Eid Al Adha

The following is a post from a friend's blog. We can learn about Islamic holidays through books and whatnot, but experiencing them firsthand is another thing. This just makes me so much more thankful for Christ and the fact that my sin debt is paid in full! Please pray for my friend Beth G. and her family as they endeavor to see more of the Muslim people put their faith in Jesus Christ, the eternal sacrifice.

Eid Al Adha

I woke up to sounds of a big celebration this morning: Firecrackers, music, and kids laughing and having fun. It made me sick. Today, is a holiday for the muslims called Eid Al Adha. It means sacrifice. Simply put, everyone got up and went to the mosque around 5:30 this morning. Then, they went to their homes and took their animals they had bought and slaughtered them. If they had yards, this was done in their yards, but for most of the city it was done in the streets and many of the streets are filled with blood. After that the meat is butchered, and all of it is eaten within the next three days. This is done with hopes of improving their chances to go to heaven.


As we walked around our neighborhood this morning, we watched as the poor people stood outside the gates of the villas, waiting for some meat. It is very important for them to eat some of the sacrificed meat. I watched as one lady received a peace and held it so proudly. Her children were rubbing on it. It brought them hope.


Lord, please use us in this needy land. We know that you are the living sacrifice and their is no need for any other. Use us, Lord, to spread Your Word. Send more laborers into the field for Your glory. We love you, Lord Jesus!

You can read more of what Beth has written at:

http://www.experiencinghim.blogspot.com

August/September Prayer Letter

Praise God from Whom all blessings flow! I am so undeserving of the grace He has bestowed upon me. In addition, He is allowing me to serve Him as a missionary. What an incredible opportunity He has given.

The past two months have been my busiest so far. It is so exciting to be able to meet so many new people and share the burden God has given me for reaching the Muslim people of North Africa. God has blessed tremendously!  God provides in such unexpected ways. My car had to have several things fixed recently. God blessed me with a father who is able to do much of the labor. On top of this major blessing, God provided the money for the replacement parts! I really should not be amazed at how God provides exactly when I need it, but He always does.

At one Mission Conference, the Lord challenged me with a thought that is so simple yet so profound. If it’s not a faith thing, it’s not a God thing. If I can do something myself, I don’t need God. If I can do it in my strength and my intelligence, I am not having faith in God to get it done.  If I can look at my budget and make faith promise giving work, it’s not faith. If I can look at my abilities and know I can go to North Africa as a missionary, it’s not faith. I have been thinking about this concept and working on more faith. I need to be trusting God, but also obeying based on this trust. I may not be able to “make it work,” but I have a God Who can.

Praises

• God provided for repairs on my car
• Have been able to speak to several teenagers/young adults about missions
• Protection while traveling

Prayer Requests

• Support to be raised
• Safety traveling
• Scheduling meetings for rest of year and next year
•  Muslims of North Africa—God will soften their hearts & be saved
• Believers in North Africa—safety, boldness, growth

July & August in Review:

• 26% of needed support
• Was able to be in 18 churches total plus a youth rally
• Drove 3715 miles
• Was able to give my testimony and present 15 times
• Traveled in 4 states: Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina, and Delaware

One Year Anniversary

One year ago I had my first meeting. It was a missions conference -  my first missions conference, and my first time presenting what I would be doing in North Africa.  I look back from a year later and am so grateful for what God has done and how God has changed me in the past year.  Everything gets easier the more you do it, but getting to that point takes awhile. I remember hoping that my shaking couldn’t be heard in my voice as I faltered through my first presentation. I am so thankful for University Baptist Church in Atlanta and their loving spirit as they encouraged me. The Lord was so gracious to allow me to have my first meeting among friends.

I see so many different ways the Lord has grown me over the year. I am still me, not eloquent in words, but God has polished me in many ways. I am always nervous to get up in front of people to speak, but hardly shake anymore. My presentation doesn’t always flow well and many times I forget that certain way to say something poignant. Overall, I can see that my presentation is far better than that first time.

Instead of looking at a church in fear, now I can look at the potential friends I will make and potential prayer warriors to enlist (not to mention potential support to get me to North Africa – a necessary evil unfortunately). Each church is unique. One thing that never even began to cross my mind about deputation was leaving a church once you built a relationship with those people. In a missions conference, you have 3 days or more to get to know the people, make friends, and share burdens with one another. Then it’s time to move on to the next meeting. I may not get to see this church again for years. I never anticipated the sadness of leaving after having met such wonderful people.   

