Wednesday, October 28, 2009

End of October update!

Below, you can read the letter I send out to folks who pray for me and to those who support me as well. Hoping some of what is in here encourages my blog readers as well! Blessings upon you!

Dear friends and partners in ministry!

Cool, fall greetings from Kansas City, Missouri, where leaves are turning, falling, morning air is crisp, and life continues to grow in ever-increasing blessing for me!

First, THANK YOU for your continued friendships and partnerships with me! I could not be here during this sabbatical year doing the things I believe God has called me to do without your prayers and your ongoing financial partnership with me! The seeds you are sowing in both arenas are bearing fruit, and I pray that you too are reaping the great rewards from our Father for your sacrifices!

As I was sitting in the prayer room last week during a worship set led by Misty Edwards, one of the main worship leaders here, I sensed the Lord putting a number of passages from the Bible on my heart. As I looked them up, I was amazed by how each one spoke to my heart in new and fresh ways…isn’t that fun when God does that? One of the passages was from Psalm 111:9 and says, “He has sent redemption to His people, He has commanded His covenant forever; Holy and awesome is His name.” What promises and what prophetic words the psalmist spoke regarding the coming of Jesus!

So, this letter will be two-fold: the condensed version (ha ha ha) at the beginning, and more specific details following the closing.

Praises:

I and some other missionaries have made an investment into the 24/7 prayer room in Budapest, Hungary with a $360 donation toward a projector for their worship school, which just began in September, 2009.

I am blessed beyond words to be able to take part in this internship called “Introduction to IHOP”. (You can read more details about it at www.ihop.org and click on ‘internships’.) We were told the first day: “The next 3 months is about you RECEIVING from the Lord, and while it may feel like you are drinking from a fire hydrant, drink up as much as you can!” HOW VERY TRUE!

My house is great, I have a fabulous young lady living in my basement for the next year, and my cats, Toby and Simon are peaceful, happy and loving the freedom they have both inside and outside!

I believe the heaviness and tiredness I sensed during my last months in Hungary are lifting and I know you are praying because I am hearing more and more from the Lord and it is both fun and exciting! Plus, there is much, much healing taking place in my heart, so keep on praying!

A student from Hungary wrote recently in some desperation wanting to know “what I have” that allows me to live in such peace and extend forgiveness like I do. So, via email, I have been in dialogue with her about Jesus and life in Him, and she is reading through the Gospel of John and recognizing her need to give her life to Him! Hallelujah!

I have gotten together with a former student from Hungary, Kitti Katona, twice now; she lives in Parkville, just north of Kansas City, so I continue to practice my Hungarian and I pray I can be an encouragement to her.

Prayer Requests:

Pray God would keep me physically healthy! I’ve gotten hit with 4 different things since starting Intro 4 weeks ago!

Pray for continued intimacy with Jesus, clarity in hearing God speak, and healing of my heart.

Finances: Currently, including my rental income and income from my part-time job as a writing coach online, I am at 67% of what I need monthly. If 35 people would partner with me at $20/month, I would be truly grateful! If you have questions regarding this, feel free to email me and we can set up a time for me to call you!

Pray for stamina: this internship is 50 hours a week (25 in the classroom and in service assignments, and 25 in the prayer room).

Pray for God’s wisdom regarding the next step with my book, Walking Forward. I finally heard from Navpress on Monday that they will not be publishing it. Do I self-publish or seek a publisher? This is the wisdom I need.


I would love to hear from you and to pray for you! Help me fill those 25 hours in the prayer room each week with YOUR prayer requests! As we partner together with God, His kingdom will indeed come and His will indeed be done on earth as it is in heaven!

May His peace and love rest upon you today! See below for more details about life and ministry here!

Arden

If you would like to begin partnering with me, a tax-deductible contribution can be made through my organization: Christian Educators Outreach P.O. Box 6578 Charlottesville, VA 22901. Include a separate note saying: Arden Campbell. If you don’t care about receiving a tax-deduction, you can mail a check to me, at 10700 College Ave. Kansas City, MO 64137. Blessings on you as you sow into His Kingdom as He leads you!

