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,
If you're in town and free, please join us to pray together on Wednesday at 11:00 a.m., in the gym conference room at First Presbyterian Church of Midland, Texas.
Please note the new time. We are trying this for one semester so that we have less time conflict with the new women's Bible study that is starting on Wednesdays at 11:30.
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
He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds. Psalm 147:3
Dear Intercessors,
As my 6-year-old daughter got ready for school this morning, we had to have a "talk." Up until this point in her life, we hadn't really talked about the events of September 11 and the way the world shifted on that day, but her teachers had told us they would be doing some things at school today to commemorate the anniversary, and they asked parents to talk to their children first. After a busy weekend, we ended up having the conversation early in the morning, with her curled on our couch tucked under her favorite blanket... safe at home.
I told her about where I was that fateful morning. I described how the events unfolded and all the emotions I felt as the confusion cleared a little and we began to understand what was happening. We talked a lot about the plane that the passengers took down in the field, undoubtedly sparing lots of other lives. We talked about life and death, fear and peace, war and hatred, bravery and sorrow.
It was a big conversation for a little girl, and she had several thoughtful questions. In the end, she wanted to be sure she was safe. She wondered where we would go if a war was coming to Midland. She asked, "Would we get in the car and drive somewhere else? Where would we go? Would we be safe?"
Her dad assured her that we don't think there's a big risk of a war coming to Midland right now, and that no matter what happened in the future, God would be with us and bring us comfort, hope, and peace. But as they talked, I thought about little six-year-old girls in Burma, Rohingyan children running from the Myanmar military. I thought about little six-year-old girls in Iraq and Syria, running from ISIS. I thought about little six-year-old girls who went to school in New York City 16 years ago, running through thick ash and smoke to try and find safety from unexpected terror. I thought about little six-year-old girls in Houston and Beaumont and Miami and Puerto Rico and Nepal, running to higher ground as flood waters rise.
All over the world there are children running. And each one wants the answer to only a few questions: Where will we go? Will we be safe?
War and natural disaster and terrorism and famine and drought and poverty may not have much in common. But they have a shockingly similar impact on their victim children. Trauma.
In her article about surviving 9/11 as a 12-year-old schoolgirl in New York City, Helaina Hovitz shared this thought:
"One out of every two children in this country will live through a trauma, whether it's an unstable or abusive home or an "unsafe" neighborhood, an accident, a natural disaster, sexual assault, a shooting, or terrorism. Kids don't really have the words to describe what's happening to them, or what their symptoms are, or trace them back to where it began. They don't "connect" the dots that far back, and frankly, adults typically don't either. But it's not the patient's job to connect the dots, or the parents', or the teacher's: it's the doctor's. In my case, I was misdiagnosed over and over.
In addition to bipolar and ADHD, other misdiagnoses that continue to flood the medical records of young people everywhere include acute stress disorder, adjustment disorder, obsessive compulsive disorder, and panic disorder, to name a few. Some people will give up, not wanting to start from the beginning again with this doctor and that one, feeling hopeless. So, aside from raising awareness about PTSD and trauma in young people, we must teach our children resilience, so the invisible scars of trauma don't lead to worse damage. There was no magic pill that was going to help me get well. It took years of work, but with help, I was able to put myself back together again and start over. Others can, too."
This week, let's pray for children who deal with the residual effects of significant trauma long after the headlines and the world move on to the next crisis. Please pray for:
• Insightful medical professionals, who are able to properly discern the children's root challenges.
• Caring adults -- teachers, parents, community leaders -- who can support their kids as they process their experiences.
• Resiliance and spiritual protection; supernatural protection shielding kids from the worst of the impacts.
Again, we can pray for these things for children in every corner of the world, regardless of the cause of their trauma. It is universal and God's heart for them is universal as well. He desires wholeness and healing for each of his children.
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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