First Saturday Prayer December

World Vision December Hope Prayer Team

A Christmas Focus on Jesus Christ

The glitter and excitement of the holidays can leave us harried and breathless. But the gleam of anticipation in a child's eye — reflecting the magic and wonder of the season — reminds us of the hope we have in Jesus Christ. And as we focus on Him amid the barrage of worldly noise and commercialism, we remember how much Christ in His earthly life identified with those who are hurting.

Suggested Prayer Points

In your quiet times this month, or as you bow your head to pray before a meal, remember to intercede for:

The millions of children and families who are homeless.

A heartbreaking 1 billion people worldwide lack adequate housing. Millions live in health-threatening conditions, in overcrowded slums and informal settlements, or in other conditions that do not uphold their human rights and dignity. Jesus knew that feeling of isolation and displacement. In Luke 9:58, He says, "Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head."

Dear God, You knew what it was like to be without a home. Guide to spaces of safety and comfort those who don't have a place to call their own.

Those who are hungry. 

Perhaps not surprisingly, the number of people who experience hunger on a daily basis — about 925 million — is close to the number who lack adequate housing. Hunger is one of the leading child killers around the globe. Worldwide, a child dies from hunger-related causes every 15 seconds. In Matthew 25:35-40, Christ says that when we feed a hungry person, we are feeding Him.

Dear God, help us see You in the faces of the hungry. Give us courage to reach out when they lift up their hands in need.

Those forced to flee their homes because of natural disaser and war.

According to the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, 47 percent of refugees and asylum seekers are under the age of 18, and 80 percent of the world's refugees in 2010 were in developing countries — nations with the fewest resources to meet their needs. Jesus started His life on Earth as a refugee. Born far from His home, He and His family fled persecution and lived in Egypt.

Dear God, the psalmist wrote that You are our safe refuge, a fortress where our enemies cannot reach us. Be that safe refuge for those who must flee their homelands.

Christians who are persecuted for their faith.

When you live in a place where Christmas is widely celebrated, it might be hard to imagine being restricted from openly worshiping Christ. Human rights experts estimate that approximately 200 million Christians are living in countries with severely restricted religious freedom and are partly suffering discrimination or persecution. Revelation 2:26 tells us that Christ will give authority over all the nations to those who are "victorious, who obey me to the very end" (NLT). He will give a crown of life to those who remain faithful even while facing death (Revelation 2:10).

Dear God, we claim the promise of Your Word for our brothers and sisters in Christ who are persecuted for their faith. Help them hold on to You and obey You to the very end.

Children who are unprotected and exploited.

Around the world, hundreds of millions of innocent children are forced into labor, armed conflict, early marriage, and sexual abuse. They are especially at risk when they are orphaned or separated from their parents. Christ is very clear that children are close to His heart, and there are consequences for those who would seek to harm them. "See that you do not look down on one of these little ones. For I tell you that their angels in heaven always see the face of my Father in heaven"(Matthew 18:10).

Dear God, don't let us ever become complacent about our responsibility to protect children from exploitation. Bring us to our feet to rush to their aid.

First Saturday Prayer November

South Puget Sound Chapter Leadership Team 

Fiscal Year 2012

We are just four weeks into our new World Vision (WV) fiscal year (FY) which started October 1, 2011 and have a newly formed Leadership Team as of October 28, 2011. We need much prayer as we are behind several months on planning and projecting for FY2012. 

Here is our new South PUget Sound Chapter Leadership Team. We have two new Co-Chairs, Katrin Deitz and Zeena Smith; new Advocacy Co-Chairs, Brenda Oliver and Diane Zoro; new International Project Chair Melanie Freiberg; new WV Laison, Tina Veer; newly assigned Treasurer, Brenda Shaw; reassigned Partnership Chair, Karen Marion; and continuing Child Sponsor Chair, Patty Dalrymple; continuing Communications Chair, Lynn Arvisais; continuing Education Chair, Annie Brandt; continuing Local Project Chair, Holly Pennington; continuing Domestic Project Chair, Laura Livingston; and continuing Spiritual Life Chair, Karen Marion. We are in need of a secretary for our Chapter.

