Overcoming My Fear of Praying Out Loud

By Michelle Lewis

A Moms In Touch Co-Leader

     Fear has ruled my life for many years, becoming a stronghold that limited my ability to do God’s work. Fear of failing, fear that I’m not good enough, fear of the unknown—I’m prone to be fearful over pretty much any new situation that is presented to me.

     Well, a few years ago, the Lord got a hold of me and began working on this fear of mine. When my boys were 4 and 1, praying was something I only did by myself, if at all. I wasn’t in a habit of praying and I NEVER prayed out loud, not even with my husband. I mean this was absolutely terrifying to me. But God got a hold of my heart and began really working on this “fear” that I wasn’t letting go of.

     When Nate entered preschool, a woman I did not know stopped me in the hallway and began talking to me about starting a Moms In Touch group for our preschool. I didn’t really know what MITI was, but I agreed to attend the introductory meeting she was planning. I was curious. I knew it involved praying and wanted to know more. I attended the meeting and was feeling convicted right there.

     The idea of praying out loud was frightening, but the Lord had already begun softening my heart to the idea, and the conviction was just too powerful to pass up. I decided to go to the first MITI meeting and figured I’d just listen to the other moms pray. What I didn’t know, but the Lord did, was there would be only one other mom – the leader. Just her and me – that was it!! She prayed and then I prayed. It was wonderful!

     As the weeks went on, my fear was lessening, and I was joyfully praying for my son and praying for the other mom’s kids as well. My experiences praying in a MITI group and what I discovered about God were almost addicting. I saw how He gave me peace as I prayed for His help. I felt His presence with us during those meetings when I would see how the Lord heard and answered many of our prayers. My faith in God’s ability to help me despite my fears was very evident during this season in my life, and I began to trust Him more and more.

     In the fall of 2009, I really felt led to start a church-based Moms In Touch group for the women at my church. But, of course, there was a problem: This would mean I would have to co-lead the group. This was still a scary idea for me, but the Lord has continued to show me that when I seek Him first, ask for His guidance and then trust in His leading, all I have to do is obey and take that first step.

     God has shown me that we need to be our kids’ prayer warriors. Whether our children are babies, young kids, teenagers or adults, they need our prayers.

     While I still am fearful of new situations, when I obey and follow through in what the Lord is asking of me, I’m always blessed by the way He works in my life. He continues to show me that as long as I do my part, He will do His. I trust that with all my heart.

Praying in a MITI Group Changed Her Life, Helped Her Mothering and Improved Her Quiet Times

By a MITI Mom in Greece

Using the MITI Four Steps of Prayer has changed my life and redeemed my mothering. My first experience with Moms In Touch was in the fall of 1995 in Belgium. At the time, my children were 9 and 5 years old. The previous five years of my mothering journey had been especially challenging. 

At the International Chapel, I learned about the Four Steps of Prayer and praying in one accord using the Word of God. While I did not feel comfortable praying out loud at first, I could feel the Spirit move me when the other mothers would pray for the group’s children. I marveled at how Scripture had so much to say about every concern I had for my children. I learned how God cares so deeply for my children and how much He wants them to belong to Him and walk in His paths.

Spending concentrated time in Praise, Confession, Thanksgiving and Intercession every week, I soon started praying similar steps during my private devotional time. As I searched the Word for praise passages, I discovered more about God’s character and names. I could focus more on who God is and less on my concerns. Thanksgiving, with a focus on a grateful heart, was an antidote to my concerns. Praying short prayers of thanksgiving during the day helped to retrain my thinking and lifted my spirit. Scripture replaced old “tapes” of distorted thinking and gave my mind something true and beautiful to reflect upon.

Intercession for my children became a way to heal my mothering. I knew that I was not a perfect mom, just a mom who imperfectly loved her kids and was throwing herself at God’s feet in praying for her kids. I prayed for myself too, asking God to strengthen me and guide me as a mom. I felt so weak in many ways, yet I knew that God was strong and loved my kids with a perfect love. Encountering so many different situations where I did not have the wisdom or power to face, I could lift my kids up to the One who had all wisdom and power, and who could make all things work for good in my kids' lives.

God also used prayer to heal my relationships with other mothers. The process of raising children in a culture different from the one in which I was raised was an isolating experience at times. I felt that there were few women with whom I could truly relate who shared the same sense of motherhood in regards to spiritual stewardship.

