Nan Update – The Future:)

What are we up to…

I know this update is coming a little sooner than you expected, schedules change frequently here so stay flexible with me. I’m unsure when the next update will come, it might be up to three weeks before you hear from me again so I’ll try to make this as detailed as possible about what our plans are so you can continue to pray specifically over the vision here and we will pray that when we can’t reach you that He will lay on your heart exactly what to pray over. I praise Him for already doing that, I have already receive a large amount of emails about people waking in the night with Penny and I on their heart and just started to pray, or on certain days just had a burden for us that they couldn’t shake and spent all day in prayer for us. It’s amazing how He works. Those nights you have been awakened by the Spirit or were burdened we were in desperate and when I say desperate I mean it, desperate need of His power, guidance and knowledge and the Spirit provided it for us through your Prayers. Thank you.

So this week Penny and I sat down and laid out the next 12 weeks and prayed to be led on what to do with the various people with are trying to reach. And this is where we were led: with our one believer we are going through the basics of the faith in a twice a week, 12 week study. Through this she will learn what sin is, what true repentance is forgiveness, prayer and how to live out a Godly life. Our prayer is that we will immediately begin to see much fruit in her life.. Her name is Freda, keep her in prayer.

Secondly there are two people that are very interested in the Word and have both confessed to know it is the truth but no decision or life change has really occurred, with these two we are going to go through the book of John, playing each chapter through a radio we have that contains the enter New Testament in their language, then having discussion about what they heard, what they think about it and how they can apply it to their lives. We are praying that their eyes will be totally opened to see the truth about the Word of Life and the Light that was sent to save them. Their names are Barnabas and Zoe. Pray for them.

Thirdly we are starting to reach out to the village adjacent to us once a week we are going there to tell stories also from the book of John, every week for the next 12 weeks. We were given a book of 12 certain stories from John with pictures and such that we will be using to help illustrate and explain the Word more clearly. There hasn’t been much work done in this village for the past 6 months, it’s a small place and we firmly believe if a spark would start, the whole place would get involved. Plead with Him for this. Also in April we are going to seek to play the Jesus Film here as well. As far as we know they haven’t seen it so pray, pray, pray for that event. We will also be doing a Kids club there on a different morning every week. Pray for Penny as she leads these in this village and in our own. She has a big heart for children and will be leading these clubs, telling the stories and leading the songs and such. Pray that she has wisdom in what to teach and how to most effectively reach these young hearts. Also that the children would be attentive, respectful and the Word would penetrate their hearts.

Fourthly when we first moved to our village, a group of men invited us to come and sit with them and play the Word for them with our radio. This has never happened before. B & K were very surprised and encouraged us to do so as quickly as possible because a door was just flung open for the Word to go out to many influential men of the village. So we have been preparing and praying, we will also be going through the stories of John with them once a week. Please pray that the door will stay open, that we would have wisdom in how to answer their questions. They are already devote followers of a faith. Pray that, that wouldn’t be a hindrance and that they would be open minded, that even now the bondage that they are in would be broken in the Name.

So that is pretty much the specifics of our everyday.. Preparations and going out to visit, meet, pray, share and reap fruit. We also will be trying to show the Jesus Film in our village twice before we leave, once in March and once in May. Please pray for the logistics of all that to be worked out and that the people would come and be receptive. The Film is such a complete source of the Word and it can reach so many more people than we can in the short time that we are here so we are desperately praying that it will work out and that people would be radically changed by the Truth.

On a side note- I’m sure many of you know already but if you don’t, I have malaria. On Saturday afternoon B&K came to the village to get me because I was feeling very sick and they thought I might have had bacterial infection or an ameba so I stay the night in town with them and was feeling a lot better on Sunday after much rest so I went back out to our village. I made it through Monday alright and was feeling fine then I woke up very early Tuesday morning feeling very sick again, needless to say I slept till 3 pm that day until B&K came back to Village to check on me, we took my temperature and decided to go the clinic- they treated me for malaria and I’ve been resting ever since.

It’s week 7 for Penny and I and it’s been tough for me, everything we had set out to do this week she has done alone, except meet with the men, which I was well enough to help with on Monday night. She’s stayed three nights by herself in the Village this week, made visits, gone to other villages, told stories and been the light – Alone. It’s not easy when both of us are there I can’t imagine what she’s going through, as I lay on my bed fighting in between being cold and burning up, being hungry and throwing up, being so weak I can’t stay awake yet being so awake and too weak to do anything – I am left powerless to do anything for the cause in which I left America to do and yet I feel like God is teaching me something about prayer. I have recently in my devotional times been reading a book called Red Moon Rising, and God has been teaching me a lot about incessant prayer and dependence on Him. Not only through this book but through everyday life here as well, this Christian life is truly an interesting thing. As a team, the four of us have been reading and studying 1&2 Corinthians, we didn’t mean to study them together we were just all talking one Sabbath and realized we had all been studying the same thing. He is good like that. And the more I have studied and read over and over again the same truth comes to life. We can do nothing without Him, the wisdom we think we have is not wisdom at all, we were nothing when He called us so that through us He could do all things and He alone would get ALL the glory from it. Through our weakness we are strong, and even though we can’t fight like the world does, we don’t need too because we have access to more power through our weakness than the world can imagine having in all its power. He is our strength, wisdom and life through Him truly all things are possible and not of ourselves for even our faith is not of ourselves so that no one can boast except through the cross of Christ.

