Tuesday, August 4, 2009
Thursday, July 2, 2009
God brings salvation
Wow, there is literally so much to write about and I really don’t know where to begin. I can not put into words what the Lord is doing in Niger, Africa. His Holy Spirit is at work in a mighty way, and has allowed me to have so many opportunities to minister to these people. I want to take this opportunity to share a story of a young man named Zeeka. Usually everyday I will try to make a trip out to the rice fields and work with the men there. They usually find it pretty hilarious that a white man is out there in the mud harvesting the rice, but none the less I continue to work with them. When ever we pause for lunch I play the gospel presentation, and many gather around to hear God’s message of hope and love. I then give them their own personal cassette so they can play later on at their home. (most people own a cassette player). One young man in particular named Zeeka had questions for me the next day. He told me that he enjoyed listening to the tapes, and understood a lot of what they were saying. He asked me who gets to go with Jesus when he returns, and I told him the people who believe that He died for them and rose from the grave. I elaborated on it a little more and then we went to work for the rest of the day. I didn’t see him for the next few days due to my sickness, but when I returned he came to my house, and wanted me to play more of the cassette for me. I could tell that God was working in his heart. I let him hear some of the gospel of Matthew, where it talks about Jesus’s coming, and when he comes how he will separate the sheep from the goats. Zeeka better understood about what I was trying to say. After some more conversation, and questions about God, he asked me how he could become a Christian. I wasn’t sure if I heard him correctly so I called the missionary, and asked him to translate for me just so I was sure about what he was saying to me. When Zeeka gave me the phone back he told me, “Cody he wants to know how to follow Jesus.” I was so shocked, my heart started to race. I really couldn’t believe that this was happening, God was knocking at the door of this young man’s heart, and he wanted to know how to let him in! I led him through some verses in Romans, then asked him if he wanted to receive Jesus into his life. He said yes, but I proceeded to ask why? He told me that he had sin in his life and he needed to be forgiven!! I was shocked yet again by his response! I quickly flipped through my Zarma dictionary trying to piece together a little prayer. Then me and Zeeka bowed our heads, and he held out his hands and asked Jesus to come into his life. I am so amazed, at the work of the King. Corinthians tells us that if we are to boast let us boast in the Lord. So give Jesus the glory as he has brought one of the lost into fellowship with Him. Continue to pray for Zeeka as I continue to disciple him, and further tell him about what it means to follow Jesus. His entire family is Islamic, but he is already burning with a passion to tell everyone he knows about Jesus. This is just one of the stories, of many that I have about what God is doing in Niger. Continue to pray for me as I battle loneliness, and missing people from America! It is hard, but it is sooo good!!!
I have completed one month here, and have less than one left here, so My prayer is that I will stay focused on the ministry at hand, and seek to make the most out of every opportunity.
Thank you for all of your love and support!!
Love,
Cody
I have completed one month here, and have less than one left here, so My prayer is that I will stay focused on the ministry at hand, and seek to make the most out of every opportunity.
Thank you for all of your love and support!!
Love,
Cody
Friday, June 26, 2009
bacteria is not my friend
Hey so as some of you may be aware, I have come down with somewhat of an infection. A couple days ago in the afternoon I started to experience some pain in my lower abdomen, and within a few hours the pain had increased tremendously so that I was in probably the worst pain i've been in, that combined with an extreme burning when I peeed. I was in a bad place! I lay on my stick bed with drenched in sweat from the 120 degree temperature, and flies swarming my body, and didn't think I could take anymore!!
I finally called my missionaries and told them what was up, and they were able to get their doctor to contact me so that I could tell him the symptoms. He was able to tell me that I had a bladder infection that was probably caused by bacteria from where I was living. ANnwayzzzz I am on some antibiotics right now and am in the captital staying with some missionaries and have been resting the past couple of days and should be ready to go back out to the village by tomorrow. Just wanted to let all who were in prayer know the update!! thanks for the prayers!!!
Love,
Cody
I finally called my missionaries and told them what was up, and they were able to get their doctor to contact me so that I could tell him the symptoms. He was able to tell me that I had a bladder infection that was probably caused by bacteria from where I was living. ANnwayzzzz I am on some antibiotics right now and am in the captital staying with some missionaries and have been resting the past couple of days and should be ready to go back out to the village by tomorrow. Just wanted to let all who were in prayer know the update!! thanks for the prayers!!!
