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).God Became a Little Baby
While they were there, the time came for her to give birth. She gave birth to a son, her firstborn. She wrapped him in a blanket and laid him in a manger, because there was no room in the hostel. Luke 2:6-7 The Message
“God became a little baby. Who can be afraid of a little baby? A tiny little baby is completely dependent on its parents, nurses, and caregivers. Yes, God wanted to become so powerless as to be unable to eat or drink, walk or talk, play or work without many people’s help. Yes, God became dependent on human beings to grow up and live among us and proclaim the good news. Yes, God chose to become so powerless that the realization of God’s own mission among us became completely dependent on us. How can we fear a baby we rock in our arms? How can we be envious of a tender baby? That’s the mystery of the incarnation. God became human, in no way different from other human beings, to break through the walls of power in total weakness. That’s the story of Jesus.”
"Jesus, as we celebrate your birth, may we always appreciate the humility revealed when you, one with God for all eternity, became weak for our sake."
Living in Hope: Advent Meditations from the writings of Henri Nouwen by James E. Adams
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, December 24, 2014 as our offices will be closed for the Christmas 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.
Christmas blessings,
Chris
Prayer Concerns for the Week of 12/24/14
China
• Please pray God’s healing mercies will be upon three little girls at New Day North foster home in China. Rina, Ruby, and Clara were significantly malnourished when they entered the program at New Day and have continued to struggle with digestive issues and other serious medical problems. Please pray these little ones will improve quickly. Give God thanks for the nannies who are working hard to make sure Rina, Ruby, and Clara receive the nutrition and love they need.
• more on this from the New Day website ...
• Please keep 3-month-old Esther in prayer as she is in very serious condition and needs a new liver. Doctors are only giving her a few weeks to live, but she must be 6 months old before she’s eligible to go on the waiting list for a liver transplant. Pray God will bless Esther with a miracle of healing. Pray she will grow stronger and defy the odds she has been given. Pray for Esther’s nanny and other New Day Foster Home caregivers as they work tirelessly to help this little one survive.
India
• Please keep in prayer the children and people who continue to be affected by the world’s deadliest industrial disaster 30 years ago in Bhopal, India. More than 5,000 people were killed when a toxic gas accidentally leaked from a pesticide factory on December 3, 1984 and was blown into the slum colonies surrounding the plant. Activists believe 25,000 people have died since then from illnesses connected to the leak of 40 metric tons of cyanide gas.
• more on this issue ...
• Pray the thousands of tons of toxic waste buried inside and outside the pesticide factory will be cleaned up soon. Pray for the 50,000 people living around the site whose drinking water has been poisoned by this toxic waste seeping into the ground.
• Pray for the survivors of this disaster as they struggle with long-term health issues like cancer, blindness, respiratory difficulties, and immune and neurological disorders. Pray they will receive the support and health care they need to cope with these devastating disabilities.
• Please pray for the second and third generations of children affected by this disaster—children born to survivors who were exposed to the gas and to women who drank water contaminated by undisposed toxic waste around the factory. Pray for children born with congenital deformities possibly linked to the deadly leak. Pray for healing and comfort for children born with cerebral palsy, muscular dystrophy, Down’s syndrome, cleft palate, mental disorders, and speech impairments.
• more on this request ...
• Give God thanks for the work of Rashida Bee and Champa Devi Shukla—two women survivors of the Bhopal disaster—who established a charitable rehabilitation center to help care for 700 children affected by the calamity. Thanks be to God for the dedication of these women and the staff and volunteers with Chingari Rehabilitation Centre as they provide children with physiotherapy, occupational and speech therapy, and hope for the future.
• Please pray for wisdom for those in the Supreme Court as they decide which Bhopal victims are eligible for compensation and free health care. Pray the youngest victims will be recognized and given the support they need to survive and thrive.
Philippines
• Please keep the children and people of the Philippines close in prayer as they recover from another powerful typhoon that struck the archipelago’s eastern island of Samar on December 6, 2014. Typhoon Hagupit crushed more than ten thousand homes and damaged twice that number of houses as it followed almost the same path taken by last year’s deadly Typhoon Haiyan.
• more on this issue ...
• more on this issue ...
• Thanks be to God the Philippine government evacuated millions of people to higher ground before Hagupit made landfall. And give God thanks the loss of life (an estimated 27 people so far) was significantly lower than with Haiyan which left more than 7,000 people dead or missing and left millions homeless.
• more on this request ...
• Pray for children and families in remote villages who’ve been cut off from help by washed-out roads. Heavy rains, storm surges, flooding, and landslides have made it very difficult for emergency workers to reach coastal villages hit by the storm. Pray assistance will reach those who’ve been stranded; that God will fulfill their most immediate and deepest needs.
• Pray for all those affected by Typhoon Hagupit … for those who’ve been left homeless; those who are in need of food, water, and safe shelter; and for those who have lost crops and livelihoods.
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
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