To Our Aarons and Hurs

I sent an email out to several of my teammates at NMC updating them on our situation. In that email, I asked for continued prayer and included this line:
"We need some Aaron and Hur's to lift our arms right now in battle"

Here's the story in reference to that line:

Exodus 17:
8 The Amalekites came and attacked the Israelites at Rephidim. 9 Moses said to Joshua, “Choose some of our men and go out to fight the Amalekites. Tomorrow I will stand on top of the hill with the staff of God in my hands.”
10 So Joshua fought the Amalekites as Moses had ordered, and Moses, Aaron and Hur went to the top of the hill. 11 As long as Moses held up his hands, the Israelites were winning, but whenever he lowered his hands, the Amalekites were winning. 12 When Moses’ hands grew tired, they took a stone and put it under him and he sat on it. Aaron and Hur held his hands up—one on one side, one on the other—so that his hands remained steady till sunset. 13 So Joshua overcame the Amalekite army with the sword.


Last night upon hearing our news from yesterday, we received two different messages (from people who did not receive my email mentioned above) referencing their intent to be our Aaron Hur.

I can't tell you how encouraging the simple phrase "I'm praying" or "we are praying" has been to us.  To know we are arms are being lifted up through those who are praying for us allows us great confidence in the fact that we are in a position where our steps will be guided by God.

To our Aarons and Hurs out there.  Thank you.  We deeply need, value and appreciate you!

PRAYER POST: A Sad Goodbye, A Long Awaited Uniting, and Processing

Today (Friday) is an sad and exciting day for us.
Sad - We say goodbye to the babies and workers of the AGC Baby Center

Exciting - We will traveling off the beaten path to the Maasai village of Namuncha where we will connect With Caleb Bislow and some of the key pastors of the Maasai project.

From 2006-2008, NMC Student Ministries were able to raise and give $30,000 to see a disciple-making movement take place in Maasai land. The village we are visiting is where the vision and burden started with Simon and Caleb. For me, it's a monumental meeting as NMC Student Ministries, Jamie & Jolinda Lengacher (representing our efforts with the Baby Center), Simon Saitoti, and Caleb Bislow meet and worship together.

We will spend the day with the Maasai and put on an outreach service outside a church. From Namuncha, we head into Nairobi. This evening we will be starting our debrief time... an esential part of an NMC Student Ministries IMPACT experience.

Please Pray:

• For our departure from the Baby Center... that God will allow the ministry that has taken place in our lives and those connected with the Baby Center long after we have left.
• For our time with the Maasai... that God will bless our uniting and direct the dramas, testimonies and worship time together in the service.
• For the beginnings of our debrief time... that we will allow God to speak into our lives the key reasons he brought us on this journey and the major takeaways for us.
  
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PRAYER POST: One more Day with the Babies

We'll keep this one simple:

This morning will be our last time with the babies. Pray that we will take full advantage of the remaining moments we have here.

This afternoon we head out on a safari through Lake Nakuru Park. Pray that it will be a more than just a time or tourism, but a time of worship.

PRAYER POST: City by the Highway

Today (Wednesday) we make a trip to Salgaa. This town is home to a significant amount of woman who have turned to prostitution in efforts to provide for their family. We will be spending time going door to door... listening and sharing the love of Christ. We will also likely perform our dramas.

Be in prayer for divine appointments and a deep heart of compassion from us.

PRAYER POST: Baby Center Time!

For the next two days, it's all about the babies! Our Monday and Tuesday will be spent at the Baby Center. We'll be loving on the babies, encouraging the workers, and doing work around the Center. Kayla and Kaity have prepared some awesome activities for us to do with the babies. Nick and Kristen have various unique ways we'll be encouraging the workers. Jamie and Brant will be guiding us as we paint and do other odd jobs.

