Christmas Break: New Disciple

Picture:
Xavier, team
Lah Kpro, center
Pa Yo, blue
Na Spe, orange

Background:

Update from Xavier, team member working full time as a teacher at Keystone Academy. Xavier is discipling Lah Kpro, one of the Karen boys in the Academy who is a leader among his peers. Lah has been discipling Pa Yo, another Karen teen, who has shown some unfaithfulnes recently. Today Xavier and Lah went to confront Pa Yo and God did some pretty awesome things!

Xavier's testimony:

Hey team,
God has been gracious and faithful to me in great ways. Today he has blessed me with a disciple. His name is Naw Spe, he is a Karen kid about 14 years old. He told me and Lah that he wanted to follow Jesus and be a disciple. He was at Pa Yo's home when Lah and I talked to Pa Yo about his unfaithfulness. Pa Yo decided that he still wants to be discipled. Then Naw Spe said he wants to as well and so Lah explained to him what it means to be a disciple. Now Lah is discipling Pa Yo and Pa Yo will disciple Naw Spe.

Prayer Points:

Pray for faithfulness from Pa Yo and Naw Spe.

Pray that the Holy Spirit will help these boys to experience God personally and grow in the same joy that is evident in Lah Kpro's face.

Pray for the beginning of a firm foundation in this last week before school starts up again.

Re: Mailing Address

Hi Katie! Thanks for your email!. It's great to hear that God is working so wondrously in Houston!!

Bob and I are living in Paraguay. I can give you our address but the mail is not good. If you can scan and email what you were mailing, it would get to us a lot sooner than the slow mail system here. That's our suggestion! 

If you still want to send it via regular airmail, our address is:

C.C.13173, Shopping del Sol

Asuncion, Paraguay, South America

Have a blessed Jesus filled Christmas, to the whole team in Houston!!

Bob and Joy Brougher

On Tue, Dec 16, 2014 at 8:00 PM, Katie Riley <katiekeystone@gmail.com> wrote:

Dear Prayer Team,

Please forgive the lack of communication over the last few months.  Honestly, I've been so busy trying to keep up with what God has been doing through my disciples that I have found it difficult to manage other responsibilities.  As a result, a few of you have not been receiving reminders and the blog is lacking the many many stories of God's consistently awesome work in Houston over the last few months. 

Please know that we as a team are incredibly grateful for your prayers and have seen tremendous fruit this year in large part due to your support with us in this fight.  Thank you for your faithfulness!

We would like to send you a simple note of thanks and Christmas greeting from the team.

Please send me your mailing address at your earliest convenience.

Blessings!

Katie Riley

Spas: Good News and New Requests

**Good News

The landowner changed a few months back and we found out that they are not renewing the lease for any of the questionable establishments in the complex, including our two spas, some gambling game rooms, and a bar.

This is an answered prayer, that God would either allow us to go in and bring the women out into freedom in Christ or that he would remove them from our area to bring deeper spiritual freedom to the families we disciple.
Seems like God choose option B.

One of the spas has already vacated their suite. The other is still running, but if our sources are right, they only have till the end of this month to find a new location.

**New Requests

We are in the process of communicating with the landowner to ask his permission to go in after they have moved out and volunteer to clean physically while also praying to finish the job spiritually.

Our first attempt with the agent managing the property was quickly and firmly denied. Today we left a message for the head of the company, the actual landowner. The woman receiving the message seemed much more open to the idea.

Please pray for favor with the landowner so that we may go in and finish the job.

Also, pray for the woman we got to speak with and pray for briefly last week in the spa that is still running. We gave her some fruit and a bible in her language. Pray that God's word will do what he sent it for.

.................................

"Every prayer a powerful weapon, strongholds come tumbling down and down and down and down!"

Mailing Address

Dear Prayer Team,

Please forgive the lack of communication over the last few months.  Honestly, I've been so busy trying to keep up with what God has been doing through my disciples that I have found it difficult to manage other responsibilities.  As a result, a few of you have not been receiving reminders and the blog is lacking the many many stories of God's consistently awesome work in Houston over the last few months. 

Please know that we as a team are incredibly grateful for your prayers and have seen tremendous fruit this year in large part due to your support with us in this fight.  Thank you for your faithfulness!

We would like to send you a simple note of thanks and Christmas greeting from the team.

Please send me your mailing address at your earliest convenience.

Blessings!

