Week of Prayer - Sunday Requests

Sunday, November 22, 2009 – Pray for the officers of Raining Hope
This work requires a large team of people whose hearts have been touched and changed by Jesus in ways that move them to action. You can visit our website: http://www.raininghope.org/ to read the full testimonies of our officers:

Eydie Miskel – Executive Director
Eydie’s first trip to Uganda was December 2006/January 2007. Since then, Living Hope Children’s Home in Uganda was established by Psalms Ten that currently provides for the needs of 76 children! She resigned from her church administrator job at her church of 13 years to serve voluntarily with Devo Marshall, founder of Psalms Ten to meet the needs of the children. Eydie travels back and forth 2-3 times a year to Uganda from her home in Ventura, California where she lives with her husband, Michael & daughters Kiana & Heather, to her family in Uganda!
Pray for Eydie as she takes on the responsibility of running the non-profit organization of Raining Hope.
The story of Eydie’s call and of her subsequent work for the children of Africa is inspiring and encouraging. She has said that “the people there taught me how to live, breathe and walk in the power of the Holy Spirit.” Those that have heard Eydie’s story have listened in wonder at the greatness, goodness and power of God to transform His children and love the world.
Devo Marshall – Board Member
Devo is the founder of Psalms 10 & the Living Hope Children’s Home. He started this organization because of the overwhelming burden God placed on his heart for these children. He has been an incredible example of what it means to be a faithful and obedient servant to the call of Christ. Pray for Devo as God has called him to focus on a stateside ministry. Pray that God would continue to narrow the vision He has placed on his heart as we seek to serve the young people of this community.
“As I began experiencing some hardships in my own life, Eydie really stepped up. Over the last couple of years, she has assumed more and more of the responsibilities of the day to day operations of Psalms Ten. Through a lot of prayer and seeking the Lord, it has been made completely evident to both of us that she has been tagged to assume this ministry. I cannot say that it is easy to pass this ministry off. It has been a big part of my life for the last few years. I can say that there is no one that I would rather see in charge, because I know that Eydie will remain completely reliant on the Lord for direction. I am honored that Eydie has asked me to be a member of the board of Raining Hope and to be a part of the continued growth of this ministry. I continue to hold the children of Uganda in my heart. I am still in love with the idea of helping bring change into their lives which will one day begin to morph Uganda into the country that it has the potential to be.
Micah Marshall is Devo & Chelsea’s 14 month old son and living with Spinal Muscular Atrophy. SMA is the #1 genetic killer of young children. It is a motor neuron disease that eventually impacts every muscle in the body hindering the ability to walk, sit, stand, eat and swallow. Most do not make it past the age of 2 years old. But there is hope for a cure. Help us fight for the cure! Check out this website that will give you updated information on SMA. Sign the petition to help bring an end to SMA! http://www.gwendolynstrong.com/
Carol John - Treasurer
“When I was in high school my great aunt traveled to Kenya and returned full of stories which fascinated me. That same year the movie The Singing Nun came out which ends with missionaries in Africa joyfully giving healthcare to multitudes of children. I was hooked. I would be a medical missionary to Africa when I grew up. 40 years later my dreams would be fulfilled in a different way as I was called to help my friend Eydie go to Africa as a missionary; and now to continue that help with Raining Hope as the treasurer and regular encourager. I’m grateful to be a part of such a team at Raining Hope.”
Sylvia Hernandez – Secretary
“God daily reveals to us the need to go out and spread the good news. He wants us to share with those that are less fortunate and to give the reason we have hope. God has great and wonderful things to come! Through my friend and sister in Christ, I have been blessed to be a part of the vision for Africa and am honored to be a team member of Raining Hope as Secretary.”
Joanna Pickett – Webmaster & Designer & Grace Gefke - Photographer
Joanna & Grace traveled to Uganda with Eydie on an International Service Project with California Baptist University in May of 2009. The children and people of Uganda touched their hearts in a way that caused them to want to do more. Joanna created not only our “Raining Hope” logo but our new website as well! Grace is a very gifted photographer. She captures the life of the people of Uganda in a dramatic & powerful way. Despite the distance between Riverside & Ventura, these two CBU students are an important part of the Raining Hope team.