God has used this past year to teach me so many things. Just comparing that first presentation to the one I gave Wednesday night, what a huge difference!  I am so thankful that the Lord chooses to use people who are not perfect, just willing to be molded. 

Ramadan

Living in today’s society, it’s almost impossible not to have heard the word Ramadan. So what exactly is it? Ramadan is the 9^th month of the Islamic calendar. It is considered to be the holiest of months in Islam. The month of Ramadan is supposedly when Mohammad received the Quran.  From sunup to sundown, Muslim people fast primarily from food and water, but also other forms of indulgence. The purpose of this time is for devotion, inner reflection, and self control. Also, reading the entire Quran during this time is strongly encouraged. For 2010, Ramadan begins today at sundown.

The month of Ramadan is a reflection of the Islamic faith – built on works. Muslim people must strive to be pure and holy so Allah will (hopefully) accept them into paradise. My heart grieves for a people who strive so hard, only to find out one day it was all in vain.

Today I make a request. During the Islamic month of Ramadan (August 11 – September 9^th), please join me in devoting a time of prayer each day specifically for the Muslim people.  

·         Ask God to give you a heart filled with love and compassion towards Muslims.

·         Pray for their hearts to be softened to the Gospel.

·         Pray for a specific Muslim majority country each day.

·         Pray the Lord would send more laborers into these fields.

·         Pray for laborers who are already in these fields

o   Direction: open doors to share the Word

o   Communication/clarification: ability to speak with clarity

o   Adaptation

o   Determination/Prioritization – speaking the Word with boldness

o   Reception

o   Protection

July Update

Believe it or not, July has already come and gone, although the hot weather seems to be never-ending. The Lord has blessed tremendously the past month.

I was privileged to be able to be a part of Vacation Bible School at my home church, Lighthouse Baptist Church.  We praise the Lord for 40 previous souls saved during the week including children, teens, and adults! I am grateful to God He allowed me to be a small part of this great week.

 Prayer Requests

·         Continue to schedule more meetings – filling in gaps for this year and in general for next year

·         Safety traveling – increasing the number of miles traveling this month

·         God to use me to lead more people to Him

Praises

·         Was able to lead 2 girls to the Lord during VBS

·         Lord provided meetings to fill in some gaps

·         God provided financially in many different ways

July Stats:

·         22% of needed support

·         Was able to be in 10 churches total

·         Drove 956 miles

·         Was able to present my burden 6 times

·         Traveled in 2 states: Georgia and South Carolina

June/July Prayer Letter

Praise the Lord for His mercies endure forever! God is so good and has been so good to me. The past 6 months have caused me as never before to trust in Him as Jehovah-jireh, the God Who provides. Not only does He provide financial and material needs, but also encouragement and friends just when I need them.

 Macedonia's Orientation

I had the joy of attending Macedonia’s Orientation just a few weeks ago. As with anything new, I was not sure what it was going to be like. What an amazing week! I was able to meet and talk to many veteran missionaries on furlough and new missionaries just starting deputation. With classes in the morning and afternoon, preaching in the evening, and fellowship time between, it was a busy week. I learned so much and was challenged in many different ways. The entire week had such a sweet spirit to it. God provided much needed encouragement through this orientation.  I am so thankful to serve with Macedonia World Baptist Missions.

 Praise

Earlier in the spring, when looking over my summer schedule, I did not have many meetings scheduled for July and August. The Lord has more than tripled that number! The upcoming months have more scheduled meetings per month than I have had thus far. I am grateful for these opportunities to share my testimony and the work in North Africa.

 Prayer Requests

· Safety traveling

· Scheduling meetings for rest of year and next year

· For a tentative departure beginning to mid 2012

· Muslims of North Africa—God will soften their hearts & be saved

· Believers in North Africa—safety, boldness, growth

Morocco continues its purge of Christians

Morocco (MNN) ― Morocco kicked a teacher out for allegedly attempting to convert Muslims to Christianity. 

According to the Spanish newspaper "El Pais," authorities expelled Sara Domene of Spain for "threatening public order."  It's a common phrase used to allege "proselytizing." Domene, also a member of an evangelical church, denies the charge, saying she was giving Spanish lessons.

However, the charge that ended her stay in Morocco carries stiff penalties. The 1992 constitution guarantees freedom of religion for all while designating Islam as the state religion. Any criticism of Islam is banned under the Penal Code and is punishable with up to five years in prison.

The government is being especially vigilant this year in upholding the code.  March, King Mohammed VI expelled 20 foreign missionaries accused of proselytism. Shortly afterward, about 7,000 Moroccan theologians publicly supported his decision.   

