(all Bible references from the New International Version)
An October Children’s Crusade, We Need You Lord, in Stanfield, Arizona
(by Marina Maria)
On Saturday, October 15, 2022, at 2:00 p.m., many children will echo, “We Need You Lord!, We Need You Lord!,” in the sanctuary of Beacon of Hope Ministries Church in Stanfield, Arizona, along with children from Grace Assembly of God Church and Apostolic Church from Casa Grande, Arizona.
“Lord, wouldn’t it be beautiful if they sang to you instead of the world?”
This children’s crusade called, We Need You Lord, was birthed in my heart by the Lord at the elementary school where I teach first grade students. Two days before our school year ended, we had a talent show in the cafeteria where kindergarten thru third grades sat with excitement and anticipation to see the show. Before the talent show began, a song was played and over three hundred children sang loudly without being prompted to sing by anyone.
It was a moment filled with happiness. However, at that moment, I said to the Lord, “Lord, wouldn’t it be beautiful if they sang to you instead of the world?” “Wouldn’t it be beautiful Lord if many places in our community were filled with children worshipping you loudly?” I prayed for the salvation of the children in the cafeteria. It felt like I had a heartache in my chest for the entire day and I prayed to the Lord on my lunch time and in my classroom. Later that day, I shared my experience with my husband, Louie, who listened quietly. Afterwards, I wondered if God was going to do anything with this intense experience because it affected my heart so deeply and for the entire day.
About two weeks later, the Lord tugged my heart to do a children’s crusade while putting pavers on my front yard with my husband, Louie. Each paver placed on my front yard was filled with God filling my heart with visions of doing a kids crusade and hearing children shouting, “Jesus! Jesus! Jesus!” As God kept putting the children’s crusade more and more in my heart, I shared this confirmation with my husband, Louie, and he said that God must want me to do it. I prayed for the Lord to confirm the crusade another time to make sure I was not going ahead of Him and He confirmed it with a dream by one of my ministry partners.
Each paver placed on my front yard was filled with God filling my heart with visions of doing a kids crusade and hearing children shouting, “Jesus! Jesus! Jesus!”
Afterwards, God led me to call Pastor Randal Stone from Grace Assembly of God Church to ask him if he was interested in joining the children’s crusade and he said that before my phone call, he talked to his wife about wanting to do something for the kids at his church since they had not planned any children’s events this year. Pastor Stone joined the crusade with excitement. The day after, I received a phone call from past donors, Faye and her daughter Kim, who I shared about the crusade, and they expressed interest in providing donations to the children’s crusade by encouraging their neighbors in Sun City, Arizona to donate.
God was moving because He also led me to call Pastor Carmen Castellano from Beacon of Hope Ministries, Stanfield, Arizona, who also joined the children’s crusade and said that her intercessory prayer group will pray for the crusade right away. Pastor Carmen and Pastor Oscar Castellano agreed to have the crusade at their church. Afterwards, I called Pastor Pedro Cruz from Apostolic Church in Casa Grande, to ask if he was interested in having his children’s ministry join the children’s crusade and inviting their neighborhood children to join too. Pastor Pedro agreed to join and wanted to meet with me to get more details.
As God continued to confirm the crusade with the pastors, he led me to every person who would participate in the crusade from the worship leader, prayer team, and my ministry partner, Tammi Gauthier, Founder of This Little House of Mine, to assist me in the crusade planning and to help me provide a creative teaching of prayer to the children. We agreed to pray for 100 children or more to attend the crusade. God wants the children to learn how to pray to Him continually to create a daily relationship with Him.
Rejoice always,
pray continually,
give thanks in all circumstances;
for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.
(1 Thessalonians 5:16-18)
The Lord can birth new projects or events in our lives at anytime and anywhere just like he did with me at a children’s talent show. He used this worldly show, to plan for a children’s crusade that will impact their spiritual lives, which is for His kingdom glory and expansion. The crusade will glorify Him during these challenging times where God has been taken out of the schools and while living in a spiritually decaying world. Yes, Lord, the children need you and so does this world.
God clearly has something else planned now as He is calling on this generation of children to worship Him and not idols
I did not expect to plan a children’s crusade because most of my mission trips in the past four years have been at Native American reservations and my prayer teams have prayed over native pastors and honored them at church or dinner events. Yet, God clearly has something else planned now as He is calling on this generation of children to worship Him and not idols. His ways are higher than our ways.
