FBR Report: A Story of a Ranger's Time in Prison

The Free Burma Rangers (FBR) is a multi-ethnic humanitarian service movement. They bring help, hope and love to people in the war zones of Burma. Ethnic pro-democracy groups send teams to be trained, supplied and sent into the areas under attack to provide emergency assistance and human rights documentation. Together with other groups, the teams work to serve people in need.

A Story of a Ranger's Time in Prison

"Dear friends, This is a story about a good friend and teammate in the Free Burma Rangers. His name is Soe Naing and he is the leader and coordinator of the three Arakan FBR teams providing relief to IDPs in Arakan State, Western Burma. He attended his first FBR training in 2002 and then with very little support trained three relief teams of his own and conducted numerous relief missions to help Arakan people who were being attacked by the Burma Army."
CLICK HERE to read the rest of this report from the Free Burma Rangers

Faces of Children: Prayer Requests

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).

Prayer Concerns for the week of 05/12/10

Bangladesh
• Please keep in prayer the estimated 250,000 Rohingya, a Muslim minority from Burma, living in Bangladesh. Pray for these stateless refugees, most of whom have no documentation and struggle to survive, as they deal with frequent beatings and threats of deportation. The Bangladeshi government has recently cracked down on the Rohingya population, sending hundreds back to Burma. Pray for the families and children who have been deported. Many Rohingya choose to return to Bangladesh because the conditions in Burma are far worse.
• Pray for the children of these illegal immigrants as they lack access to education or other government programs.
A report from the BBC
A report from the New York Times

India
• Pray for the children at the two Gyanankur (gyan-ankur: seedlings of knowledge) schools in India. Please pray for the 320 children in the village school who come from five surrounding villages, including 30 from a children's home. Pray for the 500 children at the urban school, some of whom are from a local slum area and a children's home. Pray that God will be with these children as they learn together in a joyful and loving environment that nurtures physical, emotional, social, and spiritual development.
• Give thanks to God for the vision of the school leadership that encourages all children at these schools - no matter if they are street children, are orphaned, or are from villages or wealthy families - to pursue their dreams with dignity and integrity. Thanks be to God for the community development initiatives that will help transform the local and larger communities, allowing people to break out of the cycle of poverty.
A report from gyanankur.com

Uganda/United States
• Pray for the team from First Presbyterian Church, Midland, Texas, as they prepare for their annual mission trip to Uganda. Pray that God will provide them with safe travels and good health throughout the trip. And pray that God will prepare the way as they proclaim the gospel message and help plant a new church.
• Pray for the pastor and leaders of this new church in Uganda as they finish the building process. Please pray that God will provide for their needs as this community is very poor. Pray for the children in this area-that they might be receptive to the message from the mission team.
• Please pray for the health and safety of the 90 orphans at the Lulwanda Children's Home and especially for Nellie who is recovering from surgery earlier this year. Pray for Lulwanda ministry leaders Pastor Morris and Aidah as they serve the children of Lulwanda and other areas.
A report from ugandaorphans.org

United Kingdom
• Pray for children in the UK and other countries around the world who are often bombarded with inappropriate material that distorts their perception of themselves, encourages boys to become fixated on being dominant, and girls to present themselves as sexually available and permissive. A British Home Office report states there is a "clear link between sexualized imagery and violence towards females."
• Pray for more oversight by parents of what media their children are consuming. Pray for more awareness of society's trend towards hyper-sexualization and the link between that and violence against women and girls.
A report from the BBC

United States
• Please keep Rebecca held close in prayer as she struggles to overcome a very troubled past and discover where God is leading her and what God would have her do.

Faces of Children
• Give thanks to God for the new intercessors that joined Faces of Children after the World Vision Step into Africa exhibit and events at First Congregational Church in Hopkinton, Massachusetts. Almost 3,000 people visited the week-long interactive experience. Give God thanks and praise that 410 children were chosen for sponsorship through World Vision at this event!
A report from worldvisionexperience.org
• Please continue to pray that more churches and individuals will join with the ministry of Faces of Children in spreading awareness about children in crisis and inviting more people to pray for children at risk.

