January Newsletter

Hello Friends!

I hope each of you had a wonderful holiday season and that the new year is off to a wonderful start! The past month or so has seemed like a whirlwind for me with holidays, traveling, planning and then putting on our biggest conference of the year – but it’s all been worth it and I’m excited to share with you what has been happening!

Every year IHOP-KC hosts a national young adult conference called onething here in Kansas City from Dec 28^th-31^st. This year we had almost 16,000 young people attend – and over 530 children attend - significantly more than we had anticipated, what with the recent economic crisis in our nation. Needless to say, we were all very encouraged!

While this conference is usually known for its focus on intimacy with Jesus and pursuing God wholeheartedly, this year the IHOP-KC leadership team felt that we needed to take that message of intimacy and combine it with the book of Revelation. Now most of us are not comfortable or confident reading or trying to understand the book of Revelation much less any book regarding Jesus as a Judge or End Times events – I know I wasn’t! Yet the ENTIRE Bible was written to be understood by everyone. Remember, the majority of the people throughout history were poor and uneducated.

The Father gave this revelation to Jesus so He could share it – even the book of Revelation is the Father revealing His heart! Revelation is not primarily about events that will happen. It reveals the glory of Jesus, the One we so dearly love, and Him returning to take leadership of the earth with His bride so that the nations would be filled with the glory of the Father.

Throughout the conference Mike Bickle, the director of IHOP-KC, broke down the book into bite-sized pieces to help break the stigma that the book of Revelation is “too complicated and confusing” to read. Here is his basic outline he shared:

4-Part Structure of Revelation

Rev 1          John’s CALLING

Rev 2-3      Jesus’ 7 LETTERS

Rev 4-5      Jesus takes the SCROLL

Rev 6-22    Jesus’ BATTLE PLAN

The Children’s Equipping Center similarly took the themes of friendship with God, the importance of prayer and worship and combined it with looking at the book of Revelation. We focused mainly on Rev 1-5, which is Jesus’ letters to the seven churches and when He takes the scroll from the Father to begin the events that will usher in His return. We shared with them the above outline and had them memorize it so that later we could have team competitions between the boys and girls.

Yet I think the most encouraging part of all that we did, was to see FAMILIES learning this together. The kids would come out of their sessions quizzing their parents on the book of Revelation! Families were excited to learn about the glory of Jesus and End Times TOGETHER! That in itself is a sign and a wonder!

I strongly encourage you all to just simply read through the book of revelation – introduce it in small groups you lead or into your own times of studying the Bible. John says “Blessed is he who reads and those who hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those things which are written in tit for the time is near.” (Rev 1:3) If you are interested in any materials regarding the book of revelation or resources online that can help you can click on these two links:

Forerunner Bookstore (IHOP-KC bookstore)

IHOP-KC Website

Hope you all have a wonderful month and please let me know how I can be praying for you, your family, or your ministry!

Grace and Peace,

Rebecca

October Newsletter

Hello Friends!

October is one of my favorite months – I love seeing the trees change and the crisp autumn air. I hope it has been enjoyable for each of you as well!

At the beginning of this month the Children’s Equipping Center hosted 300 children’s ministry leaders and families for our National Malachi 4:6 Summit, where they came to be equipped and refreshed here at IHOP-KC. This was my first time being selected as the event coordinator, and though I was pretty nervous, it went really well!

Despite the fact that I was running around making sure everything was running smoothly or troubleshooting problems I didn’t foresee, I did get to talk with a couple of our guests and was so encouraged to hear how God is moving across the churches and families of our nation. Children are growing in the knowledge of God and are hungry to learn more!

One of the most impacting messages I felt was taught throughout the Summit was the reality that children who have accepted Jesus as their Savior are the Church. It sounds so simple, but sometimes we forget that they are the body, our brothers and sisters in Christ (that means even your son or daughter is your “brother” or “sister” in Christ!). God has given to this young generation wisdom and knowledge that you and I need – the whole body needs – in order to walk in the fullness that God has for His people.