Love,
Cody
Wednesday, June 17, 2009
God is good
Well as many of you know I have been in the
First let me start off my answering some basic questions that you might have. My living situation is in a mud brick house with sand floors, and outside my house I have a “ tanda,” which is kind of like a shaded area, and that is where my stick bed is. Every night I sleep outside underneath my tanda, unless it rains in which case I will flee to the comfort of my sand floor. For meals I have the option of cooking, because I have a small portable gas stove, and much groceries, however I most of the time opt to pay a villager about 500 CFA, and just eat with them. It is usually just a big hassle to get out all of the supplies, plus by the time I’ve finished eating, I’m usually drenched in sweat. For drinking water I draw my water in big yellow buckets from the local well, and then send it through a filter that I was provided with. I take my bucket baths outside, in a covered area, which is also the same place everyone goes to pee, so the smell is usually not too pleasant.
In the mornings I usually wake up at about 6:00, go for a run, come back and then spend some time in prayer, and reading the Word. Spending time with the Lord in the morning is such a huge aspect so that I can be refreshed, and reminded of why I am here. It is in this time that God fills me with his love, joy, and peace, so that I will overflow into the lives of the Zerma people. Later I will either venture down to the local market to talk with men or I will go visiting some other huts in the village. The missionaries provided us with two ministry tools, one of which is a cassette player that has the entire gospel presentation on it, from creation to the resurrection, along with other cassettes of the different gospels, and the other is something called the proclaimer which has the entire New Testament recorded on it. When I go visiting I will always bring one of these with me and let the men listen to something that I pick out. After I play the tapes I always have a time for them to answer questions. Then concluding my time with them I take prayer requests, share a passage from scripture regarding there request, and pray with them. All of this is done in their language.
This takes up the earlier portion of my day, I then have lunch, a nap, and get prepared for the evening part of the day. In Zerma culture in almost any village there is a place called the fada, which is basically a shaded area where all of the men hang out and drink tea and talk. I make it a point to talk with these men every day from 4-6 sharing stories from the Gospel and sharing Christ’s love with them. When the sun goes down I also have another session for men to come and listen to the gospel on the radio.
God is definitely working in my village. Currently the village that I live in has roughly about 600 people, not counting the women and children, and from what I know there are only two men that claim to be Followers of Christ. One of which is a man named Abdulay, who usually accompanies me wherever I go throughout the day. The men in this village are bound to the chains of Islam, but I believe that the Holy Spirit is moving in this village and it is very exciting. For example a few nights ago my neighbor came over and asked me if we could listen to the radio together!! After listening to the Gospel, I asked him if he had any questions. As he rambled off his question, I had no clue what he was saying, but as he repeated it slower and slower and held out his hands in a cross like fashion, I got it! He was asking me why Jesus died on the cross for him! I was absolutely stunned, God had opened up a huge door for me to further explain the Gospel. I explained to him best I could with the language that I knew, that me and him had sin in our life. God had sent his son Jesus to die for our sins because He had no sin. I then played John 3:16-20 to him in his language so that he might better understand. He has not accepted Christ, but I believe that God is working in his life. He has been a Muslim for 30 years, and it is very difficult for a Muslim to convert for Christianity. It is a known fact that before a Muslim comes to Christianity they usually have to hear the gospel several times. So I will continue to love Isaaca which is his name, and play the tapes to him as much as he wants. I would appreciate it if you would pray for him as well. The head missionary came to visit me, and saw me visiting with some of the local men, she said that she had never seen the men so excited before. God is definitely at work in their hearts, and I am excited to be apart of this ministry. There are so many stories to share with you, but time will not allow.
God is continuing to grow me through my time here. I remember about my second day in Kollo, I was cooking dinner by myself in the dark and was very lonely. Everyone else has a partner, however I do not. I was in a village by myself with people that I couldn’t communicate that well with. I was frustrated and upset, and tears began to fall from my face, which is very rare because I never cry. It was in that moment that I felt weak and alone, so I began to pray, I admitted to God that I was hopeless without Him, and I asked Him to give me his strength to sustain me, and to pick me up and carry me through each day. It was that night I realized that God truly is my rock, I confessed to God my loneliness, and asked God for someone…..anyone to come be with me because I felt all alone that night. Not 10 minutes after I prayed that prayer God sent a teenage boy named O’ben who was the local pastor’s son to come stay the night with me. It was definitely a huge answer to prayer! And since that day I am learning that God is more than enough to sustain me, and that he is truly all I need, because where I live, He is all I have.
