Farho.net Prayer Blog

What is Ramadan?

noreply@blogger.com (Mike Farho) — Tue, 26 Aug 2008 22:40:00 +0000

Ramadan in 2008 (or the Islamic year of 1429) is September 1-30. Dates may vary according to the sighting of the moon. It is the third pillar of Islam, when Muslims around the world celebrate the holiest month of their year. During Ramadan, the ninth month of the Islamic calendar, Muslims from all continents unite in a period of sunrise to sunset fasting and spiritual reflection. Our friends tell us that one of the most important aspects of Ramadan for them is an increase in commitment to their families.

Heavenly Father, during this holy time for Muslims give them dreams and visions of our Savior Jesus Christ. As they discipline themselves and resist temptation, open their hearts to their need for the Savior.

Learn how to pray for Muslims at the 30-Days of Prayer for the Muslim World website. Visit our Islam pages more information about Islam and the fast of Ramadan.

Dates in Islam, Hajj (pilgrimage), Holidays for Muslims, Islam in Arabia, Pillars of Islam, Pray for Muslims, Ramadan, Ramadan prayer guide

Pray about John's shoulder pain

noreply@blogger.com (Mike Farho) — Fri, 22 Aug 2008 14:24:00 +0000

Please pray for our son John's shoulder surgery recovery. He's home but couldn't sleep last night because of pain. He is getting a different pain killer now.

With love and gratitude,

Mike, Sue, John, and Joshua Farho

http://farho.us

John's shoulder surgery Thursday AM

noreply@blogger.com (Mike Farho) — Tue, 19 Aug 2008 23:20:00 +0000

Photo of John in Iraq with some kids.

I had a good phone conversation with our son John today. He appreciates your prayers about his shoulder surgery on Thursday morning. He has had some annoying pain in one shoulder since his tour in Iraq. I don't completely understand his injury. but trust that the doctors do. I think it is called an arthroscopic outpatient surgery. He goes in at 6:30am, and out after lunch time. He will have three weeks of recovery. Then he has three weeks of National Guard camp in September. He is also taking a full load at college and working as a personal trainer at Gold's Gym. Oh to be 22 years old again!

Heavenly Father, we trust You to heal John's injured shoulder. Give the doctors wisdom and steady hands. Protect John from infection and further injury. Strengthen him as he juggles a very hectic schedule this fall.

Grateful for simple pleasures

noreply@blogger.com (Mike Farho) — Tue, 12 Aug 2008 21:37:00 +0000

Downtown Abidjan across the lagoon

We're grateful for so many little things in our lives here in Africa. It's true, we miss much about our lives in the USA, but God meets us here in simple and pleasant ways. As I was making my visits today on my motorcycle under a clear blue sky, cool breezes were blowing off the Atlantic Ocean. August is simply the best month to be alive in Abidjan. Before putting Joshua to bed tonight, we enjoyed another simple yet precious pleasure. We watched a one hour resume of today's Olympic events on French TV5.org.

Heavenly Father, thank You for the beauty and cool weather in Abidjan. Give Mike, Sue and Joshua much joy as they serve You in this city of about 6 million needy souls. Open doors each day to share the love of Jesus. Protect John as he serves at the Nebraska Army National Guard Camp this week.

Prayer for 08-08-08 at 08:08am

noreply@blogger.com (Mike Farho) — Fri, 08 Aug 2008 08:08:00 +0000

Thought I would celebrate this awesome date with a special prayer for you, posted on 08/08/08 at 08:08 am. That makes this an 080808 0808 GMT prayer!

Heavenly Father, we thank You for giving us a new day to know You and love You. We thank You for giving us the fruit of Your Holy Spirit to enable us to obey You. We thank You for Your patience with us each day and year You've given us. Empower us anew to be Your faithful servants on this planet we call home. Enlighten us as we reflect Your glory. Cause Your love to overflow from us to all our neighbors and every nation of the world.

