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,

If you're in Midland this week, we'll be meeting at 11:00 a.m. on Wednesday, February 27 - TODAY - for prayer. We meet in the prayer closet at First Presbyterian Church of Midland, Texas. Please join us in lifting up the needs of vulnerable children in our community and around the world!

Blessings,

Carrie

Dear Intercessors,

Sometimes we don't get the end of stories that keep us on our knees, praying through the long hours of the night. Sometimes we never know where the children we pray for end up ... =

Which makes this story all the more precious to me. Sam is a college freshman, but we met him when he was a young boy in an orphanage in China. His story is a series of beautiful miracles bringing him to where he is today -- a young man looking back on his life's experiences and memories, learning to see that not for even one day was he abandoned by God.

There are many ways we can pray this week... God will undoubtedly bring particular needs and situations to your mind. But I want to keep this email short this week and instead invite you this week to simply pause and carve out 5-10 minutes to read Sam's reflections on his life.

It's the sort of story that we don't often get to read... the sort of story that is both reason to raise our hands in thanksgiving while also being the sort of story that should keep us going to our knees again and again for kids like Sam.

This is why we pray. So that more children in hard places can grow up and share about the love and grace of God on display in their life.

In Sam's own words: "Long story short, the whole plan for me to be adopted depicted a picture in my mind of the perfection work God can do. The smallest detail of how He is able to manage for me to be adopted is so unfathomable. For instance, for a boy at my age to be adopted is not likely (7 or 8), plus I was born with a birth defect (cleft palate), and I was also on the verge of being "unadoptable". And yet, God says "wait I have a plan for you." THIS IS THE GRACE OF GOD! While I was that little kid in the orphanage, that thinks there's no future. God sees it differently. I constantly thinking to myself, asking my friends, my parents, what did I do to earn that? There were 160 other children in that orphanage, what so special about me that makes God pick me to be the one?

To this day, I still don't know why. But one thing I can for sure is that IT IS GRACE. God's grace works like that. It does not work according to our ways, it works through his terms. God is LOVE. Grace derives from his love for us, it is through grace that we see bits of pieces of his love."

Read Sam's whole story here ...

All the best,

Carrie

Carrie J. McKean
Faces of Children Director
First Presbyterian Church of Midland, Texas
(432) 684-7821 x153