Yes, it's been a long time since I've posted anything... my apologies for that. Life gets a little busy around the Meckes home, and my time is hardly ever my own! (I'm not really complaining.... well, maybe a little!)
We have been in the midst of preparing to travel to India with a team of 6 (including us) from our church. We leave this Thursday, the 26th, at 6 pm. We will be there for 10 days, ministering to thousands! We serve an amazing God... who in His grace and planning has ordained this trip for these 6 people at this time. We will be teaching at a pastor's conference, with over 2000 pastors in attendance; we will be doing evangelistic ministry in the city of Chennai and the surrounding villages; we will be visiting orphanages run by our friend Pastor Samson and loving on 120+ children; and we will be dedicating a parcel of land for use by the growing church in India. This is just what we know.... and I have no doubt that God has many other plans for us during our stay. This road we have travelled even to get to this point has been a journey of faith, and God has met our every need.
We are blessed with family and friends who have promised to pray for us during this journey. To each of you, we say thank you from the bottom of our hearts. This trip is a mission of God, and we need your prayers as we step out in ministry. Our God desires to know us in an intimate way, and He desires for us to have that same knowledge of Him! He can and will meet each and every need, and He invites us to come into His presence with boldness and assurance, and make our requests known to the Only One who accomplish it. With that invitation and assurance, we have specific prayer requests for you, and please use these requests as building blocks for your prayers... we stand in confidence that our Heavenly Father will direct our prayer warriors to pray exactly what is needed, and at the exact moment it's needed!
** Our team: Pastor Lloyd, Alan Roper, Rob Edwards, Tracy Shuman, Bryan and Terri Meckes.
** Please pray for peace as we finish final preparations - packing, etc, that all would be done with peace and clarity of mind. Please pray that everyone will pack all that they need, nothing that they do not need, and that it will all fit within the baggage weight limits. Please pray that whatever arrangements have to be made at our homes will be done smoothly, without any glitches.
** Please pray for our families that will remain home as we travel. Pray for peace of mind and heart, for a trust in the Lord that will give them assurance that all is well. Please pray for protection over our homes as we leave - that no attack of the enemy will come against our homes in our absence.
** Please pray for safe travel, for the favor of God over all our comings and goings through airports, and as we travel about in India.
** Please pray for God to continue to work in the hearts of the people of India. Pray that their hearts would be softened, open and ready to hear the gospel. Pray that their ears would be open to hear the truth, that the One True God loves them, yearns to save them, and that they are worthy of that love.
** Please pray for protection over our hotel, the conference center where we will be teaching, and all areas where we travel in Chennai. Pray that God's mighty army will go before us, surround us, and be our rear guard at all times. Pray that all aspects of the conference will be without interference - all the audio, visual, and other logistical planning will be smooth and trouble-free.
** Please pray for our health.... starting now and throughout the trip. Our pastor has been very ill, and is still recovering. Pray that each of us would get enough sleep, that God would provide us with supernatural energy to do all the things we need to do, that we can all handle the heat (I'm going to love it, but others on this team, not so much!). Pray that no one would get sick from food or water, and that no other illness would have the opportunity to attack us in our physical bodies.
** Please pray that the Holy Spirit to continue to guide and direct us as a team. Pray for unity in our team. We have prayed together for a month now, and we are uniquely fitted together as one. God's design for this trip is amazing.... please pray that each of us would be constantly sensitive to the Spirit's leading. Pray that we would be empty vessels, ready and willing to be filled with His Spirit, and read to speak His words of love. Pray for obedience - to go when He says go, stop when He says stop, to turn to the right or left as He leads.
** Please pray against any and all schemes of the enemy. We declare him and his plans defeated in the name of Jesus, and we proclaim victory for our God and His annointed. The bonds of oppression and the blindness of the lies of the enemy will be broken, and the Light of Life will show forth. Darkness must flee in the presence of Light.
Thank you for standing with us in prayer. We will keep you updated while we are there... as long as we have an internet connection! Please feel free to pass along our prayer requests... and to make comments here.
We love each of you, and praise God for faithful family and friends.
