walk with me.support me.

(March 2009  Where I am now with living by faith financially and in every area of this life I’m living for Christ.)

I see children desiring to not only have their own Bible but really read it.

I see opportunities for God that we would never have imagined having!

I see children as prayer and worship leaders of today.

I see a family that God is putting together.

I see hunger for a living God.

I see simply that something bigger is going on, something that God is orchestrating.

I see that God is breathing LIFE into what on the surface appears dead.

I see answers to prayers.

I see through new eyes. When I came to Cairo, Illinois I did not expect that I would still be here fours years later. But I am. When I came to Cairo I did not expect that it was for growth in my spiritual maturity. It has been! When I came to Cairo I saw with my limited vision. The more that I trust in my God and lean not to my own understanding, the more I see with HIS vision. Faith is not about what we expect, it is about what God expects and what God expects will come true. Faith is seeing from God’s eyes.

In this season I know that I am to continue to persevere in this land. I am to keep seeking first the Kingdom of God for my life, in ministry and for the people that I interact with daily. I am to keep praying and agreeing with God’s Word for the people and city of Cairo. I am to keep working with the children, teaching, encouraging, and leading them to follow Jesus. I have walked with the now 6th graders for the past four years and it has been a great honor. It is crazy to see them turn from the prescois, “give me a hug” third graders to the texting “I think I’m really old” 6th graders. The Lord has opened doors such as talking about what the Bible says in class to now holding a student prayer meeting after school once a week that I never imagined would happen! I am to keep speaking God’s Word everywhere I go and to every person I meet. I am to keep speaking blessing and life as I pray with people. I am to keep mentoring, tutoring, helping, to be involved in what I see the Father doing. These are typical parts of my everyday life being a prayer missionary. I have been especially captivated by Psalm 1:3, “He is like a tree planted by streams of water that yields its fruit in its season”. In general, I wanted to be rooted deep in the Lord, and his love. He is my strength and I can do nothing without abiding in Him. Specifically, I know I am to be planted in Cairo until the Lord moves me. I desire to bear His fruit in this season. It just so happens that I not only have the Lord’s living water but we also have the Mississippi and Ohio Rivers that converge in Cairo!

In Psalm 126:3 it says, “The Lord has done great things for us; we are glad”. Our house of prayer can also declare as a family that the Lord has done great things for us and we are glad in Him. My Father has provided for all of my needs so far. I thank Him dearly for that. As I continue to say yes to the Lord’s planting in Cairo I am looking for people to walk with me as I walk in faith with our Father. I am specifically looking for more monthly supporters. Will you see through the Lord’s eyes with me? Will you walk with me? I desire partners in ministry that will pray with me, struggle alongside me, rejoice with me and support me. I see 2 Cor 9:7 as my heart as I write this, “I want each of you to take plenty of time to think it over, and make up your own mind what you will give. That will protect you against sob stories and arm-twisting. God loves it when the giver delights in the giving.” (Message Version). I am not here to convince you. I know that the Lord will direct you in the way you are to go. May you give as you purpose in your heart.I trust God and His provision. I believe God has creative ways of providing for His people and His purposes. Please take time to pray and seek God to what your part in the harvest could be. We all have a part. On the next page there are ways that you can pray about partnering with me. As God answers you, wheather it is to partner with me, Cairo, or China, it is all His Harvest!

 

You can walk with me through…

PRAYER.

- I send monthly e-mail updates telling you of current prayer requests and praises. I also have an online journal where I write a couple times a month about things going on, things I’ve learned in the Word, what God has been teaching me and anything else that is currently on my heart! You can find that at www.stacyciha.wordpress.com.

GIVING FINACIALLY.

- We are a non-profit ministry so you can receive a tax receipt. Write all checks to Two Rivers Ministries.

- I am looking for monthly partners as well as one time donations. Would you be willing to pray about being a monthly partner?- I am hoping to raise $1000 per month. This amount allows me to at the same time to live simply yet pay my bills. If you would like a run down to how I would spend the money, let me know and I would be willing to show you my budget.

ENCOURAGEMENT.

(Hint: I love mail!) - Sometimes it is difficult to persevere in the ministry that you know God has called you to on a day to day basis. E-mails, letters etc. of encouragement, or verses spur me on to continue.

 

INVITING ME TO SPEAK.

- It could be to your church, small group, family, class etc.

