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!

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!

Where To Next?

So where is Worship in Action headed next?  That’s a question we’ve been asking ourselves a lot lately.  We began the year with a good idea of where we wanted to head with Worship in Action, but God has steadily been closing doors.  We believe strongly that He is directing us and guiding us and we continue to pray for His leadership and the open door that He is preparing us to walk through.  Please pray with us as we seek God’s guidance in faith.  Where is Worship in Action headed next?  We’ll all find out soon!

Pray for Myanmar

Pray for the citizens of Myanmar as they cope with the effects of the latest disaster to befall them, a deadly cyclone that may have left as many as 22,000 dead, 41,000 missing and perhaps as many as one million homeless.  Pray that God would direct the resources needed to rebuild infrastructure.  Pray that God would bring peace to grieving families and friends.  There may also be ways that you can be involved by giving to various international aid organizations like the Red Cross and the U.N. World Food Program.  Click here to read more about the devastating cyclone.

God’s Presence in Burma

Even in the midst of a predominantly Buddhist nation like Myanmar (Burma), whose people are generally resistant to the Gospel, God is present and at work.  Check out this exciting account from missionaries who recently experienced an extraordinary breakthrough:

http://www.christianaid.org/Missionaries/MIR/mir20080318.aspx

Mission Trip Day 1

Just a quick update from day one of the mission trip to East Houston.

We began the day at 7:30am loading all of the supplies and equipment for the week and ended our day after the revival playing games at the hotel. We have almost 50 people on this trip and everyone was busy the entire day.

Everyone worked hard today getting ready for the rest of the week. We cleaned out the empty lot for the sports camp. We put together three basketball goals. We painted a basketball court. We prepared VBS supplies and crafts. We painted rooms, tore down walls, trimmed trees, planted flowers, fixed a fridge, move furniture, loaded and unloaded, and generally got ourselves very tired!

Here are a few pictures for you to see, click on each picture to see a larger image:

 

 

Christopher (Christobal), which you can learn more about from the WIA Houston Video, was at the revival will be back during the week.

Please continue to pray for us as we attempt to reach the lost for Christ. Pray that people here would be freed from their bonds and chains. Pray for us as we continue to work the next few days. And pray that people would come to the sports camp, VBS, and the revival. Thank you for praying for us. Check back tomorrow night for more pictures and updates.