They are home!

Homecoming

Hello Friends!

All being well, the PWA team should be landing in Atlanta around 1:30 pm today (central time) and in Nashville around 4:30 pm.

Please continue to pray for safe travels and peace.

Sweetest Sound

Scripture:Great is the Lord and greatly to be praise in the city of our God.
Psalm 8:1

Words of Inspiration:The sweetest of all sounds is praise.
--Xenophon

Prayer:Great are you, oh God, and you greatly to be praised. Thank you for the calling Austin, Cary, and Ciona into this marvelous movement of prayer and continue to be the One who guides.
Amen.

From the Beginning... Love

Scripture:For this is the message you have heard from the beginning, that we should love one another.
1 John 3:11

Words of Inspiration:God whispers to us in our pleasures, speaks to us in our conscience, but shouts in our pains: It is His megaphone to rouse a deaf world.
C.S. Lewis

Prayer:God, your unconditional love for creation is ever flowing. May Austin, Cary, and Ciona daily taste the wellspring of your love and share it with those they meet every step of the way.
Amen.

A Text Note from Ciona!

"Hey love!! We are in a Liberian village. In the forest! So cool! Just got service in the nearest city. Doing so well! Tell mom Bishop Innis is the greatest! Love."

Thank you all for your prayers. They will be home soon.

Peace
lanecia

Truth and Action

Scripture:We know love by this, that he laid down his life for us-and we ought to lay down our lives for one another. How does God's love abide in anyone who has the world's goods and sees a brother or sister in need and yet refuses help?
Little children, let us love, not in word or speech, but in truth and action.
1 John 3:16-18

Words of Inspiration:Ubuntu is a concept that we have in our Bantu languages at home. Ubuntu is the essence of being a person. It means that we are people through other people. We cannot be fully human alone. We are made for interdependence, we are made for family. When you have ubuntu, you embrace others. You are generous, compassionate. If the world had more ubuntu, we would not have war. We would not have this huge gap between the rich and the poor. You are rich so that you can make up what is lacking for others. You are powerful so that you can help the weak, just as a mother or father helps their children. This is God's dream.
Desmond Tutu

Prayer:Beautiful Lord, may Austin, Cary, and Ciona be a reflection of your love in truth and action as they journey with our neighbors in Liberia.
Amen.

Longing

Scripture:I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory about to be revealed to us. For the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the children of God; for the creation was subjected to futility, not of its own will but the will of the one who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to decay and will obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God. We know the whole creation has been groaning in labor pains until now, and not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the first fruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly while we wait for adoption, the redemption of our bodies.
Romans 8:18-23

Words of Inspiration:There may be times when we are powerless to prevent injustice, but there must never be a time when we fail to protest.- Elie Wiesel

Prayer:Lord, your servants have entered into the many groans of your creation in Mali, Kenya, Uganda, Malawi, South Africa, and now Liberia. As they walk with you in Liberia, may they feel your presence with them every step of the way... hoping, crying, groaning, protesting, and praying on their behalf the sighs that are too deep for words. In your mercy, hear our prayer.
Amen.

They are in Liberia!

So today was an interesting day, yet another "grand" adventure, in the life of the PWA team. I briefly spoke to Ciona twice this morning via phone. They are well and in Liberia.

The issue in Liberia is poverty. Please pray for them as the journey closely to our brothers and sisters in Liberia.

Peace of Christ be with them.

Abide

Scripture:God is love, and those who abide in love abide in God, and God abides in them.
1 John 4:16b

Words of Inspiration:Keep love in your heart. A life without it is like a sunless garden when the flowers are dead. The consciousness of loving and being loved brings a warmth and richness to life that nothing else can bring.
Oscar Wilde

Prayer:Provide numerous opportunities for your servants to abide in love today.
Amen.

