Update

It's hard to beleive that 40 days have passed since we started our journey.  I hope that this has been a blessing and encouragement to you. It certainly been to me and my family.

Still praying and listening on how to proceed.

Praise report from the West Park Housing Project. There are now five guys coming to Second Mile Ctr(Gerry) from the West Park Housing project looking for discipleship.

Also Amanda Shelton is doing well in Thailand

You can find updates on her blog (http://acrosstheburmaborder.blogspot.com/)

And Kaleb Cummings (South Philly House Church) left for Japan.

Here is the blog for their needs http://kamizoku.posterous.com/ 

It is in Japanese.

-Shelle

For Such a Time Is This...

I don't know about you but I agree that watching the images coming out of Japan while spreading butter on my sprouted whole wheat toast is a little too much for my conscience. Giving money, yeah, but still feeling relentlessly guilty that certainly something more can be done.

Prayer as a tag-along-surrender-to-it-if-you-can-do-nothing-else or Prayer as a belief that we have been prepared and sent for "such a time is this"
Get ready is an understatement to the great vacumn that is opening not just overseas but HERE. God has plans and callings in US here while we butter our toast. We are foremost called to dwell in the MOMENT. Psalms calls us to be "He who dwells in the shadow of the Almighty".

The conversations are coming. The questions are coming. People are grappling with time and eternity while they pump their gas and wax their Toyatas. Why's are coming.

We must be ready always to give an answer for the HOPE that we have. Hope beyond this world and its offerings.

Out of these fires, both personal and wide world infernos, will come FAITH as we have never known it. A purified, purging faith that will rock the nations. Not for better days and happier times but a faith worth dying for. The Lord Jesus Christ who alone is the answer for the world.

Let us not shrink back at this time. But seize every opportuinity... to listen, To speak... But profoundly as Gerry said it - to be with them as they walk through the valley of the shadow of death.

-Shelle Graves

Update and Prayer for Japan...

Below is an account from Annette Cummings - the daughter-in-law of a missionary couple: Cal & Edie Cummings who have been long time missionaries in Japan and live in Sendai - the area that was hardest hit by the earthquake and tsunami wave that hit on Friday.

There will also be a prayer meeting at Caleb and Lisa Cummings' home tonight at 9 pm - bring money and prayers.  Comment below if you need more information and I can send you their address privately. 

All I have been able to think about lately is how only 1% of people in Japan are Christians, and how "for such a time is this" men and women who have been interceding and waiting for a chance to bring Christ's love to this nation, we are now being called to step up and pray, give and stand in the gap for those whose lives are hanging in the balance.

-Jennifer Vincent


"Matt's brother Luke and two friends from his house church network in Tokyo arrived in Sendai yesterday to check on Matt's parents and start helping with relief work.   Matt's parents are apparently still doing okay though things are difficult being in the winter season without any utilities, fuel and almost non-existent phone/internet communications.
 
Luke and his friends were able to directly deliver $2,000 worth of relief supplies funded from their house church. They have connected with another man Matt's parents know, Ken Joseph, who is heading up local relief work through: www.jhelp.com.  Ken says that they are currently passing out blankets and supplies at the shelters and looking for extra housing for displaced people. He said volunteers are desperately needed, as things are very, very, very... bad. 

Matt's brother, Caleb, will be flying to Japan to volunteer with relief efforts in Sendai in the next couple days.  We are collecting some money to help with his travel expenses currently as well as to donate directly to the Tokyo house church network which already is helping get funds to Luke for relief in Sendai.  This is an informal collection and we cannot offer any tax receipts.   Checks can be made out to Matt Cummings.  

For more formal donations please consider the following:

Ken Joseph Website  www.jhelp.com  - currently on the ground in Sendai/Natori giving direct relief and coordinating volunteers including Matt's brothers.

Cal & Edie Cummings missionary support account:
Grace Orthodox Presbyterian Church
151 S. Broadway
Fair Lawn NJ 07410
(201) 796-1814
You can help directly support Matt's parents through their missions support account as they will be expending a lot in hosting displaced families in their home and providing a base of operations for Matt's brothers.
CRASH Japan http://crashjapan.com/  We haven't heard details about current work with this group but they are work to mobilize missionaries and churches to assist with relief.  Matt's brothers are also in contact with them but have not gotten specific direction on their plans at this point.

