Tuesday, February 28, 2017

Partners Blog: "From the comfort of my lounge room"

Steve and Oddny Gumaer started Partners Relief and Development in response to the needs of refugees and displaced people from Burma, and now in the Middle East, as well. Their mission is to demonstrate, through holistic action, God’s love to children and communities made vulnerable by war in Southeast Asia, the Middle East and other conflict zones.

MAPIM Photo
From the comfort of my lounge room

Recently I sat in my lounge room in Australia watching a documentary that was telling the story of a young Rohingya girl. Several years before, her mother and siblings fled Myanmar, leaving their father behind because they could not afford for him to accompany them. Her family had been subjected to severe persecution and they had witnessed violence, death and the burning down of their entire village. As was their indelible human right, they sought refuge elsewhere, hoping for a future that would be secure and provide opportunity for education and well-being ...

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. "We’re a small, grassroots nonprofit passionate about making a big impact in communities affected by conflict and oppression, demonstrating God’s love to children and giving them the opportunity to live free, full lives." For more information aboput Partners, visit their website at partners.ngo/

Invitation to Prayer from Faces of Children ... Tomorrow

Faces of Children is an ecumenical prayer ministry under the auspices of First Presbyterian Church of Midland, Texas. Their mission is to initiate ministries of prayer for children in churches, communities, and neighborhoods. In doing so, they 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, Tomorrow

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. We will not have lunch together after the prayer time this week because of the Ash Wednesday service at noon.

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,

"And if anyone gives even a cup of cold water to one of these little ones who is my disciple, truly I tell you, that person will certainly not lose their reward."
Matthew 10:42, NIV

Please join me in praying for the following matters this week:

UGANDA // Water Wells with the Billhimers

This week, Ramon and Bob Billhimer are preparing for their trip to Uganda to check on the water well project they oversee. As they prepare for the trip, I'd like to invite you to join me in praying for their safe travels, their wells, and the lives they will impact through the ongoing work of their project.

While they are there, the Billhimers are going to be visiting the site of a potential new well. The site is at a Secondary School, and in addition to the 670 students served by the school, the well would also supply clean water to the neighboring 3,000 people who live in the area. Currently the people draw well from this cistern; which has tadpoles and frogs in it. And as Bob pointed out, if the frogs and tadpoles can't get out of the cistern due to the depth and the small hole at the top, the cistern also has dead frogs and tadpoles ... which leads to water borne disease.

Please pray for it to be clear whether or not this is a good site for a new well. Pray that if construction begins, it moves quickly and smoothly and that the community has reliable access to clean water in a timely manner.

While they are in Uganda, the Billhimers will also be visiting the sites of recently completed wells, like this one. This well serves a community of 10,000 people and is located near the grounds of a primary school with 896 students ranging in age from 3-14 years old. The community hopes to collect the run-off water and use it in a fish farm, which the Billhimers are also involved in starting.

Please pray for this well to be a source of life and peace and hope for the community. Pray it brings people together and breaks down barriers; pray for local church leaders to have opportunities to share about Jesus, the source of Life and water that makes people never thirst again.

Finally, the Billhimers will also be visiting the sites of some of their fish farms. Using runoff water from the wells, the fish farms provide vital nutrition and income to the communities surrounding the wells.

Please pray for the farms already in existence to flourish, and please pray for the Billhimers and their teams to have good wisdom and discernment about where future farms should be located.

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

In the News ... "Witnesses offer views on cross of Jesus"

OA Photo by Mark Sterkel
• OMA’s Annual Lenten Series begins with Ash Wednesday observance in First UMC parking lot

By Bob Campbell, Reporter
Odessa American


ODESSA, TEXAS - Considering the Cross of the Crucifixion from the perspectives of those who were there is a good way to gain a deeper understanding for yourself, say speakers for the Odessa Ministerial Alliance’s Annual Lenten Series scheduled Wednesday through April 12 ...

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.

Today in the Mission Yearbook: February 28, 2017

PRESBYTERIAN DENOMINATIONAL SURVEY - In a recent denominational survey, nearly three-quarters of Presbyterians said that “Jesus Christ is the only Savior and Lord,” a finding that stands in contrast to an earlier study on Presbyterian views of salvation ...

