A Prayer for Comfort

Today there are heavy hearts in the Dominican Republic.

                                                              

Rosanna is a young girl who is a part of our after-school program in the DR. This week she lost her parents, Antonio and Rosa, in a car accident. She is only seven years old. The loss of a loved one is never easy to bear, and there are no magic words to comfort her but we are thankful that we know the Eternal Comforter and the Giver of Peace.

Claudia, Edgard, and the staff at the after-school program treat each of the children like family and are there to support and grieve with Rosanna. As an extended One Vision Family, we ask that you would support Rosanna through your prayers. As we have said before, prayer is the most powerful and effective tool that the Holy Spirit provides and we hope that you will join us in an effort to bring peace, healing, and comfort to Rosanna and the rest of her family.

Here are a few specific ways you can pray for Rosanna:

1 Thessalonians 5:9-11 For God has not destined us for wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ,  who died for us so that whether we are awake or asleep we might live with him. Therefore encourage one another and build one another up, just as you are doing.

- You can encourage Rosanna, not only through prayer, but through writing her a letter. You can mail your letter to P.O. Box 20608 Knoxville, TN 37940 and we will deliver it to her personally.

James 5:16 Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working.

- I personally never know what to say to someone who has lost a family member. However, our prayers for others are often much stronger than our words. While we may not be able to be there for Rosanna physically, we can lift her up in prayer to her Heavenly Father.

Thank you for being diligent prayer partners and taking the time to encourage Rosanna today and in the coming weeks. 

Chikungunya

If your like me... you can't pronounce the title of this post much less know what it means. Chikungunya (pronounced chik-en-gun-ye) is a virus that is quickly spreading around Haiti. It is carried by mosquitoes and cases are multiplying left and right. The staff at the Children's Home is working hard to keep all of our children safe from this virus but it is a daunting task. (Imagine trying to keep almost 70 children sprayed with bug spray from head to toe all day long! Parents...I'm sure you can sympathize)

Despite our best efforts, several of the children have contracted the virus and are being treated. Please keep ALL of the children in your prayers as this virus is particularly painful and causes high fevers. As you pray for the children in the One Vision Home, also pray for the doctors and nurses treating this disease. Pray that they be granted wisdom and the ability to teach others how to protect themselves.

                                                             

Lastly, pray for Job. Out of all the children, he has struggled the most with high fevers and dehydration. He is receiving the best treatment possible but consistent prayer has proven to be the strongest medicine. For those of you who know Job, you know he has overcome medical obstacles before and we pray that God will deliver him from illness again.

Thank you for being such faithful prayer warriors for these children! Please share this with others who can join us in prayer.

The Power of Prayer

At One Vision International, we believe in the power of prayer.

Prayer can heal, restore, and bring strength to the weak. It brings intercession for the needy and gives thanks for our undeserved blessings. It is what we do for the people of Haiti and the Dominican Republic daily and what we covet from you.

We want to honestly and openly share our prayer requests with you so that you can become prayer warriors on our behalf but mostly on the behalf those in other countries that depend on intercession from the Lord to meet their basic needs. When I say basic needs I am referring to food, shelter, medicine, and clothing but I am also referring to love, hope, joy, and the freedom that comes from knowing your Lord and trusting Him.

1. We are blessed with the ability to send containers to Haiti. Some are filled with food, some construction materials, and some with other supplies for the children. However, the process of getting a container through customs in Haiti and released to the orphanage is much longer and complex than you might imagine. Some days it feels like only a miracle will get our containers to the orphanage on time. We currently have two containers waiting to be released and, by the grace of God, we just got word that one should be released and on its way to the orphanage by early next week! Pray that this process will go smoothly. Also, pray that the second container will be released quickly so Francisco and Cecile can receive and use the much needed supplies! 

2. The second group of children recently joined the child sponsorship program in the Dominican Republic! We are excited to get to know each one and are working hard to find them sponsors. As we learn their stories from Claudia and Edgard we are excited that they are a part of the after-school program but also broken-hearted by what some of them have endured at such a young age. Please pray that God would use Claudia, Edgard, Mathilde, and the other adults to show them the healing power of Jesus Christ. Also, pray for peace, reconciliation, and kindness in their homes and hearts.

3. We hope to have the children officially moved in to the One Vision Children's Home this fall! The Sevier Heights VBS will be working to collect money for landscaping this summer so that their new house will start to feel like a home. Often the closer we get to doing great things for God the harder the spiritual warfare becomes. Pray that the Haitian and American staff will hold fast to the promises of the Lord and the transition will be smooth (and certainly exciting) for the children.

4. Pray for Claudia and Edgard as they travel, within the country, and back home early next week. God has already proven Himself faithful in getting them here safely and providing OVI with the opportunity to introduce such faithful servants to everyone in Tennessee! Pray that the Lord will give them the words to accurately describe what He is doing in the Dominican Republic and plant a seed of passion in others for their country. 

I can't express how thankful we are for your thoughts and prayers. God's word says "The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective" (James 5:16) and we not only believe it... we have experienced it.