Hello family and friends! I'll be posting a 2009 update soon but I wanted to post the letter I recently sent out about my upcoming missions trips first! Prayer covering is going to be incredible KEY for me this year in the places I'm headed so as you read, open your heart to receive from the Lord for both Norway and San Francisco :). Here goes...
Beloved Family and Friends,
As I begin this letter to you, I must tell you from the start that my heart is so full and in awe of our God… For some of you, it has been a while since you’ve heard any update on my adventures in the Bethel School of Supernatural Ministry, and for many, you’ve been sharing in my daily experiences and victories. Whichever the case, I am so thankful that we can be pursuing God together, with the same heart to see His love and glory poured out into the earth, that all would know and love our beautiful King.
I could write volumes about all that God has been doing in and through me this year. For this letter, I’ll simply say that this third internship at Bethel’s school of ministry has been marked by divine favor, acceleration, and radical growth. He’s been equipping me for my dreams in incredible ways, positioning me as a leader in many different realms, and drawing me closer to Himself than I ever dreamed possible. More and more frequently, I’ll catch myself in the moment, and let the awe settle in – “God, look at what You’re doing… Can this really be happening?” J So many dreams and desires that I’ve had stored up in my heart are actually becoming reality, and it blows me away! How GOOD and mighty and FULL of GRACE our God is! He is purposeful and strategic in all His ways. That is truly something that has marked this season of my life, and is the reason I’m writing this letter – because this year, God has strategically positioned me to be sent to San Francisco, CA and Bergen, Norway on missions to expand His Kingdom!
There has been such incredible fruit from the missions trips I’ve taken in the past, and as I dwell in thankfulness to Him for those breakthroughs, I have an overwhelming sense that He’s taking me from that glory to greater glory this year. I am honored and overjoyed to say that I have been asked to co-lead the missions trip to San Francisco with my most beloved friend Kate Eifert, and to assist my overseer Theresa Dedmon in the leadership and administration of our Norway trip as well! Both of these trips are incredibly strategic – meaning God has set them up them specifically for this season and time because of His heart for those places, and what He intends to release.
Many of you know that I have an incredible passion for the city of San Francisco, and I’m more aware now than EVER before of God’s overwhelming love and desire for the people there. So much has taken place in San Francisco in recent months, and many people would say that God has cast off the city in judgment of their sin but His very Word says that “where sin abounds, GRACE abounds all the more”! I truly believe that God has called me to this city, and has entrusted it to me to defend in prayer, so when I hear pastors or leaders around the world declaring God’s judgment over San Francisco, it causes such a fiercely righteous passion to rise up in me – because that’s MY city. I know His heart is FOR them, not against them. I sincerely believe that if the whole world says “judgment” but I alone say “mercy” then they will have mercy because I know God is love, and that He is moved by the desires of my heart. I can feel His desire for them resonating in my spirit- He longs to draw them NEAR to Himself, to lavish them with love, to make them understand that He is not disappointed, nor is He angry – He is in love with San Francisco! So what does all this mean for our missions trip? J Well, it means that February 18th – 22nd, our team of 16 people will be ministering throughout the city with one purpose – to reveal the radical, powerful, all consuming LOVE of God. Whether it’s through partnering with local ministries like Promised Land Fellowship and the Justice House of Prayer, targeting specific locations in the city with prayer, worship, and prophetic art, or simply ministering the love and power of God to people on the street – wherever we are, we intend to make a dwelling place for His presence and glory, that people would encounter who He REALLY is! Now, I’m always inviting you to partner with me in prayer, but this year, I feel a RADICAL increase in my need for covering, especially on this trip. Since the elections, there has been a lot of upheaval, hurt, and anger stirring in San Francisco against the Church. Honestly, the risk for our team will be much greater as we extend the heart of God to the people there. Despite the greater possibility of rejection and persecution, we know that NOW is the time more than ever to demonstrate the LOVE and POWER of God with purity and boldness. They need Him now more than ever before! So truly your covering in prayer is priceless to me. Please pray this way:
· That the hand of the Lord would cover and guard us in all that we do, and that reality would be greater than any opposition we might encounter.
· That as our team is established in unity and love together, even just our very presence on the streets of the city would release the glory and love of God. That John 17: 20-24 would mark our team!
· That we would walk in Acts 4:13, 29-31 – that people would know we have been with Jesus!