CLICK HERE to read more.

Monday, February 27, 2017

From @chinaaid : "Nine unlawfully detained Christians released"

The China Aid Association is a non-profit Christian organization - based in Midland, Texas - with a mission to uncover and reveal the truth about religious persecution in China, focusing especially on the unofficial church. They do this, they explain in their website, by exposing the abuses, encouraging the abused and equipping the saints to advance the kingdom of God throughout China.

Nine unlawfully detained Christians released
Distributed by ChinaAid, February, 2017 ...

KUNMING, YUNNANG, CHINA – Nine unlawfully detained Christians were released on bail prior to the Lunar New Year as their lawyers challenge the legality of their detention.

On Nov. 26, 12 Christians were taken into police custody, where four were released soon afterward, but eight received criminal detention sentences for “using a cult organization to undermine the implementation of the law” ...

more on this story from China Aid



In the News ... "Invitation to Ash Wednesday Mass"

• All are welcome

MIDLAND, TEXAS - Please join the Catholic Student Association of Midland (CSAM) for Ash Wednesday Mass, March 1, at 12:15 p.m. in the Dollye Neal Chapel, on the MC main campus. All are welcome!

To receive info about future CSAM events, text @CSAM17 to 81010. Be sure to include the @ sign.

Questions can be directed to the Midland College CSAM Advisor Cindy Madewell, cmadewell@midland.edu, 686-4243.

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.

Brr /> Today in the Mission Yearbook: February 27, 2017

YOUNG ADULTS: COLLEGE CONFERENCE AT MONTREAT, PT. 3 - - At the conclusion of Valarie Kaur’s electrifying keynote address at the College Conference at Montreat on January 4, the tandem lines on either side of Anderson Auditorium were at least ten deep with students all but on fire to have her respond to their questions ...

CLICK HERE to read more.

Sunday, February 26, 2017

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.


Today in the Mission Yearbook: February 26, 2017

KATHERINE G. JOHNSON - “Hidden Figures”—the movie about a group of brilliant female African-American mathematicians who aided NASA during the space race—took the second spot at the box office in its first weekend of wide release. The movie features the story of Katherine G. Johnson, a longtime Presbyterian and 2015 Presidential Medal of Freedom awardee ...

CLICK HERE to read more.

Saturday, February 25, 2017

In the News ... "Fundraiser to outfit church's disaster relief trailer is TOMORROW"

OA Photo by Mark Sterkel
• Sunday at Mission Dorado Baptist Church

Staff Report
Odessa American


ODESSA, TEXAS - Working with the Grapevine-based Southern Baptists of Texas Convention Disaster Relief Mission, Mission Dorado Baptist Church is outfitting a trailer for its team of volunteers to use in Texas and other states.

The Rev. Jared Wellman will preach about helping the unfortunate at 11:00 a.m. February 26, after which, weather permitting, a cookout will be held in the 4142 Faudree Rd. church’s parking lot and the donation of tools will be asked ...

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.


Today in the Mission Yearbook: February 25, 2017

COLLEGE CONFERENCE AT MONTREAT, PT. 3 - Stepping again into the pulpit—and alternately striding across the stage— at the College Conference at Montreat in early January, the Rev. Paul Roberts Sr., president of Johnson C. Smith Theological Seminary in Atlanta, continued to explore the conference theme, “Beyond Babel,” based on Genesis 11:1-9 ...

CLICK HERE to read more.

Friday, February 24, 2017

From @FWMission ...Friday Story: "A Proper Fit"

https://www.freewheelchairmission.org/

Founded in 2001, Free Wheelchair Mission is an international nonprofit organization dedicated to providing wheelchairs for the impoverished disabled in developing nations. Headquartered in Irvine, California, FWM works around the world in partnership with a vast network of humanitarian, faith-based and government organizations, sending wheelchairs to hundreds of thousands of disabled people, providing not only the gift of mobility, but of dignity, independence, and hope.

