Last Summer I had the chance to buy a very awesome paraphrased Bible in the US. It is always a lot of fun to read this version of translation that is transliterated into a very easy language. I love one verse in particular of Matthew 9. After reading the Scriptures in this version called The Message, I like to compare with my English Standard Bible, sometimes with the King James Version or the Brazilian Portuguese version. However what I love to do is to go to the originals, Hebrew, Greek or Aramaic and see the word by word meaning of the verse, once I have read the whole context, I can go deep in the Word.

So Jesus was going down this road with his disciples and others and the story tells us two blind men followed him crying out, “Mercy, Son of David! Mercy on us!”, then they keep following Jesus, and even when Jesus goes in the house they go with him. So Jesus asks them if they really believe he can do that. They answer, “Yes, Master!” and Jesus touches their eyes and say, “Become what you believe”, that is on verse 29. It happens, they are healed and after that Jesus healed many others.

What I want to point out here is this powerful declaration of Jesus: Become what you believe. The original says, may it be done to you according to your belief, it means be born out of your faith and it is literally a ‘become what you believe’. It is a become what you behold! Be transformed according to your faith and expectation. Wow! That’s wonderful! Jesus is inviting you to experience more than words, more than convictions, ideologies and expressions! He wants to change your reality, He wants to empower you to change atmospheres everywhere you go.

Jesus asked them, “Do you really believe?” Do you really believe? He is asking you as you read this. If you believe in His words, if you trust in His prophetic voice over you. Your realities are defined by the risk you take and the step out in faith. If your answer is yes, then allow Him to drive you in your daily life. Change your mentality into Kingdom’s perspectives. Love like He loved you. This radical compassion and love of Jesus imparts to us the same power, love and authority to walk as Jesus walked on earth and shape history.

Change your day, take authority over it and be a royal ambassador of the King of Kings on earth! Become what you believe!!!

Jonathan Costa is a part of Shores of Grace Ministries in Brazil

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Within the depths of my heart you would find a longing for a continual flame to burn. The flame that seems to slowly tenderize my passion for the lord in every area of my life; all aspects, all words, every action, and every reaction I eagerly anticipate to become consumed with this fire. The fire burns until my entire being is molded to the image my creator intends.

Often times, as a worshipping aspect of the ministry, it is a risk going into an opportunity not knowing anything about the partners in ministry, namely the speaker. There have been some very embarrassing moments as expectations of what the speaker desires are completely misunderstood by the entire worship team. You can see it, sometimes you can feel it, and more times than not you can definitely hear it. It is frustrating to witness these awkward moments when it is completely apparent that the flow of the spirit is missed and the anointing in the service is dropped. Please, as one believer to another, do not under appreciate or underestimate the power of the spirit’s anointing. Especially those of you who aspire to be involved in ministry that puts you in different places at a moments notice.

Last weekend there was yet another clear demonstration of the value of this flame for the believer. Traveling around and doing ministry in many different cultures, on different continents, with different people groups, age groups, all with theologies ranging across the board one thing must remain essential in order for the proper effect to take place. It is the move and flow of the anointing of the Holy Spirit that makes the work seamless and the connection between worship team and unknown speaker operate in unity. We witnessed this working in Amsterdam this last weekend. Not knowing the speaker from the barista at Starbucks didn’t seem to interrupt what god wanted to do in the lives of young people. All we needed was a look from him to know how loud to get, to change the dynamic, to go big, to go quiet and all of this as we are moving in the anointing that is poured out by the spirit in the moment. After the service chatting with the speaker his comment rang loud and clear with me, “it is so good to work with people who can sense the anointing and move with it.” It was as if we had clearly communicated with him beforehand our song list, or style, and who was leading our team.

The Spirit confirmed the greatness of the meeting from the anointing that flowed. The Spirit and the anointing that flowed confirmed the connection of words from the speaker and the songs from the worship team. The lives of the young people were changed only through the work of the Spirit and not the manipulation of the speaker or worship team as the anointing flowed.

Praise the Lord for such an opportunity. I thank him for granting me the eyes to see this magnificent demonstration of his power and gearing me up for the next great manifestation through the anointing of his Spirit. My heart is highly anticipating his next move!

Zach and Liz Lowrie are ministering in Belgium with Ninth Hour Ministries.

