Taking MITI to Ethiopia on an e3 Missions Trip

Yoseph and Ribca met with Fern Nichols
on a recentvisit to MITI Headquarters.

(An excerpt from 

When Moms Pray Together.)

On the other side of the world, Pastor Yoseph Menna and his wife, Ribca, were praying. The director of 8,500 Ethiopian churches had discovered a ministry called Moms In Touch International, and he desperately wanted to give his country the vision of praying for its children and schools. He and his wife knew how much Ethiopia's children need prayer. They need prayer for safety, for health, for protection. And for salvation.

Yoseph, a vibrant Ethiopian, knew that, more than anything else, his beloved African country needs to bring mothers together to pray passionately for their children and schools. He and his wife saw the importance of having the Moms In Touch International Booklet in their language, Amharic, so women could read for themselves about praying scripturally, surrounded by other moms helping them lift their burdens to the Lord. The couple prayed big prayers asking God to supply the $10,000 needed to print 10,000 Booklets they wanted in Amharic. Soon, the answers to their prayers came tumbling in. One mom in the United States donated the entire amount!

But these faithful prayer warriors didn't stop there. They weren't praying just for the Booklet; they were also praying that longtime Moms In Touch moms would come to Ethiopia to train women in the Four Steps of Prayer. They prayed that God would provide the training sites, and that the Ethiopian moms would be excited to participate in the training. ... God, again, answered their prayers in surprising ways. All in all, 900 moms were trained. ...

Yoseph and Ribca have been blessed, too, watching the answers to their prayers tumble in. Nearly 2,000 groups of women are meeting regularly around Ethiopia pleading with God for the spiritual and physical lives of their children and schools. They wait in tiptoe anticipation to see how their prayers will impact this generation, their country, their region and perhaps even the world.
(Note: There are now more than 2,500 MITI groups in Ethiopia!)

Feeling Weary? God Is the Victor!

By Jan Sutterfield

Southwest Regional Director

Moms In Touch International

I awoke that morning with a feeling of heaviness. The burden from the night before was still with me. Parenting was not easy. Fiery darts of worry and fear plagued me, and the “what ifs” were rolling in like tidal waves. The battle to raise two sons to love God and stand firm in this dark world seemed especially wearying. 

I was glad it was Thursday—Moms In Touch International day. In just a short while I would be gathering with other moms to pray for a solid hour for our children and their schools.

As we gathered that Thursday, the focus of our praise time was God is our Victor! We read Scriptures that focused on God’s power to bring victory, and I began to feel renewed strength. 

I realized how much I need others to come alongside me and encourage me with God’s promises and with prayer. I was in a battle and had grown tired and weary. Together we were holding up the truth of God for our children and schools … and it was changing me! 

When I left our Moms In Touch prayer time that day, my heart was light, my burden lifted. I knew that God would overcome the enemy in my circumstances and win the battle. He is the Victor!

Since first gathering with other moms in a Moms In Touch group in 1996, I continue to see God’s mighty hand move through this great work of prayer. As the Arkansas State Coordinator for six years and now as the Southwest Regional Director, I have the privilege of seeing God do amazing things in and through women’s lives as they gather to pray.

How has praying in a MITI group changed and encouraged you? We'd love to hear about it! Just click "Comment" below. When done, hit "Preview."

The Time to Pray Is NOW!