In the News ... "Isaiah 58 Helping Big Spring Families Avoid Going Hungry"

Greg Sherman
Reporter
KOSA-TV

BIG SPRING, TEXAS - "Is it not to deal thy bread to the hungry and that thou bring the poor that are cast out to thy house?"Isaiah 58-7

At Isaiah 58 in Big Spring, volunteers are making sure everyone gets enough to eat.
CLICK HERE to read the rest of the KOSA story.

Word from Uganda: "National Sports Competition, Mbale"

Missionary teacher Natalie Rolfe writes, "'When He calls me, I will answer ... I'll be somewhere working for my Lord.' My call was Mbale, Uganda and that is where I have returned to serve for another year. Specifically, I am teaching phonics at Lulwanda Children's Home, an orphanage and school for 90 kids." Natalie also keeps an online journal of her service at the weblog, When He calls me, I will answer ...

National Sports Competition, Mbale

"This year Mbale hosted the National Sports Competition. Districts from all over Uganda brought the best of the best from the primary schools in their area to compete in running and field events. Thousands of students invaded Mbale, sleeping in area primary schools, all with the mission to bring back boasting rights to their area,” Natalie writes. "Lulwanda Children's Home Primary School was blessed to have two students qualify to the national level: Ivan K and Abel.”

CLICK HERE to read the rest of Natalie's post

If you are interested in supporting LCH by sponsoring one of the 90 children, go to www.ugandaorphans.org If you are interested in financially supporting Natalie in her mission, you can send checks (with "Natalie Rolfe" in memo) to: Midland Bible Church, 2800 North A Street, Midland, TX 79705

Mission of Hope: Part 3

Tatum Hubbard
Anchor/Reporter
KOSA-TV

MISSION, TEXAS - Volunteers from West Texas travel south to help a family living in desperate conditions. They built a new house for a family who's spent six years living in an abandoned school bus. Now they help them turn that house into a home.

A group of teenagers sound like, well, teenagers. Shopping for clothes - what size .... what color? The truth is 12-year-old Pearla has no idea what size she wears. She's never been shopping for new clothes.
CLICK HERE to read/watch the rest of the KOSA story.

In the News ... "Rusk students raise funds for Haiti quake victims"

By Ruth Campbell
Reporter
Midland Reporter-Telegram

MIDLAND, TEXAS - Rusk Elementary School third-grade teacher Katie Hinshaw had just finished teaching a science unit on forces that change a land -- such as earthquakes, tornadoes and hurricanes -- when disaster struck in Haiti.

Studying earthquakes at the time, Hinshaw's students got interested in what was happening on the Caribbean island nation. That got Rusk's 415 kindergarten through sixth-grade students into the spirit. They raised $1,596 and it was decided the funds would go toward water filters.

Counselor Mary Burrichter suggested the filters and contacted the Texas Baptist Men, who purchased the filters, made the delivery and sent back photos.
CLICK HERE to read the rest of the MRT story

Midland Group Reports Christian Sues Chinese Bureau of Culture For Unlawfully Confiscating Sunday School Materials

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.

Midland Group Reports Christian Sues Chinese Bureau of Culture For Unlawfully Confiscating Sunday School Materials

Released by ChinaAid, April, 2010 ...

"ZHEIJIANG, CHINA – Christian Xu Jinghui of Jiaojiang District, Taizhou, filed suit against the Chinese government for unlawfully confiscating Christian literature and fining him 30,000 yuan ($4394.97). On August 21, 2009, Xu ordered the shipping of “Reading Materials of the Bible for Children” to other Christians out-of town. Before the shipping office could transfer the mail, authorities from the Public Security Bureau, Domestic Security Protection Squad, State Administration for Religious Affairs, and the Bureau of Culture arrived at the shipping company office on August 22 to halt the transder and to "pre-register" the Christian books. More than a month later, the Bureau of Culture made the administrative decision to confiscate the materials, stating Xu had violated Article 29 of 'Regulations on Publications.'"
Read the Rest of the Report from ChinaAid

Invitation to Prayer

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).

"Making Others Part of Ourselves"

(Originally from "The Genesee Diary" by Henri J.M. Nouwen)
"When I really bring my friends and the many I pray for into my innermost being and feel their pains, their struggles, their cries in my own soul, then I leave myself, so to speak, and become them, then I have compassion. Compassion lies at the heart of our prayer for our fellow human beings. When I pray for the world, I become the world; when I pray for the endless needs of the millions, my soul expands and wants to embrace them all and bring them into the presence of God. But in the midst of that experience I realize that compassion is not mine but God's gift to me. I cannot embrace the world, but God can. I cannot pray, but God can pray in me. When God became as we are, that is, when God allowed all of us to enter into God's intimate life, it became possible for us to share in God's infinite compassion."

