Well, it has finally happened. My friend, Ray Patterson, left the cares of this life and entered into a great reward in heaven on January 23rd. Ellie and I were at home when Matt called with the news. We sighed together, but there were no tears, for we were happy to hear that his suffering was in the past.

I asked her, "What was your favorite picture of Ray?"

"His face the second time he came to our house to share with us about Jesus." Ellie was 16 at the time, and the whole family knelt with Ray and prayed to receive Jesus as Lord of their lives. From 1964 until last Thursday, Ray was our pastor, our mentor, our counselor, and our friend. His memory lives on with us.

Ellie was involved in "missionary dating" when we met, and that year I found myself making the transition from the Presbyterian Church to Oakmont Baptist. Ray preached the Bible truth and I loved it. He made sense in the turbulent values swirl of the 60s and I considered him to be my pastor. He filled a void left by the retirement of my family's pastor. Soon I was laughing at his crazy jokes and trying to learn the names of his children.

High school graduation and subsequent military service kept us apart for four years, but each time I would come home on leave, we would connect briefly, and he would ask how I was.

On August 15th, 1970, my young bride, filled with joy and excitement, could not recite her wedding vows. I shall never forget the look on Ray's face as he and I exchanged the vows. For years we would joke about being married to each other. Ray did not tie "slip knots," and this year, Ellie and I will celebrate our 50th anniversary. It was Ray who ministered to us through those first years of marriage and established us in our Christian walk. I shall never forget the look on his face as I received the baptism in the Holy Spirit in his office, or the joy in his eyes as I emerged from the waters of baptism, or the calming way he spoke as I shared with him my call to preach the gospel to the nations.

We worked together for nine years as Oakmont Baptist became Dayspring Christian Center and moved from Oakmont through Cheswick and on to Tarentum. We did not always agree, and sparks would fly as iron sharpened iron. There were times when we avoided each other until the fire died down, but we were always friends.

Friends are born for adversity, and we certainly shared many challenges, but always came through with the relationship intact. As we paid our respects at the passing of our friend Greg Blythe in 2018, the now much weaker Ray drew me near and whispered, "We were quite a team."
"We are," I responded, looking deep into his eyes.

And now he is reaping the reward for his years of faithful service. I do not know how heaven's accounting system works, but, just from our lives, there are souls in many nations who are serving God today because that man knocked on that door so many years ago. The best thing we can do to honor the memory of friends is to take what we have been given by them and multiply the gift. Ray reached out to us and gave himself to us, and we will continue to reach out and give ourselves to others.

Two songs come to mind, though I have no idea why. One lyric is, "Friends are friends forever when the Lord is Lord of them." It is often sung at weddings and seems to fit here. The other came to mind immediately when I heard of his passing, "Gideon checked out, and he left it, no doubt to help with good Rocky's revival."

Ray is a friend forever and definitely played a significant part in my revival. Thank you, Brother, for the life you have given.

My brother Sam and I were just boys when we first experienced London's Heathrow airport. I was four and Sam was seven. It was the 80s when airports were void of temperature scanning devices, armed soldiers, and barricaded drop-off zones. They were, however, still full of excitement, albeit a very different kind of excitement. In those days drop-offs included families with picnic lunches in tow and pickups carried every element short of a marching band to parade loved ones home. On that day, as we walked through the grand arrival hall at Heathrow, we realized that London seemed globally central to the excitement of it all.

When you are four, you have to look up. In the arrival hall, the world swirled together in an upward bazaar of intermingled culture and emotion. Through our own two sons, Jess and I have witnessed how four-year-old boys process and perform. We have a peak performing six-year-old at home named Rocco who has taught us the extreme methods of this God-given system and we delight in watching him make up his mind and move accordingly. Through them, we have learned that each process produces a performance whose gathered responses decode a myriad of potential next possible performances.  I can remember bits of my own process that day in Heathrow when I was only four.

The greatest bit was a "chance" encounter with Mother Teresa. From the various parades of people emerged a much larger parade that seemed to pull all other parades into it. My father fought the crowd to position us in the front row as the Saint's service crew re-aligned the crowd to make way. Every tribe and tongue in that building seemed to stop and gather close to witness her. It was glorious!

