“COME OVER AND HELP US!”

Matt Leading a Team of 50 Students to Impact Ireland and England

And a vision appeared to Paul in the night; a man of Macedonia was standing there, urging him and saying, “Come over to Macedonia and help us.” And when Paul had seen the vision, immediately we sought to go on into Macedonia, concluding that God had called us to preach the gospel to them. – Acts 16:9-10

Do you believe God can still give people visions today? I believe God is still alive and active among his church today and he is still calling people to come join him in ways just as he did during the early church.

A couple of months ago I picked up a book titled “St. Patrick: Pioneer Missionary to Ireland.” And can you believe that the Lord gave Patrick a vision to go to Ireland similar to the one Paul received to go to Macedonia in the book of Acts?

Yes, that is right! Several months after Patrick had escaped his slave life in Ireland he had a vision in the night that changed his life… “I saw a man named Victoricus, coming from Ireland with countless letters. He gave me one of them, and I read the opening words which were: ‘The voice of the Irish…’ I thought at the same moment I heard their voice: ‘We beg you holy youth, come and walk among us once more.’”

From that time on Patrick prepared for the ministry and eventually made it back to Ireland to fulfill Gods call in bringing the gospel of Jesus Christ to Ireland!

Ok, so I did not receive a specific vision from the Lord to go to Northern Ireland or England this summer, but I have received several emails from our Irish and British brothers and sisters in Christ to “Come over and help us!”

The need for the gospel to be proclaimed in Northern Ireland and England today is just as great as it was when St. Patrick received his call. So we have responded to their cry for help!

Please pray for Matt in July as he leads a team of 50 students and staff to serve and partner with churches in Londonderry, Northern Ireland and Tottenham, England for the sake of the gospel. Thank you for coming alongside us and helping us in the work he has called us to!

Highlights of our Trip to the UK

Last month Matt and I went to England for a week to visit with our Reign UK staff team and to explore the possibilities of a long-term UK missions/ministry position.

Here are some highlights:

We sensed the power of people praying for us - throughout the trip.  On four different occasions we had British ministry leaders express to us a specific prayer, word, verse, or vision that God put on their heart specifically regarding us.

We were encouraged by how many open doors were shown to us regarding how He has specifically equipped us in the ministry to train up new youth and youth leaders to reach the UK.

We sensed continuous confirmation along the way that He is leading us to be exploring this possibility.

We were able to clearly see the great need and unique circumstances that make reaching youth in the UK especially strategic.

We  were excited to see the heart of the ministry which our colleagues there are involved with – to reach teens in the UK for Christ. There is an entire generation missing from the local church and less than 1% of teens attend church.

What now? We are taking several months to “soak in prayer” the decision of whether the Lord is in fact leading our whole family to move to another continent!! 
Please join us in praying for this rather large decision.  Pray we will be really in tune with Him.  Pray we will be able to hear clearly and consistently if this is His will for our family. Please pray also that if we are to go that placement details would become more clear. 

We hope to make a decision sometime this fall.  Before leaving we would have to raise additional financial support.  Should we move, it would be sometime in 2010 or 2011.

Happy St. Patrick’s Day!

This year I am celebrating St. Patrick’s Day a bit different. Well to be honest with you, I have not done much to celebrate it in the past other than eat something green. But never the less, this year is different for me. Why? Well, even though this will be my second year leading the Royal Servants Ireland team (and third time to Ireland), I’m a bit embarrassed to say this but I knew very little about the real St. Patrick. Then again, I bet you or your friends can’t tell me too much about him either!

So here is the quiz!... Who was St. Patrick?
a. An Irishman who really liked the color green
b. The cartoon figure on a box of lucky charms
c. A legend about a Leprechaun with a pot of gold
d. A guy who loved God and was called to bring the gospel to Ireland

Ok, hopefully I made that easy for you… if you picked “d” you passed the quiz!

About a month ago I picked up a book titled “St. Patrick: Pioneer Missionary to Ireland.” While reading this book I have been totally encouraged and inspired by this man of God who left everything comfortable and risked his life to bring the gospel to the people of Ireland.

