Category: Prayer Blog

Tomorrow morning I leave to meet up with Bud and Chris who are pastors from New Covenant Church (NCC) in Albuquerque, New Mexico; Donna and I helped start this church and it is near and dear to our hearts. NCC is praying about engaging with an unreached people group in West Africa and will survey four unreached people groups in West Africa to see where God might lead. Next week Donna and Miriam will join Bud, Chris and I to help survey one of these people groups in Northern Benin.

Everyone is pretty excited about this trip. Both Donna and I are passionate about unreached people groups so it will be exciting to help with this survey and have fellowship with Bud and Chris at the same time. In addition, Donna, Miriam and I will get to see some dear missionary friends who are living and working among one of these people groups in Northern Benin. Please pray that God would clearly speak to NCC about where, when and how they should engage the unreached. Pray for all the travel and logistics involved with this trip.

The next major event on the horizon is Dr Mbennah’s visit to Benin. He arrives a few days after Bud and Chris leave. As you know from previous blogs he is coming to work on the TWR’s NGO status and a shortwave license for Benin.  The preparation for his trip has already begun. Please pray for the continued preparation of Dr Mbennah’s visit. Pray that God would start even now to move in the hearts of government officials. Pray for all the logistics of the travel and meetings.

Lastly, on a personal note, I would covet your prayers as I have a tendency to lose focus on the beauty of the Savior during busy times like the next three weeks. Pray that God would be all to me.

This morning during my quiet time I read Psalms 62. The first verse struck me as I read it: “My soul finds rest in God alone; my salvation comes from him.” Last night I did not sleep well with my task list and all of its uncompleted tasks racing through my mind. Yet as I read this verse I was confronted with the question of whether my soul really finds rest in God alone or if I find some rest in completing a task? Oh Lord, as with the psalmist, may I claim to find rest in You alone.

Many thanks to those who prayed for the advance work that is being done for Dr Mbennah’s trip to Benin. My trip to Cotonou went well and so far by God’s grace the advance planning is going well. Please continue to keep the advance planning and Dr. Mbennah’s trip during the second week of June in your prayers. Two the key items for which many of you fasted and prayed (NGO status and shortwave license) will be the focus of Dr. Mbennah’s trip.

Within a few days of the arrival of Dr. Mbennah our colleagues will return from furlough and two summer interns will arrive. Needless to say it will be a busy time. Pray that everything goes well with all these people arriving.

Later today I travel to Cotonou for meetings on a couple of the issues for which many of you fasted and prayed: NGO status and short wave license. There has already been some fruit from the fasting and praying in these areas. However, much still needs to be done.

To this end and in an effort to move these things forward, Dr Mbennah (the International Director for TWR in Africa) is planning on coming to Benin the second week in June to work on these things.

Pray that while I am in Cotonou the needed advance work for Dr. Mbennah’s trip will be successful and that God would move in the hearts of many for favorable responses to the NGO status and short wave license. As always when I travel please pray for those keeping the home fires burning and for safety on the road.

On another front, I recently had the opportunity for some tele-coaching. One of the things that was surfaced was the need to cut deep into my tasks list and decide which things I should just drop and which tasks need to be done at some other point in time. As I have worked on this I have come to the deeper realization of the need to trust God with His work. He will get done what He desires when He desires it. My job is not to accomplish the tasks but to be faithful. Pray that I would be faithful and have wisdom to cut deep into my tasks list.

As a Christian, I know that God sovereignly allows difficulties and trials to come into our lives. However, there are times when it feels like Murphy’s Law of Benin number one (the likelihood of getting malaria is directly proportional to the enormity and volume of tasks at hand) is at play. And yes it seems like I have many enormous tasks at hand and yes I had malaria again.

Last week during the Bible study at site the passage included Romans 5:3 “But we also rejoice in our sufferings.” The same night during our family devotion we read James 1:2 “Consider it pure joy when you face trails.” And yes it was clear that God was communicating to me the need to find joy in the midst of difficulties and trails. Pray that I would be obedient to God’s Word.

So far, the elections in Benin have been relatively peaceful. Please continue to pray that peace would reign in Benin as the elections for the Benin parliament take place in mid April.

There are a number of tasks that require the presence of Dr Mbennah (the International Director for TWR for Africa) in Benin. Please pray that all the details of his trip can be arranged in a timely way.

Donna and I have done many fasts over the years and this one has been the hardest both physically and spiritually. There were days when we were ready to not just quit fasting but ready to leave Benin (we are over both the fast and wanting to leave Benin). Both Donna and I praise God for two things: His sustaining grace which was an invisible hand supporting us and for all the other people fasting, praying, and encouraging us. Praise be to God for His grace. Many thanks to all of you who joined with us in prayer and fasting.

There have been no changes since my last update on the things for which we requested fasting and prayer. Please know we will update as soon as we hear something in any of these areas. Once again we trust that God’s invisible hand is working to His glory.

