SEED

Check out this new ministry that a number of the students on our outreach to Eastern Europe earlier this year are helping pioneer. Go here and then click on ministries, scroll to SEED- Eastern Europe. Sean designed this page and we hope to be working with this team as the small group of people I work with continues to seek out what God wants to do in this part of the world.

Liz and the Lions Tour Up-date

My delightful friends that form 'Liz and the Lions' are currently just over mid-way in their tour of the states. They've been playing festivals, bars and churches all around the place. Check out their venue dates here and go and see them! Tell them I said hi and I love them! They'll also be performing in the UK for the duration of the Olympics at all sorts of venues, I'll keep you updated closer to the time. If you haven't heard them yet then you can stream their whole album here.

Silence

I've been thinking a lot about silence lately. How much we need it. How hard it is.

"When we try to express communion with God in words, our minds quickly come up short. But, in the depths of our being, through the Holy Spirit, Christ is praying far more than we imagine.

Although God never stops trying to communicate with us, this is never in order to impose. The voice of God is often heard only in a whisper, in a breath of silence. Remaining in silence in God’s presence, open to the Holy Spirit, is already prayer.

The road to contemplation is not one of achieving inner silence at all costs by following some technique that creates a kind of emptiness within. If, instead, with a childlike trust we let Christ pray silently within us, then one day we shall discover that the depths of our being are inhabited by a Presence."

For more information:

http://www.taize.fr/en_article12.html

Madagascar

                                     

I was able to stop in Madagascar on my way home to Germany from Australia and spend a few days with my two little sisters before we headed back to our respective corners of the world. We travelled up into the highlands, crowded onto local buses and ate at street stalls. Maybe again one day.

DTS

Photo courtesy Sean Rogers

I had the privilege of staffing the last Marriage of the Arts Discipleship Training School and I wrote a little thing for the upcoming school students.

DTS is:

A laying down of expectations; of rights and a taking on of dreams; of destiny. It's a 7 month date with the divine- a deepening of a relationship with an ever present God who is not afraid of commitment and almost certainly won't take you to a bad movie. It's a meeting of minds, of hearts and souls. It's His Kingdom colliding with our reality. It's prayer, 'yeah' prayer- a conversation with someone able, willing, wanting to share His thoughts and then act on them. It's worshipping; bare feet, a crowded room. It's a high stakes game of faith where you already have the winning hand. You'll change beds, countries, attitudes and your life. You'll bring luggage and leave without baggage. You will cry-tears of happiness, sorrow and empathy. It's a choice you'll have to make everyday: to wear grace, to be present, to push in, to stay hungry, to value humility. It's a decision you won't regret. It's written into your history; it's part of your plan. It's a question you have to answer, are you READY??

 Way to make a person homesick, have a look at this video of the base made by my friends- Sean and Chad.

THIS is a link to a little write-up on the editor of the Moldovan magazine 'Escape'.

Escape magazine is-

"...a tool for forming a positive worldview among the young generation. We proclaim our anti-glamour and anti-consumerist movement, which we named ‘Simple Style’.

We convince teens that their value is not in their bank account, that they are not obligated to have all ‘new’ and ‘lastest’. Love and friendship is not for sale. We attract their attention instead to arts, education, contemporary music, their talents and strong families."

Ella Jane

Some seriously soulful music from my friends Laura and Caleb aka EllaJane. Laura has a gorgeous, powerful voice, and a heart to see her gift used to glorify God. Have a listen or download 3 free tracks below and then visit Ella Jane Official Website to download or order their full CD! Hope you love it as much as I do!

Answering a few support questions...

A few people have asked me recently how I am supported. I am very blessed to have a few loyal supporters who partner with me financially and share in what God is doing through me. I know I cannot do what God has called me to do alone and so I live a life of faith and dependency on Him and his ability to link people together. At the moment I receive about 380 Australian dollars a month regular support which covers my expenses as I lead a simple life in Herrnhut.  I have been reliant on God's miraculous provision to spend time on outreach doing the work he has called me to do. Financially I am aiming to get my support to around 1000 Australian Dollars a month. I believe this amount would give me the freedom and opportunity to fulfill my commitments for the year and continue to seek obediently after God's direction. If you want to partner with me please contact me on amylaurenfraser@gmail.com or feel free to donate via the PayPal button on the side of the page. Thanks for your support.

Human Trafficking Prayer Guide

Prayer is powerful, and a crucial aspect in the fight for justice. Here are some general prayer requests that are on my heart relating to the issue of human trafficking.

• Orphans are at particular risk of human trafficking. Many orphanages only look after children up to the age of 16. Pray that the children are educated about how to avoid being coerced into an employment situation that takes away their freedom. Pray that they get the chance to live the life that God intends for them. Prayer with particular reference to the Romanian orphanages of Beclean that thousands of children call home.
• Poverty forces many to make desperate choices that put them in dangerous situations. Many women from Eastern Europe and South-East Asia in particular, are offered jobs working as domestic help or in the entertainment industry. Many will be coerced into the sex industry because of accrued debt or drug addiction. Pray for rehabilitation centre Beginning of Life in Moldova as they use biblical principles and prayer to rehabilitate women rescued from commercial sexual exploitation.
• Pray that governments, particularly in the developed work, will wake up to the reality that legalising brothels does little to protect women and much to encouraging a culture of immorality.