· That His Kingdom would come and His will be done in San Francisco as it is in Heaven! That supernatural healing and miracles would abound!
· That God would set us up with strategic connections in places, and with people, even influential leaders in the city, so we can extend the His favor, love and power.
· That more than anything, San Francisco would have a revelation of the TRUE NATURE of God – that He is LOVE, GRACE, and MERCY to her, that He longs to MARRY her, and draw her to Himself!
Now, soon after I return from San Francisco, I’ll be heading off to Bergen, Norway! March 13th – 23rd, I’ll be traveling with a team of 30+ students led by Theresa Dedmon to add to the revival fires that are ALREADY blazing in Norway! This trip is incredibly strategic as well because the word of the Lord over Norway is that their nation will be a catalyst for the presence of God to overtake ALL of Europe! For the past couple of years, there has been an incredible release of the love and power of God throughout the country, resulting in thousands being saved, healed, and touched by the presence of God. There is a POWERFUL movement of passion and boldness for God rising up in the youth, and they will accept nothing less than seeing His Kingdom come. So really, our purpose for this missions trip is simply to partner with what God is already doing, to add supernatural fuel to the fire, and bless them with what we uniquely carry. Since Theresa (who is head of the Arts Dept. here at Bethel Church) is spearheading this trip, we will of course be teaching and activating people in the Arts, and demonstrating what it means to partner your creative gifts with the Creator of the universe J. We will show them how to use the arts as worship to God within the Church, and as a carrier of the love and power of God to people in the community. We will also have the incredible opportunity to bless and minister to several hundred leaders from churches all over Norway! Needless to say, God has set us up for an amazing trip! Just as I know that NOW is the time for San Francisco, I know that God has very significant things He wants to accomplish through us in Norway, and I would SO appreciate your prayer covering for this trip as well:
· That in all we do, the churches in Bergen, Norway would be strengthened, encouraged, and EMPOWERED by the presence of God in their midst.
· That God would release mighty grace over me as I assist Theresa in administration for this trip, and as I coordinate our team J
· That the momentum that has already begun in Norway would only continue to INCREASE, and that more and more people in their nation would come to realize the love of God!
· That our team would walk in UNITY, understanding what God wants to do in any given situation, and that we would walk in HONOR toward one another.
I cannot even begin to tell you how excited I am for both of these trips… And even beyond excitement, there’s an expectation in my heart, a conviction of what I know God wants to do. It blows me away that He has chosen me to take part in these trips because of what He has deposited inside of me! J There is something I carry that San Francisco needs! There is something in the depths of my being that Norway needs, and I intend to bring it to them! I must testify of the goodness of our God because all the money for my San Francisco trip has already been taken care of! J So I KNOW that in turn, God will provide all I need for my trip to Norway, and this is my invitation to you all to partner with me in that. The trip is $2660 total, and I have a payment coming up in the first week of January for my airfare ($1100) so whatever God puts on your heart to sow into this would bless me tremendously and will affect the destiny of Norway as a nation! Whenever we sow in faith, it is an act of partnership with God, and it opens the door for Him to pour out His abundance into that situation and into our own lives. I will NEVER forget when God provided the $900 more that I needed to travel to South Africa last year, and ever since then I have been resting in this truth – “God is able to make ALL GRACE abound toward you, that you would ALWAYS have ALL sufficiency in ALL things, and an ABUNDANCE for every good work!” What an incredible promise! THAT is how I KNOW He will respond to my needs for this trip, so I welcome you all to be catalysts of that promise! J My prayer over you is that in this season, you would overwhelmed by ABUNDANCE, that God’s grace would overshadow you, and you would find yourself in a place of greater freedom and thanksgiving to God than ever before!
I love you all so dearly, and wish I could communicate with words how deeply I am blessed by your love and covering. This is such a significant season for us all, and it is a JOY to run together with you!
Sincerest love and blessings,
Melissa Cordell
If you would like to support me financially, you may send a personal check written to me at 877 Partridge Dr. Redding, CA 96003. If you would like a tax deduction for your contribution to my trip, you may send it to Bethel Church c/o Kristie Joyce, 933 College View Dr. Redding, CA 96003. Please make your check out to “Bethel Church”, leave the memo line BLANK, and include a separate slip of paper with “Melissa Cordell, Bergen Norway” written on it. Thank you SO much!