- I have sensed God saying to share the story, the story of Cairo, the story of what He is doing, and then He will provide. One of the gifts God is refining is me is the ability to speak for Him. I know He has asked me to encourage and challenge His people in their faith. I pray specifically for each group that I speak to and what God wants me to share with them.

SPECIFIC DONATION.

- An example: If children are on your heart and you would like to donate supplies or money for children to learn a specific skill or to do something specific like going to a camp in the summer etc. you can do that. We have specific ministries with children I can talk to you about or I know a mother in the community who has a desire to work with the children but lacks the money. The possibilities are endless! Dream with God.Please let me know if there is any way that I can partner with you. How can I be praying with you?

You can contact me at:

Stacy Ciha

P.O. Box 503

Cairo, Il 62914 716-940-9177 (cell)

stacyciha@gmail.com

(e-mail) stacyciha.wordpress.com(blog)

 

 

 (As I began the journey of living by faith financially)

 

WALK WITH ME…

I am looking for people to walk with me as I walk in faith with our Father.  As of this past fall I sensed God asking me if I trusted Him.  I said that I did.  Then, He is asked me the more difficult question, will you trust me for all of your finances?  Will you stay where I’ve told you to be even without a paycheck?  Will you trust me to write your paycheck?  I had to work through doubt and fear, but with trembling fingers, desiring to loosen my clutch to what is earthly, lifted to Him, I said YES. 

 

 

This is my third year living and ministering in Cairo.  Before this I got paid through a government program called Americorps.  For that season it was a wonderful provision of the Lord.  As time went on, we had to return to what we truly feel God calling us to here.  I feel called to prayer, sharing Jesus, His heart and the Word with others, leading others as they interact with the Word, and discipling/mentoring.   My main focus is with children but women are also on my heart. Most of these are things you cannot count for hours with Americorps.  This fall I had such open doors and new possibilities for such ministry.  This is why I knew I was to stay in Cairo, but by a new dimension for me of living by faith!  God never changes, but He desires that we keep changing to become more like Him.   

        

I do not see my supporters as people that simply write a check, but when you support me, whether through prayer or money you are part of what God is and will be doing in Cairo.  You are part of His Harvest here.  This is His work.  In Luke 10:2 it says, “And he said to them, “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few. Therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest.”  He has sent and kept me here in Cairo longer than what I ever expected.  He wants to reap a harvest here in Cairo.  Any money you send I have to see it as Harvest money for His Kingdom.  As you give I believe you will be blessed as well.  This is a two way deal!

 (Where living by faith financially all began…)

December 7, 2007.

I will have more specific information on “walking with me” in the coming weeks…right now, you can read a little of my heart about why I am currently living by faith and what that means….

(This is an excerpt from my last prayer partner update:)

“From that weekend of prayer, we have decided to live by faith in this new season.  This was something that was stirring in each one of us and we were all surprised that each other felt that way!  What does this mean?  Basically, that we have decided to put ourselves in a place where we trust God with everything, including our finances.  We are not receiving paychecks.  I finished with Americorps a couple weeks ago and my last paycheck was in September.  We had received new Americorps positions we could have taken, we see that it was God’s provision in the past but not for now.  God never wants us to stay spiritually where we are.  He does keep challenging us, doesn’t he?  As we had been praying we felt that our focus as a ministry is to prayer, teaching people the Word, raising up disciples, and we could not count any of those as Americorp’s hours.  So, we turned them down. 
 
As for me, this summer God really had placed in on my heart to pray for consumerism/materialism in my own life.  He was really speaking to me in the area of money, which has always been a big stronghold for me.  This summer I also knew that God was telling me to stay in Cairo.  There were people asking me to do bible studies with them!  There were kids opening up to the Lord!  It was not time for me to leave yet.  I said I would stay no matter what.  I did not think it would mean not getting paid.  Friends, this is so hard for me.  I still have in my head that I want to be responsible in the world’s eyes.  I like having money.  This is a very heart searching time for me.  At the same time I just finished a 6 month study on Believing God and here God is calling me to new steps of belief.  He has prepared me!  I am excited as well!  I want to share how faithful our God is! I want Him to be my all in life.   As we prayed in the Fall I kept hearing, “Give up everything.”.  I know I have so much farther to go, in giving up everything, but I see this as a next step that God has led me to as well as my family here.  “