Many years ago there was a song by the Delta Rhythm Boys called “Dry Bones.” The words of this very catchy tune described the time in the book of Ezekiel and chapter 37, where Ezekiel was instructed by the Lord to prophesy life into the dry bones in the valley. As they sang about each new bone connecting to the bone above it (i.e., “your neck bone connected to your head bone”) they would modulate to the next highest key, and continue through the song up through the verses in this manner. It was a very clever and fun song.However, my purpose here is not to talk about how Ezekiel breathed life into these bones, but rather to look more closely at the concept of the connection.If a person is dragging along week after week, month after month in a spiritual slump, with a spiritual heart condition that is lukewarm, lackluster, and lackadaisical, believe me, every part of his life will be affected, because all facets (bones) are connected. His worship experiences will be affected, his prayer life will be affected, his burden for the lost will be affected, his giving will be affected, his joy will be compromised, and so forth, because it is all connected to the heart.My favorite example in God’s Word is the story in Genesis 32:22, where we read that Jacob wrestles with an Angel all night, refusing to leave until he receives a blessing.Does this describe any of us? Perhaps we need to “wrestle with an Angel,” and renew our hunger and thirst for the things of God. I have personally known literally hundreds of people over the years who, after experiencing such a kairos moment with the Lord, have emerged with a renewed passion for the Word, and a fresh burden for the lost.You will see that seeking such an experience will benefit not only your heart but then, in turn, will be connected to all other aspects of your Christian walk.As intercessors especially, how can we passionately care or aggressively pray if we have not had a genuine encounter? And I am not speaking here to unbelievers who need a born-again experience! No! I am speaking to lukewarm believers.Take some time in your busy day today to pray and seek God. Ask Him if you need to renew your hunger and strength for Him.To learn more about where and how SEAPC serves, click here.SEAPC is dedicated to changing lives through prayer. If your heart is moved and you would like to partner with us, you can donate here.

For several years we have been praying for a large influx of sponsors so that every, or almost every, child within the children’s homes would be sponsored. Now, we know this is a temporary situation because there are always new children arriving, but when you are looking at a list of over 100 kids needing to be sponsored, you feel desperate to get them the prayer and financial support that they need. God had been answering our prayers in that we continue to receive more and more sponsors, but at the end of January, we were still looking at 106 kids (the majority of whom live in Myanmar) who needed sponsors.One morning, I was working on some things in my office and the phone rang. A couple of moments later, the person who answered the call buzzed me and said that there was a man on the phone who had just talked with Mark Geppert the day before and Mark had told him to contact me. Now, this is the point where I “tattle” on myself. These type of phone calls sometimes make me nervous. I don’t usually know the details of what Mark has said to the people in question and, sometimes, I don’t have the information they need. Then I feel bad because I have to explain that I need to get the information and get back to them. I was sincerely cringing as I picked up the phone, afraid that it was going to be one of those situations. God had a great lesson of faith in store for me that day.

I had a wonderful conversation with the gentleman on the phone and definitely knew information for him because it was about Raising Kids. He asked me how many kids needed sponsors and I gave him an estimate of 106 but mentioned that I had a couple of potential sponsorships in the works. He understood. We ended the conversation with the goal of me getting the exact number because he and his wife were potentially interested in sponsoring all of the remaining unsponsored children.I was so full of joy at that moment! The potential answer to a long-time prayer was in sight. I excitedly shared the news with the ladies in the office, as all of the guys were out of the country. I also attempted to keep myself within control just in case it didn’t work out. As I said earlier, we had 106 children needing to be sponsored and I was waiting to hear back from a couple of people to determine the status of a few of them. Responses were positive. A couple of people picked up new children to replace those who had left, a new sponsor came from California, another new sponsor came in from London, and still another new sponsor here in Pennsylvania picked up two kids. This left 100 kids in need of sponsors.Before I could give this gentleman and his wife the exact number of children remaining, he emailed back and said that they would definitely sponsor 100 kids, plus give additionally each month to help wherever needed to help children. Breakthrough! All currently active children were sponsored! For a brief moment, I thought I might not have quite enough children for them, but I did. As we started February, we had all children sponsored and some funds to provide for a need somewhere. The month’s additional funds from this new sponsor were sent to Cambodia to bring much-needed renovations and repairs to the kitchen, railings, and façade of the children’s home in Sihanoukville, one of the original four homes of NHO.We have a great God who answers prayer. The celebration of this great breakthrough has been going on for the past couple of weeks in our offices and around the world. Now, it’s back to prayer for more sponsors, as I have already received data for new kids who have arrived. We know these kids will be sponsored also, and it is just a matter of timing. If you are waiting for an answer to prayer today and feel like you have been waiting for a long time, don’t give up. God answers all prayers of those who love Him and pray according to His will. Thank you for praying for us, the kids, and those who care for them.To learn more about becoming a SEAPC Raising Kids child sponsor, please click here.SEAPC is dedicated to changing lives through prayer. If your heart is moved and you would like to partner with us, you can donate here.