The amazing thing about his story is that his first journey to Ireland was not even as a Christian but as a 16 year old British slave to Irish raiders! At that time Ireland was a place of unspeakable demonic stronghold. Druid priests made child sacrifices to their gods and the people worshiped false idols. Patrick was sold as a slave into the service of a local Irish king. As a slave tending pigs and sheep he met the Lord and his faith was nurtured through prayer and fasting over several months and years.

He described his prayer life as a slave in this way: “Many times a day I prayed. The love of God and His fear came to me more and more, and my faith was strengthened. In a single day I would say as many as a hundred prayers, and almost as many in the night. I used to get up for prayer before daylight whatever the weather – snow, frost, rain – without suffering any ill effects. The spirit within me was fervent.”

For six years Patrick had lived under harsh extremes as a slave. When he had the opportunity he spoke to his captors about the love of Christ but they did not respond. In all his years of captivity, pain and rejection, he did not loose his faith and trust in Christ but clung to him all the more. Then one night he heard a voice: “Soon you will go to your own country.” The voice came again. “See, your ship is ready.”

Patrick left in the middle of the night with little supplies and walked for 200 miles before finding a ship on the coast making ready for sail. Through some miraculous events and answered prayer he was able to board the ship and escape his slave life in Ireland.

After a serious of event on his journey Patrick finally reached home in Britain. He settled in with his parents and began living a normal comfortable life. Though he desired to stay with his parents and take over the family farm one day it was not to be. Late one night he had a vision that changed his life: “I saw a man named Victoricus, coming from Ireland with countless letters. He gave me on of them, and I read the opening words which were: ‘The voice of the Irish…’ I thought at the same moment I heard their voice: ‘We beg you holy youth, come and walk among us once more.’” From that time on Patrick prepared for the ministry and eventually made it back to Ireland to fulfill Gods call on his life.

For thirty years Patrick faced the strongholds in Ireland and continued to preach the gospel from village to village, seeing many come to faith in Christ. By the time of his death he had baptized tens of thousands and helped establish hundreds of churches throughout the land. Within a century this once pagan land became predominately Christian, and began sending out missionaries into Europe.

St. Patrick died in his beloved Ireland, March 17th about 460 A.D. The land which once enslaved him, he had set free!

The true St. Patrick has quickly become one of my hero’s of the Christian faith. In many ways, he was like the apostle Paul. He preached the good news of Jesus to a pagan people who worshiped false gods and false idols, was imprisoned for months at a time, was faced with many trials and hardships and planted churches through out his missionary journeys.

I believe we can learn a lot from St. Patrick’s life in how we to can live our lives for Jesus. You may wonder how you can even relate to such a man of God. After all, I’m sure most of you did not receive a dramatic vision from the Lord telling you to leave your friends and country for the sake of the gospel. However, God has put a deep desire in the hearts of our students to do just that, and they have responded in faith!

I know the Lord has big plans for us this summer, not only in Northern Ireland but also in London. I just read a staggering statistic saying that less than 1% of teenagers go to church in the United Kingdom. And you can only imagine how few teenagers in that 1% who even have a real relationship with Christ.

May our hearts be broken for those in N. Ireland and London, who do not yet know the God who created them, the God who loves them and the God who gave his life for them!

I pray that you too will be able to celebrate St. Patrick’s day in a different way this year as you remember the God who transformed his life and called him to leave his comfortable life. May Jesus also do a work in you as you live your life for Him and for His glory!

THE HALSETH FAMILY PRAYER GUIDE FOR 2009

LOVE

“Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it; Love your neighbor as yourself. All the law and the prophets hang on these two commandments. --Matthew 22:37-40
Our goal this year is to put together a family mission statement that includes this verse. Please pray that we will not only memorize this important verse but that we will live it out in loving God and others in ALL that we do.

DEVOTION

“Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked or stand in the way of sinners or sit in the seat of mockers. But his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he meditates day and night.” --Psalms 1:1,2
Unless we spend time daily with the Lord in prayer and meditating on his word, the pressures of this life can overpower His voice. Please pray we would not neglect our time with God. Pray that we would hunger and thirst for righteousness. Pray also that God would meet us, fill us and satisfy us through His Spirit and by His Word.

