West Texas Missioner: November 2014

Sunday, November 30, 2014

"Come to the Quiet" this Wednesday

If you want a break from the frantic, noisy hustle-and-bustle of the holiday season, won't you join us for "Come to the Quiet?" It takes place every Wednesday - from 12/03/2014 to 12/17/2013 - in the Parlor of 1st Presbyterian Church, 800 W. Texas Avenue, on the northwest corner of N. A Street and Texas Avenue, on the west side of downtown Midland.

We gather in the Parlor each Wednesday evening during the season of Advent, from 6:30 - 7:30 p.m., for contemplative worship ... Scripture, song, and prayer.

For more information about "Come to the Quiet," please contact contact:Mary Beth Anton, Associate Pastor
(432) 684-7821
• marybeth@fpcmid.org

For those with young children, free nursery service is available from 6:00-7:45 p.m.

For more information about "Come to the Quiet" Nursery Service, please contact:
Taresa Kellogg
432) 599-4534
• nursery@fpcmid.org

SPECIAL NOTE: We are gathering in the Parlor this year, rather than the Chapel which is in the midst of major renovations.

REMINDER ... World AIDS Day Event - TOMORROW at MC

From Stephanie VanCuren
Midland College Student Activities Coordinator

Hello!

Monday, December 1 - TOMORROW - is World AIDS Day!

From 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. in the MHAB Amistad Atrium, Basin Assistance Services and the Department of State Health Services will be on campus giving information to students (and whomever would like information) about HIV and other sexually transmitted infections. There will be free testing in MHAB 111.

Basin Assistance Services recently has seen an increase in the number of new infections in younger groups - late teens to early twenties. (Exact stats are not available at this time.)

Please help us spread the word!

Thank you so much!

Sincerely,

Stephanie VanCuren
Student Activities Coordinator, Midland College
(432) 685-4543
• svancuren@midland.edu

Today in the PC-USA Mission Yearbook

MINUTE FOR MISSION: PRESBYTERIAN FRONTIER FELLOWSHIP - One thing that has encouraged me about the emergence of the church in various countries in Central Asia is seeing the young age of many believers. In one country I met a young lady who grew up in a strong Muslim family. When she graduated from the university, she got a job translating Christian materials. As she worked, she argued with the Christians she was helping, saying that the things she was translating were not true. Then one night God came to her in a dream, asking her why she wouldn’t follow Jesus. She became a follower ...

• CLICK HERE to read more.

The 2015 Presbyterian Mission Yearbook now available ...

The 2015 Presbyterian Mission Yearbook for Prayer and Study is devoted to the compassionate and prophetic disciples among us. They proclaim God’s justice — extending God’s reign each and every day through their lives and work. Their stories will inspire and encourage you. Engage in ministry alongside them by praying through the Mission Yearbook each day.

• Order your copy from the Church Store ...

**From Austin Seminary: "Advent Devotional" for November 30**

"A gift from our community of faith to you. We at Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary are devoted to preparing outstanding leaders for Christ’s church. One of the ways that we nurture leaders is by building a loving community of faith and extending God’s grace to others. In this season of anticipation, we extend God’s grace to you and invite you to explore this book of Advent devotions. Through this collection, please join us as we prepare to receive God’s greatest gift—the birth of Jesus Christ."

CLICK HERE for a complete schedule of this season's devotionals.
CLICK HERE to learn how you can support the mission of Austin Seminary

Advent Devotional for Sunday, November 30

Isaiah 64:1-9

“We are all withering like leaves, and our iniquities, like wind, carry us off.”

These words from the prophet Isaiah remind us just what is at stake in the season of Advent. Light breaks into our darkness. Death is conquered by life. The world is in a mess, and so are we. Our most existential fear is voiced by the prophet: “And can we be saved?” God’s answer is born again in our heart, our home, and Christ’s church.

Advent may be one of the most counter-cultural things that we Christians do. For the prophetic word comes to remind us that the values of this world are not God’s values. And that we are too much of this world. Meanwhile, Santa Claus rides in at the end of the Thanksgiving Day parade, distorting our deepest longing with endless distraction. Oh, how we need our Savior. This need can never be fulfilled by the manufactured array of wants and needs soon to bombard us.