Several mission agencies note that this action set the stage for another wave of deportations and expulsions of believers and Christian workers. The latest round reveals itself as a calculated effort to purge Morocco of all Christian elements.   

Pray that many followers of Christ will continue His work in Morocco.Open Doors places Morocco at 37 on their World Watch List.

Taken from Mission Network News: http://mnnonline.org/article/14419 

Feast and Famine

I know there is an element of feast or famine in everything we do. It’s very easy to get discouraged when things are not going as well as I had hoped, but it is also exciting when things seem to get better for a time. I must admit I am a very results oriented person. When there does not seem to be as many results from work being put in, sometimes it gets hard to push on. I am thankful that the Lord knows this and He is able to send encouragement in different ways.

Growth in a Christian’s life is unending. I know the Lord has worked on me in these same areas before. I have both heard and found that growth is an unending spiral. Just when we think we’ve come around, it keeps going. We come back to the same area and grow more. I am thankful that God is so patient with me.

The past few weeks have been so encouraging. For the first time God has allowed me to schedule 10 meetings in 2 weeks – Praise the Lord! This Fall was looking a little sparse, but thankfully it is really filling in. Also, God has provided financially in amazing ways. I am excited to say the Lord has provided 15% of my needed monthly support! Praise the Lord for all He is doing!

Update

The past two months have been quite busy! I am grateful for the mission conferences I had the privilege to be a part of the past two months: New Life Baptist Church in Dalton, GA, and  Kenwood First Baptist Church in Fayetteville, GA.  I am always encouraged to see churches with a burden to reach the world with the Gospel.

Last month I was also able to be a part of the Macedonia World Baptist Missions Annual Conference held up in North Carolina at New Hope Baptist Church. What a tremendous blessing that was!! The church was so kind and worked hard to be a blessing. Each day they had an amazing meal. I was able to get to know more of my Macedonia family. Missionaries are always scattered around the world. It was a blessing to be able to sit down and talk to them and to hear about what God is doing all over the world.

I am very excited to say that last month the Lord provided 3 new supporters! This brings me up to a total of 10% of my needed support level. What a great start! I look forward to my upcoming meetings. I ask that you keep me in your prayers as I labor to schedule more meetings and in turn prayerfully raise the support I need to go to North Africa.

I have one special prayer request. North Africa, especially the area I worked in, is going through a bit of turmoil. Many missionaries who had been in the countries for many years were deported. Please pray for the missionaries there, as well as the new believers.

Pray for Christians in North Africa

There is a lot going on in North Africa right now, and this article will help us know how to better pray for them.  Pastor Gardner wrote this on his blog. 

I want to ask you to be praying for our friends that serve God in Northern Africa. There is a lot of turmoil there. Satan plays with their minds to cause them to worry. There is every reason to worry unless you consider the greatness of God and how He will work through all of this.

Here are some things to help you pray better:

The largest national newspapers are putting articles about Christianity on their front pages. One of the papers dedicated about half of the paper to the subject.

The paper reports that the American Churches have a goal to convert 10% of Moroccans by 2020. They reminded the Moroccans that the penalty of conversion is 6 months to 3 years in jail. They highlighted the testimony of one Moroccan family who had become Christians and then returned to Islam.

Though not true they reported that there are about 40-50,000 Christians in Morocco with an attempt to stir up the people.

Another day’s headlines in the newspaper were the following:

“9 centuries of missionary activity in Morocco”

“800 missionaries in Morocco. Casablanca at the forefront”

“Said Oujibou: A Moroccan running a campaign to evangelize Moroccans in France”

“Missionaries target the hearts of Moroccans”

Though Satan is attacking God is still working. Attendance in church services is actually growing. God is working in the hearts of new believers to make them more bold as they learn the Word of God.

Some churches have stopped having services but others are seeing God’s blessings.

Pray for faith in times of fear for these believers

Pray that the missionaries and believers will reject the thoughts of the accuser and hear the comfort of the Holy Spirit.

Moroccans Speak Out

This was taken from the the blog of the family I will be working with. Check out their blog.


I just received the following press release from a friend of mine living in Morocco:

We, the members of the Worldwide Union of Moroccan Christians, declare that:

We are following with great anticipation these waves of convocations, interrogations, arrests, and detentions, practiced these last few weeks by Moroccan security forces against Moroccan Christians, as well as the deportations of foreign aid workers working with humanitarian organizations in Morocco.  With this press release, we hope to clarify the following points:

As Moroccan Christians, we are proud of our rich Christian heritage. Some are first generation, others second and third, and all of these people and families have different functions in Moroccan society and abroad.  We live our daily lives peaceably, in total harmony and respect in our society that we serve according to our abilities and with zeal.

