in the Garden. The morning of Jasmine's birthday they used "Operation World" as a guide for praying around the world and were moved by the needs of the world.2-4, Pray for our West Virginian friends to have another safe, uneventful flight back to the US encouraged to continue walking with Jesus day by day! * I believe your prayers were heard!5, Pray for the salvation of Shirin’s mom. * Not yet, but we still believe!6, Ask God for a summer free from harm. * Thank you in advance for praying in this direction!7, Ask God to prepare the ladies in the Old City to receive His Word. * Your intercession is making a difference, and we thank you!<>< +++ <>< +++ <>< +++ Dear friends, As we stood worshipping at a church in Amman a week and a half ago, I felt a rising conviction: now is the time for the church to move into the Islamic world in a decisive, committed, focused and sacrificial way. Many parts of the Lord’s body are doing this in their
different callings. I believe that ours particularly is to go into Iraq with
this message: The terrorists in Iraq don’t see the struggle as political or cultural. They are willing to blow themselves up by the dozens because they perceive it to be a defining spiritual conflict. And I believe they are right. The choice between death and life, cursing and blessing, hate and love, Satan and God, has not in my lifetime ever been laid out so clearly for the Arab people. And the Spirit of God desires to respond through his people. This conviction undergirds my decision to step up our outreach into Iraq by offering life through heart surgery to many more dying children. Each intervention carries with it a powerful and far-reaching message about who God is and how we are to relate to him and to each other. And coming to terms with God means coming to terms with the salvation history revealed in and through the Jewish people. Here our partnership with Israeli doctors to help Arab Muslim children is itself a hugely significant message. God’s desire is to tear down through Messiah the wall of division between Jew and Arab. This is essential to coming to faith in the God of Israel, the God of the scriptures. I’m asking you, our longtime friends, to stop and think and pray about where we stand in history and what God is asking of us. We need to seek him and know his will if we are to make a difference. We will need to tap new resources of money, prayer, and volunteers. God has prepared the way and given us a wonderful position from which to move forward. As I write, we are starting to see the fruit of the visit by Israeli doctors to Amman two weeks ago. Three children in need of heart surgeries are now in the air en route to India with their escorts (photos from the airport are at the end of this message). Three more children for Germany and seven to Israel are still waiting for their visas. And when this group is in Israel, the Lord may show us to release the story to the media, particularly the Arab satellite television stations which saturate the Middle East. The Iraqi families I’ve spoken with are amazingly ready and willing for this to happen. There will be opposition and there will be costs. Our volunteers, myself included, are coming under surprisingly sharp spiritual attack. Our enemy wishes to sow division and confusion. We keenly need your intercession now. And only by God’s immediate intervention will we stand under the financial pressures. We need $4750 by Thursday simply to meet the needs of this week. Thank you for allowing me to make these needs known to you, so that together we can make them known to the LORD our provider. Jonathan Miles International Coordinator “Behold how good and how pleasant for brothers to dwell together in unity” (Psalm 133:1) Donations may be received instantaneously via our secure website: https://secure.shevet.org All gifts are tax-deductible in the US. US office mailing address: Shevet Achim Jerusalem office: Shevet Achim UK contributions payable to CFI at: CFI Communications ========================================= WEDNESDAY WINDOW ON THE WORLD – June 1, 2005 DEAF OF COLOMBIA. Rejoice with the Colombia Deaf Team and give thanks as they report: "The JESUS film with Spanish and Colombian Sign Language was shown during Easter week on national television. The station received excellent ratings. They have already requested permission to show the film again. The station manager has received multiple calls, telling her how excited they were to see this on TV for the Deaf. Many families have also contacted our workers about seeing the film on TV. The Deaf are trying to follow up with everyone who is meeting them on the street, coming to their homes, stopping at the church, or calling to ask questions. A Deaf Association has said they are willing to view the film and want 300 copies to be distributed to all the Deaf in the association. There are also special Internet Cafes in one city set up specifically for the Deaf and Deaf/Blind. They have asked for copies of the film that they can distribute to all the Deaf coming to the cafe. Doors are opening now that were shut before the JESUS film was shown on TV." http://www.peopleteams.org/colombiandeaf/ MUSLIMS IN RUSSIA (MIR). R, a Tatar (pronounced TAH-tar), was baptized only a few weeks ago. Last week, he went on his first evangelistic trip. It was good for him to speak with a group of interested men in a distant rural village. He shared his testimony and did everything he could to convince them that Jesus is the Son of God. Pray that R would grow into a Spirit-filled, influential leader of the emerging Tatar church. MISSIONARY PERSONAL NEEDS. It is hard to know who to pray for most--the missionary teen who has just graduated from high school and is headed to the United States for college or the missionary parents who must bid farewell to their child as they themselves remain serving on the field. It is a challenge for any family facing the transition to college, but the emotional and physical needs are unique for missionaries. Please pray for those teenagers who have spent most of their lives in overseas countries. It can be as frightening to return to the U.S. to live as it was to go overseas in the first place. Ask God to guide them to special friends who can understand their distinctive third-culture mentality and can help them adjust to the cultural differences in the United States. Ask the Lord to provide adult mentors who are able to encourage the young person in their walk with Jesus, to provide a home-cooked meal, or to help when medical issues arise. Praise the Father for the steps of growth these teenagers are taking, and ask for their wisdom in making independent decisions throughout the coming months. Thank Him for computer technology that allows families to stay more closely in touch than in years past. And please intercede for parents who experience the emptiness of silence in the home. May they find comfort in knowing that they have "raised up their child in the way he should go." Finally, remember the younger brothers and sisters in the changes that come in family dynamics and the loneliness they experience. The Lord is able to speak comfort and encouragement in each family member's heart. May missionary teenagers heed the teaching of the Lord and share their personal joy of Christ in their new communities. International Mission Board Please freely print and distribute this guide at midweek prayer gatherings. For a printable copy, find this document on the World Wide Web at: http://www.imb.org/CompassionNet/window.asp.
|
|
