Brazil- Liberdade 2014

So... I'm going to Brazil.

What?

Liberdade - it means "freedom" in portuguese. 

I have the opportunity to go with Exodus Cry, a department of the International House of Prayer Kansas City, which exists for the ending of human trafficking.
Liberdade is the project to partner with the nation and church of Brazil in prayer and intervention leading up to and during the 2014 FIFA World Cup. The World Cup will see an increase in the demand for commercial sex in each of the 12 cities it is being held.

"The battle for human trafficking will never be won in the courts of men until it is won first won in the courts of heaven through the prevailing prayers of the saints" - Benji Nolot

I believe that prayer is the most effective strategy that we have for ending this injustice. In prayer, we are partnering with the Lord's heart, partnering with the Great Intercessor Himself: Jesus Christ, and saying that we want to weep with Him, we want to rejoice with Him, and we want to be a part of releasing HIS purposes on earth as it is in heaven! It is out of this culture of prayer and intimacy with Him (in the red light districts of each city) that we will be fueled to go out onto the streets in intervention teams to the ones He loves.

More about Exodus Cry:

Exodus Cry: Every Person Should be Free from Exodus Cry on Vimeo.

Exodus Cry seeks to mobilize a 24/7 prayer room within the red-light areas in
each of the 12 host cities that will pray for 31 days, the entirety of the World Cup, for the ending of sex trafficking and spiritual awakening in the nation. 

Out of this 24/7 prayer reality, intervention teams will be sent into the red-light areas to reach out to those being exploited.

I will specifically be going as part of a team to Fortaleza, which is on the North-East coast of Brazil. It is a city of over 500 favelas, and is known for it's trafficking, corruption, gangs and inequality. It is currently said that Fortaleza is the capital of child sex tourism in the Americas, and ranked 3rd in the world. But I know that the Lord does not agree with this! 

The LORD has great plans for the children, the women and the men of Fortaleza. HE has great plans for His church! Fortaleza is also known as the land of light, and I know that there are believers in Fortaleza who are believing this and claiming this truth about this city. It is a place for the light of JESUS CHRIST to shine and for the church of Fortaleza to be a light to the nations, as well as being sent out to the nations to preach Christ and Him crucified. To be the hands and feet of Jesus and to spread the good news of His mercy and freedom!

Here is a 7 minute video on what the Lord has been stirring in my heart for Fortaleza...

My team has the privilege of partnering with Iris Fortaleza for this trip, which I am so excited about because it is like my two families are coming together! Iris and IHOP-KC!

So, how am I preparing for this trip?

• Learning portuguese - I'm using apps, a course from the library, and spending time translating self assigned portions of the bible, songs and other books to force myself to learn more :)
• Serving in the Portuguese team - I am an intercessor in the All Nations Prayer Room at IHOP-KC, where most of our team are Brazilian portuguese speakers, and one is even South African, with Mozambican and Portuguese heritage! (Jesus loves me so much)
• Training - our combined teams are having training at Exodus Cry here in KC, in the offices as well as on the streets (yes the United States is the 3rd largest destination for human trafficking. This happens all around the world. YOUR country likely has human slavery going on right now. Pray and get aware!
• Prayer - I am asking for more of FATHER'S heart, JESUS' heart through HOLY SPIRIT for His Bride in Brazil. And this prayer is already being answered... I am praying over Brazil, singing over Brazil, and sitting at HIS feet asking for HIS heart!

http://www.ihopkc.org/anpr/#asset/140313_ANPR_2000/auto/true Go to 0:42 mins - praying out of Eph 1 for a spirit of wisdom and revelation – encounters, the raising up of intercessory singers and musicians out of the youth in Belo Horizonte (Beautiful Horizon) – one of the cities for the World Cup. 0:46 mins is praying that they would know the exceeding power He has to them that believe. Visions and dreams. That they would step out for righteousness and justice.

http://www.ihopkc.org/anpr/#asset/140320_ANPR_2000/auto/true Go to 1hr 30secs - praying for the children in Iris bases in Mozambique out of Eph 3 (a lot of people are away in this meeting! But it was such a sweet time).

