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,
Please join us in lifting up the needs of vulnerable children around the world.
Faces Of Children will be meeting this Wednesday
- TODAY - at 11:30 a.m., in the gym conference room at
First Presbyterian Church of Midland, Texas. I hope you can join them to pray together for children in our community and around the world!
Warmly,
Carrie
Dear Intercessors,
There are many matters this week that we can bring to the Lord in prayer. Will you join me?
LOCAL // MISD: Enrollment breaks 26,000 student barrier
With an explosive local economy, our school district faces a rapidly growing student population and teacher shortages. In one week, the district gained 500 new students.
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Please pray for circumstances to change so these Rohingya children do not end up without a hope and a future. Please pray for NGOs (like Partners Relief and Development) and the international community to work together with Bangladeshi and Myanmar authorities to come up with a just and equitable solution for these innocent children.
Please pray for the following campuses that have had to close grades to new enrollment due to being at their maximum capacity.
Fannin - kindergarten, first, fourth
Franks - kindergarten
Parker - second, sixth
Rusk - second, third
Santa Rita - second, fifth
Scharbauer - kindergarten, second, third, fourth
Bonham - kindergarten
Burnet - second
Milam - fifth, sixth
Bunche - first, third
Bunche bilingual - kindergarten, first
Bush - kindergarten
DeZavala - first, second
DeZavala bilingual - kindergarten, first, third, fourth
Fasken - kindergarten, second, fifth
Fasken bilingual - second
Long bilingual - first, fourth
Travis - kindergarten, first
Undoubtedly these schools -- and probably all the schools in our district -- are struggling to meet the unique needs of each individual child. Will you join me in praying the following prayer, from the Moms in Prayer International Group, over each of these campuses?
VENEZUELA // Venezuela's crisis boosts trafficking risk for women, children - experts
"Migrant women and children fleeing Venezuela's economic collapse are at heightened risk of sexual exploitation and trafficking on their journeys seeking refuge across South America, aid agencies said on Wednesday. More than 1.6 million Venezuelans have abandoned the oil-rich nation since 2015 to seek better lives in neighbouring Colombia and across the region in one of the largest mass migrations in Latin American history, the United Nations says. Thousands of destitute migrant families are crossing the porous border into Colombia each day. Desperate for jobs to send money back home to feed their hungry families, migrants make easy prey and are vulnerable to exploitation by traffickers, experts say."
Keep Reading ...
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| Reuters Photo by Nacho Doce |
Please pray for families who are living in the midst of a collapsing economy and can't even buy a loaf of bread. Pray for the women and children whose desperation to meet their most basic needs makes them easy fodder for those bent on their exploitation.
GLOBAL // Less than half of refugee children enrolled in school - U.N.
"More than half the world's school-age refugees are excluded from education as host nations struggle under the weight of growing humanitarian crises, the United Nations said on Wednesday. Four million refugee children around the world do not attend school, an increase of half a million from a year earlier, the U.N. Refugee Agency (UNHCR) said in a report. "Education is a way to help young people heal, but it is also the way to revive entire countries," said the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi. "Based on current patterns, unless urgent investment is undertaken, hundreds of thousands more children will join these disturbing statistics." The UNHCR said there were nearly 20 million refugees under its mandate, which excludes about 5 million Palestinian refugees, by the end of 2017 as the number of displaced people worldwide grew. More than half were children and 7.4 million were of school age. Only 61 percent of refugee children attend primary school, compared to more than 90 percent of all children, said the report. The figure is even lower for older children, with less than one in four secondary-age refugees in school. Just one percent attend higher education, compared with more than a third of young people globally. More than 500,000 refugee children were newly enrolled in school last year, but the rapidly growing refugee population means the proportion missing out on education has not shrunk."
Keep Reading ...
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| Reuters Photo by Andrew RC Marshall |
Missing out on an education isn't simply a loss of an important childhood season; it's the loss of the next generation... it's the loss of the potential for rebuilding and restoring broken societies. Please continue to pray for refugee children to have access to education and for the opportunities to expand more quickly than the refugee population grows.
INDIA // Kerala floods
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| Evening Standard Photo |
Hundreds of people have died and massive amounts of property has been destroyed in terrible floods and landslides in Kerala this month. Please pray for the victims of these floods as they try to rebuild their lives. Our ministry partners at the Treasure Commission have extended family who have lost everything in these floods.
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A REMINDER FROM LAST WEEK ... Since so many children across the USA are starting school, I wanted to invite you to join me in a weekly prayer discipline. Whenever you pass by a school or see a student or think of educators or sit down to pray, I'd like you join me in praying for the following:
Monday: Teachers and Administrators and Support Staff
From the teachers to the cafeteria line workers to the custodial crews to the principals and superintendents, the adults in our schools cultivate an important environment for our children. Healthy schools start with healthy staff. Please pray for those who are struggling to make ends meet. Pray for those who feel like summer didn't provide the opportunity to rest and recharge as needed. Pray for those who are new to their jobs and schools and for those who are burnt out and wishing for changes.
Tuesday: Students for Whom Learning is Hard
Some kids have special needs or learning disabilities or simply haven't had the right teacher or the right opportunity to learn in a way that will make sense. Please pray for those who "hate school" simply because they feel frustrated, unqualified, or "dumb." Pray for this year to be a turn-around year... for the right adults and the right opportunities to cross their paths. Pray for them to have perseverance and never give up.
Wednesday: Students Who Feel Like They Don't Fit In
In a world where we are becoming more and more aware of the tragic consequences of students who feel like outsiders and misfits, please pray for those who are on the margins. Pray they find connection and that if they are the victims of bullying or other mistreatment, this is the school year it stops. Pray for those with serious emotional and psychological and mental health challenges to get the help they need and not slip through the cracks. Pray for each of these children to experience the profound love of God in ways that bring healing and wholeness.
Thursday: Students Who Don't Have Support at Home
For every Kindergartner who has parents reading books to them at night, there's another whose parent never looks up from his or her phone. For every 4th grader who is met at the door with a wholesome after-school snack, there's another who has to figure out what her little brother will eat for dinner that night. For every high school student who has a parent helping them navigate the college application process, there's another whose family doesn't know the difference between a FAFSA and the SAT. There are kids in broken families and kids in abusive ones. There are kids whose families dance on the edges of poverty and homelessness and kids whose parents are simply distracted by work and other commitments. There are kids whose parents are in prison, on drugs, or sick. So much of a child's educational success hinges on engaged and involved parents. Please pray for those children who feel alone and unsupported. Pray each one can connect with one caring adult -- neighbor, church friend, teacher, or parent -- who watches out for them and helps them navigate the school year ahead.
Friday: Students Who Know and Love Jesus
There are many students who have never heard the name of Jesus. In Public Schools, there may not be many opportunities to "officially" share the Good News of Jesus, but there are thousands and thousands of students who do personally know how different life can be when Jesus is at the center going into the halls of schools each day. Let's pray for these students as they go back to school... may they be bright lights in the places where God sends them. Let's pray they grow more deeply in their own relationships with God and that this growth pours out into the lives of those around them. Pray for them to embody the fruits of the spirit: love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. May they experience the presence and peace of God's spirit and share that spirit with those around them.
Thank you for joining me in praying for schools and students this week and in the weeks to come. Praying with you,
Carrie
Carrie J. McKean
Faces of Children Director
First Presbyterian Church of Midland, Texas
(432) 684-7821 x153