Prayer

Dear Heavenly Father,

We come before You in the Name of Jesus grateful to be your women and humbled that you entrust us with presenting You to the world. Give us Your perspective, Your wisdom and Your heart for those who suffer and have great need. We ask that You would hear our prayer.

We pray for our Leadership Team. We lift each woman before Your throne and ask that Your Hand of blessing would be upon each member of this Team. We ask that You would speak to the heart of each of these Leaders about what it is that You have called us to do and become through this experience. We pray for unity amongst this Team. We bind away any divisive thoughts, words or deeds, We ask that this Team would be united in You for the common cause of being Your Hands extended to the impoverished and marginalized women and children that we serve.

Lord, You know the weaknesses and the strengths of each of us. We ask that You would guide us to use our strengths to overcome our weaknesses, remembering that You are our strength and that You use our weakness to cause us to rely on You as You show Your strength.

Lord we ask for the miracle of cleared calendars so that we can come together to meet and discuss and plan. Lord, there are always so many choices and so many voices. Help us to filter our calendars through Your Voice and make time decisions based upon Your will and Your call.

Lord, this Team needs to know how much money we should set as our goal for funds raised for our projects. We ask that You would give each of us the sum that You would equip and bless us to raise. Lord, we know that ALL things are possible with You and that Your Hand is not short; but, we acknowledge our frailties. We need You to press on to have the faith, the energy and the wisdom to know the amount we should target to give to our World Vision Projects in Cambodia and Appalachia.

This Team need to know how You would have us raise these funds. We need to know how much we should pledge individually. This Leadership Team needs to know what events that You would want us to present to communities to raise awareness and funds. Show us the way we should go in setting the FY2012 calendar of events to educate and raise money.

Lord, help this Team to find our rhythm during this two-year term. Help us to maintain a balanced, effective and healthy life style. Help us to set boundaries on time so that there is adequate time spent on Women of Vision Chapter responsibilities and adequate time spent with You, family and friends.

Lord, we lift this Team and ask that You would cover each member with the blood of the Lamb of Jesus of Nazareth and keep us safe from harm. Thank You that the attacks of the enemy will be thwarted and that each of us will walk protected by You.

Lord, this Team has so much to do to achieve the goals that are set. We need more partners to under gird this Team with prayer and man hours. Send us 25 new partners at two per month so that we double in size this fiscal year. You know our hearts and that we want to "go big or go home"; yet, we don't want to go big, burn out and bid the group good bye from burn out! Send us more helping hands to do the work of this Chapter.

We lift all of these requests to You. We take on Your Yoke which is easy and light. We ask these things prostrate at Your Feet. Thank you for hearing our prayer.  Amen.  

Post "make it right" Event Prayer Highlight 10/21-25/11: World Advocacy

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Post "make it right" Event: World Advocacy Hope for Sexually Exploited Girls

Sponsor a sexually exploited child through World Vision  for just $35 a month. Give hope for sexually exploited girls. Your gift will offer girls assistance like medical care, nutritious food, non formal education, vocational training, compassionate counseling, and, where possible, reintegration into a loving family environment.

An estimated 2 million children are enslaved and abused in the global commercial sex trade — most of them girls. Many children are sold into prostitution to pay off family debts or forcibly recruited from the street to work in brothels.

Girls who escape or are rescued face a difficult physical and emotional recovery process. "I wanted to run away, but I had nothing, and my family was too far away," remembers 15-year-old Sophea*. "Life was unbearable ... worst were the beatings if I said ‘no.’"

You can help girls like Sophea recover from exploitation. The World Vision center was the first place in a long time where she felt safe. "I feel good here," she says. "I feel secure, nobody hurts me. I can learn to read and write properly for the first time."