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Sometimes, God’s plans are different than the plans we have in our own minds even when we think our plans are Gods. Our plans have been God’s and I believe we have been where He wanted us. However, God has taken me and our whole YWAM base by surprise. It was just two and a half weeks ago that I wrote that I was at the “half-way” point, but God new my trip was over. Last Thursday, we looked at some South Sudan news online to figure out what was happening in our country because we were hearing many rumors of war, bombings, and attacks. The news was not comforting or encouraging when we found out the rumors were true, but nothing said that the war was officially declared.

On Friday, we went to DTS class at a nearby NGO and the director came to talk to Chris, Emily , and me (THE DIRECTOR IS ANOTHER WHITE PERSON BESIDES OUR SELVES, a mam named John, from The Netherlands). John told us that we should seriously consider leaving South Sudan early because the war had officially been declared. A couple other people gave us the same suggestion so we began praying about it. We did not want to just act out of fear but to trust God. We most of all, did not want to leave our students, and leave the staff (there would be only 2 remaining). So we prayed for confirmation. I was at the NGO for class at the time, and Chris and Emily were now at home. At the same time, we all prayed the same prayer. We prayed that God would give us a clear sign to confirm what we were suppose to do, “should we go, or should we stay?” As I prayed this, I was watching a UN helicopter coming to land nearby, and I was beginning to make the ten minute walk back to our house under the hot African afternoon sun. We reached the house and noticed that the helicopter had just landed and wasn’t on the ground for one minute before it began ascending straight up into the sky like a hot air balloon. We watched this unusual behavior and then stepped in the house to discuss what we should do. Not even five minutes later (no more than 15 minutes after I had prayed) we heard a jet plane. Now, this also is very unusual because no commercial airlines fly over Sudan and the airport here is closed due to a plane crash (the same plane we were originally going to fly on to Wau). We all went outside to look at the jet, and a Sudanese staff member (also a man in the government) shouted, “THAT IS THE ANTENOV, THAT IS AN ENEMY PLANE! Why are they not shooting it down?!” Now, the Antonov is a bomber jet and it had just flown over our house. We considered this as our clear sign from God that we were suppose to try to leave as soon as possible.

Now, leaving as soon as possible is more challenging than it sounds. We could not fly because, as previously stated, the airport is closed. We could not make the 12 hour trip by land because it is too dangerous because of people who like to lay in ambush and rob cars and buses, Emily is six months pregnant and the road is so bumpy, it would be very dangerous and risky for mother and child (not to mention painful). There is an airport to our North, but again, even 2 hours would be hard for Emily and also going closer to where all the attacks and most bombings are. Our only option was to see if the UN would fly us in a helicopter to Juba (South Sudan’s capitol). Now, the UN also will not allow ANY pregnant ladies fly. So these were just a few of the many challenges. By the grace and miraculous works of God, we got approved to fly with the UN so we planned to fly Friday.

You may remember a month ago we prayed for our renewal of visas. The man said “no problem, you feel at home here and when you are ready to leave, you just come back and we will stamp your passport and give you the right visa.” This sounded good, but growing up with a mother who is obsessed with Judge Judy, I knew it is better to get that statement in writing, but we didn’t. Now that we knew we were leaving, we went back to the government offices. Turns out that minister had been transferred to another state and another man (not so lenient on rules) was in office. He did not want to give is visas because they were expired. He did not want to even give us grace seeing that we were deceived by the previous man with authority. He tried to buy me from Chris as a wife in exchange for two visas for Chris and Emily (even though he was old and had a wife and kids). This failed (thankfully) and Christopher’s love for me prevailed his need for visas, 2 million dollars, or 300 cows and a life time supply of ice cream at Wau Sweet. Finally, he looked at Emily and said, “You have an expired visa by one month, I DO NOT FORGIVE YOU OF THIS” he gave a long pause “However, i do forgive your prisoner” as he pointed to her belly with his pen. “because i know it would be better for that baby to be born at home and with your mommy with you, i will give you your visa.” Christopher and I were relieved for Emily but wondering if he would forgive us too even though we did not have prisoners and i said i would not be the mother of his children (as he right out asked me to do). That day, after about 2 hours, Makayla Joy and God’s grace saved us all from being detained and allowed us to receive our visas to leave South Sudan.