Breathe

Scripture:So let us not grow weary in doing what is right, for we will reap at harvest time, if we do not give up. So then, whenever we have an opportunity, let us work for the good of all, and especially for those of the family of faith.
Galatians 6:9-10

Words of Inspiration:A social movement that only moves people is merely a revolt. A movement that changes both people and institutions is a revolution.
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

Prayer: God, you are able to breathe new life into weary and tired souls. Breathe new life and energy into Your servants. May they be reminded of your Glory as they encounter people loving their community in Liberia, that it might nurture the hope that is within them.
Amen.

Praise

Scripture:Praise the Lord! How God it is to sing praises to our God; for he is gracious, and a song of praise is fitting.
Psalm 47

Words of Inspiration:Focus on the journey, not the destination. Joy is found not in finishing an activity but in doing it.
Greg Anderson

Prayer: God, thanks for carrying the PWA team along an amazing journey the past 5-weeks. Thank you for their reunion time in South Africa. Help them to enter into the people's story of Liberia with thanksgiving, humility, grace, anticipation, and love.
Amen.

Gratitude

Scripture:Full of honor and majesty in his work, and his righteousness endures for ever. He has caused his wonderful works to be remembered;
the Lord is gracious and merciful.
Psalm 111:1-2

Words of Inspiration:As we express our gratitude, we must never forget that the highest appreciation is not to utter words, but to live by them. ~John Fitzgerald Kennedy

Prayer: God, thank you for the life and peace that has greeted them in South Africa, nurturing the hope that is within them.
Amen.

Rest

Scripture: Come to me, all of you who are weary and loaded down with burdens, and I will give you rest.
Matthew 11:28

Words of Inspiration:Rest when you're weary. Refresh and renew yourself, your body, your mind, your spirit. Then get back to work.
Ralph Marston

Prayer: Lord, the Pray With Africa team is a little over half-way done with the mission You called them to. If there is any weariness weighing upon them, I pray they may find rest in You as they continue to receive the gift of entering into the stories of our neighbors in South Africa and Liberia.
Amen.

They are in South Africa!

Ciona called this afternoon, and they are in South Africa. YAY! So thankful they arrived in South Africa safely and that their time in Malawi was AMAZING!

The issue in South Africa is general. It is a reunion in a number of ways, returning to the country and community who sparked Cary's imagination. They will be doing promotional shooting. Please pray for them as the journey closely to our brothers and sisters in South Africa.

Peace of Christ be with them.

Love

Scripture:Then they also will answer, "Lord, when was it that we saw you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not take care of you?" Then he will answer them, "Truly I tell you, just as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to me."
Matthew 25:44-45.

Words of Inspiration:
'Tis a Fearful Thing
'Tis a fearful thing
to love what death can touch.

A fearful thing
to love, hope, dream:

to be--

to be,
And! to lose.

A thing for fools, this,

and
a holy thing,

a holy thing
to love.

For your life has lived in me,
your laugh once lifted me,
your word was gift to me.

To remember this brings painful joy.

'Tis a human thing, love,
a holy thing,
to love
what death has touched.

--Anonymous

Prayer: God, help us to see you and love you in all your peeople. May the lives of your servants in Malawi this day, be lives of hospitality, grace, hope and above all love.
Amen.

Oneness

This is My Song
Lloyd Stone, 1934

This is my song, Oh God of all the nations,
A song of peace for lands afar and mine.
This is my home, the country where my heart is;
Here are my hopes, my dreams, my sacred shrine.
But other hearts in other lands are beating,
With hopes and dreams as true and high as mine.

My country's skies are bluer than the ocean,
And sunlight beams on cloverleaf and pine.
But other lands have sunlight too and clover,
And skies are everywhere as blue as mine.
Oh hear my song, oh God of all the nations,
A song of peace for their land and for mine.

May truth and freedom come to every nation
May peace abound where strife has raged so long;
That each may seek to love and build together,
A world united, righting every wrong.
A world united in its love for freedom,
Proclaiming peace together in one song.