She stopped next to Sam and I, turned and came to us, blessed us and carried on with the parade. My process parts thought, "What was that all about?!" as my performance parts smiled and certainly tucked back to mom and dad for security.

I later learned that she had come to London following her appointment to the Order of Merit issued by Queen Elizabeth, which the National Post describes as the "most prestigious honour one can receive on planet earth." The Order consists of only 24 living people who have been selected by the Sovereign Crown. I wonder how it felt for the other Order members to witness her deflect the glory of that position and redirect all glory to God? I do know that she reflected His glory in Heathrow as she stopped the parade to take a moment to pray for two little boys, undoubtedly in response to their Father's persuasion. 

Last week I asked friends to pray for America and the UK. I asked people to stand up for righteousness on the earth. I asked where today's Mother Teresas were. Who exactly am I looking for to stand together for righteousness today? What will they look like and what will they sound like? As I pray, I can see one of you running to the gritty gutters of India to pick up a dying child with leprosy because you believe they will be healed in your arms. Another one of you is publicly objecting to domination, caste structure, idol worship, and even the systems within your own religion that bound or imprisoned unjustly. Another one of you is being invited to stand with kings and queens and choosing to reflect the same exact impartial glory that God placed on Mother Teresa's face. You are ending abortion. You are ending wars. You are rescuing children from brothels. You are giving your clothes and homes to the desperate living on your streets. You are HOPE revealed in Jesus Christ and you are partakers of the Glory of God on earth.

Over the next several days, we will have an opportunity to stand up for righteousness in America and in the United Kingdom and take part in the sovereign calling of God within us as well as His perfect purpose for our lives. We will be able to stand in Him as His glory reflects from us to change lives and nations. What Mother Teresa offered my brother and I that morning was not silver or gold, it wasn’t an selfie, and it wasn't a political agenda, it was prayer. So I offer this prayer to you today and ask you to offer it for America and the UK:

God, I will not doubt your mighty power working within me to accomplish all of this. You will achieve infinitely more than my greatest request, my wildest dreams, and far exceed my expectations. You will outdo them all for your mighty power which constantly energizes me. Prepare my heart and mind for action today. Keep me alert and fix my hope firmly on the marvelous grace that is coming to me as the love of Jesus Christ is unveiled through me to those in need. Cause me to stand in the calling for my life to change the world around me for good. AMEN.

If you prayed that prayer then know that you are not alone and you have real friends here at SEAPC who are ready to stand with you and serve you along the way. Stay connected, united, focused, and unwavering as the Lord leads us onward in truth.

Annie knew for a while that long-term missions were in her future, but the question of how, where, and when were unknown factors.

Fortunately for Annie, God had a plan. 

In a “chance” conversation with a friend, Annie learned about SEAPC. Annie then researched and reached out to SEAPC, which led to her being part of a short-term mission trip to Cambodia.

Every other year, the children at the New Hope for Orphans (NHO) homes in Cambodia get to participate in an event called Kids Camp. During this time, all of the kids and houseparents from the 15 homes head to the beach, where the kids spend three days studying the Bible, worshiping, playing games, and relaxing.

In the summer of 2018, Annie was part of a team that went to Cambodia to help with Kids Camp. That year the kids were treated to a few days at a seaside resort in Sihanoukville, Cambodia, on the Gulf of Thailand. 

During that outreach, Annie began getting glimpses into the roadmap God had planned for her life. One day while wading at the water’s edge, one of the children grabbed Annie’s hand and indicated that she wanted Annie to accompany her into deeper waters. Despite the lack of a common language, furtive hand motions on the part of the child made it clear to Annie that the girl wanted to learn how to maneuver in deeper water. After a time of Annie patiently showing her the basic techniques of treading water and floating, the child began to test the waters on her own. Eyes sparkling, she left the anchor of Annie’s arms and jumped into water levels above her knee. 

Annie felt a strong correlation with this event and what God was speaking to her heart: “I will have you cross paths with people and form relationships. You will walk with them until it is time to let go and let them fly.”

