Mission to the Americas

Serving Ministries and Missions in Latin America

Archives for May 2013

Praying with kids in life changing moments

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HelpingVidaJovenAnakarina helps with a game during a Young Life Panama weekend retreat.

Imagine the fun of trying to move a cookie (that white spot on the forehead) to your mouth, using only your face muscles?!

If the cookie drops, you lose!

After a few attempts, she did it successfully!

Praying for Teens

Young Life Panama invited us to join them on a Saturday night to serve as an intercessory prayer team during a crucial night in their growth camp.

Many of those teenagers have made a commitment to Christ and have started walking with the Lord.

Vida Joven Panama

But many experience the trials, tribulations, and preoccupations of living in an environment that may not be conducive to growing in their new found faith.

It’s like the parable of the sower in Mark 4:

Listen! A farmer went out to sow his seed.

As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path, and the birds came and ate it up.

Some fell on rocky places, where it did not have much soil. It sprang up quickly, because the soil was shallow.  But when the sun came up, the plants were scorched, and they withered because they had no root.  

Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up and choked the plants, so that they did not bear grain.

Still other seed fell on good soil. It came up, grew and produced a crop, some multiplying thirty, some sixty, some a hundred times.  (Mark 4:3-8)

Growth camp is a place where these teenagers learn about how to walk with the Lord in the face of temptations and mental struggles.

On Saturday night, they do a group experience that cause many of them to wrestle with their new found identity in Christ.

Vida Joven Panama Help

Our role

Our role was to pray for the teacher that night, as well as for the teenagers who were wrestling with their faith.

Brenda and I stood along side many of these kids, praying for them one-by-one as they came out of their group experience.

There were plenty of tear filled moments as the Lord did a great work in many of the lives of these kids.

Some were visibly touched by the power of the Lord.

Others seemed to brush it off with a cold indifference.

But for those who took advantage of the prayer time, it appears to have been a solidifying decision to walk with the Lord.

As part of our partnership with Young Life Panama, we got to serve as prayer intercessors for their active ministry of reaching kids for Christ in some of the toughest areas of Panama.

Next up, we’ll be involved with some leadership development with Young Life Panama here in a few weeks.

You’ve helped me find freedom in prayer

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At a recent prayer conference in Nicaragua, some doubt the effectiveness of their prayers because they are uncertain if they are

  • following the correct format,
  • obeying all the right rules, and
  • fulfilling all the necessary requirements for God to hear them and answer their prayer.

Nagging doubts about rules and formulas shape their perceptions of prayer.

But the spiritual thirst and hunger is there.

Pastors with little formal seminary training (practically a requirement for US Pastors) who struggle to lead growing churches.

Church leaders who want to prayerfully increase the impact of their local church to serve their community.

Several in our audience these days lack basic spelling skills, so conferences like we are here to give are effective methods of learning.

But when the teaching is over, many report the freedom of relating to God and His word and enjoying the presence of the Lord in prayer.

A Radio Interview Prepares the Way

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The day before the conference, a local pastor interviewed me for his radio station in Jinotega, Nicaragua.  We spent time talking about

  • The work of the Dunamis Institute
  • How the Dunamis teaching on Prayer can help believers.
  • The importance of Prayer, and
  • Why pastors and church leaders should come.

It was a tremendous opportunity to share the ministry of PRMI and the Dunamis Institute and to give a plug for the upcoming prayer conference.

Day 1: Jinotega, Nicaragua

Approximately 9 pastors are among the 40 people who have set apart a workday to attend the PRMI Ignite conference on Prayer in the mountain town of Jinotega, Nicaragua (pop. 40,000).

Matagalpa

Several have sacrificed a workday to attend, but their desire to grow in the power of prayer has motivated them to make that choice.

Some had heard the reports of last November’s Ignite and couldn’t wait for this conference to arrive.

They have gathered in the 2 room church of Vida Abundante (Abundant Life).

Expectation is in the air.

Conversation times, breakout, prayer ministry times all accompany the teaching.

Expectation

Experiential learning gives people a taste of the power of prayer.