Amen

Mindfulness

Scripture:O LORD, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth! You have set your glory above the heavens. From the lips of children and infants you have ordained praise because of your enemies, to silence the foe and the avenger. When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place, what is man that you are mindful of him, the son of man that you care for him? You made him a little lower than the heavenly beings and crowned him with glory and honor. You made him ruler over the works of your hands; you put everything under his feet: all flocks and herds, and the beasts of the field, the birds of the air, and the fish of the sea, all that swim the paths of the seas. O LORD, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth!
Psalm 8

Words of Inspiration: "... and all the pieces matter."
The Wire

Prayer: Creating and Recreating God, there are so many moments when look at the vastness of Your creation that we stop and join the prayer of the psalmist "what is man that you are mindful of him?" As the story continues to unravel in the lives of your servants in Malawi, we thank You for being mindful of them every step of the way and inviting them to be mindful of Your creation. In the midst of the complexities of life they discover as they immerse themselves in this particular story, help them to see the connectedness of all things and being mindful of all of the pieces that are part of this story. May they continue to encounter your peace, love, hope, and faith in the smiling radiant faces of Blantyre.
Amen

Thanksgiving

Scripture:Make a joyful noise unto the Lord, all the lands! Serve the Lord with gladness! Come into his presence with singing! Know that the Lord is God! It is he that made us, and we are his; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture. Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise! Give thanks to him, bless his name! For the Lord is good; his steadfast love endures for ever, and his faithfulness to all generations.
Psalm 100

Words of Inspiration:If the only prayer you said in your whole life was, "thank you," that would suffice.
~Meister Eckhart

Prayer: Lord, our hearts rejoice in your countless blessings and faithfulness. Thank you for the love the Pray With Africa has received so extravagantly in Malawi. May their lives fill the air with the sweet sounds of your love, mercy, grace, and peace to all they meet along the way.
Amen.

Thanksgiving Word from Ciona

Hopefully Ciona will forgive me for the few times I have shared parts of our email conversations with fellow sojourners. I gave thanks for her, our friendship, and God's call lots yesterday. I missed her almost as much :), so I was thrilled to wake to this word from her yesterday and blessed.

"I thought of you all T-giving. When I explained it to someone, saying that it was a family holiday to thank God, he said immediately, "Oh, then do you visit orphans on this day, as well?" Everyone is so sweet to think of loving first. I hope you were able to spend the day with orphans or homeless or Ruby--someone who needed family.
LOVE you!!!!
peace,
C
ps--you will LOVE Malawi!!! I am telling everyone that it is where our family is from. It is great!"

Hope you had a wonderful day of thanksgiving with family.

May the peace and love of Christ Jesus be with you all.

Be,
lar

Rooted

Scripture:So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord,
continue to live in him, rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness.
Colossians 2:6-7

Words of Inspiration: To be rooted is perhaps the most important and least recognized need of the human soul. --Simone Weil

Prayer: God, may Austin, Cary, and Ciona be strengthened by faith in You and may their lives overflow with thankfulness.
Amen.

Discipleship

Scripture: But he's already made it plain how to live, what to do, what God is looking for in men and women. It's quite simple: Do what is fair and just to your neighbor, be compassionate and loyal in your love, and don't take yourself too seriously- (The Message)

Words of Inspiration: Whatever God's dream about man may be, it seems certain it cannot come true unless man cooperates. --Stella Terrill Mann

Prayer: May today be a day of cooperating with you as Austin, Cary, and Ciona seek to participate in the living the dream you have for your children in Malawi. May they enter into a story that needs to be told.
Amen.

Moments

Scripture:"The Spirit of the Lord is on me," he announced, "because he has annointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to set the oppressed free, to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor."
Luke 4:18-19

Words of Inspiration: Actions with and for those who suffer is the concrete expression of the compassionate life and the final criterion of being a Christian. Such acts do not stand beside the moments of prayer and worship but are themselves such moments.
Donald P. McNeill, Douglas A. Morrison, and Henri J. M. Nouwen Compassion

Prayer: May Austin, Cary, and Ciona feel the annointing of your Holy Spirit as they enter into the stories of your children in Malawi. May the journey with confidence, grace, humility, and love.
Amen.