Katie Riley

Portland Team

Photos:

1. Portland team with LJ (Houston team leader), visiting after one month on the ground

2. Strategy session - how best to reach the many Muslim families they had met in the past month

At the beginning of October, the Keystone Project launched a second US team in Portland, Oregon.  Three of our Houston team members have joined the Portland team for varying amounts of time.  Jacob Hundt has been there for the past two months and will be returning to Houston in December.  Hannah Brougher is with the Portland team for a period of six months and is planning to reassess in May where the Lord is calling her to minister. Erik House also moved onto the Portland team for an indefinite amount of time.

Since arriving on site in the second week of October, the Portland team has been working diligently to make connections with their neighbors - families from Nepal, Bhutan, Burma, the Middle East, various South American countries, and Americans alike.  Since it has been cold and rainy most people stay in their homes, so the team has been going from house to house, sharing the gospel, praying for people, and calling them to the disciple-making vision. 

Most of the team is committed for short term, acting as a launch team with a goal of raising up others to take their place for the long haul.

·         Please pray for them to find the people of peace that God has already prepared to continue the work there.

·         Many of their current contacts are Burmese Muslim families, some of whom are seriously considering Christ.

·         Pray for supernatural evidence of the truth of the gospel – dreams, visions, opportunities for healing, etc.

·         Pray for the spiritual protection of the disciples the Houston team members have left behind, as our team continues to work with them, that they will keep growing in relationship with and obedience to Christ.

For specifics on their disciples, review "Our Disciples" posts from the past few months. 

Note: the Muslim family that Erik was working with in Houston moved just before he left for Portland. Also, Hannah had another disciple named Dominique, high school senior from Mexico, who is currently being discipled by another Houston team member. 

Baptisms!

PRAISE GOD FOR FIVE BAPTISMS!

Pictures:
1. Meh Mor sharing her testimony before her baptism
2. Right to left: Katie (team), Kho Meh, Pleh Meh, Neh Meh, Ku Mo

First to be baptized was MEH MOR, 18 year old Karenni girl who became a believer just over a year ago and joined our team back in February.  Earlier this year YOU WERE PRAYING FOR HER quite a bit when HER CATHOLIC PRIEST ADVISED HER TO STOP MEETING WITH US. At that time she was seriously questioning what she should do.

PRAISE GOD! She has not only come through that time of testing STILL FAITHFUL, but she has taken even greater steps in BOLD OBEDIENCE to Christ as the Spirit continues to lead her in the truth!

      ***UPDATE: Just LAST NIGHT Meh Mor and two of her disciples shared with two other Karenni mothers who decided to follow! Pray especially for MEH MOR'S DISCIPLES to be empowered to disciple these NEW BELIEVERS!

The OTHER BAPTISMS were 4 Karenni teens, three sisters and a friend, NEW BELIEVES who are growing in boldness and love for Christ.

Pray especially for KHO MEH, who is a LEADER among her peers and has a greater responsibility as they are following her example.

AMEN! HALLELUJAH!

Retreat and Meetings

This week  the Houston team is retreating in our headquarters at Keystone, South Dakota.  In the second half of the week we will be joining the annual Keystone Project international staff and board meetings. Please be praying for this time...

That God will bless our rest, as he has been already!

And that the Spirit will lead us and the entire Keystone staff as we evaluate the past year and make plans for the future.

Thank you!

Our Disciples

Pray for Jacob whose first generation disciple is Kyaw

Pic #1: (left to right) Jacob discipling Kyaw, discipling Polo, discipling Teeso, discipling Ethan.

Pic #2: Kyaw and his two other disciples (left to right) Ni La Aung and Sar Ha.

Specifics - Pray for Kyaw as he continues to deal with the death of his father about 6 weeks ago.  That same week, while his family was mourning, Kyaw led Ni La Aung to the Lord.  Praise God for Kyaw's faithfulness!

Polo was Kyaw's first generation disciple until he moved about 2 hours away back in July.  After he moved he began to make disciples in his new home with little help from Jacob or Kyaw.  Jacob is able to visit Polo about once a month now to encourage him as he continues to make disciples who make disciples.  Praise God for Polo's faithfulness! Pray that the Spirit will continue to lead them!

Our Disciples

Pray for Albert (team member) discipling San Ooh, who just started following the Lord at the beginning of this school year.  

He is one of the Keystone Academy students as well.  Your prayers for them helped to bring him into the Kingdom!  