MARRIAGE

“Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourself with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience.” --Colossians 3:12
As we approach our 8th Anniversary we remain thankful for the gift of our marriage. Please join with us in praying that we continue to give our marriage the healthy priority we want it to have. We don’t want to take each other for granted. We want to continue to “spur each other on” in whatever God has. Pray we won’t allow pride to get in the way.

CHILDREN

“…These commands that I give you today are to be upon your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up.” –Deuteronomy 6:6,7
DADDY: Sometimes it is easier to make time for ministry outside the home then inside the home. Please pray that I would develop the discipline to “Impress” the truths of God on our children now. Pray that I would continue to make them a priority!
MOMMY: Ohhh – they are SO Cute! How can I NOT treasure every minute with these precious little charges?!! Yet somehow I can become discouraged by the endless dishes, laundry, cleaning, organizing, and sibling disputes. Pray that I will keep my vision above the daily mundane tasks to honor the calling, and the privilege to be a Mommy to Nathan, Abby and Joshua.

ADOPTION

Pure and lasting religion in the sight of God our Father means that we must care for orphans and widows in their troubles, and refuse to let the world corrupt us.” –James 1:27
Over the past year we have had many mixed emotions about pursuing another pregnancy. In light of our past medical problems and our hearts desire for adoption, we sense God is now leading us to pursue adoption! Pray that God would direct us and lead us throughout the process. Pray also for us to have patience. Pray that we are connected to the right adoption organization (international or domestic) or the right person who knows someone. And pray that God provides for the finances to adopt.

ACCOUNTABILITY

Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective. –James 5:16
In a culture that values independence, pray we will pursue opportunities to be held accountable in our pursuit of personal spiritual growth. We have witnessed a few close friends in ministry struggle in their integrity. Pray for the Lord to protect us and keep us accountable through a few specific authentic and transparent friendships. Pray we would value a prayer partner and/or a mentor.

PROVISION

And my God will meet all your needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus. –Philippians 4:19
MEDICAL: In the last month, we have been to the ER or the doctor maybe a dozen times! (Josh-croupe, RSV, pneumonia; Abby-pneumonia, ear infection, tooth ache; Jenni-stitches, optical migraine.) Please pray for health for our family. Pray also for us to identify a more economical health insurance strategy for our family—as this is something we pay for entirely out-of-pocket.
FINANCIAL: With the economy as it is, we have found ourselves in a place where we need to focus on building up our support base. In recent months our regular monthly giving has been down at least 20%. Though this could be burdensome, amazingly—our call to long-term ministry seems to be strengthening

THE HALSETH MINISTRY PRAYER GUIDE FOR 2009

CALLING

For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do. –Ephesians 2:10

Believe me when I say there has been numerous times when we have thought about leaving ministry, getting regular jobs and having a “normal” life. But whenever we entertain that thought there is never a peace about leaving but instead a constant drive from the Holy Spirit to “stay the course.” Pray that God would continue to lead us and direct us in our calling in ministry. Pray that we would continuing to pursue the “good works” he has prepared in advance for us to do.

FOCUS

Be very careful, then, how you live – not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil. –Ephesians 5:15-16

In order to continue to build my focus, pray for wisdom as I periodically set defined, measurable goals in my work. Also pray against a tendency for “my task” to become more important than my focus on the one who called me to it. I pray my focus is first and foremost fixed on Jesus, as my top priority. And then secondly, the task He is calling me to. Pray for discernment to dive into the tasks He calls me to, and also the self-control to not over-commit myself.

UNITY

“...May they be brought to complete unity to let the world know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me.” –John 17:23b

If our relationships with co-workers and those on the mission field become strained we need to be honest and open with each other, show real repentance, and allow God to break our stubborn pride. It is NO easier for us to admit we are wrong than for anyone else! Pray that we will surrender “our” plans to God, be unified with our fellow Christian workers with agape love and seek the highest good rather than claiming our rights.

BOLDNESS

Pray also for me, that whenever I open my mouth, words may be given me so that I will fearlessly make known the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains. Pray that I may declare it fearlessly, as I should. –Ephesians 6:19-20

Some of you may think that people in ministry don’t fear sharing the gospel. But even the apostle Paul, bold as he was, still struggled with fear in proclaiming the gospel. That should not only encourage us to know that we are not alone in our fear but to pray that we too would follow in Paul’s example and be a bold witness for Jesus. I want to be like Paul, please pray that God would give me the boldness to open my mouth and proclaim his message fearlessly!

