Post make it right Prayer Highlight 9/26-30/11 Local Advocacy

Make It Right Prayer Highlight 9/26-30/11 Local Advocacy

 As a follow-up for the "make it right" Event we want to lift up our local advocacy efforts within the State of Washington. The focus this week throughout the State and Nation is the re-authorization of the

TVPRA which is the Trafficking Victims Protection Act of 2000. This act will expire this Friday. We need to be contacting our Washington State Representatives and Senators Patty Murray and Maria Cantwell by calling them and simply stating:

                                 Hello, my name is __________ and I'm a constituent from

                                 _______________, I would like to ask the senator to cosponsor

                                 the reauthorization of the Trafficking Victims Protection Act (S.1301).

                                 Thank you.

An organization that we are working with that will help you set up local Anti-Human Trafficking Community Action Team is Washington Engage. They will meet with your group and help you set up a plan of action to stop local human trafficking in your city or town. Join the Federal Way Community Action Team meeting this week to see how one community is fighting local trafficking issues.

Another organization that will help local groups advocate for victims of human trafficking is Shared Hope International. Linda Smith, former Washington Congresswoman, founder of Shared Hope International is known for her ability to galvanize the grassroots community. She created a "Kids Are Not For Sale" awareness campaign and authored two books, From Congress to the Brothel (2007) and Renting Lacy (2009). The Finding Lacy training program is being used within the State to bring about awareness of local human trafficking.

Prayer:

Dear Heavenly Father,

We come before You in the Name of Jesus praising You that not one sparrow falls to the ground without Your knowing of it. We praise You that You are seated on Your Throne in the Heavenlies and nothing comes into our lives without it filtering through Your Hands.

Lord, we praise You in advance that the Trafficking Victims Protection Act of 2000 will be reauthorized and that funding will continue to be provided to stop human trafficking. We thank You that people will mobilize this week and that all senators and representatives will receive thousands of phone calls and that US Senators and Representatives will have meetings with hundreds of constituents as they plead for this reauthorization. Let it be so, Lord!

Lord, we pray that people locally within our State would become aware and educated about how to fight human trafficking that is happening all around us. We pray that people's hearts would be broken by the things that they discover is happening to children and young people who are victims of sex trafficking and labor slavery. Lord open eyes and hearts to the realities of this horrific situation.

We pray that You would open doors that only You can open so that all human trafficking would stop in this generation. Show us what to do, show us where to go, show us how to make a difference. We are passionate about seeing things change. We are passionate about the victims and we want to be their voice in the darkness to bring them hope and freedom. Use us Lord to set these captives free.

We praise You and thank you that You will show us a way to change our local areas on behalf of trafficked children and women.

In Jesus Name we pray. Amen!

September Devotional

Why We Serve

 Isaiah 61:1-3 reminds us why we serve as Women of Vision:

     The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is on me, 

because the Lord anointed me

     to preach good news to the poor,

He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted,

to proclaim freedom for the captives,

and release from darkness for the prisoners,

to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor,

and the day of vengeance of our God,

to comfort all who mourn,

and provide for those who grieve in Zion

to bestow on them a crown of beauty

instead of ashes,

the oil of gladness

instead of mourning,

and a garment of praise

instead of a spirit of despair.

They will be called oaks of righteousness,

a planting of the Lord for the display of his splendor.

We as Women of Vision have the privilege of serving as volunteers within the infrastructure of  World Vision. As we reflect on our recent educational Event, "make it right" it seems timely to revisit an older video that Rich Stearns, President of World Vision US, made for Women of Vision some years ago. To hear his perspective on the significance of Women of Vision to World Vision is heartening and encouraging.

He mentions a movement on behalf of the poorest of the poor and how Women of Vision is making a difference in the lives of children and women around the world through advocating, fundraising and organizing by spending thousands of hours investing in World Vision. He states that the impact is far beyond the fund raising that is done for World Vision because we are advocates for the poor. He mentions mission trips and how they bring to poor communities care and compassion to the countries that are visited by Women of Vision.

Prayer:

Dear Heavenly Father,

We praise You for all that You did on our behalf for the "make it right" Event. We praise You that the number of people attending and the funds raised and the impact to the Seattle Area was made possible through Your Hands of blessing and Your grace. Thank You for using us for Your honor and glory.

Help us not to grow weary in well-doing. Redeem the countless hours that some gave toward this Event. Bless those who continually went and did and gave so that this Event could be successful. Thank you for those who prayed so that Your Kingdom's work could be accomplished.

Thank you for the privilege that we have to be a part of World Vision. We ask that You would continue to bless this organization in every way. We ask for wisdom amongst those who lead and make decisions about goals and priorities. We ask that You would unite us all as a powerful movement on behalf of the poorest of the poor so that the world can see You in all that is said and done. Use us Lord to bring life in all its fullness to the poor and marginalized children, women and families around the globe.

