God does not exist to answer our prayers,
but by our prayers we come to discern the mind of God.
O. Chambers
It is hard to believe that we are sharing prayer for the last time this year. Next time we pray together will be in 2005. What an incredible year we have shared! We have seen those we have prayed for come to a saving knowledge of Jesus, we have seen healings of bodies and spirits through Father’s unrelenting grace and mercy, and we have celebrated the lives of those who have left us to go home to Father.
2005 is just around the corner with all of it’s bright promise, hopes and possibilities. Who knows - maybe this will be the year that Jesus comes back for us and we will hear our names in His mighty shout.
But for today, we are all in grieving as the death toll from the tsunami in Asia continues to climb. I remember hearing about the disaster for the first time on Sonday morning and being so saddened by the initial death toll of 4,900 - and now, just 4 days later, the death toll is 77,000 and the estimate is that it could go as high as 100,000 from the tsunami - and the grim probability of even more death from diseases. I know that we have all been praying since Sonday and I would ask that we continue to pray for the people, families and communities devastated by this disaster, for the rescue workers and the relief organizations who are working tirelessly to help. If you are interested in receiving a list of organizations that are providing relief to Asia, please contact me at valerie@fresnofirst.org I would urge all of us to visit their websites and choose one to contribute through.
Thank-you to all who contacted me this week asking about the well-being of our extended family at Reaching Hand Society in India and Jan & Larry Martin in Thailand. I heard from Remo earlier this week and our brothers and sisters at Reaching Hand Society are fine. They are more north of where the tsunami struck. I have not heard from Jan & Larry Martin - but I believe that their mission is located in inland Thailand - so they should be okay. Virginia - have you heard from them?
We have received an update on Laura, JT & Patty Tapney’s nephew’s wife who has leukemia. Laura’s leukemia is in remission making her an excellent candidate for a bone marrow transplant. There are about 11 possible donors for Laura. Please pray that a perfect donor can be found for her.
The Tapney’s are requesting prayer for the granddaughter of a friend/colleague of Patty’s in Mariposa. The granddaughter was abducted by her father out of the friend's home. She (and the father ) were found in South Carolina. South Carolina does not have parental abduction laws, so there is still no clear word on what will happen. The baby is only about 9 months old. The family requests prayers for calmness, support, getting that baby back, etc., etc.
Joni Willis was in services recently looking great!
We continue to pray for the following: Dr Iris and her grandmother, Valda Evans, Bobbie Gould and Mary Dorland who are recovering from falls, Chuck Johnson, Kelli Hastings’ father, Brandon and his leukemia, Patrick & his brain tumor, Danette’s parents Dan & Sandy Austin & their struggle with finances, Gabriel, Ruth Delgado’s nephew, recovering from wounds received in Iraq, Dan Hansen & his new employment opportunity, Carola Poythress’s recovery from her stroke, George Martin with cancer in his bones, John Rogers & his cancer, Jim Hildman with the staph infection & cancer, Ray Rahn & his kidney dialysis, my friend who is drifting away from Father, Johnnie Sowell & her chemo, Cheryl Balestra & her chemo, Lois Winters & her cancer, and Robert Kammer & sleep apnea. If anybody has any updates - please pass them on to me.
Please continue to pray for our missionaries - Jan & Larry Martin in Thailand, The Reaching Hand Society in India, Dr. George Pe Myat & the hospital in the Congo, Bounkham & Khamla’s mission to Laos, Laurie Bethall in Prague, Judy, Faye & Miisaw as they work at the New Life Center in Thailand, and all the missionaries worldwide.
Please keep our two church plants in prayer - Life House in Reedley with Horacio and Cheryl Aleman and the Flipside Church of Rio Mesa with Karl & Shelly Roth. The Flipside church will be having their first preview service on Sonday, January 9th! It is going to be such an exciting day in the long history of service to Jesus that this new church will have! Isn’t it exciting to think that the first service for the church in Rio Mesa is being held - and they haven’t even broke ground on that development yet! Is God awesome or what? Services will be held at Valley Oak Elementary at Friant & Champlain.
Pray for our wonderful pastors, the leadership of our churches, our ministries and Father’s provision for the Church.
Pray for our country, her leadership and all who serve her in the military around the world.
Father God,
To You, Who sits on the Throne of Eternity be blessings and honor and glory and power forever and ever. We praise you will our songs, with our words, with our actions and with our thoughts. You are exalted above all others as our LORD and God and You will forever reign.
Holy Spirit, bless us as we enter into this new year. Empower us to live more fully for You, strengthen us as we continue to build Your kingdom.
LORD of All, we cry out in grief at the terrible loss of life this past few days in Asia. The devastation is so horrendous, LORD, that it is almost incomprehensible. We ask that Your mercy be poured out on those whose lives have been shattered by the loss of their loved ones. We pray that relief and comfort can reach these people quickly and the medicines necessary to stop the spread of disease can be distributed quickly.
Great Healer, we pray for Laura, that a perfect donor can be found and that the bone marrow transplant will be successful.
We pray for the family and for the granddaughter of Patty’s friend. Father, hold on to them tightly, strengthen them and comfort them as they strive to get this little baby back.
Abba, we thank You for this time we get to spend with You. You draw us close to You, You envelop us in Your amazing love, You renew our spirits until we rise up like an eagle - free to soar within You. We are where we belong when we are with You.
LORD Jesus, we continue to pray for those who are on our prayer sheet and ask that the power of Your love continues to reign in each situation and in each person’s life.
Light of the World, we ask Your blessings and power be with the Reaching Hand Society, Jan and Larry Martin, Dr. George Pe Myat, Bounkham & Khamla, Laurie Bethall, Judy, Faye & Miisaw, and all the missionaries worldwide. Father, protect them and keep them safe. Provide for their needs and give them Your strength.
We pray for the continued growth of the two church plants - the Life House and Flipside. We ask Your vision continue to be strong in Horacio, Cheryl, Karl and Shelly. Pour Your blessings on the Flipside Church as they hold their first preview service on the 9th.
LORD God, You have blessed us and blessed us and blessed us. But never more so than with the pastors that You have placed in our different churches. Our hearts overflow with love for them and we ask, Abba, that You be with them, strength them, provide for them and help them to realize how they bring us closer to You. Bless the leaders and the ministries of all of our churches. Help us to support them and show us how to be involved with them as they reach out to the families, the neighborhoods, and the communities that surround us.
LORD God, we thank You for the prosperity of our country that allows us as a nation and as individual citizens to reach out in compassion to the victims of disasters. We pray for Your protection and guidance for all of our leaders. We pray in agreement for the safety of our military around the world, and ask a strong wall of protection for those who serve in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Mighty God, this new year will bring many changes to us, but there is one thing we know for today and all of eternity. You love us and in Your mercy You pardoned us, broke sin’s chains off of us and set us free. When we sing, “I once was blind - but now I see” it is the cry of our heart. We see You and You are so beautiful to us. You are the desire of our hearts and You are all that we have ever needed. You are our God and we are Your people. Forever with You.
Posted by Valerie at December 29, 2004 08:51 PM