We pray all these things in the name of Your beloved Son, Jesus Christ of Nazareth, who died to make our pardon possible. Amen

Send us your questions advice, comments or prayer requests!

God took away my fear!

noreply@blogger.com (Mike Farho) — Tue, 05 Aug 2008 23:47:00 +0000

On Aug. 7, 2001, a number of our friends experienced a living nightmare. God supernaturally saved us from being caught in the maelstrom of that evil day. I don't want to open the wounds that so many experienced that day. I need to share one friend's healing after that frightening day. Last week, she shared that the fear was so overwhelming that she couldn't sleep for days. Then she cried out to God to take away her fear. Immediately, a wonderful feeling of peace came over her. I can honestly tell you that she is now one of the most courageous people I know.

Heavenly Father, thank You for healing those who were so terribly wounded that day 7 years ago. Make this anniversary of that event one of increasing peace and comfort for all. Protect Your servants who serve You in areas of intense spiritual warfare. Deliver them from the evil one and his schemes to destroy them.

God, if you exist, prove it to me!

noreply@blogger.com (Mike Farho) — Tue, 29 Jul 2008 22:40:00 +0000

A Lebanese man became frustrated and angry at what seems like God's indifference with what is happening in Abidjan. He climbed on the roof of his house in front of his friends and cried out, "God, if you exist, prove it to me!" That night he had a dream in which God spoke to him. He reached out and grabbed at a red star that was flying by him. The star burned him. Then he awoke, to find his right arm burned and blistered to his elbow. Now many Lebanese are telling his story of new faith in God to their friends.

Heavenly Father, we know you exist and thank You for Your presence in our lives. Open closed hearts to Jesus as they hear this man's story. Give Mike and Sue opportunities to encourage them in their faith.

Modeste Church School

noreply@blogger.com (Mike Farho) — Tue, 22 Jul 2008 22:39:00 +0000

I have an important meeting Wednesday with the head elder of the Modeste Bambara C&MA Church. The Christ Community Church 808 Team was able to leave some cash to do some work on their school building. They want to fix up their one room classroom a little before school starts again this fall. It is an exciting project. The Ivorian government likes the school so much that they provide a teacher! That is a really big deal, since the church and the villagers can't afford a salary for a teacher. They grow vegetables for the Abidjan market.

Heavenly Father. Thank You for the generosity of Christ Community Church and their college students. Use this C&MA school to train boys and girls to read, so they can read Your Word and mature in Christ.

See a photo of the school

Learn more about the Modeste Church

C&MA DNA

noreply@blogger.com (Mike Farho) — Wed, 16 Jul 2008 14:37:00 +0000

Our Christology . . . what we believe about Jesus
Our core values . . . how we live our beliefs
Our strategies . . . how we decide what we’ll do together as a movement for God

Taxi strike day 3

noreply@blogger.com (Mike Farho) — Wed, 16 Jul 2008 10:10:00 +0000

The strike continues. No danger to most people, just a huge inconvenience for those who use them to shop and get to work. There is a strike of government workers planned for tomorrow.

Here are some photos from http://Abidjan.net:

Send us your questions advice, comments or prayer requests!

Taxis on strike in Abidjan

noreply@blogger.com (Mike Farho) — Tue, 15 Jul 2008 22:40:00 +0000

This photo by Abidjan.net pretty much sums up the problem. No taxis, means no way for most of the population of this city of nearly 6 million to get to work. The taxi drivers are on strike because they can't afford to buy fuel at the rates they are authorized to charge. The drivers set up road blocks to stop people from taking other forms of transportation. We were warned that there could be trouble, so we've stayed here in our neighborhood.

Heavenly Father, help the people in Abidjan to find ways to make ends meet during these extremely inflationary days. Give the government authorities wisdom as they try to calm down the situation.