Friday Story: "A Proper Fit"

Michel already had a wheelchair, but it did not fit him properly.

An 18-year-old high school student, Michel has been disabled since the age of 12. He sustained an injury while playing soccer and bled profusely due to hemophilia. He spent over a month in the hospital and has not been able to walk ever since ...

read the rest of this story ...

In the News ... " Local artist talks about performing in Black History Month celebration"

KWES Photo
• This weekend at Mount Rose Baptist Church

Eric Onyechefule, Reporter
KWES-TV

MIDLAND, TEXAS - 23-year-old Darien Smith plays five instruments from the piano to bass. Born and raised in Midland, Smith understands how different tunes molded him.

"Music has shaped, the way I dress, the way I speak, and the way I carry myself," said Smith.

Smith, the son of a pastor and wise beyond his age, knows the importance being one of the musical at this weekend's Unapologetically Black celebration at Mount Rose Baptist Church, which gives everyone in the Basin an up close look at black art and culture ...

 • read/watch the rest of this KWES 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.


Today in the Mission Yearbook: February 24, 2017

CUBA - The Rev. Tony Aja returned to Cuba last October for only the second time since he fled the country with his father in 1967.

Strolling through his old neighborhood, he remembers all too well how his family and friends suffered during the Cuban revolution, but as a minister of the gospel he clings to the hope that forgiveness and reconciliation, even at the political level, will come eventually ...

CLICK HERE to read more.

Thursday, February 23, 2017

In the News ... "Local church gives back to their community"

KWES Photo
• Sharing kindness, welcome and hospitality

By Jolina Okazaki, Multimedia Journalist
KWES-TV

ODESSA, TEXAS - A local church gave back to the community this [past] Sunday by giving free dinners to residents in Odessa. They say instead of eating together, they're feeding together.

"There's stories of the gospel of Jesus feeding multitudes, feeding into 5,000," said Reverend Dr. Joe Weaks. "We thought it would be fun tonight instead of having a meal tonight, take it to the immediate neighbors so this is just a way of meeting neighbors and paying forward an act of kindness to them to say we'd love to get to know you."

First Christian Church in Odessa spent their evening filling bags with ingredients for a free dinner filled with ingredients for a spaghetti dinner. The dinner was to open arms to members of their community and welcome them to their church ...

 • read/watch the rest of this KWES 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.


Today in the Mission Yearbook: February 23, 2017

YOUNG ADULTS: COLLEGE CONFERENCE AT MONTREAT, PT. 2 - Around the world, the stories of students are as diverse as the cultures and lands from which they come. Individuals furthering their education may do so out of a sense of hope for the future, that they might improve their lives and be exposed to ideas that challenge and change them. This period of transformation and growth comes at a time when many students are physically separated from their support networks and communities of faith ...

CLICK HERE to read more.

Wednesday, February 22, 2017

In the News ... " Mt. Rose Baptist Church kicks off Black History Month festivities this weekend"

KWES Photo
• Experience and learn through black art, history and culture

By Jolina Okazaki, Multimedia Journalist
KWES-TV

MIDLAND, TEXAS - Mount Rose Baptist Church on 211 N. Tyler St will celebrate Black History Month for three days in the Basin. The celebration of black culture and art will kick off at the Palmer Activity Center in Midland starting on Friday. They're hoping to not only share black culture but also empower others of all backgrounds.

"We hope to open up people's eyes, to make people more culturally conscious." said event coordinator Jermaine Packer. "We want to start a conversation. We want to open that up and say, 'Hey, come and celebrate with us.' We aren't trying to make it awkward for you. We just want you to kind of see what our culture is. We want people to really enjoy themselves."

The event, called Unapologetically Black, will include an art show, live music, discussion panels and guest speakers ...

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

Invitation to Prayer from Faces of Children ... TODAY

Faces of Children is an ecumenical prayer ministry under the auspices of First Presbyterian Church of Midland, Texas. Their mission is to initiate ministries of prayer for children in churches, communities, and neighborhoods. In doing so, they 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, TODAY

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 - TODAY -  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,

"What do you think? Which of the three became a neighbor to the man attacked by robbers?" "The one who treated him kindly," the religion scholar responded. Jesus said, "Go and do the same."
Luke 10:36-37, MSG

Valentine's Day was a few days ago, but I'm still thinking about love.