“If the whole body were an eye where would be the hearing? If the whole were hearing, where would be the smelling? But now God has set the members, each one of them, in the body just as he pleased. And if they were all one member, where would the body be? But now indeed there are many members, yet one body.” 1 Cor 12:17-20

So often we try to “entertain” children at church, or not bring them into our services because we don’t think they will “get” it. Yet we have to remember they have the same Holy Spirit you and I do, who is able to teach and give understanding in all things. The same Spirit that spoke in the burning bush, who dwelt between the cherubim on the Ark of the Covenant, is the same Holy Spirit that lives in the 6 year olds I teach every week!

How humbling it is to ask children to teach you about the mysteries of God! It may not be filled with doctrine and theology, but it will be filled with a childlike faith that the Lord loves and asks us all to have.

“Out of the mouths of babes and nursing infants you have ordained strength (or praise)” Psalm 8:2

My prayer is that church would no longer be boring to this young generation – that children would be fascinated with Jesus, and no longer with television, fashion, sports, or video games. What would happen if a whole generation was filled with the fear of the Lord (or awe struck worship of God) instead of being couch potatoes on Saturdays? May God continue to give us (adults) a revelation of what God says about children, how important they are to the heart of God, and give us humility to led God teach us through 6 year olds.

Thank you again for praying and supporting me! Please let me know if there is anything I can pray for for you, your family, your ministry or church! Have a wonderful and blessed month!

Grace and Peace,

Rebecca

Photo courtesy of Shelley Paulson

September Newsletter

Isn’t it funny how sometimes you have no idea who you are sitting next to or pass by on a regular basis, and then one day you find out who they are and you are completely stunned? Levi Lim is one of those people. On the Missions Base she is quiet, stays at home with her family, and seems to keep to herself. Yet little did I know that she is a tenacious, brilliant woman who is changing the nation of Myanmar through her love and faith in Christ.

As most of you know, this past spring one of the worst cyclones of history hit Myanmar and killed over 100,000 people and caused 2-3 million people to become homeless. The day after the cyclone hit, Levi, who is originally from Myanmar, started a relief organization called i love myanmar whose focus is to love and support the people of Myanmar regardless of their  ethnicity or religion. Yet it has turned into one of the most important relief organizations that specifically focuses on the hardest and most desolate areas hit by the cyclone.

Since May, Levi has found tremendous favor with the government of Myanmar. Originally the Myanmar Authority had refused to let other nations or organizations come and bring aid relief. They were taking any and all money that was brought in for aid relief and using it for their own purposes - so much so that they are currently adding another layer of gold onto the largest Buddhist temple in the world in Yangon while areas of Myanmar are still devastated and struggling to keep people alive. Yet despite all this, Levi and her relief organization was allowed and even welcomed in! Here are just a few of the ways the Lord has given Levi favor in this country:

• She has been given access to the UN helicopter to visit the most desolate places.
• She has been given bodyguards and protection throughout her travels.
• Has access and favor with all levels of government and the Prime Minister himself.
• Has been given access by the Prime Minister to a bank account that ensures ALL funds deposited will go to the relief efforts and not the government.
• On national television, the Prime Minister asked Levi to help any Christian villages in the country rebuild their churches and invited any of her Christian friends to come to Myanmar to help affected Christians!

Her entire team volunteers their time, money and efforts to help aid the people of Myanmar. The devastation, sorrow, and horrors they have seen and encountered these past 4 months are too much for me to comprehend. Two of our main leaders here at IHOP-KC went to Myanmar this month to help with the relief efforts. The stories they shared are just incredible.

My favorite is one about an older woman they met who used to be a Buddhist monk. While meeting with two villages and their elders, leaders, and government officials, this woman started sharing a dream she had after

the cyclone hit. While still being a Buddhist monk, she had a dream in which she saw Jesus hovering over the cyclone as it was hitting her village. She knew she was going to drown if someone didn’t help her, so she cried out to Him for help. He reached down, picked her up out of the flood and kept her safe. After the flood went down, He told her to be baptized. She woke up, realized that Jesus was real, became a Christian and went out searching for Christians to baptize her! In the same village meeting another woman shared a similar dream about Jesus, and yet another said “ONLY when we pray to this Jesus are we helped – no other gods are helping us now”.