Contrary to the regrettable claims repeated by certain media that attempt to question the validity of our faith using any and every means possible, we hold fast in affirming that our faith in Christ is a personal choice that was never the result of pressure or material or social motivations.  Our convictions are religious and are not the result of any foreign influence.

The abuses and persecution coming from Moroccan authorities affect us as Christians and deprive us of our fundamental rights guaranteed by the constitution and by all the internationally recognized charters and conventions. They contradict the Moroccan government’s declarations pronounced by its spokesman and communications minister by which Morocco guarantees religious and ideological freedom. It is our duty to question the legitimacy of these claims, because if they were true, why are Moroccan Christians being persecuted? Under what laws are they being interrogated and arrested?

We hold fast in affirming that the declarations of the foreign church leaders in Morocco do not reflect in any way the opinion of Moroccan Christians.  In fact, as foreign Christians residing in Morocco, they benefit from privileges for which Moroccan Christians have been denied: places of worship, churches, a total ban on gathering together and practicing our rituals in both private and in public sectors.  We are not even allowed to defend our faith when asked to do so.  In the end, we don’t even have right to possess Bibles in Arab or in Amazigh (Berber language) in our dear country, as our Bibles are confiscated and considered as tools for proselytizing.

We denounce the harassments that we are suffering as Moroccan Christians as being religious persecution that have absolutely no link to any political position.  On the other hand, we as Moroccan Christians pray for our king, our people and our homeland from Tangier to Laguira, for more goodwill, more progress and more prosperity.

It is on this basis that we are asking the Moroccan government the following:

To stop all forms of systematic security threats, arrests, detentions, and inspections with the sole objective of humiliating Christians and to pressure them to renounce their religious convictions.

That the government would open formal channels of dialogue with Moroccan Christians to establish true clarity, transparency and understanding, because we are looking to maintain the country’s integrity as well as its security.

The official recognition of Moroccan Christians and their right to have services and to practice their rituals and Christian rites freely without harassments and restrictions.

The permission granted to Moroccans to convert to the religion of their choice, including Christianity, without being submitted to any interrogation or harassment from security forces, as it is guaranteed by the Moroccan constitution.

Weekly Update

For the Lord is good and His mercy endureth forever. I am so thankful I get to serve Christ. This week has been a very busy week, but also such a blessed week.

Bro. Larry Brown from Washington, IA preached Monday and Tuesday nights at my home church. Each and every time he comes I am convicted with truths he brings from God’s Word. Wednesday was a very exciting day. I was able to book 4 meetings! So far, this is the most meetings I have booked in a single day. 3 of those meetings are for next year, and one for this November. I am so excited to begin to see next year’s calendar start to fill. Wednesday night began the Missions Revival at New Life Baptist Church in Dalton, GA. What an incredible blessing this church has been to me this week! Today, I went shopping with a couple of the ladies from the church. It was great just to spend time with the ladies and other missionary wives. The services each night have touched my heart in a different way. I am constantly amazed at how God pricks every person’s heart with something different, even though we all heard the same message.

Things are really taking shape for my trip up to Ohio in October. This past week, a pastor called to ask me to be a part of their mission conference. I was a little worried that it would be the same dates as another mission conference I had already scheduled, or perhaps it could be a couple weeks after we were going to leave. Praise the Lord it will cover some open dates in the middle that I needed to fill!

Prayer Requests:

• Christian "Volunteers" in Morocco: this past weekend, a new minister of justice took power in Morocco and deported many Christian “volunteers”. One orphanage’s workers were all taken, leaving 33 children to go to other state run facilities. You can read the full article from the Christian Post here.
• Muslim Majority Country of the Week: Egypt. Population: approximately 79 million. Percentage Muslim: 90%.
• Safety Traveling: this week we will be heading up to Indiana.

Christians Expelled, Forced to Abandon 33 Foster Kids in Morocco

The following was taken from The Christian Post.

Christian volunteers and foster parents at a Moroccan orphanage were forced to abandon dozens of children on Monday after they were accused of proselytizing.

"Watching the children be told by their parents that they had to leave, that they would maybe never see them again, is the most painful thing I have ever witnessed," said Chris Broadbent of VoH.Moroccan authorities raided Village of Hope and said they were expelling the 20 workers and parents. The 33 children who were being cared for cried out "hysterically" for their foster parents as they were left behind.