And this week, I came across a story that struck me as a beautiful picture of radical love. A Libyan-born devout Muslim foster father, Mohamed Bzeek, who only cares for terminally ill children in LA. The world's headlines are mostly dominated by angry rhetoric -- telling us who we should fear and who we ought to keep out and who we ought to suspect. But every now and then, a story bubbles to the surface that speaks much more quietly and yet far more powerfully. If Mr. Bzeek were to try to immigrate to the USA today, he may not be allowed in. And the little girl he's charged with? No one else really wants her. Two people displaced by the world; but both are seen, known, and loved by a God who brought them together because he sets the lonely into families. By virtue of his faith and his birthplace, I venture to say Mr. Bzeek is like a Samaritan from the New Testament days. And when I read the story of Mr. Bzeek laying down his life on behalf of his foster children, I cannot help but think of the story Jesus told of a man just like him, the Good Samaritan. So often we want to change the world. And more and more, I'm starting to believe when we start with loving a child no one else notices, we can. May we go and do the same.

In addition to that, please join me in praying for the following matters this week:

USA // This foster father only takes in terminally ill children

"The children were going to die. Mohamed Bzeek knew that. But in his more than two decades as a foster father, he took them in anyway - the sickest of the sick in Los Angeles County's sprawling foster care system. He has buried about 10 children. Some died in his arms. Now, Bzeek spends long days and sleepless nights caring for a bedridden 6-year-old foster girl with a rare brain defect. She's blind and deaf. She has daily seizures. Her arms and legs are paralyzed. Bzeek, a quiet, devout Libyan-born Muslim who lives in Azusa, California, just wants her to know she's not alone in this life. "I know she can't hear, can't see, but I always talk to her," he said. "I'm always holding her, playing with her, touching her. ... She has feelings. She has a soul. She's a human being."

Praise God for people like Mohamed Bzeek who do not aspire to fame or fortune, but instead believe in the power of making a difference by loving others well. Pray God strengthens, encourages, and sustains him as he fulfills his calling, and pray for more foster families to be raised up to follow in his footsteps.

Read more here ...

TEXAS // Sold Out: How the crusade against sex trafficking in Texas has left child victims behind

Thank you to one of our intercessors, Glenn, for bringing this investigative series to my attention. "Texas Tribune reporters have spent months uncovering the details of dozens of these cases, performing autopsies to determine where systems designed to protect the state's most endangered children broke down. In Sold Out, we'll reveal how more than a decade's worth of initiatives - empty laws and hollow programs rolled out with fanfare by Texas' top officials - have failed to protect the state's most vulnerable youth. We will explore how widespread misconceptions about what's sometimes called "modern day slavery" - a complex problem with many underlying causes - have further challenged efforts to help these young victims."

Currently the following three pieces have been released:

Yvette: Laws the state uses to put sex traffickers behind bars can sweep up their prey, too. A few years in age can mean the difference between a chance at rehabilitation and a lengthy prison sentence, as Yvette learned.
Read more here ...

Lena: No one wanted Lena behind bars. She was not a prostitute; she was a child who had been sexually exploited. But teenage sex-trafficking victims in Texas end up in jail for one simple reason: There's nowhere else for them to go.
Read more here ...

Jean: After her father raped her, Jean became one of the roughly 12,000 Texas kids in long-term foster care, a system that often leaves children more damaged than when they arrive. For Jean, selling sex seemed like a safer bet.
Read more here ...

As you learn more about the crisis of sex trafficking and its victims, please pray for the children's protection, restoration, and healing. Pray for state agencies, private non-profit organizations, churches and community organizations to know how to best respond. Pray for more specially-equipped foster families who can make a difference, one child at a time.