"In praying for others, I lose myself and become the other, only to be found by the divine love which holds the whole of humanity in a compassionate embrace."
The Only Necessary Thing: Living a Prayerful Life
Compiled and edited by Wendy Wilson Greer

A message from Chris Laufer, Coordinator, Faces of Children

Greetings, Faces of Children Prayer Partner,

We will meet to pray for the children of the world on Wednesday, May 12, 2010 at 11:30 a.m. in the Bride's room at First Presbyterian Church, Midland. We'll have lunch ($5) and fellowship after our time of prayer.

Thank you so much for bringing the pains, the struggles, and the cries of the children of our world into your innermost being-for praying for these vulnerable ones with such faithfulness and persistence. God bless you for this hard work you do every day!

If you would like to share a prayer request or celebration about children, those who care for them, have authority over them, or even for those who harm them, please send them to me at at claufer@facesofchildren.net, or give me a call.

Celebrating the compassionate embrace of the divine,
Chris

In the News ... "Prayer luncheon"

Roy Waggoner
Staff Writer
Odessa American

ODESSA, TEXAS - It’s coming under fire by some this year, but the National Day of Prayer was alive and well Thursday in Odessa at the mayor’s annual prayer luncheon.

Mayor Larry Melton said he’s glad to be part of the movement even as a federal judge recently declared the day unconstitutional.

"I assure you the city will continue to be a participant," he said.
CLICK HERE to read the rest of the OA story.

Sparkling Mission

Annie Dieselberg heads the staff at NightLight, a ministry in urban Bangkok, Thailand, that reaches out to women and children working in the bar areas of the Nana-Sukhumvit district. Located in a neighborhood with a growing sex trade, Nightlight’s vision is to share the Light of the world in both word and deed to those who live in darkness, and to combat the sexual exploitation of women and children, both Thai and foreign.

Right now, Annie tells us, the greatest need at NightLight is to sell more jewelry. NightLight Design Co., Ltd. is a registered jewellery business which employs women coming out of prostitution or having been at risk of prostitution and/or trafficking.

If you are interested in hosting a jewelry party please write to Charity at NightLight, at charity@nightlightusa.org, and she will assist you in setting that up.

Remember the beautiful jewelry is also available on-line at http://www.nightlightbangkok.com/

"God is going before us to the bars preparing the way. He is sending us to receive the women and give hope," Annie writes. "We ask you to join us in this adventure. Thank you to those of you who already do. You are saving lives!"

ServLife International Online Auction Kicks-off Next Week

ServLife International is a movement defined by values of God’s kingdom, not programs built around human efforts and activities. The reign and rule of God should be made apparent to every person on the planet, despite their religion, race or socioeconomic status. We believe that issues of justice are inseparable from the good news that Jesus Christ came to proclaim. ServLife exists to take the gospel of Christ and the hope of a better, more just, world to the lives of people we touch. This happens through individual contributions of time, creativity, resources and dreams.

ServLife International Online Auction Kicks-off Next Week

ServLife is excited to announce their first online auction, taking place May 15-30. The items that will be featured range from a week-long stay in Florida to a one hour photo session with a professional photographer. The auction items have been donated by a variety of artists and people. All proceeds will benefit the work of ServLife around the world.

All bids will be made online and once a bid is submitted it is binding and you are responsible for payment if the auction closes and your bid is the current winning bid. If you don’t have access to the Internet, you may call ServLife's office (317) 544-0484, and one of our staff members will complete a form for you over the phone.

Mission of Hope: Part 2

Tatum Hubbard
Anchor/Reporter
KOSA-TV

MISSION, TEXAS - It's just after sunrise and the mission team is already gathered. They share Scripture to prepare their minds. And share their experiences to prepare their hearts. They drive 30 minutes to the construction site for a long day of very hard work.
CLICK HERE to read/watch the rest of the KOSA story.

In the News ... "Christmas in Action Helps to Save Woman's Home"

Shelley Childers
Reporter
KOSA-TV

MIDLAND, TEXAS - A Midland woman, who says her home was falling apart around her, now has a new roof over her head tonight all thanks to a local organization that says they're putting Christian values and principles in action.
CLICK HERE to read the rest of the KOSA story.

