The Effectual Fervent Prayer…

"We must begin to believe that God, in the mystery of prayer, has entrusted us with a force that can move the Heavenly world, and can bring its power down to earth." -- Andrew Murray

When asked, “What are your greatest needs?” most every missionary will tell you two things – prayer and finances.  They will always tell you that prayer is the most important thing you can do for them.

There are countless stories of missionaries being delivered or saved from a situation due to prayer.  Like the story of John Paton and his wife.  Dr. Billy Graham relates this story in his book "God's Secret Agents" about missionary John Paton and his wife in The New Hebrides.  It is said that one night they were surrounded by hostile natives who wanted to kill them.  They prayed through the night for protection and at daylight, saw that the attackers were leaving.  A year later, the chief of the tribe of the attackers became a Christian and Paton asked him about the night of the attack and why nothing had happened.  The chief was surprised and said it was because of all the men who were there protecting them, hundreds of them in shining garments and with drawn swords.

In her book "The Spirits of Mindoro" published in 1988 by Overseas Missionary Fellowship, Catherine Davis talks about a woman who worked in the jungle on Mindoro Island in the 1950's.  She was sleeping alone in her house one night when she heard men outside talking about killing her.  She prayed for protection and the men suddenly grew quiet, then ran away. The next day a woman from the village said that the men did not carry out their plans because of two large people dressed in white who were standing on each side of the path to the house.  I doubt we will ever know the times that we have been protected or delivered by the hand of God due to the fact that someone, somewhere was praying. 

Yes, enlisting prayer partners is extremely important for the missionary.  Some might have a desire to pray, but they do not know how to pray.  Wycliffe Bible Translators have a great page on their web site titled, “How To Pray For Missionaries.”  This is a good outline to use when praying for missionaries:

1. Pray for open doors Colossians 4:2–3, NIV
2. Pray for boldness in witness Ephesians 6:19, NIV
3. Pray that God’s Word will spread 2 Thessalonians 3:1, NLT
4. Pray for protection 2 Thessalonians 3:2, NLT
5. Pray for their ministry 2 Thessalonians 3:1, NLT
6. Pray for God’s guidance Colossians 1:9, NLT
7. Pray for their refreshment Colossians 1:11, NLT
8. Pray for partners in prayer Romans 15:30, NLT; 2 Corinthians 1:11, NLT

One of our prayer partners recently posted this picture on her Facebook wall. 
“Was encouraged during Missions emphasis month to upgrade in the area of intercession. God put it on my heart to create prayer cards for the missionaries we support.”  What a neat idea, and how blessed we are to have such prayer partners!

Yes, missionaries need financial support.  Without the “sender” missions will not work.  But what we really need is people that will take on a burden to pray for us.  Without prayer, missions will not work.  It takes both!

The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much. (James 5:16 KJV)

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

 

TO ALL OUR FAMILY, FRIENDS & SUPPORTERS:

WE PRAY YOU HAVE A WONDERFUL THANKSGIVING!

NOT JUST ONE…

On September 23, 2014, Rev. Moses J. Brown lost his battle with the Ebola virus disease (EVD).  He becomes the eighth Assembly of God pastor, or pastor’s wife to die of Ebola.  Moses was my friend, and together we constructed Missio Dei Assembly of God church in New Georgia, Caldwell, Monrovia.
Today I learned that Moses’s sister has become yet another victim of the disease.  And, his wife and one of his two children are presently in an Ebola treatment center in Monrovia fighting for their lives.
EVD seems to have an insatiable hunger for death, rarely stopping with just one family member.  All too often it is the overpowering enemy that wipes out entire families and even villages.
We, here in America, are beginning to panic over the fact that one person has died, and two others are in the hospital receiving treatment for the virus.  We should be concerned, we should be careful, we should be watchful and do what we can in order to stop this dread disease.  But…
According to the WHO, there have been 9,191 probable, confirmed and suspected cases and 4,546 deaths in West Africa from EVD reported up to the end of October 13, 2014 by the Ministry of Health in Liberia.  Entire families are no more and thousands of Ebola orphans have no where to turn.
How bad does this epidemic have to be in West Africa before the World comes to the rescue?  Please pray for the victims in Guinea, Sierra Leone and Liberia.