GHANA // 24 Boys Rescued on Lake Volta

"Early in the morning of January 24, IJM and Ghanaian authorities prepared for a rescue operation. The sun rose over the calm waters of Lake Volta, one of the world's largest manmade lakes. The team was abuzz with anticipation. Everyone was ready for the day's mission: rescue the boys.

These boys used their small bodies every day to dive into deep water to untangle nets for their masters. It was dangerous, back-breaking labor, made worse by violent abuse and lack of food and sleep. They dreamed of their families whom they could not see. But today would be the day this would end. Right before 6:30a.m., eight boats launched off the shores to look for them. When we found them, most were scared-the boys didn't know what was happening. As we pulled them into our boats, the Ghanaian commander instructed his unit to arrest the suspected boatmasters, 16 in all. The boys were now free! 24 boys were rescued; the youngest was 7 years old. Three had malaria. Several had injuries from work and abuse. We quickly reassured them that they were now free and safe. When this new reality sunk in, many began to clap and sing. The youngest boy felt safe enough to fall asleep. That night, for the first time in a long while, they slept in warm beds."

Praise God for this successful rescue! Even as we celebrate their freedom, let's join IJM in praying for the full restoration and healing and for the thousands of other boys working on the lake.

Read more here ...

IJM Photo
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

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.


Today in the Mission Yearbook: February 22, 2017

YOUNG ADULTS: COLLEGE CONFERENCE AT MONTREAT. PT. 1 - As over 1,000 college students and their advisors rushed the doors of Montreat Conference Center’s Anderson Auditorium on January 2 for the annual College Conference’s opening worship, Frisbees featuring the logo of UKirk — the Presbyterian Mission Agency’s collegiate ministries network—flew overhead.

The energy level at the gathering—as high as the soaring Frisbees—continued throughout the evening as attendees were introduced to the conference theme, “Beyond Babel,” based on Genesis 11:1–9 ...

CLICK HERE to read more.

Tuesday, February 21, 2017

Partners Blog: "Five Simple Actions You Can Take For Refugees"

Steve and Oddny Gumaer started Partners Relief and Development in response to the needs of refugees and displaced people from Burma, and now in the Middle East, as well. Their mission is to demonstrate, through holistic action, God’s love to children and communities made vulnerable by war in Southeast Asia, the Middle East and other conflict zones.

Partners Photo
Five Simple Actions You Can Take For Refugees

Are refugees on your mind and heart lately? Here are five simple things you can do to help make a difference ...

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. "We’re a small, grassroots nonprofit passionate about making a big impact in communities affected by conflict and oppression, demonstrating God’s love to children and giving them the opportunity to live free, full lives." For more information aboput Partners, visit their website at partners.ngo/

Invitation to Prayer from Faces of Children ... Tomorrow

Faces of Children is an ecumenical prayer ministry under the auspices of First Presbyterian Church of Midland, Texas. Their mission is to initiate ministries of prayer for children in churches, communities, and neighborhoods. In doing so, they 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, Tomorrow

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,

"What do you think? Which of the three became a neighbor to the man attacked by robbers?" "The one who treated him kindly," the religion scholar responded. Jesus said, "Go and do the same."
Luke 10:36-37, MSG

Valentine's Day was a few days ago, but I'm still thinking about love.

And this week, I came across a story that struck me as a beautiful picture of radical love. A Libyan-born devout Muslim foster father, Mohamed Bzeek, who only cares for terminally ill children in LA. The world's headlines are mostly dominated by angry rhetoric -- telling us who we should fear and who we ought to keep out and who we ought to suspect. But every now and then, a story bubbles to the surface that speaks much more quietly and yet far more powerfully. If Mr. Bzeek were to try to immigrate to the USA today, he may not be allowed in. And the little girl he's charged with? No one else really wants her. Two people displaced by the world; but both are seen, known, and loved by a God who brought them together because he sets the lonely into families. By virtue of his faith and his birthplace, I venture to say Mr. Bzeek is like a Samaritan from the New Testament days. And when I read the story of Mr. Bzeek laying down his life on behalf of his foster children, I cannot help but think of the story Jesus told of a man just like him, the Good Samaritan. So often we want to change the world. And more and more, I'm starting to believe when we start with loving a child no one else notices, we can. May we go and do the same.

