The Ekballo Event: November 2013

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Imagine you felt God sending you out to India, a call so strong that you scheduled a farewell service at your home church even though your travel visa had not yet been approved; you secured your tickets to fly (over $2000) with only $500 on hand. You are stepping out by faith, determined that God will provide. He is compelling you to go.

This year, over a century later after Amelia Bueker struck out for India in 1906, “Wara” followed. Her home church is El Tabernaculo, one of our churches in Bolivia. Paul Confer, former missionary to Bolivia, participated in Wara’s farewell service by Skype; about two weeks later she was granted a two-year travel visa (very rare), and by the time her payment was due for her airfare, the funds were in hand.

Both Amelia and Wara are results of the kind of prayer Jesus requested, that God would “send out workers into his harvest field (Matthew 9:38).” But this wasn’t simply a request to pray for God to call missionaries. God is calling. His Spirit is faithful. Rather, Jesus asked us to plead with the Lord of the Harvest to ekballo workers. The original word in the Greek carries meanings such as “expel,” “eject,” and “spread abroad.” One of the most common ways it is used in the New Testament is to describe Jesus “casting out” demons. THIS is the one prayer request Jesus left with us.

This fall, we are asking you to join with us in praying for God to ekballo workers into the world. We’re hungry to see more Amelia’s and more Wara’s thrust into the field. This is a call for Christians of all ages to join in prayer. Perhaps your church may plan a special event, such as a fireside prayer meeting or an international dinner; but this one common goal would underline it all.

The Ekballo Event also encompasses our annual offering. Fifty cents of every $1 received this year will go toward partial scholarships for short-term mission trips, and the remainder will support the Doyles’ ministry in Papua New Guinea. We are committed to seeing more people of all ages exposed to another culture, offering God the opportunity to redirect their lives for ministry. As our gift to you, the top giving congregations will receive a copy of the prayer book Operation World.

Now is the time. The fields are white unto harvest, and God is asking us to pray. Join with us in pleading for God to ekballo workers. Eternal souls hang in the balance.

For more information, including a video, event ideas, and handouts for your church, go to our website (www.coghworldmissions.org) and click The Ekballo Event link.