Pray for us over these next 48 hours:

• That the eyes of the orphan will capture us.
• That we will love on the kids like crazy.
• That God will speak to students as we minister.
• I firmly believe God is going to be unfolding some of his calling and future plans in the hearts of team members. Pray that we will be keen to his voice and open to his calling.
• Health for the babies.
• Encouragement for the workers.
• Just pray for the Baby Center and it's continued ministry.
• Remember team members by name: Kristen Schwenger, Amanda Yoder, Kayla Koontz, Sydney Koontz, Kaitlyn McFarland, Brittany Lengacher, Brant Nine, Cody Cline, Nick Berkey, Tim Berkey, Jolinda Lengacher, Jamie Lengacher, Janelle Prenkert, Derry Prenkert.

PRAYER POST: Easter and Baby Center

*Remember, All PRAYER POSTS were written and set to post before we left the States. There is always a chance for curve balls and changes in plans. Below is what was planned prior to departure.

This Easter morning (as you go to bed) we wake up in Nairobi and head to our home for the week... the AGC Baby Center. When we arrive at the Baby Center, we immediately head over to celebrate a risen savior at the Africa Gospel Church in Ngata. I (Derry) will be preaching. Several students will be sharing their testimonies, and both dramas will be sharing during the church service that is likely to last 4 hours.

After the service and lunch, our first time to meet the babies!

Pray For:

• Derry as he preaches.
• The students who will be sharing their testimonies.
• The dramas that will be presenting the Gospel.
• Energy and continued adjustment to the time difference.
• Divine Baby Greetings.
• Eager and willing hearts by the team to mingle with the Kenyan Church.
• Any curve balls we may receive at the church service
  
• Jamie, Jolinda, Janelle, and Derry as they lead.
• A good group sharing time and debrief at the end of the day.
  

Prayer POST: Mathare and 250 Orphans

As you go to bed tonight, we will be waking up to head out to the Mathare Slums of Nairobi. This 3 mile square of buildings and alleys is home to as many as 800,000 Kenyans who are in extreme poverty. We will be partnering with WGM missionary Robin Moore to provide a day of fun, food, and hope for orphans. As many as 250 orphans will be brought out of this area to a park where we will feed them, play games, do crafts, dramas, simply love on them, share Christ.

Following our time of working with the kids, we will head into the Mathare for a brief tour of the area and the ministry that is taking place there.

Pray for us today/tonight:

• That we may be the hands and feet of Jesus.
• That we will be soaked in compassion, mercy and love.
• That our eyes, hearts and ears would be open to the things God wants us to see, feel and hear.
• That we might have supernatural energy (we'll be working with the kids 3-6 a.m. U.S. time)
• That God will watch over and guide our every action.

PRAYER POST: And Away We Go!

Today we head out. From boarding the bus at NMC till touching ground in Nairobi, Kenya, we have about 24 hours of travel ahead of us.

10 Students + 4 Adults + 28 bags (about 16 of which are pretty much shoes) + security checks + O'Hare to Amsterdam + Amsterdam to Nairobi + 7 hour time change = lots of logistics and exhaustion to be praying over.

WAYS TO PRAY:

• Easy check-in process
• Smooth security checks
• No flight delays
• Good rest on flights
• Group bonding during flights
• Heart prep for team
• Easy connection at Amsterdam
• All bags make it through
• Smooth run through customs.

Keep updated on our progress at http://twitter.com/agcbabycenter

Kenya Team & Africa Trip Here We Go

Tomorrow I board a plane.
I board that plane with the 13 other individuals pictured above.

10 of those pictured are High School students who decided the best way they could spend their Spring Break is Giving Sacrificially of their time for Kids In Need as we head to Kenya. Jamie & Jolinda Lengacher will join Janell and I as we lead this team. While there April 1-11, our team will be spending a lot of time with orphans in both Nairobi and at the AGC Baby Center. We will also be connecting with a ministry to prostitutes, worshipping on Easter Sunday with the AGC Church, and experiencing an exciting uniting of those connected to the Maasai Project.