In Brazil
I will be spending at least 6 hours a day in the prayer room, 6 days a week
At least 3 days a week I will also be a part of outreaches (as intervention teams on the street). I am section leading for Fortaleza so am assuming it will be more time than this, and of course it will be day to day life in loving the ones who are in front of me :) and letting myself be loved by my Papa God, and my team.

Mozambique
The Lord also gave me the sweetest invitation to go to Mozambique right after Brazil, for around a month until school starts again. I will be putting my hand to whatever the Lord gives, and am so excited to see my Pemba Iris family again, and get to sit in on classes with Mama Heidi and Papa Rolland and others! There is always plenty to be done in Pemba, and I am open to whatever HE needs me in most. It will also be partly a time of refreshing after Brazil, as school will start as soon as I arrive back in Kansas City.

Time period: 2 1/2 months
Brazil approx 5th June - 17th July 2014.
Mozambique approx 17th July to 16th August 2014.

Most teams already have their tickets or are getting them this week. As it is the World cup, tickets are selling out fast, so I'm asking the Lord for the ability to buy plane tickets ASAP in His timing! :)

Flights all up, if I can buy tickets asap, come to $3200 for both Brazil and Mozambique all the way there and all the way back from Kansas City ☺ I’m quite excited about this as the original quote was over a thousand more! Praise Jesus for cheap flights! KC→ Chicago Bus; Chicago → Sao Paolo plane; Sao Paolo → Fortaleza → Sao Paolo plane; Sao Paolo → Maputo, → Pemba → Maputo → Sao Paolo → Chicago plane; Chicago → KC bus ☺

Total estimated budget: (high end is more flexibility/able to give more)
Low End: $5100
High End: $5500

Ask me if you would like more information on the budget breakdown ☺

If you would like to partner with me in prayer, keep in touch see below for a prayer guide for Liberdade! If you would like to partner financially, let me know as well ☺ We can see the Lord move on behalf of the nation of Brazil, together!

More information:

http://exoduscry.com/liberdade - you can download a Brazil field guide, as well as a 31 day prayer guide to join us in prayer leading up to and throughout the World Cup.
http://irisbrasil.org - Iris Fortaleza website

His Sovereignty!!

So, I haven't blogged in awhile!!! Partly this has been because of just not being sure what to write, partly because of going through some harder situations lately which made it hard to write, and partly it has been because of waiting on the Lord... Partly it has been even that I've sort of felt like I don't have any really "exciting" amazing miracle stories to share. Yet even then there is so much I would have liked to share had I been able to write... Anyway, I was sitting down a couple days ago with a friend/mentor of mine and she reminded me of the importance of journalling. Of journalling what the Lord is sharing with me, of little breakthroughs here and there in my current faith journey of getting to another country, and even the impact of blogging as so many are impacted and encouraged by the testimony of what HE does in our lives... So, here I am again! and I will try to do better with speaking forth those things He has me share!

A few little things I'm excited about:

For the past 2 to 3 years I've been asking the Lord here and there about visiting a certain amazing ministry here in the states, or even interning with them. It's not like I haven't had opportunities to go, yet the Lord has not yet released me. Yet here I am now and the Lord asked me to go to a different country far away; impressing on me a friend who has recently moved there (except I haven't met her yet, but I love her already!), to join her for a short time in whatever HE is doing! It just so happens to be that she was with this ministry in the states for 2 years, and therefore has the DNA as well as Iris DNA... Basically what I'm trying to say is, HE hasn't asked me or released me to go visit this ministry which is right here in the states, yet HE has provided for me to GO and visit a friend and connection of that ministry in a country way far away!

Sometimes there may be opportunities that are closer and easier and along the same lines of what you feel called to and want to do, yet they aren't what the Lord has for you. WAIT on HIM and HE will guide you to the right place and time!

