House of Cornelius- March 30, 2009

We have finished our first two outreaches of the season and are now in preparation for our next team in April.

Prayer needs for this week:
-Pray for the Good Shepherd and Idaho team as they go back to their lives and process through what the Lord did in thier lives here.
-Pray for the team that is coming April 12-18 and the preparations for their arrival.
-Rest and rejuvenation while we finish up with the last teams and begin preparations for the next team. Some of the staff is also fighting sickness.
-Protection for Andy Wolcott as he assists his church in bus driving to Austin this week.

God really moved in the time the last two teams were here. In preparation, each team and individual had to really hear the Lord if they were to come. We were able to see the Lord use their trust in him every day in Mexico. One team even had the opportunity to minister to the military before crossing the border back into the US. We thank God for what he did in Juarez and in the lives of those on the teams.

Here @ the HOC:
We had our prayer meeting on Monday morning and here are some of the needs from our location in IFM. But first, we just wanted to mention a few answers to prayers! 1) Ofelia, who has been one of our translators, has come on board as our kitchen coordinator. The timing is perfect with the arrival of teams beginning next week. 2)Thaine Norris was able to come down for a few days and help us out with some "technical issues" that have needed to be resolved. He was also able to provide a new phone system for increased efficiency.

Please join us in prayer:
1) Finances for HOC
2) For the staff here as we prepare for the teams
3) For the teams as they prepare to come
4) The bus crossing approval with Mexico before teams arrive
5) Favor with the El Paso city attorney during an up coming herring regarding a desired tax exempt status on some property
6) Food donations for our monthly Dispensa

Thank you for your prayers!

Prayer: IFM North March 6th

Pray for:
Ciudad Juarez:

• Jenny Tapia from Brother Ray’s that she would be able to get back and forth across the border as the organization that was assisting her has relocated from Juarez.
• Continue to pray for Jose Luis, Christina Torres and family.
• There is now approximately 7000 security personnel in the city pray for stability.

Grace:

• It would be helpful to Grace Coach lines if there were ongoing regular contracts. Praise God for the various charters but regular weekly contracts would be extremely helpful in the current economic climate.
• Protection of the drivers and sterngth and wisdom for the mechanics.
• Roberto's grandson, Daniel, who is deaf in his left ear. The doctors think he will need surgery, however, that can not occur for a while. Please pray for Gods healing and restoration of sound for him.

Outreaches and the HOC

• Praise God for someone to work in the kitchen at the HOC.
• The outreach that leaves this Saturday, and for the team in the North office and the team at the HOC as they facilitate and coordinate the current and upcoming programs.
• Someone to take over from Linsey Potter
• The folks on the outreach as they dovetail into the HOC existing work and that they will be a blessing to the people down on the border and for their protection.
• The IFM team as they facilitate some hard hitting conversations and assist the outreach teams in ministering in a conflict situation.
• The junior staff as they undertake a fund raiser they are looking to collect any spare change and raise money for a good cause.
• Thank God that Kevin had a good time as he visited his family and for his dad & sisters as they look after his mother.
• The continuation of healing for Joe Hart and for healing for Keith Joe & Kathy’s son-in-law.
• The IFM Operating & Advisory Board members as they continually seek Gods heart in relation to ongoing outreaches within the complex Ciudad Juarez scenario.
• Gods provision and strength for the Potter family as they relocate from Colorado in the summer and move into their next phase of life.
  

Prayer: IFM North February 27th

Hi Folks


We have just had our little prayer gathering and there are various aspects of the IFM life and community that we would appreciate your prayers for. These are quite diverse and in some instances we have only given a general overview but would appreciate creative praying.



We prayed:

• For God to intervene in the unrest in Juarez as it continues, but is now seemingly quite localized to certain areas and focused on various individuals. Recently the mayor of Juarez had to leave his city and seek asylum across the border in El Paso.



• That the government officials, security authorities would be able to do their jobs and bring order to the city.



• For the various churches in the city, that they would be able to bring the light of Gods kingdom during these dark times. Pray also for the IFM staff on the border that they would be protected as they move around the city.



• For the upcoming outreaches that will be in Juarez, for strength, provision and peace. Also that they could be used as catalysts of the kingdom during their stay.



• That God would grant favour on Grace and give it more work as well as thanking him for the work that has been given. Please pray for the guys who are in the workshop alongside Joe K that they would be strengthened as their work can often mean staying up late into the early hours fixing problems.



• Robert as he ministers to a family in his church that are experiencing difficulties. Pray that Robert would have wisdom and the family would find favour and Christ would be their champion.



• For some good friends and old colleges who have just had their seventh child a little daughter called Charys. Pray for them as the rest of their kids are sick and they need the healing touch of the spirit to minister to them hopefully before the baby comes back home.



• For Gods favour for Sue ling as she travels down to Fabens to liaise with the city authorities and seeks to complete various administrative and legal issues.

Prayer: IFM North Feb. 6

• Pray for the city of Juarez and the continuing violence. Pray for strength for God’s people in the city and that they would find hope in this time of hardship. Also pray for their protection. Also be praying for the gov. officials of Juarez and the border guards.
  
• Grace Coach Line: Praise God that they have an abundant amount of work in the next couple weeks and continue to pray for more work for the future. Also, there are several positions needing to be filled so pray that God would bring the right people to fill those positions. Continue to pray for protection over the busses mechanically that nothing would go wrong during trips.
  
• Charlie Reed is heading down to HOC this week to minister to the staff and missionaries. Please be praying for his protection as he travels and that his time down there will be a blessing to all.
  
