Some policemen in Tulsa that we have talked with seem to think sex trafficking isn’t a big problem. The facts indicate that there have been very few people charged with the crime in Tulsa. However, other evidence seems to indicate otherwise.

That’s why I found this article in the New York Times very interesting. You can read the whole article at this link http://www.nytimes.com/2012/01/26/opinion/how-pimps-use-the-web-to-sell-girls.html?_r=3&src=tp

but please note this paragraph in particular.

While there are no reliable figures for human trafficking, the more we look, the more we find. The Brooklyn district attorney, Charles J. Hynes, says that in the year before he set up a sex-trafficking unit in June 2010, his office prosecuted no trafficking cases. Since then, the office has become a national model, indicting 32 people, with 10 convictions and no acquittals so far.

Please pray for HOPE918, One Hope Ministry and others at Springs of Grace who are seeking to be used by the Lord in this area for His glory.

May God grant us the humility today to receive His Word for what it really is – the very words of God.

I will be continuing our adult bible study on the period of Judah’s exile. There are many lessons for us who are now exiles and sojourners in a pagan land. Daniel lived in a foreign land and when he got there the king attempted to change his name – giving him a Babylonian name. After 70 years of service in a pagan land, Daniel 5:12 records the emperor of Babylon calling him “Daniel”. 70 years in a pagan land and they couldn’t change his name. He was still Daniel. He was still representing “the God who judges”. Call him whatever you like, he’s still Daniel. He was Daniel. After 70 years he was Daniel. He died Daniel.

Also – will be returning to our study of 1 Corinthians and begin the 2nd part of Paul’s letter. What important truths are taught in chapter 7! May the Lord help us as we open His Word this morning and think on marriage, singleness and the glory of God!

Please read and pray http://religion.blogs.cnn.com/2011/12/22/my-take-looking-for-faith-amid-persecution/

God is PEERLESS; we are Powerless – our powerlessness is demonstrated by how and whether we pray.
Let’s leverage our influence as children of God by asking of our Father.
FRIDAY EMPHASIS = PRAYING FOR FAMILIES, MARRIAGES, YOUTH, CHILDREN, COLLEGE STUDENTS
Pray for families
Pray for the marriages at Springs of Grace to be tremendous pictures of the covenant love of Jesus for His Bride, the church.
For parents to be committed to the spiritual nurturing of their children.
For the husband to make it his priority to selflessly lay down his life for his wife and love her as Christ loves the church.
Pray for opportunities of discipleship that God would use to break the cycles of decay in the family among those we love
For the wife to love her husband and children, to be gentle and submissive to her
husband, and to be passionately devoted to Christ.
For the husband and wife to fulfill their biblical roles of leadership and submission as unto the Lord.
Pray for the YOUTH at Springs of Grace that they would have hot hearts for the Lord, a commitment to holiness and a passion for others who can’t give back to them. Pray that they might direct their lives towards great causes and not temporal pleasures
Pray for the children at Springs of Grace that they might come to know the Lord as their greatest treasure and Savior of their lives.
Pray for children to be trained to honor their parents and the Lord in attitudes as well as actions.
Pray for the children of our community that do not have parents who pray for them to love Jesus and follow His Word
Pray for the ministry outreach to college students at the University of Tulsa campus, ORU and TCC
Pray for ministry to international students at the University of Tulsa
Pray that the Lord would raise up tutors and laborers from the college campus to join with us in loving those God has given us to love.

God is PEERLESS; we are Powerless – our powerlessness is demonstrated by how and whether we pray.
Let’s leverage our influence as children of God by asking of our Father.
THURSDAY EMPHASIS = PRAYING FOR THE NEEDS AROUND US

SEX TRAFFICKING

Please pray for HOPE918 (www.hope918.com) and the ministry to those caught up in sex trafficking (The website has a resources link that can give you lots of information to help you pray)
Please pray for prostitutes and pimps in the area around the church that God might give us opportunities to express the love of Christ to them and speak to them gospel truth
Please pray for the children of those involved in sex trafficking that God might spare them and deliver them
Please pray for the rescue of children and young girls who are trapped in the sex slave trade both in our city and around the world
Please pray for ZOE Children’s Homes – an international organization that rescues and cares for children who are sold, or at risk of being sold, into prostitution slavery; orphaned, or victims of other heinous crimes and abuse-worldwide.
Please pray for others actively involved in rescue, prevention and aftercare.

