Morning Prayer!

I am privileged to take my place on the wall of intercession 6am-12pm Tuesdays-Fridays in the Global Prayer Room here at IHOP. Wednesday mornings are especially my favorite! I and a fellow student lead a discipleship group of 10 second year IHOPU students, and they are a joy! Wednesdays we meet at 6am and pray in a side room for 30 minutes for grace to enter into the place of prayer (it is called the prep room), then we "charge the hill" and stand in the front of the room to help lead the room in prayer. Standing serves to help us engage and focus during intercession. Following the prayer room on Wednesdays my discipleship group meets for about 2 hours usually at my house. It is a time to share our hearts as a group, go deeper in the Word, and grow together as a body.

Thank you for making it possible for me to be able to give myself to prayer, discipling others, the Word, and evangelism! A blog on my recent ministry trip to California coming soon!! Blessings!

Touching Lives...

All is alive and well in Kansas City! I'm still giving myself to a life of prayer and being faithful and intentional to touch the lives around me.

There are countless stories to share, and I wish I had the time and space to tell of all the different lives reached, prayers prayed, lessons learned, people touched, and how the gospel is going forth to both young and old. But I can however tell you about my friend Maria, and an awesome prayer ministry I am a part of called Hope City.

This is Maria:

She is a refugee from Cuba that a friend and I are "mentoring" which mostly involves helping her acclamate to life here in the US. This mostly involves us teaching her English, as that is her greatest need/desire. Maria is awesome. She's hilarious, and is always looking for a way to give me a gift after we spend time together. I'm really enjoying sharing my life with her, and her life with mine.

This particular Saturday I brought her to a Hope City "fiesta" of sorts out on the street so she could practice her English on people. Hope City is a ministry that reaches out to the homeless, addicts, prostitues, etc.

This Saturday we were doing baptisms outside for all who wanted to make a public declaration of their decision to follow Christ. This particular teen along with 4 of his friends gave his life to Christ last year at a prayer meeting on a street corner we had. He decided this Saturday that he wanted to be baptised as a public declaration of his decision.

There was a lot of celebrating happening that day.

Free groceries were also being given away.

Hope City brings hope and love to many who would other wise never know it if we didn't come to them.

I have so enjoyed being on the team at Hope City. Praying for, getting to know, and ministering to lives in inner city Kansas City has caused my heart to grow in love for the people that live here, to hurt with them, and to cry out more fervently for God to be known in Kansas City and for His justice to be released.

Life in God is anything but boring! I appreciate your prayers and support which keep me going.

Reppin Christ in the streets of Kansas City

SAINT PATRICKS DAY PARADE!!

St Patrick's Day means many things to many people. Here in Kansas City, they do St. Patrick's Day "BIG" with a parade brining out up to 100,000 people annually. So, I went out with about 1,000 other IHOP missionaries and talk to people on the streets about St. Patrick and heaven.

Here are some pictures of me and my friend Donisha asking people survey questions to see what they know about St. Patrick. Also, if we had any prophetic words for them we shared those as well. Everyone was really open to do the survey and talk about heaven.

1st question: Where was Saint Patrick born? A: Britain (no one surveyed got that correct)





After asking about Saint Patrick I asked if they think St. Pat went to heaven and why, and if they think they will go to heaven and why. Listening..

John 4:34-35- Jesus said to them, “My food is to do the will of Him who sent Me, and to finish His work. 35 Do you not say, ‘There are still four months and then comes the harvest’? Behold, I say to you, lift up your eyes and look at the fields, for they are already white for harvest!

Breaking down the truth. To go to heaven we must be 100% good, 100% of the time. Only one man (ever) has hit that mark--the Son of God, Jesus Christ--and it's only in and through Him do we have hope. "And there is salvation in no one else; for there is no other name under heaven that has been given among men by which we must be saved." -Acts 4:12

The harvest truly is great! From surveying it was off to MARCH in the Parade!

Here we are marching:

Until Next Time.....

"If I have any worth, it is to live my life for God so as to teach these peoples; even though some of them still look down on me." -Saint Patrick

Email of 2009...the Honeybun

Psalm 66:16-Come and listen, all you who fear God; let me tell you what he has done for me.

I'm getting ready to head back to Kansas City from my brief visit back home to the East Coast. It was so good to see my family, Church family, and friends. Seeing your faces, hearing what God is doing in your life, and your questions and interest in what I am doing has greatly encouraged me! I know when I am at the International House of Prayer praying, and studying, and serving I have an ARMY behind me helping me to keep going. Thank you!

Now I am off again! I hope to return to DC this Spring and have an intentional gathering where we can get together and I can share all that God is doing. Until then, you will be hearing much from me! Feel free to contact me with prayer requests, praise reports, etc. anytime! I love partnering with you! Grace and Peace, Lauren

(Email of 2009--05/03/09)

Now, regarding that honey bun. The other day I was babysitting my little cousins, and one of them was thoroughly upset because she could not eat a honey bun for breakfast. She allowed her disappointment (and rage? haha), unbeknownst to her, to affect her whole mood into the afternoon. How often do we do that? Someone says something that rubs us wrong, or blocks our agenda from happening, or something doesn't go our way like we want, etc., and it clings to us all-day-long. I have set my heart, although it may be uncomfortable at the moment, to not waste pain, pressure, not one disappointment, nor hurt. I don't always do it perfectly, but I'm setting my heart to see how I can know Christ more in the midst of my suffering. How can I be grateful for God's goodness in my life, instead of shortsighted, negative, and in self-pity? Don't let a honey bun set the tone of your day, but in the midst of today's pressures/exams/deadlines/meetings, etc. set your heart to become more intimate with Christ in the situation. Look up..

