God is Faithful

"And then God said, "Let there be Light!" and there was
light." Genesis 1:3

Our God is so good and powerful. He hears your every prayer and He is shining his light into the lives of his people all over the world. I wanted to share with you the ways in which God has been answering your prayers. Below is a glimpse of His goodness and faithfulness.

Hot Metal Church has a new home! It's in the very beginning stages yet, but their bid for a new building has been accepted and they are moving forward with excitement.

John Ofumbai and Karina are both recovering well from their car accident. God has graciously spared their lives here on earth. They are in the process of much therapy and could use our continued prayers for complete healing and encouragement in the process.

The Christmas Carol service in Aix-en-Provence, France was "fantastic!" Darrin reported that some who have seen it over the past 30 years reported that it was the best ever! His message was even brief. :) He asked that we continue to pray that the seeds that were sown will indeed bear fruit. You can see a cool panoramic shot of the cathedral here: http://www.fountainsofprovence.com/CathedralXmasweb.html (it takes a moment to load - but is well worth
it!)

In Sudan, God continues to bless SP's ministry and staff. Churches are being built, God's word is being preached and Christians are being strengthened. The Lord was especially good to release the men who had been put in jail and to resolve issues with the traffic police peacefully - time and time again. Please continue to pray for the people of Sudan, as well as SP's staff. That the gospel would continue to forth, that Christians would be encouraged and strengthened and that our Lord would be Glorified in their lives!

There is SO much to be thankful for my friends! I am especially thankful for all of you - thank you for your prayers for these mission fields and God's people. You are a blessing! If you have additional praises to add - please feel free to post a comment.

"May the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all!"

Phil 4:23

Lord, may we Love!

Dear Friends, let us Love one another, for Love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God.

God is Love.

Whoever lives in Love - lives in God - and God in him.

I John 4:7, 16

Kenya

Please pray for Kenya as there is currently much violence and social unrest in this nation - the most recent report sadly noted more than 300 deaths. This violence errupted after the elections on 27 December as an outpouring of opposition against President Kibaki's re-election. Opposition groups, specifically the ODM (Orange Democratic Movement), representing the Luo tribe argue that the election was fixed and they are now retaliating against Kibaki's Kikuyu tribe. The persons being killed are innocent men, women, and children who are associated with the "wrong" tribe. Other victims/targets include police officers or Kibaki supporters of any tribe. Honestly, in the midst of such chaos, everyone is in danger. The photo above is a woman mourning in front of a church where 30 people were trapped and burned to death in Eldoret, Kenya on Tuesday, 1 January.

For more and/or the latest details, you can visit http://www.reuters.com/ .

Some ways you can pray:

• For an end to this violence
• For our Lord to capture and change the hearts of those who are retaliating
• For protection - specifically for the women and children
• For God to be at work in the hearts of Kenya's leaders
• For the Christians in Kenya to remain strong in their faith

A prayer from John Piper,

"O Lord, the suffering in the world is so widespread and the pain is so great. Have mercy, and waken the souls of suffering millions to the hope of some relief now and unsurpassed joy in the age to come. Send your church, O God, with relief and with the word of the Gospel that there is forgiveness of sins through faith in Christ and that no suffering here is worth comparing to the glory that will be revealed to the children of God."