*World Vision is committed to the highest standards of child protection and does not publish names or identifiable photos of exploited children without express permission.

Prayer:

Dear Heavenly Father,
We come to You in the Name of Jesus grateful that we are free and that chains have been broken around our hearts that once kept us from You and your love and fullness of life.

We lift before Your throne the millions of children enslaved globally as labor slaves and sex slaves. It is almost unbearable to hear and see what is happening in our world at the hands of merciless adults who bring unimaginable pain and suffering to these children. We grieve as we learn of story after story of victims of these heinous crimes. We lift each one to You, valuable and loved. We ask that You would hear their cry for freedom and give them hope. Lord, You and You alone know and hear all things. We entrust them into Your care.

Show us Lord what we must do in response to the knowledge that we have about these victims of slave labor and sex trafficking. Show us what child we should sponsor, what World Vision Project we should support, what community action we must take to end this abomination against humanity. Use us Lord to be Your Hands extended to these victims locally, domestically and globally. Lord, we ask that You would reveal to each of our hearts what our part is to stop human trafficking in this generation.

We pray for those buying and selling young children. We pray for their salvation. We pray that they would be set free from this evil and walk in newness of life through Jesus. We ask that You would begin to work on the hearts of those with evil intent against children in these ways; that You would speak to their hearts and show them that they can stop  what they are doing and be free of their bondage. We ask that You would bring healing to these pimps and johns and slave traders so that the demand will stop and that precious children will be safe. We ask that officials and governments would take measures to impact the lives of these perpetrators in ways that will cause them to step away from these behaviors so victims can go free. Stop the demand for human trafficking in whatever way it takes, Lord.

We have hope in knowing that many millions of people around the world have linked arms and are standing firm against human trafficking. We have hope that World Vision provides the infrastructure that gives our passion to stop these acts a means of becoming an effective reality. We have hope in knowing that You can tear down walls when we pray, that You can break chains and set people free and that Your vengeance will take care of the perpetrators. We have hope in You and we ask that You would bring hope to those who suffer as victims of human trafficking.

Thank You Jesus that You hear our prayers and the cries and prayers of these who suffer. In Jesus Name we pray. Amen.  

Post "make it right" Prayer Highlight 10/10-14/11 Washington State Advocacy

 

Washington Engage Founders

Post "make it right" Prayer Highlight 10/10-14/11 Washington State Advocacy

This week as follow-up from our "make it right" Event, our prayer focus is on advocacy in the State of Washington. One organization that endeavors to bring together many of the State anti-human trafficking groups, city officials, and State Government is Washington Engage. We want to learn about this organization and cover it in prayer as they press on with the work of ending human trafficking in our State.

History
From 2009-2010 Rose Gundersen (left on picture above) worked in the Washington State Attorney General’s office as a policy extern on human trafficking. In that role, Rose helped to create the research basis for Rob McKenna’s Presidential Initiative on Human Trafficking launched in 2011. During this time, Rose connected with Deana Berg (middle on picture above).

In 2009, Deana and Rose began working together to build relationships with existing grassroots anti-trafficking initiatives in the region. Thanks to the collaboration of key stakeholders and anti-trafficking leaders, they cultivated a constituency base of over 20,000 voters to bring a unified voice to Washington legislators.

In 2010, in collaboration with Seattle Against Slavery and several other grassroots groups, Deana organized the Inaugural Washington Anti-Trafficking Engagement Day in Olympia that featured leaders of the anti-trafficking movement and opportunities for voters to talk with their legislators. The following year, the number of attendees grew to hear speakers including Bradley Myles of Polaris Project, Rob McKenna, our State Attorney General, and other leaders who addressed a standing-room-only crowd.

In preparation for the 2011 event, Washington Engage in collaboration with International Justice Mission held a legislative training day and trained advocates who then filled more than 40 legislative appointments on the Engagement Day.