My adult daughter’s greatest pet peeve is the playing of Christmas carols on the radio and in stores before Christmas. If she can, she snaps the offending source off. I imagine that her response was formed long ago, as a wiggling Christmas angel, back in the congregation where I served as pastor. The Christmas pageant bristled with the Holy Family, wiggling angels, mischievous shepherds, and stalwart kings. It invariably ended with a special entry: a young teen would come down the center aisle with a crown of tinsel and a heavy wooden cross on his back, reciting the words of a poem: “Christmas leads to Easter.” Together, with some sense of sorrow, and the weight of our iniquities, we’d accept again the gift of God’s wondrous love, and finally sing: Joy to the World!

Welcome to the journey of Advent.

Eternal God: Advent is that season of life when we rouse ourselves to cling to you. No matter how much or many we have lost, Advent is our time to begin again with you, our living God, who does wonders we dare not even hope for. We ask—in our self-disgust, despair, depression, and grief—“Can we be saved?” Now we wait, longing for the angel’s promise: with God, all things are possible. Amen.

Rose Niles
Development Officer

For the glory of God and to proclaim the gospel of Jesus Christ, Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary is a seminary in the Presbyterian-Reformed tradition whose mission is to educate and equip individuals for the ordained Christian ministry and other forms of Christian service and leadership; to employ its resources in the service of the church; to promote and engage in critical theological thought and research; and to be a winsome and exemplary community of God's people.

This post produced with Bible Gateway reference/link

Saturday, November 29, 2014

In the News ... "Salvation Army Kicks Off Red Kettle Campaign"

KOSA Image

• Volunteer or apply to ring the famous bell

Staff Report
KOSA-TV

ODESSA, TEXAS - The Salvation Army of Odessa kicked off their Red Kettle Campaign at Music City Mall today.

Their community brass band heralded in the Christmas season with carols and Holiday marches ...

• read/watch the rest of this KOSA report ...

Today in the PC-USA Mission Yearbook

The Mission Yearbook for Prayer and Study is a daily devotional with 365 inspiring mission stories that come from next door and all across the globe. It inspires thousands of Presbyterians daily as they uphold the mission of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) in intercessory prayer. How often have you wondered, where are the young adults in the PC(USA)? Wonder no longer. The 2014 Presbyterian Mission Yearbook for Prayer and Study is devoted to the theme of young adults in the church. Its stories, many told by young adults, lift up how Presbyterians of all ages are engaging and joining with Presbyterian young adults in reforming the church for Christ’s mission.

Today in the Mission Yearbook: November 29, 2014

PRESBYTERY OF BOISE, IDAHO/NEVADA/OREGON - "I will set up my covenant with you and your descendants after you in every generation as an enduring covenant. I will be your God and your descendants’ God after you." (Gen. 17:7 CEB)

Camp Sawtooth is a ministry partnership of the Presbytery of Boise and the Presbytery of Kendall. Nestled in the Sawtooth Mountains, this camp has hosted young people for summer programs for over 80 years. In 2012 more than 150 campers enjoyed swimming, hiking, ice skating, white-water rafting, and a new activity—golf at Sun Valley Resort—in this picturesque setting. ...

• CLICK HERE to read more.

Friday, November 28, 2014

In the News ... "The Meaning Behind the Newswest 9-Salvation Army Toy Drive"

KWES File Image

• Demand for services has gone up

Stephanie Mills, Reporter
KWES-TV

MIDLAND/ODESSA, TEXAS - The Newswest 9 - Salvation Army Toy Drive has been around for more than 20 years. It's allowed thousands of families in need to receive gifts, they wouldn't normally be able to afford for the holidays.

Major Tex Ellis Jr., with the Salvation Army Corps of Midland, says, "It's been a partnership with the Salvation Army and Channel 9 since the very first year."

The reason behind the Toy Drive is what's called the Salvation Army Angel Tree Program. Families in need go through an application process. The Salvation Army takes that information and it's put on angels. The angels then go onto trees around the community. The public can adopts these families and buys them gifts. Then they bring the items back to the Salvation Army to be distributed ...