Village of Hope registered with the Moroccan government in 2002 as an official Christian organization and received permission to talk about Christianity to the children in their care, according to Broadbent.

The North African country is a predominantly Muslim country where Christians make up only 1.1 percent of the population. The government restricts non-Islamic religious materials and proselytizing and monitors the activities of non-Muslim religious groups.

Also, it is only legal for Muslims to adopt children. Volunteers at Village of Hope were thus acting as foster parents, though the children considered them to be their parents, Broadbent noted.

For nearly ten years, VoH volunteers had been open about their faith to the authorities and were allowed to take in and foster abandoned children, who would otherwise be killed or placed in state-run "mega-orphanages," the organization stated. Despite that, authorities accused them of trying to convert the children to Christianity and forced the foster parents to board a bus heading to the airport to leave the country.

click here to read the entire article

Putting Prayer First

This week was a fairly typical week. Made lots of phone calls, dropped into a few churches. As I tried to turn on my computer this morning to get started making my calls for the day, nothing happened. That is a scary feeling. I can’t work without having my computer. All the churches I call to try to get meetings are on my computer. I have a special program just for that. Since my computer crash back in November, I have been much more careful about backing up my data, so I wasn’t worried about the data. Nonetheless, I have to have a computer to access the data. Of course my mind swirls to the worst case scenario. If I take my computer somewhere to get fixed, it may take several days - days I would not be able to work. My mind swirls deeper into the “more worst” case scenario:  What if my computer officially died and there is no reviving it? I was hoping to make this computer last at least another year (if not three). Then a thought hits me – pray about it.

It’s amazing how my mind swirls to worst case scenarios and how I will fix it and I will make it work. Well, it’s not about me. My first response is “what can I do to remedy this?” My first response should be “pray about it.” Prayer puts things first and foremost in God’s hands, not mine. Prayer shows where my trust is: in Him. Prayer helps to alleviate the worry that creeps in and soothes the frantic worst case scenario thoughts. Prayer also reminds me where my sustenance comes from. It’s amazing how something like a computer not turning on can remind you of a lesson you didn’t quite learn fully in the past, or perhaps never put into practice.

After I prayed, then called tech support, my computer did turn on and function normally. Praise the Lord! He answered that prayer quickly!

Prayer Requests:

• Scheduling more meetings
• Safety traveling
• Muslim Majority Country of the Week: Nigeria. Population: 149 Million. 50% Muslim.

And as a side note, I am starting this month to put in my budget savings for that computer for when mine finally does die. If you’ve never heard of Dave Ramsey, I would highly recommend his book, The Total Money Makeover. 

Weekly Update

What a great week! God has blessed in so many ways. First, I had 2 meetings this past week: one at Ridgeway Baptist Church in Commerce, GA, and also a mission conference at Rest Haven Baptist Church in Buford, GA. The mission conference theme was “Investing in Eternity.” This conference really challenged me about my own giving to missions. I give, but I need to be more in prayer about what God would have me to give by faith and not what I necessarily think I can afford. Each and every dollar I invest here on earth will someday pass away, but those I invest in missions will last through eternity. I am so thankful that I have something greater than this world to invest in.

In January, I was able to drop into Murrayville Baptist Church in Murrayville, GA. The pastor allowed me to give a quick testimony during the service. Afterwards, a lady came to me and asked if I could speak to their ladies meeting this month. Wow! I was so excited.  I have been asked to teach Sunday School before, but never asked to speak at a ladies meeting. Well, last night was the night of the ladies meeting. I was so nervous, I flew through the lesson – it went much faster than I anticipated. I guess it is always better to be a little shorter than a little longer. Afterwards they even gave me a love offering! I did not expect that at all, and I am very thankful. God provided what I needed. It is so easy for me to begin to worry about money, but each and every time God provides. I have nothing to worry about.

Prayer Requests:

• Scheduling meetings
• Safety when traveling
• Muslim Majority Country of the week: Bangladesh Population: 156 million Religion: 83% Muslim

Weekly Update

God is so good! I stand amazed just to think of all He does for me. Dying for me was more than enough, yet in addition He chooses to bless me in so many ways. I dropped into a church in Fayetteville, GA last week. After the service, he came to me and asked if I had an opening in March. He said if I did I could join them for their mission conference. Praise the Lord – I did have an opening. I am really excited to have the opportunity to go back and be a small part of the “From the Cross, Through the Church, To the World” conference at Kenwood First Baptist Church.

