Jordan M. – Jordan grew up in Birmingham Alabama and has been a member of The Church at Brook Hills his whole life.  He and his family have been a vital part of this faith family since the beginning.  Jordan will graduate this month from Mississippi College with a degree in journalism and will leave at the beginning of June to serve a year in Haiti.  Jordan has served at the New Life Children’s Home in Port-Au-Prince for a week at a time for the past few years.  But an opportunity to serve for longer came about this past year.  Jordan will be living and serving at the Children’s Home taking care of the everyday needs of the children and the staff.

 Ways to Pray

-  Pray for Jordan to be fully content in Christ.  Pray for God to sustain him in times of hardship.

-  Pray for God to open up windows of opportunities for Jordan to share the gospel while he serves the people he is ministering to.

-  Pray for boldness.  Pray for Jordan to have the boldness to share the Gospel no matter the circumstance.

Rachel B.- Rachel grew up in Birmingham, Alabama and is currently a student at Birmingham- Southern College.  She and her family have been members at The Church at Brook Hills since 2008.  Last year Rachel had an opportunity to serve for a week in East Asia.  After returning home she began to think about what it would look like to spend longer periods of time serving in East Asia.  After praying and walking through the process, Rachel found out about an opportunity to serve alongside a Brook Hills field partner hosting short-term teams this summer.  Though this process has not been easy, God has faithfully calmed any fears Rachel has and she feels resolute and at peace to pursue what God has set for her this summer.

 Ways to Pray

- Pray that Rachel would fix her eyes on Christ and experience fellowship with Him even in the midst of insecurity and fear.

- Pray for God to use Rachel to serve the field partner and those she has the opportunity to interact with.

- Pray for the hearts of those Rachel will come in contact with.  Pray the Holy Spirit will even now begin to soften their hearts toward Him.

Laurie M. – Laurie grew up in Kentucky and attended college in Birmingham.  She currently works at UAB in the athletics department and has been a member for the past year at The Church at Brook Hills.  She heard about a mid-term opportunity in South East Asia through the Church at Brook Hills and began to pray about going.  After speaking to her twin sister and praying with others, God made it clear that He was leading her to serve in this way.  The unique thing is that God made it clear to her sister to go this way as well.  So they will be serving together, using sports as a means to engage university students with the gospel and to disciple those who have become Christ-followers.  When asked what she is most excited about Laurie said, “I am looking forward to combining my love for sports and my passion for working with college students to see how God will use me to connect with the unreached people group we will be serving”.  Laurie will serve for 6 months in South East Asia.

Ways to Pray

- Pray that God provides ways for Laurie to connect and build relationships with college students.

- Pray for boldness to share the gospel.

- Pray for unity between Laurie and the other workers she will be serving with.

Whitney M. – Whitney M. grew up in Kentucky and moved to Birmingham a few years ago.  Currently she is a postgraduate intern for the Athletic department and serves as an academic advisor for student-athletes.  She has been a faithful member at The Church at Brook Hills for the past few months.   A year ago Whitney read the book “Radical” and the Lord began to open her heart up to opportunities of serving overseas.  Whitney had previously served with a few ministries doing projects stateside but had never felt a desire to go overseas.  Through prayer and seeking out opportunities, the Lord led her to South East Asia.  The beauty is her twin sister was in the same process and they will be serving together.  There they will be engaging university students through sports and praying for opportunities to share the gospel.  God has provided in every way for Whitney and her sister to go to South East Asia and continues to affirm their obedience to go.

 Ways to Pray

-  Pray for Whitney to build relationships quickly with college students.

-  Pray for Whitney to be bold in sharing the gospel with others.

-  Pray that the Lord will comfort Whitney’s family while she and her sister are gone.