I thought that I would share with you a sentence or two so you can see what the language is like:
Zerma:
Hay ma Amerique boro no, ay ma Isaaca hay a ga ca
English
: I’m an American man. My name is Isaaca( which by the way is my African name) I have come to
**That is brief example of some of the things that me and the Zerma man talk about.
I can feel everyone’s prayers who are praying for me!!
Please continue to pray for me as I spread the love of Jesus to the Zerma people.
Love,
Cody
Monday, June 8, 2009
Final day of orientation
Hey everyone!!
First of all thank you so much for all of the prayers and emails that I have been getting!! I don't quite know if i will have time to email everyone back because our computer time is limited, so I will try and give everyone an update on here.
This week has been wonderful! Today is our last day before I am dropped out into the village of Kollo. This week has been a lot of orientation. I have spent over 20 hrs. in a Zerma language class, and am picking up on the language very well, by the grace of God. The missionaries here have been able to lead us in many sessions about the culture and other important aspects of life in Africa. One day we got the opportunity to go out into a neighborhood in the capital city of Niamey, and do some prayer walking. I spoke Zarma to a young man who was a Muslim, and got the opportunity to pray with him! As i put my hand on him, I prayed that God would give him good health, and that He would make his presence known to this man. While I was praying, the other team members that were with me said that the young mans eyes were filled with love and shock. I don't think that he had ever seen anyone do something like that for him before. It was really a neat experience. We also got the opportunity to have a Muslim who converted to Christianity through a vision, come and talk to us. He said that one night he was layinig in bed, and Jesus appeared to him, he said that he felt so much love and compassion in the room, and that Jesus reached out and handed him some bread to eat. Since then this man has moved back to the states and is a Pastor in Niger. The man spoke about how God is breaking the chains of Islam in this country. People who have been Muslims all their life are giving their life to Christ because Islam no longer satisfies them. They are recognizing that only Jesus can bring true fulfillment in life. Pray that God continues to use visions to make himself known to these people. The Zerma people are in so much bondage, The missionary here told us that, they are Muslim by night and animist by night. They have a huge belief in the spirit world here.
For example, when a baby is born they will never call it pretty or beautiful, however they call it ugly, because they don't want the spirits to come and take their child away. Some are even scared to go to sleep in the dark because, they fear the evil spirits. Satan has chained them down, but the Holy Spirit is moving through the villages of Niger. God has definitely been working in my life as well. There are so many things that distract me from what is going on, so many things that I think I need to be comfortable in life. However, I think the point Heis trying to make to me that He is enough. That Christ alone is what should sustain me, and if we have that then everything else falls to the wasteside. We were reading in Acts 2, when Peter was speaking to people begging and pleading with them to repent and follow Christ. It made me realize how focused on Christ Peter must have been if he was begging and pleading. His primary focus was to put all of his focus on Christ, and through that show the love of Christ. I am excited for tomorrow and the new adventure that awaits me. I will be back in the capital city on June 17- 19, and will update everyone on what is going on here.
Thank you for all your prayers, I can really feel them over here!!
Please continue lifting me up to our Heavenly Faher
Love,
Cody
First of all thank you so much for all of the prayers and emails that I have been getting!! I don't quite know if i will have time to email everyone back because our computer time is limited, so I will try and give everyone an update on here.
This week has been wonderful! Today is our last day before I am dropped out into the village of Kollo. This week has been a lot of orientation. I have spent over 20 hrs. in a Zerma language class, and am picking up on the language very well, by the grace of God. The missionaries here have been able to lead us in many sessions about the culture and other important aspects of life in Africa. One day we got the opportunity to go out into a neighborhood in the capital city of Niamey, and do some prayer walking. I spoke Zarma to a young man who was a Muslim, and got the opportunity to pray with him! As i put my hand on him, I prayed that God would give him good health, and that He would make his presence known to this man. While I was praying, the other team members that were with me said that the young mans eyes were filled with love and shock. I don't think that he had ever seen anyone do something like that for him before. It was really a neat experience. We also got the opportunity to have a Muslim who converted to Christianity through a vision, come and talk to us. He said that one night he was layinig in bed, and Jesus appeared to him, he said that he felt so much love and compassion in the room, and that Jesus reached out and handed him some bread to eat. Since then this man has moved back to the states and is a Pastor in Niger. The man spoke about how God is breaking the chains of Islam in this country. People who have been Muslims all their life are giving their life to Christ because Islam no longer satisfies them. They are recognizing that only Jesus can bring true fulfillment in life. Pray that God continues to use visions to make himself known to these people. The Zerma people are in so much bondage, The missionary here told us that, they are Muslim by night and animist by night. They have a huge belief in the spirit world here.