Mission of Hope: Part 1

Tatum Hubbard
Anchor/Reporter
KOSA-TV

MISSION, TEXAS - This year, Rock the Desert moves into it's second decade. It's grown from a small concert to a weekend-long festival that brings thousands of people to the Basin. As the festival has evolved, so has the mission of it's volunteers. Photojournalist David Huertas and Tatum Hubbard bring us the story, chronicling how West Texans share hope with an impoverished community.
CLICK HERE to read/watch the rest of the KOSA story.

In the News ... "Double duty"

Roy Waggoner
Staff Writer
Odessa American

ODESSA, TEXAS - A 350-mile trip won’t stop the Rev. Donald Flinn from serving Rose of Sharon Missionary Baptist Church. The new pastor of the congregation still lives in the Dallas area and has to fly in each weekend. He plans on moving to Odessa by July because he currently works as a behavior specialist in the Garland school district while also serving as an associate pastor at a church in the Metroplex.
CLICK HERE to read the rest of the OA story.

FBR Report: Good Life Club School Tour Report

The Free Burma Rangers (FBR) is a multi-ethnic humanitarian service movement. They bring help, hope and love to people in the war zones of Burma. Ethnic pro-democracy groups send teams to be trained, supplied and sent into the areas under attack to provide emergency assistance and human rights documentation. Together with other groups, the teams work to serve people in need.

Good Life Club School Tour Report

"Tho Htoo is 11 years old but looks like he's 9, small and thin but bright-eyed. He's in second grade. I interviewed him because his house had been burned down two months before and I wanted to hear his story in his own words; one week after this interview, his family packed and ran again as the Burma Army again sent patrols toward his village."
CLICK HERE to read the rest of this report from the Free Burma Rangers

Faces of Children: Prayer Requests

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).

Prayer Concerns for the week of 05/05/10

China
• Please keep the children injured in several recent classroom attacks held close in prayer as they recover from the physical and emotional trauma of these experiences. There have been four separate classroom attacks since late March in China's eastern coastal provinces. Pray that God will bring comfort and peace to the families of the eight schoolchildren killed in the March 23 attack. Pray for healing and peace in this region.
A report from the Washington Post
A report from the New York Times

Niger
• Please pray for the nearly eight million people in Niger, roughly 60 percent of the population, who will be threatened with severe food shortages this year. Pray for the 19,000 children who have dropped out of school to accompany their parents in search of food, water, and pastures for their livestock. Pray for relief from the drought conditions causing this mass exodus. Pray that vulnerable children will be protected from those who would exploit or abuse them while they are following their parents from place to place.
A report from alertnet.org
Another report from alertnet.org
Another report from alertnet.org

Thailand
• Please keep the children and people of Thailand in prayer during this time of political unrest and upheaval. Political tensions are reported to be at their highest level in almost two decades and some analysts are beginning to raise the possibility of civil war.
A report from alertnet.org
• Pray for peaceful resolution to the protests and for transparency in government. Pray that both sides in this standoff between an anti-establishment group (mostly rural and urban poor) and the government (military and royalist backers) will be willing to compromise and engage in the peacemaking process with sincerity and honesty.
A report from alertnet.org
Another report from alertnet.org
Another report from alertnet.org
A report from the BBC
• Please keep the staff, volunteers, women, and children at NightLight in Bangkok held close in prayer as their facilities are near an area of the city occupied by the protestors. Pray for their safety and peace of mind throughout this uncertain time.

United States
• Pray that God will provide an after school ministry with the resources it needs to reach children in a low income neighborhood in San Antonio, Texas. Please pray for the children in this target area ... that God will bring the ones God desires to this program and that they will recognize their incredible value and worth in God's eyes. Pray for the leaders and volunteers in this program as they teach the AMO model that nurtures the whole child with beauty, truth, and moral goodness.
A report from the AMO Program
• Please be in prayer for Caleb, a little boy experiencing serious medical problems, and his family and friends. Pray that God will surround him with healing mercies and compassionate medical personnel as they try to find out why his body is rejecting the shunts in his brain.
• Please pray for Patty as she provides care for children with physical and emotional disabilities. Pray that God's strength will sustain and encourage her in this challenging work. Many group homes in Patty's state are being closed down. Please pray for the children in these homes who will soon find themselves in new placements. Pray that God will comfort them as they make the transition to new environments. Pray for the caregivers of these children who find themselves unemployed in this tough economic climate. Pray for all caregivers in this world who work with children with disabilities.