We praise You that this movement of World Vision and Women of Vision to the poorest of the poor will bring good news to the poor, bind up the brokenhearted, proclaim freedom for the captives, release prisoners from darkness, provide for those who grieve and bring them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil to gladness instead of mourning and a garmet of praise instead of a spirit of despair. We praise You that victims that we serve through the World Vision projects that we support in Appalachia and Cambodia will be called oaks of righteousness and tht the world will look upon them as a display of Your splendor! 

 

We love You Jesus and count it an honor to serve You. In Your Name we pray. Amen.

Post make it right Prayer Highlight 9/19-23/11 Follow-Up Commimttee

Post make it right Prayer Highlight 9/19-23/11 Follow-Up Commimttee

Dear Heavenly Father,
We come before You in the Name of Jesus with praise and thanksgiving in our hearts. We praise You for what You did on September 18, 2011 to show Yourself strong on our behalf. We give You all the praise, honor and glory for your magnificence!

We continue to ask for Your Hand of blessing as we follow-up with thank yous, surveys, event debrief and chapter communications. We thank you for Holly Pennington and ask that You would guide her as she chairs the Event Follow-Up Committee. Give her wisdom about a plan, give her people to complete the tasks and Your presence in all that is done. Thank You for the team that You are raising to assist her.

Lord, show us what You want to teach us from this event about You. Help us to use this Event as a remembrance of Your faithfulness. Let us use this Event and all of the many blessings that You poured down on us as a time of “piling stones” so that we remember.

As we follow up on our Event, let us remember with every fiber to praise You for the miracles.

In Jesus Name we pray. Amen.

Make It Right Prayer Highlight 9/12-16/11 Sheryl WuDunn

Make It Right prayer Highlight 9/12-16/11

Sheryl WuDunn



Sheryl WuDunn, the first Asian American reporter to win a Pulitzer Prize, is a best-selling author, business executive, and lecturer. Currently, she is a senior managing director at Mid-Market Securities, an investment banking boutique serving growth companies in the middle market, including companies founded and run by women. She is also president of TripleEdge, a social investing consultancy, and – as of Fall 2011 – will be a Senior Fellow at Yale University, co-teaching a course on global affairs with a specific focus on China's economic development and its global role.

WuDunn also is co-author of Half the Sky: Turning Oppression into Opportunity for Women Worldwide, a New York Times best-selling book about the challenges facing women around the globe. It has been featured on The Oprah Winfrey Show, The Colbert Report, and many other network television shows. WuDunn also helped launch the Half the Sky multimedia effort to create a thoughtful, effective philanthropic strategy that includes an online social action campaign, a documentary series, and a television special.

Prayer

Dear Heavenly Father,

We come before You in the Name of Jesus praising You.

We pray for Sheryl WuDunn. You know her needs Lord, and we lift them to You. We ask that her schedule this week would flow together and that her days would be relatively stress-free. We pray that she would have wonderful moments with her family and friends and that she would have time to spend resting and being refreshed before she travels.We thank you for giving her traveling mercies. We ask that You would keep her strong and protect her health.

We thank you for sending her here to speak her message to the Seattle area about the global condition of women and children. We ask that eyes and hearts would be opened to the plight of the victims of poverty and injustice. We ask that You would speak through her to bring words of hope about what can be done to help these victims.

We ask that we would be used by You to bless her while she is with us. Help us to be welcoming and kind as we interact with her. Use us to minister to her needs. We ask that You would show us how we can help her see something different in our lives that would bless her and bring her joy.

We praise You for the wonderful day that You have in store for her on the 18th. We pray that she will leave encouraged and hopeful.

In Jesus Name we pray. Amen.

The Prayer of the Children 9-11 Remembered

The Prayer of the Children 9-11 Remembered

Dear Heavenly Father,

Today we remember with wounded hearts 9-11-01. We pause. We reflect on that day in our own lives. We remember those who were murdered. We remember those who gave their lives in service to others. We remember.

We remember what America was like before 9-11. We remember what the world was like before 9-11. We remember.

We pray for those who still suffer as a result of this attack. We pray for families, neighborhoods, cities and America who lost loved ones, friends, neighbors. We pray that You would continue to bring healing and comfort.

We pray for our Nation's enemies that they would come to know You. We pray that America will find it in her heart to forgive.

We remember how You did miracles on 9-11. We remember how You gave us strength to carry on in spite of our fears. We remember how You brought peace into new places as we united together, one Nation, under God. We remember that in spite of the pain and suffering, that in the end we learned to trust You, even in this.

