Monday, April 16, 2018

Invitation to Prayer from Faces of Children ... Wednesday

Faces of Children is an ecumenical prayer ministry under the auspices of First Presbyterian Church of Midland, Texas. Their mission is to initiate ministries of prayer for children in churches, communities, and neighborhoods. In doing so, they seek to provide an opportunity for people of God to join together, learn about children and their needs throughout the world, and celebrate Christ's love (especially as it relates to children).

Invitation to Prayer ... Wednesday

Hi Friends,

We will be meeting this Wednesday at 11:00 a.m., in the gym conference room at First Presbyterian Church of Midland, Texas. I hope you can join us to pray together for children in our community and around the world!

Warmly,

Carrie



The Deep Place

This video from International Justice Mission (IJM) reminds us of the continued need to pray for enslaved children around the world through a deeply personal and intimate look at the story of one little boy. After watching this video, please continue to pray for the work of IJM and the children who they serve and the children who still wait for freedom.

Photos by Chris de Bode
SYRIA // 7 Years of Syrian Civil War Through the Eyes of 7-Year-Olds

"This March is the seventh anniversary of the beginning of the Syrian civil war. Since then, some 400,000 have been killed, and over 5.5 million refugees have streamed out of Syria; millions more have lost their homes. Over a million Syrian refugees live in Jordan, thousands of them in sprawling refugee camps that have morphed into temporary cities. About one-third of Syrian refugees are children under 12; many have been refugees longer than they ever lived in Syria." This collection of portraits and stories offers a deeply personal and intimate look into the lives of Syria's next generation -- children whose entire lives have been marked by war in their home country. Read more here ...

Let's pray for this generation of children; we can celebrate the fact that God has rescued some of these children and led them to safety, even while praying for the children still suffering under continued war. Let's also pray for our world which seems to be dancing ever-so-closer to war in response to the chemical attacks and ongoing violence. May God give our world leaders clear wisdom and discernment about the best way forward.

SAES Photo by Lara Solt
TEXAS // Foster Children Suing State of Texas

When you hear the words "foster care in Texas," what do you think? One of the first things most of us think is: broken. This article gives some insight into the tragic reality for our state's foster care kids, a system a judge declared unconstitutional in 2015 saying children "almost uniformly leave state custody more damaged than when they entered." Read more here ...

Let's pray for the children in the system. The ones who are floundering after exiting it. Let's pray for the overworked caseworkers, often young and poorly trained who burn out quickly. Let's pray for the foster parents and bio parents and judges and CASA workers and all who are involved in deciding what is best for our communities' children


Courtesy Photos
BOSTON // Praying for Cannelongo Family

We've been praying for Gia over the last week. Her medical status seems to change by the moment -- at times celebrating wonderful gains and at other times, facing death. Read more here ...

Please continue to pray for Gia's family, as this up-and-down process is undoubtedly exhausting and overwhelming.

Praying with you,

Carrie

Carrie J. McKean
Faces of Children Director
First Presbyterian Church of Midland, Texas
(432) 684-7821 x153



If you have prayer requests about children, those who care for them, those who have authority over them, or those who harm them (the really hard prayers to say sometimes), please send them to info@facesofchildren.net

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