• read/watch the rest of this KWES report ...

In the News ... "Jesus House Feeds the Homeless for Thanksgiving"

KOSA Photo

• Continue showing people the love of Jesus

Staff Report
KOSA-TV

ODESSA, TEXAS - Jesus House held its Fourth Annual Thanksgiving Feed Day Thursday.

Church members and volunteers came together to serve a meal to the homeless or anyone else who needed a place to go for Thanksgiving ...

• read the rest of this KOSA report ...

In the News ... "Salvation Army feeds on Thanksgiving"

OA Photo by Edyta Blaszczyk

• People from all over receive meal

By Jon Vanderlaan, Reporter
Odessa American

ODESSA, TEXAS - It’s been three years since 52-year-old Bertha Williams arrived in Odessa and stayed briefly at the Salvation Army of Odessa, but she still goes to the church and the annual Thanksgiving meal.

The meal, hosted at 11 a.m. at the Salvation Army, welcomes all people in Odessa to have a Thanksgiving meal, complete with turkey, ham, stuffing, corn, and gravy, along with other sides.

Though it’s been three years, Williams said she feels close to the Salvation Army and continues to attend church there ...

• CLICK HERE to read the rest of this OA report

In the News ... "Shop for a cause: Retailers support local nonprofits"

MRT File Photo

• Remember those who aren’t on your list

By Steve Kuhlman, Reporter
Midland Reporter-Telegram

MIDLAND, TEXAS - With Black Friday and the holiday shopping season now officially underway, it’s important to remember those who aren’t on your list and may be hoping for something a little bit simpler than the latest and greatest gadget to hit the market.

From to food to books and toys for children, there are many ways to make this holiday season just a little bit better for a family in need.

Below are several businesses that are encouraging and supporting charitable giving by partnering with local nonprofits to help make a positive impact while you shop ...”

• read the rest of this MRT report

In the News ... "Salvation Army Prepares for Red Kettle Launch, In Need of Volunteers"

• With less than half of what's needed, a plea for residents to apply

Lauren Lammon, Reporter
KOSA-TV

ODESSA, TEXAS - It’s the time of year where at every major storefront stands a bell ringer. Those volunteers and Salvation Army of Odessa workers collect thousands of dollars each season, ultimately helping them sustain their organization for the entire year. However, a lack of volunteers in the Odessa area has the local organization concerned.

“All the money that goes into these red kettles helps us do our social service,” said Lieutenant Joe Contreras with the Salvation Army ...

• read the rest of this KOSA report ...

Today in the PC-USA Mission Yearbook

The Mission Yearbook for Prayer and Study is a daily devotional with 365 inspiring mission stories that come from next door and all across the globe. It inspires thousands of Presbyterians daily as they uphold the mission of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) in intercessory prayer. How often have you wondered, where are the young adults in the PC(USA)? Wonder no longer. The 2014 Presbyterian Mission Yearbook for Prayer and Study is devoted to the theme of young adults in the church. Its stories, many told by young adults, lift up how Presbyterians of all ages are engaging and joining with Presbyterian young adults in reforming the church for Christ’s mission.

Today in the Mission Yearbook: November 28, 2014

SYNOD OF THE PACIFIC - College students everywhere stay busy with their studies and extracurricular activities, but students at College of Idaho in Caldwell really know what that means. The college encourages the integration of faith and leadership in life after college through its unique Transforming the World Christian Leadership mino ...

• CLICK HERE to read more.

Thursday, November 27, 2014

Nightlight Blog: "More Divine Encounters"

"The people walking in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of the shadow of death a light has dawned.” Isaiah 9:2

Annie Dieselberg, founder and CEO, heads the staff at NightLight, a ministry in urban Bangkok, Thailand, that reaches out to women and children working in the bar areas of the Nana-Sukhumvit district. Located in a neighborhood with a growing sex trade, Nightlight’s vision is to share the Light of the world in both word and deed to those who live in darkness, and to combat the sexual exploitation of women and children, both Thai and foreign,

One of the means Annie uses to share her observations and experiences is her blog, a document of Nightlight's's mission to see women and children freed from the sexual exploitation of prostitution and trafficking, and to see the global church and community working together to free, heal, and restore all who have been broken and wounded through the sex trade.