VICTORY

But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. –1 Corinthians 15: 57

Though there is not much talk these days about Satan, he is very real and desires to destroy us and our work for the living God! Please pray that we would have victory over his schemes. Pray also that we would personally have victory over our own worldly and sinful desires. And pray that we would be in a constant state of thankfulness for our Victor, the Lord Jesus Christ!

WORKERS

Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field.” –Matthew 9:37-38

Ultimately our work is to disciple the next generation of missionaries. Some may ask, “Are short-terms missions worth it?” And my response is always, YES! Statistics show that MANY, MANY missionaries receive their calling to missions or ministry through a short-term mission trip (including Jenni and I.) Please fervently pray with us that God would do a mighty work among the next generation and send forth workers into his harvest field!

LASTING FRUIT

You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit – fruit that will last. Then the father will give you whatever you ask in my name. –John 15:16

I believe it is impossible for Christians to mature in their walk with Christ if they are not willing to speak for him. Unless we share our faith with others, we may never see any lasting fruit in our lives or in the lives of others. This is a top priority for our Royal Servants team as we travel abroad and the reason we are seeing lasting fruit in the lives of the students and in the lives we serve overseas. Please pray that we will continue to make this our “top priority” in the work he has called us to. Pray that God will continue to work through us to “bear fruit” and “fruit that will last!”

The Halseth Family Highlights of 2008

Joshua: (11/9/07) We can’t believe that our sweet baby boy has already turned one! After a few health concerns as a newborn, Joshua is healthy as can be. He loves to walk and climb. He watches if anyone should happen to leave the gate open and then he takes off up the stairs – just to scare Mommy perhaps… His favorite activity is playing “What drawer or cupboard can I get into next?” Honestly though, a toilet works just fine to play in as well! He is good natured and finds great glee in being entertained by his older brother and sister.

Abby: (6/3/04) Adorable ABBY is sweet as can be. She is in her second year of preschool two mornings a week and loves it. Mommy sometimes needs to protect baby Josh from all of Abby’s nurturing love because she really loves babies. She had a Princess “Cinderella” 4th birthday party, and dressed up as Princess “Belle” for Halloween. She spends a lot of time making artistic pictures of princesses, dressing her babies like princesses, wearing princess jewelry, and twirling in princess costumes. If she could have it her way—the whole world would be pink! Abby loves to sing and is full of animated stories!

Nathan: (10/18/02) NATHAN enjoys kindergarten and seems to thrive in anything academic. He is full of questions, and we sometimes need to do our own research in order find answers to his good questions. He is a very verbal child and even performed in the teenagers talent show on Daddy’s summer team as a teller of “knock-knock” jokes! He can climb a tree much higher than Mommy is comfortable with and enjoys exploring in the woods. He knows Friday is allowance day and also earns extra dimes by helping all the chores. He remains very social and loves to have friends over to play.

Jenni: Jenni spent a lot of time this year trying to “settle” the house - maybe it is her new hobby?! After spending much time the past few years having babies, and moving – a bit of accumulation has built up! We have happily become strong supporters of the local charity donation bin. Jenni enjoys being involved with a community Bible study called Moms In-Depth. If free time can be found, Jenni loves going on walks, going on dates with Matt, reading, and hot bubble baths. She loved a fall weekend away at a Mom’s conference, “Hearts at Home.”

Matt: Matt gained the admiration of many and became a regular Winter Super Hero in February. He and his friend cross-country skied deep into the northern Minnesota wilderness for an winter camping/ice fishing trip. (Jenni is glad he has someone else to go with him). Matt enjoys being involved with the youth group, meeting with men in a weekly bible study, listening to sermons/books on his MP3 player and spending his free time in the outdoors. This fall Matt went hunting for the first time in several years and bagged a 6 point buck to fill the Halseth freezer with venison! Way to go Matt!

Vacation: Mommy declined a week of fun camping in August in order to clean the house! She must be getting too old to have so much fun anymore :-) But we did manage to take two short overnight trips to a great mid-week deal in a Duluth, MN water-park hotel. We also joined Matt’s family camping over Labor Day Weekend which was tons of fun!