We thank You that You heard the "cries of the children". Thank You that the darkness has been cleared and that You have restored peace in hearts. Thank You that they live in freedom and see justice and goodness once again. Thank You that their generation will remember and help to make America a better place.

We ask that You would bless America as it remembers 9-11 and turns its heart to You.

In Jesus Name, amen.



Make It Right Prayer Highlight 9/5-9/11 Reneé Stearns

Make It Right Prayer Highlight 9/5-9/11 Reneé Stearns

Reneé Stearns draws on her experience and passion as a Christian, attorney and mother of five, to speak on behalf of the children and their mothers she has met in her travels to World Vision projects in many countries.

She is particularly passionate about helping women face the challenges of motherhood, whether living in the United States, or in the extreme poverty she sees in her travels around the world. Articulate and compassionate, Reneé is a speaker with a gift for teaching. She says, "My desire is to help people see the world from God's perspective, and to move them to do something about what they see."
Reneé earned her Bachelor of Arts in government at Cornell University and her law degree from Boston College. She served as a legal services attorney for the poor in the Boston area before devoting herself full-time to raising her children.

She is active in church ministries, has written articles and Bible study curricula, and is frequently a guest speaker at conferences and retreats. She serves on the boards of a variety of Christian ministries, including the human-rights focused International Justice Mission, and Women's Enterprises International, emphasizing the empowerment of impoverished women across the globe.
In addition, Reneé continues to pursue her lifelong goal of being an advocate for the poor. Her husband Rich became president of World Vision in 1998, and from her travels to see the organization's work, she shares stories of the mothers and children she meets.

When she traveled to Niger in West Africa, children were facing starvation. "I was in a triage tent where the sickest babies were being treated," she says. "As I talked with the mothers of these children, what impressed me most was that in spite of their circumstances, these moms had dreams and expectations for their kids, who were so near death, that are not terribly dissimilar to mine.
"I'm always so inspired that in the midst of very dark circumstances these women have hope. Something about being a mother makes them optimistic about the future."

Reneé is a life-long student of the Bible and enjoys "helping others to understand how God's Word speaks to us today." She inspires people to broaden their worldview to include the great needs she has seen around the globe: poverty, war, famine, AIDS.

Dear Heavenly Father,

We praise You for how You create each of us for a purpose and that as that purpose unfolds in our lives we bring You honor and glory. We praise You that You have a perfect plan for each of our lives and that as we surrender our lives to You daily that plan is revealed and we walk in newness of life with great joy.

We lift Reneé Stearns before Your Throne. We praise You for her and for the life that she has been called to live devoted to the poor. We rejoice in her calling and are blessed as we read about her ministry to mothers and children and her knowledge in Your Word and how she loves to help others understand Your Word. We delight in knowing that she willingly comes to the Make It Right Event as a testimony and an inspiration to others.

We are humbled that she would set aside her time and bring her talents along side of our hope and vision for this Event. We ask that Your Hand of blessing would be upon her and that You would multiply back to her as she has given of herself to others for this evening. Bless her family as they sacrifice to share her. Bless them for the family time that they give so that she can participate in our Event.

We thank You for her message; not only for that evening but for the epistle of her life. Thank You that You have equipped her and empowered her to be a woman of influence with words that make a difference in the lives of women and children who are poor and marginalized. Use her on the 18th to speak to hearts about her passion for these who are victims of injustice and to motivate listeners to action.

We praise You for this woman who seeks You heart and lives Your Word. Bless her.

In Jesus Name we pray. amen.

First Saturday Prayer September

Sheryl WuDunn Make It Right Event

This Event takes place in two weeks and one day at the Hyatt Regency in Bellevue, WA from 5:00-7:30 PM. Find the information here.

Dear Heavenly Father,

We come before You in the Name of Jesus praise You for what You have enabled us to do to prepare for this event. We spent 15 days "asking" about this Event and we want to now take time to praise You.

We praise You that You will have Your way on the 18th of September at the Hyatt. That You will call those people that You want there, that You will use this Event to draw people into Your kingdom, that You will use this Event to bring more sponsors for World Vision Children, that You will use this Event to advance Your Kingdom.

We praise You that You take the simple "things"--us--of this world to confound the wise. We praise You that You give us the boldness to take on this Event trusting that You have called us to do it and that You will be our sufficiency in it. We praise You that nothing is too difficult for You and that You are moving on hearts to respond to this Event in a way that will benefit the marginalized women and children that we serve in our projects.

We praise You that You have taken a small group of women who love You and have a passion to make it right and that You have used us to touch lives of those who lack and live in despair. We thank You that You have set up this Event at this time and in this place for Your purposes and that they will be accomplished!

We praise You continually today! We adore You. We bow down before You. Thank You Jesus! In Your Name we pray. Amen!