For example, when a baby is born they will never call it pretty or beautiful, however they call it ugly, because they don't want the spirits to come and take their child away. Some are even scared to go to sleep in the dark because, they fear the evil spirits. Satan has chained them down, but the Holy Spirit is moving through the villages of Niger. God has definitely been working in my life as well. There are so many things that distract me from what is going on, so many things that I think I need to be comfortable in life. However, I think the point Heis trying to make to me that He is enough. That Christ alone is what should sustain me, and if we have that then everything else falls to the wasteside. We were reading in Acts 2, when Peter was speaking to people begging and pleading with them to repent and follow Christ. It made me realize how focused on Christ Peter must have been if he was begging and pleading. His primary focus was to put all of his focus on Christ, and through that show the love of Christ. I am excited for tomorrow and the new adventure that awaits me. I will be back in the capital city on June 17- 19, and will update everyone on what is going on here.
Thank you for all your prayers, I can really feel them over here!!
Please continue lifting me up to our Heavenly Faher
Love,
Cody
Wednesday, June 3, 2009
The first day...........
Hey everyone!!
Its me Cody hope that you still remember me!! Today was my first full day in Africa!! For those of you who don't know I am not living in the bush just yet. I am currently living in the IMB guesthouse which is very nice, but still very different than a house in America. I am here in the capital city until next Tuesday, from which I will then go into "the bush" as they call it, and start my ministry. This week is orientation, a lot of information and language study to prepare us for the upcoming weeks.
so let me tell you about it, first of all just wanted to let you know that it is really hard adjusting to the life here, I probably miss all of my family and friends just as much as you miss me! it is really hard to not think about you, and today was left feeling really homesick, however the missionaries said that everything that I am feeling is really natural, and they went through the same process. Today in the morning i went for probably around a 4 mile run through the streets of niamey. The city is poverty ridden and ranks somewhere in the top 5 of the poorest cities in the world. It is not unnatural to find naked children peeing in the streets, and running around aimlessly, so that came as a bit of a shock to me. Today was information overload as the missionaries gave us tons of information of which I am still trying to remember, the TOP 3 rules that we MUST REMEMBER is to never get in the river, don't let them braid your hair (for girls) and pray with you partner everyday. They told us that one of their last girls decided to get in the river anyway, because it is so hott!! however she paid dearly meaning she ended up peeing blood for a couple weeks, the river is disease ridden and will seriously mess you up. We also learned today that our goal while in the bush is to visit at least 4 compounds per day and ask for prayer requests, and then share with them a story from the Bible. They have the Bible translated in Zerma, and they have audio cassettes in their language which is very helpful. I will be required to make a run to the local market each week and buy the food that I wish to prepare for the week. So learning the language and all of the currency is very important. The heat here is unbearable reaching 107 today, I am constantly sweating............no seriously I don't think you understand..........constantly, lol. and still trying to adjust to the temperature, but drank 5 nalgenes today!! yay me!!! I also got to go to the market today with 2 natives who did not speak the language and where there were no missionaries with me, and lets just say it was quite an experience!! Poverty filled the streets, with meat that had flies swarming on it, kids playing in trash, and filthy water, however our job was to observe and to come back and report to the missionaries what we saw, and share during debriefing time. Please pray that Satan is bound from my mind as I am constantly having to battle him off. I sometimes doubt whether I am supposed to be here or not and am hoping that God fills me with his joy and love and a desire to love these people, and that I would stop focusing on me and my struggles and focus on others. Life here is so hard for me but I think I will adjust. P.s.i found out i will have to poop in a bucket next week!! AAAAHHHH that will be an experience... I think i'm going to go to bed for now and will try and write again whenever I can!!
oh and if you ever want to say anything to your friends in zerma start with this......... Matte Gahum.....which means how is your health, and the response is Sami which means fine.....
I'm off to shower then to bed, I love yall!!!!!!!
pray hard for me!!!!!