In addition to that, please join me in praying for the following matters this week:

USA // This foster father only takes in terminally ill children

"The children were going to die. Mohamed Bzeek knew that. But in his more than two decades as a foster father, he took them in anyway - the sickest of the sick in Los Angeles County's sprawling foster care system. He has buried about 10 children. Some died in his arms. Now, Bzeek spends long days and sleepless nights caring for a bedridden 6-year-old foster girl with a rare brain defect. She's blind and deaf. She has daily seizures. Her arms and legs are paralyzed. Bzeek, a quiet, devout Libyan-born Muslim who lives in Azusa, California, just wants her to know she's not alone in this life. "I know she can't hear, can't see, but I always talk to her," he said. "I'm always holding her, playing with her, touching her. ... She has feelings. She has a soul. She's a human being."

Praise God for people like Mohamed Bzeek who do not aspire to fame or fortune, but instead believe in the power of making a difference by loving others well. Pray God strengthens, encourages, and sustains him as he fulfills his calling, and pray for more foster families to be raised up to follow in his footsteps.

Read more here ...

TEXAS // Sold Out: How the crusade against sex trafficking in Texas has left child victims behind

Thank you to one of our intercessors, Glenn, for bringing this investigative series to my attention. "Texas Tribune reporters have spent months uncovering the details of dozens of these cases, performing autopsies to determine where systems designed to protect the state's most endangered children broke down. In Sold Out, we'll reveal how more than a decade's worth of initiatives - empty laws and hollow programs rolled out with fanfare by Texas' top officials - have failed to protect the state's most vulnerable youth. We will explore how widespread misconceptions about what's sometimes called "modern day slavery" - a complex problem with many underlying causes - have further challenged efforts to help these young victims."

Currently the following three pieces have been released:

Yvette: Laws the state uses to put sex traffickers behind bars can sweep up their prey, too. A few years in age can mean the difference between a chance at rehabilitation and a lengthy prison sentence, as Yvette learned.
Read more here ...

Lena: No one wanted Lena behind bars. She was not a prostitute; she was a child who had been sexually exploited. But teenage sex-trafficking victims in Texas end up in jail for one simple reason: There's nowhere else for them to go.
Read more here ...

Jean: After her father raped her, Jean became one of the roughly 12,000 Texas kids in long-term foster care, a system that often leaves children more damaged than when they arrive. For Jean, selling sex seemed like a safer bet.
Read more here ...

As you learn more about the crisis of sex trafficking and its victims, please pray for the children's protection, restoration, and healing. Pray for state agencies, private non-profit organizations, churches and community organizations to know how to best respond. Pray for more specially-equipped foster families who can make a difference, one child at a time.

GHANA // 24 Boys Rescued on Lake Volta

"Early in the morning of January 24, IJM and Ghanaian authorities prepared for a rescue operation. The sun rose over the calm waters of Lake Volta, one of the world's largest manmade lakes. The team was abuzz with anticipation. Everyone was ready for the day's mission: rescue the boys.

These boys used their small bodies every day to dive into deep water to untangle nets for their masters. It was dangerous, back-breaking labor, made worse by violent abuse and lack of food and sleep. They dreamed of their families whom they could not see. But today would be the day this would end. Right before 6:30a.m., eight boats launched off the shores to look for them. When we found them, most were scared-the boys didn't know what was happening. As we pulled them into our boats, the Ghanaian commander instructed his unit to arrest the suspected boatmasters, 16 in all. The boys were now free! 24 boys were rescued; the youngest was 7 years old. Three had malaria. Several had injuries from work and abuse. We quickly reassured them that they were now free and safe. When this new reality sunk in, many began to clap and sing. The youngest boy felt safe enough to fall asleep. That night, for the first time in a long while, they slept in warm beds."

Praise God for this successful rescue! Even as we celebrate their freedom, let's join IJM in praying for the full restoration and healing and for the thousands of other boys working on the lake.

Read more here ...