On Friday (March 11) I start a trip to South Africa for Regional Management Team meetings. I will be traveling in the midst of the Benin presidential elections due to their second delay. Pray that God would give the team wisdom and we would hear and obey His voice. Pray for God’s peace and security to rest on Donna and Miriam as they stay and for my safety in travels.

Once again thank you to all who have joined us in fasting and prayer. It is greatly appreciated. Do not forget to be nice to your stomach as you start eating again. Once again I reference the Campus Crusade for Christ article as it has some practical suggestions for ending a fast in a healthy manner. www.ccci.org/training-and-growth/devotional-life/7-steps-to-fasting/01-personal-guide.htm

First, thank you so much to those who are fasting and praying with us. This has been a tremendous encouragement. It has prodded, nudged and inspired us to keep on. We know that for some this is your first fast, others are starting your fast today (March 4) and some have emailed your daily prayer for us. Please know how deeply grateful we are and that we have also been praying by name for all those that we know are fasting and praying with us.

Second, at the end of this blog you will find an update on the items for which we are fasting and praying where there have been changes.  Items that have not changed are not updated and you can find them at: www.cox-net.com/prayer_blog/?p=252. One praiseworthy item is that we have received all the documents needed to apply for the title deed for the Parakou compound.

It is at this point that I wish I could tell you how much joy and peace I have found during these days of fasting and praying, but that is not the case. I wish I could recount God’s abounding grace in my life, giving me extra patience with my wife and Miriam in the midst of being hungry but I must report I have been most grumpy. I wish I could give an account of how easily I have maintained the singularity of focus I wrote about on February 27 but maintaining that focus has been and continues to be an uphill battle, maybe even more so this week than usual.

Oh Lord, may Your Spirit work in us and may we yield to Him so that joy, peace and patience will flow from You. May we not be deceived to think that our contentment is from our circumstances but clearly know it comes from Your indwelling. May You in Your time and in accordance with Your perfect plan bring about all things to the glory of Your Name.  May I not question your wonderfully mysterious ways.

Benin Staffing Needs: It appears that there is an engineering intern in the pipeline for this summer.

Non-Government Organization (NGO) Status: This process has hit a major problem as I have already reported in my February 15 update.

Title Deed for Parakou compound: As mentioned above, we now have all the documentation needed to apply for the title deed. While this isn’t the title deed, the wonderful thing about this documentation is that it clearly establishes TWR’s right to the property.

Ivory Coast: This situation continues to deteriorate. Please pray for the safety of TWR staff and the key role they play in the ministry to West Africa.

Benin Presidential Election in March: There has been some interesting politics in the last week, however, we are still hopeful for a peaceful election

The question that I have wrestled with is how do we, as Christians, maintain a singularity of focus on our Triune God while walking through this world with its problems and being faithful to our responsibilities as husbands, wives, fathers, mothers, employees, employers, children, coaches, station directors and all the other things that pull for our attention? Perhaps part of the secret to a successful Christian life is being able to keep a singularity of focus despite all the demands on us.

In starting my fast I have been reminded of all the things for which I have asked prayer, however, there is One thing that is singularly important: Father, Son & Spirit. In the midst of thanking God for what He has done and requesting His continued aid may we have singularity of focus on Him. In the words of my dear friend Flora Rittenhouse: “May we each see God’s face in a new way, with rich depth and powerful action to move ahead on many fronts.”

Kris Lundgaard asked this question as he closed his book Through the Looking Glass: reflections on Christ that change us, “what would the church be like if all of us kept the eyes of our faith ever fixed on the glory of the Lamb?” What would my life be like if I was able to stay focused on Christ? What would be different for you if you were able to maintain proper perspective on Christ all the time?

Oh Lord, help us to better see you and not take our eyes off of you.

Many times when we start to fast and pray multiple things go wrong. Even when we decide to set aside a time for this purpose, things start to happen. Because of this we thought twice about asking our whole support team to fast and pray. If there are problems when we fast and pray, will there be more problems if more people fast and pray? But when difficulties come, there is also a peace and confidence in God during these times. Often, God does work in miraculous and unexpected ways.

Since requesting the support team to fast and pray, the NGO status has hit a major problem. Please pray that God would intervene in a powerful way. Praise God that in the midst of hitting this problem He has provided His peace.

Continue to pray that God would raise up more people to fast and pray for Benin together the week of February 27 through March 6.

Also pray for Donna and Miriam as they are in Kenya for Miriam’s evaluation visit with RVA. Pray that God would give RVA, Miriam, Donna and I wisdom and direction about Miriam’s education and whether starting RVA in August is the right choice for Miriam.

Lastly, let me apologize to those of you who get the prayer blog emailed to you.  You received the fasting information twice, once via the prayer blog and once via the February newsletter. I will work in the future to not send emails that duplicate information. We all have enough in our inboxes without duplication.