The personal devotional breakout session allows many to hear from God about something personal.

The systematic teaching provides a framework for people to both understand and participate in the work of prayer.

JinotegaEvening

That evening, a different group has gathered for the evening worship and ministry time.

They hear about God’s call and vision, and respond to the invitation to receive prayer.  People come forth for prayer ministry that lingers for a while, as participants do their business with God.  Some weep, some rest in the Spirit, others are refreshed in their personal commitments they’ve been making before the Lord.

One pastor comments:

Thanks to your teaching on prayer, our church will launch a 40 day season of prayer.  We are passing through some difficulties, and your conference has renewed my passion to lead this church in expectant prayer.  You’ve helped me understand more about leading in prayer as well as praying in agreement.  I look forward to sharing with you what God does with us when you return for the next conference.

Another one wrote:

Through your solid teaching, the Lord confirmed many things that I had experienced already in prayer.  I believe the Lord brought me to you all to help me learn more about the Holy Spirit.  I love the emotional and noisy side of our traditions, but I really loved your solid biblical and intellectual teaching.  Plus, your methodical labtimes and guiding us to pray one at a time is confirming some other things I’ve been learning.  It was worth the quietness to listen and learn deeply!  I loved your teaching last fall, and glad that you returned to share more, particularly from leaders who have had experience and can teach.

Days 2-4: Matagalpa Nicaragua

For the weekend, the team moves to the mountain city of Matagalpa, Nicaragua (pop. 100,000).

Matagalpa2012

Building on the prior teaching events in that beautiful village, the teaching team gives the conference on prayer.

Again, nearly 50 people from 5 churches make the sacrificial effort to attend the Friday through Sunday event.

A few who had been at prior Dunamis events shared personal testimony of how they teach the material in their church and the impact the Dunamis teaching has made in their ministry.

An article like this cannot capture the glow in their eyes, the excitement in their voice, and all the results of ministry they have been doing as a result of Dunamis.  This time, they bring more people from their churches.

PastorDelTabernaculo

The host pastor writes:

I’ve come to understand deeply through the truth of the word, the work of the Holy Spirit in our lives.  At times, our church has experienced a deep growth in desiring the Lord and a longing to walk with the Holy Spirit.  God brought me to your conference to solidify me in the manifestation of the gifts, and that I can lead the church in not fearing the gifts of the Spirit.  If I had to describe this conference to some one, I’d ask them: “Do you know the work of the Holy Spirit?  Dunamis is not a superficial class, it is deep and real.”  You’ve given me much material to help me with further study.  Since your first visit a few months ago, our church has been longing more for the work of the Spirit through prayer and fasting.

The host pastor allowed the team to teach and preach on Sunday morning.

As the evangelistic and renewal invitation was given after the sermon, many people came forward for prayer, seeking out the prayer teams formed by several class members.  Putting some of the learned prayer principles into practice, these team members cooperated with the work of Spirit in ministering to those who wanted more of the Lord.  Some were reconciled to the Lord, some wanted healing, some surrendered their life to the Lord.

PreachElTabernaculoRead this commentary from various participants from the different events:

  • The workshop was full of wisdom that I don’t have any questions at the moment.  I liked this seminar and can’t wait for you all to return.
  • This seminar moved my heart and I kept desiring to learn more.  May  you continue to be invited to permit us these great workshops that are of much spiritual help!
  • I learned more about how I could pray.  The structure you shared with us helped me to pray with some order and direction.  You’ve provided some great training in this area.
  • You helped me to know about the ingredients of prayer.  I had doubts that I was praying in a wrong manner, or if I even knew how to really pray.  Your conference helped revive my desire to pray, as you taught and shared with me ways of prayer, particularly the work of intercession.  Your teaching was clear and it was a great blessing for my life.  This seminar helped answer my questions!

A special thank you

I want to give a special thank you to the supporters of this ministry.

Your financial gifts enabled this ministry to take place.   Some of you were on our prayer team that made this happen.

If you would like to contribute to future events and mission in Latin America, your can make your donation online to this work.

Every gift you make supports the work in Latin America.

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