They are in Malawi!

I received a short email from Ciona this morning announcing their Malawi arrival. YAY!

The issue in Malawi is disease. Please pray for them as the journey closely to our brothers and sisters in Malawi who are dying, and living, with treatable diseases. They will be spending the week in Blantyre.

Seeing

Scripture: "When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his throne in heavenly glory. All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left.
"Then the King will say to those on his right, 'Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.'
"Then the righteous will answer him, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? 38When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? 39When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?'
"The King will reply, 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.'
"Then he will say to those on his left, 'Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me.'
"They also will answer, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help you?'
"He will reply, 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.'
"Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life."

Words of Inspiration: "Thank you."
-Alan (Ciona tell them about this friend)

Prayer: God, help us to see with eyes touched by your grace and hearts transformed by your love. May our living reflect a faith and hope in the words Christ taught us to prayer, and a love rooted in the love we have received through Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior.
Amen.

A Beautiful Act

Scripture:While Jesus was in Bethany in the home of a man known as Simon the Leper, a woman came to him with an alabaster jar of very expensive perfume, which she poured on his head as he was reclining at the table. When the disciples saw this, they were indignant. "Why this waste?" they asked.
"This perfume could have been sold at a high price and the money given to the poor."
Aware of this, Jesus said to them, "Why are you bothering this woman? She has done a beautiful thing to me. The poor you will always have with you, but you will not always have me. When she poured this perfume on my body, she did it to prepare me for burial. I tell you the truth, wherever this gospel is preached throughout the world, what she has done will also be told, in memory of her."

Words of Inspiration: Do not think that love, in order to be genuine, has to be extraordinary. What we need is to love without getting tired.
-Mother Teresa

Prayer: God, may the acts of Austin, Cary, and Ciona long this Pray With Africa journey be something beautiful for you.
Amen.

Ubuntu

Scripture: And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself.
John 12:32

Words of Inspiration: As if in this cosmic embrace, Jesus would wish to enfold all that God has created, the entire universe, into unity. His supreme work is to reconcile us to God and to one another and, indeed, to reconcile us to all of God's creationg. It is possible to have a new kind of world, a world where there will be more compassion, more gentleness, more caring, more laughter, more joy for all of God's creation, because that is God's dream. And God says, "Help me, hel me, help me realize my dream."
Archbishop Desmond Tutu

Prayer: God may Austin, Cary and Ciona glimpse Ubuntu as the journey in community with our brothers and sisters in Gulu, Uganda. May other glimpse Ubuntu in them.
Amen.

Word from Uganda!

Hello friends!

I received this email from Ciona today:

"Hey there! I'm in Gulu, Uganda! Amazing! Our contact is wonderful. His name is Benson. The people are fabulous! We are in a very lovely small hotel... Life is good!

Just wanted to check in briefly. I hope to write a blog with more details. I'm meeting fascinating people and want to write all about them.

peace!
LOVE,
C"

Of course she does not have a clean bill of health yet, but is on medication and seemingly enjoying the journey.

Thanks for your prayers.
peace
lanecia

Fingerprints

Scripture: Therefore, my beloved, just as you have always obeyed me, not only in my presence, but much more now in my absence, work out your won salvation with fear and trembling; for it is God who is at work in you, enabling you both to will and to work for his good pleasure.
Philippians 2:12

Words of Inspiration: We live between the trees, in a world drenched in God. And some people seriously ask, you know, "Where is God?" Maybe a better question would be, "Where isn't God?" I mean, his fingerprints are all over our world. Or maybe it's his world and they're our fingerprints.
Rob Bell

Prayer: Be with your servants as they seek to love your world and leave fingerprints of life, hope and love in the lives of your children they encounter along the journey.
Amen.