More Divine Encounters

I met him when we were throwing a special Christmas party in our outreach center in the Nana red light area – complete with food, carols, games, and crafts. He was intrigued by us – after all, we stand out quite a bit from the crowd in that area of town! I was standing outside the party welcoming people and encouraging them to join in the fun. He chatted with me for almost 30 minutes before deciding to go into the party and meet some of my friends. At the end of the night, we spoke a few more times until we finally cleaned up and locked the doors. I thought that was goodbye. As he departed, I prayed that God would not let him forget the truth he encountered that night in a red light area of Bangkok, Thailand ...

• read the rest of this post ...

Faces of Children: Prayer Concerns for This Week

Faces of Children is an ecumenical prayer ministry under the auspices of First Presbyterian Church of Midland, Texas. Our mission is to initiate ministries of prayer for children in churches, communities, and neighborhoods. In doing so, we seek to provide an opportunity for people of God to join together, learn about children and their needs throughout the world, and celebrate Christ's love (especially as it relates to children).

Prayer Concerns for the Week of 11/26/14

Bangladesh

• Please keep in prayer girls at risk of being forced into marriage at a young age in Bangladesh. This South Asian country has the second highest rate of child marriage in the world.
• more on this request ...
• Pray the Bangladeshi government will reconsider new legislation that proposes to lower the minimum age of marriage for a girl from 18 to 16 years. Please pray their government leaders will instead reinforce a largely ignored 30-year-old law that bans marriage for girls under age 18.
• Pray for girls who are forced into marriage before their bodies are mature enough to engage in sex or safely carry a pregnancy to term. Pray for child brides who are denied the opportunity to attend school, who are isolated from society, and for those who are forced into a lifetime of economic dependence.
• Please pray for the estimated 74 percent of Bangladeshi women, currently aged 20 to 49, who were married off before they were 18 years of age. Pray for those who have experienced rape, domestic violence, and forced pregnancies because they were coerced into marriage at a young age.
• Pray the practice of forced child marriages will end…that the social acceptance of this form of child abuse will stop.

Syria

• Keep close in prayer an estimated 150 children who were kidnapped and tortured by Islamic State militants (IS, also known as ISIS or ISIL) in Syria. The children, most from a Kurdish town on the Syrian border with Turkey, were kidnapped last May as they returned home from taking school exams in Aleppo.
• more on this request ...
• Pray for children who were forced to watch videos of Islamic State militants in combat and beheading captives. Pray for those who were beaten with cables when they didn’t conform to the strict religious indoctrination and training forced on them by these radical Islamist militants.
• Pray for children who were singled out by the militants because of their connections to the Kurdish militia. Children with family members in the Kurdish militia were forced to give IS the addresses of those relatives and were then told these Kurdish militia members would be hunted down and killed.
• Give God thanks for the release of these young hostages. The last of them were released late last month when they were told their religious education was now over. Pray they will find safe shelter and be reunited with their families. Pray God will provide them with the resources they need to heal from long months of trauma and torture. Pray for their physical, spiritual, emotional, and mental healing.
• Pray for the freedom of those still held by IS militants and for an end to the brutality IS dispenses so ruthlessly.
• Pray for peace in this troubled region.