HOMELESSNESS
Please pray for the Bible Study at the Day Center. Pray for Tyler Brown who leads the study and Larry and Sue Hopkins, Hannah, Lottie, Josh and others who are ministering there.
Please pray for those who are without housing that God would provide opportunities for them to get into good housing communities
-That the Spirit of God would use His word to produce genuine disciples of the Lord.
-That those going from SoG would have wisdom and love to know how to confront the heresy that is prevalent.
-That we would Love the Lord with all our hearts and depend upon Him as we minister to the residents there.
-That this Bible Study would open the doors to the lives of individuals who are wanting to follow the Lord.
-That the body of the church at SoG would seek to come alongside and use their gifting to reach those that are in need.
-That the Lord would use the resource of the body individually to seek to further Day Center residents to use the abilities God has given each.
-That there would be more relationships developed that would be able to speak truth directly into the chaos of some of the residents’ lives.
-That the Lord would begin to help the residents see the need to give back and that they would not seek to use people for what they can get.
-That God’s truth would be accurately and powerfully communicated to those that come.

FOR MINISTRY TO ORPHANS/ADOPTION/ABORTION
– For opportunities to be more actively pro-life as a church
- For teenage moms in this area to come be a part of our church body
- For Nate & Miriam’s adoption (please pray they would receive a referral soon and that the Lord would provide funds for their adoption and would prepare them to welcome the children He has for them into their family)
- For families who have already adopted
- For more opportunities to walk with and encourage families who have adopted

HUNGER AND POVERTY
Please pray for Springs of Grace and the churches living in prosperity to share the concerns and burdens of our brothers and sisters in need.
Pray that we might know how to share our resources and give demonstrations of love in ways that help the most and not in ways that only make us feel better
Pray that we might not be blind to the poor around us
Pray that the heart of the LORD who executes justice for the fatherless and the wido, and loves the sojourner, giving him food and clothing might be in His people
Pray that the mercy we have been shown by Jesus who was rich becoming poor for us so that in His poverty we might be made rich impact the way we live
Psalm 41:1 – “Blessed is the one who considers the poor! In the day of trouble the Lord delivers him…”
Pray for ministries like Children’s Hunger Fund

God is PEERLESS; we are Powerless – our powerlessness is demonstrated by how and whether we pray.
Let’s leverage our influence as children of God by asking of our Father.
WEDNESDAY EMPHASIS = PRAYING FOR THE NATIONS
Please Pray for the Fimiam Church in Lutsk, Ukraine
Prayer requests of the Transformation Rehabilitation Center

Please pray for:
- new people in women and men departments of the Center if God is willing;
- repentance of those who are already in the Center;
- spiritual growth of persons undergoing rehabilitation, for peace, unity and mutual understanding;
- unity in the team of ministers;
- new people who would be ready to minister in the Center, for assistants;
- finance and thank God for providing it;
- health of our pregnant sisters and successful birth of new babies;
- people who stepped away from the Lord, for the Lord to give them wish and strength to come back;
- salvation of our friends and relatives;
- God’s protection over those who are in the third stage of rehabilitation;
- preparation for baptism of those who have finished their rehabilitation;
- for God to widen the frames of our ministry and give us new perspectives;
- God’s blessing ministry in a local narcological clinic, for people ready to visit it on a regular basis;
- wisdom in ministry for people with alcohol addiction;
- God’s blessing and protection of those who have finished rehabilitation and went back home, for their spiritual growth, wisdom and personal prayer needs: for Anton Sumlenniy, Sergiy Motko, Yevgeniy Ryndyk, the Podlovkins, Iryna Roznatovska, Nadya Goncharova;
- rehabilitation Centers in Kuznetsovsk, Molodogvardiysk, Volodymyr Volynskiy.