As Deana continued her partnership-building work with city officials, law enforcement officers, prosecutors, service providers, and new community advocates and Rose continued her work with legislators and searching out new and relevant research, they added a third member to their team, Dr. Mar Smith.

Mar came to trafficking prevention work from an academic background. After researching and teaching on justice issues at the college and graduate levels, Mar wanted to become more actively engaged with important ethics and labor issues such as trafficking. She founded Interact Consulting, LLC and joined Washington Engage as a consultant to build a business-facing effort to trafficking. The goal of the effort is to help businesses prevent sex and labor trafficking within their own spheres of influence.

Washington Engage (WAE) seeks to eradicate sex and labor trafficking in Washington State by providing tools and knowledge that empower government, business, and grassroots leaders to take action. The foundation to their mission is to eradicate human trafficking through Community Partnership to form a unified voice to leverage with stakeholders, Business Initiative to make trafficking unprofitable and Law and Policy Study to inform laws, policies, and partnerships. Their vision is that Washington State leads the fight to end human trafficking.

WAE partners with Students of Bellarmine Preparatory School, East Side Women of Purpose, Family Renewal Shelter, Frontline For Justice, Hidden Creek Community Church, Olympia WA, Hope for Seattle, Intercommunity Peace and Justice Center, International Justice Mission, Jubilee, Justice and Mercy Foundation, LOOKBOTHWAYS, Lutheran Public Policy Office of Washington, New Horizons Ministries, Not for Sale Campaign, REST (Real Escape from the Sex Trade), Seattle Against Slavery, Seattle Prayer Against Slavery Movement, Shared Hope International, Soroptimist International Northwest Region, Student Against Slavery at UW, The Freedom Initiative,The Genesis Project, Unbound Conference, University Presbyterian Church Human Trafficking Task Force, University of Washington Center for Human Rights, University of Washington Women’s Center, Washington Coalition Office of Crime Victim Advocates, Western Washington Coalition Against Human Trafficking, Women’s Funding Alliance, Women of Vision South Puget Sound Chapter, Zonta of Everett, Zonta of Olympia, Zonta of South Puget Sound

Prayer:

Dear Heavenly Father,

We come to you in the Name of Jesus worshipping and praising You. Lord, we trust that all things work together for the good to those who love You and are called according to Your purpose. We praise You that You are seated on the Throne in the Heavens and ask that You would be seated on the throne in each of our hearts as we surrender our way and our understanding to Your Way.

Lord, we thank you for Washington Engage and the founders, Rose, Deana, and Mar. Bless them as they pioneer this work in Washington State to eradicate human trafficking. We ask that You would open every door for this organization and bless them with favor, abundant finances and faithful supporters. Give them wisdom as they establish their procedures and protocols, as they make contacts and as they decide about direction and focus. Show them the Way that You would have them go to bring honor and glory to Your Name as they work to set prisoners free from slavery.

We ask that Community Action Teams would spring up in all cities across the State and that communities would begin to say "NO" to slave labor in their communities. We pray for unity within each Community Action Team, between communities and throughout the State. Let each team unite and link together to be a voice to Olympia that citizens will no longer stand by and allow human trafficking in Washington. 

We pray that You would work on the hearts of people in Washington to welcome the victims of slavery into their churches, businesses, and neighborhoods. We pray for recovery centers to be established where these victims can receive after care so that they can heal and be made whole. Let churches and non-profit groups respond to fill in the gap where the Government stops providing these services.

Along with Your heart, our hearts are broken for the children and women who suffer from the crime of human trafficking. Let us not give up in this fight to stop human trafficking. Let us join with Washington Engage to make a difference!

In Jesus' Matchless Name we pray. Amen!

Post make it right Prayer Highlight 10/4-8/11 World Vision Advocacy

World Vision Advocacy Update: October 2011

Will you become a "Justice Prayer Warrior"?