This brought so much encouragement to my heart, because I often feel helpless when I see disaster hit. Yet all of this reveals the power of prayer – the Lord moves at the sound of our voices! I have prayed for people who have never heard the gospel to be given a dream about Jesus, for Christians to have favor in their countries, for governments to turn and have a revelation that Jesus is their only hope. And it is happening before our eyes! So be encouraged in whatever situation you are asking for the Lord to move in, that “whatever you ask the Father in My (Jesus) name He will give you” Jn 16:23.

If you would like to find out more about Myanmar or ways to donate and help please click on this link: i love myanmar.

Thank you all for your prayers and support! Let me know how I can be praying for you, your church or ministry. Have a blessed month!

Grace and Peace,

Rebecca

Summer Update

Hello friends!
I know these are busy summer months, so I want to send out a short and sweet update on what has been happening around IHOP-KC and upcoming events to partner in prayer with me on.

In June, the Children's Equipping Center hosted over 250 kids at our KC Signs and Wonders Camp. It was a powerful week where kids learned about prayer, worship, and the gifts of the Holy Spirit. Many kids prayed to receive Jesus Christ as their Savior, prayed for people to be healed of sicknesses, and had crazy amounts of fun!

IHOP-KC hosted their second teen conference "Fascinate '08" where over 1,500 teenagers from across the nation came to pursue righteousness and holiness in a more intense and focused way. The teachings were incredible, the worship was powerful, and hundreds of teenagers have set Jesus as the only thing that will fascinate and captivate their hearts.

At the beginning of July we had over 50 Egyptian leaders from the church in Cairo come and share how the Lord is moving throughout this Islamic nation. It was so encouraging to hear the stories of congregations springing up out of the hardest and seemingly impossible parts of Egypt where Christians are severley persecuted.

Please join me in praying for the following:

• The Children's Equipping Center will be hosting about 75-100 kids at our KC Signs and Wonders Camp Leadership Retreat at the end of July. Pray for these kids as we equip them to go back home and lead their friends and peers in prayer and worship.
  
• I am now teaching once a week to a group of 6-12 year olds on the book of Daniel! It has been one of the most rewarding and enjoyable things I have done in such a long time! Pray that their minds would be open to hearing truth, and that the Word of God would be written upon their hearts.
  
• TheCall DC will be hosting a day of fasting and prayer on Saturday, Aug 16 on the Mall. We are praying for one million people to join us as we cry out for our nation, for the elections, and for the issue of life.
  

As always, thank you again for all your prayers and support! Please email me or write me with any prayer requests you, your family or your church may need, or if you would like to have more information on how to support my ministry here at IHOP-KC. Have a wonderful and blessed month!

Grace and Peace,
Rebecca

May Newsletter

Dear Friends,

Hello! I hope the month of April was wonderful and that this newsletter finds each of you well!  

As I have shared with you before, I lead a prayer room team with my assistant Mallory (see picture) of about 8-10 people during the evening section (6-10PM) of the prayer room. It has been such an honor and such a stretching experience for me! I am honored that the Lord has entrusted me with this group of young adults, and that they trust me too! Since starting this team, we have been studying and meditating on the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5-7). I have studied this before, but never with a group and never this slow! Currently we are in the Beatitudes (Matt 5:2-10), taking one verse each week and really pouring over it, studying it, and asking Jesus what He meant when He said it. It has been awesome and so encouraging to talk about it with each other and see what revelations each person had or what they learned. 

One of my favorite Beatitudes that has really encouraged and impacted me as we have been studying is Matt 5:6 "Blessed (or happy) are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be filled".  In his book Studies on the Sermon on the Mount, Martin Lloyd-Jones says "Now the whole world is seeking for happiness; everyone wants to be happy. That is the great motive behind every act and ambition, behind all work and all striving. Everything is designed for happiness. But the great tragedy of the world is that, though it gives itself to seek for happiness, it never seems to be able to find it... yet happy is the man who hungers and thirsts for righteousness for he shall be filled. We are not to hunger and thirst after happiness. But that is what most people are doing. We put happiness as the one thing that we desire, and thus we always miss it. According to Scriptures happiness is never something that should be sought directly; it is always something that results from seeking something else."