Now please continue to pray that he will catch the same vision that burns in God's heart and that he will become a peacemaker for all nations.

Our Disciples

Our Disciples

Pray for Richie (team member) and his disciple Sanjay (standing with Richie), who is discipling Manaj (pictured with Sanjay, teaching Manaj how to share the gospel).  Sanjay and Manaj are Nepali boys who live at Los Arcos apartments, a complex about half an hour south-east of our team's home base.

Specifics: Richie has also made connections with some of the Nepali fathers and grandfathers at Los Arcos and is currently helping Sanjay pray with Manaj to prepare to share with Manaj's Hindu grandfather. Pray for these boys and the heads of their households to catch fire for Christ and lead their people to launch a movement of disciple-making disciples at Los Arcos. 

** Manaj is one of the students enrolled in the Keystone Academy this year. Your prayers for those boys have affected him in his willingness to be discipled by one of his peers.  Thank God for that! And continue praying for him!

Urgent

Please pray for Alfred and Musu, Christian Liberian leaders who have been connected with the Keystone Project for some time.

è Background info: Alfred came to the Portland/LA team training we hosted in Houston earlier this summer and played a key role in leading Na Reh (Xavier's disciple, see recent post on Our Disciples) to the Lord.  Alfred is still in the States and has been coaching other international Christian leaders in the Keystone training taking place this month in South Dakota.

è Alfred's current situation: due to the outbreak of the Ebola virus in Liberia, all incoming and outgoing traffic (including Alfred's flight home) has been blocked for the remainder of this year. He is, therefore, compelled to stay in the States until further notice, separated from his family.

è Liberia's current situation: Population greater than 4 million. Over 600 deaths from the Ebola virus up to date. Outbreaks are restricting transportation between communities.  All imports and exports have been cancelled.  Food cost has skyrocketed. The Liberian government has said that the country itself will run out of rice (staple food) by the 21^st of September (one week from today).

è Musu's current situation: in Liberia caring for their five children (3 of their own, 2 adopted). The update below came today from LJ, Houston team leader, who is also at the SD training.

------------------------------------------------------------

Hey team please pray for Alfred's family. There is a Muslim family in their village that has 31 members in the family and they have contracted Ebola virus. Some of them have died, but the government is so overwhelmed that they cannot do anything about it. They are no longer taking anyone into the clinics.The family is to stay home and be quarantined in order to keep the rest of the village from contracting this.

Because of the issues, there is not enough food for the family, so Alfred's wife, Musu, is caring for this family to keep them from leaving the home.We are sending money to help with food as the price has sky rocketed because there can be no imports or exports in Liberia because of the virus.

1. Pray for this family to willingly stay to themselves to save the lives of others. 

2. Pray that they would turn from Muhammad to Jesus through this as none of the Muslims are willing to come and help them.

3. Pray for Alfred's family to have supernatural protection as they minister in this setting.

4. Pray for Alfred as he fights this battle with his family from far away.

----------------------------------------------

Please pray!

·         Enlist fellow believers in your community to join in intercession for Alfred and Musu and their 5 children, the Muslim family in their village, and the country of Liberia as a whole.

·         Pray that God will work miracles!

Our Disciples

Pray for Hannah (team) discipling Oroma (child) and Meh Mor (also on the team) who is discipling several other women – mothers and grandmothers of her own people.

First picture: Hannah and Meh Mor

Second Picture left to right of adults: Meh Mor's disciples Elizabeth, Maw Meh (on couch), Htay Mo, Bo Meh (holding baby) and Poe Meh (in 3rd picture with Htay Mo). 

Fourth Pic: Hannah and Oroma

Specifics:

Pray for wisdom for Meh Mor as she leads these mothers and grandmothers to know their identity in Christ and how they can be a part of his mission while working and mothering full time!

Pray for Oroma as Hannah has recently begun to single her out more intentionally for discipleship. This little intercessor is growing in boldness for Christ. Pray that she will find a disciple!

Our Disciples - Time sensitive

Please pray for Erik and this Iraqi Muslim family he is ministering to. He spends long hours almost daily with this family. Some of them show interest in Christ, though the father spends a lot of energy debating Erik on who is the true God.