At this point, Annie made a prayerful decision. February 2020 marks the first anniversary of her long-term missions service in Banteay Meanchey, Cambodia. During this time, she has served in the Banteay Meanchey Arise program as an assistant to the education coordinator. She has also enjoyed opportunities to pray for, encourage, and mentor several different people in managerial skills. As Annie puts it, “I get to pull the gold out of them that God has placed in them.”

Annie is thriving in her life in Cambodia. She loves her church community. Although it is challenging for her, Annie is learning to speak Khmer. To complement her studies, it helps her to do a “relational language exchange,” where Annie and a Cambodian pastor friend of hers swap meaningful phrases in their native tongues. 

For the most part, the Cambodian fare agrees with Annie’s taste buds. However, there are a few cultural bumps that Annie has to navigate, like driving habits so different from what she’s used to. Additionally, living in a country that is geared towards people with dark, straight, silky hair can be a bit of a stretch for someone with red, curly, short hair. If Annie wants any hair care products, she has to get them from the States. 

For Annie, the upside of life in Cambodia overshadows the cultural differences she has encountered along the way. Her heart is genuinely in Cambodia. When asked how long she plans to stay and minister in Cambodia, she enthusiastically replies, “It is up to God, my plans are truly open ended.”

I can tend to go a little old school with my CCM selection. It's kind of funny to think that what we called contemporary Christian music when we created the genre is now considered old school. But when you are flying from Phoenix to Chicago—having spent the weekend witnessing Christian leaders trying to determine what America's next great awakening will look and sound like, and whether or not we have entered into it as a result of the hope-filled Awaken 2020 concert in ASU's Sun Devil Stadium—it feels good to plug in the earbuds and turn up the volume to 10 on Matt Redman.

Matt is right, "Better is one day in your courts, better is one day in your house, better is one day in your courts than thousands elsewhere." As the plane hits 30,000 feet and we have come through the ascension phase, a sense of absolute peace and rest sets in. The baby one row back has dozed off. My wife Jess, sitting next to me, has done the same. I'm pretty sure that my dad, tucked into his seat rows ahead of us, has just ordered his Diet Coke and re-opened his Bible. Security and the confident hope that we will reach Chicago on time has brought us into grace.

As Matt finishes up his set, I'm randomly sent into Amanda Cook's music and a new school reminder of God's presence moving in and through us, "What a mystery that You notice me, and in a crowd of ten thousand You don't miss a thing." Let's place ourselves into the middle of that sweet truth for a moment, and thank Amanda for using her life to bring us to it.

At one point during the Awaken 2020 event, I heard Kanye West tell about 10,000 people to give their lives to Jesus and live for Him. No matter how you cut it, that's a good thing. As he shared his testimony, God did not miss one thing. When Kanye West and the Sunday Service Choir closed out their allotted slot in the Awaken 2020 schedule, I witnessed this truth in action. I'd been invited to be part of the event's "ministry team" placed strategically up front to pray with people. When Kanye was finishing, an older man with a cane laid back into my arms and wept uncontrollably while a young girl held his hands and told him that Jesus loves him. He said that it was impossible for God to love him because of all the bad things he had done. He cried in my arms until snot dripped from his face, and he received grace and a real manifestation of tangible love. God did not miss a thing!

Government changing revival has been my prayer for America. Call it an awakening, call it revival, call it the call, the send, the promise, call it whatever you want to. Just stand WITH IT as it comes, and position yourselves to find and embrace the ones that God is changing, like this older man. God is changing America right now and pouring out His spirit on this nation. He is doing what He said He would do!

But this is not the only nation experiencing unprecedented change. In fact, if you would like to know of one significant calendar date that may be more important than the 1,000 others before it or after it, then please put a circle around January 31st, 2020. On this day, the United Kingdom will leave the European Union. The global economic, political, and judicial effects of this governmental change will restructure the world. Just ask Israel, India, Hong Kong (who, by the way, are also experiencing unprecedented government change today as well) about the effects of UK transition on their livelihoods.

