Commitments from Joy

Soooo.. taking a break from the prayer room to tell about my day which has two major outcomes:

1. I'm committed to doing Track II of INTRO to IHOP-KC!

2. I'm committed to being apart of the team from IHOP that is going to Japan on a missions trip!

Now you are surely wondering one of the following "wow, track what? Japan missions trip?" or "how can you commit to something you don't have the means to do?"

Well to answer the first question: Track II is the continuation of Track I of INTRO to IHOP-KC (the track I am currently in) and is more focused on Justice, Outreach and Practical Ministry Application of the many things we've learned within Track I. For example we will get 24 Hours of training in Healing and Prophetic ministry and then 24+ hours of leading in those fields. We will also do prophetic treasure hunts, street evangelism and similar such things once a week. Another unique teaching in Track II is Forerunner Partnership Development (FPD) which teaches and coaches missionaries on how to set up a partnership system to enable them to live a lifestyle of giving even out of their serving.

Japan is an answer to a prophetic promise God made to me this year; that this year i would go to the nations to serve Him. This started way back at the turning of the new year at the Urbana 2009 missions conference. While i attended that, god gave me a huge desire in my heart to go to the nation of Japan in the short term and longterm missions field. Well a lot of stuff has happened this year (including an early short lived attempt to go to Japan with YWAW that wasn't God's timing) and now I'm out in a far away land growing in God's word and strengthening myself, and yet still the year is coming to a close and there were honestly a few thoughts in my head such as "Am I sure I heard God right? Yes.. but then how is this going to happen??" Well, through a series of events and fun meetings I ended up meeting some new friends out here in Kansas City who have been to Japan several times on missionary work and are planning another trip there in December (the last possible month of this year... ironic!!!). .. and then they invited me to pray about coming!! WOAH!!

Well without wanting to jump the gun on it, I've taken a few weeks to pray about it and have simply come to this conclusion; God wants me to go. He wants His bride in Japan to know Him, and not enough people are being invited to the wedding feast. Theres no way this passion inside of me is of my own flesh. :-)

And to answer the second question: Thats easy, people do it all the time with things they believe are necessary and God appointed. For example, raising a Child. Yes it helps to prepare as much as possible (which requires a commitment as early as possible, which is what I'm doing!), but mostly you have to have Faith and a willingness to give it your ALL to see the mission through to raise the Child into adulthood, and thats the stance I'm taking with this season of my life. Trusting God in Faith, giving it my all. Seeking, asking and knocking at the door till I'm walking through it into the next season of my maturity in Christ.

More details coming soon as I get them.

With eternal love and eternal thanks,
Jeffrey Scott Simonson