God would prove me wrong when, as praying mothers, He wove us together as we became transparent with one another and with God during our prayer time. Our hearts entwined as we prayed for each other’s children. Moms from abroad supported us in prayer and we discovered that the heart of mothers beat the same for their children all over the world.

During my years of praying for children and schools here in Greece and the challenges our youth faced, I developed a heart of mercy toward the struggles of my Greek sisters. My passion increased in spreading the word that God loves them with an everlasting love, that He is intimately concerned with their mothering and that He wishes to partner with them in raising their children.

God used Moms In Touch and the process of praying with other mothers for our children and schools, to heal so much in my life. He has taken my struggles and concerns for my kids and continuously taught me how to surrender. He transformed my desire for solutions to challenges into a passion for prayer and for God Himself. This is a gift that will remain with me no matter what season of motherhood I find myself in. I have the assurance that in all circumstances, God is present with His everlasting love and sovereignty.

Knitting Our Hearts Together in Prayer for Our Kids

By Rhonda VanderPloeg

Arizona State Coordinator

The bulletin ad read, “Come to a Moms In Touch Informational; a new group is forming for Blue Star Elementary School.” My heart did a little leap. I knew this was God’s answer to my pleas to teach me to pray and to be a wise mother. Soon our home was the meeting place for this new prayer group in Holland, Michigan. I found myself discovering the Lord in a whole new way as we focused on one of His attributes each week. The short, focused prayers drew me closer to God’s heart. I also enjoyed the support of other moms, and saw my children and school impacted by God’s power to answer prayer.

Since that time in 1994, Moms In Touch International has been a constant in my life. When the Lord moved our family to Arizona in 2003, I expected to again pray in a Moms In Touch group. Sadly, I soon realized that most moms in my area had never even heard of Moms In Touch. They were missing the joy of seeing God’s power through corporate prayer at work in their children’s lives.

Ready or not, I was drafted by the Holy Spirit to start the first group for our new school. Renewed passion burned in my heart for this ministry. I had a vision like never before. I wanted to share this power with other moms and spread MITI throughout my entire state.

What a privilege and thrill to be Arizona’s State Coordinator. I love to see firsthand how the Lord works in so many lives through the discovery of this simple prayer format that knits our hearts together for the sake of our kids before the throne of grace.

Rhonda VanderPloeg, Arizona State Coordinator, lives in Mesa. She has been married since 1984 and has five children from elementary school to young adults. She loves to discover and learn about God’s creation during quiet moments hiking in the desert.

What is YOUR Moms In Touch story? 
Click on POST A COMMMENT below to share. 

A Lasting Gift for Her Graduate

By Szonja Rozsa

A MITI mom from Chelsea, Michigan

I have been a MITI mom from the time my children were in preschool, and they are now both in college.

Two years ago, as my daughter was preparing to graduate from high school and then to turn 18, I had the strong desire to give her something meaningful and lasting to acknowledge these two significant events in her life.

After thinking for a while, I remembered a challenge I heard many years ago at a Moms In Touch International conference: "What legacy do you want to/will you leave your children?" This question and the talk it was part of made a great impact on me and the direction our family took as we raised our children. I remained a stay-at-home mom and led a MITI group (and was an Area Coordinator) for many years.

I certainly saw no greater gift I could leave for my children than the legacy of praying God's word for them.

Now I realized, I needed to share those prayers with my daughter.

I decided to purchase a Bible with wide margins, and I embarked on the huge task of highlighting and dating every scripture I prayed for her over 14 years, writing the personalized prayers on the margins of the Bible. (I am soooo thankful for those weekly prayer sheets that I saved through the years!)

Well, I was NOT finished by the time graduation and her birthday came, but I did wrap up the Bible, telling her that it was a gift I had been working on since she was a little girl. She had grown up knowing about our weekly prayer time, the Four Steps of Prayer, the women who prayed for her regularly and the fact that I was praying not only for her daily practical needs but also claiming scripture for her. Still, she was puzzled about what the gift could be—until she opened it.

It took me almost two years to finish. When she came home for Easter this year, I was finally ready to give her the Bible, with all the highlights, dates and prayers in it.