HELPING THE PEOPLE OF LIBERIA

Food, or the lack thereof, is becoming a huge issue in Liberia. With the Ebola treatment centers and the areas that are presently under quarantine, many are struggling to find adequate food supplies. In many African country's food preparation by hospitals, clinics, or treatment centers do not exist. A person that has been admitted for care to one of these centers is dependent upon family members for their personal care. Bedding, clothing, and meals are the responsibility of the family. At most hospitals you will see people cooking over an open fire at the hospitals as they prepare food for their loved ones. Can you imagine an Ebola treatment center? When a person enters these centers, they are under strict quarantine. No family member is able to attend to them. The health care workers do not have time to take care of the volume of deathly-ill individuals, let alone cook for them. What do they do? How do they eat? With a partnership between AGWM (Assemblies of God World Missions) and Convoy of Hope, we are reaching out to bring help to those who desperately need help. These individually-packaged meals of rice, nutrients, and vitamins will allow those who need it the most to eat. The 40’ container shipped last week will furnish 280,000 individual meals. Another 40’container holding another 280,000 meals is scheduled to ship this week. The two containers will furnish over a half of a million meals! AND, there are more to come. I thank God for this partnership of AGWM and Convoy of Hope for sending life to Liberia!

 

 

SENDING FOOD TO LIBERIA

OUT OF SIGHT OUT OF MIND

Some people have a real problem when it comes to dealing with tragedy, calamity, and trouble.  “If it doesn’t affect me directly I simply ignore it.”  “Others can deal with this, I just can’t.”  “Let those people deal with it the best they can.”  These are some of the things we say when trouble is greater than our capacity to comprehend, let alone deal with.

 

We have a tendency to remove ourselves from the situation until the situation overtakes us.  Friends, the Ebola situation has overtaken so many people.  Can we turn our backs on humanity?  Can we continue to ignore this tragedy?

 

As you look into the face of those suffering, please remember that we all belong to the same race, same family, HUMANITY!  We must not turn our backs and wait for someone else to do something.  Look deeply into the face of some of the suffering in Liberia, West Africa.

 

 

A woman throws a handful of soil towards the body of her sister as Ebola burial team members take Mekie Nagbe, 28, for cremation on October 10, 2014, in Monrovia, Liberia. Nagbe, a market vendor, collapsed and died outside her home earlier in the morning while leaving to walk to a treatment center, according to her relatives. The burial of loved ones is important in Liberian culture, making the removal of infected bodies for cremation all the more traumatic for surviving family members. (John Moore/Getty Images)

 

 

 

Sophia Doe and her granddaughters Arthuneh Qunoh, 9, and Beauty Mandi, 9 months, weep as an Ebola burial team arrives to take away her daughter… for cremation on October 10, 2014, in Monrovia, Liberia. The children seen in the photo are daughters of the deceased. (John Moore/Getty Images)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Varney Jonson, 46, grieves as an Ebola burial team takes away the body of his wife, Nama Fambule, for cremation on October 10, 2014, in Monrovia, Liberia. He and his family said that she had been sick for more than a year with an undiagnosed illness and protested her body being taken away as an Ebola victim. (John Moore/Getty Images)

 

 

 

 

 

 

Relatives of Hanfen John, who died due to the Ebola virus, mourn for him in Monrovia, Liberia, on 10 October, 2014. (Photo by Mohammed Elshamy/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Relative of Hanfen John, who died due to the Ebola virus, mourns for him in Monrovia, Liberia, on 10 October, 2014. (Photo by Mohammed Elshamy/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images)

Death Has A Name And A Face!

Over 4,000 infected and over 2,100 deaths in Guinea, Sierra Leone, and Liberia. Four of our A/G pastors have died from Ebola. Today, number 5, 6, & 7 were added. Pastor Joseph Sleh, his wife Alice, and their infant son. Pray for the people of Liberia! The World Health Organization predicts that 20,000 will succumb to Ebola before it can be contained. Death has a name, and a face!

 

 

 

Speed the Light The Brown Family

You Like Bush Meat?

I have always been somewhat amazed at the various food items that are consumed in Africa.  Some are very good and tasty.  Some are not.  And some I have never tried.  Bush meat falls into the latter category for me.

 

What is bush meat?  That is the question that I have asked many times.  The answer that I usually receive is, “I don’t know.”  Umm… My taste buds are certainly not excited when I hear that answer, nor do I mimic Pavlov’s dogs.  When we were in East Africa, we didn’t hear the term “bush meat”, but we did hear about “mystery meat.”  I am not sure if they are the same or not.

 

So, what is bush meat?  I suppose it would be any kind of animal that is found in the jungle.  Yes, I said, “any kind” of meat!  Do you remember the old Hee Haw show where one of them would ask, “What’s for dinner, Grandpa?”  How about a pot of this –

 

 

 

If that does not tickle your palate, how about this one –

 

 

Are you hungry yet?

I think I will fast today… and probably tomorrow!