At SEAPC, we have now spent approximately 1,000 days as a registered charitable organization within the United Kingdom. We have sent many to walk and pray the land, we have enjoyed strategic partnerships placing praying friends in the old George Müller, Rees Howells and Smith Wigglesworth wells of prayer and revival. We have addressed parliamentary review on global Christian Persecution inside of Westminster Abbey, held a healing prayer meeting within Westminster Chapel, and submitted into a local movement of prayer for revival across the UK.

When I walked around David Livingstone's tomb inside the Abbey, then climbed the towering steps to meet with the review board on Christian persecution, I trembled. I was remembering my mother reading Hudson Taylor's biography to my brother and me while we traveled with her as children to smuggle Bibles into China. Now I was informing the parliament that they should take care of my friends living under persecution in China today. This was quite a humbling and stirring moment for me. It was understandably humbling as my spirit responded to the great cloud of witnesses filling the temple but stirring as well to embrace their cry for God's word to move the people yet again.

God's WORDS are eternal and are created gifts for each generation to receive and apply within His will for their allotted days. His words given to the UK were very clear, and when followed, brought forth the greatest earthly glory that this world has ever known. "May the Kingdoms of this earth become the Kingdoms of our Lord and King." Rev 11:5. It is written today on the altar in the Abbey. Livingstone, Howells, Müller, Wigglesworth, and Taylor knelt, submitted, and received the revelational gift of those words, and with those words, the imparted spirit to carry out God's will for their lives.

Man and women leading the United Kingdom (much like men and women in the US) chose to manipulate and use those words to enslave, control, rob, and destroy the weak for the sake of their own kingdoms. God removed the gifts and fruit of His spirit from within them as they removed their eyes from His throne and His words from their mouths. Today is a new day, my friends! Get your hopes up. Carriers of the WORDS of God are rising today within America and the United Kingdom.

Repent, the Kingdom of God is at hand! Today is the day for the UK to arise and its people to receive again the glorious grace that follows the trials of ascending from sin. It will not come to you because of Brexit or Megan and Harry just as we will not receive it here in the US because of Kanye West or the impeachment trial. But I tell you that we will rise into revival in America and the UK this year only through the uncovering revelation of the word of God, the digging up of ancient wells of worship, the prayers of the nations, the blood of the martyrs, and by God's Holy grace to bring unity within His church.

Who will lay down their life for righteousness?

Who is the Müller my kids will read about, the Martin Luther King Jr. they will learn from? Where are you, Mother Teresa? God help us to be like them and help us to find more like them. We are desperate, Jesus, for the spirit that drove your friend Peter to the cross in Rome and drove out Nero from the throne. Which one of us will tell Netanyahu, Hun Sen, Modi, Xi Jinping, Khamenei, Trump, Johnson, and the lot that without the life-changing love of Jesus Christ, the power they seek will only lead to slavery? STAND UP!

As you pray, please join me to go old school and to embrace the new school as well. Please do not look to or lift up any one man or ministry, through prayer avoid the distractions of media blitz, hold fast to the hope that is in you and the salvation secured through Jesus Christ, make as many friends as possible, and remember that our God is not missing one thing and that trading your entire life for just one day with Him is truly worth it.

God made us plain and simple, but we have made ourselves very complicated.

- Ecclesiastes 7:29

“I don’t know if God has given me a way to make complicated things simple, or if I’m just simple-minded.” Dr. Lyn Westman’s smile lights up the room as she delivers this profound statement summarizing a life and a career that spans the globe.

From a Registered Nurse to degrees in nursing and psychology, to a master’s and Ph.D., to becoming an ordained pastor, Lyn found her career. Along the way, she grew in faith and discovered her passion. When education and belief intersected, she designed a program for mental health and trauma healing training to prepare formal and informal health care providers within a holistic framework.

The integration of faith into practice melded the secular and the spiritual as Lyn realized that, “I could not survive without Jesus.” Her practice became Nouthetic, using prayer and Scripture concurrently with counseling. It required her to rely solely on the Holy Spirit for support. Although she had already begun to travel, the call to take her expertise on the road came after a trip with Mark Geppert to “the high places in China” in 1996. She found this time to be “very impactful.”