As we launched out on our recent trip to Delhi and Kashmir, our small group of four were settling into our respective seats for our fourteen-hour flight to India. I was blessed to end up with an empty seat between myself and the gentleman seated to my left in our three-seat configuration. For the majority of the flight we did not converse as we were engaged in reading, writing, napping, and in periodic up down walking and stretching in the aisles of the aircraft.

However, with a few hours still remaining in the flight, I smiled and engaged this Indian gentleman in conversation. We talked through a few introductory pleasantries which then flowed into a warm and blessed encounter that lasted for two hours. I am convinced that there is no such thing as coincidences, fate, or karma in the Kingdom of God—only divine appointments as we are prayed up and truly open to what the Holy Spirit is leading us to do.This man, who I’ll call Mr. M, is a 61-year-old businessman who owns a software engineering company with offices in the USA and Delhi, India. He was born and raised as a Hindu in the Delhi and was educated in the US. Recently he had lost his wife, the love of his life, to cancer. Tears flooded his eyes as he shared details about his wife and her battle with the disease. They have two grown sons living and working in the USA. Mr. M asked me about my family, my career, and my purpose for traveling to India. I shared with that him that I am blessed with a wonderful wife, daughter, and son and that I am retired from careers in teaching and the aviation maintenance training field. I went on to explain that I am now serving the Lord in world missions with SEAPC and that we are currently working on a project in India and I am traveling with a small team of missionaries.I asked him if I could pray for him and he gladly agreed. At this point, I felt led to share Jesus Christ with him by simply speaking God’s Word into our conversation, saying that the Lord Jesus Christ lived, was crucified and died for every man, woman, and child on this planet. He was resurrected from the dead, ascended into heaven and sits at God the Father’s right hand interceding for us. We as human beings must simply believe in faith and accept Jesus Christ as our Savior. He listened attentively to what the Lord had spoken through me to him. The flight attendant then broke the silence as she gave the announcement to prepare for landing. I am believing that the Holy Spirit will stir this man to salvation in His perfect time and way. We exchanged emails and phone numbers as we prepared to land in Delhi and agreed to stay in contact, which I plan to do.I really believe that this encounter brought the love and goodness of God the Father and Christ Jesus to this hurting man while bringing Glory to His Name. This was a divine appointment on an airplane at the outset of our missions trip that, in my heart, set the tone as we served in India.Our team was bathed in prayer as we stepped out in faith to execute what Brother Bill Richardson had put together for our time in Delhi and Kashmir. We, through the presence and power of the Holy Spirit, walked out the plan and accomplished what God had intended for this specific trip, time, and place. There is much more to accomplish as we move forward through the door of breakthrough in Srinagar, India as SEAPC’s vision comes to fruition in God’s perfect time and way. (Proverbs 16:1,3,4,9)To God be the Glory in all that we do at the South East Asia Prayer Center.“Give thanks to the Lord, call on His Name; make known among the nations what He has done, sing to Him, sing Praise to Him; tell of all His wonderful acts. Glory in His Name, let the hearts of those who seek the Lord rejoice.” - 1 Chronicles 16: 8-10To learn more about where and how SEAPC serves, click here.SEAPC is dedicated to changing lives through prayer. If your heart is moved and you would like to partner with us, you can donate here.

During my second mission trip to Cambodia, God had placed a burden on my heart. He began to speak to me about a new ministry initiative to find sponsors for the staff working in the NHO Children’s Homes.As I returned home, I knew the Lord wanted me to share this vision with those in my sphere of influence. I figured I would just bring up the idea in my small groups, Bible studies, and in fellowship with friends. The Lord had something else in mind. After a meeting with the SEAPC staff, I felt the Lord lead me to host an Arise and Shine event at my church. There was one problem: I did not want to. Oh, I wanted to share about my love for Cambodia, the details of my trips, and even the desire God gave me to support the NHO staff. However, I did not want the responsibility of putting together an event at my church. I knew the amount of work and stress that can go into events such as these. I knew a financial investment would be needed. I was concerned that the investment would exceed the outcome. My church is large and has many missionaries and mission trips – I was unsure if I would get folks to come.The Lord was persistent and He asked me a simply question: “will you obey Me and trust Me with the outcome?”