Thursday we went to the UN to see what time the UN flight was and to confirm if we were on the flight. You see, because we were approved, does not ensure we are on the flight, we still have to see if there is room on a flight. The helicopters take 20 passengers and they do not usually take non-UN workers. This means we were lowest priority, thus, we were put on standby after two other higher priority passengers. Thursday night we were so stressed out that we hardly slept (not to mention it was also too muggy). We were stressed because we knew 5 out of 20 people had to not show up for the UN to allow us to fly. We were only allowed a total of 30 pounds of luggage (both carry on and checked) and we obviously were very over weight. Also, as stated before, Emily is pregnant and they don’t fly pregnant women. All of this was too much uncertainty to sleep well. At 5 am we got up to get ready and finish packing. We walked 30 min in the dark through the village with our suitcases and backpacks to the UN airport. (Not an airport you might think of, it is three storage containers all connected for the security, check-in and waiting room, and of course a dirt strip where the helicopter takes off from.) We arrived before anybody else, said good-bye to our students (not knowing if it really was good-bye or not). We counted down the minutes and people who were arriving in their fancy land cruisers. They all showed up. We walked back home (30 min) feeling and looking depressed, disappointed, and dejected. We unpacked and prepared for a few more days. Then we got a call, there was a flight at 10 and we should come back. We were excited with this glimmer of hope and rushed to re-pack. We went back and waited until ten until we found out, THERE WAS NO FLIGHT. We found out that there was originally suppose to be two flights that morning but the pilot wasn’t in the mood to fly so it was canceled (which was the flight we were suppose to be on). They tried to get him to fly at ten (give him time to sleep in) but that also failed. Now we were felling really disappointed and discouraged. We were just following what God told us to do. Why was it so hard? Why were all of the doors to go home closed?
We changed our flight for Sunday and returned home and, once again, un-packed and moved back in for the second time that day.

Sunday, we had a flight at 1 pm so we were able to sleep in, and go facilitate church at the refugee camp like we had been doing the past few weeks. We packed again, said our goodbye again, an although we were sad to leave, we hoped to God this was the last time we had to do this.
Emily wore her baggiest clothes to the UN to hide Makayla so nobody but us would know she was traveling with us in Emily’s belly. One man had noticed and found out about it previously on Friday, but he did not say a word about it today to hinder her from flying. We each were about 20 or more pounds over weight, they did not say a word. All of this was God. Sunday when we went it was as if all the doors were open (but we still felt like we were walking on egg shells).

I had never flown on a helicopter. Initially i thought it would be exciting, then it was described to me as utter torture. Everybody gets sick, it is turbulent and the wind pulls the helicopter all around. As you bounce with the turbulence, you are sitting on a wooden bench so your butt hurts afterwards from sitting and bouncing. They leave the doors and windows open. It is so so loud ect. So we were pretty nervous (especially sense I get sick at the first sign of turbulence). We got on the helicopter, sat on a wooden bench that ran along each side of the helicopter so that our backs were to the wall and we faced each other.

I personally did not think the ride was so so torturous as it was described to us. Granted, i would be ok if i never stepped back inside a helicopter. I enjoyed flying low at 3000 feet hanging my head out the open window taking beautiful pictures. Seeing the animals grazing in the new grass that has begun to sprout, or drinking in the Nile. I saw many huts all by their self (not a part if any village) and thought about how these people have never heard about Jesus (there are many truly unreached people here). We landed half way to Juba at another UN base and waited for about an hour for a plane. When the plane finally arrive and landed on the dirt strip, a sand storm had just began and a thunderstorm was well on its way with black clouds rolling in. This was also when we took off as the flight crew rushed to get the previous passengers and cargo off and our cargo on. It was about a 20 min turn around time from their landing to our take off. Although it is dangerous to take off with the wind, they can not take off on a muddy dirt strip so if we didn’t get up in the air soon, we would have been stuck there. After 45 min, we landed in Juba (which was much greener and had a sky more blue than when we were previously there). We (and other passengers) genuinely praised Jesus for our arrival.

