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 On November 14, God blessed us with seven Arise! Cry Out! (ACO) host sites throughout North, South and Central Germany. We met at various locations, from living rooms with smaller groups to regional events at churches, but the result was the same: The women were incredibly blessed and filled with joy as they prayed for children and schools. Here are some of their experiences:
Arise! Cry Out! Stuttgart (South): "We hosted our Arise! Cry Out! prayer time at Lukas church where 15 women attended. During the Four Steps of Prayer, each section included a time of brief introduction, personal acquaintance and conversations. This led us into a more intimate time of prayer. It was very exciting to see how God moved on the hearts of the women. Two grandmas, who were new to MITI, decided to start a group to pray for their grandchildren."
Arise! Cry Out! Hamburg (North): "We were humbled as we watched the Arise! Cry Out! DVD and listened to God's Word from Revelation 7: 9-10, After this I looked and there before me was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne and in front of the Lamb. They were wearing white robes and were holding palm branches in their hands. And they cried out in a loud voice: ‘Salvation belongs to our God, who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb.’ Tying it all together perfectly, the worship song ‘You Are Worthy’ followed. During the time of thanksgiving, God was glorified and we were all encouraged as each woman gave her testimony. The time together brought us closer to God and to one another as everyone opened up their hearts with transparency and allowed the Spirit to lead us."
Arise! Cry Out! Chemnitz (East Central): "It was an intense time of prayer. Knowing that women around the world were gathering for prayer on the same day added to our awe of God and how His power is displayed throughout the world. The day was marked by gratitude and great boldness in intercession. We all perceived the urgent need for prayer in our schools and for those who desperately need God's love. So many people suffer from emotional coldness and superficiality today. This prompted us to pray for the affected families of the killings at Winnenden Junior High School last spring. Shortly after, we discovered that a foundation is being created in Winnenden, committed to safety and prevention of violence in schools. This was an answer to our prayers."
Arise! Cry Out! Lüdenscheid (West Central): "Fifteen women gathered on Saturday morning at the prayer mountain in Lüdenscheid to praise God on what we described as 'The Day of World Prayer and Praise.' We covered the different countries and continents in prayer while considering the progressive wave of prayers being lifted up around the Earth. Participants then formed small groups to pray for the local schools individually and then for the schools in the districts of Nordrhein-Westfalen, Germany and worldwide. We followed this with a time of private requests. What a blessed experience, praying to God while taking in the beauty of Lüdenscheid and praising Him for what He set in motion 25 years ago in the heart of Fern."
Arise! Cry Out! Albershausen (South): "Our group of 20 women felt like we had been supported by the extraordinary power of the Holy Spirit, sharing in the prayers of many other women around the world and walking step by step right up to the throne of God where we brought our children and their schools before Him. It was just glorious!"
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“Photo of Leonberg Market Square, Germany,
courtesy Wikipedia”
| Arise! Cry Out! Leonberg (South): "Praying with others is like receiving a precious peak into heaven. We know that God heard us and will surely answer. It was remarkable to think that we were a part of so many women praying at the same time around the world! We experienced a very intense prayer time and during breaks had wonderful discussions. As we lifted up our concerns before God, we unloaded our burdens into the Father's hands--the very best place to put them. One new mom said it was very encouraging and inspiring to gather with other mothers to pray and to hear from those who have met regularly to pray for years and as a result have seen incredible blessings upon their children and schools."
Arise! Cry Out! Ulm (South): "Although we only had a small group of 11 women, the atmosphere was one of great openness and spontaneity. After a brief welcome, the pastor of the Volksmission gave us further insight to Lamentations 2:19. He shared that 'Arise,' which is at the beginning of the Bible verse, is not always comfortable for us, but is associated with struggle, and that staying down would be easier, but we are called to act.
“During our thanksgiving time in the morning, we realized how privileged we were to pray for our schools. Later, we learned a lesson in the power of prayer when a mom told us about her son's skiing accident last winter. He had broken vertebrae in his back and could have easily become a paraplegic, but God healed him. Another mother described a dream where she saw her son lying in a coffin. This drove her to get up at night and cry out to God for the life of her son. A few weeks later, her son had given her a note to sign from his teacher. After she signed it, she put it in a different place and not back into his school bag like usual, with the intent to give it to him the next morning. The next day she noticed that her son forgot to take the note with him to school and since his teacher was very strict, she decided to take it to him. As she was driving, she drove past a car wanting to turn onto the same street. When she reached her son, he suddenly ran across the street without looking. She was able to stop in time, but wondered what would have happened if she wasn’t there. Would the other car have been as cautious? She thanks God every day for her son.
“At the end of our prayer time, we noticed how quickly the hours had passed by. It was an intense and blessed time together and we were newly encouraged of how important it is to be a praying mom. We were certain there was nothing more precious on this morning than to be a part of this prayer meeting. What a beautiful thought, that although we were going home, other moms around the world were continuing in prayer for the next generation." |