We desire to show the children authentic, Christian love that originates from a very loving God. Your prayers make a difference. Please keep us in your prayers for provision, safety, wisdom, strength, peace, and for the spiritual anointing that is needed for the work that we do.

Week of Prayer - Saturday Requests

Saturday, November 21, 2009 - Finances
Partner together with Raining Hope Incorporated to rain down hope to the children of Uganda. You can join us in specific prayer that God would provide the funds in the following areas:
Become a Regular Contributor: Donations that are not designated towards a particular project are used for the daily operations of the home. This includes food, supplies, utility bills, compensation for the staff of Living Hope, maintenance, or whatever else may be necessary. Currently it costs us close to $2,700 a month to operate the home separate from school fees.
Designated Gifts: If the Lord leads you to assist in a particular project, you may designate your gift to help towards a particular need.
Office Rent – Our stateside ministry is located at Poinsettia Pavilion in Ventura. We have had individuals assist in the monthly rent. The Pavilion rents specifically to non-profit organizations which keeps the cost low. Assistance in this area and utilities will help us tremendously.

Administrative Costs – supplies for communication/publicity etc.
Everyone involved in developing this ministry is doing so voluntarily. There are no salaries for the stateside staff. Eydie has to raise her own funds to travel to Uganda each trip.
Every gift will help us move towards accomplishing this goal. Your donation and regular giving partners together with us to provide hope for their future.

Week of Prayer - Friday Request

Friday, November 20, 2009 – Brandi & Kurt Hennigan
We have been praying for 2 ½ years that God would touch the heart of a couple that would be willing to go to Uganda and live on the field at our children’s home. God answered that prayer by sending us Brandi & Kurt Hennigan! They will be traveling to Uganda with us in December and staying at Living Hope for 6 months! Praise the Lord! As we have renewed our vision, we have also gone through organizational changes. They will be on site to provide training & encouragement for our workers. They will bring a sense of stability & organization to the existing program. Pray for them as Kurt completes his service in the military in December. Brandi has already quit her job to prepare for this trip. Pray for this couple and all the details involved in stepping out in faith!
“For years now I've felt that God has a plan for me to do something with my life that may not fit into what our society considers "normal". I've never felt that working my Monday-Friday job with church on Sunday was going to be enough to fill the call that God has placed on my heart. I knew that I should be doing more. Over the past two years I've felt a distinct call to go to Africa. I wasn't sure why or where but I was sure that God would show me if I was willing to go. When I shared with my husband that I felt led to go he wholly supported the idea. We began to pray for direction with willing hearts. That was only a few short months ago. God has answered our prayers and opened so many doors for us to go to Uganda. He has called each and every one of us to share his love and the story of the Gospels. We feel so blessed to have the opportunity to do that in Uganda. We are going with open hearts knowing that God has led us there for a reason and we have faith that he will show us at every step of the way what that reason is” (Brandi Hennigan)
Pray that Brandi & Kurt as they build relationship with the people of Uganda that they will be open and receptive to the message of hope they bring in the name of Jesus.

Week of Prayer - Thursdays Request

Thursday, November 19, 2009 – Uganda Mission’s Team
Pray for the current missions team that is preparing to go to Uganda, December 28, 2009-January 11, 2010. Pray that in the preparatory period, the team would prepare their mind, body, soul and spirit to go on mission with God. Pray that the individual team members saturate themselves in the Word, in prayer, in worship & His love. The Ventura group meets on Wednesdays from 11:30 pm-1:30 pm each week for discipleship & prayer. Pray for unity within the team. Pray that they will impact their world for Jesus and deepen their relationship with Him.
Katie Andrews (Ojai Valley Baptist Church)
Amber Beliveau (Reality Ventura)
Grace Gefke (California Baptist University)
Kurt & Brandi Hennigan (Conejo Church)
Makaila Mobley (California Baptist University)
Joanna Pickett (California Baptist University)
Tiffany Rudd (Reality Ventura)
Kendra Saunders
Connie Weiss (Conejo Church)
Eydie Miskel (Conejo Church)

Wednesday, November 18, 2009 – Sponsor our children
Please pray for our sponsorship program. When you become a Monthly Sponsor you give a set amount each month to help one of our children. These funds will cover the costs associated with the children’s school fees & supplies. The monthly contribution is $30 a month per child. If sponsors can commit to a higher amount each month, they are welcome to do so. (For the younger children, $30 a month will cover their direct costs each month. The older kids who are in senior level schooling, require close to $120 a month.) Currently only 30 of our children have regular sponsors. Pray that each one of our children will be sponsored. They love to have a friend in the United States who they can write to and pray for.