Love, Cody
Its me Cody hope that you still remember me!! Today was my first full day in Africa!! For those of you who don't know I am not living in the bush just yet. I am currently living in the IMB guesthouse which is very nice, but still very different than a house in America. I am here in the capital city until next Tuesday, from which I will then go into "the bush" as they call it, and start my ministry. This week is orientation, a lot of information and language study to prepare us for the upcoming weeks.
so let me tell you about it, first of all just wanted to let you know that it is really hard adjusting to the life here, I probably miss all of my family and friends just as much as you miss me! it is really hard to not think about you, and today was left feeling really homesick, however the missionaries said that everything that I am feeling is really natural, and they went through the same process. Today in the morning i went for probably around a 4 mile run through the streets of niamey. The city is poverty ridden and ranks somewhere in the top 5 of the poorest cities in the world. It is not unnatural to find naked children peeing in the streets, and running around aimlessly, so that came as a bit of a shock to me. Today was information overload as the missionaries gave us tons of information of which I am still trying to remember, the TOP 3 rules that we MUST REMEMBER is to never get in the river, don't let them braid your hair (for girls) and pray with you partner everyday. They told us that one of their last girls decided to get in the river anyway, because it is so hott!! however she paid dearly meaning she ended up peeing blood for a couple weeks, the river is disease ridden and will seriously mess you up. We also learned today that our goal while in the bush is to visit at least 4 compounds per day and ask for prayer requests, and then share with them a story from the Bible. They have the Bible translated in Zerma, and they have audio cassettes in their language which is very helpful. I will be required to make a run to the local market each week and buy the food that I wish to prepare for the week. So learning the language and all of the currency is very important. The heat here is unbearable reaching 107 today, I am constantly sweating............no seriously I don't think you understand..........constantly, lol. and still trying to adjust to the temperature, but drank 5 nalgenes today!! yay me!!! I also got to go to the market today with 2 natives who did not speak the language and where there were no missionaries with me, and lets just say it was quite an experience!! Poverty filled the streets, with meat that had flies swarming on it, kids playing in trash, and filthy water, however our job was to observe and to come back and report to the missionaries what we saw, and share during debriefing time. Please pray that Satan is bound from my mind as I am constantly having to battle him off. I sometimes doubt whether I am supposed to be here or not and am hoping that God fills me with his joy and love and a desire to love these people, and that I would stop focusing on me and my struggles and focus on others. Life here is so hard for me but I think I will adjust. P.s.i found out i will have to poop in a bucket next week!! AAAAHHHH that will be an experience... I think i'm going to go to bed for now and will try and write again whenever I can!!
oh and if you ever want to say anything to your friends in zerma start with this......... Matte Gahum.....which means how is your health, and the response is Sami which means fine.....
I'm off to shower then to bed, I love yall!!!!!!!
pray hard for me!!!!!
Love, Cody
Sunday, May 31, 2009
Anticipation of the Unknown..........
Hey everyone!!! For those of you who don't know I leave tomorrow June 1 and will be gone until August 2, so if you need to contact me for any reason feel free to email me at vondermehdenc@mail.dbu.edu or just leave me a message on facebook and i'll try to respond to you within a couple of weeks.
Well this week has been a week filled with so many different types of emotions: fear, anticipation, excitement, eagerness, all bottled up inside of me. I haven't really ever gone outside of the country before, and I guess you could say i've lived a pretty comfortable life, and am very blessed. But starting tomorrow I venture on a journey that will be far from comfortable and i'm sure at times very trying. Today I got the chance to enjoy spending times with some of my family and friends from church. We laid out by the pool, ran, barbecued, and did other fun things, and I was really happy for my last day in the U.S., to be spent with people that I love. However, as I sat next to the pool watching my buddies jump in, and seeing who could hold their breath the longest, I couldn't help but ponder what my life is going to look like these next couple months. I mean honestly i've never done something like this before!!! When I first signed up for this mission I was excited, and eager to tell everyone where and what I'd be doing, but as the date gets closer and closer.........TOMORROW!! The reality of what I'm going to be doing has begun to set in. The fact that I'll be by myself, away from all of my friends, away from all my family, no electricity, surrounded with natives who have no clue who i am, eating their native food, 120 degree temperature, and who knows what else..............................to be honest leaves me a little scared. But the one thing I do know is that Satan is like a roaring lion roaming around seeking whom he may devour, and hating the fact that I'm going to a country to deliver a message of hope and love, a message that will change their lives. I love 2 Cor 4:16, " There fore do not lose heart, though outwardly we are wasting away inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory which far outways them all, so we fix our eyes not on what is seen but what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary and what is unseen is eternal." I'm sure there are lots of things that I can worry about and things that I can fear, but what I need to know is that my purpose is achieving for myself an eternal glory which far out weighs everything! The people of Niger are hurting, in poverty, and in need of the saving grace of Jesus! I am excited about that! that no matter what happens I get the chance to share the Gospel of Jesus Christ with them! In romans 15:13 it states, "May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. That is my prayer for this summer, that God fills me up so much each day that His love overflows into these peoples lives, changing them from the inside out!