We stayed in Juba until Tuesday afternoon and then flew to Nairobi Kenya. We received transit visas that we thought were good for 7 days but they recently changed it to 3 days. When we arrived in Kenya, we did not yet have tickets home. We had planned to change our tickets and thought (for me) it would be simple to do it online. However, nothing on this trip home had been simple, and fate didn’t seem to want to change up it’s routine by allowing ticket changes to be simple. We ended up going to the airport Wednesday morning and stayed there for 12 hours before we all could get tickets to fly home and before our flights left. Christopher and Emily (long story short) had a nightmare-ish time changing their tickets and kept hitting brick walls all day long. Christopher worked on changing their tickets from the time we arrived in Kenya up until one hour before their plane departed (26 solid hours or arguing with airlines with no breaks in between to sleep or eat.)

Two weeks from the day we decided to leave and come home, 2 canceled flights, 1 helicopter ride, 5 plane rides, and 44 solid hours of airports and airplanes from Kenya to Texas (58 hrs total) LATER, I FINALLY MADE IT HOME. I give ALL glory to God because I have seen so many miracles on this trip and trying to get home. So many things that happened, could have only happened because of God’s grace. I see God’s hand and how He worked and moved among us to protect us, guide us, and arrange so that we could come home. I have soured home on the wings of God and under his pinions as he protected us.

I am so so so grateful and blessed beyond words for your prayers, petitions, and intercession on the behalf of me, Chris, Emily, Makayla, my family and Sudan. My whole family is blessed by all that you guys have done to support us in this trip and especially at the end of this trip of trying to evacuate.

Nicole

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I’m a second generation Pastor’s Kid (PK) and I’m married to a PK, so it shouldn’t be much of a stretch for us to help guide and direct the steps of our children as they maneuver through life as MK’s (Missionary Kids). Right?
But you see, here is the thing, I don’t feel confidant. I feel out of my element and one of the reasons is I am unsure how to help guide my children who are growing up between cultures. They aren’t entirely American and not entirely European; they live a life of in between. They give the verse “Of the world, but not in it” a totally different twist. Right now the issues are simple: forgetting a word in English or being in awe of a restaurant who gives free refills, but I know the living between two cultures will only get more difficult as they grow older.
Another thing is that they live a life where change, not consistency, is the normal. They are used to people coming and going, traveling, staying the night at unfamiliar places, meeting new people all the time and saying goodbye all the time. Their lives since we have moved has felt like they have been in a constant state of either:

A. About to transition 
B. Transition 
C. Adjusting to the transition

But the beauty of all of this is that kids are resilient and as long as they feel secure, it doesn’t matter where they are, who they are around, where they live or where they go; they thrive and this has truly been our experience. They are still very young: 5, 3 and 1 and the older two are just starting preschool, but I know that as they grow, this feeling of “in between” and “constant change” will only be compounded if they aren’t firmly rooted and grounded in the love and acceptance of their heavenly Father.

As I’ve taken my insecurities as a parent before the Lord, He has reminded me that my role in raising MK’s is not any different than raising them as PK’s or just K’s for that matter. We must as parents lead our children to be followers of Jesus first and foremost. All that other stuff will fall into place if our children are going hard after the things of God; if THEY desire for their lives to be a pleasing incense before the Lord. My goal as their mother is to show them by example what a joy it is to follow Jesus and to be their most outrageous, outspoken, encouraging cheerleader.

Being an MK will give them their own unique lens on life and I can’t wait to see the way it shapes and molds them.
And to end on a funny note, I just have to wonder how many of these they will relate to in 15 years.

You know you’re a Missionary Kid WHEN:

• You feel odd being in the ethnic majority.
• You don’t have a license, but you have a passport
• You can’t answer the question, “Where are you from?”
• Your life story uses the phrase “Then we went to…” five times.
• You speak with authority on the quality of airline travel.
• You speak two languages, but can’t in spell either.
• You flew before you could walk.
• You embarrass yourself by asking what swear words mean.
• You think in grams, meters, and liters.
• You have friends from or in 29 different countries.
• You wince when people mispronounce foreign words.
• You don’t know where home is.
• You’d rather never say hello than have to say goodbye.
• Someone brings up the name of a team, and you get the sport wrong.
• You believe vehemently that football is played with a round, spotted ball.
• You know the difference between patriotism and nationalism.
• You realize what a small world it is, after all.
• You know how to pack for a month in a carryon.
• You know the difference between 110 and 220 volts.
• Your parents’ siblings are strangers to you, but you have 50-60 Aunts and Uncles who are no blood relation to you at all.
• You think VISA is a document stamped in your passport, and not a plastic card you carry in your wallet.
• The majority of your friends don’t speak English as a first language.
• You watch a movie set in a foreign country, and you know what the nationals are REALLY saying into the camera.
• You frequently say, “I don’t know, I was out of the country.”