I knew from experience that what God initiates, He permeates. So, I began planning for an Arise and Shine event at my church. I had the idea to host the event on my birthday. This way, I could ask my family and friends to come to the event in lieu of the usual cards, gifts, and dinner outings. And truly, there is nothing I would rather do on my birthday than talk about Cambodia – except for actually being in Cambodia of course!As preparations got underway, I was hit with many obstacles and sources of discouragement. Initially, I was unable to reserve a room at the church on my birthday. I had well-intended individuals say things like “Raquel, the church is missioned-out,” “these events never work out well,” and “you’ll get 3 people to attend.”But the Lord was faithful. He provided a way through each obstacle and countered every discouraging word with encouraging ones. Having the support and enthusiasm from my pastors meant the world to me. It fueled me when I wanted to throw in the towel. Dear friends of mine invested their time and resources as the Lord continued to permeate this endeavor. God continually proved that He was in this with me.After a month of planning and preparation, my birthday arrived. As I began to greet the arrivers, I was pleasantly surprised at the number of people pouring into the room. When we began the program, I looked out at the room full of over 80 people and realized that represented in that room were folks from every season of my life. Friends from my childhood and teenage years were there. Mentors from my first church, current co-workers, and even a college professor attended “Cambodia Night.”Scripture tells us that the Lord blesses obedience and seeing this room full of people was blessing enough to make all my efforts worth it. Oh, but the Lord was not done. He had a surprise in store for me that I never could have imagined.

During the live video with the children’s home in Preah Vihear, I was able to speak to my two sponsor children. I was excited to see them again and enjoyed our dialogue with the help of my friend translating for us. After several minutes, I thanked them and said goodbye and turned from the computer to hand over the microphone. I then heard my friend say “Raquel, wait, come back.” I figured they had another question for me. As I turned around, my two sponsor kids were holding a lit birthday cake and they sang Happy Birthday to me in Khmer!I had no words. I was overwhelmed and tears were the only response. Many in the crowd shed tears as well.

The evening did not go exactly how I had envisioned – it went better than I had envisioned. Donations to SEAPC were more than double what I had invested and two weeks later donations are still coming in.More importantly, seeds were planted, hearts were stirred, people were blessed – especially me.The Lord truly does bless obedience. When we are willing to obey Him, He takes our acts of obedience and does far more with them than we can ever do on our own. It was an evening I will never forget.To learn more about becoming a SEAPC Raising Kids child sponsor, please click here.SEAPC is dedicated to changing lives through prayer. If your heart is moved and you would like to partner with us, you can donate here.

The alarm rang at a harrowing 4:00 am following a 10-hour bus ride the day before on poorly kept roads that got us into Bagan. This was preceded by a 36-hour journey on four airplanes starting in Pittsburgh with stops in Washington, D.C., Tokyo, Singapore, and finally Yangon.A year earlier, Chung Nung (director of Myanmar Acts Mission) had asked me if SEAPC could bring a prayer team to Bagan to walk and pray with our friends in Myanmar. He explained to me the spiritual significance of Bagan. It was the ancient capital of Myanmar, where between the 11th and 13th centuries over 10,000 Buddhist temples were built in an area that is about 40 square miles. The original name of the city was Pagan; I don’t think there is any coincidence there. Chung Nung shared that “Bagan became a center for Buddhism, attracting monks from far away countries. Theravada Buddhism quickly spread throughout Myanmar and numerous countries from Bagan.” Of course, after hearing the significance of the request from my brother, I happily obliged and began praying and asking the Lord to bring people of prayer for this incredible opportunity to walk and pray as the unified body of Christ. Who would He bring to us to be on the team?

In response, the Lord put together the most incredible team. We had 12 local Myanmar leaders from many different aspects of ministry—including a Bible school leader, church planters, university students, a worship leader, and a children’s home leader. From the USA side, it was very diverse. We had a former prosecutor from Florida, a Christian rap duo, a pastor, a few incredible entrepreneurs, and a retiree. Nine incredible friends that if you put them in a picture together in the natural would have very little in common. Realistically, they would probably never even be in a picture together, to begin with. But with Jesus, the unity amongst the team was incredible. We were a small family that I would go anywhere with at any time and do anything for. It was undoubtedly one of the best teams I had the honor of serving with. Much like the gathering in the upper room, it was an unlikely bunch, to say the least.