Rachel N. – Rachel was born and raised in Texas and moved to Birmingham a few years ago.  She just completed her Masters in Elementary Education and has been teaching at a local school.  Rachel has been a member at The Church at Brook Hills since 2007 and previously served on staff as part of the Local Disciple-Making team.  Last year Rachel was approached by the Brook Hills Church Planters to the Middle East to come and join their team.  Currently this family is studying language and will need someone to help teach and care for their children on a regular basis.  Rachel knew this family well and saw this an a great opportunity to use her education and giftings to serve this family.  The process has not been easy.  If you ask her, Rachel never wanted to go to the Middle East.  She knows Spanish and has invested in the Latino culture, not in the Arabic culture.  There have been things that make it difficult to leave her family behind.  But through it all God has shown her that she can trust His plan for her life and this is it.  Rachel will leave in June and serve for a year in the Middle East.  She is most looking forward to serving as part of the team who will be instrumental in sharing the gospel and establishing the church where it currently does not exist.

 Ways to Pray

-  Pray for obedience.  Pray for Rachel to walk in step with the Lord in prayer and study of the Word.  Pray for Rachel to continually be grounded in truth regardless of circumstances.

-  Pray for unity.  Pray for the Church Planting team to be unified through the cross.

-  Pray for favor with new friends.  Pray for God to prepare the hearts now for what He has for Rachel in country.  Pray for the Holy Spirit to speak clearly through Rachel in conversations.

Taylor and Julia J. – Taylor and Julia grew up in small towns outside of Birmingham.  They both graduated from UAB in December.  Taylor is currently working in construction/development and Julia is a nanny for a local family.  Together they have been members for almost three years at the Church at Brook Hills.  Taylor and Julia have always wanted to serve in an overseas context and started seriously considering the idea of going Mid-Term after a Short-Term trip they took last December.  They have a desire to see God glorified among all peoples and so they are taking the opportunity to serve among an unreached people group in East Asia this year.  While they are in East Asia they will be taking classes at a local college and learning language.  Their desire is to build friendships with their classmates and help fuel gospel conversations among those who have never heard.

 Ways to Pray

-   Pray for Taylor and Julia’s relationship with the Lord and with each other.  Pray that they will be diligent to study the word, pray, and invest in their marriage.

-   Pray for Taylor and Julia to learn the language quickly so they can have the ability to have meaningful conversations with their friends.

-   Pray for opportunities to build relationships with students and the team they will be supporting.  Pray that God is glorified through these relationships.

Amanda G. – Amanda grew up in Birmingham, Alabama.  She is currently an 8th grade language arts teacher at a local Middle School.  She has been a member of the Brook Hills faith family for almost two years.  Last year she began to pray about going Mid-Term and using her skills in language arts in a Spanish speaking area.  After talking to her small group community, her leader put her in touch with the Director of Mid-Term at Brook Hills who pointed her in the direction of an opportunity in Ecuador.  Amanda will leave in June and be serving at a local school at the Davis Foundation in Ecuador.  There she will be supporting the full-time teachers at the school by teaching English to their classes.  Amanda will also have the opportunity to build relationships and engage both students and teachers with the gospel.  Amanda praises God for this opportunity and is excited to be spending her summer serving in this way.

  Ways to Pray

- Pray for a smooth transition into the culture and school.  Pray for God to allow Amanda to be totally immersed in language and be able to communicate easily.

- Pray for the Davis Foundation where Amanda will be serving.  Pray for the students who are not Christ followers to believe and trust in Jesus as their Lord and Savior.

- Pray that for Amanda to develop relationships and show that Jesus is the Lord of her life in all her  interactions with her students.

Aaron & Erin D.- Aaron grew up in Arab, Alabama and Erin in West Palm Beach, Florida.  Together they have been members at The Church at Brook Hills since 2011.  Erin is a nanny and Aaron is an attorney in Birmingham.  It has been a goal for them both for the past several years to serve Mid-Term.  As a couple they have the desire to share the gospel with those who have not had the chance to hear about Christ.  So together they will leave in July to go and serve in East Asia for one year.  There they will be primarily teaching at a local university and engaging students on local campuses.

Ways to Pray:

-       Pray for God to provide opportunities to build relationships and effectively share the gospel.

-       Pray for perseverance and grace while learning a new language.