Credit: http://www.crosswalk.com/culture/humor/religious-jokes/you-know-youre-a-missionary-kid-when-1343230.html

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TYLER, Texas — Imagine someone who has experienced injustice — someone who has lost a job, family, home and is quickly losing resolve, will, and direction in life. Then imagine adherents to Jesus’ teachings. They take up the cause of the demoralized person and invite that person into their “family.” They point “The Way” — the way to faith in Jesus.

That’s the vision of Church Under A Bridge, a ministry launched last fall here and modeled after a similar effort in Waco, Texas, reaching out to the homeless. The nonprofit organization held a kick-off service in October under a bridge located at 300 E. Valentine St. — where they still meet. Church services are held there beginning at 10 a.m. Sundays.

Organizers believe that where resolve is gone, Jesus will provide hope rooted in deep love; where will is destroyed, Jesus can make people strong; and where people are lost, Jesus will show that they’re now found.

Church Under A Bridge leaders want to be disciples who make disciples. They believe that by reaching out to the estimated 600-plus homeless residents of Tyler, they can edify those who feel disenfranchised, hurt and wounded by religion to reveal Jesus through worship and shared community. The organization’s leaders want to worship with — and in the process, affirm the dignity of — homeless people they see as made in the image of Jesus. They also want to engage in evangelism with those who are restored through Church Under A Bridge, seeking others who haven’t embraced Jesus.

Organizers say Church Under A Bridge is a visible, exciting way to say they care and want to share their lives with the homeless as well as some who would not be comfortable in normal church services. They are taking their message straight to the homeless instead of waiting for the homeless to seek them for help. It is what Jesus would do, they say.

Leaders of the organization are also hoping to imbue young Christians with a sense of mission and purpose they say is missing in many institutional church settings. Too many churched students leave the church after high school and don’t return, organizers fear. Increasingly more adults feel disconnected from the church and leave, they say, and a newer trend is that more and more church members are attending church with less frequency.

These people are probably not experiencing the life of the church, namely as Christ-followers who are engaged in the mission of the church, making other followers.

So far, leaders are pleased with the level of enthusiasm generated by Church Under A Bridge. More than 10 churches have expressed interest in helping to lead worship, preach from the Gospels and help prepare meals at services. Other groups have also expressed interest in helping to provide medical care. The community at large has expressed encouragement that this ministry is the mission of the Gospel, organizers say.

Raymond Billy is the managing editor of ResonateNews.com.

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The evening before I had received an email from Michelle. The first leg of her return flight to Brazil had been cancelled. She would be stranded in Dallas for the night. I was scheduled to fly to Ethiopia the next day, and now our time at the airport would overlap for over an hour.

While waiting in an airline lounge, I received a frantic text from Michelle asking if I would come to the ticketing area to help with a problem. Because English is not her native tongue, I walked out to help. She had taken off the baggage tags, and the airline had threatened to make her pay to recheck the bags. We worked it all out, but not without tears and emotion.

In the midst of this upheaval, Michelle handed me an envelope and relayed a dream she had the night before—she had seen a young Ethiopian girl crying out for help. Michelle wanted to help, so she handed me an envelope of money with a question—could I give it to the girl in the dream?

How was I ever going to find her among millions of Ethiopian girls?

When I arrived in Ethiopia, I placed the envelope securely in the hotel room safe. Hopefully, I would know when to use it. If nothing else, I would give it to a faithful Ethiopian pastor and ask him to bless a needy, young girl.

As the trip wound down, I had almost forgotten the envelope. There it lay in the hotel safe, but I had not “found” this girl. Early that morning, I prepared for a day-trip to the south to visit one of the schools of the Messianic Jewish Bible Institute in Woliso among the Gafat, who are Ethiopian Jews. I was eager for the trip and opened the locked-box to retrieve the envelope. Although my faith was low, my attitude remained faithful to be available to God’s purposes.

