Keep Praying! It's Working!

We're all healthy and loving this gorgeous Spring weather! Thank you for praying! I can honestly testify that since we sent our newsletter we've been healthy for over a week (which is a record lately)! You are carrying us and we feel it. Thank you for your faithfulness.

We are still praying to be at 50% by the end of this week. Today we are at: 44.5% (which means we need 8 people at $50/month)! We're praying that our report next Monday puts us at 50%. Nothing is impossible for our great and glorious God.

This week in the Hallahan house we have some big things brewing-

• Josh will be done his valet job on Thursday! And we are really looking forward to devoting 100% of our time to raising our team and coaching our champions. If you would like us to come share with some of your friends, or we haven't been to your church yet we would love to make time to do that. Or if you are just wanting to be more involved with missions we would love to chat over coffee!
• Josh and I are taking a mini-vacation overnight in Philadelphia this weekend! We're excited to relax, and spend time in prayer and visioning for our next steps in support raising. After all that has been going on in this household- the break is vital! Pray that God would meet us and renew us.
  
• In our homeschool time this week we're working on letter 'S' and with it being Holy Week- I thought it would be a perfect time to talk about sin and our Savior. We're reading: God's Great Big Love for Me by Max Lucado. Would you pray that Caleb and Seth's hearts would be soft- that they would receive Jesus as their Savior at a young age- and that we would be faithful to live out our faith in front of them .

We are so glad you're on our team! So thankful for the ways you sacrificially participate in the gospel. We are praying for you too. We ask that Jesus would captivate you, provide for you, fight for you, and be enough. Looking toward the cross- Josh and Kelly

Savoring Spring

Spring is here! I am so grateful for all the evidences of His love for us- written into the rhythms of the seasons- and for the New Life that is available to all because of the cross. As I add my voice to the Gratitude Community this week- consider joining us!


#1359. blossoming tree waving in the breeze and catching the light
#1360. beauty of this season
#1361. sweet love gift from Jesus

#1362. boys being boys
#1363. throwing rocks in the "muddle"
#1364. the privilege of raising boys who will become men ready to jump in with both feet for the kingdom!
#1365. that You don't leave us in our sin, but gently take our dirty hand in Yours and lead us to the Fountain filled with blood, drawn from Emmanuel's veins, where sinners plunged beneath the flood lose all their guilty stains!

#1366. stopping to smell the flowers
#1367. teaching these boys to seek beauty
#1368. lazy daffodils bobbing in the breeze

#1368. family. period.
#1369. watching our boys grow together
#1370. cousins climbing, sliding, running and playing and swinging!
#1371. ah, the energy of toddlers- and fresh air in which to burn it!

#1372. Brown dry field, beginning to green. You make all things new.
#1373. Holy week- joining You on the path from loud hosannas to mocking crucifixion to victorious Hallelujahs!

#1374. first taste of Spring- free water ice- enjoying it while we're still in Jersey!

March Newsletter Resources

Hopefully you got our newsletter in your e-mail- print newsletters will be on their way soon. If you just can't wait- it's in our sidebar right now!!

Here are some links we referenced in our newsletter

WGM Prayer Calendar
LRA in East Africa
Recent Uganda Prayer Requests

Some memory verses I'm working on:

"Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin that so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. For consider Him who endured such hostility from sinners against Himself, lest you become weary and discouraged in your souls." -Hebrews 12:1-3

"He gives power to the weak, and to those who have no might He increases strength. Even the youths shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly fall, but those who wait on the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint." -Isaiah 40:29-31

"This is what the Lord says to you, 'Do not be afraid or discouraged because of this vast army. For the battle is not yours, but God's... You will not have to fight this battle. Take up your positions; stand firm and see the deliverance the LORD will give you, O Judah and Jerusalem. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged. Go out to face them tomorrow, and the LORD will be with you.' " -2 Chronicles 20:15, 17

** If you would like to be added or removed from our e-mail list, just let us know! josh (dot) hallahan (at) wgm (dot) org

Preparing Little Ones for Easter

How do you prepare little hearts for Easter? How do you introduce youth to death? How do you place focus where it belongs, on bleeding Savior, when eggs and bunnies and candy clutter the scene??

Today we made a Lenten Garden. Little hearts learn best when using little hands. We will get our hands dirty- which is why we need a Savior in the first place. And build a garden- where our story began (in a garden with a man, a woman, a serpent and God). We will search for tree branches, and fashion a cross. Breaking wood, a broken body, breaking the heart of God- all in order to heal and restore us. We will shape tomb with our bare hands- creating space for Him to do His miracles.

Palm Sunday we will plant wheatgrass seed- Good Friday we will lay His body (looking more like a caterpillar) in the tomb- and Easter Sunday the tomb will be empty and the garden will be green and beautiful, with a butterfly to symbolize new life!

Four books that have helped us:

And for my own heart- Ann @aholyexperience is posting easter devotionals that always speak to my heart!

Want to find out how others are preparing their hearts for Easter? Check out Ann's blog:

Could you not watch with Me???

Matthew 26:36-46 Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane

I had the privilege to share an update and challenge at Clarksboro Evangelical this past Sunday- and I was challenged myself. It is amazing how God puts a word in my mouth to be given to His people- and in turn, I am convicted.

