THE CALL TO FAST

THE CALL TO FAST
January 5th – 9th 2009

“So we fasted and petitioned our God …and He answered our prayer…for a safe journey for us and our children, with all our possessions. The hand of our God was on us and He protected us from enemies and bandits along the way.” Ezra 8:21, 23, 31

We live in unstable times where everything seems to be shaking. (Haggai 2:6-8) Governments and economies worldwide are in great transition and turmoil. Violence abounds in the nations. The enemy of our soul has left no stone unturned and many of us have felt the tremors of his wrath around our own families.

Yet as we journey through these times we need to quiet our soul before the Lord; to lean heavily upon the Rock of our Salvation who will never change or be moved. His stability is solid and eternal. When we seek Him, humbling ourselves with prayer and fasting, it strengthens us and sharpens our spiritual senses to the Lord’s peaceful presence and His direction. We will all need more of both in the coming year.

Vapor has seen many doors of opportunity open up before them. The ministry has grown dramatically in the past year. The Kenyan center saw a great increase in the number of kids registered for soccer after the unrest there and many have come to the Lord. That center is now under a leadership transition as the director moves into a new role as missionary to Togoville, Togo. It is a land filled with voodoo and people in desperate poverty! The new Vapor center in Togo West Africa is scheduled to begin in February or March.

Vapor now has a home base in Alabama with new offices built by a generous donor. They have also added new volunteer staff: David and Danielle Gardner along with Ed and Patti Arterbury; and paid staff Dustin and Jolie Rosner. God’s favor has been enormous!!!

The coming year has expectations for even more expansion because the field of souls is ripe for harvest. Bret and Trishia Ralston are scheduled to lead a running ministry in Ngong, Kenya; Vapor also plans to launch a child sponsorship program called Hasmin’s Friends and expand Kids – 4 - Kids to more churches. We all want this growth to be directed by the Lord.

Ezra paused for a time of prayer and fasting before embarking on his journey to bring an offering to the Lord through dangerous lands (Ezra 8:21-23). If we are to join the Lord’s work by bringing an offering during these tumultuous times and/or by laboring in the harvest of souls, we too should pause and humbly make our requests known to Him before embarking on the coming year.

With this in mind, Vapor is calling a fast from Monday, January 5th to Friday, January 9th, 2009. Please mark your calendars and consider joining us as we seek the Lord in whatever capacity you are able whether it is for one or all of these days. Those who have joined us in the past have said it was life changing and powerful.