Family: 

Father - Waleed 

Mother - Hala

Kids (oldest to youngest) 

Tuqa, Zahraa, Muhammed Bahkar, Fatima, Muhammed Ali, Muhammed Hussein

Specifics:

Waleed returns to Iraq this Tuesday (9/16). Due to some issues that cannot be disclosed, we are praying earnestly for his salvation before that date. Please pray that God will supernaturally show himself to this man and change his life!

Pray also for Hala and the kids as their spiritual leader leaves that they may be more open to the truth (especially difficult because Waleed is the only one with good English). Pray that God will supernaturally speak to them in undeniable ways.

Our Disciples

Pray for these guys:

Xavier (team), Nah Reh (adult)

Lah Kpro (on steps with Xavier), and Lah Kpro's potential disciple, Hsar Ha (left of Lah Kpro in group photo)

Specifics:

For Nah Reh: that he will hear the Holy Spirit in his own language, that he will grow in his identity in Christ, and that he will become a spiritual leader among his people.

Lah Kpro: that he will be faithful and be able to share effectively with Hsar Ha, calling him to discipleship.

Our Disciples

Pray for these girls:

Nicole (team) is discipling Taher (her daughter) who is discipling Nah (left of Nicole) and Paw Lah (left of Taher) who is discipling Mee Meh (far left).

Specifics:

Pray especially for Mee Meh and her family as their father died yesterday morning.

Pray for Nah,  younger sister of Martina who you have been praying for quite a bit already, that her family will allow her to grow in making disciples.

Our Disciples... Kids praising God

Praise God with these kids! Remember to have faith like a child.

Please pray for these girls:
(See pic)
Katie (team member) is discipling Mah Pah (white shirt) who is discipling Moo Eh (back) and Paw Eh (green shorts) who is discipling Sha Sha (front).

Specific requests:

Pray especially for Mah Pah and her family (Buddhist except for one brother,  Kyaw) as their father died this week. Pray that God will comfort them and provide for them and soften their hearts to hear him.

Pray for Mah Pah and Kyaw that they stay strong in their faith during this time and are protected from enemy attacks.

School

Tomorrow is the first day of class for the Keystone Academy,  the alternative middle school for refugee boys that has been on our heart as a team since we first began to know the people here back in 2010.

We began a trial run with just a few students over the spring semester of this year. Tomorrow we will be starting a new school year with 12 students!

Praise God for the opportunity to raise these boys up as leaders among their people!

Pray for their hearts to be open and prepared for the challenging growth they are about to experience this year, academically, spiritually,  and in every area of their lives.

Praise God for two of these boys, San Oo and Lah Kpro, who gave their lives to Christ and committed to discipleship just yesterday!

Pray for the three teachers and administrative couple (baby coming any day now) from the Houston Team as they do last minute preparations. Pray that they will have spiritual eyes to see and lead these boys as Christ does.

Camp and school

Here are some specific needs:

(1) We are taking a bunch of our kids to camp this weekend with Sugar Creek Baptist church

[pray for unity among staff/counselors and for understanding/breakthrough with campers]

(2) Next week our school, Keystone Academy, starts up again,  this time with 12 students/2 teachers/and a new couple acting as admin/principal
[pray for staff as they're crunched for time to prep everything and for the students that their hearts are prepared as well]

(3) Also, Joe and Keri (admin couple) are going to have a baby any day in the next two weeks.

[pray for their transition into parenthood and school leadership to be filled with the Spirit and grace]

Thank you!

Update: Martina

Thank you for your continued prayers for Martina. Here is our most recent update on her growth from KP team member, Catherine, who is discipling her:

 

            "I talked with Martina about Jesus telling us that making disciples WILL bring

persecution.  I encouraged her to see this [opposition from her parents and other authority figures] as a spiritual attack, but not to fear, and that this was confirmation that God wants to use her. When I asked if she wanted to keep meeting and making disciples even though her parents will not support her, she decided yes.  She seems determined but will likely face more opposition.  Please pray for strength for her and wisdom for me."

 

Recently Martina's parents have been asking her (as the member of the family with the highest level of English) to help them find a new apartment in a different part of town so that they can get away from our team.  She is obedient and willing to help in this process, but so far every time she gets ready to go look for a new apartment, her parents tell her not to worry about it right then.  

Other times discipleship activities with Martina are interrupted because her mom asks her to babysit or loads her with other household responsibilities and errands just at the time when they were planning to go and share Christ with someone else.