-       Pray for God to use Aaron and Erin to encourage local believers on their campus.

Joanna R. – Joanna is a Samford University student from East Tennessee who will graduate this semester.  She has been a faithful member at The Church at Brook Hills for two years and will leave this June to serve in South Korea.  Joanna started thinking about going Mid-Term this past year and learned about an opportunity to serve refugees in South Korea.  Joanna has been studying Korean as a second language and decided this would be a perfect fit for her.  God has orchestrated a unique opportunity for her to serve among North Koreans who have fled to South Korea.  Joanna will be teaching English and sharing the gospel with those she is spending time with.  She desires to cultivate deep relationships and have significant time practicing her language skills and learning all she can from Korean Christians she will be serving alongside.

 Ways to Pray

 - Pray for Joanna to trust God’s power rather than her own strength.

- Pray for God to make Joanna flexible in the new culture and for a spirit of humility as she learns from other believers.

- Pray that Jesus will reveal Himself to those Joanna is serving among.

Herbie & Ashley N. (Caleb, Emily, and Adelynn)- Herbie and Ashley N. live in Hoover, Alabama with their three children Caleb, Adelynn, and Emily.  They have been active members of the faith family at The Church of Brook Hills since 2009.  Herbie serves as the Director of Lifeline Children’s Services and Ashley serves as a teacher and disciple-maker of their three children.  Herbie and Ashley started thinking about serving Mid-Term with their family a few years ago.  After Herbie was offered a sabbatical by the board for his tenure at Lifeline, he and Ashley decided they would use this time with their family in another context proclaiming the glory and majesty of God and his gospel.  Their family will be serving orphans in East Asia, training them with gospel centered life skills, teaching believers, and birthing a new foster home in a community.  While the process of going has not been without its challenges, Herbie and Ashley desire to see God’s glory known to the ends of the world,  especially among the fatherless and least of these.

Ways to Pray

- Pray for God to make Herbie and Ashley’s family effective in the mission and open doors to display the gospel to those who have never heard.

-Pray for the orphan camp they will lead in June.  Pray for the logistics and details of the camp will come into focus and be executed in a way that impacts kids with the gospel.

- Pray for Caleb, Adelynn, and Emily to be completely impacted for taking the gospel to the nations.

Tonight we gather at Secret Church.  Tonight as we opened the service we prayed.  We prayed for a people group that not many know about.

The Hui.

A people of over 13 million living in China.  They are Muslim.  They are unreached.  And up until a few years ago there was no church established among them.

We pray tonight that as we gather at Secret Church that believers living in China and throughout East Asia would be emboldened by the Spirit and have their eyes opened to the Hui that live in their neighborhoods and own the noodle shops they eat at.

We pray tonight that Hui believers would be encouraged and strengthened as they experience isolation and abandonment from their families and communities for turning from their Islamic roots and running towards Christ.

We pray that God would accomplish His will and bring many Hui to Himself so when we stand together around the throne of God, we will be joined by our Hui brothers and sisters as we proclaim God’s glory throughout eternity.

So let us pray…

Let us anticipate what God has promised and that we know to be true … “that every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father” (Philippians 2:9-11).

Join us as we pray throughout April - PRAY4HUI.COM

Xiao Wang grew up in the village where her father is the Ahong (Imam). God orchestrated the circumstances of her life to prepare her heart so that when she heard the gospel she readily accepted it. She became a Christian in the city away from her family but as soon as they heard the news they called her home. Her Bible was confiscated and she had to stay at home under the supervision of her family for six months. After that her family let her go, saying that they did not mind her being a Christian. However, the other villagers disapproved of her release and kidnapped her. She was forced to attend Islamic classes at the Mosque and made to veil, but after four months she escaped to the city again. The Hui network, which operated even in the city, found her and kidnapped her again. This time they took her out of the province and made her get a job. God is faithful and has now given her a ministry right where she is.

