A Few Words from our Prayer Teams

The Israel Mission Trip was not only a wonderful experience for the participants, but also for those who stayed behind and prayed faithfully for the trip.  Staci Roth and Debbie Boedeker were both part of our 24-Hour Prayer Team, and their comments reflect the sentiments of many of these prayer partners:

Staci Roth:

God blessed me with the most amazing prayer time.  I felt as though He had given me a front row seat to the journey!  Tiff [Cobb] and I texted every other morning, and what God had placed on my heart at midnight to pray was exactly what was taking place that day!  Hallelujah!

Debbie Boedeker:

It was one of the most profound spiritual experiences of my life.  I have kept my alarm on my cell [phone] set for 10 AM and am continuing the practice of stopping whatever and wherever I am and praying.  I have been on mission trips before and have prayed for mission trips before, but never like this.  The guide Heather [Bell] wrote was incredible; it meant so much to pray so specifically for events, places, activities, and people.

What was your experience like?  Did God work in your life?  Did God reveal something new to you?  We welcome your comments or e-mails.  On personal note, it was a significant spiritual experience for me as well.  I loved being able to pray for specific people and events, knowing that often they were occurring as I was praying.  I enjoyed the personal connection, and it made my prayers more genuine and meaningful.  I echo Debbie’s gratitude to Heather Bell for an incredible prayer guide, and look forward to the opportunity to do something like this again in the future.

They’re Back!

The Israel Mission Team has returned from their two-week long trip to the Holy Land.  Make sure that you check out the blog at www.tallohoodtoday.com to read stories and see pictures from their trip.  And please join us on Sunday evening, August 2, for a time of reflection and celebration of everything God has done through the lives of our students and adults in Israel.

Now we want to know about your experiences praying for the team.  How did God speak to you during your prayer times?  How did it impact you?  You can tell us by leaving a comment on this post or e-mailing me at dray@tallowood.org.  We’ll put up some of your responses in a future blog post.  Thank you for standing with us in prayer!

Updates on the Israel Mission Trip

Want to receive updates on what is going on with the Israel Mission Team?  Check out www.tallohoodtoday.com, the Youth Ministry blog.  The blog will be updated throughout the trip with posts from the five mission teams.  Currently it has a picture of each of the five teams, which could be helpful if you want to put names with faces as you pray.  Check it out!

A Fitting Send-Off

Last night was a great time of prayer as we commissioned the Israel Mission Team.  They will leave on Tuesday, July 14, knowing that the Tallowood community has come together to support them in prayer.  Thank you for your continued prayer on behalf of the team and the many people they will encounter in Israel.

A total of 241 people have committed to prayer for one of our five mission teams, and between friends and family who do not attend church at Tallowood, I have no doubt that the actual number of people praying will be significantly larger.  And we successfully filled every single slot on our 24-Hour Prayer Team, a total of 315 hours! And of course, you don’t have to sign up to pray.  Even though the deadline for signing up has past, we welcome anyone to join us as we pray for the Israel Mission Team over the next two weeks.

Now we wait in eager anticipation to see what God will do!

Prayer Guide for Individual Mission Teams

Have you signed up to pray for one of our five Israel Mission Teams?  If so then check out this Individual Mission Teams Prayer Guide.  It has a detailed list of prayer requests that you can use as you pray for the teams while they are gone.  If you haven’t yet signed up to pray for a specific team just let us know and we’ll get you on the list.  Thanks for standing with us in prayer!

Hour-By-Hour Prayer Guide

Are you a part of our 24-Hour Prayer Team for the Israel Mission Trip?  Then you won’t want to miss out on this incredible Israel Mission Trip Hour-By-Hour Prayer Guide.  Click the link to download the file and join us in prayer!  Simply scroll down until you find the time at which you have signed up to pray.  Then read the prayer guide prepared by Heather Bell.  At the bottom of each page you’ll find a name of a student or adult leader that corresponds to your time.  Take a moment as you pray to intercede on his or her behalf.  Thank you for standing with us in prayer!  I can’t wait to see what God does through you and through our Israel Mission Team!

The Last Week!

It’s the last week to sign up for the Worship in Action Prayer Initiative!  Our first goal is to have 50 people praying for each of our five Israel Mission Teams, and our second goal is to have one person praying for the team during every hour they are away.  We have made great progress, but there are still opportunities for you to get involved.  Each of our Mission Team Prayer Teams need about 25 more people to meet our goal, and there are still numerous slots open for our 24-Hour Prayer Team, including many in the middle of the afternoon!  If you’d like to be a part of this you can do one of three things:

1. Leave a comment here.
2. E-mail me at dray@tallowood.org.
3. Sign up at the Re:Action Center on Saturday or Sunday.

Don’t miss out on the opportunity to join with our Tallowood community as we intercede on behalf of the Israel Mission Team and all those they will encounter on their trip!

WIA:Israel Launch Video

Worship in Action: Israel

We’re excited to announce the launch of our new Worship in Action emphasis as we partner with the Youth Mission Trip to Israel. Forty-nine students and adults will be in Israel from July 14-26. They will begin their time with a tour of the Holy Land, walking the land where Jesus walked. Then they will split up into five mission teams for the remainder of the trip, serving the Israeli people in a variety of ways. The five teams will go to Ashdod, Haifa, Galilee, Nazareth, and Jerusalem. Stay tuned to the Worship in Action blog to find out more details about each team.

This Worship in Action emphasis will be a bit different from those in the past. Ordinarily we ask you to give money or something tangible that will go directly to those in need. This time we felt God leading us in a different direction, but what we’re asking for is no less valuable. We’re asking for your time. More specifically, we’re asking for your prayers.

Paul exhorted the Roman church in Romans 12:12 to remain “faithful in prayer,” and we are called to the same discipline. Can you imagine what could happen through the lives of these students if we as the Body of Christ committed ourselves to praying on their behalf? It could be more than any of us could imagine!

You can be a part of this in one (or both) of two ways. First, we want to create a prayer team of fifty people for each of our five mission teams. These teams will commit themselves to pray for the mission team during the eight weeks leading up to the trip. You’ll receive prayer guides and reminders via e-mail, and you’ll also have a chance to join in a commissioning service on Sunday night, July 12. The second way you can be involved is by committing to pray for the Israel Mission Trip during one of the hours it is taking place. Our goal is to have someone praying for the mission teams during every hour they are away!

The opportunities for cross-cultural, life-changing ministry on this trip are incredible, and you can be a part of God’s work in the lives of these forty-nine participants and the people they touch. Join us in prayer over these eight weeks, and commit to pray for the team during one of the hours they are away. You can sign up for each of these opportunities at the Re:Action Center, located just outside the Worship Center each weekend. And don’t forget to keep checking back for updates and prayer guides.

This is Worship in Action!