In God’s perfect and sovereign plan, the week before Easter, the chapel speaker at my daughter's college talked to the students about praying scripture for people. Many of the girls in my daughter's small group and on her hall had never heard of this before! They were so excited about it, talking among themselves how they would start praying scripture, even for their future children. My daughter was sharing with me how surprised she was to hear that not all moms/parents pray scripture for their children. She grew up assuming this is what everyone does.

As she started to flip through her "finished" Bible, very soon tears started rolling down her face. Later that night as I went to tuck her in, she told me that when I first gave her the Bible after her graduation, she did not really appreciate it much, but now, as she was reading the verses and the prayers, she saw that so many of them have already been answered. She was overwhelmed by the Lord's faithfulness and love to her through the answers she has already experienced.

Thank you, Moms In Touch International, for your ministry to so many of us and thank you for your prayers and commitment to continue to call, encourage and train moms to pray in this most effective and eternally meaningful way!

Blessed to Pray in a MITI Group ... No Matter in Which State or Country God Has Us

By Stacey Antolik Georgia State Coordinator MITI is like some of the most popular fast food establishments. No matter where you go in the world, you can expect the same happy meal.  The Four Steps of Prayer include praying Scripture—the bread of life—like the meat and potatoes. Praying in one accord with one or more moms is like the seasoning of salt, which enhances the flavor of what is offered. The beverage is the safe environment of pouring out our hearts like water in the presence of the Lord.  I have had the privilege of praying in groups and serving in leadership in Georgia, Florida and now back in Georgia. With every MITI group, I receive the same happy meal—each with a slightly different flavor, but with the same basic ingredients. No matter where we live, God uses our prayers to impact our children, schools and the next generation. My theme verses are Psalms 78:6-7, “ … so the next generation would know them, even the children yet to be born, and they in turn would tell their children. Then they would put their trust in God and would not forget his deeds but would keep his commands.” As Georgia State Coordinator, I have a passion to share this life-changing ministry one mom at a time to impact others worldwide for Christ! My prayer is that you will join in this army of praying moms. Click here to read a testimony from your State Coordinator. Have YOU experienced how praying in a MITI group is the same no matter where you live? If so, we'd love to hear! Just click "Comment" below and hit "Preview" when done.

From Desperation to Hope

By Bev Romans

Heartland Regional Director

Moms In Touch International

School concerns were troubling me, as my distraught second-grader hated going to class each morning. My heart was heavy, and I knew something had to change—for him and for me. As I explored various options during that difficult season, God allowed me to hear about Moms In Touch International (MITI), and I sensed this was His direction. 

So, in the fall of 1989, with two sons just starting third grade and kindergarten, and with trembling knees and a desperate heart, the first MITI group in our community began. Feeling totally “unqualified” to lead a prayer group, I was right where God wanted me to be—dependent on Him.

As God showed me the need for my sons and their school, He taught me how to pray in praise, silent confession, thanksgiving and intercession, and how to pray in one accord with others. Not all our groups’ prayers were answered in ways we expected or on our time schedule, but my heart was being made more malleable as I continued to call out to God alongside like-minded moms. 

It became obvious that this God who called me to pray was faithful to all His promises. His faithfulness carried my son (and me) not only through elementary school, but successfully through college and into a career in the area of his giftedness.

In 2002, God nudged me to step into the Area Coordinator position in north central Kansas where I could encourage others to pray. A few years later, He called me to serve as the first Kansas State Coordinator, and I am currently the Heartland Regional Director. 

What an incredible GIFT to see God moving across the Heartland in answer to the prayers of moms who humble their hearts to cry out to Him for the lives of their children! My prayer has become that others, too, will experience the gifts of peace, hope and joy that God gives through prayer in a MITI group.

“Not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit,” says the LORD Almighty. Zechariah 4:6

How has praying the Four Steps of Prayer with other moms impacted your life? We'd love to hear! Just click "Comment" below. When done, hit "Preview."

