Disciples in Port Lavaca

Just wanted to give an update on Polo (the one in the middle with the pink shirt). It’s probably been over a year since he was on the prayer blog, so here’s a brief recap in case you don’t remember. Kyaw started discipling him two years ago when they were 11. Polo was totally changed by the gospel when we first began teaching him, and his passion helped him to work through four generations of disciples pretty quickly. Last year, his family ended up moving to Port Lavaca (two hours south of Houston), which was a bit discouraging for him, considering all the disciples he had at the time.

He stayed in Houston with me (Jacob) for two months once his family moved, and after that I started making monthly trips to visit him in Port Lavaca and equip him to continue God’s work there. Polo was able to move back in with me throughout this past summer (which is something he hopes to do every year until he’s old enough to actually join the Keystone Team).

I got a chance to visit him again recently, and as always it’s encouraging to see his faithfulness and ongoing passion for the Lord. Fortunately, he’s been able to get plugged into a church there, which he attends at least every week, so even when I’m not there to help him I know that someone is helping to feed him spiritually and hold him accountable.

The two other faithful disciples we have there are Mi Paing and Say Paw (both 14-year-old Karen girls). All three disciples have been sharing the gospel with classmates ever since the new school year started and are actively looking for people to disciple themselves. They could all use your prayers, since they’re young people who have been changed by the gospel and are trying to do God’s work in their city largely on their own.

I believe God has a purpose in having them in Port Lavaca, and it’d be great if we could see a disciple-making movement begin in that city. Please continue praying for them, that they would be drawn closer to Christ daily and that they would have great authority even amongst their peers. It’s been hard for each of them to actually disciple people there, since classmates generally won’t listen as well as they would to adults. Also pray that our team would have great wisdom in knowing how to come alongside them effectively to support and equip them. Thanks!

Keystone, South Dakota

Throughout the month of October, 3 different "waves" of team members will be heading or have already arrived to The Keystone Project's home base in South Dakota. There is a month long training that many team members have been part of. During the training, they will be better equipped on how to reach the nations for Christ, as well as hear the more in-depth steps of Biblical discipleship. Another group of our team was able to go down for the last two weeks of the training, and the third group will be going down for the all- staff retreat the last week of this month. Please be in prayer for travel safety, for team unity, that this would indeed be a "retreat", and for each person to be challenged by the Lord!

Sancha's struggle

Over the past few years, various team members have spent time helping lead Sancha to Christ, discipling her, and encouraging her in her walk with the Lord. Sancha is Nepali, and most of her family members are not believers. They are close though and live in the same apartment complex. Here are some of the struggles she has had over the past months that you could specifically pray for:
1) Pray for increased faith in sharing the gospel, even though she continues to face opposition
2) Pray for wisdom for the doctors; she frequently gets dizzy and passes out as well as feels burning after eating almost all foods
3) Pray for their finances, that they would have enough to make ends meet
4) Pray for her husband, Harka, who is not a believer, which causes controversy in the home
5) Pray for strength in discipling her 3 year old daughter; her other family members who watch her daughter do not see eye to eye on discipline tactics

Connections into Salem Oaks area

Sanjay, a first generation disciple on the Salem Oaks team, has been reaching out to one of his classmates, Kay Htoo, at school. Kay Htoo is from Thailand. They started getting to know each other more this year because they have 2^nd period together and meet together at an after school program called PAIR, which helps tutor them. Through these they have gotten to get to know each other and share stories.

Kay Htoo and Sanjay both grew up Christian and attend churches in the area. Kay also got to share about how he’s had a life change in Christ. He’s known Kho and Hafsa since they were in middle school and has watched the Holy Spirit grow them.  Through that and other events that have taken place, God has ignited a fire in Kay Htoo’s heart for the Lord.

Last week Sanjay invited Kay to a group that meets on Sundays for the youth disciples here at Los Arcos and there, Sanjay got to share his testimony. He shared about how he grew up Christian, learning about God from church and his parents but never knew what it meant to have a personal relationship with God and disciple others. It was there and through that story that Kay decided to make a personal decision to follow Christ and make disciples.

Since then Sanjay has got to meet with Kay once. Kay lives in a different apartment complex about 10 minutes away, which is awesome! We have been praying to start reaching outside of Los Arcos and God’s starting to do that, but also can be difficult at his age.

Prayer points:

1.     Kay Htoo will be going through repentance soon

2.     Sanjay would immerse his life into Kay during school

3.     That they would be able to engage in mission together

4.     That they would be a light to their churches and be grounded in truth

Thank you so much for your prayers and support!

Keystone, SD Training

The month-long training up in Keystone, SD started last Sunday. This is an especially important training for our 3 new-ish team members, plus those that are planning to join the Houston Team once the training is finished. We could use as much prayer as we can get, since what happens at the training will set the pace for our team going into the new year.

Chris and Julia, as well as Jerome, left last week to be a part of it. It will be especially transformational for Chris and Julia, since they haven't had the chance to receive any Keystone training yet. The rest of the Houston Team will be traveling there in the next couple weeks to attend the Keystone Staff conference at the end of the training.

(1) Please pray that the Spirit would speak clearly and in a transformational way to Chris, Julia, Jerome and the potential Houston teammates that are there. (2) Pray for the staff conference in a couple weeks, that everyone would travel safely and the conference would be a unifying and Spirit-led event. And finally, (3) please pray for the disciples that will be here in Houston during that time, that they would continue to be faithful even when most of the leaders are absent. Thanks!

Meeting Physical Needs

This past week, a family made a big donation of clothes, shoes, games, bicycles, and other various items. Instead of leaving them in the local laundry room for people to take as they wish, Joe felt like this would be a good "project" to give to the Boys Group (JH boys redemptive community). The boys came over Saturday evening to sort the donated items. They will be spending this week praying about who they think needs specific items, even if they don't know the people. When they deliver the items, they will be praying with the people and Lord willing, sharing Jesus with them. Please pray for boldness for the boys, for the Spirit to lead them to who they should give things to, and for connections to be made!