United States

• Please pray God will bring healing and peace to 26-year-old Paige who has been given a terminal cancer diagnosis. Pray this young mother and her husband Kevin will experience God’s comforting presence through the love and support of their community. Pray for their 2-year-old daughter Olivia during this season of confusion and sickness. Pray God will sustain Kevin as he takes care of his little girl and his dying wife.
• Give thanks to God 17-year-old Taylor* will graduate next month from her therapy program at a residential treatment facility. Taylor was diagnosed with a serious mental illness last year and has worked hard to regain her emotional and physical health as well as strengthen her resiliency. Thanks be to God for this amazing treatment program and the staff and therapy specialists who have helped Taylor during this challenging season.
     o Please pray for Taylor as she returns home next month…that she will remember all the tools she’s worked hard to acquire in her time away. Pray she will experience God’s peace that surpasses all understanding as she reenters home life.
     o Continue to keep in prayer Taylor’s siblings, 19-year-old Ernest* and 13-year-old Melissa*, as they have been deeply affected by their sister’s mental illness. Pray God will bring healing to their hearts and minds and their relationships with their sister.
     o Please continue in prayer for Taylor’s parents as they bring their daughter home. Give thanks to God for the hard work they have done in family therapy to learn how best to help Taylor and their family. Pray God will sustain them in this new chapter and continue to guide them.

Faces of Children

• Please continue to pray that more churches and individuals will join with the ministry of Faces of Children in spreading awareness about children in crisis and inviting more people to pray for children at risk.

If you have prayer requests about children, those who care for them, those who have authority over them, or those who harm them (the really hard prayers to say sometimes), please send them to Chris Laufer, FOC Coordinator, at claufer@facesofchildren.net

In the News ... "Free Community Meals Available for Thanksgiving"

KOSA File Image

• In Monahans and Odessa

Staff Report
KOSA-TV

WEST TEXAS - If you’re looking for a place to go for a Thanksgiving meal today, here are a couple of free options available from 11:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m. ...

• read the rest of this KOSA report ...

Do you know of other opportunities in west Texas? Please add them in a comment to this post. Thanks!

In the News ... "Odessa Police Deliver Thanksgiving Meals to Needy Families"

KOSA Photo

• First year for the project

Caitlin Crawford, Reporter
KOSA-TV

ODESSA, TEXAS - The Odessa Police Department delivered Thanksgiving meals to needy families today.

This was the first year for the project and officers told the media that they look forward to continuing these efforts each year.

Donations were voluntarily collected at the police department to purchase the meals from Albertsons.

They were then delivered to families that were selected by local consulting agencies, ECISD, a police department chaplain and the victim assistance coordinator ...

• read/watch the rest of this KOSA report ...

In the News ... "A Special Soup Kitchen Feeds Hundreds In The Tall City"

KMID Photo

• Kitchen with a lot of heart continues Thanksgiving tradition

Lauren Tropea, Reporter
KMID-TV

MIDLAND, TEXAS - Hundreds gather for an early Thanksgiving feast, prepped and served by volunteers at the Midland Soup Kitchen Ministry.

It's a special soup kitchen with a lot of heart.

"I've been coming to the Midland Soup Kitchen for years, about 25 or 30 years," said Meredith Blaylock.

Hundreds line up for a Thanksgiving feast full of good food and friendly faces ...

• read/watch the rest of this KMID report

In the News ... "Letters of Thanksgiving 2014"

By Cassandra

• From students at Dowling Elementary School

Staff Report
Odessa American

ODESSA, TEXAS - EDITOR’S NOTE: We asked students in Mrs. Shirley Mercedes’ third-grade class at Dowling Elementary School in Ector County ISD to describe what they were thankful for this year. From being thankful to a hero grandma, to their helpful teacher — the answers span the spectrum and are sincerely sweet, these are their responses ...

• read the rest of this OA report ...

Today in the PC-USA Mission Yearbook

IRAN (continued) - I will never forget a youth camp I attended 35 years ago. It started the day of my last high school exam. What a joy to graduate and on the same day head to a camp with 120 other youths from different Presbyterian and Episcopalian churches in Iran. What a blessed camp! I have no doubt that this camp was God’s special way to care for the future of the Presbyterian church in Iran.

After the Islamic revolution in Iran, just a few months after the camp, the missionaries, including our camp leader, had to leave the country ...

• CLICK HERE to read more.

Wednesday, November 26, 2014

WAW Wednesdays: Thank You Party, and Need Your Help ...

"The Word at Work is a ministry that mobilizes churches and individuals to answer God's call to minister to those in need," writes Rev. Tim Tam, Director of the Amarillo, Texas-based ministry. "Through our relationships, God reveals needs and opportunities for service. As we come along side the poor, new friendships develop and doors for ministry open. As we serve, God provides the resources to supply for the needs he reveals."