PRAY FOR Vanessa Fry in South Korea

Pray for outreach into North Korea and potential work with refugees.

Pray for Vanessa’s studies, her personal walk with the Lord and her church there.

PRAY FOR Mixe Region of MEXICO
Los Valles

“The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand. Repent, and believe in the gospel.” Mark 1:15
Even with 4-wheel drive and in low gear it was a tense and slippery drive into Los Valles. On the 28th of November 2011 our team of 9 brethren pulled up to the house of Guillermo and Sofía, the young couple from last month’s letter who were so excited to hear the gospel. They soon gathered their family and in a few minutes we had a group of about 15 people who were excited about our arrival.
Sofía’s father wanted to invite all the people in the village. As he raised the megaphone up the pole he explained to us that even though they don’t have any electricity he has a solar panel on his roof and charges old car batteries. The crisp, cold, Canadian north wind all but drowned out his voice so we decided to go door to door and invite the people. This small village has only about 50 houses and the people are open and friendly.
We spent the rest of the daylight hours attending the sick and giving out medicine. Ibuprofen soon became the most popular pill in town. Most people in Los Valles speak Spanish, but have only a very limited vocabulary and I could tell that they hardly ever use it. Their Mixe language is a little different from where we live so communication was interesting… “What about emergencies?” I asked. “We tie a hammock on a pole and carry the sick 3 hours uphill to the nearest town” was their unbelievable response.  
María was the only woman in our group. When she finished translating for me the young ladies soon pulled her aside. One of the ladies cried as she told María how her 2 year old baby had died earlier this year. “We were in the hospital (8 hour away) and I ran out of money and hope. A Christian family, who were strangers to me, invited me into their house and gave me food and money. Then I knew that God does indeed exist because nobody would ever be so kind if God had not worked in their heart.” She asked María to tell her more about this “real” God in her own language…
As shadows began to fill the valley we set up the electric generator and the projector to see the movie of The Gospel of Luke in Mixe. Almost all the people in town showed up to listen to the words of Jesus. Just when we saw the part where Jesus gives his life on the cross for our sins and the sun darkens a large meteor crossed overhead and exploded into a series of blue and yellow streaks. It made quiet an impression.
As we got ready to leave the next morning the family made us promise that someone would come each week to share more about Jesus. The Lord touched 2 of the young preachers´ hearts in our group and the pastors commissioned them as missionaries to Los Valles. See photo below.
As the weeks have gone by the group who gets together to hear the preaching of the transforming Word of God in Los Valles has steadily grown and so has the number of men who feel the call to minister in this village. Pray that God would continue to expand the Kingdom of Heaven in this village.
Jim, María, Hannah and Katie McCarty

PRAY FOR FACES FOR HOPE – TANZANIA
Please pray for Jack and Holly Stagge who head up the ministry in Tanzania as they are headed back right now. Pray for a breakthrough with the men of the villages who determine most of the village life of the Massai. Pray for seminars for women as they deal with FGM and the sexual “training” of young girls in arranged marriages = rape and abuse. Pray for the education programs and for the training of indigenous pastors. Pray for Team missionaries Heidi and Nick
Pray for teachers who would come and help. They are in need of men to come encourage the men. We are in a need of teams coming over BUT especially be in prayer for a team of Journalist and Media that are headed over right now in hopes of producing a documentary that might get out a lot of information broadly.

