Category: Prayer Blog

Many thanks for praying for the Regional Management Team meetings in South Africa and for Miriam during my absence. These were productive meetings and God’s grace abounded at home during my absence.

You will remember that next week there are key meetings in Benin concerning TWR receiving a short wave license in Benin. This license needs to give TWR flexibility to make short wave broadcast viable from Benin. Werner Kroemer (Vice President TWR), Dr. Emmanuel Mbennah (International Director for Africa) and Rev Abdoulaye Sangho (TWR Area Director for West Africa) will be coming to Benin to take part in these meetings.

Please continue to pray that God would raise up a team of people to pray for these meetings next week and continue to consider how you might be part of helping raise up this team. Pray for God’s favor from the government of Benin towards TWR, wisdom for the TWR team and safe travels for the TWR team.

I am writing from South Africa where I am attending the Regional Management Team meetings for TWR Africa. During the rest of this week we will be discussing some key issues for TWR’s broadcast in Benin (including the shortwave license) and in other parts of Africa. Your prayers for these meetings would be greatly appreciated.

On June 21 and 22, 2010 there will be important meetings with government officials in Benin concerning the short wave license. Werner Kroemer (Vice President TWR), Dr. Emmanuel Mbennah (International Director for Africa) and Rev Abdoulaye Sangho (TWR Area Director for West Africa) will be coming to Benin to take part in these meetings. TWR is praying that God will arrange for a shortwave license that grants the needed flexibility to make shortwave from Benin effective. It is my firm conviction that this time needs to be bathed in prayer.

First, please pray that God Himself would raise up a tremendous prayer team for this time. Second, consider how you might help recruit people for this prayer team. (Please be careful if considering email as a recruitment method as we do not want to contribute to spam.) Third, please put June 21 and 22 on your calendars and pray.

The down side of my travels it is always hard on the family, especially Miriam. Pray for God’s grace during these travels.

Did you know that TWR has two audio channels delivered via satellite in Africa? This not only gives cable TV listeners the chance to hear God’s Word but this is a great opportunity for local FM radio stations to capture and broadcast TWR programs proclaiming the good news of the gospel.

The first two weeks of May the technicians from the transmitting station here in Benin and I were in Burkina Faso. A team from Canada gave training to the technicians from Benin and to the local technicians on how to install satellite downlinks so radio stations in Burkina Faso can broadcast TWR programs. During this two week trip a total of seven satellite downlinks were installed, with most of the installations being done by the trainees. It was very exciting to see these technicians receive and apply this training. Praise God for this great success

Another great event that happened since my last blog is that Chris and Christine, who are dear friends, came to Benin for a visit. Their visit was a huge encouragement to us. Thank the Lord for their visit.

At the risk of being to repetitive, the requests that I mentioned in my last blog for prayer for the shortwave license, NGO report and staffing needs are still very significant needs. Continue to pray that the shortwave license will give the needed flexibility. Next week a colleague will come to Parakou to, Lord willing, finish this report. Pray that this report can be completely finished then. Your continued prayers for more staff are greatly appreciated.

On the family front, Rift Valley Academy, where Nehemiah goes to school, requires that Nehemiah have two guardians in Kenya. These guardians keep Nehemiah during mid-term breaks and are available should he need something RVA cannot provide. One of the guardians will be returning to the States to accept a teaching position at Rosemead School of Psychology in California. Hence we are looking for an additional guardian. Please pray that we are able to find a suitable guardian. If you know of anyone in Kenya that could feel this role please let us know!

In my last blog I mentioned better organizing my life and ministry and received some very helpful feedback and challenges. These comments and challenges led me to pray and seek God’s face more. (I have already thanked each one who emailed but let me publicly say thank you very much.) Please pray that each of us would hear from His Word (and be diligent to study His Word), cast our cares on Him, more fully trust Him and follow His leading about the tasks and organization of each day and of our lives.

On the TWR front there are three major challenges: short wave license, NGO status and staffing needs. There is progress with the short wave license, however very serious prayer is needed for the details of this license. A license that does not give TWR the needed flexibility and simplicity of the multiple frequency adjustments in short wave broadcasting could limit the usefulness of the license. Pray for wisdom and God’s favor with the licensing authorities. A complete financial report is needed for TWR’s request for NGO status. Pray that we can finish this report quickly. Lastly, pray that God would raise up more workers both national and missionary for the work.

On the family front, Nehemiah is home from RVA for a couple more weeks. Pray that God would bless our time together as a family before he returns to RVA.

With great thankfulness for your prayers, encouragement and support — Paul

Once again I find myself indebted to you for your prayers, and God’s answers. It is your prayers that fuel the ministry and provide the need support to move forward. Many thanks!

The Regional Management Team meetings in Johannesburg went very well. I truly believe we heard from God on a number of issues. Please pray that we act appropriately based on what we heard. Also pray that God would be honored as we move from strategic planning to implementation.

On my return home my flight from Johannesburg was delayed such that I missed my connection in Nairobi. Given that there are only three flights a week between Nairobi and Cotonou I was able to spend a few days in Kenya with Nehemiah. (While I fly through Kenya often the cost of laying over a day or two is very expensive so I am not always able to go see Nehemiah on these trips.) Nehemiah was completely surprised to see me. It was great to have some spontaneous time with him. The only down side was that I missed Miriam’s birthday.

