Disaster in West, Texas

“The Lord is close to those who are brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit” (Psalm 34:18).

We are deeply saddened by the tragedies in Boston and in West, TX this week. Here are three great ways to respond:
1.       Pray. Click here for our Prayer Guide in Response to Disasters.
2.       Give. Give funds to the Red Cross and the Texas Baptist Men, who are among the first to        respond to any disaster. Give blood at your nearest blood bank (click here for info on a drive today in Coppell).
3.       Serve. Effective relief comes from trained volunteers. Make plans now to attend the Texas Baptist Men’s Yellow Hat Trainings on April 26th in Rockwall or April 27th in McKinney. They will be sending trained volunteers over the next several weeks.

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Update from the Stickney Family

ACO Partners,

Yesterday was the culmination of so many of you who have been praying for PEACE and SAFETY in Kenya since the beginning of March. Around 1pm Nairobi time the 4th president of Kenya, Uhuru Kenyatta, was sworn in and now we can get on with life! We want to thank you for your diligent prayers during this time of uncertainty. The process, although scary and with some riots and incidents, was a successful passing of power. 

We now buckle up on campuses across the country as students are preparing for final exams. 

Our students on the coast at Pwani University have begun their final exams this week. The coast staff, Jonathan and Nic, decided to take this week to do a mission trip to an unreached people group south of Mombasa. The two will be distributing water filters in villages and using their training (Jonathan is a Donkey vet & Nic is an agricultural engineer) to gain entrance into the villages. You can be praying for them this week! It’s very exciting for us to see our staff taking the initiative to reach out into the community God has placed them in!

The ACO 5 (graduates who chose to spend this past year with us in training) at Egerton University are wrapping up their last two months of internship with us. They have led 53 new students to Christ this year on their campus and have 4 new Bible studies started. You can be praying for them as they decide what God has for their future after May. Some may stay on and join our full-time staff team and help us open new campus ministries around the country or into new East African countries. 

Our Nairobi staff team added two new schools this January and even with the Presidential Election mess, have managed to get two Bible studies meeting from their door-to-door encounters in dorms. 

We were so excited to finally have our first ACO staff baby arrive in December. Norbert and Dorcus, have an amazing little girl, that every staff person thinks is their own. Dorcus is excited to be back from maternity leave this month as ACO's Women's Director. In her first week back she was able to get ACO officially invited to a new campus in Nairobi!

The Eldoret team (or as we refer to it, The North Pole Team since its so far away), has a great group of 1st year students they have been working with on the 3 campuses in the area. After last years graduating class of key men and women, they knew the task would be finding some "young ones" to continue the legacy. Victor and Ann, ACO National Directors are working hard at continuing the ministry in their neck of the woods. Their teammate, Solomon, will join a team of US ladies and men who are on a 6 month adventure with the International Mission Board. He will be leading them into the Pokot area of Kenya, another region with several unreached tribes. Solomon has spent his last 3 summers working with local pastors in the region reaching into these villages and was approached by the IMB to help facilitate/lead this group. 

The Stickney's are keeping everlasting at it. Sydney and Reagan have almost forgotten what a pencil is used for after the election week, Easter, spring break and inauguration day school closings. They started back today and as they pulled out of the driveway Sydney informed me we have 44 days until we fly to McDonalds, I think she meant the US....one in the same in her mind. Kerry is fast approaching her yearbook deadline, so she has been putting long hours in at school. All of us are looking forward to our family and friend time in the US during June. We hope our travels allow us to cross paths with you! We are also very excited about our ACO SUMMER PROGRAM in July. Seven (7) US college students will be joining us here in Nairobi for a month of training and hands-on ministry. It will be a great way to start back to ministry after our fundraising/family time trip in June. 

We wouldn't be here if it weren't for you and how you partner with ACO. Like most small ministries our budget is lean and our bank account leaner, but we are always encouraged each month as we are reminded how faithful God is through his faithful people. Our Kenyan staff, the Stickneys and the ACO Board thank you for acting as the constant reminder that God continues to call and equip us here in East Africa. 

Blessings,

The ACO National Staff Team

ACO Board of Directors

&

The Stickneys

African Christian Outreach

stickneytk@mac.com

www.acokenya.org

aprayed4city

Whether you live in Dallas, one of the suburbs, or another area entirely, the prayer points inside this guide apply. If you want to see some of the statistics specific to the Dallas Metroplex that may help you to pray, serve and communicate the needs more effectively, please go to www.ap4c.org to see more details.
Here is "food for thought" when preparing to pray on April 7 and throughout the rest of this month:  1 in 6 people in our community don't have the ability to buy healthy, affordable food. Why is this happening?  There are "food deserts" where healthy, affordable food is not available to buy and the poverty rate in DFW is twice the national average!
Praise our GOD, all peoples, let the sound of HIS praise be heard; HE has preserved our lives and kept our feet from slipping.  For YOU, GOD, tested us; YOU refined us like silver.  YOU brought us into prison and laid burdens on our backs.  YOU let people ride over our heads; we went through fire and water, but YOU brought us to a place of abundance.  Psalm 66: 8-12
This guide is intended to unite us in praying for our city.  Use it as a catalyst for your on-going prayer this month. 
SALVATION:  EPHESIANS 2:4-7  TITUS 2:11
* Reflect on the Easter message and thank God for His plan of salvation offered to all and for the many  millions of people He has saved throughout the generations.
*Pray for God to soften the hardened hearts of non-believers, that they might respond to His gift of salvation and join His family
*Pray that unbelievers in our communities who are suffering emotional and physical duress, will find a place of comfort and mercy within the Church and be drawn to the saving grace of Christ.
COMMUNITY: JAMES 1:17  MATTHEW 5:14
*Pray for believers to walk in righteousness in our neighborhoods, so the light of Jesus may increase and shine into the darkened hearts of people across our city
*Pray for believers to have divine appointments with non-believers at community events, and to take ad advantage of these opportunities to share Christ's love and the Gospel
*Pray that believers will intentionally develop relationships with non-believers that will reveal God's character and love drawing them to desire to know God and to desire to receive His mercy and grace
*Pray that God would open our eyes to the needs around us and that He would use us --we are His hands and feet--to reveal Him to the community
DISCIPLESHIP  ROMANS 15:13  MATTHEW 6:33
*Pray that Christ's church will be diligent in prayer, evangelism and service.
*Pray that His church will be diligent in making disciples as Jesus commanded, so that more of His disciples will be found in every neighborhood and community throughout the Metroplex.
*Ask the Lord to reconcile fractured congregations and divided denominations through the love and forgiveness that begins in Jesus.
* Ask God to encounter struggling believers so they may once again experience the abundant life of Christ.
TRANSFORMATION  ROMANS 12:2   PHILIPPIANS 4:8
*Thank the Lord for the godly leaders in our Metroplex.  Ask God to strengthen them, and pray for them to serve God openly in their places of influence, so that others may join them in working for the Lord.
*Pray that those in the entertainment industry will seek God and that their work will reflect His beauty and will impact our city with His wisdom and creativity, drawing more people to Him.
*Pray for upcoming city elections--for godly leaders to be elected.
THANK YOU FOR YOUR COMMITMENT TO PRAY.  --pam woller