There is no authority except that which God has established. The 
authorities that exist have been established by God." — Romans 13:1 (NIV)
 
It's good to be reminded that we have the great blessing to live in a 
representative democracy. Further, Scripture teaches us that we are 
called by God to pray for those in authority (1 Timothy 2:1-3).

As October 1 marks the start of the federal government's new fiscal year,
I invite you to pray with us for our elected leaders, and tell them you 
are doing so. 

• Download our prayer guide (pdf).
• Send a message to your elected leaders tell them you pray for them

Use your gifts for God's justice

I believe we all have gifts as the people of God that can be critically important 
in moving legislators to live up to their responsibilities. We understand the power 
of fervent prayer to change hearts and minds.

We can be "chaplains" and "prayer warriors" for God's justice in our world.

With the ongoing budget debate, as well as global crises such as the Horn of Africa 
drought, our elected leaders face difficult decisions that will ultimately impact 
millions of people across the world. Now more than ever, they too need our prayers.

It is with this mind that I invite you to pray and take action with us. I also ask you 
to pray for children around the world as you pray for our governing authorities, 
whose daily decisions impact communities here in the United States and beyond.

Specifically, we are praying:

• For wisdom and perseverance for lawmakers and their staff.
• For children and families affected by global poverty, injustice, and suffering
• For legislative priorities that positively impact the poor.

Download the Justice Prayer Guide (pdf) to help inform your prayers. Send a message 
to your elected leaders to let them know you are praying for them today and in the 
coming year.

With every blessing,


Rich Stearns
President, World Vision U.S.

October 1 World Vision Day of Prayer

World Vision Day of Prayer and Action Prayer Points

Pray together for your community. . .

For awareness of needs within your community.

For courage to be intentional in getting to know your neighbors.

For opportunities to partner together in advocating for justice.

For willingness to love your neighbors as yourself.

Praise God for…

The opportunities that will be presented to you throughout the year that will bring change to your community.

Pray together for our leaders. . .

For wisdom for our leaders as they begin to make decisions about where and how to spend money.

That bold action will be taken to provide the necessary resources to fund interventions that alleviate suffering.

That policies and laws would be put into place that would promote the cause of the oppressed, both locally and globally.

For leaders to seek God’s will above their own.

Praise God for…

The truth that His love and power reign supreme above all the leaders in this world.

Pray together for the hungry. . .
For the children who die from hunger every day.
For wisdom for government leaders who are seeking effective means to address the food crisis.
For greater efforts to urge Congress to expand hunger, child nutrition, and agriculture development programs to eradicate child hunger worldwide.
For God’s guidance in showing us how we can help to break the cycle of hunger.

Praise God for…
The large amount of food aid, agricultural training, nutrition education, and food protection resources provided by World Vision and made possible by donors from around the world.

Pray together for those suffering from HIV and AIDS. . .
For the more than 15 million children orphaned and made vulnerable as a result of HIV and AIDS and that those in need would be provided adequate care and support.
For the millions of people living with HIV and AIDS who have been designated eligible to receive anti-retroviral drugs, but have not yet due to insufficient funds and delays. Pray that they might receive treatment.
That pregnant mothers who are HIV positive will be able to access the drugs and other measures necessary to help them prevent transmission of the virus to their unborn child or infant.
For the more than 77,000 caregivers that World Vision has trained and equipped to care for those suffering from HIV and AIDS.

Praise God for…
The AIDS prevention and care programs that World Vision operates in more than 60 countries.

Pray together for children in slavery and bondage. . .

For those children who are taken advantage of and suffer greatly ─ that they would be comforted.

For those that would exploit or enslave others. Pray for a spiritual breakthrough so that might release their captives and work to prevent the captivity of others.

For the advocates around the world who are standing against slavery. Pray for their protection from harm by corrupt officials and those who enslave children.

For World Vision’s programs, that they would continue to help prevent children from falling into slavery and protect and restore those who have survive the ordeal.

