What God is doing in Indonesia! – Stephen & Carree Stewart write:

Dear Brothers and Sisters in our Mighty God, the One True God of Heaven and Earth, look at what God is doing here!  He is working around us and in us in amazing ways.  Will you join us on the battlefield in prayer and intercession?  As we’ve been searching Him these past few weeks, He has asked us to go about this prayer email in a different way.  We’ve been studying how to bring the Gospel to this land – He has expanded our vision so that the Gospel is more of an overflow in our daily life.   It is more organic and bursting out of our hearts into a grace-filled lifestyle, sowing his seeds of truth in every situation He brings.  It’s less of a man-made and planned out “ministry” approach and more of a daily surrender and filling of the LORD so that we can shine for Him.  Yes, we still have plans, but our mindset is more open and flexible to His daily leading.

Will you just roll with me here, and continue reading?  God’s word has sprung to life in us & is overflowing in our family, our home, our community and our nation like never before.  This River of Life and Love – His Presence- is flowing into us, healing & renewing and flowing out in awesome and amazing ways.  He is the One who calls, who saves, who heals & redeems.  He has forgiveness, healing, redemption, love & mercy and satisfaction (Psalm 103) for those who believe, trust and obey (Isaiah 30:15).

…Let’s start with our hearts.  This is where the deep transformation has been taking place.  Rejoice with us in the renewal He gives – in the past few weeks His rivers have broken forth into the barren places!  He has replaced our mourning and loss with gladness (Isa 61).  He has replaced Carree’s loneliness with deep satisfaction in Him – her Best Friend!  He has breathed new life into Stephen – a renewed daily passion for His word (Psalm 1).  We are waking with the dawn, hungrier to seek His word and pray.  We are praying more often throughout the day.  Proclaiming Him to people He brings to us with more boldness.  We are talking about Him, His work in our lives and His Love with our children and our friends.  Both of us had amazing mountain-top experiences in the last month – Carree at a women’s retreat in the mountains of Bogor, and Stephen on a mountain hike in Garut.  The challenges and stresses haven’t changed.  The outside stressors are still there.  We make mistakes…a lot of them.  We get in bad moods.  But His Grace for us abounds!  He leads us in peace when we turn to him and lay it down.  Will you join us at His throne in praise and asking for a filling of more of His Light & Love? 

This land is in need of prayer.  Could He be calling you to a special ministry of Intercession for Indonesia?  For the unreached and hurting people here?  For His work in this land?  For a revival in the church?  For strength for the persecuted underground?  Some specific ways you can intercede for Indonesia this month are: A spirit of violence and murder (recent mail bombings, religions tensions, attacks on national believers), the tremblings of the land (volcanoes, tsunamis, earthquakes), the glorious birthing of a New Thing in the islands, a groaning for revival in the land, strengthening of leadership of the national church, conviction and returning to Him among his people here (purification in the body – many still consult with animistic witch doctors), the use of spiritual gifts and warfare tools amidst the strong forces of Animism in the land (Power encounters, healings, miracles).  As you pray, let us know what God says to you, shows you and how we can pray too!

Opportunities are coming left and right!  In the past few weeks an overwhelming amount of opportunities to share God’s healing and Love have come to us.  Our eyes are open and our ears are tuned in – pray for greater listening and an obedient spirit.   Taxi drivers, random people in the mall, restaurants, walking down the street – eternal souls dying for Truth & Life!   Pray with us as we scatter the seeds of God’s love all around us.  Pray for His Harvest – it’s plentiful here!  Pray for more workers.  Pray for words in the heart language to come to our minds.  Pray for understanding of people’s hearts and cultural cues.  

Stephen travelled to India two weeks ago for a week of church-planting training.  Join us in praying as he begins integrating these methods into our life here in Java.  In one week He will begin meeting with our neighbors, (PN who is a Muslim, an elder at the mosque and leader in the community).  Stephen is planning to use a chronological bible study approach to go through the Bible with our PN & his family, comparing our Book with what is written in their holy books to show God’s TRUTH.  Please pray God’s wisdom, favor and language skill over this amazing opportunity.  

Carree is beginning to train women in discipleship material (“Designed to Shine”) – these women will be going out to the 3 main regions of the land in Fall.  Pray for His word to spring forth through this material and to flow through their ministries to bring His Love to more Indonesians.  She is also going deeper in inner healing prayer ministry.  Pray for more healing encounters and triumph in the Cross.  Please also pray for Carree as she continues to write exhortation materials for women – an overflow of how God is working in her life right now.  (Reply to this email if you want to get on the email list to receive those).

As we finish out these last five months of language training in Java, pray for real rest in Him, strengthening and equipping for our move in the Fall to Batam and the islands of the Riau.  Pray for God’s continued annointing and blessing on our spirits -enlarging them and strengthening them as we wait for our sending.

Thank you for joining us on this journey in Indonesia.  How can we pray for you?  Our hearts are overjoyed at the reports we are hearing from friends back home.  He is working mightily in our home community of Louisville – orphans coming home to their families, friends receiving callings into the mission fields of the world, revival in our church community.  We share in both your joys and struggles.  We heard devastating reports from Ethiopia about adoption bottlenecks and possible restrictions there.  We hear of flooding in the East US.  Our heart breaks over the tsunami in Japan and we pray for friends still working there even right now.  How is our Father working in your life right now?  Can we share in your joys and struggles – in a spirit of brotherhood in Christ?  We are praying for all of you!

To HIM Who is Able to Do More In & Around Us that we could ever imagine – AMEN!