Thank You Party, and Need Your Help ...

Hey Friends,

Tomorrow is Thanksgiving in the U.S. and we are thankful to God as we see the Ladeni story continue.

She is getting used to her new leg. Last night we had a great celebration of Thanksgiving at an event for over 40 organizations and individuals who have come around Ladeni Osorto and helped to bring her back to health! Michael Martin Murphey made the evening extra special with his gift of song ... here are Murph, Ladeni, her mother Grace… Thanks to our host, Dr. Keith Bjork, and all who helped make the evening possible.

And because tomorrow is Thanksgiving in the US and we are so thankful for the work of God ... I’m in your mailbox with an opportunity, or avenue for you to express gratefulness to God.

We are coming upon the home stretch for our annual Christmas Project Trip! We have a team of volunteers heading to Belize December 13-22. This is the time of year when we count on your financial support to make these Christmas parties happen all over Belize for thousands of children and others in great need.

$3000 is needed to support the miracle work going on at the prison. This provides a small phone card to connect every inmate with their children and spouses.

$_____ ? We are grateful for any amount you can offer to help us purchase food and other gifts. With the numerous places we serve, the opportunity is beyond measure and always depends on your support. How far can you help us take this?

Keep Christ in your Christmas by ...

• Blessing the “least of these” ... the poor, widowed, the orphaned, victims of violence and injustice. Matthew 25:40
• Remembering those in prison as though you were in prison with them. Hebrew 13:3
• Supporting Hospice patients and families, HIV children’s ministry and more. John 21:17

You may not be making the trip with us - Let us represent you. Last year we raised $16,000 for this project. Help us get even beyond that for 2014. Please write back and let me know what you can do. Or ... make a gift of this in someones name?

Thanks,

Tim Tam
The Word at Work

EDITOR'S NOTE: Speaking from my own first-hand experience, working side-by-side with Tim, Kenny and our brothers and sisters in Belize, won't you give thoughtful, prayerful consideration to supporting the efforts of Tim, the Word At Work staff and their partners? Please please fill out this Commitment Card and return it to their office!

Also, remember that you can follow The Word At Work on their Facebook page!

Partners Blog: "A Place to Call Home"

Steve and Oddny Gumaer started Partners Relief and Development in response to the needs of refugees and displaced people from Burma. Their mission is to demonstrate, through holistic action, God’s love to children and communities made vulnerable by war in Burma.

A Place to Call Home

The hills are shrouded in mist in this fortress village high in the mountains straddling Thailand and Shan State, Burma. It has a sense of permanence with its school and clinic and shops. More and more buildings go up each week it seems and now there is cellphone coverage in the clinic area. And it feels like things have changed in that nano of an instant. Students now spend their free time texting or scrolling Facebook. Modernity has come to this outback.

Recently I brought some volunteers up here to share in the opening of our medical training for the year ...

• read the rest of this post

Partners Relief and Development is a registered charity in Australia, Canada, New Zealand, Norway, the United Kingdom and the United States, working with communities impacted by war in Burma.

In the News ... "Feast of caring"

OA Photo by Courtney Sacco

• FBC gives away 1,200 Thanksgiving day meals to people in need

By Corey Paul, Reporter
Odessa American

ODESSA, TEXAS - Members of First Baptist Church of Odessa on Sunday gave away 1,200 Thanksgiving meals, what several described as a reminder of the need that remains in a community during an oil boom.

Apolonia Espinosa came with her 23-year-old son, Abel, in their first year seeking help during the holiday. If they hadn’t, she said her family would have gone to a restaurant instead of eating a Thanksgiving Day meal.

“Rent is going up, and not everybody works in the oilfield,” Espinosa said ...

• read the rest of this OA report ...