This week mainly has been a week of preparation, learning to lean on God, i've always in the back of my mind thought that memory verses were kind of silly, but I have begun to realize the importance of them in my life, and what it actually means to hide God's word in your heart, and how throughout these next couple months the spiritual warfare will be intense I'm sure we all know the kids stories about the armor of God, but do we fully understand the importance of it, I mean do we really grasp it! I know I haven't, My hope is that throughout this summer when I am attacked, I can pull out the scripture that is in my heart and say LOOK!! this is what the word of the Living God has to say!! I hope and pray that God will give me the ability to fight satan's attacks this summer, and that is definitely something you can be praying for me about!!
Until next time I love all of yall!!! Please keep me in your prayers!!!!
Cody
Well this week has been a week filled with so many different types of emotions: fear, anticipation, excitement, eagerness, all bottled up inside of me. I haven't really ever gone outside of the country before, and I guess you could say i've lived a pretty comfortable life, and am very blessed. But starting tomorrow I venture on a journey that will be far from comfortable and i'm sure at times very trying. Today I got the chance to enjoy spending times with some of my family and friends from church. We laid out by the pool, ran, barbecued, and did other fun things, and I was really happy for my last day in the U.S., to be spent with people that I love. However, as I sat next to the pool watching my buddies jump in, and seeing who could hold their breath the longest, I couldn't help but ponder what my life is going to look like these next couple months. I mean honestly i've never done something like this before!!! When I first signed up for this mission I was excited, and eager to tell everyone where and what I'd be doing, but as the date gets closer and closer.........TOMORROW!! The reality of what I'm going to be doing has begun to set in. The fact that I'll be by myself, away from all of my friends, away from all my family, no electricity, surrounded with natives who have no clue who i am, eating their native food, 120 degree temperature, and who knows what else..............................to be honest leaves me a little scared. But the one thing I do know is that Satan is like a roaring lion roaming around seeking whom he may devour, and hating the fact that I'm going to a country to deliver a message of hope and love, a message that will change their lives. I love 2 Cor 4:16, " There fore do not lose heart, though outwardly we are wasting away inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory which far outways them all, so we fix our eyes not on what is seen but what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary and what is unseen is eternal." I'm sure there are lots of things that I can worry about and things that I can fear, but what I need to know is that my purpose is achieving for myself an eternal glory which far out weighs everything! The people of Niger are hurting, in poverty, and in need of the saving grace of Jesus! I am excited about that! that no matter what happens I get the chance to share the Gospel of Jesus Christ with them! In romans 15:13 it states, "May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. That is my prayer for this summer, that God fills me up so much each day that His love overflows into these peoples lives, changing them from the inside out!
This week mainly has been a week of preparation, learning to lean on God, i've always in the back of my mind thought that memory verses were kind of silly, but I have begun to realize the importance of them in my life, and what it actually means to hide God's word in your heart, and how throughout these next couple months the spiritual warfare will be intense I'm sure we all know the kids stories about the armor of God, but do we fully understand the importance of it, I mean do we really grasp it! I know I haven't, My hope is that throughout this summer when I am attacked, I can pull out the scripture that is in my heart and say LOOK!! this is what the word of the Living God has to say!! I hope and pray that God will give me the ability to fight satan's attacks this summer, and that is definitely something you can be praying for me about!!
Until next time I love all of yall!!! Please keep me in your prayers!!!!
Cody
Thursday, May 7, 2009
HOW YOU CAN PRAY FOR ME
“If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.”