PRAY FOR INDIA

Please pray for missionaries Matt & Leanne Wilkinson who are headed to India with “To Every Tribe” ministries. The Wilkinsons spent the night at the Blankenships home this week and are preparing to head to India in the coming weeks. They have 5 precious children (Jaycee 8, Julia 6, Tabitha 4, Seth 2, Caleb 2 months)

PRAY FOR The Aceh of Indonesia

• Population – 4,132,000
• Percentage of Evangelicals – 0.00%
• Primary Language – Aceh
• Primary Religion – Islam

The Aceh people live on the northern tip of the island of Sumatra in Aceh province. Their provincial capital of Banda Aceh used to be a stopover for Southeast Asian Muslims traveling by ship to Mecca. For this reason the city is sometimes known as “The Veranda of Mecca”. The Aceh people, also known as the Akhir, A-Tsing, and Urueng, are the majority ethnic group in Aceh. Known throughout Indonesia as devout followers of Islam, they are very proud of their Muslim faith. Their lives are strongly influenced by Islamic law, and Aceh province even has special autonomy to apply Islamic law instead of Indonesian national law in certain cases. The Aceh speak their own language, and most also speak the Indonesian national language. The Aceh are a blend of many races, which might explain why the Aceh in some areas are taller than most Indonesians. Most Aceh are either farmers or fishermen. Women typically run the households, while men tend to stay out of domestic affairs, including child rearing. All children, even the youngest, are expected to help with the family work. Inheritance is settled according to Islamic law with men receiving a double portion, yet houses and land are always passed down to the women. The Aceh people are strict Sunni Muslims and have been very instrumental in spreading Islam throughout Indonesia and other Southeast Asian countries. It is often stated that “to be Aceh is to be Muslim.” The Aceh people have strongly and even violently opposed other Aceh people who converted to other religions. Because Aceh was the first province in Indonesia where Shari’a Islamic law was formally instituted, other strongly Islamic provinces are also seeking to implement Shari’a law. The law requires all women, even non-Muslims, to wear head coverings. Sources – Joshua Project (joshuaproject.net), Operation World 2011

• Pray that local believers will be bold to answer God’s call and reach out to their friends and families even though the cost is high.
• Pray for the workers among the Aceh to have many opportunities to build relationships and engage the Aceh people so the gospel can be shared.
• New believers are often persecuted. Pray that these believers will be bold and courageous and for God to make them steadfast as they grow in their faith.
• Pray for workers who are growing weary in the task of sharing the gospel with little response.
•

PRAY FOR Croatia

• Population – 4,409,659
• Percentage of Evangelicals – 0.4%
• Total Number of People Groups – 32
• Number of Unreached People Groups – 3
• Language Spoken – Croatian
• Major Religion -Christianity (Catholicism)
• Human Development Rank – 51

A land of 4 million people, Croatia sits as a centerpiece in Europe as a place in recent history, marked by conflict and ethnic strife. Long-Term Communist mismanagement and the war with Serbia undermined a previously solid economy. Though recovery is in process, there are still challenges with high unemployment and low wages among Croatia’s citizens. Politically focused in the 1990’s on the Balkan war, Croatia’s transition from nationalist politics to liberal democracy, anticipates their complete entrance into the EU for 2013. The profound impact of historic and recent hatred among Croat, Serb and Bosnian could continue to hamper the affected nations for generations to come though. The iron bond shackling ethnicity to religion hampers progress and stifles spiritual breakthrough. The Catholic Church is highly influential in Croatia. It has one of the highest active Catholic populations in Europe and enjoys an unofficial favoured status though Croatia is a secular state and freedom of religion exists. Evangelicals are one of the few groups straddling the ethnic divide that exists between Bosnians, Croats and Serbs. Many people from all ethnicities have become Christians and brought into fellowships together. Therefore Evangelical churches are spreading. Still relatively small in size and number, new fellowships are popping up around the country and need prayer for unity, leadership and theological training.

