Is Ministry Burnout Possible in Hawaii?

Is Ministry Burnout Possible in Hawaii?

Several times I found myself saying "I can not get burnout in Hawaii. That's just not right!" Somehow it just didn't seem possible. Afterall, people come to Hawaii for a vacation not to work. Yet I was working long hours in ministry. The first six weeks were working at a school with a prayer room that went for five weeks! So I came to a point when I knew I had to go on a hike and just soak underneath a waterfall and pray and feel all the stress wash away. But I was also glad that there were so many new friends to share with and I was so blessed to be part of so many unique ministry events.

Family Worship is something that needs to be restored, revitalized and treasured. Sometimes our spiritual journeys become so individualized that we are not always aware of what our children believe. This may be because we trust someone else with their spiritual training. Imagine if we taught our children to hear the voice of God, to pray powerfully because of the purity they possess, to enjoy being in the presence of God and to have fun learning about God! Let's pray like we believe in miracles!

In June, A wonderful Prayer Warrior, Michele Seibel hosted a Family Worship Festival at her house for all the Wyndward area churches. It was such a beautiful time. We lazed around under tents outside and sang some fun songs - then we entered into a time of worship and didn't want to stop singing. Next we had some food and the kids could play or go through the prayer tent or do the Bible treasure hunt while the adults talked, then had a workshop on how to make worships fun and relevant for the kids.

We then had some more songs and worship as the sun set. I felt the need to pray for our families to be united in prayer and for us to learn how to bless each other, forgive each other and pray over each other. So we broke up into family groups and spent time encouraging and blessing one another. It was a beautiful time. We then ended the night by watching a family movie out on the lawn and drinking root beer floats.

All through the day people could enjoy the Prayer Tent that was set up exclusively for the children although it was great to see some dads go through by themselves too! (We need to keep praying that fathers become spiritually strengthened to lead boldly with the Holy Spirits power.) The prayer stations were set up in a real camping tent which was really cute to put together with some of the stations outside as well.

The next month I was invited to preach at several churches. This was my first real attempt at preaching and I know God blessed my efforts. One of my passions of ministry is to change the culture of prayer in churches. So I went to prayer meetings and taught about prayer even if it involved getting up at 5am in the morning. Central Church is really excited about developing a permanent prayer room for their church and community so hopefully soon they will have someone on fire with the Spirit say they will take on this amazing prayer ministry! It was so fun to be involved with the prayer teams and to encourage them to pray in new ways - especially to wait and listen to God before praying for someone. I preached on the different ways God speaks to me and told some of the funny stories and incredible miracles that have been part of my journey. At the end of the sermon we invited anyone who needed prayer for any reason to come down the front where the prayer team ministered to them. It was an incredible time of prayer with the team sharing later that God had really spoken through them and touched the lives of those who needed prayer. They are now continuing the garden of prayer after every service and listening to God before they pray. This means that people coming to church will always have opportunity to pray with someone and will not have to leave with brokenness or heaviness still troubling them. What a gift to offer the congregation. I am very excited to see this happening as our churches turn more and more into houses of prayer.

I was asked by the Youth Director, Jesse Seibel to design a prayer tree for the summer camp. YES A PRAYER TREE! Now there is no limit to how creative you can be about prayer stations. There are so many ways to make prayer fun. Prayer journeys, walks, prayer stations, prayer treasure hunts, prayer rooms and fun interactive creative worships. This one was centered around the Tree of Life. The summer camp had a beautiful tree right in the middle so I designed about 15 stations that were attached to or near the tree. This was a very fun experience. A lot of the kids loved praying here in the beauty of the outdoors.

During the summer camp I took a morning off to go down the street to a beach that is known to have dolphins visit in the morning. Unfortunately I missed them but a lady told me to snorkel out to the boey then turn right and I would find a giant rock that was home to up to a dozen green sea turtles. I swam out and found about nine turtles resting and swimming around - this was a beautiful experience - I even cried into my mask... thanking God for giving me such a precious moment to treasure. I then drove to one of our favorite snorkeling spots at electric beach. The power plant pumps warm water through huge pipes out into the ocean and is a haven for the most beautiful fish I have ever seen.