By Susan Abbott
Southern Texas State Coordinator

In 2003, I heard about Moms In Touch International from a friend in our Bible study. She asked if I would like to pray in a group for our children and schools. Right away I said, “Oh, no, I don’t have time to add anything else into my schedule. Maybe when our youngest child goes to kindergarten I’ll think about it.” I tucked the idea away … as God worked on my heart. A couple years later, our youngest son was in kindergarten and our oldest, a daughter, was a senior in high school. God was urging me, growing in me the desire to pray with other moms. The pressing needs of my daughter who was ending her high school years and preparing for what was next, motivated me to make that commitment. I began praying each week with another mom. There were times when I didn’t even know how to pray, but God used that other mom to fill in when I was at a loss. Our prayer time was a great encouragement to me. In fact, those prayer hours became—and remain—the most important thing in my schedule. God has shown me how to let go and love my children with grace. He is also growing each of my children in ways I never expected. Our daughter wasn’t interested in going to college right out of high school, but today she is returning to her studies, as she raises our first grandchild. After fighting about going to youth group every week for the first year, our middle child is now really committed to his youth group. And, our youngest child, who worried about friends, has a great group that hangs out together. I know firsthand the heavy burdens we take on as moms. I also know when we give them over to our loving God in prayer with other moms it changes us. We become more like Jesus. When someone asks you to join or start a Moms In Touch group, don’t wait! Don’t lose years of praying together. The time to pray is NOW! Are YOU committing to make time to pray for your children and their schools? Let us know by posting a comment below. Just click Comment, then hit Preview.

The Gift

By Marta Gemelli

Illinois State Coordinator

Seven and a half years ago I received the greatest gift of my life (after the gift of salvation). I have debated whether this gift tops the gift of my children and husband, and have decided, “yes.” I have more of my children and more of my husband because of this gift than I would otherwise. The gift is prayer, and this is my story.

In September 2002, two moms started a Moms In Touch group for my children’s elementary school. I barely knew either of these women, but was invited for coffee and to hear about Moms In Touch International (MITI). At the time, praying in a group seemed like a very hard thing to do, but I joined, and within weeks, I was praying and crying during MITI! After several months, God was using this MITI group to change my life. I had experienced the gift of prayer!

For the most part, my prayers were expressed in tears that first year. The gift grew until I could pray out loud with comfort. MITI introduced me to women who had vibrant prayer lives, and the gift grew as I watched and shared with them. The gift included learning to praise and focus on a loving, sovereign God instead of on my problems and shortcomings. The gift gave me thankfulness; I grew to see God’s hand everywhere because of the weekly thanksgiving time.

Then, God gave me the courage to suggest this gift of prayer to my husband, Mike, and even gave me the confidence to actually pray out loud in front of him. After years, the gift was passed to Mike, and he started praying out loud, too. Eventually Mike suggested we pray together every morning—the gift grew!

My kids may, or may not, become prayer warriors in love with the Lord, but they have seen hundreds of God’s answers through this gift of prayer. I believe my children’s hearts would be very hard if this gift hadn’t affected their faith. Now, I have the gift of a teenage daughter who has spontaneously suggested praying together. Now that’s a gift!

Have you found prayer to be a gift in your life? If so, we'd love to hear about it. Just click Comment below. When done, hit Preview.

The Battle Belongs to the Lord

By Marilyn Ledoux
Appalachian Regional Director

Moms In Touch International

We do not know what to do, but our eyes are upon you.2 Chronicles 20:12b

In 2 Chronicles, Jehoshaphat’s cry when he saw a vast army approaching was my cry, too, as I faced a trial with my teenager unlike any I had experienced before. God used my Moms In Touch International hour, week after week, to keep my eyes on Him. We praised God for who He is, let Him search our hearts in silent confession, thanked Him for answers to prayer—whether we had seen those answers yet or not—and cried out to Him in intercession, bathing our children in His Word.

Hearing the compassionate, heartfelt cries of other mothers for my child encouraged me, and I gained the strength to stand upon the Word of God and believe His promises to me for my child.

Like Jehoshaphat’s cry for help, God heard mine too, and He has rescued and delivered my children time and time again. Our faithful Father is ready to do that for your family, as well, and those in the schools we pray for. Our God of love and mercy longs to rescue and deliver the multitudes who have been caught in the grip of the enemy. He is calling us to ... "Arise, cry out in the night, pour out your heart like water before the face of the Lord for the lives of your children" (Lamentations 2:19).

God has blessed me extravagantly in 20 years of being a MITI mom. Through my husband’s 30-year Marine Corps career, we have crisscrossed the country from coast to coast, and God has always been faithful to give me at least one other mom to pray with. Together we have kept our eyes upon Him, and He has taught me the truth of 2 Chronicles 20:17: "Take up your positions; stand firm and see the deliverance the LORD will give you."

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."

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."