Saturday, March 23, 2013

Following the River

I'm starting a blog over on wordpress.com. The main reason I'm writing is because it's required for school. If you're interested, you can keep up with it, here

A preview:

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We will not experience the fullness of the river until we step over to the other side. However, the Scriptures make it clear that we can drink of God’s river now, here, in this life, even if it’s only in a measure // Bob Sorge // Following the River // p3
We can have a taste of the river now, not just at the end of time. It won’t be to the fulness, but it is to a measure! Just like we see now in part, yet then, we will see in full (1 Cor 13:12)!

I remember being in college back in Australia. I had great big gaps between classes and used to spend them all in the library… One day I happened to stumble upon the section on REVIVAL and RENEWAL. This was where I first found out about the Toronto outpouring, and also where I first read about Rolland and Heidi Baker (I smile, just thinking about it because who knew then that I would ever end up in Mozambique, let alone other nations with Iris).
He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water // Jesus // John’s Book, 7:38 // God’s Word
It started then. Then is when I started to hunger after seeing the Kingdom manifest in my world. I hungered to see the Lord break in in supernatural power. My prayer became, “Lord, please make me a conduit. I want to be a conduit of Your presence, Your love, Your power… I want it to happen so that even if people walk past me they encounter You. So that even just one touch, causes them to encounter YOUR love Jesus, YOUR healing Jesus… so that they get hungry for You…”
Every time I move house. Every time I move states. Every time I move countries. This is the prayer that I always come back to. Lord. It’s all about You.


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Monday, March 11, 2013

Forest Lake, Minnesota! Partnering with and Strengthening Houses of Prayer...

Twin Cities Ministry Trip
In the first week of April, I'll be travelling with a team of IHOPU students to Forest Lake, Minnesota. There is a local church there who have invited us to come and partner with them in strengthening their ministry to the Lord. There will be a gathering of around 20 houses of prayer from all over the state who are coming to be trained, equipped and ministered to! Some of what we will be doing: training in tools for ministering in a House of Prayer; running a youth conference and adult conference at nights; ministry to children; training in outreach and tools for living a life ABIDING in the Love of GOD! We will also be running a 3 day burn - so 24/7 prayer for 3 days. We will be split into three teams for 3 different sleep schedules. I'll be part of the Night Watch so will be sleeping in the mornings. I am so excited about what the Lord will do through us. Not really sure exactly what to expect but I do know that it's conferences and events like these that have impacted my life as a teenager/young adult, so I know that the LORD will impact many hearts from all over Minnesota, as well as our own!

Thank you so much for continuing to stand with me in prayer, love and support :) Please continue to Pray, that I would only be taken deeper and deeper and be filled with such a deeper HUNGER and THIRST for JESUS - the ONE who is WORTHY of it all!!
Much Love and Joy!

Serena xo

You can see the website for the event, here

Saturday, March 9, 2013

Life in KC...

Dearest Beloved Friends!

Hope you are all doing great!! Whether you are in a season of smooth sailing or a season of challenges (or both!), may you find JOY in Jesus!!

    "All the Nations they will come, holding broken chains above their head
    They'll be singing: 'We have overcome! By the blood of the LAMB!'
    Jesus YOU, YOU'RE worth it ALL!
    Every Nation, Every Soul!
    All the people will sing Your praises, Glory to the LAMB of God!" - Circuit Riders - "Every Nation, Every Soul" - Lindy Conant

At church last night we were led in worship with this song, and you could feel the power in the song as well as how it seemed that almost every person in the place was really connecting with it. Lord, thank you for continuing to stir up a passion for the nations in Your House of Prayer for all Nations!! This week we have over 40 houses of prayer and ministries from all over America and the world, coming to recruit graduated IHOPU students for their prayer houses and ministries. I am so so excited as we are here to be trained up and sent out to strengthen those who are already out there pioneering new works, as well as to pioneer news ones ourselves.

Visiting the Night Watch!
Not sure if you all know this but this time in Kansas City has been different: I've been doing days, for the first time not on the Night Watch!! It has a definite different feel to it! Also as a music student instead of an intern it's totally different, too.

For example:
FITN Intern: 36 hours a week in the Prayer room
Music Student/Full-time missionary: 24 prayer room or "Sacred Trust" hours to fulfil: 12 of which are completed in the "labs" where we have student worship teams and run our own prayer room sets. 6 more of my hours are done serving either on keyboard or as a group singer in the Hispanic/Spanish teams in the "All Nations Prayer Room", and I therefore only have 2 hours a week in the "Global Prayer Room"! (I know, there're a lot of names. That's why we have all the acronyms..).

I've started getting up at 3am this past week to go to the 4am sets (last set of the Night Watch), and it has been brilliant. The sweetness that I get from being able to spend more time sitting before the Lord and not concentrating so much on the music, or trying to translate the small amount of spanish in my head that I know, is more than worth it.

Yesterday our music classes were canceled because of an inner healing seminar that the school was running, so my day looked like this:

4am Intercession set - Ashley Prior's team was leading, which last week the Lord was so moving in that set that although they're meant to transition teams at 6am, they kept going all the way til around 7am! Contending for a culture of LIFE. This is one of the issues which is SO on the Father's heart! Please pray for the Nations' babies, as we have a voice to speak and they do not!! Speak up for the silent!

http://www.ihopkc.org/prayerroom/archives/  Watch the 4:00AM Fri March 08 session. Try watching from 1hr 34 mins. Praying for LIFE starts at 1hr40min.

6am - spent some time working on homework in the cafe next door, where my friend who works there so sweetly brought me a mango smoothie! Thank you Jesus!!

7.25am - got picked up to ride to the JPR (Justice Prayer Room, where the All Nations PR sets are held) where we had briefing and then did another intercession set, praying for Venezuela also for the Hispanic intensive starting on Monday! (Pastors and leaders coming from all over, including Juarez, Mexico! Please pray for them for the LORD to encounter their hearts! Open hearts for revelation!)

10.15am - Spent time with another Iris family member, who went to Harvest school and staffed the next one in 2009. It's the first time I've gotten to spend time with her apart from during spanish sets! Yay Jesus!! She and her husband have a heart to move to Spain and be involved in House of Prayer/other Missions work there!

12pm - This is normally my "lab" time in the student worship teams. Because of cancelled classes, we spent it in the Global Prayer Room instead. Two Worship with the Word sets in a row, with Justin Rizzo's team leading first (one of my FAVOURITE teams as a lot of the time they have orchestral instruments such as french horns, strings, flutes/whistles, percussion... think film music/celtic/hip-hop/rap :) and Misty Edward's team leading at 2pm. I had to walk up and down a lot so I wouldn't fall asleep, and got to partner with JESUS in praying with what was on HIS heart!

4pm - got a ride back to my place, where my landlord was working on pipes to get them to unblock... seems like America isn't so far from Africa after all ;) sat down to eat some dinner and write to all of YOU!

6pm - Encounter God Service at Church. The current theme the Lord is having most people dig into around here at the moment is John 14-17, about Abiding in Love...

The same love the Father has for Jesus, Jesus has for us!!  Let that sink in for a bit... The intensity to which the Father Loves Jesus, Jesus loves YOU (and your friend, or not-yet-friend...)