Back to the alarm going off at 4:00. The 21 of us groggily piled into the short bus ride to go to one of the taller temples to pray and worship as the sun rose over the land. We arrived and climbed I’d say close to 400 steps to get to the top of the temple in the pitch black of the early morning. These weren’t your normal steps. They were much taller and some were even crumbling. Looking back, as a team leader it probably wasn’t the wisest decision to climb the stairs in the darkness, but it sure was worth it.We eventually made it to the top of the temples and situated ourselves towards the direction of the sunrise and prayed and worshipped amongst ourselves for about 30 minutes. About 5 minutes before sunrise we came together and read Psalm 24 over the land, believing that everything and everyone in the earth belong to the Lord.Psalm 24:7-10Lift up your heads, you gates;be lifted up, you ancient doors,that the King of glory may come in.8 Who is this King of glory?The Lord strong and mighty,the Lord mighty in battle.9 Lift up your heads, you gates;lift them up, you ancient doors,that the King of glory may come in.10 Who is he, this King of glory?The Lord Almighty—he is the King of glory.

We stood there reading, praying, and worshipping believing that the center of the Buddhist stronghold in Myanmar would be destroyed and that the kingdom of God in Myanmar would go forth from this very spot.Shortly after reading Psalm 24 the sun rose over the land and we could see for miles in every direction. Countless temples for as far as your eye could see but we knew in our hearts that total victory and freedom from Buddhism’s oppression was going to come forth from this spot. Praise God.After a few hours at the top of the temple, we made our journey back down and into the bus for our ride back to the hotel. Upon arrival at the hotel, we got changed and gathered for breakfast at the hotel’s buffet in an outdoor courtyard. We worshipped as a team before we ate and prayed together for the much-anticipated meal. As we each made our way to the different buffet stations Chung Nung and I went to the omelet station where the man cooking eggs pointed at my shoulder and said “Christian” in broken English. I exclaimed “yes!” Then he and Chung Nung began speaking in Burmese. It turns out that the brother cooking was a Christian and heard our worship and saw my tattoos of Jesus and asked us if we wanted “to meet the church in Bagan.”

I should explain that when he said “the church” he literally meant the one and only above-ground church in old Bagan. Before our trip, Chung Nung had tried through his extensive network to find a church in the area that we could pray with in Bagan but to his knowledge and his connections’ knowledge, there was no established church in Bagan. So of course immediately after breakfast we piled back on the bus and went to visit this small church tucked away on a dirt road just outside the temples zone.Long story short is that the church had been praying for encouragement and that the Lord would surround them with fellow believers. We spent a few hours with them praying together and were able to bless them so that they could do a medical outreach. The plan is to go back to Bagan and visit the church next November and we will bring the bilingual children’s Bible My Precious Book to them for a Christmas outreach they will do during the Christmas season. Looking back at that trip a year later I’m so grateful for the opportunity we had to go to Bagan. It was a trip that I will certainly remember for the rest of my life. It’s incredible to see how the Lord meets us as we step out in faith.Thank you to everyone who has prayed, gone, and given to the Lord’s work in Myanmar.To learn more about where and how SEAPC serves, click here.SEAPC is dedicated to changing lives through prayer. If your heart is moved and you would like to partner with us, you can donate here.

I am writing this article from a little guest house in Kampong Thom province, Cambodia. Today, three of NHO’s head office staff – Sokhom, Sarah, and Vannak – and I started our tour to all of the homes. Today found us in Kampong Cham and ending the day in Kampong Thom. Both homes are part of New Hope for Orphans but are very different.

Kampong Cham is a well-established home with 45 children and several staff. Many of the children have been there for years, although there are a handful of brand-new kids (who need sponsors, by the way). Vandy and Thavy have been the house parents there for a number of years, having first served there as staff under Thavy’s parents. The vast majority of the children are very happy, healthy and well-adjusted. Almost all of them speak English fairly well. Vandy shares that there are few major behavior problems. In fact, he only mentioned one girl—who is relatively new—who is having difficulty.On the other hand, Kampong Thom is new, having only been established in September 2017. Unlike Kampong Cham, which is on permanent land, this home is in a temporary location. There are 19 children at this home – with one barely 5-year-old boy having arrived just a couple of days ago. House parents, Sitha and Sopheaktra are new house parents, although Sitha grew up in one of NHO’s homes. They are learning parenting as they go. All of the children are new since September. The ones who have been there the longest are getting healthier, but they are all still suffering the results of previous malnutrition and getting ill quite often. Sitha shares that he deals with quite a few behavior problems because kids come in with established behaviors of cussing, fighting, and stealing. He is working with them through these things and is seeing improvement.These are two very different homes within the same ministry that cares for approximately 400 children at 15 different homes. The common foundations of these homes, however, are much greater than the differences. Both homes were founded on the love of God for orphaned, abandoned, and at-risk children. Both homes are teaching these children about the love of Jesus, giving them hope in their lives, and providing for their needs. Both homes have house parents who love the children and want to see the children flourish.There are still 12 more homes to visit during my time in Cambodia. We are on a fact-finding mission to get a very detailed picture of where the homes are at and what they need to excel at for the sake of the children, staff, and sponsors. Please join us in praying for the wisdom as we continue to take the next steps.To learn more about becoming a SEAPC Raising Kids child sponsor, please click here.SEAPC is dedicated to changing lives through prayer. If your heart is moved and you would like to partner with us, you can donate here.