 

è Praise God:

-       Martina is willing to continue pursuing the Lord through discipleship

-       That faithfulness in the face of persecution is being built into her DNA of what it means to be a follower of Christ

 

è Please pray:

-       For strength for Martina in the daily spiritual battle in her home

-       For wisdom for Catherine as she leads her disciple through this process, knowing how to walk the line of honoring her parents while obeying Christ

-       Against the enemy's work in Martina's parents, specifically that they will...

                  a. decide not to move away

                  b. not interrupt important discipleship activities                 with household responsibilities that can be                   accomplished at a different time. 

-       That Martina's parents will supernaturally encounter Christ and that strongholds may be broken down

Spa Update

Please forgive the delay in posting this information. Thank you so much for your prayers last Saturday regarding the spa stakeout.

By the grace of God we were able to find out where two of the women live along with quite a bit of other useful information.

Spiritually speaking it seems as though we have kicked the hornets' nest.

Please pray for wisdom and clear direction as we pray about how to move forward from here.

Thank you for doing battle with us!

Thanks

Thank for your prayers regarding the spas!

Praise God

Praise God for his faithfulness! 

Sancha and Polo

Here's a quick update and some prayer points for Sancha and Polo, two of our key disciples who were recently baptized (see photos below, see also post on May 30).

 

è Polo

Moved last week to Port La Vaca, a city a couple of hours south of Houston.  Though young, he has been one of our most faithful disciple making disciples, full of energy and love for the Lord! Please pray for him as he settles into a new life with his family:

 

1.    That he will be strong in the Lord and protected from the enemy

2.    That he will continue to make disciples there

3.    That someone will be raised up to disciple him and others in Port La Vaca

4.    For the disciples he left behind, that they will continue to grow

 

è Sancha

Has been growing in faith and faithfulness! Husband, Harka, does not follow the Lord. He was angry when he found out she was baptized, threatening divorce and shame from the family.  Sancha, however, refuses to be ashamed of Christ and continues to love, serve, and share what she is learning with her husband and other family members with a cheerful and determined spirit. Praise God for her courage! And please pray for her:

 

1.    That she will continue to grow strong in the Lord.

2.    That she will be able to find a disciple

3.    For Harka (husband), Hema (pictured below), and others with whom she is sharing.

Sancha and Polo pics

1st pic: Jacob (back), team member discipling Kyaw (left), who was discipling Polo (before he moved, center), who was discipling Artee (right), who is also making disciples.

2nd pic: Sancha practicing sharing the gospel with Jacob (Sancha being discipled by Katie and Ashika,  team members not pictures here)

3rd pic: (later that same night) Sancha sharing the gospel while making dinner with sister-in-law,  Hema.

Martina

Please continue to pray for Martina.
All of her disciples except one,  Klaw Meh, have officially decided not to meet. Klaw Meh is not sure,  but seems close to that same decision.

Martina told us yesterday that her mom has been telling her not to meet with us anymore. She's hearing a lot of lies from the enemy and is reconsidering what the priest said as well.

It doesn't seem that she wants to stop meeting,  but she is uncertain of what to do with everything changing so quickly.

Pray for them as Jesus did: Luke 22:31-34.

Picture: Martina, right, and Klaw Meh,  left, at Martina's birthday party earlier this year.

The Karenni People – New Believers!

You have been praying for Meh Mor and Martina, key leaders among the Karenni people group.  We have been grateful to see both of them choosing to remain with us and continue in the work of making disciples here. Praise God for this!

 

è Pray that Meh Mor and Martina will grow stronger in their faith and love of the Lord and that he would be the motivator of their lives on mission.

 

Earlier this year, whole families of Karenni people expressed interest in following Christ and making disciples after hearing from Meh Mor and Martina.  We shared this with you at the time.  Praise God for this also!

 

è Pray for the Karenni people

1.    that they will grow strong in the Lord as individuals and as a redemptive community of believers

2.    be protected from the enemy

3.    and that a Karenni leader will be raised up to continue the movement

 

Since then, Meh Mor has joined our team and she and her discipler, Hannah (team member), have been teaching and leading the Karenni community, seeking key leaders among these people who will catch the vision as well and take on that leadership role.   The Karenni women, especially, have been faithful and growing in the Spirit.  But the men have not been able to identify themselves with Christ or with the work God has been doing due to the lack of a male leader. 