IJM Photo
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

In the News ... "Fu runs ChinaAid from Midland"

OA Photo by Mark Sterkel
• Having experienced persecution himself, pastor leads missions throughout the world

By Bob Campbell, Reporter
Odessa American


MIDLAND, TEXAS - To say that Bob Fu - a missionary and president of the ChinaAid Association in Midland - prizes his religious freedom is an epic understatement.

That’s because he fought the Chinese Communist Party for it, withstanding investigations, beatings and imprisonment before he and his wife Heidi escaped to Thailand, Hong Kong and the U.S. in 1996-97 ...

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.


Today in the Mission Yearbook: February 21, 2017

GHOST RANCHE EDUCATION & RETREAT CENTER, NEW MEXICO - The Ghost Ranch Education & Retreat Center has transferred its operations from the Presbyterian Mission Agency (PMA) of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) to the National Ghost Ranch Foundation (NGRF). The Foundation, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit corporation established in 1972 to support Ghost Ranch as a ministry of the PC(USA), has been providing financial, operational, and volunteer resources for Ghost Ranch. ...

CLICK HERE to read more.

Monday, February 20, 2017

From @chinaaid : "China Aid leads delegation to Washington D.C. for National Prayer Breakfast, meetings with Congress"

The China Aid Association is a non-profit Christian organization - based in Midland, Texas - with a mission to uncover and reveal the truth about religious persecution in China, focusing especially on the unofficial church. They do this, they explain in their website, by exposing the abuses, encouraging the abused and equipping the saints to advance the kingdom of God throughout China.

China Aid Photo
China Aid leads delegation to Washington D.C. for National Prayer Breakfast, meetings with Congress
Distributed by ChinaAid, February, 2017 ...

WASHINGTON, D.C. – In the midst of China’s skyrocketing human rights abuses, a delegation hosted by China Aid traveled to Washington, D.C., last week to raise awareness about ongoing persecution and celebrate the courage of those who champion human rights at their own peril ...

more on this story from China Aid



Invitation to Prayer from Faces of Children ... Wednesday

Faces of Children is an ecumenical prayer ministry under the auspices of First Presbyterian Church of Midland, Texas. Their mission is to initiate ministries of prayer for children in churches, communities, and neighborhoods. In doing so, they 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,

"What do you think? Which of the three became a neighbor to the man attacked by robbers?" "The one who treated him kindly," the religion scholar responded. Jesus said, "Go and do the same."
Luke 10:36-37, MSG

Valentine's Day was a few days ago, but I'm still thinking about love.

And this week, I came across a story that struck me as a beautiful picture of radical love. A Libyan-born devout Muslim foster father, Mohamed Bzeek, who only cares for terminally ill children in LA. The world's headlines are mostly dominated by angry rhetoric -- telling us who we should fear and who we ought to keep out and who we ought to suspect. But every now and then, a story bubbles to the surface that speaks much more quietly and yet far more powerfully. If Mr. Bzeek were to try to immigrate to the USA today, he may not be allowed in. And the little girl he's charged with? No one else really wants her. Two people displaced by the world; but both are seen, known, and loved by a God who brought them together because he sets the lonely into families. By virtue of his faith and his birthplace, I venture to say Mr. Bzeek is like a Samaritan from the New Testament days. And when I read the story of Mr. Bzeek laying down his life on behalf of his foster children, I cannot help but think of the story Jesus told of a man just like him, the Good Samaritan. So often we want to change the world. And more and more, I'm starting to believe when we start with loving a child no one else notices, we can. May we go and do the same.

In addition to that, please join me in praying for the following matters this week:

USA // This foster father only takes in terminally ill children

"The children were going to die. Mohamed Bzeek knew that. But in his more than two decades as a foster father, he took them in anyway - the sickest of the sick in Los Angeles County's sprawling foster care system. He has buried about 10 children. Some died in his arms. Now, Bzeek spends long days and sleepless nights caring for a bedridden 6-year-old foster girl with a rare brain defect. She's blind and deaf. She has daily seizures. Her arms and legs are paralyzed. Bzeek, a quiet, devout Libyan-born Muslim who lives in Azusa, California, just wants her to know she's not alone in this life. "I know she can't hear, can't see, but I always talk to her," he said. "I'm always holding her, playing with her, touching her. ... She has feelings. She has a soul. She's a human being."