On April 10, I will get the team on a plane back to the states, then connect with Caleb Bislow. April 11, Caleb and I will board a plane to Rwanda. We will be spending 7 days in Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo encouraging and ministering alongside several of Caleb's contacts. I return to the states April 19.

WE NEED YOUR PRAYER SUPPORT!

I have several PRAYER POSTS set to post on this blog that will give you specific ways to pray for this journey. Keeping in mind a 7 hour difference (Kenya is 7 hours ahead of here), PRAYER POSTS will come up in the evening and give you a little insight on the day ahead and how to specifically pray.

Some other tools to help you in prayer...
Join the Facebook Prayer Group - HERE
The Baby Center Twitter account - HERE
Baby Center Blog - HERE
I will be trying to post regular updates from Kenya on this blog as well.

Prayer for a friend and colleague

My friend and ministry colleague Jason Thompson and his wife, Rachael, received devastating news yesterday. As he wrote over on his blog...

Late yesterday afternoon Rachael and I went to the doctor after Rachael had some mild concerns that she wasn't sure she had felt the baby move recently. While going into appointment we weren't real concerned (we were going more out of precaution), our worst fears would soon be realized. After an ultrasound was performed, we were told that for unknown reasons our baby daughter (Aleigha Grace) had died in the womb. Obviously, we were & are devastated. Unfortunately, the hardest part is yet to come. Rachael will have to still go through labor. Tomorrow morning at 6 a.m. she is scheduled to be induced. Obviously, we would greatly value your prayers for today, tomorrow and the days to come. The promise the Lord has given me to hold onto during this difficult time for us is that "we do not mourn like those who have no hope." Praise the Lord!

As you read this, join me in praying for the Thompson family.

Pray For Camp

Little prayer. Little Power.
Much prayer. Much Power.

Specifics to Be Praying For:

• Brokenness
• The move from “Religion” to “Relationship
• Fresh Burdens and Passions to reach the lost
• Spiritual Transformation
• Openness to the Supernatural move of God
• New “Christ-Focused” friendship
• Health and Safety
• Time at Cedar Point, that it be more than just Roller Coasters
• Honesty and transparency… Pray against pride
• Boldness… Pray against fear
• Obedience… Pray against apathy
• Pray against the enemy’s distractions (sound issues, rebellion, family strife leading into camp, etc.)
• David and the Connection band as they lead us in Worship
• Derry, Terry, and Janelle as they do the speaking
• Cottage Group Leaders as they help students make it personal and bring it home
  
• Pray for yourself and what God wants to do in you
• Cathy Miller and the Cooks
• For some, camp is the only Spiritual moment of the year… pray that what happens will transition into everyday life
• Pray
• Pray
• Pray
• Pray, please!
  

Friday 5: Pray

5 people/groups with ties to NMC Senior High you should be praying for:

1. Kalyn Lantz - She's currently in Nepal working with Tiny Hands international, a ministry that reaches out to those who orphans, street children, and the victims of the sex-trafficking industry. Kalyn is an NMC graduate, and I believe God wants to use her over the month she's there, as well as prepare her for even more ministry like this.
2. Taylor Lincoln - Taylor has been in Mexico for the past 4 months with Dayspring Ministries. She had been in a remote area of Mexico (sleeping in a hammock, 110 degree heat) doing ministry. She is currently in Texas recovering from getting really sick. Pray for healthy recovery for Taylor so she can get back on the field!
3. Dustin Eby and Caleb Bislow - a.k.a the Rwanda Exodus Conference. These two are flying out today for Rwanda. They'll be working with Joseph Karsanyi, a Rwandan pastor who has gathered together 25 teams of church planters and evangelists who will go out to the remote and unreached areas of the country in an effor to start a disciple-making movement. Read more about how to pray here.
4. Katie Lengacher - Katie, a Senior at NorthWood, will be leaving in a few short days for the jungles of Peru, where she will be working with Adventures in Missions for one month. While there, she will be partnering with some very remote churches to share Christ's love in the villages and jungle area. She will be there a full month.
   