In the 1920’s there was a group of twenty Hui believers who met secretly on Sunday to read from a large Arabic Bible. They did not make themselves know to the American and Chinese missionaries who carried out open-air evangelism in the Muslim quarter of the city. It was several years after the American worker left the city that he heard about this group when their leader came forward for baptism in another province. Their may be many “hidden” Hui believers who fear taking a public stand for their faith because of the inevitable persecution they will experience from their community.

PRAY

• Ask God to pour out His Holy Spirit on all Hui believers giving them the boldness to testify about Jesus despite persecution.

• Ask God to commune with all “hidden” Hui believers in isolation giving them the Spirit of wisdom and revelation so that they may better know Him.

This post was re-posted from Pray4Hui.com.  For more information about and prayer requests for Chinese Muslims, visit Pray for the Hui and follow @pray4hui on Twitter.

Growing up in a Hui family can be challenging at times… especially for an inquisitive, adventurous girl like me. I’m sure my parents were forever tired of hearing me ask why?  Why could I not go to my non-Muslim friend’s house for dinner? Why did my mom have to wear a head covering when she left the house? Why did we have to pray so many times a day when we always said the same thing? Why did we have to listen to the Ahong (Imam) on Fridays when we couldn’t understand what he was saying?

As I grew older, my uncertainty only grew more intense. I had so many friends who believed in so many different things — how could I know which one was really true? Somewhere along the way I decided that I couldn’t know and I began to pay my dues to all of them just to make sure I had my basis covered.

During graduate school I met a friend who told me about her God. She said He loved me and wanted to have a relationship with me. Though we talked about a lot of things, all I really heard was that there really was a God — one God — and He was much different from what I thought I knew.

Over the next few years, things that my friend had told me about God would come to my mind at the most random times… but I wasn’t sure what to do about it.

Several months later my friend came to visit me and we spent the whole time talking about God and His story. This time I understood that I was a sinner — everyone was, and there was no way to escape it, no way to be good enough. I had always thought that the more good things I did, the more my bad things would be cancelled out, but for the first time I realized it couldn’t be so.

The next time my friend visited, all I heard was Jesus — He was God’s Way to Himself.  It wasn’t what I could do but what He had already done for me. It was Him. He was the answer I had been looking for.

My friend asked me if I was ready to believe in Him but I told her that I was not. I knew that my mouth was willing to say the words, but my heart was still holding back. For three days after my friend left, the truth kept pounding in my mind and I couldn’t forget it.

I sent my friend a text message and simply said this:

I believe now!

Thank you!

 PRAY

• Pray that this young lady will daily grow in wisdom and understanding in Christ and that she will boldly proclaim the truth to her family. Pray that her family will see the change Jesus has made in her life and hear the words of truth and also turn and follow Him.

• Pray that followers of Jesus will intentionally talk about Jesus with their Chinese Muslim friends every opportunity they have, knowing that the Holy Spirit is using these opportunities to draw Hui to understand and follow Him.

This post was re-posted from Pray4Hui.com.  For more information about and prayer requests for Chinese Muslims, visit Pray for the Hui and follow @pray4hui on Twitter.

When I was in college, I heard about a girl who had decided to follow the Way. I knew that her family was Hui, and it must have been hard for them to accept her choice. I couldn’t help but wonder, what must her family have thought when they heard? Were the consequences as serious as other people said? But I was so excited for her! She was so brave! To follow what she believed to be true no matter what the consequences — that was truly courageous!

Wait, she hasn’t told them? How could that be? I thought she was so confident. How, after all this time, has she never told her family?

Before you begin to judge, let me confess that I’m the girl. I am so ashamed to admit that after being a follower or Jesus for almost three years, I still have never told my family. Despite my faith in Christ, the fear of what could happen paralyzes me. If they don’t accept it, they might disown me forever!

And yet … if they do understand, might they believe as well? Could it be that we might all follow Him together?

I know what I need to do. Now that I know the Truth, it’s my responsibility to make Him known. I just don’t know how to do that yet … and I really don’t want to mess it up.