In meditating on this scripture I realized that I am definitely one who seeks after happiness rather than seeking after righteousness. I also realized that I actually don't like to hunger and thirst! It is painful, it makes you feel desperate, and makes you conscious of your deep need. The media knows this reality and has tapped into it - are you feel a little desperate? Do you want to be truly happy? Buy a cashmere sweater. Better yet, a really beautiful, shiny new table saw should fill that hole in your heart. What about a delectable chocolate mousse cake, or a Starbucks coffee? 

We settle for so much less than what the Lord would desire to fill us with! None of those things are bad - but at the same time they will never make us happy, never fulfill us, or last. Only in hungering and thirsting after righteousness will one be filled and be happy. The man who does this is the man who sees that sin and rebellion have separated him from the face of God, and longs to get back into that old relationship, the original relationship that Adam and Eve had in the presence of God. For in the presence of God is the fullness of joy or happiness, and at His right hand are pleasure forever more (Ps 16:11).

May you all hunger and thirst for righteousness and may He fill you!  Thank you again for all your prayers and support! Please email me or write me with any prayer requests you, your family or your church may need, or if you would like to have more information on how to support my ministry here at IHOP-KC. Have a wonderful and blessed month!

Grace and Peace,

Rebecca

April Newsletter

Hello friends!

I hope the month of March was wonderful and much warmer for you than it was for us here in Kansas City! Besides the weather, things out here are going really well...

I love being able to share about what we do at the Children's Equipping Center because it is such a deep passion of mine, but this month I want to share the other passion I have, living a life of prayer. There are many different ways to pray - intercession, meditation, contemplation, etc - but what it really means is "talking with God", or having a conversation with Him. I honestly never really got what prayer was all about until I had to do it 36 hours a week in the internship I did here in 2006. I learned really quick that it is not so glamorous and at the same time not as boring as one might think. It is hard and even tiring to sit in a room and talk with a man you can't see! Yet when He begins to speak to your heart, and He opens up the Word so that you actually understand what it says, your heart becomes exhilarated! Absolutely nothing else on this earth can satisfy or move your heat like when the Creator of the universe tells you the things that are on His heart. 

Intercession, or standing in the gap, is one of the major ways that we pray corporately for others here at IHOP-KC. Luke 18:7-8 says "Shall God not avenge His own elect who cry out day and night to Him.. I tell you that He will avenge them speedily." As we ask God to move in the specific global injustices or even personal situations that are going on in our lives, it says that He will avenge or vindicate us. 2 Chronicles 7:14 says "if My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land." Again, as we humble ourselves by asking God to move, and we pursue righteousness and holiness, God promises to not only hear our cries but to act. This gives me so much hope! Because it means that prayer is the way that God governs His kingdom, and that means that He desires to partner with us to release mercy, justice, and peace throughout the Earth. This is a glorious reality we have been invited into!

So as I've been praying and interceding, one specific topic that we pray for has impacted my heart in a really powerful way - the ending of human trafficking, specifically in Cambodia. Here's a little of what I've learned on my journey...

On Monday nights in the prayer room, during the intercession set from 8-10PM, we pray for the ending of human trafficking, specifically in the country of Cambodia. Human trafficking is the recruitment, transportation, harbouring, or receipt of people for the purpose of exploitation. It is estimated to be a $5 to $9 billion-a-year industry where approximately 600,000 to 820,000 men, women, and children are trafficked across international borders each year, 80 percent of whom are women and girls and up to 50 percent are minors.

Cambodia is one of many nations in Southeast Asia known as a source, transit, and destination country for human trafficking.  Because of the poverty of many of the major cities, and a shaky government system, human trafficking has become one of the leading exports of that nation. Unfortunately that means that the economy depends on this illegal trade, and the government is heavily entrenched in it. Some law enforcement and government officials are believed to have accepted bribes to facilitate the trafficking and sex trade. ECPAT Cambodia reports that as many as one third of the trafficking victims in prostitution are children.

