Do you remember what Jesus said during His first official sermon in Nazareth? His words were profound and powerful, and are relevant even today:
“The Spirit of the LORD is upon me, because He anointed me to preach the Gospel to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to set free those who are downtrodden, to proclaim the favorable year of the LORD.” – Luke 4:18-19
This Good News, this beautiful Gospel, has not changed from that day until this. And while theologically the year of the LORD took place as He took His rightful place as our Savior – the Savior of all the world – each year since is a year of His good favor as a result of His loving kindness and tender mercies, patiently waiting for all to be saved by His grace. That continues in 2014. And we press on!
I am excited to inform you of the upcoming opportunities before me, and our ministry team of Women in the Window International, in one of the most strategic places on earth: the Arab world. We have been invited to join with women and men from North Africa and the Middle East on a discreet island nation from January 18th to January 29th. We will join all the meetings there to learn and strategize with the larger “Church,” but our primary focus on this trip is to gather the women leaders with whom we partner to develop a robust strategy of holistic development and ongoing ministry to empower through prayer and equip for service! Our health training leaders, Ila Swick and Marcia Nayak, along with two new volunteers, will provide an overview of Women’s Cycle of Life.
Each day we will come together to worship the Lord Jesus and to strategize how to reach the 99% Muslim population of this region with His Good News. Each morning our meetings will begin with a time of worship in English, French, and Arabic, uniting us as we draw near to God and He draws near to us. The enthusiasm for Christ displayed during worship is always palpable and contagious! Following our worship, we will hear reports from each North African nation and the Diaspora (dispersed North Africans) among European nations such as France, England, and Spain, and the Sub-Saharan African regions where the Muslim population is growing annually.
In addition, we will gather to discuss the current status of women’s ministry in North Africa. Breakthroughs and setbacks will be discussed along with ministry tools that might be effective. The Arab Spring has not been kind to women and most of them are far worse than before it started. Sharia Law is frequently instituted by the Muslim brotherhood whenever and wherever possible. Yet women are finding Christ through their dreams, visions, and in some cases, churches, whether they meet in homes or actual church buildings. This varies widely in the Arab world. But women are ALWAYS the key to reaching other women, who in turn train the next generation, and often pray for their husbands, fathers, brothers, and sons, until they, too, find the Good News of Christ for themselves.
THANK YOU FOR YOUR PRAYERS! We consider you an essential part of this team and we simply couldn’t make these trips without the wings of your prayers!
In His Love and Service,
Kim
Prayer Requests
- Pray for Ila Swick, Women in the Window International Health Coordinator, and Marcia Nayak, Women’s Cycle of Life Leader, as they provide an overview of the health training to the women leaders from North Africa (Thursday, January 23rd) and the Middle East (Sunday, January 26th).
- Praise God and pray for new prospective volunteers who are traveling to learn more about how they can help Women in the Window!
- Pray that as Kim meets with leaders they will prayerfully and strategically develop action plans for many nations and the region for 2014 and beyond. Pray that they will be anointed by the Holy Spirit so that they can catch His vision for women in the Arab world, and for the resources to fulfill His vision.
- As always, please pray for seamless, uneventful travel for both our team and our luggage, and for good health and sweet spirits throughout the trip until we return on January 29th.