John 15:5b, NIV
I believe that prayer is such a vital part of what I am going to be doing this summer. As we look to Jesus for our example, prayer was such a huge part of his ministry. Scripture tells us that early in the morning he would get away so that he could pray. I believe that Jesus prayed as no one else has prayed before. There is such power in prayer, James 5: 18 says that Elijah prayed again and the heavens gave rain! However, in order for prayer to be done right it must be done with all our heart and all of our soul, and when this happens amazing things take place. I am going to enclose a list of things that you can pray for on a daily basis. Thankyou!
John 15:5b, NIV
I believe that prayer is such a vital part of what I am going to be doing this summer. As we look to Jesus for our example, prayer was such a huge part of his ministry. Scripture tells us that early in the morning he would get away so that he could pray. I believe that Jesus prayed as no one else has prayed before. There is such power in prayer, James 5: 18 says that Elijah prayed again and the heavens gave rain! However, in order for prayer to be done right it must be done with all our heart and all of our soul, and when this happens amazing things take place. I am going to enclose a list of things that you can pray for on a daily basis. Thankyou!
- Pray that God will glorify Himself through
- my ministry.
- Pray for opportunities to share my faith.
- Pray for God to prepare the hearts of the
- people I will encounter.
- Pray for cultural sensitivity and
- understanding.
- Pray for team unity.
- Pray for my relationship with my
- supervisor.
- Pray for my relationships with
- nationals.
- Pray for safety in travel and health on
- the field.
- Pray for humility and a flexible spirit.
- Pray for protection from loneliness and
- depression.
- Pray for peace of mind for my family in
- the United States.
- Pray that God will use my mission
- experience to create a passion in me for
- missions.
- Pray that God will glorify Himself through His work
- among this people group.
- Pray for unity among believers in the country.
- Pray for the witness of believers in the country—for
- boldness and encouragement.
- Pray for churches in the country to reach out to
- meet the needs of the people around them.
- Pray that God would protect Christians in the
- country as they share Christ.
- Pray for the Lord to send laborers into the harvest
- fields.
- Pray that lost people will become open to hearing
- about Jesus and will accept Him as their Lord.
- Pray for those in positions of leadership within the
- country—for their salvation and witness.
Wednesday, May 6, 2009
Description of Summer
After a week of intense orientation and a crash lang. course, me and a partner will live in the bush in a mud brick house, eating with a national family, and using a squatty potty. I will penetrate a village with the Gospel through prayer walking and Bible storying, as well as creating a map of my area. I will learn to be jiggly like Jello and walk in the Spirit as never before.Niger is part of the Sahel region on the edge of the Sahara. The majority of the Zerma people live in the southwest region in small houses of mud block construction. French is the official language, but you can almost always find someone who speaks Zerma. Islam is by far the major religion, although there is much mixing with African traditional religion. The rainy season lasts from June to September. April and May are the hottest months with highs sometimes reaching 120 degrees.A simple mud house with bare necessities will be provided. Sleeping will be outside on a mattress with an excellent view of the stars. Mosquito nets will be provided, and you can expect it to be noisy since there are many animals, people, and drums. There is sometimtes electricity but no AC. There is no running water, so I have to plan on a bucket bath and squatty potty in an outdoor community shower area. Meals will be cooked and eaten with a national family and a water filter provided.The customs of the Zerma people are tied closely to their Islamic beliefs. Greetings are integral in my day-to-day interactions and any coversation must be started with asking about family, work, and home, or I will be considered rude. Relationships are a key part of Zerma culture, and life is centered around the family. Shopping is primarily done at the local outdoor market but some small grocery stores are available in the capital city.Terrain and climate is similar to Arizona. In general it is hot and dry. Dusty conditions can be severe in the summer months. April and May are the hottest months with daytime temperatures often reaching 135F or more. Niamey gets an average of 22 inches of rainfall between May and Sept., normally in short downpours with dust and wind. You will be doing lots of walking and other physical work, so being in good shape is important. I hope that this gives you some insights about what my daily life will look like once i get there. I am excited and can't wait to share more about all of my daily activities!!!!
Thanks to my home church!!!!
I have been a member of FBC Harrison nearly my entire life; it has been the place where I have grown and developed spiritually. I am extremely excited about this summer, that I get the chance to be the hands and feet of Jesus. The Lord has chosen me to bare the good news of Jesus Christ to a people group crying out to be loved, what an honor! I honestly did not think that I would have enough money to go to
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