 

Since crying out and asking God to end human trafficking late last year, we have seen significant breakthroughs in women and children being rescued! And just within this past month, the Cambodian National Assembly unanimously approved a law on anti-human trafficking and sexual exploitation. A huge step forward in ending the promoting and acceptance of this illegal and horrendous trade! The Lord is answering our prayers!

I encourage you to join us in praying for this issue - you can join us live through webstreaming at www.IHOP.org on Monday nights - or visit some of the links below and find out more on how you can pray more effectively, support, or get more involved. I also want to encourage you to pray 30-60 second prayers throughout the day for this issue or different issues or needs that you feel are on your heart. You don't need a 2 hour prayer meeting in order for the Lord to hear you - I have seen so much fruit come from quick prayers I say in the grocery store, my car, or walking around the mall.

 

I hope you are encouraged and stirred to pray! Thank you again for all your prayers and support! Please email me or write me with any prayer requests you, your family or your church may need, or if you would like to have more information on how to support my ministry here at IHOP-KC. Have a wonderful and blessed month!

Grace and Peace,

Rebecca

Human trafficking Links:

www.humantrafficking.org

www.notforsalecampaign.org

www.worldvision.org

www.madebysurvivors.com

March Update

Hello friends.

I hope February was was wonderful for each of you. This past month some wonderful changes took place in my life that I am really excited to share with you! The first is that I have shifted positions within the Children's Equipping Center from marketing and focusing more on being a ministry and administrative assistant to the leadership of our ministry. What that means is that I will take on more responsibility as an administrator to our various programs, helping our directors get everything in place for our different events, camps, and weekly programs. As crazy as it sounds, I am loving working with databases and sorting through massive amounts of information! I also really enjoy helping our directors run a smooth program, and being able to serve and interact with children and families who come through our ministry in a much more personal way.

The second change is that I took over the leadership of my prayer room team that I was on in the evening section of the prayer room. Prayer room teams are groups of 10-12 people that meet before and after your scheduled time in the prayer room to study a book or topic together, pray for one another, and is really a way to provide community and accountability while in the prayer room. I am so excited to lead this team of men and women - I have such a heart for discipleship, encouraging others, and being able to run alongside people who have a heart and a vision for the same things I do. We are going to be studying the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5-7) as well as Daniel 9 for the next couple of months and I can't wait to see what we will learn, and how we will grow as we read and study the Word together! .

The last and probably the biggest change is that I am now dating a wonderful guy named Terry. He and I met last September at a baseball game that a bunch of our friends went to, and had hung out a few times throughout the fall, but I had no idea that he liked me! Right after Christmas he began pursuing me, and a few weeks ago we became "official". Currently, Terry is a student here at the Forerunner School of Ministry (the bible college here at IHOP-KC) but is also on staff at the school, helping them to find creative solutions for international students to attend and get credit. I am really excited for each of you to get to know him - he is awesome and such a man after the Lord's heart!

Lots of new changes, but all wonderful and exciting ones! And as always, IHOP-KC is also constantly moving, growing, and developing new programs or events to encourage and equip the body of Christ. I know that many of you are involved with youth in some way or another - whether it be as a youth leader, an after-school activities director, a teacher, or even as a parent. I want to encourage you to check out a high school conference that IHOP-KC is launching this summer called Fascinate '08. It is a conference aimed at a generation that is seeking the glory, majesty, and beauty of the Lord. Psalm 119:37 is a young man's cry to the Lord to turn his eyes from "worthless things" and be revived in the way of the Lord. We believe it's time for a generation to turn their eyes from worthless things and be fascinated by the beauty of the coming King, Jesus of Nazareth. So that in the place of encounter they would be "revived" in His way, a holy, radical lifestyle and devotion that shakes campuses and cities across the earth. To find out more information and to register click on this link Fascinate '08.

Thank you again for all your prayers and support! Please email me or write me with any prayer requests you, your family or your church may need, or if you would like to have more information on how to support my ministry here at IHOP-KC. Have a wonderful and blessed month!

Grace and Peace,

Rebecca