The Animals: Our dog Bailey is still with us, and always great with the kids...though getting less robust in her old age. This year we also gained two new cats, affectionately named Daisy and Tiger (not pictured). Their primary job is to help ward off the garage mice who had built a nest in Matt’s rain boot and under the hood of the van!

Growing Deeper with Moms In-Depth

Developing authentic friendships with Moms, through small group Bible study and Prayer By Jenni Halseth

"Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength… and love your neighbor as yourself. There is no commandment greater than these.” Mark 12:30-31

Two years ago I invited some women in our community to join me in a Bible Study. My original hope was to find five interested Moms, but to my amazement twelve signed up. As I got to know these women I was excited to learn that several had never before had the opportunity to study the Bible. Some were not involved with a church. The Moms who attended church were from five different local churches, bringing a true interdenominational flavor to our group.

MOMS LIVES BEING CHANGED BY GOD
There have been times in my life when I felt “strong enough” to be an “effective leader”. This was not one of those times…! I was in the middle of a number of challenging personal health issues (miscarriages, heart problems, etc.) and yet somehow the Lord saw fit to give me this inspiring opportunity to serve. Often, I am aware of how little I have to offer, but (of course!) God remains so obviously bigger than my weaknesses! He is so faithful to show up and move in powerful ways. Moms are genuinely deepening their commitment to Christ, true friendships are being built, and families are being changed. Not only have I seen Moms grow incredibly in their own faith journey, but the Lord continually uses these women to bless me in countless ways. My biggest prayer request has been that somehow I will be in tune with the Lord enough to not get in the way of all that He may be wanting to do.

Last year we had new people join and this year our group has grown to 25 Moms. Numbers are not important, but each changed life is. Once again the Lord continues to bring new Moms who have little previous exposure to Christianity or the Bible. Words cannot express how incredible it is to be able to witness the Lord bringing women to Himself, and some for the first time ever.

“MIDZ KIDZ” CHILDREN’S MINISTRY
We now call ourselves “Moms In-Depth”, and have split into two small groups instead of one. Five of the Moms faithfully serve with me on the Servant Leadership Team, to keep us all afloat. I am totally thankful to be mentored as I serve - by a dear and wise friend named Marion. In order to care for the 50+ children involved, we have nine staff working in our children’s ministry called “MIDZ KIDZ.” MIDZ KIDZ is an answer to prayer as the children’s program has grown from a struggling childcare scenario into a blossoming Children’s Ministry. Caring for our 50+ children is such a vital challenge as we organize, organize, organize – and as we search for qualified staff, and the money to pay them! (Should you ever sense a leading to financially support the Moms In-Depth ministry directly, please make checks payable to North Brook Fellowship - our local North Branch, MN church.)

A MOM’S PRIORITY IN A MINISTRY CALLING
Over time, Matt and I have felt compelled to share with you this testimony of how the Lord is at work in the lives of these Moms. We hope you understand how much we appreciate your role in this. Your prayers and financial support allow us to not only serve full-time with Reign Ministries, but also to serve in our local community, as the Lord leads. Many of you are so faithful in your prayers; for our ministry with students, for our international mission trips, for our personal walks with Christ, and for our family. Here is one more area we appreciate your prayer support; for continued wisdom with my role in the lives of these Moms. For several, the Lord is bringing His healing into (the sometimes messy) backgrounds of brokenness.

I love seeing God change women’s hearts and lives through prayer and exposure to His Word. I love being a stay-at-home Mom with Nathan, Abby and Joshua. And I love that my husband is so receptive to the Lord’s clear and continual call to serve in long-term ministry with International Missions and Students. Yes, I admit that I may whine a little about living in a tent with lots of huge ants for several weeks at training camp…! But despite the challenges J God has given me a strong desire to support my husband in his ministry calling.

I know my commitment is first of all to my Savior, and then to my husband and children. Please join me in praying for wisdom beyond that. Many of us Moms seem to have a similar prayer request. Lord, show me how to keep my priorities your priorities. Grant me wisdom and discernment to balance all the valid possible things you may be calling me to invest in (and yes – that does include diapers, dishes and laundry :-)!

In Christ,
Jenni