As I was driving up to the beach I prayed and asked God if he would , that day, allow me to swim with dolphins today (as it would bring me a joy I could not describe in words). When I pulled up and looked out into the ocean I could see dolphin fins circling around. I put on my sunscreen and fins and swam out to sea. I soon found myself surrounded by hundreds of dolphins. I even saw a little baby dolphin in a pod (about two feet long). The green ocean was crystal clear and up to 50 foot down to the snow white sand on the bottom. I was out a long way from shore and by myself. This was a surreal and intense spiritual time of worship for me. I felt so close to God and was so grateful for this gift. When I got out after about an hour I watched the dolphins from the shore. They started to play and one dolphin made twelve triple summersaults in a row!

I had been working so hard that it was nice to escape into nature and see the incredible beauty that was so rich in Hawaii. A few weeks before, my friends had swum with these dolphins in the very same spot and had some waterproof cameras (if you would like to watch them playing with the dolphins see the link below).

The beauty of Hawaii is breathtaking. At every opportunity I tried to go on a hike. Saturday afternoon was usually a time when friends got together to explore new hikes. Hawaii is full of the most beautiful people I have ever met. If you ever get a chance to experience the islands you will be blessed.

I am overwhelmed that God would send me to do ministry in such a beautiful place. I hope that this is an encouragement to all of us who are in full time ministry - even though we sacrifice many things that others may think essential to happiness, God really knows our hearts better than anyone ever will. As we work with him, he will take us on incredible adventures that will end up blessing us as well as those we minister to.

I met some incredible prayer warriors, friends that will be for eternity, life-changing mentors.

To those who sponsored me financially thank you so much. To Chaplain Mark Hughes, for his house and car while he was on deployment and the Seibels for their hospitality - I could not have done this without you. To those who blessed me through prayer and encouragement bless you! My time in Hawaii was an incredibly intense time of ministry with God revealing to me a much deeper level of understanding into spiritual warfare. I was witness to three separate demonic experiences. This was the first time in my life it has been so real to me. I do not recommend having to experience this to understand the power that we have through believing in the blood of Jesus Christ. The gift of discernment is one I would beg every Christian to find and hold on to for dear life. This is the one gift I desire above all others. There is so much deception around us. There is no time to just coast to heaven by sitting in a pew. Its time to get out the nitrous. To get serious. To take the Red pill. To be ready to go 'All in'. To be ready to say "I did everything I could, I gave everything I had and I finished the race hard and yes, it was worth every step."

More photos of the Children's Prayer Tent and Childrens Prayer Workshop.

More Photos of the Prayer Tree and the Beautiful flowers of Hawaii.

The beautiful You-Tube video of swimming with wild dolphins at Electric Beach.

If you would like Nicki to come to your school, conference or church to help infuse a passion for prayer please email: BlissfulMinistries@yahoo.com

Interesting Fact: Spiritual Warfare is real without a shadow of a doubt. Every time I create a prayer room I have intense spiritual attacks against me. I am learning what they look like so I can be prepared and be attentive to God's Spirit. Then when I am finished I have things happen that will try to steal my joy, to stop me praising God and giving him glory for what has happened in the prayer room. I have written about some of my experiences on my BLOG about the dangers of experiencing Centering Prayer and Experiencing Demons. We need never be afraid of anything that can come against us - we must also learn the power that we have in the name of Jesus. An article coming soon to this blog! I would love to find people who would become monthly sponsors and/or, intercessors - praying for my protection from spiritual attacks, praying for my financial needs and praying for God to work and speak and create through me to touch the lives of those I minister to. I am grateful that God has provided for my needs and even for the desires of my heart I am constantly amazed by his provision. He is a God who spoils and gives above and beyond. I have not regretted living this lifestyle with the adventures and faith and dependence it is teaching me. For a while it may seem easy and possible to live on almost no income, but for the long term there needs to be money coming in to support this prayer ministry, as well as for bills and health insurance. If you would like to support this ministry financially (either with a one-time gift or monthly support) please contact me (donations are tax-deductible in the USA). Checks can be made out to FLASH Ministries (the non-profit 501c3 that is sponsoring my ministry). Please include 'Prayer Ministries' on the subject line and send it PO Box 495 Ooltewah, TN, 37363 USA. Donations by credit card are also accepted. Those in Australia or overseas can email BlissfulMinistries@yahoo.com for further details. Thank you for blessing this ministry and helping to change the culture of prayer. Blessings, Nicki Carleton I believe! Blissful Ministries PS Check out my new website www.BlissfulMinistries.com

Prayer Rooms Update

If you are in the location of a prayer room and would like to help or participate in a conference or mission please contact me.