I can remember what a sense of humor I thought God had the first time I saw a picture of a platypus. In my mind, I pictured God at the end of the sixth day of creation sweeping up the bits and pieces of the materials he used. It seemed much like sweeping up the art room floor, with scraps of colored paper, glitter, feathers, buttons, and sequins in my dustpan.God, not wanting to waste anything, got all those leftover parts; a duck bill and webbed feet, a beaver tail, otter fur and body, and created one last specimen. It doesn't have a stomach and it lays eggs. Ta-Da! The platypus. Then He sat down and rested.

On the curio in my dining room, there is an Easter bowl full of colored eggs next to a potted live Christmas cactus in full bloom. Outside the window is a bare maple tree with a flock of red breasted robins, with feathers puffed up trying to keep warm. On the ground is snow with six-inch tall daffodils ready to bloom.Isn't this how we feel sometimes? Just as nature seems to be at odds with itself during March, we, too, sometimes struggle with our Christian walk from day to day.It is so reassuring to remember that we, too, are God's creation. Even though we may feel some days that we don't know if we are a duck, a beaver, or an otter. We know that some days we function as an evangelist, or a teacher, or a pastor, or a prophet, or an apostle. Sometimes we are surprised at ourselves and how God uses us. But just like the platypus learns to use all his unique parts, so do we. And just like March will turn to April, the snow will be gone, the flowers will bloom, the robins will lay their eggs, things will seem “normal” again, and we will feel in balance with the Holy Spirit.We know the promises of God are true. He will never leave us or forsake us. He will be our provider. He has a plan and a purpose for our lives. He is our Bridegroom. He loves us with an everlasting love.We are good because He said over and over that His creation was “good.” The Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things! What a relief that we don't have to produce it! That fruit is part of our spiritual DNA.

In the natural, we are dressed for winter while we ready the soil of our gardens. In the spiritual, we are dressed in the full armor of God to prepare the soil of hearts for the Lord.The Joy of the Lord is our strength, during this Resurrection Season and always.To learn more about where and how SEAPC serves, click here.SEAPC is dedicated to changing lives through prayer. If your heart is moved and you would like to partner with us, you can donate here.

Much is said about Jesus’ Great Commission to proclaim the gospel. Good stuff. Mission-minded. Life changing. But there is more. Jesus highlights many signs of belief immediately before being taken up to heaven post-resurrection. He ends with this in Mark 16:18b: “They will lay their hands on the sick, and they will recover.” In modern vernacular, the band Mercy Me reprises it: “Won’t you be my hands healing?”This idea of God’s healing appears throughout both Old and New Testament Scriptures, culminating in Jesus’ healing powers and believers’ power to heal through the Holy Spirit. In Matthew 10:8a Jesus sends out the twelve apostles: “Heal the sick." And in Luke 9:1: “And He called the twelve disciples together and gave them power and authority over all demons and to cure diseases.”There are those who believe supernatural healing and other spiritual events no longer exist in our world. I was one of them. Until God called me to actually, physically, truly, personally be his hands healing. At that point, everything changed.

The mission trip to Myanmar meant immersion in a very different culture. But hey, people are people, sickness is sickness, nursing is nursing. Right? Our core medical team consisted of Tim Jones, MD; Jean Jones, Functional Medicine; Harry Mundorff, BSN; and me (BSN). The first day of clinic ended with an exhausted doctor who had worked hard to treat the flow of triaged patients. It was difficult to imagine him keeping up the same pace for two more weeks.As tepid water trickled over my head in the shower that night, I prayed from my heart. Because although I’m no prayer warrior, I do know a problem when I see one. This problem seemed impossible to solve, unless another physician somehow joined us. But God is the maker of miracles. I dropped it in his able lap and turned off the water.Almost immediately, a thought came to me. A very clear, fully formed idea— crazy, unthinkable, and bold. I took it to Tim, certain that he would laugh and demur.“Hey, Tim. You were slammed today. So, um…I prayed and got this crazy thought. What if I see patients with you—at the same table? I can handle the small stuff under your supervision.” Cue my eye roll, nervous laugh, careless shrug. Tim deemed it a spectacular notion. Even if I only cut his workload by a few patients, it would help.I prayed through a night of poor sleep. What had I gotten into? What if this had been my goofy egomania, not a God-inspired moment? Would I embarrass myself, be totally incompetent, flunk out of doctoring?The next day we set up for clinic, Harry doing triage at one table, Tim and I each taking patients at another table, Jean ready to pray. An amazing—and by amazing I mean miraculous—thing happened. I could feel the Holy Spirit flowing through me, through my brain, hands, fingers, eyes, ears, nose, and mouth.