It is at this point in the Easter story that Jesus does battle with Satan- it is the fight of my will or God's will- a battle we fight daily! And I think we would be wise to see that there is a spiritual battle going on around us all the time. As you can read from previous posts, Uganda is in the heat of this spiritual attack.

• Heritage International School needs prayer for God to cut through some red tape!
• All the WGM vehicles need work
• A lot of missionaries are raising funds- and need God to provide!
• We, personally, are battling illness after illness, preventing our effective service.
• Billy and Jo Coppedge are in the midst of raising funds, and walking with Jo's mom as she battles cancer.
  

This is WAR! Join us in praying fervently!

And this is where my conviction came in. We need to be fighting this battle in the spiritual realm- and yet Josh and I fail to take time each day to pray together. We ask your forgiveness for asking you to pray when we aren't always faithful to pray.

But what encourages and challenges me, is that even Jesus' dearest disciples fell asleep when He needed them most. We are in good company, and there is grace and strength for us when we fail our precious Lord. So even if you haven't been praying faithfully- we need you to start! And even when we forget- we can start again when He brings it to mind!

Our personal requests this week:

• that we would reach 50% by the end of the month
• and that God would provide 10%/month through August so we can be at Heritage when school starts!
• that we would stay healthy (i think we're all healthy at the moment!!! Praise Him!)
• that God would open doors for us to share our passion for Uganda and all that He is doing there
• and that we would be faithful to meeting Him daily in fervent intercession (and faithful to model healthy prayer with our boys)
  

We are so grateful for your support! Stay tuned for our March newsletter- coming to an inbox near you this week!!!

Multitudes in the Midst of Sickness

Grandmom Hallahan has passed away.
We have been sick.
It has been rainy.
He still shines glorious.

#1229. Ann Hallahan- RIP March 6, 2010- an end to her suffering
#1230. her arrival to glory- alive in Your presence, free from guilt, in a new body, reunited with husband and Dustin
#1231. fond memories
#1232. hot tea that comforts in the wee hours, that warms body and soul
#1233. strength to grieve with hope
#1234. bonds of family, strengthened in trial
#1235. young Mark at church

#1244. mother love that babysits boys and makes us dinner (delicious rolls to bake in our own oven)

#1258. a 3 hour nap
#1259. thoughtful in-laws feeding and bathing boys
#1260. boys sleeping through the night while Josh and I were throwing up
#1261. gatorade
#1262. emotions that make me human: sadness, frustration, love, exhaustion, grief, jealousy
#1263. coming to the end of me- so I can live fully in You
#1264. how I can depend utterly on You

#1265. You, my Shepherd

Power of Prayer!

We got this e-mail from our field director, Jon Mayo, in response to a question about the LRA activity in Uganda:

The LRA has not been fighting in Uganda for over 2 years. It is now almost 3 years since they totally left Uganda. People in the North are leaving the Internally Displaced Camps and are returning home. They are beginning to rebuild. Even though we are very thankful for this, Joseph Kony and the LRA continue to operate in DRC, Sudan, and Central Africa Republic. DRC and Sudan have allowed the Uganda Army to enter into these countries to help them capture Joseph Kony. They have had much success in the last year capturing or killing his top commanders.

The turn in the battle between Uganda's Army and the LRA here in Uganda did not take place because of military power, but because of the power of prayer. There were many praying, however, the real break through came about when a group of Ugandan intercessors dared to go into the north even to Kony's sacrificial/ritual areas to pray and break the power of satan. From this point on, the Ugandan Army began to have success and Kony's power began to fade.

Thank you for praying! Check out this blog post on the Invisible Children site for the latest on the LRA

Spiritual Battle in Uganda

Just got this e-mail from Lisa Fish, WGM missionary in Uganda. Please pray!

Uganda needs your prayers now.

· Today, PRAISE the LORD, one of our secondary “Jain” (Indian) students prayed with me to receive Christ as Savior! What an exciting “high” that is for us! Pray for this boy’s family especially as he gives them the news. We want him to honor his culture while following Christ. Pray the parents have soft hearts and that they too will come to Jesus! For now, I don’t feel I ought to say his name for his privacy. Once I get his permission and know things are okay with his parents, I will be happy to share his name. Praise the Lord with us for this new birth! Pray we can counsel and disciple him since Christianity is completely new to him in every thought and concept.

· Please go to the Father asking for protection over Heritage International School. Due to legalities and wording, I can only say we are in a spiritual battle and Heritage is having some very serious issues. Please pray.

· And we see another front of attack as nearly all our WGM vehicles have problems enough to put them in the garage. We’re all soon to be walking or taking (dangerous) public transport. Please pray. The cars are decent and so is our mechanic. Some of the problems seem inexplicable except in the spiritual world.

· We can see spiritual warfare in so many lives and situations around us just now. Please pray for things/groups under attack; Uganda, WGM, the Africa Gospel Church, Heritage International School, and affiliated missions. With the recent landslides (you may have heard of them in Eastern Uganda), churches and people are greatly affected. We need your prayers now.

· I wish I could be more specific in some of these requests, but I trust you will simply take them and hand the issues to Jesus, who is in control and He is in the battle for us. Pray that the enemy is defeated and that God will receive not only the glory, but that more souls would turn to Christ for salvation in and through these struggles.

Thank you for fighting with us! Stay tuned for our latest newsletter- coming soon to an inbox near you!