NOVEMBER: Malawi, Africa
Three week Prayer Room and helping at an evangelistic meeting.

OCTOBER: Amsterdam, Kenya

Women's Mission and Safari, Masai Mara, Kenya
October 9-15
Building a 24-7 Prayer Room

Attending the International Gathering for 24-7 Prayer Leaders Europe
October 1-4

How did a Missionary end up in Hawaii?

I thought I was on my way to California to create a prayer room for a school's Week of Prayer but when they didn't call me back to finalize I suddenly found myself looking for a new school. A new Facebook friend, Shilhi Seibel, encouraged me to come to Oahu and put on a prayer room at Hawaiian Mission Academy. There was no funding for it, but we would watch God make it happen. And so He did.

God helped me find a really cheap flight from Tennessee to Oahu and a week later I found myself in beautiful Hawaii. The chaplain was excited to make the prayer room happen and said that if it opened the next week it would be perfect timing for the week of prayer... That meant I had to get a prayer room together in three days. The next few days were a blur of getting lost in a big city, surviving on little sleep and trying to create a prayer room from a $150 budget. And there it was on Monday ready to go thanks to the help of some incredible volunteers and students.

The Prayer Room created quite a bit of excitement as many of the Bible classes went through the Prayer Room for their Religious Studies. It was a new concept for most of the students but more and more kids came in , especially at lunch time just to hang out. After the first week, the kids wanted it open for another week. So we convinced the principle to extend it and that was wonderful. Here are some of the experiences:

• Julia shared that she had a close friend she was very concerned about who had not contacted her in over six months. She prayed and released her concerns over to God at a prayer station. Three hours later the friend called her. Julia was very excited at how fast God had answered her prayer.
• One girl had a car accident on the way to school and used the prayer room to praise God that she was not physically hurt. It was also a safe place to debrief and let out her tears as she was very shaken up emotionally.
• Colleen wanted God to speak to her and show her a sign in answer to her prayer. She asked that God would make her teacher say a specific phrase when she walked into her next class. The teacher said the exact words and she was so excited when she realized that God really wanted to talk to her and answer her prayers.

During this time of prayer revival, a student unexpectedly lost one of their parents so all the closely knit students were very sad and going through a time of grieving. This was close to exams so after the third week the teachers got together and begged the Principle to keep the Prayer Room could remain open for a total of five weeks until the end of term to minister to the kids through this difficult time.

As the needs of the school changed I created five new prayer stations for grieving and created a sacred space where it was safe to cry and express the pain of loss, praying for their own family members and sharing love and support for the grieving family.

Some comments from the room:

"The prayer room was amazing! You felt God's presence right away once you entered the room. The stations left you thinking and at peace. The room was all together powerful and touching. It was a-never-forget-experience!

"This week I really needed to go into the Prayer Room. I felt so overwhelmed with all that was going on in my life and also my best friend's. When I went in I let them all out to God and let Him take care of them. Peace came over me. God was in control.

"I love the prayer room, it felt like it brought me closer to God. And it helped me open up more to God.

"The Prayer Room touched me!! I felt God in the room... At first when I helped out setting up the Prayer Room I was unsure about this... But once it was finished... I felt like only me and God had a chance to communicate and I loved it!! I cried... I wish we could keep the prayer room permanent.

Praise God for the seeds that were planted at HMA. I pray that God would continue to speak to these kids and that they would keep listening with discernment, learning to pray big bold prayers while watching their lives and communities transform.

Another major event I was blessed to be part of was the Unveiled 2009 Womens Conference. As I love teaching in new and unique ways that are creative and interactive I chose to do my workshop a little differently. I wanted to show how the Old Covenant and New Covenant were illustrated profoundly by the Hebrew Blood Covenant Ceremony and mirrored in today's Wedding Vows revealing the incredible depth of God's love. So I found a young married couple, Faith and Neil who took part in the Blood Covenant Blessing Ceremony where we acted out symbolically the Hebrew Blood Covenant and talked about how each step paralleled today's wedding vows. It was almost as if they were renewing their vows. This was an incredible experience and many ladies were so touched afterwards as they saw how God was the Bridegroom and we are the Bride. It also reveals how much God wants us to enter into the New Covenant with him so we receive the Holy Spirit, become his children and receive all his blessings and eternal life. This is an incredibly deep understanding of the extravagant love of God and how nothing can separate us once we have entered into the New Covenant except turning our back on God.