Basically, I've had another miracle story of provision... HE has provided a cheaper flight for me just this morning, saving me a few hundred dollars in airfares of the cheapest flight I could find earlier on (the new fare is just over 2 thirds of the original price which is huge!) and while I will have to take a bus to a train to a plane in a different city instead of just going to the airport here, it is still WAY cheaper and kinda more fun, more dependent on Jesus to do it this way :) This is just truth here by the way. Some people wonder how I can be continuously "travelling" all the time... Well, He provides when He wants me to go somewhere. And honestly sometimes it takes more effort and time and long overnight layovers at different airports... and choosing the simple lifestyle :) HE always provides for HIS daughter though :)

I'm writing this at my bedtime on the nightwatch schedule, so I apologise if it isn't very well written!  Thank You Lord I get to go to bed after this!

I just really felt to share about His awesome sovereignty in knowing exactly where we are meant to be at the right times! I'm going to blog again in the next couple days and share the story of how I ended up committing to go where I'm going! It was HIS idea not mine!

Love you all who read this!!

Please pray, for INTIMACY; STRENGTH to keep pressing in and believing for HIS heart for the people and nation I am going to; for GRACE to finish up with school finals well; for my BROTHER's visit in a few days time!!! for HEALTH - big one; for HIS WILL on earth as in HEAVEN!; for PROTECTION and for PROVISION - I still need provision for a visa, for bus tickets (cheap), for another plane ticket inside the destination country (cheap) and other expenses... :) :) I am SO excited about all HE is doing!! Thank You JESUS!! Pray for my family, too :) :)

...HE WILL have HIS way in the nations, whether we partner with HIM or not!! But oh, that HE would have HIS way fully in my own heart... this privilige we have, to partner with HIM... to be friends who pray, weep, love, rejoice with Him!

Be still, and know that I am GOD.
I WILL be exalted in the nations, I WILL be exalted in the earth!
Psalm 46:10

August update

At the moment, I'm in the middle of half switching to night watch (and waiting for approval to be on the Night Watch as it is a very intense schedule for a Music student at IHOPU. I have to write out exactly when I'm going to be eating and sleeping etc)... My heart is yearning to go deeper in my relationship with my God, and to be deeper in the word. I want more change from the inside out and know that I will find that in the Night Seasons. I also know it will enable me to pray more effectively for my friends in the nations.

This means I'll be in the prayer room 5nights a week from 2am-6am, plus Sunday's from 6-8am and extra briefings which I'm so excited about! I am also approved to worship lead in some capacity this semester, which is in my student worship labs 3 days a week 8am-12pm.

This semester in addition to music classes, worship/intercession labs and Sacred Trust (prayer hours), I have a class in 'Basic Christian Beliefs' which is like Systematic Theology and also another class on the 'Song of Solomon'. I am really excited about the Basic Christian Beliefs class because it's taught by Jono Hall who I've heard marks really hard- he's British and has a degree in Law from Exeter University. I'm excited to write papers for someone who marks hard!! I am also so excited because Shelly Hundley is teaching my song of Solomon class and she used to be a missionary kid in Colombia and she loves Holy Spirit as a good friend and is really prophetic.

It has become my heart to be able to do all 4 years of IHOPU and be able to be a part of the House of Prayer Leadership track - which starts in 3rd year... I'm beginning my 2nd one. My goal IS to become a HEALTHY leader who LOVES WELL even under pressure. We will see, semester by semester, if that is the Lord's plan for me to do all the rest of the 4 years in one go :) I do know that I am meant to be here in THIS season at THIS time.

I really feel that this is a season of training the Lord has set me in to help me become a better leader who LOVES people WELL. I feel it's a lot about heart surgery, healing and character development. Lessons in humility, self-discipline, loving and serving my worship team well... I want to make the most of this semester with what the Lord has put in my hands to do and most of all to go deeper in the place of intimacy with the Lord. I want to be a Friend of the Bridegroom and be entrusted with the secrets, burdens and joys of HIS heart! (this is the JOY of Intercession!! being HIS Friend!!)

