Intercessary Prayer

by Joy Casey,
Executive Director, Mission 1:27

I am in the midst of taking a fantastic class called Perspectives that gives an in-depth teaching on the world Christian movement. Spurred by one of the teachings, I have been mulling over something about prayer that brought up some interesting aspects I had not thought of before. You, too, might be interested since prayer is essential to Christ-followers but there is so much about prayer that is a mystery.

Rebellion Against the Status Quo
Have you ever looked at prayer as rebellion? I usually recoil from the word ‘rebellion’ because it has many negative connotations and I am basically a rule follower… but in the area of intercessory prayer rebellion is vital. How? Intercessory prayer is essentially rebellion against or the non-acceptance of the status quo. It is refusal to accept as normal that which is abnormal and completely opposite to God’s ways. Rebellion is wholehearted rejection of every scheme and agenda that stands against God. And we must be diligent to recognize the sometimes subtle acceptances that creep into our psyche. Becoming resigned to “life as it is” will cripple our prayer lives. Although we may feel powerless to change our broken society, we must remember that God’s power, realized through prayer, will overcome evil with good.

Do we accept the politically correct version of our world?
Other religions have taken resignation and incorporated it into their doctrine. Could it be because experientially they have found their gods powerless to affect change? Religions which stress quiet acceptance of the status quo disparage petitionary prayer. The Stoics believe in total acceptance of the existing world and asking for change is a bad thing. Buddhists and other Eastern religions hold a similar view, and the idea of “fate” in Hinduism imprisons millions of people in spiritual and economic poverty. Secularism, which we perhaps are more familiar with, says that life is disconnected from a relationship with God. We must come to terms with life and accept things as they are. Some believe God may be present and active in the world, but it is not a presence that changes anything. It is easy to adjust to the PC version of our world.

Petitionary prayer expresses the hope that life as it is encountered can
and should be different.

If we accept, however despairingly, that the situation is unchangeable, why would we pray? It is not that we are unaware of what is happening around us, but a sense of impotence leads us to resignation and acceptance of what is wrong. It is a truce with the world that is deadly to intercessory prayer.

“At all times we should pray and not lose heart.” (Luke 18:1)

Two huge impacts on people… let’s pray!
In a substantial area in Ethiopia where we are engaged in orphan care, family sponsorship, small business starts, kindergartens, church plants and evangelism, two devastating things have happened… one is man-made and one is the fault of El Nino. In very broad strokes, the Oromo tribe (Ethiopia’s most populous people group) is at odds with the prevailing government and their dissatisfaction has resulted in attacks on non-Oromo people living in Oromo territory. Just one week ago, anger erupted violently erupted in two areas where Mission 1:27 is heavily involved. The Federal police were called in to suppress the uprising, but not before non-Oromo people were threatened. Fundamental Muslim agitators took this opportunity to strike against Christian churches, non-Oromo Christian individuals and Christian-owned businesses. Many churches, businesses and homes were burned.

Prayer points

• A mighty move of peace and rest by the power of the Holy Spirit
• That the Good News would spread rapidly in the midst of crisis
• Protection and favor over each individual situation (Psalm 5:11-12)

80% are farmers

Farmers plant in the late spring just in time for the rainy season. However, this year the rainy season did not materialize and maize and teff (Ethiopian wheat) stood stunted and dry in the fields. There is little food for the table and even less for the animals. Harvest in the fall was bleak leaving no currency with which to purchase needed staples. Shortage of food caused by the drought brings a sharp increase in malnutrition, secondary ailments from malnutrition, escalating food prices, and a higher rate of school dropout. Household debt has risen sharply and dietary diversity has narrowed significantly. Children are separated from their families to either work as a servant in someone’s home or to live with a relative who is better off. Livestock, if they live, command lower prices at the market because of their deteriorated physical condition due to lack of water and pasture. To put inflationary food prices in perspective, the food budget for our orphanage increased 178% this past month.

Prayer points

• Rains will come in their proper time to soak the earth
• Provision for the hungry

We serve a big God who is an expert at finding a way where there is no way. We are helpless, but the Lord of the universe is not. Please pray for the nearly 10 million Ethiopians (75% of them Oromia people) affected by this terrible drought. Don’t accept the status quo and pray for Almighty God to intervene!