 

Two days ago, however, three Karenni men gave their lives to the Lord!!!  (see the pictures below!) God worked out the timing and circumstances perfectly for a brother from Africa who was here for the training to share with them and they were ready to receive. Wow! Praise, praise the Lord!

 

è Please pray for these three new believers!

1.    Na Reh (blue) had never heard about Jesus before. You can see the joy on his face in his new life with Christ. He is calling his family together Sunday night to hear the gospel. Pray for this time, that Na Reh's family will follow the Lord and that Na Reh will become a great spiritual leader among his people.

 

§  Pray for Xavier, team member who will be discipling Na Reh and speaking to his family Sunday night, that he will be filled with the Spirit, and have wisdom to know how to lead Na Reh and Deh Reh also.

 

2.    Deh Reh (brown stripes), young father, shyer than Na Reh. Pray that he will also grow strong in the Lord and become a bold leader of his family and among his people.

 

3.    Grandfather (hat, sorry, forgot his name), a friend of Na Reh and Deh Reh, will be moving Sunday evening to a different state. Pray that the Holy Spirit will supernaturally lead him and connect him with other believers to disciple him where he is going.

New Karenni Believers

Please pray for Na Reh (blue), Deh Reh (brown stripes), and their friend (hat), newly following the Lord. They are the first Karenni men from our neighborhood to follow Christ.

Training

This week, Monday through Thursday, we are hosting a Keystone training in Houston.  There's a team from Los Angelas here seeking to launch a team to start a movement of disciples who make disciples.  There are a few guys from Portland here for the same reason. 

 

We have people from Indiana, South Dakota, California, Oregon, Texas, and a brother who is coming in from Africa! There's a great sense that God is doing something deep through this time, more than we are expecting.  Please pray for us! Ask the Spirit to lead you in your prayers. 

 

Here are some of the needs we are seeing that you can also lift up with us:

 

·         Spiritual protection for the teams here.

·         Physical endurance for late nights, early mornings, long training hours, and practical ministry experience in the evenings.

·         For open eyes and ears to the Spirit throughout the training and ready hearts.

·         For the people we will be sharing with in the evenings: that the Spirit will bring us to the people whose hearts are prepared to hear him, and that he will fill our hearts and mouths with his words.

Intern Update!

Intern training is finished and our interns are now beginning the process of living out the things they have learned.

 

Here are some specific ways you can pray for Lacey, Sara, and Dylan:

 

 

1.    Lacey is seeking to make new connections, learning to follow the Spirit's lead and step outside her comfort zone.  Pray for guidance, faith, and courage.

 

2.    Sara already has a lot of connections in another part of town.  Pray for clarity of focus:  that she will be able to discern how much time she needs to spend here with us in order that she will be able to put into practice the things she has learned from the training and then transfer that to the ministry context she already knows.

 

3.    In prayer, Dylan felt God tell him he would disciple a boy named Danny. Subsequently, he connected with a Vietnamese boy named Danny who has showed great interest in Christ and has already shared the gospel with a friend. Danny's mom, Yen (Buddhist), has said that Dylan can only come over if he does not teach Danny about Jesus, and she will not allow him to leave the home with Dylan.  Danny, however, still desires to know the truth and has decided to continue learning from Dylan in secret (whenever his mom leaves the room).  Pray that Danny will trust Christ and that Yen will trust Dylan to take her son outside the home. Pray that Dylan will have wisdom, patience, and deep faith in the Lord.

 

4.    Pray for the team, that we will be able to lead the interns well, modeling and integrating them into our daily ministry lives in a way that empowers them to do the work Christ has called them to.

 

 

Resolution

Meh Mor has decided to continue being discipled by us.  Praise God for this decision.  It seems to have been made from the head rather than the heart.  Please continue to pray for her that she will be revived by the Spirit and able to rejoice in him.  Pray also for wisdom in how to move forward from here with both Meh Mor and Martina.

 

For Meh Mor

Also pray specifically that Meh Mor will remember some key ways God has communicated with her:

1. Dream at camp almost a year ago

2. She was healed of a terrible stomach ache also at camp when we prayed for her

3. The joy and energy she has found in making disciples

4. The joy,  healings,  and changed lives of the disciples who she has led to the Lord

5. The truths of God's word that she has learned in the past year and now has posted all around her house

** Pray against unwillingness and a spirit of rebellion that seeks to deceive her as she has just graduated high school and is at the threshold of new things.