For those with more time…..

During this time of transition for me from ministry overseas to sabbatical back in the U.S., people have wondered and rightly asked, “Why are you going to Kansas City?” I’ve had the privilege of explaining it to some people in person, and I’ve given snippets in previous letters. Below, I borrowed part of a friend’s prayer letter in which she encapsulates some of the ‘heartbeat’ of this place called International House of Prayer, Kansas City, and for me, I can see God’s hand ALL over His call for me to be here for however long He desires, be it one year or longer. The wedding of 24/7 day and night prayers for justice with 24/7 acts of justice is the cry of my heart, and so many of the justice initiatives that are beginning here are near and dear to that which I believe God has put on my heart.

Does that mean I’m staying here? I truly don’t know. God is being silent with me regarding that because He already communicated that I am to be here for a time of rest and transition into what He has next. So, even if God calls me someplace else after this year, the training I am receiving, the filling up by God that I am getting, and the Lord’s vision that He is imparting to me for His glory is worth it all! For now, I learn, grow, serve, sit, wait, pray and know that He is God! Here’s is the excerpt from my friend’s letter:

Last month on Sept. 19th, IHOP celebrated their 10-year anniversary of 24-hour night and day prayer and worship! It was an exciting celebration and Mike Bickle, president of IHOP, retold the prophetic history of the whole journey and shared the vision for what is ahead. So, what is the agenda for the next 10 years?
IHOP is launching 24-hours acts of justice to go along with the 24 hours prayers of justice. These acts of justice have many faces to them, and include the following:

• Women’s Center of Justice - widows, orphans, and those rescued from human trafficking will be housed, educated, discipled, and ministered to emotionally, spiritually, and practically.

• Orphan Justice Center - works to adopt and restore orphaned children including undocumented refugee minors

• Zoe Foundation and Hannah’s Dream - helps fund adoption of children as an alternative to abortion and provides care for the adoptive mothers as well.

• Exodus Cry - works for the ending of human trafficking and rescuing those out of the sex industry.

Part of the prophetic history of IHOP is that when we reach 500 full-time intercessors, it will go to 5,000 overnight. In preparation for the 5,000 people that are coming, the Lord has given IHOP two new pieces of land. One is 125 acres right along I-71, just 4 miles from the prayer room. The other piece of property is an old strip mall on 12 acres just down the road on I-71 as well, which cost $3.3 million dollars. Miraculously, the latter was paid for by ONE man with one check! The 125 acres is also paid for in full, again by one gift from one person, so not only has the Lord provided these new pieces of land, but also He’s given them to IHOP DEBT FREE!

Plans are already drawn up for the new land for IHOP University, dorm rooms, office towers, and a new 5,000 seat conference center. God is moving!

To hear the whole prophetic history of IHOP, listen to the Encountering Jesus mp3 at www.ihop.org.

Budapest, Hungary prayer room!

It is so much fun to be connected, in both tangible and intangible ways, with the folks who started, a few years ago, a 24/7 prayer room in Budapest, Hungary. This fall, they started a worship school and have 20 students enrolled! I asked Laci Prazsak, the main leader there, what their needs are, and he said a projector to better teach in the worship school. So, the Lord has had a handful of us missionaries here in Kansas City and another missionary in Hungary provide some of the funding they need to buy this projector! This excites me because one of the heart-desires of many in the prayer movement across the globe is that God would raise up houses of prayer in cities all around the world, and it is happening!

Probably the most exciting thing for me is that across the globe, the prayer movement is joining with the missions movement in powerful unity to help usher in the second coming of Jesus! Hallelujah!

In conclusion……

Thanks for reading this far! I pray that your hearts along with mine will be ignited with the fire of God through the Holy Spirit to see the world filled with His glory! These are challenging times we are living in, and according to the Bible, times will grow increasingly difficult. We need the Lord to give us wisdom and strength to stand and stand firm when the onslaught comes; it is by grace alone, and my prayer is that God will strengthen you according to His perfect might in all Truth and give you His spirit of revelation that you may be discerning. (Ephesians 1)

Blessings upon you, in Jesus’ name, Amen!

Arden

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