So again, thank you for praying for me and supporting me :) I really value your friendship in my life :)

SIDE NOTE: Extra because I feel this could encourage someone :)

School starts Monday morning!! I am truly so grateful to the Lord for the delay in provision just because of the amount of sifting and searching He has done in my own heart... I became open to the thought that maybe I wasn't in the right place? Maybe the Lord didn't want me in school this semester and wanted me back in Mozambique? Or Nepal or even Lord, if YOU want me in a completely new place... Maybe now was the time that I was supposed to make the "long term committment" of 2 years in whichever country with Iris? Through the last 2 days of intense time spent with Jesus - I've gotten to the point of surrender, knowing that JESUS IS WORTH IT ALL, EVERY NATION, EVERY SOUL, and that I am willing to go ANYWHERE HE WANTS me to be! For the sake of ONE nation, and even ONE soul... and I have also gotten to the point of KNOWING again that I am supposed to be here. As soon as I got to that point of KNOWING within myself that I'm in the right place... literally within about 1/2 an hour, the bulk of my down payment came through from somebody I don't know who!! So, the LORD KNOWS our hearts! I do want to use this testimony to encourage YOU that if things are hard right now, USE this opportunity from the Lord to really let HIM do some soul searching, and do it yourself - find out if you really HAVE given this season in your life completely to the LORD - find out where your heart REALLY is in HIM!! OH there is so much JOY in the pressure and squeezing and delay!! Thank you JESUS!

Also, this reminded me of the time I was in Mozambique waiting to get my passport back from Moz immigration so that I could have my interview with the US embassy to get into America for IHOP for the first time... the breakthrough came once I decided in my heart - once my MINDSET shifted - and I KNEW I was doing exactly what the LORD had for me. There is no plan B.

Falling in Love With the Task...

Falling in love with the task: if your compassion for people exceeds your passion for Jesus you will end up opposed to Him on the day of His coming. William Wilberforce hardly prayed for the ending of slavery as his prayers were mostly prayers to KNOW JESUS more and to keep up the good fight. - notes from an Abolition conference earlier in 2013

Lately I've been kept awake at nights - partly because the heater white noise isn't coming on because it's trying to becoming Spring (it was 82F/27C today.. Thursday it might snow :/ ) - and partly because I am lying awake consumed with thoughts about this latest vision the Lord has given me and this week just happens to be very crucial in the timing of it all. (I'll share more as it happens! Just know it is VERY on the Lord's heart). 

I've been worried that this vision has been becoming larger in my heart than God Himself, and I NEVER want that to happen. Yet it is just taking up SO MUCH of my thoughts, mental space and emotions!! 

I'm one of those people you might call a "visionary". These people are such that once they get an idea, they run full force ahead with it, at least in their minds, researching it and finding out as much as they can, even connecting people together if it involves people; they look at all angles and possibilities to see how this idea CAN come to pass and it CAN be done! Because of course it can! Anything, if it's from the Lord, is possible! It is all possible in HIS perfect timing and HIS perfect wisdom, strength and ability! It just takes chasing HIM first... 

So, I'm lying here tonight, and thinking of how I don't want my passion for the task to exceed my passion for the Creator... Im saying to Him how I want to know Him and to run the race well, to fight the good fight. And He says to me,

"Serena, you just keep Chasing after Me. Go after what I've put on your heart and seek to Know Me in the middle of it all, seek to walk in the way I would do it... Seek to know Me in the middle of it all. And I'll take care of your heart."

You see, I've been worrying about my heart. And yet HE is the only one who knows my heart. I actually don't even know if this vision He's given me is becoming bigger than Him. Of course there's some times when you KNOW that it's bigger and more important and of course then, you are responsible to know your heart and talk to Him and do what you need to to make JESUS first again. But when there's times where you're not sure... He says: "[your name here], just chase after me and seek to live out My heart in My ways... And I'll look after your heart." phew. 

