In this issue:

• Praise Points & Prayer Points
• God's Blessings 2010
• Nepal Great Crate
• Join the Nepal Prayer Team
• Road Trip Update
• 5 Ways to Pray

Prayer is such an important part of our daily Christian walk. Without the connection with God that prayer provides, we would be left to do things within our own power, and we know that it is not enough to face the challenges of our world! It brings to mind two books that have had positive impact on Dottie and me. The Power of a Praying Husband and The Power of a Praying Wife. After reading the books, Dottie has  expressed how much it means to her when I pray for her out loud each morning.

How could something as simple as prayer be so powerful? Because it is our obedience to God!

God wants to hear from us, but more importantly, He wants us to hear Him. To me, that is the value of consistent prayer. Isn’t it wonderful that we have such a caring God?

Time after time I see breakthroughs which could only be answers to prayer. It might be a cash shortfall that  is met with an unexpected gift at just the right time. We might have a container that has been waiting for funding with the warehouse bursting at the seams and a champion comes through with just the right gift.  Maybe a piece of equipment fails and God brings just the right person to the rescue. God is good to  answer our prayers when we take the time to seek Him.

I believe that the ministry of CRI is upheld through prayer. How else could a book or Bible go from someone’s shelf to the hands of just the right person who needs it? It is by the prayers of believers around the world who are praying for resources and folks like you who are praying and providing for the resources to go out.

In this issue, you will be encouraged to join me in prayer for the cause of CRI and the process of getting resources to the people who need them. Take some time to really understand the needs of this cause so you can be effective in praying for resources and the people receiving them. I appreciate you and all your prayer support!

Nepal is a beautiful country rich in diversity, geography, culture, and religions. Home to Mt. Everest, Nepal has eight of the world’s ten highest mountains and has a population of around 30 million people. But the  need in Nepal is great. About half of the population lives below the international poverty line, surviving on less than $1.25 (US) per day. Most importantly, though, Hindus comprise 80% of the population and is even home to Pashupatinath Temple where Hindus from all over the world go for pilgrimage. Christianity is claimed by less than 2% of Nepal’s population.

But while some may see that as a tragedy, we see that as an opportunity!

That’s why we’ve partnered with Rueben Rai, a missionary on the ground in Kathmandu, Nepal who is obeying God’s call to make disciples and be a witness for Jesus Christ. Selfdescribed as “a little servant of a very big God,” Rueben is helping the people of Nepal through several different ministries including a  Bible school, Bible distribution, and clothing the poor to mention a few.

In September of 2009, Reuben organized a retreat for former Bible school students where they focused on the impact the Bible school had on them, reports from their various ministries, and how they could partner  together to make an impact for the Kingdom of God in Nepal.

As a result of that retreat, several attendees were so enthusiastic and encouraged that they went out and began serving the Lord through the preaching of the Gospel, starting prayer meetings, and leading discipleship classes for new Christians.

Reuben Rai and his ministry partners place a high priority on mentoring and teaching new Christians, “We live to make disciples out of new converts.” Rueben’s passion for the Lord and his commitment to making disciples is obvious, but as is the case with many countries, Christian resources can sometimes be in high demand with little access to these types of tools.

That is why we are excited to be able to help by using the resources that God has given us! Because of YOU, CRI has the books to send to Nepal! Praise God for all he has done! However, there is still a need for funding to ship these precious resources. It will only take $3,500 to send Reuben Rai all the books he can handle at this time.

As you learn how to pray for Nepal, we also challenge you to consider how much you will give.

Without prayer, we’re confident that the Great Crate program would cease to exist. Take the India Great  Crate which, though sent in December, was held up in customs until late February while shipyard workers  demanded additional sums of money for its release.

Needless to say, when it comes to the Great Crates, prayer is integral. Praise God your prayers were  answered!

And that’s why we’re putting the invitation out there for you to join along with the rest of us champions in holding the Nepal Great Crate up in prayer.

As with any container we ship, there are many risks that could prevent the reclaimed resources from  reaching their destination.

Here are a few ways to hold the Nepal Great Crate up in prayer as part of this team of champions:

1. Pray for those who will be responsible for delivering the crate.
2. Pray for favor in customs, local shipyards, etc.
3. Pray for the weather, road conditions, and other hazardous conditions
4. Pray for those who will be receiving the resources.

We trust that as we pray together, God will hear our prayers and answer them. After all, reclaiming  resources was his idea long before it was ours.

In February, our Road Trip Captain, John Lowrey, hooked up the Road Trip trailer (this time to a van!) and headed out to a few “pit stops” in Michigan and Indiana. Check out the report he shared when he came  back:

I met many new friends including one man who used to be a missionary in Nepal. How fitting that this  Road Trip was about helping Pastor Reuben Rai in Katmandu, Nepal! Soon, Pastor Rai will be loading  these resources on the back of the pack mule he uses to carry mater ials through the mountains to the  remote villages were he loves to work and minister to pastors and other Christian leaders. I am eager to hear reports of what happens when these wonderful resources get into the hands of people that have waited so long.

We are looking forward to our Northern Michigan route in August and then the Southern road trip in September.

Praise God for the resources that were reclaimed on this Road Trip! If you would like to be involved in future Road Trips, please email John at <a href="mailto:john@cribooks.org">john@cribooks.org</a> or call us at the offices at 888-CRI-WORD.

Many champions ask us how they can pray for the cause of CRI. If you’re one of those champions, this is  for you. Here are five ways to pray for the cause:

1. Every time you pick up a book, pray that God will continue to put resources in the hands of missionaries who need them.
2. When you read your Bible, ask God that he would get Bibles to the people who desperately need them in places like Nepal.
3. When you see a dollar bill, remember that it takes one dollar to send a book overseas. Pray that God would provide the funds to continue sending books.
4. When your pastor gets up to preach, look at his Bible and remember the pastors overseas who do not have essential tools like Bibles or commentaries. Pray that God would provide Bibles and other resources  so they can minister more effectively to people in desperate need of Jesus Christ.
5. Put the cause of CRI on your list of prayer requests. Make it part of your regular prayer time to ask God to equip pastors and missionaries in other countries. Pray that God would remove any obstacles from the  path of Bibles and books getting to their destinations.