“For my thoughts are not your thoughts,
neither are your ways my ways,”
declares the Lord.
“As the heavens are higher than the earth,
so are my ways higher than your ways
and my thoughts than your thoughts.
(Isaiah 55:8-9)
I will continue to interview pastors and global leaders on my radio program, Faith City Outreach, and on my radio station, Global Gospel Worship Radio, but in the meantime, I will trust and go where God leads me in the mission field.
Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?”
And I said, “Here am I. Send me!”
(Isaiah 6:8)
As an elementary school teacher of over seventeen years, I continue to witness children’s innocence being taken away at earlier ages than before due to a lack of God in their lives, social media and from other major familial dysfunctions.
these children will carry the torch and leave a legacy of Jesus behind by witnessing to their parents and their siblings and others … They will shine the light of Jesus in them by being our future leaders
God loves and wants this generation of children to know Him, love Him, follow Him, and to pray to Him. Despite the dimness of our world, these children will carry the torch and leave a legacy of Jesus behind by witnessing to their parents and their siblings and others who know them. They will shine the light of Jesus in them by being our future leaders in the social spheres God has appointed and anointed them to be in; thus, reshaping their communities and our world according to God’s will, as well as sharing the good news with the next generation too.
Indeed, we need you Lord, every day, in everything, and everywhere, and forever. My heart will be full of joy, and the Lord will be exalted on October 15th, when I hear the children singing loudly and worshipping the Lord and echoing, “I Need You Lord, I Love You Lord!”
Marina Maria
Founder, Host, Teacher, Missionary
www.globalgospelworshipradio.org
Global Gospel Worship Radio
Ministry & Prayer Partners
Venture Church
theventurechurch.com
This Little House of Mine
thislittlehouseofmine.org
Spheres of Influence
prayerstrategy.org
Repentance Day
globalrepent.com
Centre for International Reconciliation and Peace: Cairns, Australia
reconciliationandpeace.org
The Racman Christian Radio Station
racmanchristianradio.org
Arizona Ministry Network
azag.org
Scripture Reflection
The proverbs of Solomon son of David, king of Israel:
for gaining wisdom and instruction;
for understanding words of insight;
for receiving instruction in prudent behavior,
doing what is right and just and fair;
for giving prudence to those who are simple,
knowledge and discretion to the young—
let the wise listen and add to their learning,
and let the discerning get guidance—
for understanding proverbs and parables,
the sayings and riddles of the wise.
The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge,
but fools despise wisdom and instruction.
(Proverbs 1:1-7)
Who is wise and understanding among you? Let them show it by their good life, by deeds done in the humility that comes from wisdom. But if you harbor bitter envy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast about it or deny the truth. Such “wisdom” does not come down from heaven but is earthly, unspiritual, demonic. For where you have envy and selfish ambition, there you find disorder and every evil practice.
But the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure; then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere. Peacemakers who sow in peace reap a harvest of righteousness.
(James 3:13-18)
…encourage the young men to be self-controlled. In everything set them an example by doing what is good. In your teaching show integrity, seriousness and soundness of speech that cannot be condemned, so that those who oppose you may be ashamed because they have nothing bad to say about us.
(Titus 2:6b-8)
Prayer
(by Bjorn Schmid, on reflection of Psalm 127)
Lord God Almighty,
Maker of heaven and earth,
You brought stars and angels and people with Your word.
We will not contend with You to build our knowledge by ourselves,
Struggling just to put food in our mouths.
We trust totally in You to provide all that we need,
And when we need it.
Even while we are sleeping,
You give us knowledge and wisdom beyond our capabilities.
Help us we pray to hear Your voice above those around us,
As we partake and toil in the knowledge of the world,
And hear and keep those things You want us to know,
To recall them when You want us to remember them,
And to only apply them when they are part of Your purposes.
Every day and in every way,
Inspire us to reflect Your love and wisdom,
To those around us;
Draw them to You Lord!
We give You all honour in everything,
In Jesus name we pray,
Amen.
What can I say. Only tears. God’s Word is so powerful. Thank you for this wonderful teaching it is a call for the harvest.
blessings.