A beautiful sister in Canada sent me the link
www.kidsarise.com stating that she thought Jericho might like to host this event. Not really known for our hosting prowess, we prayed and waited for a green light from God. The burden grew and we decided to join the throng of children and adults around the world in a 24 hour prayer chain to dedicate this next generation (ages 4-14 in particular) to the Lord!
Our thoughts led us to invite the children's homes whose ministries are similar to ours: rescuing and redeeming the children whom world has deemed unredeemable. It seemed like a perfect plan.
As the day drew nearer, we began to experience difficulties.
Like home after home contacting to say that they could not come for some reason or another.
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| Our balloon man angel |
And then on THE day, our designated keyboard player did not show up. We had been fasting and praying for this event but now we had to pause everything and cry out to God more intensely. It was Janny, one of our teachers, who had the idea first. She had been chatting with the young man who came to help us with the balloon towers. He was a pastor's son and just "happened" to be a worship leader in his church. And guess what instrument he played? Yep, he was a keyboard player. This balloon man turned out to be a major gift from God. Not only was he willing to stay and play but he also was the only one who was tall enough to hang the map of the world that we had meticulously painted for the event.
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| going out to the highways and byways |
There is a story in the Bible about a party that was thrown and all the invitees could not come so the fiesta givers went out to the highways and byways to bring in the lost. So that's what we did. Our "event" didn't really look as polished and lovely as what we saw online but that little ragtaggle band of children praised and worshipped and listened to the heart of Jesus and when it came time to declare Isaiah 61:1-3 over them, the presence of the Lord was palpable and real. Gisela, our preschool teacher, then prophesied over the children and God spoke Words of encouragement and vision into their lives.
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| Janny and our children |
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| a ribbon with Arise 2012 stamped on it was our version of the Arise tee-shirt |
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| Listening to God |
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| God showed Susana that she would be used as a Psalmist in the future |
At the very end we all spent time asking Jesus to speak to our hearts. The children wrote down or drew pictures of what they sensed God had spoken. One little boy whom Marlyn had scooped up off the streets came running forward. As I asked him what he had heard from the Lord, he announced boldly that God had showed him that He loved him! Another young boy had drawn a cross with a man kneeling before it. He explained that God had shown him that he would be used to bring many to the cross of Christ!
The Spirit of the Sovereign LORD is upon us, because the LORD has anointed us to proclaim good news to the poor. He is sending us to bind up the broken hearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners, to proclaim the year of the LORD'S favor and the day of vengeance of our God, and to comfort all who mourn......and we will be called oaks of righteousness, a planting of the LORD for the display of His splendor." Isaiah 61:1-3 Let the children ARISE. It is Time!
