Update

Time has flown; this month will mark one year in Kansas City and little over a year out of the Military.

In my time here at the International House of Prayer (IHOP) the Lord has done more than I could have anticipated. It has been a blessing to come into a rich and neutering environment after four difficult and trying years in the Military.

I have currently been thinking and praying about what the Lord would have me do in the upcoming years. Originally when I came here I felt the Lord leading me to go into the Forerunner School of Ministry (which is part of IHOP), I assumed that I would be in school for four years. Yet at the start of this school year nothing was falling into place like I expected it to. I felt as if the Lord lifted His grace from Fulltime School and part time work. I felt urgency in my spirit. I wrestled with the Lord, and I heard Him say ‘I do not have time for you to collect certificates.’ It was then that I realized that I was continuing in school for the wrong reason. I realized that the Lord had placed desires in my heart and the time to walk them out was drawing near. At this point I sought wise council from leaders here and decided to stop school. I will be continuing on staff with IHOP as an intercessory missionary.

It was the weekend after I officially disenrolled from Forerunner School of Ministry; on Sunday at church they presented Crises Response International (CRI). CRI is a nonprofit organization that trains volunteers and churches to respond to disasters in the United States and world-wide. One thing I love about what CRI is doing is they have a vision to raise up crises response volunteers to take the compassion and Salvation of Jesus into disasters. It was then that I realized why the Lord had taken me out of school. I see such a need in our society and in my life to be prepared for crisis. I felt that the Lord was calling me to face my fears and prepare for crisis. I am not sure what the particulars will look like but I am excited to see were the Lord takes me. I will be participating in training with CRI on October 8 thru the 11th.

Shortly after this I was processing thru everything that was going on in my life and I asked the Lord, ‘Lord how do we prepare ourselves for the unexpected or for disasters,’ then I remembered the book of Revelation. This book is all about the church overcoming great trails. I love how Jesus laid this book out, first He stared with the Revelation of who He is. The whole first chapter is jammed packed with attributes and characteristics of who Jesus is. Than in chapters 2 and 3 are letters to the churches with practical steps on how to overcome. Chapters 1 thru 3 prepare the reader for what is to come in Revelation 5-22, when Jesus initiates His battle plan for the end of the age. Personally I have been praying that God would fill me with His Grace and Peace that is rooted in the eternality of Jesus (Rev 1:4).

So in conclusion I find myself on an adventure with Jesus where I do not have all the answers but I hear Him saying ‘Christina trust Me.’

Fourruner School of Ministry

I am currently in Kansas City Missouri at the International House of Prayer (IHOP) Mission Base. IHOP is a Missions organization, Bible school, Music school and much more based in and flowing out of a night and day prayer as modeled in the Tabernacle of David. King David had 4,000 musicians and 288 singers (1 Chr 23:5; 25:7)

I am attending the Forerunner School of Ministry (FSM). FSM is a fulltime Bible College that is set in context of night and day prayer. FSM is broken down into Modules, meaning that we focus on one subject matter for one month. We also have 24 hours required in the prayer room per week, this and the modular system allows us to assimilate into our lives thru prayer what we learn in our classes.

Intercessory Missionary

I am currently a student and intercessory missionary at the International House of Prayer in Kansas City. Most of us are familiar with missionaries that focus on going to other countries and preaching or providing necessary needs such as food or medical care. But the Lord is raising up and calling forth for a new type of missionary, one that is essential to completing the Great Commission. An example of this is found in Luke 2:36-38.

“Now there was one, Anna, a prophetess, the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher. She was of a great age, and had lived with a husband seven years from her virginity; and this woman was a widow of about eighty-four years, who did not depart from the temple, but served God with fasting and prayers night and day. And coming in that instant she gave thanks to the Lord, and spoke of Him to all those who looked for redemption in Jerusalem.” (Luke 2:36-38 NKJV)
Anna is a picture of a woman who dedicated her life to ministering to the Lord through fasting and prayer. She did this for over sixty years just prior to the first coming of Jesus. Anna was also the first evangelist that is seen in the New Testament, but it is important to understand that the message that she preached was cultivated and birthed out of a place of prayer. A message that is birthed in this fashion goes forth with power because it comes from a living relationship with Jesus inside of the messenger.

I came to know the Lord in eighth grade, and from the beginning I learned the importance of prayer. To begin with, my journey in prayer was about seeing needs and lifting them up to the Lord, so that I would see a change. I started a prayer group when I was in high school, and I was also involved in leading prayer while I was at Pacific Lutheran University. It was then that I started to understand that it was not just about bringing concerns to the Lord but about meeting a Man, the God-Man Jesus.

Since I have been here at the International House of Prayer, I have learned more about the process of prayer. I love what Paul talks about in 2 Corinthians 3:7-18. Mainly what Paul is saying is that as we behold Jesus (thought meditation on scripture and in praise and worship) our Intercessor, then we become like Him. This to me is the essence of prayer. It is coming to know Jesus, becoming like Him and through this relationship interceding about what is on His heart (Heb 7:25).

One of my favorite classes I took this spring was ‘Eternal Glory of an Intercessor,’ by Corey Russell. I love this class ,because it is about Jesus who is our Intercessor and how to partner with Him in this role.

This kind of intercession is the means that God uses to establish His kingdom on the earth. He wants people that will hear His heart and partner with Him. Prayer changes the spiritual atmosphere over the cities and nations (Matthew 6:10, Psalm 149).
As an intercessory missionary I am “set” on a wall of intercession (Isaiah 62:6-7) as one who will not give the Lord any rest through prayer until His desires are fully brought forth on the earth.
Jesus, in Matthew 6:10 when He taught the disciples how to pray, told them to pray that God’s will would be done in earth as it is in heaven. Jesus will not do this without partnership with Him.

My heart’s desire is to dedicate my life to a life of intercession, to know this God Man Christ Jesus. Most of you know that I spent four years serving in the United States Army. Although I learned a tremendous amount through the military, I have no desire to re-enter the work-force on a full time basis. Saying this, I also know that many are called to work full-time and those that do see tremendous fruit in terms of leading people to the Lord, touching lives and releasing funds into the harvest.