5. PhillyGO - This team of 22 students and 6 leaders will be traveling to Philadelphia, PA. They will be coming alongside various churches and minsitries in that city and developing relationships with the hopes of sharing Christ's love. They leave tonight. Follow along and keep updated on how to pray at the PhillyGO twitter page.

I love the fact that Nepal, Rwanda, Peru, and Philadelphia will all be touched for the Kingdom of God through NMC Student Ministries in this next week alone!

Pray for the Courtney's

I've continued to track along with both the Rohr's and the Courtney's through their caring bridge sites as they are facing "uncharted territory" down at Riley Hospital in Indianapolis. My heart sank as I read this most recent post about Kayla Courtney (car accident) by her dad Paul...

One step forward, two steps back over the last 24 hours.

Jeanette noticed something in Kayla last night that caused her to choose sleeping in Kayla's ICU room recliner rather than the Ron McD room. Becca decided to stay with Kayla also and also keep Mom company. Jeanette called me after 3 hrs. of sleep at the room and I went back to help her and Becca. Sure enough, mother's intuition was correct. Kayla became very agitated in the later evening and it grew worse. I won't go into details, but will say that jeanette did not get a wink of sleep and Becca not much more while trying to calm Kayla down and restrain her when she attempted to remove various IV and other tubing. She pulled out about 14 inches of her N-G (Naso-Gastro) tube running through her nose and into her stomach that drains bile, and tore the ECG/respiratory monitoring tubes from an artery in her wrist (blood everywhere). Kayla woke up most of her ICU wing with dilerious screams. Nurses and doctors came to the scene and tried to help. After Kayla spent most of her energy and became sick to her stomach (not quite as bad as Linda Blair in the Exorcist), she was given a sedative and morphine was stopped. Jeanette insisted that Kayla does not react well with prolonged morphine.

Doctors believed that Kayla's actions were as a result of several things - ICU psychosis (too long in one room), narcotic withdrawl (her morphine was being decreased), and/or sepsis (infection) in the peritoneal cavity. Dr. Josh Waters (GI surgery staff) was able to get a CT scan ordered for mid-day to check for an infection (cyst) and evaluate the lungs for pulmonary embolis, integrity of the GI tract, and other issues.

Kayla exited the CT scan shortly after 2:30 p.m. shaking like a leaf on a tree. By the time we got back up to her ICU room, she developed a 105 degree temp. Ice downs, cold cloth washes and Tylenol knocked the fever down to 102. CT scan results confirmed the presence of sepsis (infection inside a cyst in the peritoneal cavity). Treatment will be a lance from the exterior of her abdomen to drain the cyst and administer antibiotics. Sounds like that is scheduled for tonight sometime after 7 p.m. The infection explains a lot of Kayla's symptoms and actions last night.

Kayla is resting fairly well now and is not experiencing the psychosis we battled over night.

Would you join me in praying for a divine touch from God to Kayla and her family in ICU?

Birthday Wishes

Kayla Courtney turned 16 today. If you could, imagine the oddity of spending your 16th Birthday in the Riley ICU, unable to move, wondering what the road to recovery looks like?!?!

You may or may not know Kayla, but if interested, head over to her caring bridge site, and wish her a Happy Birthday by signing the guestbook.

Pray for and encourage Kayla Courtney

Kayla Courtney is a Freshman that has been involved in our ministry along with her sister Becca who is a Senior. On Saturday, she was in a serious accident and received significant internal injuries as well as a broken back. She is also currently at Riley Hospital.

You can stop by here and send her a prayer or word of encouragement!

Pray for and Encourage the Rohr Family

Tonya is one of our top-notch Small Group Leaders at NMC. On Friday, it was discovered that Tonya's 9 year old daughter Keri has a walnut sized tumor near her brain stem.
Keri and her family are currently at Riley Children's hospital awaiting a Monday morning surgery.

