SGWM Newsblog » Padilla Family July 2010 Missions Update

Padilla Family July 2010 Missions Update

Dear family and friends,

Thank you for all of your faithful prayers for us and for the children and staff of the Village of Hope. We have now been here in Colorado for a little over three months, and so many of you have continued to pray diligently for us and for the whole situation. We are reminded of a verse from Acts 12:5 that says: “Peter was therefore kept in prison, but constant prayer was offered to God for him by the church” (emphasis ours). Thank you also for your continued financial support that has kept us going. We have so much to be thankful for. God has used you all in mighty ways in our lives. June was an extremely busy month for us, with the biggest event being our trip to Washington DC to testify at a congressional hearing regarding our deportation from Morocco. We also had three celebrations: Maggie’s and Ezra’s birthdays, and Lynn’s grandma’s homecoming to heaven.

CONGRESSIONAL HEARING: Many of you were praying for us before, during, and after this trip to our nation’s capitol, and you received the update letter that we sent out when we got back. In short, our goal was that the American government would hear the truth about what is happening in Morocco, and we believe that was accomplished. The five Republican congressmen who heard our testimony started off concerned, and ended up deeply disturbed about what they heard. We want to say a big thank you to Mark and Helen, our friends in Maryland who housed us and took care of Maggie and Ezra the day of the hearing. Since the hearing, we have received news that 10 more Americans who had received deportation orders had the orders reversed. This is good news!

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Happy birthday Maggie and Ezra!

BIRTHDAYS: While we were gone we celebrated both Maggie’s and Ezra’s birthdays with special friends. Thank you to our friends who helped us with these celebrations. Maggie is 5 now and Ezra is 3. Grandma and Grandpa also wanted to celebrate with them when we returned, so they were happy to have more than one chance to blow out candles and open presents. We thank God for our beautiful children. Almost every night they pray by themselves for their brothers Samir and Mouhcine. Many times they still cry when they remember them. Ezra also prays for “the police who kicked us out.”

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Marian Natelborg, 1918-2010

LYNN’S GRANDMA: Many of you have been praying for Lynn’s grandma, as her health had been slowly declining especially at the beginning of this year. On May 31^st she suffered a stroke and became unconscious, and on June 1^st she left us to go forever with her Savior, Jesus Christ. It was a special time for Lynn. She didn’t think she would get to see her again, but our coming home to the States turned out to be a blessing in this case. Lynn was able to share a special moment with her grandma on the Saturday before she died. She had an incredible sense of peace and said that it was a “day of rejoicing.” That was the last time Lynn spoke with her and she knew that God had prepared her to come home to Him.

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Fun in the sprinkler

UPCOMING PLANS: Please keep us in prayer as we approach the end of July. Lynn will be starting her job as a Speech-Language Pathologist for the Aurora school district on July 26^th, with 7 days of orientation before school begins on August 4^th. Please pray for her as she starts in a new district after 10 years in Paramount, CA and 4 years out of the profession. There will be a lot of learning, reading, training, and adjustment to this kind of work in a new place. Thankfully, her assignment is only at one school. Please pray also for where Maggie will go to kindergarten. We are praying that she will be able to attend the school where Lynn works, but we will not know if there is a sure spot for her until school starts. Please pray also for us as we look for housing in Aurora. We need to be closer to Lynn’s job and it would be wonderful to be closer to our fellowship, CC Aurora. And last, please keep praying for Eddie’s health as he is receiving good treatment from a new doctor, and for a job as he continues to apply and interview.

NEWS — DEARBORN MICHIGAN: We heard some interesting news this week about something incredible that happened right here in our own country regarding religious freedom. You may also have heard about this. There was an Arab festival in Dearborn, and some Christians were walking around, trying to engage in conversations with people and ask questions. They were harassed by the security and some of them were arrested. Especially as we celebrate the 4^th of July this year, we need to be thankful for all of the freedoms that we enjoy here, and we need to pray for our country.