Encouraging and challenging quotes …

“He did everything to give ALL people the opportunity to know Him, why wouldn’t we do anything and everything to tell them about it, lest His great sacrifice be in vain?”- *Inspired by Love Song- Third Day

What I have been learning…

“Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in needs, in persecutions, in distress, for Christ sake. For when I am weak then I am Strong. – 2Cor.. 12:10

“And I will very gladly spend and be spent for your souls; though the more abundantly I love you the less I am loved.” 2Cor 12:15

The Lord has been continually showing me how this life is to be lived opposite what we would naturally think, what the world perceives as strength is really weakness, wisdom really foolishness and trial is really joy: when you are committed to and following the truth. And with that may we all with one heart agree to spend and be spent for the souls of the lost no matter what their reaction may be, may we love them like He does.

Excerpt from my prayer journal –

“ If you were to tell me, that out of everything in this world there was one thing worth living for- would I not pursue it all my days and be totally consumed by it. Who wants to waste their life? You only get one, day by day, time passes. What has my attention, my devotion, my passion, my energy, my thoughts, my affections, my purpose , my time, my heart? Lord, you have given me my worth, I will not throw it to things that are unworthy of it, yet I will spend it on you. For Your worth, none can measure yet do we even need to, for the smallest amount of who you are is worthy of all my life and all that, that entails. You are God.

Lift it up, Lift it up, Lift it up

-Protection over our house, health, and hearts.

-Open doors not only in our village but the village beside us that we will also be doing work in.

- Zoe, Barnabas, Boaz, Anna, Meg, Moe, Alec, and Rachel- potential Believers

- Freda, the only Believer in our Village.

-The Children of our village

- That we would have wisdom each day on where to go who to talk to and that the King would go before us preparing the way.

-Pray against the attacks of the enemy on every side “for a great and effective door has opened to me and there are many adversaries.”-1Cor 16:9

-This is also a verse that’s been laid on my heart for our Village pray that it would be true

John 10:42

February 27, 2009 | Categories: Nan, Prayer Request | Tags: Nan, Prayer Request | Leave A Comment »

Major Prayer Requests

We have received word that Jamie’s sister, Nan (the youngest of the sisters), who is in Niger Africa as a journeyman missionary through the IMB, has malaria. She is in Africa being treated.

Also, Jamie’s sister Nicole (the 2nd youngest), who helped us at our D-Now, her fiancé Jerry, who also was a D-Now leader, his younger brother, Conner, collapsed yesterday and is in a coma state right now.

Below are 2 email that I have received from Vicki, Jamie’s mother.

Please pass these prayer concerns to others you know and to the students that you have emails for.

I will be posting updates as I get them.

Thanks,
Bro. Mark

Concerning Conner:
My Dear Prayer Warriors..
Just received a call from Nicole…Conner is worse than we originally thought…when he collapsed on an exercise machine of some sort at the gym…his heart stopped. An aide there at the gym did CPR on him until the EMT’s arrived and they had to shock his heart 3 times before getting him to start back. He is on life support…they believe he has lost some brain activity…they are keeping his body temp at 90* to keep from losing anymore. He does appear to react to voices when they talk…that is on the machines there is a rise in activity. The family is meeting with a cardiologist sometime this morning and will hopefully know more at that time. Also, remember this young man is 17-18 years old; he graduated early from high school. Also, they just found out the his older brother is coming home from the war on Thursday. The Army has already given him leave so that in itself is NOT a good sign.
Please, please pray that someone will be up there to minister to this family and share Christ with them. Pray for wisdom for the doctors and also for peace for Jerry and Nicole as well.
Thank you so very much.
Vicki

Concerning Nan:
Some of you may not have been aware that we had received news from Nan on Sunday that she had a severe attack of pain on Saturday which they thought could have been appendicitis or something else and we had been awaiting further news which was what prompted the call I speak of in the following.

Again God is SO amazing…I had wanted to call Nan all day yesterday but just didn’t…then this morning was going to call early but just kept putting it off…WHEN I did call and the call went amazingly right through and with perfect reception… Nan laughs…and says…”I just now got back from the doctor!” HIS timing….
Anyway…she has malaria !! So is staying in Kollo with the other girls until this weekend when they are due to go to Niamey…and then we will know more of what all transpired. But until then please do continue praying for her health. And pray that the medicine will help her quickly and she will get over it and be able to continue in her work.
Bill and I both had malaria, at the same time, and it is normally not a good thing. The complications can be quite serious, so it is not a minor thing. BUT I must say…her having it over another kidney stone or possible appendicitis over there is better in my opinion. I could go on and on about what I think they may do but we will wait and see in a few days from her. Just keep them as always in prayer…her body will be extremely weak for a while…this I know…and pray that she will experience no complications from it as well.
I praise God for each and every one of you and your faithfulness to hold her up at this time. Your emails, calls, and words of encouragement to me have meant so very much to my heart. Thank you SO MUCH.
Vicki

February 24, 2009 | Categories: Nan, Prayer Request | Tags: Nan, Prayer Request | Leave A Comment »