Tuesday, March 7, 2017

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. The church is not currently offering lunch service. If you'd like to have lunch together, please bring a sack lunch and we can eat 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,

"He has shown you, O mortal, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God."
Micah 6:8, NIV

I just happened across an article about the homily Pope Francis gave on Ash Wednesday 2015. His words ring true today. In his homily, Pope Francis warned against the "globalization of indifference." (Which seems to me to probably be an even more pernicious threat today than in 2015.)

"Whenever our interior life becomes caught up in its own interests and concerns, there is no longer room for others, no place for the poor. God's voice is no longer heard, the quiet joy of his love is no longer felt, and the desire to do good fades." Pope Francis continued, "We end up being incapable of feeling compassion at the outcry of the poor, weeping for other people's pain, and feeling a need to help them, as though all this were someone else's responsibility and not our own."

In the article I read today, the author concludes: "But when we fast from this indifference, we can began to feast on love. In fact, Lent is the perfect time to learn how to love again. Jesus-the great protagonist of this holy season-certainly showed us the way. In him, God descends all the way down to bring everyone up. In his life and his ministry, no one is excluded.

"What are you giving up for Lent?" It's a question a lot of people will get these next few days. If you want to change your body, perhaps alcohol and candy is the way to go. But if you want to change your heart, a harder fast is needed. This narrow road is gritty, but it isn't sterile. It will make room in ourselves to experience a love that can make us whole and set us free.

Now that's something worth fasting for."

As you enter the Lenten season, I pray through your prayers and daily walk with God, you find a way to open your heart to the journey of children around you and fast from indifference to them. May our love abound and multiply for all the children of God as we walk through this holy season.

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

FBR Photo
IRAQ // Free Burma Rangers Front-line Report on ISIS Landmine Devastation

Shortly after befriending an Iraqi family whom they were providing food and supplies to in the wake of ISIS being pushed out of their area, Free Burma Rangers witnessed the family driving over a landmine and rushed to provide medical assistance. Sadly, a little three-year-old girl, who had been playing with their team and beautifully, vibrantly alive only minutes before, perished, and many of her family members were severely wounded."

Read more here ... (WARNING: Graphic Pictures)

Please pray for the family who was just torn apart by the landmine. For those wounded, pray for their physical healing. And for the entire family as they grieve the loss of their daughter, please pray for their emotional healing as well. Also, please lift up the FBR team which is undoubtedly shaken from this deeply personal encounter... may they not grow weary in doing good. Finally, there are undoubtedly landmines left throughout the countryside, waiting to claim the lives of innocent bystanders. Please pray for them to be found and disarmed before lives are lost.

Reuters Photo
BURMA // Thousands of children's lives at stake as 'indirect victims'

Fears are growing for the lives of several thousand children in northwest Burma suffering from severe malnutrition and lack of medical care but denied vital aid after a sweeping military crackdown against suspected Rohingya militants. UN agencies were unable to maintain lifesaving services for more than 3,000 registered children, mostly from the minority Rohingya Muslim community, in two townships of northern Rakhine state after the military sealed off the area during operations in response to the killing of nine policemen in attacks on border posts on 9 October.
Read more here ...

Please pray for these children to receive food and medical care in time so that they will not die from malnutrition or related problems. And please pray for the hundreds of thousands of children around the world in Sudan, Yemen, and many other countries also facing malnutrition.


UGANDA // Billhimers + Water Wells

Please continue to pray for the Billhimers who are visiting well sites and completed projects around the country. They will be in Uganda March 2 through 11. Pray for their well-being, successful relationship-building visits, and new doors of opportunity to open.

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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