Hello to my wonderful friends and family.
I wanted to give you all a picture of what I believe this next year is going to hold for me. As many of you know, in March of 2010 I went to Kansas City, Missouri to do an internship with the International House of Prayer. I was there a total of 6 months and returned home in September. During my time at IHOP, I prayed a lot about my next step, what to do, and where to go. The Lord really spoke to me.
I remember one night at a worship service when an older gentleman came up to me and began to pray for me. He said in essence “Get oil for your lamp, because you’re going to need it for the journey. Use this time to pray and seek the Lord and fill your lamp with oil. Prepare for where the Lord is going to take you.”
So I began to seek the Lord for the remainder of the 2 months I had in my internship. I prayed “Lord, get me ready for the adventure you have for me. I want to be strong and steady so that I will not be shaken no matter where you take me and what You do. I want to always keep the First Commandment close to my heart, and in every situation I find myself in, I want to be found walking it out. I want to love You with all my heart, mind, soul and strength, wherever I find myself.” That became my heart’s cry and it still is.
I know that I will be a missionary for the rest of my life. I don't know exactly what this will look like, but I know that God has called me to be an intercessor, planted in a house of prayer, and to go from there to many places, here in the U.S. and overseas. I have chosen to live the missionary lifestyle. The Lord has called me away from the normal pathway of college/career, etc. to venture into His heart for the world. Sometimes this may look like spending months or even years in another country, and other times it may look like staying in the place of prayer, here in the U.S. Either way, I will embrace the lifestyle of a pilgrim and trust Him as my provider. Sometimes this calling scares me, but I know without question it is the life He has planned for me.
I have chosen to return to the International House of Prayer and make this foundation even stronger. I am open to the Lord’s leading and timing and plan to stay as long as He tells me. The main thing I will be doing is spending time in prayer and intercession for the nations and standing as a watchman in the night hours, as well as preparing my heart for the adventures that God has for me in the future. During my time here I will have opportunities to sing with worship teams, to join an existing dance team or lead one of my own, and possibly travel and go on short-term trips with teams that are sent out from here. Also, I am planning to work with the Children’s Center as well as several other ministries such as Hope City (a prayer house in the inner city that serves the poor, addicts and homeless), and Exodus Cry (working to abolish human trafficking).
With all of that said, before I make the move to Kansas City, I have a wonderful opportunity before me that I believe will be an amazing experience and open doors to even more.
It is called Harvest School and it is about 2 months long, located in Pemba-Mozambique, Africa. It starts on June 1st, and ends in early August. This school is part of Iris Ministries of Africa, under the leadership of founders Rolland and Heidi Baker. In 2008 I read a book they have written called ‘Always Enough’ and it changed my life. Ever since then, I have been considering this school. I will learn Portuguese in order to communicate with the Africans and my teachers, playing with orphans, praying for the sick on outreaches, and taking part in village churches in the middle of nowehere among many other amazing things. I will be living in a small house with 8-12 other girls and be part of a student community of around 150 students. The idea of spending my summer in Africa with amazing people always gets me so excited. If you would like to know more about this, you can go to http://www.irismin.org/missions/harvest
The worship that is being released from this place is incerdible and I would be so honored to be a part of it. This is a beautiful picture of Isaiah 42:10 which says, “Sing to the LORD a new song, his praise from the ends of the earth, you who go down to the sea, and all that is in it, you islands, and all who live in them.” , and Isaiah 24:16 which says, “From the ends of the earth we hear singing: Glory to the Righteous One.”
As you can see, this is a wonderful opportunity and would be a life-changing experience. During this next year and probably many more, I have chosen to live a very simple lifestyle in which I will be cutting out unnecessary things. In order to do what the Lord has called me to, I am in need of financial partners. After I raise the funds for Africa and return home, I am planning to make the move to Kansas City as soon as possible. I will need monthly supporters in order to stay in the house of prayer. I am currently working a part-time job here in Florida and have been saving funds, however I am in need of much more than what I can do alone.
And that is where you come in! I would ask you to consider supporting me, either by becoming a monthly supporter, or a one-time gift. Any and all donations are definitely welcome! I can’t do this next year alone, and I would be so thankful to have you as a partner with me. If you cannot donate, I would ask you to pray for me. Please contact me by email at iheartsu@cfl.rr.com if you would like to donate. Note: Every penny you give will go DIRECTLY into these expenses. Thank you so much for taking the time to read this, and if you have any questions about Harvest School, my life in Kansas City or anything else, please ask!
Bless you! : )
Hannah Ledford
Galatians 2:20
=) =) =)
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