“Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you”
Jeremiah 29:12
Everyone knows the beautifully hopeful words that precede this verse. God tells us that He has plans to prosper us, to keep us safe, and to give us hope and a future. That’s incredible. But just as equally awesome is that God tells us He will hear us and listen to us. The great God of creation tunes His ears to our prayers. I will never be able to wrap my head around that one. I recently shared on my personal Facebook how God has been listening to the prayers we all have voiced through these prayer guides:
“Can’t make this stuff up. My family just got back from a very long walk past the outskirts of our town. A man (left) with broken English warned us about his neighbors dog before inviting us over to his house. He set up swings for my kids, let them play on his hand-built playground, and poured them some Coca-Cola. We talked with him and his uncle for awhile and he kept getting stuff from his house to show us. Without us even mentioning God, he brought out a red Bible, said “Jesus!”, and told us he was a new believer. I was joyfully surprised as less than 2% of Mongolians are Christian. He said he goes to a Korean church in the capital city and pulled his bulletin out of his Bible for me to see. I was floored, started laughing, then pulled up WEGO’s Prayer Guide on Carlie’s phone and showed him the church we have been praying for this month. And wouldn’t you know it, it was the same church.”
How is incredible is that? Our prayers are not just words on a page. They have real life to them that rise as incense to God’s great throne room. He listens to them and He responds. Pray these new requests today with concrete faith that God hears you and is present in your requests. Then wait and see how He speaks back.
Hope2 Church – Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia
About Hope2 Church:
This church is named “Hope2 Church” and serves the deaf community of Ulaanbaatar. It is a branch church of Hope Church which was estabilished 20 years ago. The leader’s name is Bulgantamir. There are more than 200 deaf people including teenagers, adults and elders. Joseph, the son of our directors, attends this great church and wants to pray for them again!
How You Can Pray:
1) Join the leadership in praying for the faith of the church members to grow.
2) Please be praying for new volunteers with a heart for service.
Calvary Baptist Church – Jinotepe, Nicaragua
From Pastor Carlos Lopez Moya:
“I am 56 years old and my wife’s name is Juana Quezada. We have one son named Carlos and one daughter named Ericka. One of them lives in Costa Rica and the other one in Leon. They have their own families. I have been a pastor for 20 years. I love being a pastor because I love the Lord and I go were God sends me. My wife supports me a lot in this ministry since we started this church. We are praying to have a church building soon. We have 30 members with one saved every week. We are planning on having a feeding program soon with God’s help. We are praying so hard for this situation in our country but I know that God has the answer. The Lord is our strength, so we are trusting in the Lord every day. I love what I do and I will share the gospel until I go to my real home.”
Also, we don’t have a photo of Calvary Baptist but this one was taken in Jinotepe. We will just assume that is the pastor holding the coffee.
How You Can Pray:
1) Please be praying for unity for my church
2) Pray hard for our country
3) For all the families and youth in Nicaragua
Ganbat – Driver, Mongolia
About Ganbat:
There are seven people in his family and he has five children. His wife, Tsetsegee is a cook at New Nope Children’s Home, as well. He has been working as a driver for two and half years. Ganbat likes wrestling and writing poems. Moreover, he likes to do work with his hands.
How You Can Pray:
1) For his good health
2) For his youngest son who is getting married in October. Pray for him and his new bride to find a new house. He is trying to get a new apartment before his wedding. Also, pray for all of the needs for his wedding celebration.
Marcos Calderon – Math Teacher, Nicaragua
From Marcos:
“I am 32 years old and have been married for four years. I have two daughters: One is twelve and the other is three years old. We live in our own house in Jinotepe in a community that we call Dulce Nombre. In my free time I love to play with my daughters and wife. I love going to the market with my wife and I love to cook for my family. I do lots of activities. I am busy almost every day. I only have free time on Sundays because I also teach on Saturdays. I love to teach and I have been teaching for 10 years. I love to see the students learn and apply what they have learned. All of the teachers have a great friendship. We work as a group. We like to laugh but we also are serious when we need to be.”
How You Can Pray:
1) Pray for safety for my family.
2) That the Lord will keep blessing me, so I can bless others
3) For me to keep working like I am.
Aruika – New Hope Children’s Home, Mongolia
About Aruika:
Aruika is fifteen years old an incredible gift to our home. She came to New Hope in March of 2016 with her younger brother and younger sister. She studies in 10th grade and is very bright. Aruika is a very hard worker and helps the youngest children a lot. She also finds great joy in illegally driving around the countryside of Mongolia.
How You Can Pray:
1) For her future life and studies
2) Pray for her family and for her parents to live together again
Emidia Selva – New Hope School, Nicaragua
From Emidia:
“I am fourteen years old and live with my sisters and my mom. We have our own house and we attend Yo Soy Jehovah Church. Pastor Denis is our pastor. I go to church every day with my mom and sisters. My Dad passed away two years ago and my mom works cleaning houses every day. I love to cook and love making necklaces and bracelets that I sell to be able to buy more materials to make more. I love English and love that I learn more about God in this school. Our teachers are so nice and I enjoy eating with our teachers. My favorite food is rice and chicken. I will love to be a doctor when I finish school to be able to help those who are in need. I love singing in church. If I can’t be a doctor, I will be an English teacher.”
How You Can Pray:
1) Pray that the Lord will keep blessing my family.
2) For more strength during this situation in our country.
3) Please pray for my sister, she is having bone pain and I am afraid that she will have cancer like my Dad.
Additional Requests
National Strike and Continued Civil Unrest in Nicaragua
We want to continue praying for these three specific areas for our friends and ministry family in Nicaragua. We are hearing that there is also a National Strike happening today. This is a very serious situation so we must be praying for peace and safety for all.
1) Please pray for all violence to stop and for God to be a Shield around our staff, the people we serve, our community, and all of Nicaragua.
2) Pray for quick political resolution that gives justice to the people and honor to the Lord.
3) Please pray for wisdom, strength, and boldness for local churches throughout Nicaragua as they shine Light and healing in the midst of this current difficulty.
Building Plans
We are currently interviewing a few different construction companies in Mongolia as we make some big decisions about the physical future of our children’s home and the expansion of our ministry into the surrounding community. Please pray for the Lord to clearly direct our path and make His plans, our plans.
Mongolia Staff Training
This is week two of a six-week Gospel ministry training for our incredible Mongolian staff. We are walking through our Statement of Faith and talking about how it effects our heads, hearts, and the work of our hands. We you please be praying for us as we equip each other for Christ’s service?