Praise God for people like Mohamed Bzeek who do not aspire to fame or fortune, but instead believe in the power of making a difference by loving others well. Pray God strengthens, encourages, and sustains him as he fulfills his calling, and pray for more foster families to be raised up to follow in his footsteps.

Read more here ...

TEXAS // Sold Out: How the crusade against sex trafficking in Texas has left child victims behind

Thank you to one of our intercessors, Glenn, for bringing this investigative series to my attention. "Texas Tribune reporters have spent months uncovering the details of dozens of these cases, performing autopsies to determine where systems designed to protect the state's most endangered children broke down. In Sold Out, we'll reveal how more than a decade's worth of initiatives - empty laws and hollow programs rolled out with fanfare by Texas' top officials - have failed to protect the state's most vulnerable youth. We will explore how widespread misconceptions about what's sometimes called "modern day slavery" - a complex problem with many underlying causes - have further challenged efforts to help these young victims."

Currently the following three pieces have been released:

Yvette: Laws the state uses to put sex traffickers behind bars can sweep up their prey, too. A few years in age can mean the difference between a chance at rehabilitation and a lengthy prison sentence, as Yvette learned.
Read more here ...

Lena: No one wanted Lena behind bars. She was not a prostitute; she was a child who had been sexually exploited. But teenage sex-trafficking victims in Texas end up in jail for one simple reason: There's nowhere else for them to go.
Read more here ...

Jean: After her father raped her, Jean became one of the roughly 12,000 Texas kids in long-term foster care, a system that often leaves children more damaged than when they arrive. For Jean, selling sex seemed like a safer bet.
Read more here ...

As you learn more about the crisis of sex trafficking and its victims, please pray for the children's protection, restoration, and healing. Pray for state agencies, private non-profit organizations, churches and community organizations to know how to best respond. Pray for more specially-equipped foster families who can make a difference, one child at a time.

GHANA // 24 Boys Rescued on Lake Volta

"Early in the morning of January 24, IJM and Ghanaian authorities prepared for a rescue operation. The sun rose over the calm waters of Lake Volta, one of the world's largest manmade lakes. The team was abuzz with anticipation. Everyone was ready for the day's mission: rescue the boys.

These boys used their small bodies every day to dive into deep water to untangle nets for their masters. It was dangerous, back-breaking labor, made worse by violent abuse and lack of food and sleep. They dreamed of their families whom they could not see. But today would be the day this would end. Right before 6:30a.m., eight boats launched off the shores to look for them. When we found them, most were scared-the boys didn't know what was happening. As we pulled them into our boats, the Ghanaian commander instructed his unit to arrest the suspected boatmasters, 16 in all. The boys were now free! 24 boys were rescued; the youngest was 7 years old. Three had malaria. Several had injuries from work and abuse. We quickly reassured them that they were now free and safe. When this new reality sunk in, many began to clap and sing. The youngest boy felt safe enough to fall asleep. That night, for the first time in a long while, they slept in warm beds."

Praise God for this successful rescue! Even as we celebrate their freedom, let's join IJM in praying for the full restoration and healing and for the thousands of other boys working on the lake.

Read more here ...

IJM Photo
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

In the News ... "Church outfits trailer for disaster relief"

OA Photo by Mark Sterkel
• Mission Dorado Baptist Church sets weekend events

Staff Report
Odessa American


ODESSA, TEXAS - Working with the Grapevine-based Southern Baptists of Texas Convention Disaster Relief Mission, Mission Dorado Baptist Church is outfitting a trailer for its team of volunteers to use in Texas and other states.

The Rev. Jared Wellman will preach about helping the unfortunate at 11 a.m. Feb. 26, after which, weather permitting, a cookout will be held in the 4142 Faudree Rd. church’s parking lot and the donation of tools will be asked ...

read the rest of this OA report ...