Week of Prayer - Tuesday Request

Tuesday, November 17, 2009 – Living Hope Facility
We have been leasing the current property for the past 2 years. Our lease is up at the end of this year. Please pray for guidance as we believe God is moving us on from this site. We are currently seeking other sites that would better meet our needs. The current property needs a lot of repair work. Pray that God will lead us to the property that He has already chosen for us. Pray that we will be drawn to landlords who are Christians. When Ugandans discover westerners are involved in providing funds, we can be taken advantaged of for more money. We pray that we find the facility that will bring a renewed sense of hope to the children.

Week of Prayer for Raining Hope

Monday, November 16, 2009 – The Staff of Living Hope Children’s Home

Please pray for the adults we have that serve as our staff onsite at Living Hope. They have endured much hardship this past year in the midst of our financial crisis. Yet they continue to remain “Strong & courageous!” (Joshua 1:9)
Shadrack Kabaale – Acting manager of the home.
Annette –Houseparent & cook. She also is the music director at Cornerstone Baptist Church.
Juliet – Houseparent & acting secretary
Fida – Houseparent & cook
Solomon Sebanakitta – (student at University in Kampala. Working with us to minister to our older youth in boarding school)
Godfrey Ojambo – Advisor & dear friend to Living Hope. Works with the youth of Cornerstone.

Pray for Pastor Paul Muwangala – Pastor of Cornerstone Baptist Church.

Week of Prayer for Raining Hope!

Prayer is the solid foundation of everything we do at Raining Hope. Thank you for participating with us this week in our first annual “Week of Prayer for Raining Hope," November 15-22, 2009. First and foremost, we ask you to PRAY diligently for God to be glorified and made widely known through the work of Raining Hope.
Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. - Philippians 4:6-7

Sunday, November 15, 2009 – The Children of Living Hope Children’s Home
Raining Hope, Incorporated exists to raise and distribute funds in order to provide food, clothing, shelter, healthcare and education for children & families in need in Uganda and around the world. Pray for Living Hope Children’s Home that currently cares for 76 children & youth. As the children are raised in a Christian family environment, our prayer is that they experience the love of God on a continual basis. We pray they learn how to interact in a family atmosphere, and understand the foundational values of a life-long relationship with our Savior, Jesus Christ.
Our long term goal is to provide avenues and training that will enable our children of Living Hope to become self-sustainable. Please pray for us in this development stage of our new vision. We desire to be sensitive to the leading of the Holy Spirit in this new process.

Fundraiser Success!

This past weekend we had multiple fundraisers going on! Carol John hosted a yard sale to help with my airline ticket for our trip in December. It went extremely well! Thanks to everyone who donated such great items for the event! Three of the girls on our team (Amber, Tiffany & Kendra) had their second yard sale on the same day...and the reports were theirs went well too!

Down in Riverside, Joanna, Grace & Makaila had a benefit concert and art show to raise money for Raining Hope, Inc. This is what they reported: "The night was a success to say the least. Musical artists consisted of the amazing Lindsey Weston (remember this name cause this 17 year old is gonna be famous one day!) Evan Foat, who shared the wonderful heart felt songs he wrote, Chris Bennet, (one amazing banjo and accordion player) and the band Kaden, who not only were some of the nicest guys but they sang and said such encouraging, motivating words. We were so thankful everyone could be apart of the night. We raffled off Jedidiah merchandise, sold some yummy baked goods, as well as the bracelets and headbands we have been busy making. A HUGE thank you to Jedidiah Clothing Co. for donating the merch for our benefit! You guys rock!!"

We have a couple more events coming up to continue to raise funds for the trip! They will be posted soon.

November 15-22 is "Week of Prayer for Raining Hope!" We will have specific prayer requests each day. We encourage you to join us in this important week of lifting the ministry to our God!
Prayer requests will be posted starting on Sunday!