The journey to Woliso was truly outback Africa—green, mountainous, and rugged. We passed miles of native teff— the grain used to make Ethiopian bread—the staple called, injera. I sensed a kind of lonely isolation as we drove, watching the barefooted children play in the fields and the colorfully dressed women balance heavy loads on their heads or backs. I felt drawn to the beauty of this place and its people. I imagined the life before me, drained of strength and maybe even purpose because of decades of poverty and persecution.

Dotted along the way, I saw many traditional Ethiopian huts made of mud and thatched roofs. Curiously, I yearned to see one inside. But not this time, our day brimmed with many different obligations.

After two hours, we made a pit stop. As I waited, sheaves of grain mesmerized me as the wind gently waved them in the Ethiopian sunshine. I snapped a picture, amazed at the stunning beauty… And suddenly, so unexpectedly, a young girl ran out of the field about twenty feet from me. She stopped to pose for a picture with a schoolbook in her hands. Gladly, I lifted the camera and caught the moment!

A simple cow herder, she scampered back to her five cows. I wondered why she approached me with her cattle so far away? I followed her to say hi, and to my great surprise—she answered in English!

Could this be the young Ethiopian girl?

It turned out her that her mother tongue was Oromo, native to that region. Fortunately, our van driver spoke her language. Hawi was her name, and she was tending the cattle with her brother.

I had a deep sense that I had “found” the young girl of Michelle’s dream. We asked about her family, and Hawi returned soon with her father, Haylu Eshete.

Weathered and aged by years of laboring in the sun, he began sharing how he and his wife had tried to conceive five times. They cried out to God. Later, Hawi was born. Her name means, “I asked the Lord, and He answered me. He granted me the desire of my heart.”

Haylu shared that he had led a hard life working in the fields, but his desire was for his children to do better. He dreamed of Hawi becoming a doctor! We handed him the providential envelope that suddenly became so precious, and explained it was for Hawi’s and her brother’s education.

He invited us into his home where we met Meseret, Hawi’s mother. I was delighted to grab that unexpected opportunity I had longed for—to glimpse inside those mysterious, mud huts scattered along the countryside. While entering the dirt-floored room, I was amazed at how clean and spacious it was—with separate huts for sleeping, cooking, and entertaining—even wallpapered with English newspapers.

After visiting for a few minutes, time drew near to return to Woliso. As we said our goodbyes, I noted that Hawi lived near mile marker 91. Dr. Wayne Wilks, director of the Messianic Jewish Bible Institute, said that he had read Psalm 91 that morning and felt it was a confirmation of God’s plans for Hawi. That Psalm reveals God’s protection for us as we face the perils of life. Hawi may be hidden in the rural outposts of Ethiopia, but God saw her plight and became her refuge and shelter.

As we drove away, I was amazed at the chain of events the Lord had orchestrated. These happenings reminded me that God doesn’t need my assistance, just my availability. God’s heart had ached for Hawi and her family for all these years. God had sent us as His ambassadors to visit their home.

What plans does God have for Hawi?

In Jeremiah 29:11 it says, “For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope.” I couldn’t help but feel that God has a special destiny for Hawi. Perhaps one day she will be a spokesperson for the rural people of Ethiopia.

Let Hawi be a reminder for us all. If He can cause a Brazilian to dream a dream, an American to stop in the middle of nowhere, and a young Ethiopian girl to pose in front of a stranger, imagine what He can do for you? God’s incredible plans for us are combined with His extraordinary ability to fulfill them!

As we headed back to the capital, Addis Ababa, I asked Pastor Deresa about the education of the children in his Woliso congregation. Sadly, he said that he had conducted a census and only 50% of the children were in school. Many parents either couldn’t afford the school fees or needed the children to work to supplement the family’s income. Please pray for these young boys and girls who desperately need to know that God has not forsaken them. If you would like to contribute toward Hawi’s education or for other Ethiopian children, please go to www.modernday.org and donate today to the Hawi Education Fund.

If you would like to make a financial contribution to the Hawi Education Fund, please click here.

