February in Pictures

Thai Family Fellowship Pot Luck

A sneak preview of what's to come...

Senior guys and their mom's breakfast at our house...

Don and Sy sharing in chapel...

Katelyn and Michalea playing varsity basketball...

Kathy leading Community Bible Study...

"MAKING IT COUNT" GIS' MONTH OF PRAYER AND FASTING - Week 4

Hebrews 4:13-16 - “Nothing in all creation is hidden from God’s sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account.” 14“Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has gone through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to the faith we profess. 15For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are – yet was without sin. 16Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.”

“MAKING IT COUNT” INTERNALLY:

Property / new GIS campus – Psalm 77:13-14 “Your ways, O God, are holy. What god is so great as our God? 14You are the God who performs miracles; you display your power among the peoples.” Continued prayer for our leaders as they search for property.

Spiritual and physical health - of the GIS staff, students, and families – Psalm 147:3 “He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds.” There have been several vehicle and motorcycle accidents lately, pray for safety in and around our community. Continued praying for student attitudes and staff illnesses.

Financial needs for staff, property, and new building – 2 Corinthians 9:8 “And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work.” Continue praying for needed finances for our staff and families. Pray for our leaders as they prepare a plan for raising finances for the new property.

“MAKING IT COUNT” EXTERNALLY:

Our interaction and relationships with our Thai neighbors, authorities, and churches – 2 Corinthians 2:15-16 “For we are to God the aroma of Christ among those who are being saved and those who are perishing. 16To the one we are the small of death; to the other, the fragrance of life. And who is equal to such a task?” Continued prayer in interaction with our Thai community.

FASTING IS AN ACT OF PIETY DIRECTED TOWARD GOD

Matthew 6:16-18 - “When you fast, do not look somber as the hypocrites do, for they disfigure their faces to show men they are fasting. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full. 17 But when you fast, put oil on your head and wash your face, 18 so that it will not be obvious to men that you are fasting, but only to your Father, who is unseen; and your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.”

Karen Visitors, Michaela in the Hospital, and a Dance to Remember, and This Week's Prayer and Fasting Reminders

Our friend Wa and her pastor were joined by 16 others who came to thank us for getting them Bibles and hymnals. Don was asked to share with the group.

Here the group is pictured singing a special song of thanks for the gifts.

Wa's cousin Pi Prai, pictured in Karen traditional white dress signifying a person who is still single. Prai is pictured here with her two sisters.

Here's the group as they all pile in a pick-up truck to make their way home. The trip will take 6 hours over rough roads to reach their village.

Michaela in the hospital. Thanks for all your prayers.

Michaela and Sy pictured here ready to take his little sister to the Valentine Dance.

PLEASE PRAY FOR THE FOLLOWING THIS WEEK for PRAYER AND FASTING MONTH:

2 Corinthians 4:16 & 18 “Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day…18 So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.”

“MAKING IT COUNT” INTERNALLY:

Property / new GIS campus – – Psalm 33:20 “We wait in hope for the LORD; he is our help and our shield.”
Meeting in the states went well. Update will follow when Don returns. Thank you for your prayers. Continue praying for the property search committee – they will resume their search when Don returns.
Current needs – we are expanding our facilities in elementary to help cover our student population for next year – pray that the portables will arrive and assembled by the end of May so teachers can get moved in before they leave for summer break.

Spiritual and physical health of the GIS staff, students, and families – Matthew 8:16-17 “…and he drove out the spirits with a word and healed all the sick.”
There have been many behavioral issues among the students this year; please pray that God would work in their hearts and attitudes.
Several GIS families/children have been struck with severe illnesses recently. Specifically the Keefer family and Ross family this week. Please remember to lift these and other GIS families up in prayer for protection in health.

Financial needs for staff, property, and new building – Proverbs 16:3 “Commit to the LORD whatever you do, and your plans will succeed.”
Many of our staff members are suffering financially – please pray for God to provide for their needs to they can continue working for the Lord at GIS.
Many Christian families are also suffering financially – pray for God’s provisions so they can continue serving Him in southeast Asia.

“MAKING IT COUNT” EXTERNALLY:

Our interaction and relationships with our Thai neighbors, authorities, and churches – 2 Corinthians 5:16-17 “so from now on we regard no one from a worldly point of view. Though we once regarded Christ in this way, we do so no longer. 17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!”
Pray for patience for our GIS leadership as they work through difficult situations with our neighbors.
Please continue to pray about our interactions with our Thai neighbors – that we would extend God’s love and grace to them.


FASTING - Meaningless Without Repentance

Isaiah 58:6-10 (NIV) - “Is not this the kind of fasting I have chosen: to loose the chains of injustice and untie the cords of the yoke, to set the oppressed free and break every yoke? 7 Is it not to share your food with the hungry and to provide the poor wanderer with shelter—when you see the naked, to clothe him, and not to turn away from your own flesh and blood? 8 Then your light will break forth like the dawn, and your healing will quickly appear; then your righteousness [a] will go before you, and the glory of the LORD will be your rear guard. 9 Then you will call, and the LORD will answer; you will cry for help, and he will say: Here am I. "If you do away with the yoke of oppression, with the pointing finger and malicious talk, 10 and if you spend yourselves in behalf of the hungry and satisfy the needs of the oppressed, then your light will rise in the darkness, and your night will become like the noonday.”