**Pray that she will truly seek the Lord and that he will meet with her in an unmistakable way.

Continued urgency

Please continue to pray for Meh Mor,  leader in the Karenni community. She is still considering following her priest's instructions to stop being discipled by us. Please pray for her and the many disciples she leads. Pray against the enemy's deception.

Urgent request update

Great news!  Martina has chosen to continue in discipleship with us. Thanks be to God for this!

We are still waiting for the right time to speak with Meh Mor about her decision. Please continue to pray for spiritual clarity and courage for her.

Thank you!

Sorry for the inconvenience!

Prayer Team,

We heard from some of you recently that an e-mail address was sent earlier this week through my phone number including a link to an inappropriate website.  This is likely the result of some internet hacking via my cell phone account.  We apologize for the inconvenience! Please delete and disregard any such messages you have received.  We are working with my phone service to correct the issue.

Thank you for your understanding and for your faithfulness in prayer with the Keystone Project Houston Team.

Blessings,

Katie Riley

Prayer Team Coordinator

Urgent Request

Pray for Meh Mor and Martina, two of our key leaders in the Karenni people group.  Both of them come from Catholic backgrounds and have continued to maintain relationship and participation in the Catholic Karenni community as we have been discipling them. 

 

Recently their priest has instructed them to stop meeting with us and they seem to be strongly considering it. It is clear that Satan is working hard to deceive them because they have given themselves so faithfully to the Lord and he has been working so powerfully through them.

 

Over the past seven months they have lead many others to the Lord and are currently discipling peers, parents, and grandparents alike.  Part of the power of their testimony has been their ability to share truthfully that it is possible to both be Catholic and give your life wholeheartedly to Christ in obedience to his calling to make disciples. 

 

If Meh Mor and Martina choose to follow their priest's instruction, then their disciples will quite possibly do the same. On the other hand, if they choose to obey God rather than people, God will have an open door to work even more powerfully through their faithfulness!

 

These girls belong to Christ.  Satan has no right or authority to take them away from him. What he has intended for evil, God can use for his glory.

 

è Pray that Meh Mor and Martina will recognize the enemy's lies, refuse to obey them, and cast them out of their life.

è Pray that they will have the courage and grace to choose Christ and to communicate this choice well.

è Pray also that we will have clear direction in how to encourage and exhort them.

Honor the Lord

Praise God for the post below!  He is faithful and we are both humbled and amazed by his heart for these people to know his love and glory! We can make our plans, but it is the Lord's purpose that prevails. Pray that this truth stays at the forefront of our minds and that his praises flow as faithfully from our lips as he is faithful to deserve them.

Spa Update

Thank you so much for your prayers! Saturday night we were able not only to gain entrance to the spas, but also to obtain the information we were seeking. The video equipment did not work, but the audio recordings caught what we needed.

 

Our human trafficking partners commented that things went very smoothly and seemed easy when they are often quite the opposite.  They recognized this as a direct result of the prayers and the fasting that have been sown over these spas in the preceding weeks and months. Thank you for your faithfulness in fighting this battle with us!

 

Next steps…

 

è Stakeout: It's possible that some of the women who work in these spas live in the apartment complexes literally right next door and across the street. We want to find out where they live so we can connect with them in their homes rather than in their place of business. Please pray with us as we prepare to spend long hours watching comings and goings at the spas.  We will let you know when it happens!

 

è Translators: All of the women we have had contact with either identify themselves as or appear to be Chinese/East  Asian. They also claim not to speak much English. Please pray that we will either be able to connect with an outside translator or to raise one up from our own community.

 

è Go to the source: We want to know who is in charge – who owns the land, who owns the business (these two are usually not the same person) – so that we can cut this thing off at it's head.

 

è Keep our guard up: Satan fights back when we enter his territory, sometimes in seemingly unrelated ways. Please pray for the team members who were involved that we continue to walk in God's armor and are able to quickly recognize and counter the enemy's attacks.

Baptism

Last weekend we baptized two disciples: a 12 year old Karen boy and a Nepali mother. Please pray for Polo and Sancha as they continue their walk with the Lord and make disciples!

Spa Surveillance

Tomorrow evening (Saturday, 31^st) at 6:00 we will be working together with our human trafficking partners to do an undercover surveillance operation in the two spas on our street.  One of our guys will be trained to go in posing as a customer in order to obtain valuable information that will better inform our spiritual and physical/practical strategy of attack on these strongholds.    