All day, every day throughout the entire outreach, the Holy Spirit’s power worked through me, picking up diseases and health issues beyond my education or experience. TB? Yep. Thyroid? Uh-huh. Heart murmur? Yes. At the start I asked for Tim’s input every step of the way. Until I realized that this unbelievable gift had been given to me on behalf of the Lord’s beloved. So I ran with it, under Tim’s expertise and supervision.We have done clinics this way ever since, in every nation we have served. And the Holy Spirit has been faithful. On the last medical mission trip, our small team saw almost 900 patients. Now that’s a God thing.One exception came on a trip to Haiti. We had two local Nurse Practitioners helping Tim, so I returned to my nursing role. When all the patients had been triaged, I offered to “doctor” to move things along. In other words, for our convenience, not out of need. I still had my nursing abilities, but that flow of heavenly power didn’t come because we didn’t need it that day. He gives power and answers when they are needed. It leaves no doubt that this is of God, not self.To those who doubt, who think the Holy Spirit’s power is a nice, old-fashioned bedtime story, I would simply say, “I get it.” To those who know me and are incredulous, I would certainly say, “I get it.” But God’s sovereign choices are his, and his penchant for choosing the most unlikely candidates to accomplish his will is legendary.To be clear, this is all the result of prayer. I asked. God provided. But what about the healing angle? The medical team provides the best possible diagnosis, treatment, and wellness teaching in the circumstances. The medical advances God has provided help many with all kinds of illnesses.But prayer-only healing? That’s another post altogether. For now, just know that we have witnessed true supernatural healings outside the bounds of modern medicine. I’m talking Biblical, making-a-statement, heart-bursting miracles. And we have engaged in spiritual warfare on an epic scale. Think Cecil B. DeMille.There’s an important take-away. On all occasions, the Holy Spirit provided faithful answers to prayer, whether for the team’s ability to function on maximum capacity, for healing that would be impossible in a worldly sense, or to battle the enemy. His faithfulness is the one constant we can count on, no matter what the nation, culture, religion, politics, or societal upheaval. He. Is. There.The title of the Mercy Me song I referenced earlier says it all: "Won’t You Be My Love?” God’s awesome power is manifested in His abiding love for us, his creation. When we talk to him, seek him, and open ourselves to his will, the Holy Spirit does his happy dance and shakes the foundations of illness and disbelief.Pray on!To learn more about where and how SEAPC serves, click here.SEAPC is dedicated to changing lives through prayer. If your heart is moved and you would like to partner with us, you can donate here.

Mobilizing people to pray…that’s where God has called me this year.It’s a big idea. A big movement idea. And it’s way bigger than me.It’s a God-sized idea.Have you read Nehemiah? If you haven’t, you should.In Nehemiah, we find a remnant of the Israelites have returned from captivity in exile to their home in Jerusalem. We find that Jerusalem is in ruins. The house of God has been ransacked and defiled by armies and thieves. We find a city that was once under the rule of King Solomon and was the richest and most thriving city in the world has now been reduced to mere piles of stone. It’s a stark example of what King Solomon himself warned of in Ecclesiastes.“All go to the same place. All came from dust and all return to the dust.” ~ Ecclesiastes 3:20We find a city filled with dust.But God is the God of resurrection. And so He will resurrect His city through this rag-tag remnant. This remnant who spends more time worrying about the enemies surrounding them then the task at hand, so the temple they should have rebuilt is only half done. Their houses are being erected, but the temple and the city itself is still a crumbling shadow of its former glory. This is where we enter in with Nehemiah. We enter into a city that is still crumbling, and Nehemiah is filled with conviction and the passionate leadership these people need to finish the job.