Rest

Scripture:Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest.
Matthew 11:28

Words of Inspiration: The dying, the cripple, the mental,
the unwanted, the unloved they are Jesus in disguise. Mother Teresa

Prayer:Lord, you invite all who live into your call of disciple to come to you for rest and peace for the soul. I pray that Austin, Cary and Ciona will be gifted with many moments along the journey to rest inside your loving arms of peace, hope, and comfort.
Amen

Community

Scripture: Let us make human beings in our image.
Genesis 1:26

Words of Inspiration:The disciples ask Jesus to teach them to pray, and he begins with "Our Father." The Son is calling out to the Father, and the Spirit is interceding for us- a brilliant image of the divine community that declared, "Let us make human beings in our image" (Genesis 1:26). And so we too are made in the image of community. It's our deepest thirst. We are created to love and to be loved. The biblical story begins and ends with community.

Prayer: God, who created us to love and to be loved; may Austin, Cary and Ciona be three of many needles that Your hand is using to knit together what war, injustice, fear, and cruelty have torn into many different pieces. Amen.

They are headed to Uganda!

(Pictures from my Pilgrimage to Uganda- September 2-17, 2008)

I finally got to talk to Ciona on the phone yesterday. She is much better, after struggling with a bacterial infection last week. Thank you for your prayers.

They loved Kenya and have many great offerings to share when they return. Learn more about their time in Kenya at www.praywithafrica.com

They are headed to Uganda today. Let us remember them and the beautiful people of Uganda in our prayers daily this week.


Peace of Christ be with you all.

Be,
lanecia

Justice, Peace, Love and Joy

Scripture: Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid.
—John 14:27

Words of Inspiration: I am a little pencil in the hand of a writing God who is sending a love letter to the world.
Mother Teresa

Prayer: The kingdom of God is justice and peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit. Come Lord, and open in us the gates of your kingdom. (Taize Prayer)

Gift of Prayer

Scripture: Jesus told the people a parable about their need to pray always and not to lose heart. He said, "In a certain city there was a judge who neither feared God nor had respect for people. In that city there was a widow who kept coming to him and saying, 'Grant me justice against my opponent.' For a while he refused; but later he said to himself, 'Though I have no fear of God and no respect for anyone, yet because this widow keeps bothering me, I will grant her justice, so that she may not wear me out by continually coming.'" And the Lord said, "Listen to what the unjust judge says. And will not God grant justice to his chosen ones who cry to him day and night? Will he delay long in helping them? I tell you, he will quickly grant justice to them. And yet, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth?"
Luke 18:1-8

Words of Inspiration: At any time of the day or night we can call on Jesus. He is always waiting, listening for our call.vWhat a wonderful blessing. No phone needed, no e-mails, just a whisper.-Sacred Speace

Prayer: God, may Austin, Cary and Ciona continue to discover the gift of journeying with and loving You and our neighbors through prayer.
Amen.

Word from Kenya!

I received a text from Ciona this morning saying they will be in Nairobi on Sunday. They are well. Ciona got very sick this week, so please continue praying. She is finally getting better today! "Kenya's beautiful!!!"

Yay!

Thanks for your continued prayers and advice for me to share with her & the team. Thanks for sharing this prayer journey with me.

Peace,
lanecia

Prayer: Great Healer, continue to heal your creation. We pray for traveling mercies upon the lives of the Pray With Africa team. Surround them with people who can offer them support, wisdom, love, joy, and grace.
Amen.

love

Scripture:When the Pharisees heard that he had silenced the Sadducees, they gathered together, and one of them, a lawyer, asked him a question to test him. "Teacher, which commandment in the law is the greatest?" He said to him, "'You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.' This is the greatest and first commandment. And a second is like it: 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself.' On these two commandments hang all the laws and the prophets."

