June 2011

Hello Family,

This is Celeste (Northrup) Peters, Paul & Vera’s 3rd daughter. I feel so connected to you even though time and miles are between us. I think it is just the way the family works in the Body of Christ; because His Spirit connects us, there remains a very real closeness that we share!

What a day we live in! Personally, it feels like I’m in the agitation part of the wash cycle! I hate being so human! I hate being so weak! But I guess that is the point, huh? I am not God and I CANNOT do it without complete surrender to Him. So, we continue to fight the good fight together. We desperately need each other! Especially in these last days where the enemy of our souls would like to discourage us, render us ineffective, and keep us anxious about our circumstances.

Thankfully we have this truth from the Apostle Paul, in Romans 8:11, “And if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, He who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit, who lives in you.” His resurrection power is in us to live out what He has called us to do and be: Worshippers of Him in spirit and in truth, intervening, through His Spirit, in our world; families, neighbors, community, and church, anywhere at any time being full of His resurrection power.

Please pray for us as my husband Michael and I, with our three girls; Audra 14, Rachel 12 and Riley 10, head back to Mama Liz’s Orphanage, Casa Alegre, in Chiapas, Mexico this October 7th – 16th. We will be joining a group from our church Mission Hills Community Church in Rancho Santa Margarita, CA.

Last year, the Lord allowed our group to be there at the opportune time. Many of the kids were grieving, angry and so thrown over the loss of many of their peers. Some had graduated and others had left under not so good circumstances. (You can only imagine the pain for an orphan to feel the abandonment and loss yet once again.) L Through the relationships we’ve established by going down every year for the last 12 years, the children trusted us with their pain and anger. Through that process about 20 of them gave their hearts to Jesus or rededicated their lives to the Lord! The Spirit of God brought comfort and healing to them in a way we had never experienced before.

Our hearts are knitted to these precious ones. It makes it even more powerfully precious that Mom and Dad were spiritual parents and grandparents to this work. We are so privileged to have this legacy and that we get to continue to be the hearts, hands, and arms of the Lord to these sweet “abandoned” lambs! Please be in prayer with us over this trip that the Spirit of the Lord would powerfully use us to set the captives free! (Isaiah 61) We need your prayer for protection, provision, wisdom and power to love lavishly and speak boldly!

God bless you for your faithfulness to the Lord and your faithful love for us! May His presence be so sweet with you today!

Love to you dear family and co-laborers of His love,

Celeste