• Pray for true reconciliation and for the religious and ethnic bondages to be broken that can only happen through the power of Christ.
• Pray that all Croatians would move beyond empty rituals to a living relationship with Jesus.
• Evangelicals are one of the few groups that straddle the ethnic divide. Pray that evangelicals would continue to demonstrate the boundary-breaking, love of God.
• Pray for the effective, relevant and affordable training to help develop church leaders in the Croatian church.
• Pray for the church to grow as more Croatians come to know Christ as Lord and Savior.
PRAY FOR Indonesia

• Population – 242,968,342
• Percentage of Evangelicals – 4%
• Total Number of People Groups – 680
• Number of Unreached People Groups – 182
• Language Spoken – Bahasa Indonesia, English, Dutch, local dialects
• Major Religion – Muslim (86.1%), Protestant, Roman Catholic, Hindu
• Human Development Rank – 111
• Persecution Index – 48

Indonesia gained its sovereignty in 1949 after centuries of Dutch colonization and years of Japan occupation during World War II. Indonesia’s first parliamentary elections however did not occur until 1999. Indonesia is the world’s third largest democracy. Over 200 million Muslims live in Indonesia making it home to the world’s Muslim population. In recent years, Indonesia has tried to solve issues such as widespread poverty, corruption, and terrorism from Muslim militants. The World Food Programme states that, “52% [of Indonesians] live on less than US$2 per day with an estimated 35 million poor people who live on less than US$0.65 per day”. Indonesia is also made up of about 680 people groups spread out over its 6,000 of its over 17,000 islands. This archipalegic structure of Indonesia adds to the difficulty of spreading the Gospel. Of Indonesia’s 680 people groups, 182 of them are considered unreached. These 182 people groups account for over 170 million people. On top of the terrain, Indonesia is considered a “hostile nation” which means Christians experience widespread persecution due to their faith in Christ. Native believers and Christian missionaries alike must face many hurdles and dangers for the sake of sharing the good news of Christ. (Sources: CIA World Factbook, World Food Programme, IMB Global Research, Open Doors, Operation World, Joshua Project)

• Pray that the gospel will spread vigorously in a country so grounded in Islam.
• Pray that God sustains our brothers and sisters living in Indonesia and gives them grace to persevere.
• Pray for God to work in the hearts of the peoples of Indonesia and draw them to saving faith in Christ.
• Ask God to sustain those taking the Gospel of Christ to the remote portions of Indonesia.
• Pray that God would raise up a strong and beautiful church in Indonesia for His glory.

God is PEERLESS; we are Powerless – our powerlessness is demonstrated by how and whether we pray.

Let’s leverage our influence as children of God by asking of our Father.

TUESDAY EMPHASIS = PRAYING FOR OUR NEIGHBORHOOD

For the initiation of ministry and the joy of ministry in the hearts of God’s people.
For the continued raising up of leadership
For wisdom in advancing courageously in the ministries God gives us
For the disappointments and pain of ministry not to cause us to shrink back from biblical love.
For the Lord to allow us to minister for His name and honor and not for results.
For the saints to minister their gifts to the saints and help bear the load of ministry.
For the ministry to those temporarily without housing and the Bible Study at the Day Center
For getAhead tutoring program and its possible expansion
For the One Hope Academy and God’s provision and direction
For wisdom in developing a long-term vision

- For more laborers in our tutoring program (as tutors, classroom helpers, and van drivers)

- For outreach opportunities to parents of kids in getAHEAD program

- For whole families in getAHEAD and OHA to turn to Christ

- For wisdom to walk alongside children who are being sinned against by their parents and struggling to understand what it means to love and live for God in the family He has put them in

- For encouragement for the One Hope staff, particularly those who have left their families and hometowns to live and serve here

- For the Lord to begin raising up summer interns and funds to bring them here
For God’s provision to pay off our loan on the church building so that more money could be invested in the ministries to the neighborhood and nations
For our hearts to be filled with missionary zeal and make us all goers and senders.
For those in the “In His Image” residency program.
For a proper, God-honoring association with other believers and the recruitment of laborers from other churches for the ministries God has given us
For God’s provision of interns and funding for the summer ministry
For wisdom and resources to address the sex trafficking in our area (8 out of the top 10 prostitution sites in our city are within 2 miles of the church)
Pray for ministry opportunities with prostitutes and pimps
Pray for opportunities with gang leaders