The last couple of weeks I have been working on better organizing my life and ministry. The question that has vexed me is: Am I engaging in the most important thing at this moment (with the distinct possibility that writing another overdue email may not be as important as studying the scriptures, going on a walk with my daughters or simply resting, which is a biblical commandment). I would appreciate your prayers in this area and pray that the Lord would send more workers into His harvest.

Thanks again for your prayer support.

Grace & Peace — Paul

Praise be to God that as I (Paul) write this, I feel like I am over my malaria and the rest of the family is healthy. Thank you to the many who prayed for this and sent encouraging emails. Also praise God that last week Donna and a colleague were able to have a wonderful time of refreshment in Ghana at a women’s conference while I got some extra time with Micah Joy and Miriam.

For those of you who have been following this blog/email update since August of last year, you remember that TWR Africa has been working on updating and revising its strategic plan. After many months of prayer and toil the new structure for TWR in Africa and the new strategic plan is being rolled out. Rejoice with all of us at TWR Africa that we are moving to the implementation stage of this plan. Which brings me to my current location for the next week: South Africa!

Part of the new structure within TWR Africa is that I will be helping with the regional management team and traveling to South Africa for meetings a couple of times a year. The first set of meetings starts on Wednesday and I came a few days early for some other meetings with colleagues and to do some shopping.

Please pray that God would give the regional management team ears to hear our Heavenly Father and wisdom as we work to further His kingdom.

Grace & Peace — Paul

If you are sick of hearing about malaria in our updates we are definitely sick of having malaria. At present, Donna and I (Paul) have not been able to kill off the parasite, Fiona Kennedy (one of our fellow TWR colleagues) and her son Daniel also has malaria. I have been through all the “nicer” malaria treatments and I am now on a week’s course of quinine, which can have some very serious side effects. So far, my side effects have not been too miserable, for which I praise God. Donna, Fiona and Daniel are on a treatment course with “nicer” side effects. First we would covet your prayer concerning our attitudes and hearts. Pray that we would not become discouraged and forget that our lives are in God hands for His glory, which can be shown through grace in illness just as much through healing. In this same vein, pray that our hearts would fully trust in Him and remain tender. Second we would covet your prayers for physical healing and spiritual protection. Pray that medicine being taken would kill the malaria parasite with minimal side effects.

Thank you for your prayers for my trip to Cotonou during the first week of February. Praise God with us that He granted the team a spirit of unity with some positive meetings and contacts. Unfortunately, my malaria hit a high during this week and I spent one day in bed and another team member had a nasty cold and spent a good part of day in bed. There is positive progress on the short wave license, however there is one area of concern, and the NGO status requires some more paper work. Praise God for the positive progress. Pray that God would give TWR wisdom with the area of concern on the shortwave license and in the paper work for the NGO status.

Many thanks for your prayers for our run-on with malaria. The girls and Donna are much better; Micah Joy is still a bit fatigued. I (Paul) ended with malaria again, however, I am almost back to normal.

This week I will be working in Cotonou on the short wave license, the NGO status for TWR in Benin and the start of a new radio program being produced in Benin. Joining me in Cotonou will be Abdoulaye Sangho, the regional director for TWR in West Africa and a Beninese colleague Virgile Ouendo. While Abdoulaye and Virgile are old hats at developing nation’s politics, I easily get impatient and do not understand some of the cultural nuances, not to mention doing it all in French.

Please pray that God would accomplish this week what He desires, both in terms of the work ahead and His work in our hearts. Pray that we would be in tune with the Spirit, each other and (for me) the French.

Crazy! The girls both tested positive for Malaria today.  I (Donna) became sick with it several days ago and am feeling better.  Paul has also had it recently.  Because we take daily prophylaxis our cases are not too severe but the treatments are not really great for you.  We all just feel weak, achy, and feverish.  Several friends also have it.  Please join us in praying against this.  Please also pray that one treatment will be enough.  It appears that each time we have to take several treatments. We are quite tired of it, but trying to find God’s will in the midst of it.

Normally it is Paul’s job to write the prayer blogs but today I decided to post a prayer blog. If you are interested in seeing more family news you can check out our family blog where I mostly post. www.cox-net.com/family_blog

Donna

Another one of the lessons from December’s dark time was the battle of the Christian life.

The Christian life is a tooth and nail battle with peril and danger accompanying every movement and decision. It is unlike any other battle or conflict that has been fought. Our enemy intimately knows us while many times we only vaguely understand the enemy who is deeply entrenched in our territory. What makes the enemy so dangerous is that our enemy is our own heart, with its deception, stubborn pride, arrogance and continual belief in its own abilities to do good.

Our heart wages war for the control of our lives against the Spirit who wants total control to produce His fruit and accomplish God’s will in our lives. The heart with its unending and relentless campaign against God’s Spirit tries, and many times succeeds, to make us think that we can accomplish some good or be of some benefit to the kingdom of God. It is this lie that leads us to believe in our abilities and leave the power of the Spirit, not with blatant abandonment but with ignorant deception. The battle is to remain in complete dependence on the Spirit to do the work while continually battling the prideful lie of the heart that we in ourselves are useful.

Lord, help us to yield to Your Spirit and die to the lie of our usefulness.