Today in the PC-USA Mission Yearbook

The Mission Yearbook for Prayer and Study is a daily devotional with 365 inspiring mission stories that come from next door and all across the globe. It inspires thousands of Presbyterians daily as they uphold the mission of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) in intercessory prayer. How often have you wondered, where are the young adults in the PC(USA)? Wonder no longer. The 2014 Presbyterian Mission Yearbook for Prayer and Study is devoted to the theme of young adults in the church. Its stories, many told by young adults, lift up how Presbyterians of all ages are engaging and joining with Presbyterian young adults in reforming the church for Christ’s mission.

Today in the Mission Yearbook: November 26, 2014

IRAN - In Iran the persecution and discrimination of Christians continues to be a sad, undeniable reality. Amid the pressure and closure of many churches, the number of house churches has grown steadily. Lack of access to Christian literature and Scripture is a problem, and the migration of Christians is a painful challenge. However, the good news of God is a stronger reality than all problems and challenges.

God uses Presbyterians to bless others miles away ...

• CLICK HERE to read more.

Tuesday, November 25, 2014

Word from Uganda: "Photo Drop"

Missionary teacher Natalie Rolfe writes, "'When He calls me, I will answer ... I'll be somewhere working for my Lord.' My call was Mbale, Uganda and that is where I have returned to serve for another year. Specifically, I am teaching phonics at Lulwanda Children's Home, an orphanage and school for 90 kids." Natalie also keeps an online journal of her service at the weblog, When He calls me, I will answer ...

Photo Drop

Sometimes there is just too much going on to update a blog. But here is a glimpse of what I have been up to during my silent (blog) times (in no particular order) ...

• read the rest of Natalie's post ...

In the News ... "Local Man Organizes Free Thanksgiving Dinner"

KMID Photo

Staff Report
KMID-TV

ODESSA, TEXAS - "If you come, you get a chair, you'll get served," said Jesse Porras, organizer of Neighborhood Thanksgiving Dinner.

Served a full Thanksgiving meal, for free!

"We've got a lot of volunteers bringing in stuff. You know turkeys, the mashed potatoes and all that," said Lisa salars, owner of Mama's Kitchen.

Porras is preparing his second thanksgiving dinner for the Odessa community ...

• read the rest of this KMID report

Special announcement for this week's "Invitation to Prayer"

Faces of Children is an ecumenical prayer ministry under the auspices of First Presbyterian Church of Midland, Texas. Our mission is to initiate ministries of prayer for children in churches, communities, and neighborhoods. In doing so, we seek to provide an opportunity for people of God to join together, learn about children and their needs throughout the world, and celebrate Christ's love (especially as it relates to children).

Listening with a Sacred Text

"It might be helpful to offer here a concrete suggestion. One good way to listen is to listen with a sacred text: a psalm or a prayer, for instance. The Hindu spiritual writer Eknath Easwaran showed me the great value of learning a sacred text by heart and repeating it slowly in the mind, word by word, sentence by sentence. In this way, listening to the voice of love becomes not just a passive waiting, but an active attentiveness to the voice that speaks to us through the words of the Scriptures.

I spent many of my half-hours of prayer doing nothing but slowly repeating the prayer of St. Francis: ‘Lord make me an instrument of your peace. Where there is hatred let me sow love….’ As I let these words move from my mind to my heart, I began to experience, beyond all my restless emotions and feelings, the peace and love I was asking for in words.

In this way I also had a way to deal with my endless distractions. When I found myself wandering away far and wide, I could always return to my simple prayer and thereby listen again in my heart to the voice I so much wanted to hear.”

Life of the Beloved by Henri J. M. Nouwen

A message from Chris Laufer, Coordinator, Faces of Children

Greetings, Faces of Children Prayer Partner,

The Midland Faces of Children prayer group will not meet on Wednesday, November 26, 2014 as our offices will be closed that day for the Thanksgiving holiday.

Thank you for your faithfulness in prayer for the littlest citizens of God’s Kingdom! If you have prayer concerns or celebrations about children, those who care for them, those who have authority over them, or those who harm them (the really hard prayers to say sometimes), please send them to me at at claufer@facesofchildren.net, or give me a call.