Luke 18:13-14 (NIV) - "But the tax collector stood at a distance. He would not even look up to heaven, but beat his breast and said, 'God, have mercy on me, a sinner.' 14"I tell you that this man, rather than the other, went home justified before God. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted."

PLEASE PRAY FOR THE FOLLOWING THIS WEEK:


James 1:5-75 “If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him. 6 But when he asks, he must believe and not doubt, because he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. 7 That man should not think he will receive anything from the Lord; 8 he is a double-minded man, unstable in all he does"

“MAKING IT COUNT”

GIS Spiritual Emphasis Week and

Month of Prayer and Fasting Theme

INTERNALLY:


Property/new GIS campus

• Please be in prayer for the property search committee as we continue to meet regularly to consider and evaluate property. This is a very time consuming task.
• Pray for energy and patience, as we wait upon the Lord for the right property.

Spiritual and physical health of the GIS staff, students, and families

• Continue to pray for our Athletic Director, Sonny Thweatt as he is still recovering from Meningitis.
• Many have been experiencing stress related illnesses. Pray for better time management in shuffling/accomplishing all our tasks without compromising our time with the Lord. Financial needs for staff, property, and new building.
• From February 10-13 Tommy Mays and Don Williams will be in the states meeting with some friends of GIS to begin to develop a strategy to raise the funds necessary to purchase and build this new campus. Please pray for these upcoming meetings, for safety in travel, and for wisdom from the Lord. Our hearts are to please Him in all that is done each step of the way.

EXTERNALLY

• Our interaction and relationships with our Thai neighbors, authorities, and churches.
• Continued prayer for the students relationships with the kids at House of Love and Agape Home.
• Pray for more or better opportunities to serve or interact with our neighbors in World Club and other muubaans that GIS folks live in.

"I'm getting married." Those were the words Sy spoke to those gathered on the last evening of Spiritual Emphasis Week. Just 10-15 minutes earlier he'd expressed how many of those gathered had heard from the Lord during the week but at that moment, he confided he hadn't. He challenged everyone who wanted to come to the microphone to share what the Lord had done in their lives. Between testimonies and various words from the students Sy heard from God. Sy had been waiting on the Lord for several weeks. Waiting to hear about God's future plans for his life. Just the night before he had talked to his dad about his frustrations in God's timing trying to understand his own despearate heart to follow God in light of God's seemingly disinterested concern for him. Sy was the MC of the culminating event during Spiritual Emphasis Week and returned to the microphone. He stood there declaring how he had heard from the Lord and that he was getting married. He explained how he had been longing for a romantic relationship. The word from the Lord was that He was Sy's romantic relationship. In that moment Sy put it all together. He realized how ealirer in the week the main speaker during one of the afternoon workshops had said that being a pastor was like being married to Christ. There it was...the Spirit moved on Sy and helped him to see Christ's proposal...it was to be married to Him, be romantic with Him and become a pastor. Sy came running over to his dad sobbing about all that had just happened. He said he'd heard from God...he had heard his calling...he knew what he was going to do with his life..he had just been asked by Christ to be married to Him...to become a pastor...he cried out, "Dad, I said yes!" Pray for Sy as he now explores what this all means and where he will go to college or university to prepare for the call God has on his life.

Grace International School

Each week we will post a list of specific prayer requests and scripture references we’d like you to be praying for with the Grace International School community. We will be praying for the following needs each week:

Our abandoned multi-purpose building site.

“Making It Count” Internally:

· Property / new GIS campus
· Spiritual and physical health of the GIS staff, students, and families
· Financial needs for staff, property, and new building

“Making It Count” Externally:

· Our interaction and relationships with our Thai neighbors, authorities, and churches

We also ask that you seriously consider fasting during your prayer times throughout the month.

You may ask “Why Fast?” 1) Fasting is a Biblical way to truly humble yourself in the sight of God (Psalm 35:13; Ezra 8:21). King David said, "I humble myself through fasting."; and 2) Fasting enables the Holy Spirit to reveal your true spiritual condition, resulting in brokenness, repentance, and a transformed life.

Individuals who can not fast food due to health issues can still participate by fasting from a favorite activity, trip to the mall, watching TV, going to a movie, etc. If you have questions whether fasting from food may be detrimental to your health, please consult your physician.

Kathy and Don pictured with high school.

How to Prepare Spiritually for a Fast

In preparation for this special time with God, examine your heart, and detect any unconfessed sin. Scripture records that God always requires His people to repent of their sins before He will hear their prayers. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. 1 John 1:9 (NIV)

It might be helpful to you to tell a close friend or friends what you will be fasting from to help keep you accountable.


We also encourage you to at times to pray with two or three others as well. We believe that God wants to hear our prayers. He knows what we want to pray for in advance but he chooses to use this form of communication to open our hearts and minds to what he wants to tell us. As Hebrews 4 says, “. . . let us hold firmly to the faith we profess . . . Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.” (v. 14 & 16).

We look forward to experiencing God and want to thank you for joining together with our school community through our combined prayers and fasting in the coming weeks. Thank you again for joining with us.

Celebrating the King's 80th birthday and praying for him.