 

è Pray that they will let our guys in – that the evil spirits guarding the place will recognize the authority of Christ in our guys and be unable to hinder the work.

è Pray for spiritual protection over our team member and the man from the trafficking organization who will be joining him – that eyes and hearts be guarded.

è Pray that the technology we use will work,

è And that our guys will be received without suspicion and be able to obtain the necessary information and come out safely.

 

Look for an update on how things go in the next few days.  Thank you for fighting this battle with us!

Summer Preparation

 

Interns are here! Training has begun! Please pray with us in the following ways as we prepare for the summer:

 

1.    For LJ to be filled with the Spirit as he teaches

2.    For the interns and our team to have receptive, humble hearts as we learn

3.    For distractions/opposition from the enemy to be quickly identified and removed.

4.    For the Holy Spirit to move powerfully in tearing down anything that is getting in the way of us walking in full commitment with him

5.    For practical application times to be fruitful

 

Training continues through Saturday, June 7th.

Thank you for your prayers!

Three Battlefronts this Week

 

Please join us in prayer as we battle on three different fronts this week.

 

1.    Thursday evening four of our team members will be going into the home of a couple who are deeply oppressed by the enemy, intending to clean house both physically and spiritually.  We have connections with this couple through work some of our team has done in another part of town. We have sensed a strong need to bathe this in prayer.

 

è Edward: is a believer who has been struggling under the spiritual oppression in his home and has realized that he needs to be removed from the situation. He has asked for our help. He needs faith and the courage to break away so that he can grow strong in the Lord.

 

è Connie: Edward's girlfriend, is not a believer.  A lot of her history has opened wide doors for demonic oppression in her life, to the point that she is not currently functioning in daily life.  The "house-cleaning" is largely targeted against this demonic force. She needs deliverance.

 

è  The landlady:  (small "complex", only four apartments) is rumored to be involved in witch craft and has opposed the presence of our team members in the past. She needs to be gone when they go, and/or there needs to be a spiritual covering over our team that prevents her from seeing them.

 

è The team: Albert, Xavier, Chelsea, and Catherine will be going in to clean house. They need spiritual protection, wisdom, and strength. Pray that they be filled with the Spirit of life and truth whom the darkness cannot overcome!

 

2.    Friday morning we will be praying as a team over Court: a new complex where we are placing three Keystone team girls this summer.

 

è Very heavy spiritually with strongholds of fear, dishonesty, sexual sin, drinking, and closed doors in the hearts of the people as a result. As we pray, we will be battling these strongholds in the complex as a whole, and also praying over the apartment where the girls will be living.

 

3.    Also Friday, possibly morning or evening, we will be praying in the same way through Key: a new complex where we are placing three Keystone guys.

 

è Stongholds to pray through: the people in this complex are more open and friendly; however, there are strongholds of partying/drinking, seeking fulfillment in worldly pleasures, stealing, and rumors of some ocultic worship of Santa Muerta (death saint).

 

 

Jesus Christ came to destroy the works of the devil. Join us in praying out the enemy, welcoming the Spirit, and working/waiting for the harvest!

Spas, New Faces, and New Places

 Spas

 

·         Thank you for your prayers for the spas. We ended up rescheduling the undercover surveillance date for next Friday, the 23^rd. 

è Continued prayers for this are key (see previous postings for specifics)

 

New Faces

 

·         New team member: Chelsea has been working with us from another part of the city for some time and will be moving into Sharpstown this weekend to join the team for the long haul. 

è Pray for peace in the transition and clear spiritual direction for her as she begins this new phase.

 

·         Three summer interns will be arriving on May 27, Dylan, Sarah, and Lacey.

è Pray for them as they finish up school and make preparations for coming, that their hearts be ready and open to the Lord, that logistics such as jobs and travel are taken care of, and that the people they encounter during their time here will be ready to hear and believe.

 

New Places

 

·         Due to the addition of these four new faces, we are acquiring two new apartments, one for guys and one for girls.  Over the next two weeks several of our team members will be moving and getting settled in preparation for the interns coming.

è Pray especially in these next two weeks for the spiritual research that we will be doing in these two complexes, for strongholds past and present to be exposed so that we can know our enemy and begin the process of warring wisely.

è Pray also for the logistical and relational aspects of moving and new roommates, that grace and peace will reign so that God may be glorified and our neighbors will sense his presence in us.