In Bosnia, she began working with NGOs to bring awareness and training for mental health and trauma. Initially, she used handouts but found them insufficient. WHO fact sheets and global stories helped to hone her presentation. God sent her the model of Maslow’s hierarchy of needs—a five-tier theory in psychology of human needs—that she amended into a unique, faith-based compilation of the secular and spiritual. The resulting manual focuses on understanding people, stress, stress management/counseling, mental disorders, and specific populations. No subject is off-limits.

The latter has made this a flexible tool to use in any culture or society. With a focus on the value of people and an awareness of prejudice, a bigger view is put forth. Why do people think what they think? Why do they do what they do? How can they be engaged with compassion? Which situation that’s a mountain to one person is a molehill to another? An African proverb states: “To know where it leaks in a house, you have to live there.” An understanding of the nation being addressed is key.

Although faith-based, this program works with any group because the verbiage substitutes Scripture-based words with secular language that is universally understood. Learners are “getting Scripture, but they don’t know it.” Spiritual concepts are presented without proselytizing. There is an addendum in the materials for “church leaders” that is referenced throughout. It isn’t used in classes—but is available to all.

Lyn has found that reaching out to teach those whom society rarely includes has yielded fruit. Animists, Muslims, traditional healers from all cultures come to three-day workshops. Using the material she has written, she builds relationships through which God moves hearts. “Whole-person care,” which is conversational and straightforward, avoids a rigid checklist of diagnoses and treatment. Instead, it uses Jesus’s model. By melding limited pertinent components of her own story with their story and God’s story, a genuinely all-inclusive approach emerges.

Working with Mercy Ships, Lyn enters a nation before the ship arrives, and stays after it leaves to build and nurture relationships. She has been to many, many countries in addition to China and Bosnia. Think Liberia after fourteen years of civil war and many other off-the-beaten-path areas around the world. Mercy Ships now focuses on African nations. Going forward, Lyn hopes to continue with that organization while expanding to meet needs in other countries. She has traveled to Cambodia for SEAPC to train house parents in the New Hope for Orphans program and is interested in further partnerships with SEAPC projects. She also wants to address attrition. Kids and leaders eagerly receive teaching while Lyn is there. But they drift away from what they have learned after she leaves.

Lyn has published two books, Understanding People, Mental Health, and Trauma and Baby Finds Grace. A new book, Fire Quenching Thorn, is in the final review stages before seeking a publishing home.

Dr. Lyn Westman wants her teaching to be “faith-based but simple enough.” And in determining right and wrong, she advocates considering these basic questions: Does it build life and relationship? Or does it destroy life and relationship? Godly versus worldly. Wrapped up in a simple package.

Dr. Lyn Westman has an amazing mind. And she knows what matters. She is simply following His will, one hurting soul at a time throughout the world. May God bless her work, her travel, and her heart for His people.

Have you heard of this "Miracle Generation" coming up in the UK today? A friend of mine visiting our Oakmont office from London recently shared with me some encouraging news from his homeland. He said, "There is a generation that does not believe in abortion, gets good grades, does not drink alcohol, and who are seeing through the traps of society that have kept previous generations down and avoiding them." They are called the "Miracle Generation" and they are gathering for prayer meetings on University campuses today across the land. He shared that they say things like, "look how much money you waste!" as they resist the pubs to choose a different lifestyle. What a revolution! Man, I'd love to see that here in the States. Why not? Right. I can believe for that here in our country. As we pray for that in the US, I want to stand with our friends in the UK and support what God is doing there.You may remember two years ago when we followed the push of the Holy Spirit to open an SEAPC office in the UK. The purposes that we submitted for approval were as follows. First, to mobilize prayer within the region. Second, to serve the needs of the people within the region. Lastly, to lead UK citizens into other nations to share the Gospel of Jesus Christ. After much prayer and hard work by our dear friend Oi-Yin Sung, our registration was approved and for the past two years, we have been praying with new and old friends within the UK for revival.Our friends across the pond asked us to send people to pray in England. Last year our prayer team engaged with incredible local ministries who seemed as though they had been in battle for years. Nearly exhausted and losing hope, one local leader asked, "Can we get the world to pray for us?" I said yes, trusting that you would join me.Another UK friend shared a vision with me that fit perfectly into what we at SEAPC are called to do. He said, "We need ten teams next year to come and boost capacity in this nation!"Feeling confident that this global community would be pumped by the idea of traveling into London and surrounding cities to pray, I agreed. "Count us in… but please share with me more about what capacity building means to you.""These ministries are battle-worn," he said. "They are losing hope. What they need are friends of SEAPC to come alongside of them, pray with them, jump in and minister with them, hit the streets and share Jesus, heal the sick, love on the lost, and direct those they minister to back into the local leaders." Build capacity!After hearing the Miracle Generation report, I see now why God was speaking this through him last year. God knows what is happening in the Miracle Generation and what He is doing by shaking up the UK to its core this year. He knows that the region will need help and He is calling in allies to pray and serve. He is calling us!We got this! But first we have to pray. I was encouraged to recently hear that our friends, Pastor Yang Tuck Young, Dick Eastman, and Mark Batterson have been drawn into prayer for the UK again at this time. If those guys are praying, then we know many more are praying as well.