• There are three outreach teams going down between March and May so pray for the teams as they prepare and that they will feel God’s total peace about going into Juarez. On that note also be praying for their protection. Pray for God’s provision in numbers and financially for the teams
  
• Be praying that God will bring in someone to take Linsey’s place this spring.
  
• Pray for provision of a kitchen staff down at HOC
• Praise God that IFM was able to secure a new office in Mexico. Pray that it will work well to the needs of IFM and that it will be a safe place.

Prayer: IFM North Jan 16th

Today our gathering was short due to various factors, however, it was good to be able to rest in God and seek His heart and wisdom.

As you will see from the links on the IFM blog site there is still desperate need for prayer regarding the people of Ciudad Juarez. The violence continues unabated and we would ask you to pray for Gods hand to hold back the men & women of violence. Please pray that the love of Christ would be paramount in the city and the people of God would be empowered, by the power of the kingdom, to be catalysts and influence's of change. Pray for the IFM team on the border and in Mexico that they would be cocooned in Gods protection.

Other areas we sought Gods wisdom and intervention were:

• For the IFM board as it meets this weekend and part of next week. We would ask for wisdom and insight so that IFM may move forward as God intends.
• Relating to Mark, Candy and family as they are currently in Utah were they are visiting friends and facilitating an IFM training session for the local church. Early next week they will travel back down to Fabens, stopping at Colorado on the way. Pray for safety as they travel, there has been some severe weather over these last few months, it would be great if they could have safe and simple journey back to the border.
• Regarding the IFM North office as it is still being impacted by health issues; continued prayer for health and healing would be appreciated.
• In continued prayer for Grace, that they could obtain additional long term contracts and would garner the required additional staff and financial strength in this current economic environment.
• For the continued needs of the outreach area of IFM as it looks to provide a substitute for Linsey, when she leaves in April. Also that Shirin, Kathy and Linsey would be able to facilitate the upcoming outreaches in timely manner.
  They have been encouraged at the way the process is currently progressing and thank you for your prayers.

Prayer: IFM North Jan 9th

As the North Team gathered for prayer we were struck by the wonderful provision of God over the preceding weeks. There had been very specific financial needs that the Lord met in wonderful and encouraging ways that empowered the team to move into the challenges of 2009.

Therefore, thank you very much for your prayers and provision that has been such a blessing to this ministry.

So as we launch into January 09 we would ask you to join us as we seek Gods creative intervention for the following:

Grace Coach lines have had some significant gifts that have helped it over these last couple of months and we would ask you to pray for:

• Additional support but also that Grace would be able to access consistent ongoing contracts. Grace has various contracts in the coming months but additional work would be helpful.
• The protection of the drivers and all who use the Grace Coaches.
• That there would be technical and mechanical protection for the busses
• Jimmy as he has moved onto another employer. Jimmy has done a great job at Grace and will be missed. It was good working alongside him and we pray that the Lord will give him favour in his new role and that Grace would be able to get someone as good as him. Please also join us in praying for Jimmy’s niece who has glaucoma

With regard to the 09 outreaches please pray for Kathy, Linsey, Shirin and the various volunteers who help IFM. Due to the unique nature of the last six months at IFM there is a lot that these folks are trying to catch up on. Plus Linsey will be completing her time with IFM in April and there needs to be a replacement or replacements incorporated before she leaves.

Some teams are looking at rearranging their outreaches which, possibly, gives an opportunity for others to take up those slots. However, this can also cause an administrational and logistical knot to unravel and as this is alongside the normal administration activity of arranging the confirmed outreaches, please pray for health and well being for the team at IFM.

The IFM team has been significantly impacted by various health issues and a former colleague, Mike Hutchins, is also having some medical tests and we would ask you to pray for Mike, Laurie and the family as well.

Please pray for the board members of IFM and their families:
Kathy recently released an up date and the following is a portion of that communiqué.

“We have great news from Joe's lab results to share with all of you.
We had basic blood work done to see how his systems are faring among which we tested for anemia, any infections still lingering, his ability to absorb nutrition, his liver functions and his pancreatic functions - all of which were dangerously out of whack before. We received two pages of lab results and (drum roll)... everything was within the normal ranges! Our doctor said the results were "amazing" and had improved much more rapidly than one would ever expect. Yay!!!! Thank you all so much for your prayers!!!
We also got the tumor marker test back. This test picks up tumor activity in the bile ducts or pancreas. Normal range for the test is 0-39 or 0-55 depending on what source you read, and it can go into the thousands. Unfortunately it also picks up obstructions so the number can be artificially high b/c of an obstruction like Joe had. Joe has had the test done twice before - the first time was 450 and the second time it was 1000. This time his number was 50!
Such encouraging reports! We are grateful for this gift of greatly improving health from the Lord!!
One of the significant things God has pressed into us during all of this is our dependence upon the Body of Christ. So, please rejoice with us. This is ALL of our celebration! This is definitely a group project :-) We are staying the course and looking to the Lord for all things. We will keep you updated. “

Praise God for his provision and pray that all the families of the leaders of the IFM ministry would be protected and be given the practical, physical and spiritual resources of the Kingdom for the needs that they face.
Pray that wisdom and insight would be given to them as they lead and direct the IFM ministry in 09.

Over the last couple of months Kathy daughter, Greta, has been living with her and helping her, however, on the 11th Jan Greta and her family returned to Scotland. Pray for peace for Kathy, Greta and family as they get used to being apart again; Cameron, Greta & Keith’s son had pains in his leg just before they returned home and we would ask you to pray for him and the rest of the children as they too settle into Scotland after thier adventure in the Colorado.