Christian Relief, Assistance, Support and Hope (CRASH) is a network supporting Christians to do relief work in Japan and around the world.  CRASH equips and prepares churches and missions to be there to help their communities when disasters strike and coordinates Christian volunteers to work with local ministries in the event of a disaster."

-Annette Cummings

Prayer for Little Girl...

Also, another prayer request from a large house church in Lancaster that we gather with from time to time.. 

A young girl named Lily choked on a cough drop and couldn't breathe for up to a minute or more.  Her older brother was watching her and somehow the cough drop got dislodged but she has been in a coma and life support for a couple of weeks.  The latest update from our contact Sarah is:  Lily has been able to stay off the ventilator but needs to be kept sedated to stay comfortable. Family is currently considering long term care options. Please continue to keep Lily and the family in your prayers.

Thanks everyone for your continued cries in one unified voice to God.

-Karen McCall

6 Words...

Interesting enough is the idea of summing your life up in 6 words.
Mine, well I chose "HIS, HIS, HIS, HIS, HIS, HIS"


This is what I found on the inside of a bottle cap today.
"Finding myself by the process of elimination."


That folks is the the 6 words of the Kingdom.
John the Baptist said it, That He (Jesus) may increase and that I many decrease.


Kingdom manifested, Jesus be MORE in me. Be MOST in me.
Finally Jesus be ALL in me.


What are your six words?

Prayer for Window Cleaner

Hi Shelle --

Thanks for sharing and the update on prayers.

Please pray for Jason who is a window washer who fell from 5 stories and is in a coma and clinging for his life from 1 week ago at the U of Penn Hospital.  Keith's brother introduced us as a friend of a friend with the family.  We tried to get the mother out to our house church in the past, but it never happened.  So we went to the hospital yesterday to meet them and to pray over Jason.  Well, Jason's Dad and a friend were in the waiting room and we shared about what Jesus has done in my (Karen) life and other testimonies.  The father is not a believer but is very broken as you can imagine about his son.  We heard today that Jason's father gave his life to the Lord.  Praise God.  Also, other miracles are happening where family members who were estranged from each other are reconciling.  We are believing for a miracle in Jason's life.  Bonnie, a believer from Florida who is in Keith's brother's home group has flown in from Florida to comfort her friend, Jason's Mom.  She received a word she believes from God about Eustychus in Acts who was the man who fell from 3 stories while Paul preached on and on and Paul raised back from the dead.  It was amazing when we read that Scripture.  She said it came across her mind that morning. 
Please join us in prayer for Jason that his life will be spared.  Jason received Jesus as a Savior when he was young but we are not sure where he is with Jesus in his life currently. 


-Karen McCall

The Lord's Community Prayer

The Lord’s Prayer is a community prayer. There are at least five references meaning more than one.( us, our) Let us focus this week on The Lord’s Prayer.

Here is an outline for the week you may find helpful.

Saturday – Who?

Our Father- establishes relationship- I am in relationship to my Father as a son.

Rom.8

We are together in relationship to Him. He is OUR Father. A shared “Daddy.”

Together we come to Him

Sunday –Where?

Who Art in Heaven- He reigns and rules – He is Sovereign over all.

Eph. 4

Hallowed be thy Name.

Monday- What?

Thy Kingdom- It is a “what.” Thy Kingdom Come, Thy will be done.

Where? - On earth as it is in heaven; Make earth look like heaven.

Tuesday- When?

Daily I am in need of Him. My physical bread is only a reminder that He is the true bread of life. Give Us this day our daily Bread

Weds. - Why?

Forgive Us Our Trespasses as We Forgive

Because if we do not forgive others we will not be forgiven ourselves.

Thurs - How?

Lead us Not into Temptation

By resisting temptation, unforgiveness, bitterness, unbelief, We will be delivered from the evil of this world and be set in alignment with His Kingdom, to demonstrate His Power and Display His Glory.

Fri- Deliver Us from Evil

Sat.-For Thine is the Kingdom and the Power and the Glory, Forever