Jesus said to them, “Cast the net over the right side of the boat and you will find something.” So they cast it, and were not able to pull it in because of the number of fish.John 21:6

There have been two times in my life when I fished. As a child, my uncle took me to a lake. He baited the hook and pulled in the fish. When we got home, I put them in a tub filled with water so they wouldn’t die. Fast forward to the Amazon River, where we went fishing for piranha. Although they’re small, I caught the biggest one. Score! To this day I won’t let my husband, the fly fisherman, forget it.All to say that the whole fishing metaphor in Scripture likely has meanings that I simply do not grasp. Seriously, how many of us have fished with a net? Who among us are commercial fishermen? Don’t people rely on sonar now to find the big fish?I actually know quite a few epic fishermen. They know how to cast a net, where to find the fish, and how to reel them in. And each catch, no matter how big or small, is a score. In fact, we should all be out there in the proverbial lake, pulling in souls for Jesus.SEAPC has cast a net over the wide world through prayer. Over 122 nations have prayer networks. In 28 of those there is active participation in meeting people’s needs through health, education, parenting, and micro-economics. It’s an amazing effort of plowing in prayer, sowing in word, watering in resource, and harvest in sending.But sometimes the net is thrown in and seems to come up empty. What then? Where’s the soul sonar? How do we find the fish and make them swim into the net? What, oh what, are we to do? The simple answer is found in the questions. We are not to do anything; therein lies the problem. Under our own strength, we achieve pride, disobedience, and failure as we position ourselves as the savior.SEAPC is first and foremost a prayer ministry. Unless we prayerfully understand our call and God’s vision—and walk in that call and vision—our nets will be perpetually empty. But they are only empty if we see them that way. It is a matter of perception. To fill our nets we are to be humble, obedient, and prayerful.There are times when it seems like the net is never going to be filled. In 2018, the medical team visited Kashmir, India. God cast a vision for John Bishop Memorial Hospital School of Nursing, a Christian school in the midst of a Muslim majority region. A school destined to be closed by the end of the year if not rebuilt to government standards.No-brainer, right? Bring Jesus to Kashmir! Support the Church of Northern India! Provide more than a medical education for the young women there! Win-win for sure! So of course we could help rebuild. It is now the end of 2019, and nothing has progressed. Kashmir is in political turmoil. Teams can’t go. Funds aren’t available. The net certainly seems to be empty. Should it be cast in a different direction? After using our intellect, leadership, and abilities, not a single stone has been laid.But contrary to what our brainpower perceives, the net is anything but empty. Consider the following facts. As the first western medical team in Kashmir since 1945, bridges were built between hospital administration, the local church, and the Muslim students who worked side by side with practitioners. Relationships have been nurtured and are growing between people, nations, and the Lord. Jesus has been introduced to the nursing students, who are learning daily about prayer, life in Christ, and how to bring Jesus to families and friends.Look at Peter in the boat on the Sea of Galilee. Jesus had been crucified. The disciples likely needed money and went back to what they knew—fishing. In other words, they went back to relying on self, not on God. Peter failed; he alone couldn’t provide what was needed. It took trusting in the man on the beach who already had cooked the fish and baked the bread. To fill the net takes setting aside pride, being humble, and throwing the net where He directs, and when He directs.Reliance on the Holy Spirit alone is possible. Certainly we plan, pray, have faith, and obey. Prayer is the net. Obedience draws it together. As sinful human beings, we will always let one another down. Praise God that through our weakness, He becomes strong. And along the way there is time for spiritual seeds to mature.Our role is to throw the net, something SEAPC strives to do all over the world. Nothing, from the smallest detail to the largest project, happens without an intense time of prayer first. As we humbly cast the net where He tells us to throw it, it will be filled when it needs to be filled. For His purposes, not for ours.Our role is very clear. We are called to pray. To be obedient. To sow the seeds of faith. And to be witnesses. Each time we tell the story of something God has done, His glory shines and His word goes forth. What we don’t need to do is even clearer. We don’t fill the net in our own power. And in fact, it’s impossible.Once it’s full, we can pray further to supply needs. It all starts, moves, and ends with the grace, mercy, and incredible blessings of our Triune God.I don’t know about you, but my bumper sticker now says: I’d rather be fishing.