Words of Inspiration:But what had lasting significance were not the miracles themselves but Jesus’ love. Jesus raised his friend Lazarus from the dead, and a few years later, Lazarus died again. Jesus healed the sick, but eventually caught some other disease. He fed the ten thousands, and the next day they were hungry again. But we remember his love. It wasn’t that Jesus healed a leper but that he touched a leper, because no one touched lepers.
Shane Claiborne

Prayer: God, you invite us daily into a movement of compassion and change int the world. As Austin, Cary and Ciona continue to journey through the door of opportunity, joining Youth movement of compassion and change; may the walk in confidence that you have gifted them with the talents to serve You and those they encounter along the way.
Amen.

Prayers from Other Friends

God of the whole world,
Walk with Ciona and Cary and Alex today as they explore the paths of Kenya. Give them eyes to see and ears to hear you in the people they meet. May their work be fruitful this day . . . .
Robin Pippin

God of grace and holy surprises,
Hold Ciona and Cary and Alex in your tender care. Watch over them and keep them in your love as they live in openness to your presence in their walk among your people in Kenya. Amen.
Linda Johnson

Gracious God,
As you guided and protected Paul on his missionary journeys, guide and direct our friends in this missionary journey.
Tom
Rev. Tom Albin

God of love and peace, be with Ciona, Cary and Austin as they encounter their brothers and sisters in Christ.
When they are tired, renew their spirits; when they are sad, provide solace; when they are happy, rejoice with them.
amen.
Heather Harriss

Please add a prayer if you'd like in the comment section.

Make Someone's Day

Scripture:This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. No one has greater love than this, to lay down one's life for one's friends.
John 15:12-13

Words of Inspiration:Too often we underestimate the power of a touch, a smile, a kind word, a listening ear, and honest accomplishment, or the smallest act of caring, all of which have the potential to turn a life around.
Leo Buscaglia

Prayer:Great Author and Sustainer of life, continue to use the lives of Austin, Cary and Ciona to write letters of love, hope and faith to the world. In the simple day to day acts of living, may the show and encounter love.
Amen.

Light The Way

Scripture:You are the light of the world. A city built on a hill cannot be hid. No one after lighting a lamp puts it under the bushel basket, but on the lampstand, and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven.
Matthew 5:14-16

Words of Inspiration: Let nothing dim the light that shines from within.
Maya Angelou

Prayer:Light of the world, you can down into darkness and opening the eyes of humanity that we may see. Continue to shine through Austin, Cary and Ciona, that all who encounter them along the way will encounter you in them. Give them physical strength to endure the days ahead and provide places of healing when they are sick and heavy laden, that nothing may dim the light that burns brightly within them.
Amen.

They are in Kenya!

I received a text from Ciona today that read:
"In Kenya! Love to all. This Cary's phone. Can receive texts but calls in and out are 2 expensive. Don't call! No computer this week. Love you!"

Yay! Let us remember them and the people of Kenya in our prayers daily this week.

Peace of Christ be with you all.

Be,
lanecia

Story People

Scripture: I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are your works; that I know very well. My frame was not hidden from you, when I was being made in secret, intricately woven in the depths of the earth. Your eyes beheld my unformed substance.

In your book were written all the days that were formed for me, when none of them as yet existed. How weighty to me are your thoughts, O God! How vast is the sun of them!
Psalm 139:14-17

Words of Inspiration: We are a story people. From a very early age, most of us have been schooled in the stories- stories of our faith, our families, our particularities... the list goes on and on. We are stories all the way down to the core. Stories shape, form and make use the people we are, or at least offer a lens by which we can understand our present realities as we move towards becoming.