Working so hard for those six weeks was spiritually and physically draining to me so after the Prayer Room finished I slowed up a tiny bit and was able to see some of the beautiful sights of Oahu. I found a beautiful beach that I would go to early in the morning and read and study the Bible. I also made some wonderful friends and we would go hiking on the weekend to the waterfalls and snorkeling at the beach. I must admit Hawaii is a lot like I imagine heaven will be. I felt very spoiled by God that he would allow me to minister in such a spirit refreshing and breathtaking location.


If you would like to see more Photos of the Prayer Room at Hawaiian Mission Academy. Click Here.

For more photos from the Unveiled 2009 Women's Conference and the Blood Covenant Blessing Ceremony. Click Here.

If you would like Nicki to come to your academy to create a unique Week of Prayer experience, preach or teach a Childrens Prayer Workshop at your church please email: BlissfulMinistries@yahoo.com

Interesting Fact: For the first 21 years of my life I had Social Anxiety Disorder - an intense and constant fear of people. After meeting an awesome doctor, I experienced the feeling of happiness for the first time. I escaped an obsessive boyfriend and went to live in London where I finally found independence and could say with a smile, "I belong here". Healing comes in so many forms. Seek healing in Jesus from all your past issues and wounds. There is freedom to be found. I would love to find people who would like to become monthly sponsors and/or, intercessors - praying for the needs of this ministry so I can continue to teach and inspire people to pray and find healing through an intimate and powerful relationship with Jesus Christ. I am grateful that God has provided for my needs and even for the desires of my heart, I am constantly amazed by his provision. He is a God who spoils and gives above and beyond. I have not regretted living this lifestyle with the adventures and faith and dependence it is teaching me. For a while it may seem easy and possible to live on almost no income but for the long term there definitely needs to be money coming in for travel, bills and health insurance. If you would like to support this ministry financially (either with a one-time gift or monthly support) please contact me (donations are tax-deductible in the USA). Checks can be made out to FLASH Ministries (the non-profit 501c3 that is sponsoring my ministry). Please include 'Prayer Ministries' on the subject line and send it PO Box 495 Ooltewah, TN, 37363 USA. Donations by credit card are also accepted. Those in Australia or overseas can email BlissfulMinistries@yahoo.com for further details. Thank you for blessing this ministry and helping to change the culture of prayer. Abundant Blessings, Nicki Carleton I believe! Blissful Ministries

Prayer Rooms Update

If you are in the location of a prayer room and would like to help or participate in a conference or mission please contact me.

NOVEMBER: Malawi, Africa
Three week Prayer Room and helping at an evangelistic meeting.

OCTOBER: Amsterdam, Kenya

Women's Mission and Safari, Masai Mara, Kenya
October 9-15
Building a 24-7 Prayer Room

Attending the International Gathering for 24-7 Prayer Leaders Europe
October 1-4

SEPTEMBER: Ireland, UK and France. Building Prayer Rooms, speaking at Newbold and Cologne Colleges.

AUGUST: New Mexico, USA
Mission trip to the remote Tarahumara People in the Copper Canyon Mexico. Sharing the gospel.

JULY: Hawaii, Oahu
Preaching and working with prayer teams at different churches to change the culture of prayer at their church. Blood Covenant Blessing Ceremony at Manoa Church.

JUNE: Hawaii, Oahu
Childrens Prayer Rooms and Prayer Workshops, Visioning for a Permanent Prayer Room at Honolulu YWAM base, Preaching on Hearing the Voice of God.

MAY: Hawaii, Oahu.
Five week Prayer Room at Hawaiian Mission Academy.

Avondale Prayer Room

Being blessed with the opportunity to go home to Australia and create a prayer room at Avondale School has been one of the highlights of my year. The special place we created with chaplains Mel Lemke and Leighton Heise was one of the most spiritually impacting prayer rooms I have seen so far. I pray that you are blessed and inspired as you read their story. Upcoming trips to Mexico and Kenya. Enjoy.