“I keep my eyes always on the Lord. With Him at my right side, I will not be shaken.” Psalm 16:8

Drumroll please...

Today we're excited to announce our brand new name… Mission 1:27!

You may have noticed this name appearing on our Facebook, Twitter and websites in the last week or two and perhaps you’ve wondered what this is all about.

The work being done in Ethiopia – family preservation, small business starts, orphan care, adoption and Muslim evangelism – encompasses so much more than our old name implied. 

Mission 1:27 more accurately represents who we are in Ethiopia... bringing care and support in a variety of ways to the orphan and widow as commanded in James 1:27.

The people, the focus, and the motive for all we do remains the same.

For our ministry partners who give via credit card, nothing will change.

For those of you who send support with a check, please make payments to Mission 1:27 from now forward.

Our new website is currently under construction and we can’t wait to roll that out in the near future.  In the meantime, our ywamethiopia.com and adoptionministry127.com websites will remain active.  Family sponsorship and Gift Catalog purchases will be available as usual.

We are eagerly looking forward to following God and implementing His plans in 2016.

Thank You for Giving!

It’s really an honor to promote our Gift Catalog as a way for folks to give.  What more meaningful way to spend your gift-giving dollars than on someone you’ll never meet but who will appreciate the gift more than most?



I thought you might be blessed to see what was donated via our Gift Catalog in the month of December:

15 portable water filters mean water free of parasites and bacteria
14 complete bed sets – frames, mattresses and bedding
5 bags of charcoal, used for cooking fuel
2 solar light bulbs
8 goats
4 new houses to replace dilapidated ones
6 soccer balls and 2 pumps
3 financial packages to help an Ethiopian family to adopt a child
1 surgery for a widow for things like cataracts or fistula repair
9 sets of food staples for a month
1 new set of clothes
1 new pair of shoes
5 bibles
1 audio bible
9 school packages – fees for one year, supplies and backpacks
1 Jesus Film dvd
$150 in emergency medical help
$250 in evangelist support

For our orphanage:
1 crib and mattress
15 cans of formula
4 baby swings
4 packages of cloth diapers
$540 general orphanage support

Several people chose to give toward the ministry’s ‘Greatest Need’, which is a huge blessing that allows us to address a variety of urgent needs.  We received $3595 in this category!

It doesn’t take us very long to distribute these wonderful gifts and we are always in need of your generous donations via the Gift Catalog.  If you’d like to give, you can do so easily and securely on our Gift Catalog webpage:


We know that for many of you, this giving is sacrificial.  “Thank you” seems a very inadequate way to express how much your generosity means to those we serve in Ethiopia. We are grateful that God, above anyone else, sees your hearts and blesses you!

The generous will themselves be blessed
for they share their food with the poor.
Proverbs 22:9

One Woman Can... Change Her Future

Visit us at Adoption Ministry 1:27 to learn more about giving women the opportunity to have their own small business and thereby change the future for themselves and their children.  It's happening right now in Ethiopia for 28 people like Asnakech (Ahs-nah'-ketch).  With your help, we can help change the future for many more!

Adoptive Parenting Links You’ll Like

Perspectives in Parenting is a website/blog written by an adoptive mother of eight children who is also a missionary.  Selina writes about many adoption topics, with a goal of sharing experiences, encouraging other adoptive parents and bringing God’s word to bear on all of life as a parent.  Below are a few links to some very insightful posts but be sure to spend some time on the website looking at all the topics available!

Dear Parent of a Newly Adopted Child
”You’ve spent months (maybe even years!) dreaming of bringing home your child. Somewhere in the midst of the excitement of choosing a name and the fun of decorating a bedroom, you lost sight of the one truth that you so desperately need in order to survive this adoption…”

For the Parent Ready to Quit
”Maybe you’re struggling with a special needs kiddo and you’re feeling stretched beyond what your body feels it can stretch. Maybe you’ve adopted a trauma/RAD child, and you are just TIRED of cleaning up poop. (Figuratively and literally.) Maybe you’re a mama who thought you could trust God with the children (both number and needs) He felt you could handle—but you’re pregnant again and the little ones aren’t listening and the laundry has turned into Mt. Everest and your friends and family keep asking you “Don’t you think you have ENOUGH children?”…and you’re wondering if HE really can be trusted?”