PRAY

• Pray for Muslim background believers in China — that God will give them boldness to proclaim the gospel to their families and their communities. Pray that as they share with their families God will turn the hearts of their family members to trust and follow Jesus as well.

• Pray that Hui, Salar and Dongxiang believers will hold one another accountable to share the gospel with their families.

This post was re-posted from Pray4Hui.com.  For more information about and prayer requests for Chinese Muslims, visit Pray for the Hui and follow @pray4hui on Twitter

As a child I had the most wonderful dreams — dreams of sweet-smelling flowers and grassy fields, of heaven and angels and the laughter of children. I knew that Allah sent these sweet dreams because he was pleased with me. After all, my mom and I prayed faithfully toward Mecca five times a day.

But when I went away to college, life was full of new things to experience. Before long, I began to feel so guilty because of the things I had done. My heart grieved because Allah had not sent me one of his sweet dreams in a long time. I knew that he wasn’t pleased with me anymore, and as each day passed, the shame of who I had become grew deeper and deeper.

One night I had a new dream. I saw a man — a man I had never met before, but my heart knew His name. Jesus. I watched as He picked up a nail and hammered it into the middle of the wood floor. He glanced at me, but I couldn’t figure out what He was doing. When I awoke, I was afraid and confused.

A few months later, my neighbor began to tell me a story about God and a man named Jesus. “Jesus?” I repeated, my heart beating faster. “Yes, Jesus,” she replied. “He is the Son of God but He came to earth and died on a cross to forgive sin.”

When she finished His story, I knew that this Jesus was the man of my dream. He wasn’t angry with me — He loved me. He took my punishment for sin, and it’s in Him that I can be free from my burden of shame.

PRAY

• Pray for God to bless many Chinese Muslims with dreams of Jesus and then with opportunities to hear the gospel. As they hear the truth, pray that they will believe!

• Pray for God to send thousands of harvesters (missionaries) into His harvest among the Hui, Salar and Dongxiang who will search for those seeking Jesus and boldly proclaim the gospel.

This post was re-posted from Pray4Hui.com.  For more information about and prayer requests for Chinese Muslims, visit Pray for the Hui and follow @pray4hui on Twitter

How did the Salar people get from their homeland in present-day Uzbekistan to China? Every Salar knows that story — it’s passed down from generation to generation. Here are the basics:

During the Ming dynasty in 1370, one of two brothers followed a camel, searching for a new homeland. The brothers carried a bag of their native soil, a bottle of native water, and a copy of the Qur’an with them.  They stopped only when the camel drank from a certain pool — the current location of the village of Jiezi in Xunhua County. Today, there is a park at the exact spot and a stone camel next to the famous pool.

But as for the details, that’s where the stories differ.

In one account, the two brothers, Haraman and Ahman, are fleeing King Galamang. Following the lead of a white camel with a Qur’an strapped to its head for guidance, the two brothers led a group of Salar people and escaped eastward into China in search of “a land of happiness.” As they migrated across the mountains of central Asia, one of the brothers asked Allah to guide them to the place where they should make their new home. That night the brother had a vivid dream of a beautiful waterfall, and the next day the camel-led expedition came to that very waterfall. The camel stopped to drink the water and turned into white stone at that very spot.

Another version of the story has Galamang as one of the brothers fleeing because he was framed for killing another tribe’s livestock. Joined by 18 from his tribe, he set off with another group of 45 friends and neighbors following behind. Galamang and his group went north of the Tianshan Mountains while the group following went south. Both groups met at Ganjiatan in Gansu Province and continued following the camel over Mengda Mountain until they reached Tangfangzhuang in Xunhua. That night the camel went missing, and when they found it the next day it had turned to stone next to the pool just east of Jiezi.

These legends not only teach new generations of their identity as Salar people, but also of the supposed necessity of Islam to the Salar people. They believe Allah led the camel that guided them to China. More than 600 years later, Islam is still very closely tied to the identity of Salar people.

PRAY

• Pray that this legend and the close ties between Islam and the Salar identity will not be a barrier to Salar people responding to the gospel and following Jesus.