STUDENT AWAKENING

Hi All!

A lot has been going on lately.
Best explained on www.ihop.org about a move of the Holy Spirit at my school IHOPU.
I have been going to the prayer meetings/awakening services every night from 6pm-12am, and have been really touched. But we are not just getting touched for us, but to touch others. We get delivered and then are able to be a deliverer of others.

I pray that God's river would touch you! Tell me your testimony.
Ezekiel 47:1-2, 8-10 (MSG)
1-2 Now he brought me back to the entrance to the Temple. I saw water pouring out from under the Temple porch to the east (the Temple faced east). The water poured from the south side of the Temple, south of the altar (my words-out of the place of intercession). He then took me out through the north gate and led me around the outside to the gate complex on the east. The water was gushing from under the south front of the Temple.
8-10 He told me, "This water flows east, descends to the Arabah and then into the sea, the sea of stagnant waters. When it empties into those waters, the sea will become fresh. Wherever the river flows, life will flourish—great schools of fish—because the river is turning the salt sea into fresh water. Where the river flows, life abounds. Fishermen will stand shoulder to shoulder along the shore from En-gedi all the way north to En-eglaim, casting their nets. The sea will teem with fish of all kinds, like the fish of the Great Mediterranean.

Wherever the river flows there is life...God is making us fishers of men. That is what this river is about.

Grace and Peace Abound to you,
Lauren

P.U.S.H (pray until something happens)

Luke 18:1-7 1Then Jesus told his disciples a parable to show them that they should always pray and not give up. 2He said: "In a certain town there was a judge who neither feared God nor cared about men. 3And there was a widow in that town who kept coming to him with the plea, 'Grant me justice against my adversary.'
4"For some time he refused. But finally he said to himself, 'Even though I don't fear God or care about men, 5yet because this widow keeps bothering me, I will see that she gets justice, so that she won't eventually wear me out with her coming!' "
6And the Lord said, "Listen to what the unjust judge says. 7And will not God bring about justice for his chosen ones, who cry out to him day and night? Will he keep putting them off? 8I tell you, he will see that they get justice, and quickly. However, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on the earth?"

I greatly hope you read the entire passage above. If you didn't please scroll back up and meditatively read Luke 18:1-7. (Thanks) Most of us have heard the acronym "p.u.s.h"-pray until something happens. God Himself knows that our natural inclination is to grow weary in prayer. That is why He shared with them this parable saying, "men ought to always pray and not lose heart" Luke 18:1(NKJV). It is our natural tendency to lose heart/give up. We are prone to wander, prone to discouragement, doubt, dullness, and quitting.

Thus I am writing this blog to you. It's time for us to sign up or (re)sign up for the place of prayer. Everyone is called to prayer. You have heard the tragedy of the 16 year old that was just beaten to death in Chicago while walking home from the bus stop. We have heard countless stories of injustices happening in our city. We intimately know the injustices in our own souls. It's time to press in and not quit. We are all tempted to quit, but I am telling you..continue to press for the breakthrough. Our God is a righteous judge. Refuse to believe all other lies.

It's time to push the plate away, turn off our cell phones, the Internet, TVs, and those things that so easily distract us (I'm talking to myself here too!), and go deep after God's heart. You heard the words of the unjust judge above. How much more will God avenge you, if you cry out and don't stop! Don't relent in your cry for breakthrough in your personal life, your family, your neighborhood. Pray until something happens, push. If you don't quit, you win! -Lauren

Photos from Kids Camp

All right...these kids are ready for camp!

The boys lined up ready to try to beat the girls in a race to see who could get the most water in a bucket using a t-shirt.

...Sorry boys, the girls won!



Water ballon fight!
Definitely one of the kids favorite events.
It's going to get bigger...better...and wetter every Wednesday.
Somebody get me a poncho!

All righty...time for worship together. I was letting all the kids strum the guitar, and get a feel for the strings.

Putting the songs to motion and getting some volunteers....(thanks Kimmy and Leland!)

Dancing and singing together...

Thanks for partnering with me, financially and through prayer to touch lives!

Until next time....

Please pray for the outreach this Saturday, August 15th in the inner city. Ministering to the needs of the people and sharing the love of Christ. Read some testimonies at http://www.hopecitykc.org/Groups/1000006198/Hope_City_Kansas/What_We_Do/Testimonies/Testimonies.aspx

IHOP in the "Kansas City Star"

The International House of Prayer was on the cover of the Sunday Edition of the "Kanas City Star" newspaper two Sundays ago.

You can read the article and watch a video at: http://www.kansascity.com/703/story/1346002.html?storylink=omni_popular

Key Events (Prayer requests) for August:
1. Vacation Bible School every Wednesday of this month from 5pm-7pm for kids in the neighborhood.
2. Ministry School is about to start for me! August 10th is my deadline for tuition. Thank you to those who have sent support and those who have commited to!
3. Tent Meeting in Inner City Kansas City, August 15th. Please pray for God to encounter the hearts of all those that will be gathered.

I think of you often, and you are in my prayers. Please let me know how I can be praying for you. Send me an email or call me.

Bless you! Lauren
Special thanks to Gail Rase, Lauren Elizabeth, Julian, Sis Tabatha & Bro Dennit, Sis Margie & Bro Jeff, Christine, and Sen. Harrington & Bro Ken!