After careful observation and consideration of the situation with TWR in Benin, we believe that the time has come for intense prayer thanking and praising God for the fantastic things He has done and impassioned prayer against the spiritual forces of darkness. “For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh, for the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh, but divinely powerful for the destruction of fortresses” 2 Corinthians 10:3-4. If the balance on some key issues in Benin is to be tipped it will be tipped by spiritual means like prayer and fasting. To this end we are asking for God’s people to join us in fasting and prayer the week of February 27 – March 6 culminating with concentrated prayer during the weekend of March 5 – 6. Below are the items for which to pray and to praise God:

Prayers and Praises (Grey smaller print represents additional information)

Shortwave License: Pray that the final office in the Benin government that has to approve the short wave license would do so in a way that is favorable. Also pray that the details of the license will grant TWR the flexibility needed. Praise God with us that the other office in the Benin government responsible for granting the license has responded favorably to TWR. Additional Information: The broadcast schedule of the AM transmitter in Benin is full. Right now if we want to add another ministry it would require dropping current programming. As you can see from the Progress of the Gospel Map (Red – Unreached People Groups, Yellow – Formative and Green – Established) Benin is strategically located.  Increasing our ministry capacity is critical. (Joshua Project, Progress of the Gospel by People Group Map [map on-line] (accessed 16 Jan 2011); available from http://www.joshuaproject.net/great-commission-maps.php)

Benin Staffing Needs: Pray that God would provide the right people at the right time. There is an immediate and urgent need for a Broadcast Engineer and a Mechanic & Maintenance Person. In addition we are looking for an administrative assistant. Praise God that there is a small, but effective team in Benin. Pray for protection, spiritual growth, skill development and ongoing discipleship. Additional Information: The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. There is a tremendous potential for harvest here in Benin and more harvesters are essential.

Broadcasting on AM since 2008: Praise God that since February 2008 TWR has been broadcasting from Benin using AM. Additional Information: There are a potential of 190 million people who can hear the gospel and biblical teaching on this transmitter.

Non-Government Organization (NGO) Status: Praise God that the long road of completing the paperwork for step one is complete. Pray that this would be accepted and that God’s favor would abound to step two in this process. Additional Information: NGO Status is equivalent to a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization in the USA. This status will give TWR important tax benefits.

Title Deed for Parakou compound: Praise God that the mayor’s office has completed and announced a survey that allows us to proceed to the next steps. Pray for God‘s favor and wisdom as we proceed. Additional Information: TWR has purchased 1.3 acres in Parakou for  housing and an office.

Title Deed for Broadcasting site: Praise God that this important document is complete. Additional Information: The broadcasting site is located 16 miles (as a crow flies) from Parakou.

Ivory Coast: Pray for peace as there is a disputed election that could bring the country to civil war.  Pray for protection, peace and God’s abounding grace to the TWR office in the Ivory Coast. Additional Information: On November 28, 2010 Ivory Coast had a presidential election. Both sides are claiming victory and a right to run the country.

Benin Presidential Election in March: Praise God that Benin has a history of peaceful democratic elections. Pray that God’s hand would continue this trend. Additional Information: Continued peace in Benin allows TWR to accomplish sharing the gospel.

More Information on Fasting

We realize that not everyone will be able to fast for an entire week, although we would ask you to seek God as to how much and what type of fasting you would do as we pray against the spiritual forces of darkness and thank God for what He has done.

If you have never fasted before, we highly recommend that you try this important spiritual discipline, whether with us the week of February 27 – March 6 or another time. Campus Crusade for Christ has produced a simple guide to fasting that can be found at: http://www.ccci.org/training-and-growth/devotional-life/personal-guide-to-fasting/index.htm

Over the past year and a half there have been a number of repeated prayer requests: the shortwave license to be granted, Non-Government Organization (NGO) status to be given, a title deed for the land in Parakou and more harvesters for Benin. We are grateful for all who have prayed for these. Thanks!

In thinking and praying about these situations it has been decided to ask our entire support team for concentrated fasting and prayer on these issues, and others, during the week of February 27 – March 6 culminating with concentrated prayer during the weekend of March 5 – 6. This will be the focus of our February prayer letter, both the email version and print version that goes to the entire mailing list. (Please note that these prayer updates only go to a small subset of the email list and via the prayer blog.)

I would entreat your prayers that the February prayer letter would move the hearts of many to fast and pray. Pray that there would not be problems with delivery, people would read the information and then take the time to fast and pray during the week of February 26 – March 6.

It is possible that some of you would consider helping to communicate and motivate fasting and prayer amongst your friends and at your church. Perhaps some would consider organizing a prayer meeting the weekend of March 5 – 6. Please seek if the Lord would lead you to help.

In addition, please pray for RVA that had a flu outbreak (our kids have not been sick), an RVA student with a serious medical condition, the TWR staff in Ivory Coast and the TWR contingency plans for the Ivory Coast should civil war breakout.

Thank you for your continued prayers and support.