• Pray that God will give Salar believers wisdom on how they can contextually continue to identify themselves as Salar but be biblical followers of Jesus.

This post was re-posted from Pray4Hui.com.  For more information about and prayer requests for Chinese Muslims, visit Pray for the Hui and follow @pray4hui on Twitter.

Once I was lost, but now I am found!

My name is Aaron and I want share my life with you. I was born in northwest China in a Muslim city to a Muslim family. But I didn’t know much about the Islamic culture until I left home. When I started college, I had two Muslim roommates in my dormitory. They asked me to be a real Muslim guy, so we went to the mosque on Fridays.

After college, I went back to my hometown. Sometimes when I felt down and sad, I went to the mosque to do the ritual prayers, but it didn’t help. I still felt sad because it was just a rite, a ceremony.

I had a very good friend who suggested that I read the Bible. She said, “If you read it, you will know more about the Lord. You will know His words, which may help you.” But I thought it was the Christian’s book, so as a Muslim, I must not read it. However, she told me, “You can make your own choice. If it is the truth, it is not afraid to be put under the light. If it is not the truth, you can choose to give it up. Give yourself a chance to know God.” And then I started to read it.

I felt like God was very kind to me, just as it is written in a song “Amazing Grace”: “Once I was lost, but now I am found, was blind, but now I see.” I felt so inspired, and then I came to Him. Now I want to spend all my life serving Him.

Prayer Requests

• Pray that Aaron will grow daily in his walk with Jesus and that he will boldly proclaim the gospel to the Muslims around him.

• Pray that God will form a Muslim-background church around Aaron so that he and other Muslim-background believers like him will be able to worship together.

This post was re-posted from Pray4Hui.com.  For more information about and prayer requests for Chinese Muslims, visit Pray for the Hui and follow @pray4hui on Twitter.

The Basics:  The Dongxiang people, with a population of 621,500, are the fourth largest of China’s 10 Muslim people groups. Their origin dates back to the 13th century when China was subdued by the Mongols, and Genghis Khan moved some of his garrisons into northwest China to control the land he had taken. Soldiers intermarried with local women and gradually developed their own distinct ethnic group, now known as the Dongxiang people. The largest concentration of the Dongxiang people is in the rugged, dry mountains of Gansu Province. Dongxiang County is a narrow, desolate and arid valley, bordered by rivers on three sides.

Their Beliefs:  Islam is the dominant religion of the Dongxiang, with one mosque for every 30 homes and one paid Muslim worker for every 18 families.

Their Livelihood:  Most Dongxiang are farmers whose main crops are potatoes, barley, millet, wheat and corn. Many also raise livestock, particularly sheep. The Dongxiang are known for making elaborate rugs and growing their “three treasures:” apricots, melons and other fruits.

Their Language:  During their seclusion in northwest China, the Dongxiang people formed their own language which is related to Mongolian. Originally it was only a spoken language. A writing system has been developed, but most are still not aware of it. They have an oral tradition of legends, stories, folk songs, riddles and proverbs.  Some Dongxiang understand spoken Mandarin, but many have only had one year of schooling and find it difficult to learn Chinese. The Dongxiang people are considered among the poorest and least literate of China’s minorities.

The Situation:  No official study groups or churches exist among the Dongxiang, though there are a  few Christians. Foreigners are restricted from the area, and Han Chinese believers have been harassed and even imprisoned for sharing the gospel. There is currently no Bible, radio broadcast or evangelistic material in the Dongxiang language.

PRAY

• Ask God to send believers to live among and boldly proclaim the gospel to the Dongxiang people.
• Pray that God will open the hearts of the Dongxiang to the Good News of salvation so that they may enter His kingdom.
• Pray for the few Dongxiang believers to be discipled, and for their witness to bear fruit in their communities.

This post was re-posted from Pray4Hui.com.  For more information about and prayer requests for Chinese Muslims, visit Pray for the Hui and follow @pray4hui on Twitter.