I would like to thank all the prayer partners around the world who have been praying for Nepal. I believe prayer is the main tool to change the heart of people and the direct talk to our heavenly Father. My name is Man. I was born into a Hindu family, and since my childhood I was very interested in the religious rituals we performed as a family. I was enjoying doing and following the things we used to do in society following Hinduism. There was a time came in my life that turn me totally in difficulties. When I was 7, my father passed away, leaving us with just our mom. My mother worked hard to raise us, but with five kids we had to work to help out.I got the chance to work as a goat shepherd for my neighbor. I was doing this job one day when I fell off a large rock while herding the goats. I was in bad condition and I needed a hospital, but I couldn’t afford it. Instead of going to hospital we started to listen to a local witch doctor’s instructions to make animal sacrifices. We offered a hen and a goat as sacrifices, but eventually my leg got worse and I couldn't move it properly.Life became very difficult, and it was so hard to live as physically challenge person. I had to face lots of discouragement, discrimination, and insult from society. I started to look at my life as hopeless and dark, so I tried to find a solution to get out of this hardship. I tried to kill myself many times, but I couldn’t do it. I was searching hope and peace for my life.One day I heard the Gospel from one of the pastors in my village. I found hope in Jesus and accepted Him as my personal savior. One day an evangelist offered me the chance to enroll in vocational training in Kathmandu through a Christian organization. I agreed with him and came to Kathmandu, where I also got the chance to have some operations on my leg to help me to move around easily. During my operation I was going through some pain but I was praising God with my little knowledge of singing hymns, and I felt healing during that praise and worship. Then I realized in my heart that the God I am praising is the Healer and the Giver of Life. That moment guided my heart to change and be born again in faith in Christ. I decided to take a water baptism and commit my life totally in Jesus to serve him.In 2009 I decided to learn from the word of God to make myself known and eligible in ministry. I went to Bible school for a certificate level in Kerala, India. Because I realize that I now have to share love of Christ to those children and youths who are suffering from loneliness and hopelessness, I started to work among the orphaned children to support them to grow spiritually in Christ.There are some strict rules for Christians in Nepal, but there are so many people living without Christ. We can't stop sharing the love of Christ with the people of Nepal. During a recent medical outreach, many people were healed physically and spiritually. Now I am praying daily for the pastors and the youths of Nepal who are serving the Lord in hardships and in spite of different types of pressure. Thank you so much to SEAPC for partnering with me to share the love of Christ in many ways since 2015. Also thank you to all those who are praying for Nepal and me continually. We can make changes together for the Kingdom of God.

As Director of Student Development, JW Tabacchi’s day-to-day world revolves around giving direction and guidance to students at Point Park University.Recently, JW stepped outside his comfort zone and traveled to Vientiane, Laos, as part of a short-term missions outreach team. Even though this was not the first time JW has experienced being in an overseas culture, it was his first time to be in Asia.While in Laos, JW had the opportunity to minister to university students in a culture very different from his own. He was able to share and speak with students at Quest College in Vientiane as part of a speaker series.