And so they build the wall. Each family was to build the section of the wall in front of their house. What a beautiful idea. God takes this overwhelming God-sized idea and makes it into a manageable task. Just build the section in front of you.What does a wall do? A wall was meant for protection. It was meant to keep the enemy out, but it was also the place where the watchmen stood. In ancient times, the watchman was a sentry or a lookout who kept watch day and night. There were no satellites or security cameras. There were watchmen and they were vital to the safety of a city.In the scriptures, the watchman is symbolic for an intercessor. A watchman is someone who stands on the wall and prays. A watchman keeps watch for the coming of Christ and for the attack of the enemy, but Jerusalem had no wall for the watchman to stand upon.And neither do we.Where is our wall?Where is the wall for the watchman to stand upon?Where is the wall encircling our nation?Where is the wall encircling the globe?Let’s build one.Let’s mobilize people to pray.God wants to take His God-sized idea and give you a part.So how do you build the section of the wall in front of your house? The foundations of a home founded in Christ are the fruit of the spirit. Is your house filled with love & joy or is there hate and despair? Does patience & peace abound or short-tempers and arguments? Is there kindness & goodness or selfishness and bullying? Faithfulness, gentleness & self-control or adultery, abuse, and neglect?Are your children being brought up in the shadow of the cross and in the light of the resurrection? Are you and your spouse loving one another as Christ loves you?And what about your neighbor down the street? That neighbor who doesn’t know where to start? Or can’t pick up a single stone to place on another because they’re too weak? Or that neighbor who just doesn’t see the point in it all? Or that neighbor who just doesn’t want to build a wall because why build a wall to protect people who never cared about them anyway? Why not walk down the street and show your neighbor you care?

Don’t let the enemy tell you it’s too late. Don’t believe the lie that it doesn’t matter or that you don’t matter. Don’t let fear of the unknown, failure, or incompetency paralyze you from building what God has placed in front of you. Remember, it’s the house built upon the rock that stands.Let’s build a wall. A wall to stand upon.Let’s build a wall of watchman around our nation and around the globe.It starts with prayer. The wall gets higher, wider, and stronger through prayer. Don’t fool yourself…you’re not actually building this wall.God is.Your job is to pray it into being. You pray for your angry spouse. You pray for your child who’s doing drugs. You pray for the other kids at your child’s school. You pray for your neighbor who was abused. You pray for your friend who is cheating on her husband. You pray for your elected leaders. You pray for your colleague who can’t pay their medical bills. You pray for the homeless parents who can’t find jobs.You pray.You pray for the widow. You pray for the orphan.You pray for the lost. You pray for the broken.You. Just. Pray.God is the one who picks up the stones and puts them into place. God is the one who resurrects life from the dust. You just pray.Let’s build a wall. A wall to stand upon.To learn more about where and how SEAPC serves, click here.SEAPC is dedicated to changing lives through prayer. If your heart is moved and you would like to partner with us, you can donate here.

Ch'ng and Anna are radical prayer warriors. Their love for Jesus is evident in the way they cherish one another. These lovebirds have a rich supply of faith-filled stories they readily share. As a result, faith naturally increases in those that spend time with this beautiful couple.

Ch'ng and Anna live nestled on a mountainside overlooking Penang, Malaysia. Their home offers a breathtaking view, unforgettable hospitality and a restful environment. This home can be attributed to a miracle, as are most things in Ch'ng and Anna’s lives.In 1997, they lost everything in the recession. Most people are devastated by such loss, but Anna had been praying for the Lord to show up. There was so much corruption in Malaysia and she didn’t want to have any part of the “dirty money.” Ch'ng worked in construction and had a demanding schedule. Anna mentioned he often left work late. It wasn’t easy, but the recession proved a catalyst in their life and naturally transitioned them into full-time ministry.With absolutely no money to spare, God told Ch'ng to buy a particular piece of land for 300,000 Malay Ringgit (MYR). The land was worth 1 million MYR. Filled with faith, he met with the owner of the property and offered 300,000. Ch'ng also shared with this man what the Lord had told him. A believer himself, the man asked for a week to think over the offer and ten days later he called Ch'ng agreeing to the price. He also offered to give them the land right away without any delay or initial deposits.