Faces of Children
• Give thanks to God for the life of Bonnie Dempsey Cain who died on Saturday, April 24, 2010. Bonnie was a devoted intercessor with Faces of Children for five years and the mother of Faces of Children Coordinator Chris Laufer.
• Please continue to pray that more churches and individuals will join with the ministry of Faces of Children in spreading awareness about children in crisis and inviting more people to pray for children at risk.

In the News ... "Shoe Drive for Orphans Held in Midland"

Beau Berman
Reporter
KOSA-TV

MIDLAND, TEXAS - An effort to take care of orphans around the world starts right here in West Texas.
CLICK HERE to read the rest of the KOSA story.

Word from Uganda: "Easter Weekend"

Missionary teacher Natalie Rolfe writes, "'When He calls me, I will answer ... I'll be somewhere working for my Lord.' My call was Mbale, Uganda and that is where I have returned to serve for another year. Specifically, I am teaching phonics at Lulwanda Children's Home, an orphanage and school for 90 kids." Natalie also keeps an online journal of her service at the weblog, When He calls me, I will answer ...

Easter Weekend

"It has been a nice, long weekend full of many fun things. My housemate, Jennifer, turned 31 so we had a special birthday breakfast for her,” Natalie writes. "Then of course, Easter service. It was a beautiful morning, without any rain, so many people make it to church.”

CLICK HERE to read the rest of Natalie's post

If you are interested in supporting LCH by sponsoring one of the 90 children, go to www.ugandaorphans.org If you are interested in financially supporting Natalie in her mission, you can send checks (with "Natalie Rolfe" in memo) to: Midland Bible Church, 2800 North A Street, Midland, TX 79705

Invitation to Prayer

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).

"Loved Ones"

"Praying for someone is a gracious act. It gives blessing to the one who prays, as well to the person prayed for. Every day, during times of prayer, let us think of the people in our lives we love most. Let us remember our children, our parents, our siblings. Let us consciously thank God that they exist, and ask for holiness in our relationships with them.

Imagine life to be like a camera: The amount of light in the picture is determined by the size of the aperture at the time the picture is taken. For most of us most of the time, our experience of life and its potential for joy is severely limited by the constriction of our own hearts. It's as though an aperture is shut, at least partially, that could be completely open. The joy we seek lies less in something new happening and more in our opening our hearts more fully to the love in our lives already. Only love can make us happy, and only we ourselves can determine its presence or absence inside our hearts. To acknowledge love is to increase its capacity to heal us; to ignore love is to let it slip away.

Look around you while you are in public somewhere or gathered with loved ones. Look into the faces of the people you see, and silently say: 'The light of God in me salutes the light of God in you.' Do it for five minutes, minimum. I defy you to do this each day and not be happy.

Do this in traffic when you are frustrated, while in line at the Department of Motor Vehicles, while sitting in a restaurant. We find our happiness to the extent to which we use our minds to bless the world, for that is the natural use of the mind. It is the reason we were born."

"Dear God,
Show me the light at the center of my sisters and brothers.
Show me the light at the center of myself.
Show me the light at the center of the world.
Where I see guilt, show me innocence.
Where I focus on mistakes, show me how to focus on efforts at good.
Help me have faith in the goodness of others.
Help me have faith in your spirit within me.
Thus may darkness be cast out.
May I cleave to the light that is in my heart.
This is my prayer.
May I see the light in everyone.
Amen."
Illuminata, a Return to Prayer, compiled by Marianne Williamson

A message from Chris Laufer, Coordinator, Faces of Children

Greetings, Faces of Children Prayer Partner,

Please join us in prayer for the children of our community and world this coming Wednesday, May 5, 2010 at 11:30 a.m. in the Bride's room at First Presbyterian Church, Midland. We'll have lunch ($5) and fellowship after our time of prayer.

If you have prayer requests or celebrations about children or those who care for them, please send them to me at at claufer@facesofchildren.net, or give me a call. Thank you for your faithfulness in prayer for the children of our world!

Blessings,
Chris