One particular student JW came in contact with at the college was a monk. As JW says, “It was an awesome opportunity to connect and share Jesus with someone whom I most likely would not get the opportunity to interface with here in the States.”“I loved going to a new place and culture where I had to depend on God to guide me. One challenge I had while speaking with a translator to a group of students, was learning creative ways to quickly think on my feet as I spoke. Several times in the midst of speaking, I found it necessary to slow my speech, and even find an alternate vocabulary word. This assisted in not only having the message translated into a new language, but it also framed it in a manner that college students could relate to.”The team also had the opportunity do some prayer walking, and meet with the Laotian hosts. This was a highpoint for JW as he got some insight into the customs of the country. “The food was amazing. One of my first in-country meals was cooked over the coals. The sharing of the meal was done in true Laotian style – communally where everyone shares everything together. I loved the experience! It made me realize how much we generally don’t build community through the meals we eat here in the States.”

For JW, participating on a short-term missions outreach was the perfect way to combine his passion for seeing other cultures with serving God. “I like to know that I am giving back and helping others, as I get to see new parts of the world.”

Nepal is known as “the roof of the world” because the Himalaya mountain chain towers above the landscape. And above the roof? There we look up to heaven and thank God for His creation of this beautiful nation. Blessed with a diversity of snow-capped peaks, verdant valleys, and rushing streams, Nepal has a mystique and draw that is undeniable.Nepal also grapples with issues that affect the people both in real-time and also from a Kingdom perspective. A predominantly Hindu population, at 81.3%, it is also home to Buddhists, 9%, and Muslims, 4.4%. Christianity is at the bottom with 1.4%. There is much to lift to heaven.Two years ago, massive flooding hit Nepal. Roads were washed away, bridges collapsed, property was damaged, lives were lost. Regions badly hit include Narayani and Gandaki Provinces. Sparse villages, already at subsistence levels, were destroyed in mudslides following the rains. All houses collapsed under the mud. The only two churches were leveled. Cook pots, animals, clothing, food supplies, gardens—all gone. The people slept in cornfields, with no place to go and no hope. Flood insurance, Williams Sonoma, and Nordstrom do not exist at any level, even if they had money to purchase a new beginning.

Into this gap stepped SEAPC and Cutting Edge Relief. Two years later, both churches have been rebuilt. The simple mud-plastered structure in Narayani is an outpost of Jesus in a remote land. Villagers have been supplied with cook pots and other necessities as they battle back from disaster. But returning to a pre-flood existence still means a difficult life. The work there continues.Even today, there is no source of clean water within easy reach. Women must walk 2.5 kilometers daily—down and back up a steep mountain path—with water for their families and animals. It is backbreaking work, which often includes carrying an infant along with a water jug.But progress has been made. A goat farm is now helping one village in Bagmati to prosper. It has led the farmer to share goats with others, to plant a garden, and to raise chickens as well. He now has a small grocery where his neighbors can buy healthy food. This year, bees were purchased to start a bee farm in Narayani, another good source of income for local entrepreneurs.These are simple examples of current outreaches to Nepal. Teams have also gone to prayer walk, provide medical care, and to pray with individuals while supporting and encouraging local pastors and believers. More teams are being assembled to continue the work on the ground. Nepal is a fertile field that has been plowed in prayer and is now on the cusp of great harvest.But more is needed. Please be in prayer this month as we highlight Nepal’s needs. God is moving in miraculous ways. It’s exciting, humbling, and inspiring to take part in His perfect plan for this nation—the roof of the world.

Prayer Needs

1. Charles and Susan Mendies, and Mendies Haven Children’s Home.

2. Man Dai, a local Christian worker.

3. Suman, working in local churches in Damauli.

4. Strength for the Nepali Church in the face of persecution.

5. For the safety of pastors, aid workers, and missionaries.

6. That idols will fall, and Jesus will stand.

7. The goat and bee projects as they help to revitalize communities.

8. A water project to bring fresh water to villages.

9. Reading glasses for those in need.