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).Invitation to Prayer, WEDNESDAY
Hi Friends,
Thank you for joining me in prayer for the children of the world. If you can, we'd love to have you pray together with us this Wednesday at 11:30 a.m., in the gym conference room at First Presbyterian Church of Midland, Texas, followed by lunch together.
Also, Faces of Children is now on Facebook ! I invite you to like our page so that you can see regular stories, prayer needs, and updates from partner ministries.
All the best,
Carrie
Dear Intercessors,
This week, I saw an excerpt from Ann Voskamp's new book, The Broken Way. I wanted to share part of it with you:
"I think of Queen Esther, the young Jewish girl who found herself a Persian queen when her people faced genocide-Esther, right where she was, for such a time as this, to give a glass of cold water, a desperate hand to another, to open a door, a hand, a heart, and give her life away.
The reason you are inside the gate for such a time as this-is to risk your life for those outside the gate.
There are so many of us sucking down lattes and dying of thirst, dying for something more, for something abundant. There are so many in need, and so many Esthers who thirst for more than vanilla services, sweetened programs, and watered-down lives, hungry for some real meat for their starved souls, some dirt under the fingernails, some real sacrifice in the veins. I know why I keep writing a cross on my wrist.
There are those who are saved, but only by the skin of their teeth because they cared most about the comfort of their own skin and only minimally about anyone else's. They will have a hardly abundant entrance awaiting them in heaven. But those will not be the Esthers. There are those who would rather turn a blind eye to the needy than turn to the needy and be like Christ. Those who would love playing at being Christian more than actually being one and loving giving. But those will not be the Esthers.
There's a whole generation of Esthers who want to be the gift, want to give it forward, whatever's in our hands, who want holy more than hollow. There's a whole Esther Generation, and it is we who want the abundant life of going lower to love the least, the lonely, and the lost. The world needs people who will defy cynical indifference by making a critical difference.
Every one of us can start changing headlines when we start reaching out our hands. What if we gave up charity for solidarity?"
As we lift up these needs of children around the world to the Father who knows and sees all, will you join me in asking how you can be an Esther right where you are today?
HAITI // In the aftermath of Hurricane Matthew, Haiti is beginning to determine the full extent of the damage. Undoubtedly in the days to come, the death toll will climb and more property loss will be categorized. People will need help rebuilding their lives, and some will be burying their loved ones. It is a tragedy, without doubt. But this story came from a missionary in Haiti and helped me look at the situation with a perspective that is perhaps not our first reaction.
"A huge tree just fell by my house, so despite the storm my house is much brighter than usual. On the radio happy haiti... music about surviving storms is playing between reports of total devastation. "Mesi BonDye! Nou la toujou, nap dégaje nou!" (Thank you Good God we are still here, we'll make due!). My neighbor's shack is slipping off the hill now and won't be worth salvaging. She and her elderly adoptive mom (YES even poor Haitians adopt the less fortunate), decided at the right moment to come into my house. They just lost their house and The wind is roaring and ripping the world apart, but they just came in and immediately started doing dishes for me and helping me clean up the flooding kitchen. I didn't ask, they just got to work. And they are smiling and joking and asking if I was scared by the wind. They turned on the radio and it feels like a party. Meanwhile I know that many people will watch this devastation and register it in their "Why I know a good God does not exist" file. In my experience these moments of great thinning, traumatic cosmic brushes with mortality or instant poverty, are moments when the skin that separates heaven and earth is rent back to a translucent membrane. And it's easier to see God in those moments, not harder. He comes near to the scent of tears like a mother to her child's cries. The trees that still stand are getting barer by the moment, but it feels like a party in my house." -Corrigan James Clay
Like a mother who draws near to her crying child, Father we pray you will draw near to Haiti's people in the weeks to come. Bind up the brokenhearted and help them rebuild their lives in places that seem to be utter ruins. Give them hope and a future. Empower aid workers and charitable groups to provide the help that is needed in dignified and empowering ways. Comfort scared children who lived through the fierce winds and rains of a hurricane and perhaps watched their homes be washed away. Heal those who are injured with your powerful hands. In all of the tragedy and loss we ask that you will be near, Jesus. Please be near. Amen.
USA // After hitting Haiti and other Caribbean islands, Hurricane Matthew lumbered towards the US Coast, prompting at least 1.5 million people to evacuate their homes. Among them, countless children who don't understand why they had to suddenly pack-up and leave their homes, schools, and communities. Please lift up those communities in the path of Hurricane Matthew. At the time of this writing, we don't yet know the full impact of the storm. But as you read this, we may better know the extent of the damage in communities across Florida, Georgia, and South Carolina. Please be praying for families who bear the brunt of the hurricane's fury.
Father, we pray that just as we know you are near the brokenhearted in Haiti, you also hold the people of Florida and the southeastern USA close to your heart. Please be with them in the weeks to come as they deal with the devastation left in the hurricane's wake. In particular, we lift up the children who needed to evacuate and may come home to a drastically different landscape. Give them peace and comfort in the weeks to come. Amen.
GLOBAL // We continue to pray for children in Syria, Iraq, Sudan, Yemen, and other war-torn areas around the world. We pray for children who are hungry and slowly starving to death due to military blockades and rations. We pray for children who have witnessed violence and know what it's like to fall asleep with bombs falling in the distance. We pray for children who have never been able to go to school because it is too dangerous to leave their apartments.
Lord Jesus, you know each child caught in conflict by name. You know their hopes, dreams, and even what their favorite stuffed animal is named. You know the number of hairs on their heads, and you deeply love each of them. Father, we pray that you will bring conflict to an end. Only you can put an end to humanity's evil, and we ask that your kingdom come and your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Please be near to the children of war who are scared, hungry, hurting, or injured. We pray for those who have fled their countries to live in refugee camps - keep them safe from traffickers and meet their material needs for shelter and food. Empower relief workers to meet not just the physical needs of children, but also the emotional, spiritual and psychological ones as well they encounter. Be near, Lord Jesus. Please be near. Amen.
Praying with you,
Carrie
Carrie J. McKean
Faces of Children Director
First Presbyterian Church of Midland, Texas
(432) 684-7821 x153
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 info@facesofchildren.net
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