Within two months of purchasing the land, it reaped a harvest of durian (a native Malaysian fruit). This was the first time this piece of land experienced such an abundance of fruit. Anna had seen this in a vision before it actually came to fruition. From the purchase of the land to the abundant harvest, the Lord was kind to continuously confirm their steps in this new season. After reaping a harvest of 40,000 MYR for the fruit, Ch'ng and Anna were able to pay the 30,000 deposit for the land in full. Remarkably, none of his personal money was used to fund this endeavor. Ch'ng laughed while sharing this, because the Lord’s provision was so extravagant it would have been impossible for him to have made this happen on his own. The whole thing was fueled by faith and obedience. In 1999, Ch'ng and Anna felt the Lord’s prompting to attend a conference in Hong Kong. This prompting was met with little resources to make the trip. However, much like before, the couple believed God desired their attendance and would provide a way. Ch'ng and Anna’s time away was both refreshing and clarifying. When they returned, they decided to sell their house and settle the price of the land. Around this time, they met Mark Geppert. Ch'ng began to follow Mark on his adventures and has been to Tibet on three different occasions. On one of these trips, he was blessed to witness the first batch of kids sent from Tibet to Beijing with the organization Touching Hearts Foster Care. Ch'ng ’s time with Mark was deeply impacting and shaped their current lifestyle of prayer. With a huge smile on his face, Ch'ng proudly shared how Mark encouraged he and Anna not to get caught in troublesome situations to instead prayerfully cleanse the atmosphere around them. They attribute what they know about spiritual warfare to Mark.

In the midst of his travels and the beginning stages of their ministry, Ch'ng was awarded ‘The Penang Airport Renovation’ project just a year after he transitioned out of construction work. He was also contracted to help with the construction of the main bridge connecting mainland Malaysia to the island of Penang. It is incredible to witness the favor that clearly rests on this couple’s lives. Through these projects Ch'ng has literally helped shaped modern day Penang. His tireless efforts and prayerful consideration on these projects are a blessing to those who forever travel to the island of Penang and greater Malaysia. The favor Ch'ng and Anna have over their lives is a testament to God’s great unfolding plan.Remember that miraculous fruit bearing piece of land? Years later they sold the land for well over ten times the original purchase price and were able to pay for their dream home in full. For Anna, this remains a direct answer to prayer. She prayed for years to one day live where she lives now. Their former home is now being used as a place of refuge for people that come to work with Friends Of Sick (FOS), one of many ministry platforms Ch'ng and Anna have pioneered.

FOS started in Penang in 2012, after an Indonesian pastor shared with Ch'ng some heartbreaking statistics. Over thirteen flights come to Penang via Indonesia every day and 60% of the passengers are coming for health needs. Often, the patients come alone. This ministry exists to provide training and a way for volunteers, both pastors and laypeople, to befriend the sick. Friendships allow these people to care for the patient physically, spiritually, emotionally and monetarily. Many of the patients are simply happy to have a friend to talk with and lean on. With established friendship at the forefront of this ministry, it isn’t surprising a lot of miracles have taken place. The volunteers often have an opportunity to pray for the sick and many people have been healed, saved and even baptized in the hospital. The level of rapport the FOS members create with patients develops kingdom ties with incredibly deep roots.Three days after the launch of FOS, Ch'ng invested in a new business venture. It took four months for the first payment to come through, meaning FOS was initially funded through their personal savings. As an accountant, this proved especially trying for Anna. They faithfully remained patient for the Lord to provide and their business is now sixteen times more profitable than it was at the start. In fact, this business generates an abundant flow of passive income freeing them up to pursue the dreams of their heart, including additional ministry opportunities. Within the past five years, FOS expanded to include three church services and a three-week FOS academy that has already equipped 130-150 pastors and laypeople. Additionally, Ch'ng and Anna have returned to overseeing an Indonesian church. They started this church back in 2004, but in 2009 Ch'ng stepped down from his role. Last year, however, the church outgrew their space and needed assistance. Once again, Anna and Ch'ng made themselves available. Through their obedience, they assume maternal and paternal roles to many Indonesians. In fact, whenever they travel, even if it is a personal trip, the church lovingly fasts and spends time in prayer for “mommy and daddy’s safe return.” Currently, there are 400 worshippers that are part of the Indonesian church and they are believing for 1,000 people by the end of the year. Multiplication is already happening and their prayers are being answered. At the beginning of 2017, they started with seven cell groups and they have already multiplied to 37. Clearly, the Lord is continually moving and many are being saved. Most recently, this church established a prayer tower. For six hours a day, different people within this congregation are encountering the living God by praying on behalf of others and themselves. It is impossible to share the breadth of Ch'ng and Anna’s faithfulness, but it is evident they are making a global impact and many lives are being changed. The way they entrust God with their finances also proves a measure of faithfulness which remains unheard of. Their hearts are extremely apostolic and it is exciting to imagine what continued multiplication will look like within the body of Christ through Ch'ng and Anna’s ministry. Their life reflects an intrinsic belief that everything they have belongs to the Father. Even in this state of continued blessing, their posture has continued to be one of increased generosity rather than complacency, and their ultimate desire is to spread out these blessings far and wide. To learn more about where and how SEAPC serves, click here.SEAPC is dedicated to changing lives through prayer. If your heart is moved and you would like to partner with us, you can donate here.