Cornerstone Christian Fellowship: Betsy Brown Update 8-19-2009

I thought I would give you a quick update before I get on the plane. I leave on Friday for a quick trip to South East Asia where I spent most of 2005 after the huge tsunami hit in the region. I have returned each summer and just could not move beyond this summer without checking on my friends and reminding them of God's love. I leave with my dear friend Dottie on the 21st and return on September 1st. There are some strategic events happening in the region on the 23rd and 24th so pray for the harvest! I will return in time for my niece, Elizabeth's wedding which will be a wonderful family event.
There are several major projects coming up that I really need your prayers for. I am preparing to spend 3 weeks in Syria in October. The bulk of the time will be as a member of a team from my local fellowship here in Houston. We will focus on work with Iraqi refugees as we have done since our first trip in October of 2007. The needs are still so great. There is some great news as far as aid to them. After trying for almost 2 years, finally friends have been able to ship a 40 foot container filled with clothing that will hopefully make its way to a refugee camp between the borders of Iraq and Syria in what they call "no man's land". I will not share all of the difficulties involved, but know that we must pray that container all the way there. It shipped this past Saturday and will take around 6 weeks to arrive. Will you please pray for the clothing container? Pray that the refugees will sense it to be provision from God!
Last February the very first container from Samaritan's Purse "Operation Christmas Child" arrived into Damascus. It was a 20 foot container. OCC has just voiced a desire to send two 40 foot containers and we are in the process of trying to get the necessary permission from the UNHCR and others involved. Please pray for continued favor. The next week is critical in this process. I would love to include pictures of the faces of these refugee children opening up a box wrapped in Christmas wrapping filled with school supplies and a toy lovingly prepared by the Body of Christ all over the US. It is a big deal!!!! Please pray.
Early in November I have several roles at a global meeting of the Ethne network of networks whose heartbeat and focus is to reach the unreached around the globe…..to engage the unengaged. We had the first global meeting in 2007 in South East Asia and intend to change venues each time as different networks agree to host. I am charged with gathering and facilitating a global worship team….worship leaders from around the world as we seek to learn from each other and allow the Holy Spirit to bring unity. The second task is as a co-facilitator for one of the strategic working groups. It is a group dealing with Global Crisis Response in regions where Unreached Peoples reside. This developed after many of us saw some huge opportunities because of the tsunami in places formerly impossible to access.
A couple of weeks ago I had the privilege or teaching a lesson on "The Remnant". My assignment was "The Remnant in the Arab World". It was such a joy to share the story of Hagar and Ishmael from Genesis. We have often been taught that Ishmael was the bad seed and Isaac was the good seed. That teaching has influenced us to think wrongly in several ways regarding the Arab World. Some mistakenly believe that all Arabs are Muslims….there are Arab Christians that have followed Jesus for generations tracing back to the times of Jesus. In fact, Abraham loved Ishmael dearly. He was born out of Abraham and Sarah's unbelief and disobedience. God rescued Ishmael and Hagar after they were thrust into the wilderness with few provisions. God blessed Ishmael with more children than Isaac. It records that when Abraham died, Ishmael and Isaac buried their father together.
When I first heard this teaching it totally changed the way I pray for the Muslim world. No longer is it an obligation, but I pray for them because I love them and understand that the initial root of bitterness grew out of Abraham and Sarah's disobedience. After this teaching I read from Joel Rosenberg's "Inside the Revolution". He gives some incredible news regarding the movement of the Gospel among Muslims and in particular the Arab World. Chances are that every time there is a hotspot in that region, The Remnant, is present and actively involved in advocating freedom, ultimately the real freedom found in following Jesus. There are believers in Iran….so as you watch the news…pray for them. There are believers in Iraq and Afghanistan….so as you watch the news; don't change the channel….pray for them. There are believers in Pakistan…suffering believers….pray for them. And as you see people in your communities that are dressed in typical Muslim clothing….love them; pray for them; bless them. The only way they will come to Jesus is through the experience of His love. Many times He desires to show that profound love through us, His Body. I cannot be a vessel of His love if I pretend they are invisible or if I am afraid that they are terrorists and want to kill me. I know that there are frightening agendas regarding our nation and her future. But I have met militants and former terrorists who killed until the love of Jesus arrested them through dreams, visions, or through friends who loved them in the Name of Jesus. Will you engage in the war on terror by loving our enemies and praying for revelations of Jesus to invade their lives? Count me in!!!!!
It is time to close this. God has been so faithful through the years. He is faithful through you to love, pray and support me. Thank you. Honestly, I still get a little nervous that He has forgotten about the date my rent is due. Then I have to repent because He is just in time. My prayer for us all is to understand and operate under God's economy; not the world's or even America's economy. Let not the Body of Christ be paralyzed when the world…the media….says there is trouble. This is where we shine!!! Please pray as you read this email. Engage where and when He leads. Prepare your household. Keep your lamps full of oil! Partner with me as He leads and know that His reach is unlimited.