The Best Use of My Time

By Pam Imig Wyoming State Coordinator Moms In Touch International

In 1998, our older daughter started seventh grade. I had always been an attentive volunteer parent, but that changed in junior high school. Volunteers were no longer welcome on a regular basis in the classrooms, and, as a parent, I did not feel needed or wanted. This sense that I could no longer protect my child from what was being taught was especially hard with my first child. I felt disconnected and out of touch. One day a friend invited me to join her Moms In Touch group. I had never heard of Moms In Touch International, but quickly realized what an amazing blessing to pray weekly with other Christian moms for our children and schools. I found a way to connect with my daughter’s school through prayer, and I learned how to trust God with my children as they grew—to trust that He loved them so much more than I ever could, and He would guide them. Praying through the Four Steps of Prayer each week—Praise, silent Confession, Thanksgiving and Intercession—helped relieve my fears and focus my prayers in hope as we prayed Scripturally. Peace came! Answers came! Wisdom came! I prayed for my children to control their tongues, and God began to help me control mine! Everyone in my family has been touched, changed and blessed by God through this ministry of prayer. Throughout the years our group grew, divided and reached out to form new groups. Years later, and now as State Coordinator, I have a passion to encourage other women to persevere in prayer for children and schools. I agree with MITI Founder Fern Nichols when she says the best thing a mom can do is “spend consistent prayer time with God.” Please join us. It just takes one other mom to start. As you come together in corporate prayer for your own children and for the children and staff at their school, you will see why so many moms have found the MITI hour of prayer to be the best use of their time. To read a testimony from YOUR local area, click here. We'd love to know what God's doing in your life through Moms In Touch International! Click "Comment" below. Then hit "Preview."

Prayers for Students and Schools Wrapped the Globe on Bless Our Schools Sunday

On Bless Our Schools Sunday, a teacher stopped by a MITI booth for prayer. They prayed for her as a teacher, for her students and that God would raise up a MITI group for her school.

Three boys stood up in their high school youth group and prayed for the students, the staff and the safety on their school campuses.

One church opened up their gym for prayer after each service. A common theme was praying that students will be bold in their faith, especially for See You at the Pole.

On September 19, 2010, the first annual Bless Our Schools Sunday, pastors around the world took a moment to pray for students and schools. Some called the educators forward and the congregation laid hands on them as they prayed. Others had the children come forward for a time of blessing them.

On Facebook, one mom wrote: “We had a precious time praying in both services over our teachers/staff, homeschooling parents, and then the students themselves. It’s an amazing thing to be a part of such huge corporate prayer!”

Another wrote, “I have that same sense of wonder as I did with Arise! Cry Out! All these parts of the body of Christ, taking the time to pray for the next generation, all over the world, on the same day … WOW!”

How did YOUR church participate in Bless Our Schools Sunday? We’d love to hear! 

Click “Comment” below, then hit “Preview.”

Teacher Accepts Christ after Year of MITI Prayers

Susan of New England was excited to share this answer to prayer:

“I started a Moms In Touch group at our church last year. I was grateful for the 11 that would come out as we are in New England and MITI is fairly new to our local area.

“All year, I felt a burden to pray for my daughter’s math teacher and his fiancée. At the end of the school year he told her he ‘got saved.’ She talked to him further and found out that her science teacher and pastor led him to Christ.

“God is at work!!! We all have our jaws on the floor!!! 

“But there is more! The fiancée came to Christ just a few days afterwards! They were married this summer by the pastor that led him to Christ.

“The moms in my group expect God to work, but to see it like this in this region is just overwhelming! Those New England MITI pray-ers have tilled the spiritual soil. Thank you to them and thanks to Jesus for hearing and working in our midst!”

Hearts at Home Shares MITI with their Moms

We appreciate Jill Savage, founder of Hearts at Home, writing about Moms In Touch International in her April newsletter.

Moms In Touch:  Another Great Mom Organization 

By Jill Savage, Founder of Hearts at Home

I remember when my daughter Anne was getting ready to go to kindergarten.  I wasn't worried about her going to school, I was worried about her riding the school bus!  

Over the years, my worries changed from concern about the bus, to friendship choices.  As we added more children to our family, my worries only increased as they moved to a new grade or a new stage of life. 

But I soon learned that worry wasn't doing much for me or them. I decided to turn my fears into prayers.  And I did that for one hour each week at my Moms In Touch prayer group.

Hearts at Home partners with Moms In Touch International, a ministry encouraging all moms, in all ages and stages, to gather with other women to pray specifically for their children and their schools.

Moms In Touch groups meet in every state in the USA and in 140 countries around the world. 

Will you commit to praying with another mom for your children and their schools?

Visit www.MomsInTouch.org to learn more about Moms In Touch International and to find a group near you.

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