Fuel went up 44% this week.

noreply@blogger.com (Mike Farho) — Tue, 08 Jul 2008 21:42:00 +0000

Overnight, the price of diesel fuel for our vehicle went from $4.93 to $7.10 a gallon in Cote d'Ivoire. Gas is now $7.19 a gallon. We're grateful that our vehicles get great mileage. How much do you pay for fuel?

We went to the grocery store today and stocked up. All food items will soon cost more, because of the increase in fuel costs. We're finding ourselves doing more of our visits by phone, to cut ministry expenses. We're as careful as we can be about making any purchases for our ministry that will influence the cost of our work here. Our Toyota gets much better mileage than our old Peugeot. We drive our tiny Suzuki Samurai or motorcycle when possible. Last year, we used our Farho Work gifts to purchase a laser printer. It dramatically reduced our printing costs compared to our inkjet printer.

We're grateful for your generous and sacrificial gifts to send us here to share the Good News in Abidjan. What ideas can you share, to help us lower our ministry expenses?

Measles and Travel

noreply@blogger.com (Mike Farho) — Tue, 01 Jul 2008 21:55:00 +0000

I don't think our John and Joshua ever had measles. Sue and I did. How about you? Nassif (12 years old) has a bad case of measles (is actually Chickenpox). He and his dad Fauzi haven't been able to sleep, because of the irritation. Poor Nassif just had Malaria recently too.

Radwan is trying to get ready for his family's departure to Lebanon next Monday. There are many problems that are making it difficult. A tax collector showed up today with a bill for over $5,000. He is trying to sell his wife's car to pay for all their plane tickets. She and their children will stay in Lebanon.

Heavenly Father, thank You for being Nassif's healer. Give him relief from his itching sores. Radwan thanks You for meeting all his needs. He and we are counting on Your provision for his financial needs.

Summertime in Abidjan

noreply@blogger.com (Mike Farho) — Tue, 24 Jun 2008 21:48:00 +0000

Many of our friends and neighbors have already left Abidjan for the summer. Others will be leaving over the next few weeks. Most are flying home to Lebanon or France. Summertime is the most beautiful season in Abidjan. August is the average coolest month at 80 F. May through July, we get a total of more than 44 inches of rain. For comparison, May through July are the wettest months in Omaha, NE, totaling almost 12 inches of rain. Helena, MT gets less than 12 inches of rain in an entire year. See your city's normal rainfall

During these cooler and wet months, we spend more time with the folks who can't afford to travel. We will miss our closest friends and neighbors who will be far away.

Heavenly Father, we ask You to open new doors and windows for ministry in Abidjan. Guide the Farhos and the leaders of the Modeste Church, as they continue the construction that the recent Omaha Team is financing.

Wonderful news and sad news

noreply@blogger.com (Mike Farho) — Tue, 17 Jun 2008 22:27:00 +0000

So many important things have happened. We want to share them all: Radwan's wife is pregnant, Pastor John's new baby died, Nassif's Malaria, a Lebanese wedding, John's promotion to sergeant, Joshua's blue belt, and more! You'll have to click on links to get more information.

The greatest news came during the surprise phone call this afternoon from Pastor Gavin at Christ Community Church (CCC) Omaha. He called to let us know that the team completed their fund raising for their recent ministry with us. All the funds we needed for the orphanage supplies and Modeste Church School came in! In addition, the CCC College 8:08 group is partnering with the Modeste Bambara Church for their future facility construction plans. They will focus on raising funds for this project this fall.

Heavenly Father, we thank You for this sad and wonderful news. As our Lebanese sister Hyame says, "Everything that comes from God is good." Help us to see Your love in everything!

CCC 2008 team all home

noreply@blogger.com (Mike Farho) — Tue, 10 Jun 2008 22:37:00 +0000

John was the last member of the team to return to Omaha. He just called to let us know he made it safely. It was really an amazing 3 weeks for us to have the team for 2 weeks then John for 9 more days. We posted a lot of photos for you to see at the Team Blog and at our Farho Family Blog. Take a few minutes to enjoy them!