BRIDGES was launched to span the chasm of apathy and poverty, which separates many of our young generation from a promising future. One of the greatest epidemics of this generation is the normality of single-parent households and broken leadership within the life of a young person. This has led to an increasing academic dropout rate, gang activity, over 4000 youth suicides in 2008 (ages 13 to 24) and over 5,000 youth homicides in 2010 (equivalent to 16 homicides per day).

Lance is a graduate of Oral Roberts University (Tulsa, OK, 2004) and has served the last eight years as a Youth Pastor and Associate Pastor. His heart is to engage a disillusioned generation, by building new perspectives as well as enriching unrealized potential. The anthem of Lance’s life is to equip, influence, empower and impact a youth culture longing for significance and redefining success.

If you would like to make a financial contribution to Lance, please click here.

Throughout the past couple months I’ve been traveling around Norway learning the culture & building relationships with ministry leaders. I’ve also been doing some worship workshops & preaching at camps or churches. A couple youth have given their life to Jesus during my travels while many others are being discipled & encouraged in their spiritual walk.

Right now I’m currently back in the States for a short while as I apply for my Visa & fundraise. A prayer request is that the visa application would be at the top of the list & there would not be any hesitations to be accepted with no delays. Also that funds would come in as Norway is one of the most expensive countries to live in.

Feel free to hear more testimonies & more details about the worship ministry by going to my website: www.disciplesofworship.com & to see highlight videos that I’ve made during my time in Norway you can go to: www.youtube.com/watch or subscribe to my youtube account: maryvorrath

Many Blessings to you and thank you for your prayers!!!

Mary Elizabeth Vorrath

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“It is now the half-way point in the lecture phase of this Discipleship Training School in South Sudan. As I look back at the growth of our students, I am so blessed to see how far they have come. We have taught these topics: Character and nature of God, How to hear the voice of God, sin and repentance, the father heart of God, inner healing, forgiveness, Holy Spirit, Worship, and relationships. It amazes me at how new these teachings are to these 7 students, and they just soak it all up like a dry sponge.

I personally taught on “Hearing the voice of God”. When I was told I was going to teach on this topic, I was nervous because I didn’t feel I could always hear his voice clearly. I asked myself, “How am I going to teach this, when I feel like I am lacking in this area”. Nevertheless, I prepared the best I could, and came to South Sudan with my bullet pointed notes for a teaching on how to hear God’s voice. The night before I taught, I was going over my notes and putting the finishing touches on my notes teachings. I felt in my spirit, I needed to forget my notes and put them aside. As stubborn as I am sometimes, I continued to look at my notes and polish my teaching. This inward battle continued until I even felt sick to my stomach. Then I decided, “ok, this must be God speaking”. So, I put my notes aside and began to listen to God. Then God began to speak to me as a teacher and personally taught me, how to hear God’s voice. He took all of my notes, and made them come alive to ME and teach ME. He spoke so clearly to me everything that he wanted me to do the following day. He charged me not to speak a single word that I did not hear coming from his mouth. So, after 4 hours of prayer, listening, worship, repentance, and tears, I felt I was prepared. I didn’t have a clue what I would say, except, God has taught me how to hear God’s voice and that I was only to communicate his words.

The day of the teaching came. I was prayed for, like every speaker is, that God would use me as his mouth-piece. The class said “amen” and everybody stared at me, waiting for me to speak. 30 minutes passed by and finally God gave me the first words I was to speak. I won’t go into the details of the teaching (you just had to be there), but God really spoke clearly to the students and through me. It was very powerful how God worked and I am so thankful that as I was faithful to be God’s servant and tool, God was faithful to use me to speak to the lives of the students and even the staff.

At the end of the teaching, students told me “I did not even KNOW that God speaks to people but now I can hear and recognize God speaking to me when I pray!” Others said, “That was a very different way of starting a teaching. I have never seen that before, but after a few minutes, I felt the power of God and I knew, that today was going to be different, and today, I was going to hear the word of God”. It was so rewarding to me to see God speaking to these students and to see them dive into a deeper level of intimacy with God as they have discovered that talking with God is a two-way conversation. God has hand picked these 7 students to be first fruits of this new Youth With A Mission base. I know God has such a huge plan for these students life and am so blessed to be called by God to be apart their discipleship.

Please continue to pray for this school. They have 6 weeks left for their lecture phase and then will go on a 3 month outreach to make God known.”

Thank You!

Nicole

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