10 Things You Wish You Knew About Older Child Adoption
Really good, practical and eye-opening truths about what it’s like to adopt older children – both before coming home and the journey of healing and bonding afterward.

A Wonderful Challenge

by Joy Casey

“The world is going to hell in a handbasket” and “Things are spinning out of control,” are phrases I hear often these days. And, if headlines are the indicator, I might tend to agree. But when I meet with my Savior in the quiet of morning and open His Word and listen, He confirms that things are not spinning out of His control. He also continually challenges me to persevere in the work He has set before me that prevents many from going to hell.
 

Source: Creative Commons

Some of the most important aspects of Adoption Ministry’s work in Ethiopia are done behind the scenes and the details cannot be communicated for security reasons. In various pockets in Ethiopia, God has raised up warriors in unlikely places using unorthodox means. These warriors are assigned to the front lines and live uncomfortable lives in the trenches. They are severely beaten, threatened with eviction, their cattle are poisoned, their houses burned, they have minimal food and shelter, and suffer under unfair practices of the local government. These men and their wives give what little they have to their converts who face immense persecution, sometimes losing their jobs and homes because of their newfound belief in Christ.*

And they cannot take a breather and get re-fortified during a furlough!

Yet … God’s hand is clearly seen! In 2015 six churches were planted in areas where the Christian faith has never been before. They are crude buildings, nothing fancy at all … they don’t have electricity, most don’t have benches to sit on, and the people are packed tightly together, hungry for God’s Word. Some converts are illiterate and when we can supply audio Bibles in their language, they will memorize the Word and be transformed by the renewing of their mind (Romans 12:2).

* Did you know that Ethiopia is #22 on the World Watchlist for Persecuted Christians, right after India and ahead of Egypt, Djibouti, Myanmar and China?
 

Source: Creative Commons

Support strategies for the frontline troops
A man from Saudi Arabia has written three pamphlets and two books in the Amharic language that are incredible tools for evangelism. Trainings have been facilitated throughout Ethiopia and the pamphlets distributed to Christian college students, pastors, and, of course, the warriors in the trenches. Adoption Ministry has facilitated two workshops for evangelists and many more are needed on college campuses and in churches. More copies of the pamphlets (about 21 pages) and books (about 200 pages) need to be printed. Will you help?

· The first booklet Uncovered Truths is just that … uncovering the true roots of the Islamic faith.  It provides answers to questions posed by Muslims.

· The second booklet, The Question of My Soul, is described by the author as a drill machine that breaks apart the big mountains of Muhammad and the Quran.  

· The third booklet, The Question of My Dear Ahmed is a testimony of a converted Muslim and shows there is no salvation through Islam and the only way to salvation is through Jesus Christ. 

These booklets cost $ .25/each to print

· A 100 page book was written as a response to a book written by an Islamic cleric 5 years ago called Who is Christ? 303 Questions;  303 questions directed against the person of Christ and the Holy Trinity.  The response refutes every argument and equips Christians to meet the challenges the Muslim community is bringing.

This book costs $ .50 to print

· The Muslims have been aggressively criticizing the Christian faith and because most Christians are not equipped to understand and respond to these accusations, fear has spread among Christians resulting in avoidance of Muslims or conversion to Islam out of ignorance.  This publication is an apologetic and has changed the atmosphere. Once the Christian man nor woman understands the question and has a good grasp of the truth, they boldly challenge the Quran and Muhammad and are prepared to joyously share the Good News.  Especially on college campuses this book is equipping Christian students to easily defend their faith and their witness is winning over their Muslim neighbors.  The book has four chapters and 192 pages.

This book costs $ .80 to print
 

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If you would like to make a donation to help us print these materials or for bibles (either audio bibles or print versions), please go to our website here. THANK YOU for helping us meet this great challenge and spread the Good News of Christ throughout the country!

Children at Play in Ethiopia