Grace and peace,

Chris

Prayer Concerns for the Week of 11/24/14

Bangladesh

• Please keep in prayer girls at risk of being forced into marriage at a young age in Bangladesh. This South Asian country has the second highest rate of child marriage in the world.
• more on this request ...
• Pray the Bangladeshi government will reconsider new legislation that proposes to lower the minimum age of marriage for a girl from 18 to 16 years. Please pray their government leaders will instead reinforce a largely ignored 30-year-old law that bans marriage for girls under age 18.
• Pray for girls who are forced into marriage before their bodies are mature enough to engage in sex or safely carry a pregnancy to term. Pray for child brides who are denied the opportunity to attend school, who are isolated from society, and for those who are forced into a lifetime of economic dependence.
• Please pray for the estimated 74 percent of Bangladeshi women, currently aged 20 to 49, who were married off before they were 18 years of age. Pray for those who have experienced rape, domestic violence, and forced pregnancies because they were coerced into marriage at a young age.
• Pray the practice of forced child marriages will end…that the social acceptance of this form of child abuse will stop.

Syria

• Keep close in prayer an estimated 150 children who were kidnapped and tortured by Islamic State militants (IS, also known as ISIS or ISIL) in Syria. The children, most from a Kurdish town on the Syrian border with Turkey, were kidnapped last May as they returned home from taking school exams in Aleppo.
• more on this request ...
• Pray for children who were forced to watch videos of Islamic State militants in combat and beheading captives. Pray for those who were beaten with cables when they didn’t conform to the strict religious indoctrination and training forced on them by these radical Islamist militants.
• Pray for children who were singled out by the militants because of their connections to the Kurdish militia. Children with family members in the Kurdish militia were forced to give IS the addresses of those relatives and were then told these Kurdish militia members would be hunted down and killed.
• Give God thanks for the release of these young hostages. The last of them were released late last month when they were told their religious education was now over. Pray they will find safe shelter and be reunited with their families. Pray God will provide them with the resources they need to heal from long months of trauma and torture. Pray for their physical, spiritual, emotional, and mental healing.
• Pray for the freedom of those still held by IS militants and for an end to the brutality IS dispenses so ruthlessly.
• Pray for peace in this troubled region.

United States

• Please pray God will bring healing and peace to 26-year-old Paige who has been given a terminal cancer diagnosis. Pray this young mother and her husband Kevin will experience God’s comforting presence through the love and support of their community. Pray for their 2-year-old daughter Olivia during this season of confusion and sickness. Pray God will sustain Kevin as he takes care of his little girl and his dying wife.
• Give thanks to God 17-year-old Taylor* will graduate next month from her therapy program at a residential treatment facility. Taylor was diagnosed with a serious mental illness last year and has worked hard to regain her emotional and physical health as well as strengthen her resiliency. Thanks be to God for this amazing treatment program and the staff and therapy specialists who have helped Taylor during this challenging season.
     o Please pray for Taylor as she returns home next month…that she will remember all the tools she’s worked hard to acquire in her time away. Pray she will experience God’s peace that surpasses all understanding as she reenters home life.
     o Continue to keep in prayer Taylor’s siblings, 19-year-old Ernest* and 13-year-old Melissa*, as they have been deeply affected by their sister’s mental illness. Pray God will bring healing to their hearts and minds and their relationships with their sister.
     o Please continue in prayer for Taylor’s parents as they bring their daughter home. Give thanks to God for the hard work they have done in family therapy to learn how best to help Taylor and their family. Pray God will sustain them in this new chapter and continue to guide them.

Faces of Children

• Please continue to pray that more churches and individuals will join with the ministry of Faces of Children in spreading awareness about children in crisis and inviting more people to pray for children at risk.

In the News ... "Guide to giving back during the holidays"

MRT Photo

• Local nonprofits need volunteers, donations

By Tessa Duvall, Reporter
Midland Reporter-Telegram

MIDLAND, TEXAS - The holiday season for many Midlanders means out-of-town trips to reunite with family around a dinner table filled with Thanksgiving turkey or Christmas ham.

But for the less fortunate in the community and the nonprofit organizations that serve them, the holidays can be a time of great need.

Area organizations say they’re in need of volunteers, food and monetary donations. Here’s how you can help ...

• read the rest of this MRT report