Let's not get all tied up in knots needlessly. Yes we need to work out our own salvation with fear and trembling. Check our hearts. But if we're not sure - the answer is, bring HIM into everything. Continue to READ His WORD back to front. Talk to HIM constantly. Have HIM constantly before your eyes and your thoughts. And It will be okay :)

I bind my mind to the mind of Christ. I bind my heart to the heart of the Father. Holy Spirit, thank You that You are with me. Please remind me of everything that Jesus taught and how to live imitating HIM. Let me flow with You minute by minute, breath by breath. Let my only thoughts be Jesus' and my only emotions be out of the Father's heart. In Jesus' Mighty Name, Amen!

Heavenly perspective in the midst of change

Jennifer Roberts has been here in Kansas City for something like 14 or 15 years, and before that she was IN THE NATIONS for something like a decade (I only just found out about her), and is now going to pioneer the International House of Prayer in Brazil... For anyone ESPECIALLY who has done Harvest School, or YWAM... This podcast is so good and so relevant! Especially if the Lord has called you to somewhere like the west, for a season (like me!). Enjoy!!

I will Tell the World... for I carry you in me

Now that I have seen
I am responsible
Faith without deeds is dead
Now that I have held you
In my own arms
I cannot let go till you are...

And I am on a plane
Across a distant sea
But I carry you in me
In the dust on... the dust on... the dust on... the dust on....
My feet

I will tell the world
I will tell them where I've been
I will keep my word
I will tell them, Albertine

I'm sitting down to finish my assignment on worship due tomorrow... and put my itunes on shuffle to help me concentrate. The first song I played was "Albertine" by Brook Fraser. This song has been special to me for awhile mainly because of the lyrics posted above. There is more to the song which you can find if you want to google it, however these lyrics resound with me the most... I think you would understand why! If you don't, you probably don't know about the last 2 years of my life. Feel free to start at the start of this blog and read onwards!

I carry the children of Mozambique in heart. I carry the faces of those on the streets, from the poorest to the richest of that land. The Lord has given me His heart for them all... Maybe one day I will be long term there (meaning, a couple of years all in one go!), or maybe not.

You see, I also carry the children on Ukraine in my heart. Oh wow I felt it, even just then as I typed those words out. The children and the teenagers of Ukraine are just soo hungry for the breaking in of the Lord! They are hungry for His love and His truth!

I carry the people on Nepal, the people of other south-east Asian countries, I carry the children of Mexico and Guatemala in my heart. I carry those ones in my heart who I have not met yet... and, most recently I carry the children of North America in my heart...

I feel the burden of those children who are in the foster care system. Those ones who are orphans by very definition ---- Those ones who may have been waiting a year, 5 years, 15 years, in foster care just hoping for a permanent family to choose them as theirs. It is said that 75% of these kids who grow up without being adopted end up homeless. In fact, half of the homeless population of (Canada of the US, I can't remember for sure) is made up of foster kids who have "aged out" of the system without being adopted. Would we, as the ones who are meant to be the extended body of Jesus, accept His heart to set the lonely in families? To take care of the orphans?

I just want to put this out there and make it known. If you're worried about expense, it can cost pretty much nothing to adopt from the state foster care system (and I know this from friends who have done it, and would do it again)! Of course if you feel called to adopt internationally or to go start a children's home overseas, DO it! The Lord is WITH you! But there is an EXTREMELY legitimate need right here in the States, even in Australia, in the UK, and everywhere else you wouldn't normally think about - for children to have families to support them not just until 18 or 21, but even for life.

Bless you as you go about your day and lean closer into the Father's heartbeat :)

Serena

Adoption is not charity. It's WAR (spiritual warfare) - Russell Moore

The cry of my heart...

God, release the sound
Release the movement
I'm laying down everything

God, you promised nations
I want the nations
I am not gonna settle, now
I, I hear the cry
I hear the longing
This is the sound of freedom

I stand in the gap
I stand here praying
For the next Great Awakening

Jake Hamilton - "The Next Great Awakening"  - Marked By Heaven 

Full lyrics: click here