Avondale School Prayer Room. I still call Australia home... so it was delightful to see my family again, smell the eucalyptus trees and feed the kangaroos. The adventure started in Sydney visiting cousins while building a prayer room at Avondale School. The chaplains of the school, Mel Lemke and Leighton Heise are seriously championing the love of Jesus Christ to these incredible kids. and they were preparing for a history making week of prayer. It was so much fun to build the room with so many eager volunteers from the school and community. They already knew what an interactive prayer room was so they were more excited than I was - if that is even possible! Miracles happened and we ended up with two classrooms to use. Now we started dreaming big and decided to put a tunnel between the classrooms so the students would feel like they were walking through space... Now to build this seems like a rediculously difficult task but Leighton was up to it - with an electric drill, lots of chicken wire, fairy lights, black material and fluorescent painted balls. The tunnel was designed to illustrate to the kids that the power that created the entire universe was now living in them, through the power of the Holy Spirit and when He works through them they can do more than they could ever hope to dare, dream or imagine. Eph 3.20 The rooms started to come together in a beautiful way and we sensed the presence of the Holy Spirit even before we started. Each time I do a prayer room a new issue moves my heart and this time I strongly sensed a need to offer a place to heal from sexual abuse. I knew I needed a cocoon to deal with a station on 'Fear' and didn't have time to make one. Now I wanted a very specific cocoon. One I could imagine in my mind - one big enough and cute enough for a small person to sit in. Now these are not just lying around in anyone's closet - in fact I had never even seen one before. But I asked one lady if she knew where I could possibly find a cocoon - and she knew exactly where one was and it was delivered that afternoon to the school - exactly the same as what I had imagined. When you don't have much time God can lead you to just the right person! Healing Sexual Abuse, Fear, Letting Go of Past Trauma, were all stations that were new so we created a beautiful 'cocoon' room where kids could enter in and privately pray. This was such a lovely space. We also encouraged kids to go to the school counselor if they had any further questions. I know without a shadow of a doubt that there was inner healing taking place in that room. God yearns to transform us and give us a new hope, a new identity and a new nature, releasing us from our past. For many I know the first steps took place in that prayer room. Just about all the Bible Classes came through the room giving them a taste of the prayer room. Once they have experienced it and knew how sweet it was they would want to come back. Lunch times started to get busier and busier with most of the 45 prayer stations occupied. An Olympic medalist came to speak during the Week of Prayer, outlining his addiction to sport and other things and sharing how nothing could satisfy him until he found Jesus. He brought in his outfits and medals and left them at the addiction wall. This was very powerful for the kids to see - that success and fame does not necessarily lead to the happiness they desired. The kids also wrote hundreds of letters to persecuted imprisoned Christians around the world and were personally delivered to Voice of the Martyrs representatives that were visiting Avondale College the following week. The room provided a wonderful opportunity for the community and school to experience Jesus in a completely new way. I was honored that my relatives and church friends came to support and experience the room for themselves. My favorite memory was when a senior boy came up to me and declared, "This is incredible - I want to come and work with you next summer!" I know that reaching teenage boys with the intimate love and power of Jesus needs a bit of creativity! This is who I aim to reach so its nice to know it works. It was also nice to see the younger kids come through - even a class from kindergarten experienced the room! The school counselor revealed some healing times and break-throughs with a few kids she had been trying to work with for a long time. Many kids heard God speak to them and just about all of them felt His presence in the room. The kids and teachers loved the experience. Here are some comments: The Prayer Room is awesome. As soon as you walk in you feel that God is there. Thankyou. I Think the Prayer Room is great, like I feel God through me. The prayer room is so amazing I've never felt so close to God. Thank you so much for this prayer room. I really encountered Jesus and felt loved in there with Him. Lord bless you and may His love be with your heart always. Why was this the most spiritual prayer room yet? Maybe they just keep getting bigger and more extravagant? Maybe the spiritual leadership of the chaplains made it that way? Maybe it was because many kids at the school were not Christian so they had a more inquisitive mind and no predetermined opinions about whether God would speak to them or not? Maybe these kids were just more open to receive God's touch? Maybe it is because God showed up! For me it was an honor to be part of this glorious experience! If you would like to see more pictures from this Prayer Room: Click here. If you would like to see more pictures of Children's Prayer Rooms: Click here. The Rest of the Trip After Sydney I made my way up to Brisbane to have a small operation and while recovering spent time with my close family. Praise God I have not been sick a day since the operation and can now breathe normally for the first time. I then went up to Townsville to visit Brad, Naomi and my 3 nephews. While I was there I put together a Children's Prayer Workshop for a local church. My favorite memory was my eldest nephew Ethan saying "I don't want to go to church" but then when the workshop was finished he stated,"can we go back again every week? I love church!" I believe we can make prayer and experiencing God fun for all ages not just kids! I also had the opportunity to speak at a Worship Conference talking of how experiential and sensory teaching is so powerful in symbolizing the deep aspects of God and allowing Him to become real (more life changing than just analyzing or talking about Him). If you would like Nicki to come to your academy to create a unique Week of Prayer experience or teach a Childrens Prayer Workshop at your church please email: BlissfulMinistries@yahoo.com