Prayer: As Austin, Cary and Ciona enter into the new stories of Kenya, tune their ears to listen well, touch their eyes that they may truly see and give them grace to be the people you have created them to be. Remind them daily that they are fearfully and wonderfully made.
Amen.

peace be with you

Scripture:So do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring worries of its own. Today's trouble is enough for today.
Matthew 6:34

Words of Inspiration: The first peace, which is the most important, is that which comes within the souls of people when they realize their relationship, their oneness with the universe and all its powers, and when they realize that at the center of the universe dwells the Great Spirit, and that this center is really everywhere, it is within each of us.- Black Elk (1863-1950)

Prayer: May Your peace and love surround Austin, Cary, and Ciona as they seek to be and know love in Mali.
Amen

People Matter

Scripture: But the needy will not be ignored forever; the hopes of the poor will not always be crushed.
Psalm 9:18

Words of Inspiration: Individuals matter to God. Jesus' healing of the blind man had lasting, positive affects on that one man, his soul, and probably the souls of his family, neighbors, and descendants. That was enough to merit Jesus' precious time. Sometimes I hesitate to serve, thinking, 'What difference will it make? Nothing ever changes; poverty will never end.' In that thought, I am unlike Jesus. It makes a difference to one person, and even if all the good that comes of my service stops right there (which is unlikely) that is enough. It was enough for Jesus. He, the God of the universe, was content to touch one person's life.
-Amber Van Schooneveld

Prayer: Lord, I praise you that you are a God of compassion who values the fate of each individual. Continue to provide Austin, Cary, and Ciona with your strength, grace, wisdom and comfort as they come face to face with needs & hopes of the poor that have been ignored & crushed, and the life-altering effects of extreme poverty. Lord in your mercy, hear our prayer.
Amen

Community

Scripture: All the believers... shared everything they had. They sold their property and possessions and share the money with those in need. They... shared their meals with great joy and generosity- all the while praising God and enjoying the goodwill of all the people.
Acts 2:44-47

Words of Inspiration: “We cannot do great things on this Earth, only small things with great love.” Momma T

Prayer: God, whose grace is truly sufficient, you are just and compassionate. Continue to teach your followers how to live, listen, share and participate in the story you are writing in the world.
Amen

They Are There!

I received this note from Ciona via facebook this morning,

"I am in Bamako. Doing well. like nothing i have seen before. so amazing.
peace
C"

Scripture: He has showed you what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God."

Words of Inspiration: The path God has revealed to us through the Scripture is to love what God loves; to feed those who hunger, break the chains of the oppressed, and protect the orphan; to follow and become more like Christ. God will reveal God's heart for this world and for you through God's living Word, and will transform you by it. Peace of Christ be with you.

Prayer: The kingdom of God is justice and peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit. Come Lord and open in your creations the gates of your Kingdom as the encounter you in the people they meet, stories they hear and things they see. Amen.

On their way to Mali

I received word from Ciona this morning. They arrived in Paris safe and of sound mind. :) They are looking forward to landing in Mali, and being greeted by their host that are anxiously awaiting their arrival.

Thank you for your prayers.

Mali
Arrive Tuesday, November 4 at 9:20PM
Depart Sunday, November 9 at 7:35PM

Issue
Hunger

Scripture: God saw everything that he had made, and indeed, it was very good." Genesis 1:31

Words of Inspiration: Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world, indeed, it's the only thing that ever has.– Margaret Mead

Prayer: Lord, in your mercy hear our prayers for your children that you have called by name. Bless their steps and prepare their welcome.
Amen

Off and Away!

Hello friends!

Kent and I dropped Ciona off at the airport around 3:20 pm today, with hopes of not missing her flight to Atlanta. Yay!

Let us continue praying with them as they live into the call placed before them

May the peace and love of Christ be with them every step of the way.
Amen

Pray With Africa Trip Information from Facebook Group

PRAY WITH AFRICA TRIP
November 3-December 15

We’re going to Africa.

Six weeks.
Six countries.
Hundreds of prayers.

We’ll take only a camera, pen and paper to record the amazing stories and faithful prayers of the people on the continent. When we return to the United States, we’re bringing these prayers back to you so that the entire world might join in prayer together. We’re going to stop praying for Africa and begin praying with Africa, building a bridge across the world through prayer.

Because prayer is the foundation of change.

We’re praying with Africa. Pray with us.