Heavenly Father, thank You for using the team from Christ Community Church to touch many lives at the Seminary, the Modeste Church and the Girls Orphanage. Thank You for the many who put their faith in Your Son Jesus at the orphanage and Jesus film showing. Help them to grow in love, faith and obedience to You.

Team Blog: http://www.christ-web.com/missions/farho/ccc2008/

Farho Family Blog: http://www.christ-web.com/missions/farho/family/

John and Joshua Baptized

noreply@blogger.com (Mike Farho) — Tue, 03 Jun 2008 20:39:00 +0000

What a joy it was to baptize our two sons, John and Joshua, on Friday May 30th. We had planned to have the celebration at the ocean on my 31st spiritual birthday, May 29th. It was a very rainy and cold day. Check out the photos at our family blog.

We had a great two weeks with the work team from Christ Community Church in Omaha. Visit their blog to see photos about their daily adventures and work.

Heavenly Father, thank You for leading John and Joshua to follow You in obedience to be baptized. Give them much fruit in their lives for You. Guide and bless the Christ Community Church college students as they share their ministry in Cote d'Ivoire.

Send us your questions advice, comments or prayer requests!

Painting in a Parachute by Sarah Johnson

noreply@blogger.com (Mike Farho) — Tue, 20 May 2008 22:36:00 +0000

I am truly grateful for God bringing the breeze, to my horror, my $3.99 floral print skirt from the Salvation Army, thought it would be fun to see how it could fly in the breeze. It was ridiculous trying to hold my skirt down and at the same time paint with a roller. Fortunately the skirt liked to watch itself puff up rather than reveal anything inappropriate. I won't be wearing it tomorrow! Another favorite part today was meeting students and kids in the hallways. I met a young lady named Nina, who came out and thanked me and introduced herself in English. I introduced myself in French and we had a good laugh. Sadly, though that is all the French I knew and all the English she knew so the conversation ended there. I loved trying and the victory in connecting in the small conversation we had!

Read all the mission team comments at http://www.Farho.net/ccc2008

Christ Community Church College Team

noreply@blogger.com (Mike Farho) — Tue, 13 May 2008 23:36:00 +0000

A work team of college students, including our son John, and their pastor from Christ Community Church in Omaha, NE is serving with us in Cote d'Ivoire from May 16-30. The first week, they will be painting at the C&MA West African Theological Seminary. The second week they will be repairing and painting the Modeste village C&MA Bambara Church facility and building 30 benches. The team will also be building bridges of love to the 127 orphans living at the Grand Bassam Girls Orphanage.

Saturday night, May 24th, the team will be participating in an evangelistic meeting, showing the Jesus Film. On several nights, they will also be showing fun and evangelistic films for the children at the orphanage. For more details and photos, visit the team blog at http://www.farho.net/ccc2008/

Sue robbed at traffic light

noreply@blogger.com (Mike Farho) — Fri, 09 May 2008 20:52:00 +0000

Sue was stopped in traffic at a large intersection, when a man who appeared to be a beggar with a wounded arm, forced open the driver side rear section of the convertible top of her Suzuki Samurai. It was pouring down rain. The assailant was wearing a bandage wrapped around his entire right arm.

She screamed and honked her horn as he crawled into her car. No one helped her. She pulled her cell phone out of her purse to call me. Then the light turned green. She tried to escape, while he continued to climb into her car. He was able to enter and jumped into the front seat, as she crossed the intersection. Continuing to scream at him, she stopped around the corner and shoved the tall man out of her car.

She was so shook up that she was unable to call me on her phone. She drove straight home. Then she saw her purse was gone. She told Joshua and his French tutor to call me. I drove directly to the scene of the crime. The police were already there for another robbery, maybe even the same thief. They explained to me that the bandage was probably concealing a steel bar used to bust open car windows to steal purses. They left to search for the thief.

