India has experienced a second wave of covid that many of my friends say was much worse than the first.  At one point over 6,000 people a day were dying. There is no way to calculate the loss, the pain and suffering as it seems every family in India has been deeply affected by this.  The people do not trust the government and many refuse to go to the hospitals.  They say “Everyone who goes to the hospitals die.” Now, as this second wave begins to weaken there are reports that a third wave of a variant may be on its way.

• Please pray that there will not be a third wave of covid.
• Pray that in the middle of all this pain and suffering Christ will be preached and there will be a massive nation-wide revival as millions come to Christ.
• Pray that the doors will open soon and I may return to my beloved India.

The International School of Ministry is back up and students are once again taking classes.  Because of the covid situation classes were forced to close, but now we have just reopened with a fresh batch of students being trained to plant churches. We also are making plans to establish ISOM in a network of 15,000 house churches.  This is an amazing opportunity to literally train thousands of workers in a short amount of time.

• Please pray that the people will be able to gather in small groups for training.
• Pray that God will give us the strategy of how to establish ISOM in this network so that it will grow and multiply quickly.
• Pray for those who are being trained to have very powerful and fruitful ministries that advance the Kingdom of God in India.

India has now been listed as one of the top ten most persecuted countries in the world. Christianity is constantly under attack from the government as well as militant religious groups.  Almost weekly, I personally receive reports of Christian leaders being killed and families being beaten. There are also the more subtle forms of persecution like being shunned by your family or not being able to rent a home or be accepted into a certain school.  In the regions of India that they go to pray there are less than 2% Christian.  Millions still have not heard the Good News even once.

• Please continue to pray that our fellow believers will be full of courage and continue to preach the gospel and plant churches even in the face of much suffering especially among the unreached people groups.
• VOM’s India Prayer Guide: click here

This past June we partnered with BridgeBuilders and took a prayer team to St. George, Utah.  Utah is said to be less than 4% evangelical Christian.  Talk about an unreached people group! We had a wonderful, highly trained team of 11 people and we spent 3.5 days prayer walking the region.  We were able to partner with our new friends, David & Karen, who have moved there to see the Kingdom of God established in that region.

What we experienced while we prayed was overwhelming as God gave us revelation after revelation. We very much believe that breakthrough in this region is the key to seeing the lost come to Christ by the thousands.

• Pray for David and Karen, that God will strengthen them and sustain them.
• Pray that God will give them a “Person of Peace” who will open doors for them in strategic places.
• Pray that God will bring them another couple to partner with them who have a kindred spirit to see the Kingdom of God come to St. George and the surrounding region.

 All eyes are focused on Arizona during this historic time and we know God is at work. Here at “home” it has been a joy to become part of BridgeBuilders and work with Hal and Cheryl Sacks as we pray for Arizona and our nation.

Recently, under their leadership, we sent out a call across the valley for leaders of intercessory prayer networks to gather, connect, and hear from the Lord. More than 40 leaders gathered and the Presence of God was wonderful as we fellowshipped and prayed and heard from many of them of what God was doing in their ministries.  It is our desire to strengthen these relationships and work together more closely to see a great move of God. What a joy to be found in such a great company of prayer warriors who just love Jesus.

• Please continue to pray with us for a great Awakening in Arizona and in our Nation.
• It’s a great time for focused prayers on your own state, communities and neighborhoods. Check out SEAPC’s Pray America initiative happening in July: https://www.prayamericas.com/

Recently, my dear friend Mark Geppert stayed at my house for a few days. Mark is the man who mentored me, imparted into me and activated me to go to unreached people groups beginning in 2011. We have been on five trips together and have spent hundreds of hours seeing and doing what very few ever get to see and do.  Because of those experiences we have a very deep bond that few could understand.  In short, we “get” each other and it is a blast to get together and reminisce about old times. 

Over and over the conversation would begin with, “Do you remember…?” “Do you remember when we camped at 17,000 feet?” “Do you remember Kar Dung La?” “Do you remember the helicopter ride that never happened?”

With each “Do you remember” we would laugh as we retold all the details of each memory. Then Mark looked at me and said, “Do you remember Kailash?” We both went silent, just staring at each other as the memories of holy awe swept over us. “Yeah, I remember.” I said quietly. “That was the day of all days”.

Kailash is a mountain in Tibet near the border of India.  It is known as the throne of Shiva, who is regarded as one of the main gods of the Hindu religion. It is a high holy place where thousands come every year to make pilgrimage and pay homage to their gods. There at the base of the mountain is a small village at 15,000 ft altitude.

It was here that Mark brought a team of 15 people to pray in 2012. As the team began to spread out we began to attract the attention of the locals. Suddenly, our Chinese translator grabbed my arm and said, “Come, come, someone needs healing prayer.” She took me to a woman who was blind and immediately I remembered a vision God had given to me before the trip…a vision of a blind woman being healed. This was that woman!  At that moment God gave me the faith and grace to pray and God healed her eyes!

Continue reading (and enjoy more pictures)…