Jason and Rachael Thompson went down to visit them today. While there, he helped the Rohrs set up a site where individuals can keep updated as well as write a little note of encouragement.

Go here, and let Keri know that she has a ton of people praying for her. Keep in mind that she's a 9 year old as you leave you messages.

Continue to Pray Around the World

Got this email today through our "NMC Hot News." I'm hoping I can get back in time to join in!

Sunday night's experience of Global Prayer was a gigantic highlight! I recognize many of you were unable to attend, so we have kept everything in place in the Grand Hall.

Tomorrow night, Wednesday, before and after our Communion service, the Grand Hall will be open and available for Global Prayer. You have the opportunity to prayer walk the map and the displays from 6 - 7 p.m. and then again from 8 - 9 p.m.

I encourage you to consider bringing your family.

Pray Around the World

Pretty excited about what's happening at NMC tonight.

There is a 40' x 20' world map laid out in our Grand Hall. On it, the Missionaries, strategic partners, and GI (Global Impact) teams for this year are highlighted.
Around the mezzanine of the Grand Hall are 37 flags of countries were we have specific ministry connections.
There are 5 displays... 4 highlighting our 4 strategic partners (El Sembrador, MC of India, Juarez, and the AGC Baby Center) and one for the strategic partners we don't know about yet.

Tonight, 5:00-7:30 p.m. people are invited to come into the Grand Hall and pray around the world. They are going out on to the map to pray over countries, write prayer on countries, lay hands on countries.

It's a night those that those participating will not soon forget.

Me, I don't get to see the fruits of my labors this time around. I get to do something pretty awesome instead. In two hours I board a plane for Huskerland. I'll be spending the next three days, praying, planning, and dreaming with Caleb Bislow and several of his ministry allies.

Praying LaRGe

I've been asked to lead the charge on a pretty cool prayer effort we're doing at NMC. Starting Tomorrow night, we are going to be taking 4 Sundays to Pray LaRGe.

A Prayer for a Nation (Sunday, Nov. 2, 6-7 p.m. in the Gym)
As we head into election day we will seek the face of God for His move in our country. We will pray together around tables, as a whole group.

Pray Local Sunday (Nov. 9, 5-7:30 p.m. Prayer Walk)
People can come as an indivdual, family, small group or small church to take part in an interactive prayer walk through the NMC facilities.

Pray Regional Sunday (Nov. 16, 6-7 p.m. in the Gym)
Individuals and teams from our regional partners will join us as we pray for and over them and their ministries.

Pray Global (Nov. 23, 5-7:30 p.m. in the Grand Hall)
We will "pray around the world" as our Grand Hall is transformed into a global prayer map.

Praying for WE

I shared this story Sunday a.m.

When I was at Bethel College, a missionary spoke in our chapel services. He told the story of a young man who approached him with confusion concerning the role he could play in global missions. The young man said, "I don't have much money to give. I don't feel called to go. I guess all all I can do is pray."
The missionary looked at the young man and said, "You know, that's like hearing a soldier who is about to go into battle say, 'Well I have this rifle that doesn't have any ammo. I have a grenade that doesn't work. I do have this Intercontinental Ballistic Missle. I guess I'll use that.'"

WE (the Church) are a force to be reckoned with. What are you doing to engage in this revolution that is happening worldwide? Maybe it's time to become intentional in our prayer.

Here are a few resources to assist in praying for the Church...

www.persecution.com - Voice of the Martyrs is a great ministry that brings attention to those who are counted worthy of suffering for the sake of Christ.

www.joshuaproject.net - This site is dedicated to research and awareness concerning unreached people groups. There is days worth of information and research on this site to give you direction on praying for those who have not heard.

Google Earth - This program has revolutionized my prayer life. I love flying to different places I've been and remember to pray for people, churches, and causes. Joshua project has a cool app that allows you to see the location and religious affiliation of people groups all over the world.