I couldn't get Sue to answer our house phone. I assumed her cell phone was stolen with her purse. So I drove home. Sue, Joshua and the tutor were gone.

She left with them to search for the thief and her favorite purse! They found witnesses who saw the man with her purse, but they didn't find the thief.

Heavenly Father, give Sue peace after this traumatic event. Help her to sleep and feel Your protection. Deliver the Farhos from danger. In Jesus Name! Amen.

Pray for healing

noreply@blogger.com (Mike Farho) — Tue, 06 May 2008 20:27:00 +0000

Fauzi thanks you for your prayers about his twisted intestine. After you started praying, he got better. He's already back to work!

I, Mike, need your prayers too.When we were in Senegal last month, I injured my right foot and my ears started ringing (tinnitus). We thought my tinnitus could be related to a medication, so I quit all medications and even vitamins. That hasn't make any difference. My foot is still sore and stiff in the morning or when I get up after sitting for a while.

Heavenly Father, in Your grace, heal Mike of these two annoying ailments. Encourage the team from Omaha, serving in Abidjan May 16-30, as they raise their support.

Alliance World Week of Prayer

noreply@blogger.com (Mike Farho) — Tue, 29 Apr 2008 21:14:00 +0000

Alliance Churches are joining together for prayer April 27-May 4, 2008. The USA National Day of Prayer is May 1, 2008. Your prayer support is vital to our ministries in Abidjan and around the world. Without your prayers, the struggles of life in Africa would destroy us. God is using your prayers to keep us here on the front line in Cote d'Ivoire.

Heavenly Father, give us Your heart for prayer and the needs of the lost. Encourage us to pray often for Mike and Sue and others serving You around the world.

Ramadan 2008 September 1 -30

noreply@blogger.com (Mike Farho) — Fri, 25 Apr 2008 09:01:00 +0000

30-Days of Prayer for the Muslim World
Ramadan 2008 / 1429: September 01 - September 30

Send us your questions advice, comments or prayer requests!

Secret of God's blessing

noreply@blogger.com (Mike Farho) — Wed, 23 Apr 2008 21:52:00 +0000

Charles Spurgeon, whose ministry in 19th-century London led thousands into the Kingdom of God, is considered by many to be the greatest preacher in modern history.
A group of American pastors once approached him at his church.

"What is the key to your ministry?" they asked.

"Come with me and I will show you," he responded...

As he led them through a large building, some of the pastors may have expected him to show them the church's beautiful sanctuary, but he walked right past it. Would he show them the treasurer's books or his extensive library? No... he ignored all these.

With the curious pastors in tow, Spurgeon arrived at a room in the lower level of his meeting house.

Throwing open the door, he revealed over 400 believers gathered on "THEIR" knees in prayer for the evening service.

"There," he said humbly, "is the secret of God's blessing His work here."

Taken from Seven Ways to Pray for Spiritual Leaders by Linda Corbin

Send us your questions advice, comments or prayer requests!

Fauzi has a twisted colon

noreply@blogger.com (Mike Farho) — Tue, 22 Apr 2008 22:17:00 +0000

We weren't able to have church at Fauzi's Sunday. He's very sick with what seems to be a twisted colon, that happened with the passing of kidney stones. He won't go to the hospital, so he is getting by with IVs at home. It has been complicated with a case of Malaria. We've been able to visit him for prayer daily. It really hurts us to see a dear friend suffering like this.

Heavenly Father, heal Fauzi and take away the pain and fatigue he is suffering. Use these days to draw him closer to You.

Our son John is leading a team of college students to Cote d'Ivoire next month. We're busy preparing for their housing and ministries in our seminary, a village church and and an orphanage. Tomorrow, I'll be visiting the orphanage and church with one of our pastors. If you want to support John financially, ask us how. He is raising $3,000.