Praise God for…

The many policies put into place over the years to protect children from exploitation and bondage: The Trafficking Victims Protection Act, The PROTECT Act, The Child Soldier Prevention Act.

Pray together for those suffering from malaria. . . 

That recent efforts focused on ending preventable deaths from malaria by 2015 will be achieved.

That families threatened by malaria will receive insecticide-treated bed nets and other interventions that they need to protect their families from this killer disease.

That the difficult economic period will not prevent individuals and governments from responding with the financial resources needed to protect children and help end malaria (more than $6 billion a year). That we might see malaria eradicated in our lifetime.

Praise God for…

The extensive distribution of long-lasting insecticide-treated bed nets to malaria-infected regions around the world, through World Vision.

Take Action! E-mail

your elected leaders today!

OPTIONAL: As we focus our attention on justice issues around the world, it is important to remember that Jesus is the light of the world. As Christ’s followers, we reflect his light in a world where darkness abounds. Lighting candles is a great way to symbolize this message of light dispelling darkness. As we begin this time of prayer, you are encouraged to light candles in solidarity with Jesus’ call to reflect His light on our campuses, in our communities, to our leaders, and as we respond to issues of justice.

First Saturday Prayer October

First Saturday Prayer October

This month begins the new 2012 fiscal year for World Vision and Women of Vision. We need to remember our South Puget Sound Chapter in prayer as we formulate our Leadership Team, gather new partners, plan our calendar and begin a new year of service to the poor and marginalized children, women and families of our World Vision projects and our local project.

Prayer:

Dear Heavenly Father,

We come before You in the Name of Jesus praising you for another incredible year of serving You and being Your Hands extended to poor and marginalized children,women and families as Women of Vision. Lord we praise You for You have taught us about You and the power of prayer and Your Word in overcoming darkness, both in ourselves and in others. We praise You that You have heard our prayers and that we have testimony after testimony from this last year of unity, blessings and growth because of Your favor.

We lift FY2012 for our Chapter before Your throne. Lord, You have called us to be leaders and partners and friends of this Chapter. Please reveal to each heart what role and part should be played.

Please make it clear as we consider leadership positions whom you would have doing what. We surrender our way and our self to You and ask that You would be honored and glorified by each decision. We ask that You would bless each person who is willing to give of time, talents and treasure to advance Your kingdom and to serve others through our World Vision and Women of Vision partnership. We ask that You would continue to give us unity and that we would be kind to each other and gracious as we communicate. Help us to be Your women in each meeting, at each event and in all that we are called upon to do as Women of Vision Leaders.

We praise You for the partners that You have sent and we look forward to having more women join us. Please have Your way with those considering becoming partners who have not made a decision. Lord, we aren't concerned about numbers as much as we are concerned about the heart of each new partner. Bring us women who have a heart turned toward You. Bring us women who have the passion to make a difference in the lives of children, women and families that we serve. Send us women who are team players and willing to make the sacrifice of their time, talents and treasure to make a difference in the lives we serve locally, domestically and globally. We praise You that You send the women and we graciously receive and welcome them to our Chapter team. Bless our unity with each one. May they all feel welcomed and valued as vital members of our community.

We praise You for our friends who pray for our Chapter and attend various events as they can. We ask that You would bless them and invite each one to do what You would have them do to enhance the effectiveness and vitality of our Chapter. Use World Vision and Women of Vision to call them to You if they don't know You. Use us to be Light in their lives. Use them to teach us and show us how we need to grow to be that Light.

We are privileged women and we are grateful. We praise You that we are Yours and that You are ours! We praise You that You have a wonderful plan for FY2012 and that You will reveal that plan to us as we seek You! We praise You that You entrust us with Your work and that You bless us as we serve You and the poor and  those treated unjustly. 

There is none like You, Lord. We surrender all that we are and all that we have to You so that we can become all that You have for us to be. We love You, Jesus and pray in Your matchless Name! Amen!