This week I had my first car almost break down scenario. Yes – almost. I had a meeting a couple hours away on Sunday night, so my mom and I dropped into a church on the way. We park and wait for people to arrive to go inside. About 5 minutes til Sunday School was to begin, no one was there. We thought they might have cancelled church altogether, so perhaps we should get to another church in the area (and quickly). My car wouldn’t start. We called our roadside assistance and were waiting when someone drove up. He let us know that they were having church, but had cancelled Sunday school just to make sure any ice left on the roads would have melted. We told him our car trouble and we thought we would try to crank it up to let him hear what was going on to confirm our suspisions. The car started! That afternoon we were able to switch cars with my dad just to make sure we could make it to my meeting that night. Plus, my dad was able to fix the starter for a grand total of…$1. He works at a starter/alternator rebuilder shop. Praise the Lord! So many things could have gone wrong in that situation, but God has truly blessed!

For those who have been reading this, last time I wrote about being in Ohio for a month in October. God has allowed me to book at least one meeting per week while I’m there. I am really excited about how God has blessed and things are progressing. Thank you so for all of your prayers! 

Prayer Requests:

• The Tolson Family - click here to read about the baby and how you can pray better for them
• Scheduling meetings
• Muslim Majority Country of the week: Pakistan
• Population: 173 Million
• 97% Islam

Resting in God's Provision

I have the privilege of being in a very close friend’s wedding in October.  Since I will already be in Ohio for the wedding, I have been praying about the possibility of getting meetings there for at least a couple of weeks, if not for the month. So far, I have been able to send out a lot of information to pastors about what I will be doing in North Africa, but have not scheduled many meetings.  Another thing I have been praying about is scheduling meetings on Wednesday nights. The most common meeting I schedule is for the Sunday Night service, but I have been praying to get some Wednesday night meetings. Praise the Lord! This week He gave me a meeting on a Wednesday night in Ohio!  What an answer to prayer!

Not only is this an answer to prayer, but it ties directly in with what I have been reading for my devotions. Right now I am reading in Exodus. The children of Israel have just come through an amazing set of miracles: the plagues, being set free, walking on dry (not muddy) ground through the Red Sea, and watching the Egyptian army crushed beneath the waters where they had just walked. Not a week goes by before they are murmuring that they should have stayed in bondage in Egypt, because they would have water and food there. God provided manna each morning. They were allowed to gather enough for that day, but no more (except the day before the Sabbath). They had to trust Him each and every day for their food. No pantry with food in it for them; just that day’s provision.

The Lord used this story to remind me of where my provision comes from. It does not come from me, other people, or churches. He is the one Who provides. I must trust Him for my EVERY need, and I must trust Him daily. He promised that He would meet our needs, and I must rest in His promise.

Prayer Requests:

• Schedule a full month in Ohio
• Lord to continue to use me while on deputation to bring Him glory
• Muslim Majority country of the week: Indonesia. Population: 240 million, 86.1% Muslim                    click here for more information on Indonesia

Tap, Tap, Tap...Is This Thing On?

It’s been awhile, to say the least. Well, it’s time to start this blog back up and running. Much has happened since my trip to North Africa.

A new year has come, bringing many new opportunities. In December, I took a step of faith and quit my job in order to begin full-time deputation. I am heading back to North Africa as a HELPS ministry. I will be working under Tyler and Gretchen Masters and focusing on a ladies ministry. I am so thankful God allows me to serve Him. I know God is faithful and will bless this time of preparation for the field.

Though I just started full time deputation, I did begin part time deputation in the fall while continuing to work full time. In the past few months, I have had the privilege of visiting many churches and meeting dozens of people who have greatly encouraged me. I am grateful for the prayer partners God has given me. I am very thankful, and deeply humbled by the many prayers being lifted up daily on my behalf.

Right now I am calling daily to set up meetings to present what I’ll be doing in North Africa. This week the Lord has blessed tremendously! I was able to book several meetings, including my first meeting of 2012!  If you would, please keep me in your prayers as I work towards raising the support I need to get to North Africa.

Prayer Requests:

·      * Calendar to be filled and support raised

·      * The Masters Family – they will be leaving for Spain possibly as soon as next month. Click here to read their blog and keep updated with their progress.

·       * People of North Africa – God will soften their hearts to hear the gospel and be saved

·       * Believers in North Africa – growth and protection

·      * Laborers to be raised up in North Africa and around the world

·       * God will use me to bring Him glory