PRAISE AND PRAYER REQUESTS:

Children at VOH: Please keep praying for all of the 33 children from the Village of Hope. One girl has returned to an institution in another city, and little Simo with cerebral palsy is at a handicapped center in another city.
Workers from VOH: Pray for the local workers that lost their jobs when we left. Pray for them to reach out to God and for His provision for them and their families.
Workers that are caring for the children: Pray for the workers that are still at VOH taking care of the children. They are doing their best to help the children through this difficult separation.
VOH staff: Please pray for all of the families that had to leave VOH and return to their home countries. Pray for God’s wisdom and leading in how to respond to this situation.
Housing: Pray for God’s leading for housing in Aurora.
Eddie: Pray for God’s will for him regarding a job, and for discipline with the health care that he is getting for diabetes.
Lynn: Pray for wisdom and strength as she starts a new job on July 26.
Maggie: Pray for her heart to be comforted, and for God’s will about where she will attend kindergarten.
Ezra: Pray for his heart to be comforted also, and for wisdom regarding child care for him if and when the time comes that we would need that.
Marriage: Pray for good communication, wisdom, and prayer time together.
Spiritual foundation: please pray for our home to be firmly established in the Word and in prayer.

PRAY FOR THE CHILDREN IN MOROCCO: The following is a prayer for the children of the Village of Hope that was sent to us by a prayer warrior friend. We really liked it and wanted to send it along to you, to help us all be praying for the precious children that we had to leave behind. Thanks for your prayers!

The following writing is impressions I received during my prayer time regarding the kids that were left behind in Morocco when Christian believers were deported after receiving 24 hour notice.

Moses grew up in the Egyptian system, but God allowed him to be the deliverer of a nation at His appointed time. Moses was a leader, deliverer, judge and mouthpiece for God.

O little ones who are left behind I declare over you today that God is your Father. He will preserve you. He will reveal Himself to you. God is your Portion forever. He has a plan and a purpose for you. You shall not die, but live, and declare the works of the Lord. I pray for God’s seal upon your hearts and minds. You will be wholly His – devoted unto God. On your foreheads will be written HOLINESS TO THE LORD. You are God’s set-apart ones. You are separated from the peoples serving other gods; it will be known you are God’s possession. He rages over you with jealousy and passionate love. He is fighting every battle for you. You are NOT alone. Your names are inscribed in the palm of God’s hand. He is mindful of you. Children of Morocco, hear the word of the Lord. He is your Rock, your Fortress, Deliverer, your GOD, your Strength, your Shield, Horn of your Salvation, your Fortress. When the pangs of death surround you and you are afraid, call upon the name of the Lord. God will hear you, your cry will be heard in His ears. The earth will shake and tremble as God pursues your enemies. He will answer with hailstones and coals of fire. For He is the Mighty One, God the Lord. He shall come and fight one your behalf. He will not be silent; He shall devour your enemies with fire.

When you look to the skies, you will see signs that are hidden to the unbeliever and the ignorant. The Lord your Maker will speak to you. You will hear His voice. The word of the Lord is near you, in your mouth and in your heart. You will be the arrows in God’s quiver. You shall speak against the enemy in the gates of Morocco. God has ordained strength out of the mouth of babes and nursing infants. You will silence the enemy and the avenger. O little ones, as you cry out – GOD WILL HEAR. Lift up your voice and CRY! DO NOT be silent. Speak out! Let the gates of Fes shake as you lift your voice! Casablanca will tremble at the sight of God – girded with His sword and fighting on behalf of the little ones. Meknes will bow. I speak forth SURRENDER… Every thought standing against the knowledge of God, you will bow. Every statue of gods and man will tumble in Morocco. It will fall. I see the strong man in every city fall as the children cry out to God. Babylon (the system on Babylon in this world) is falling. There is a fall of idols, ideologies, theories, beliefs in Morocco. The heavens are rumbling, the clouds are rolled away. O people of God cry out, cry out, cry out… The terror of God is upon this nation. Behold, Jesus is coming. The Great I am is coming. Look up and see! Tremble at the sight of God. Tremble at His word and seek Him while He can still be found.

HE IS COMING…