Making History. My immediate financial needs are for a mission trip to the Tarahumarra People in the Copper Canyon in Mexico documented in a 2008 National Geographic. Three of us including the artist Bill Baker are going to share the gospel of Jesus Christ and pray with and see what God has us do for these beautiful people. Bill has visited over 50 different countries to some of the most remote places of the earth to share the gospel. Please pray for us - for physical and spiritual protection as we make this trip from the 6 - 13 August through one of the most dangerous cities in the world. Then in October I will be traveling to Kenya to put on a prayer room for a Women's Retreat, Mission and Safari in Kenya - if you would like to come too please contact myself or Joy Butler at joymariebutler@gmail.com. After this I have been invited to Malawi for a three week evangelistic mission. Both these trips will need to be sponsored so I am looking for people who would like to partner with me, people who would like to become a monthly sponsor or an intercessor - praying for the needs of this ministry so I can continue to teach and inspire people to pray (and have an intimate and powerful relationship with Jesus Christ) by creating prayer rooms. If you would like to support this ministry financially (either with a one-time gift or monthly support) please contact me (all donations are tax deductible in the USA). Checks can be made out to FLASH Ministries (the non-profit 501c3 that is sponsoring my ministry). Please include 'Prayer Ministries' on the subject line and send it PO Box 495 Ooltewah, TN, 37363 USA. Donations by credit card are also accepted. Those in Australia or overseas can email BlissfulMinistries@yahoo.com for further details. Thank you for blessing this ministry and helping to change the culture of prayer in our churches and communities by making prayer fun and enjoyable and enabling people to spend time in the healing love and transforming presence of Jesus. I hope to encourage and inspire you to find or create your own special sacred spaces in your life, home, church or community and would love for you to share your stories with me. I am on facebook under Nicki Carleton. If you would like me to come out to your church, school or retreat or if you would like more information about prayer rooms please contact me or www.24-7prayer.com. This is now the worlds largest prayer movement in history, so I invite you to be a part of this incredible story. Blessings, Nicki Carleton I believe! Blissful Ministries

Farewell to Hawaii

My journey in Hawaii has come to a close. What an incredible four months of sharing God's passion for prayer with so many beautiful people. I have made wonderful friends here and thank each one for the Aloha spirit and will miss the smiles, the ohana and the white sand and turquoise waters.

I want to thank especially Lt Chaplain Mark Hughes who allowed me to use his house and car while I was on the island and he was on deployment. Without this incredibly generous sacrifice there is no way I would have been able to stay and do so much ministry. I am so grateful. I found my way here because of the Seibel’s encouragement and hospitality and am overwhelmed to have been so blessed.

It will be a joy to leave knowing that God is taking me on a new adventure and has things to accomplish through me in different places around the world. Sometimes I feel a bit guilty because I enjoy traveling, seeing beauty and doing new things so much but God knows what makes me happy and gives me the desires of my heart as I follow after him - other people have stability and jobs and family but luckily I am able to travel and do some random unique work that other people may not be able or want to do so I happily oblige... I love being a pilgrim, a missionary, a disciple.

I would ask that you continue to pray for me as the Spirit may prompt you in the next few months. My ministry usually involves an incredible amount of spiritual warfare but as I enter into new territories I know that it will increase. Here is my mission:

Sharing the gospel with the remote Tarahumarra People in the Copper Canyon Mexico .

Flying back to my base in Chattanooga Tenneesee to establish a permanent prayer room in the Collegedale Church .

Flying to Ireland , where I will be going to UK, France and Amsterdam working with 24-7 Prayer Boiler Rooms as they build prayer rooms in schools, and visiting the international gathering of the www.24-7Prayer.com leaders. I may also be putting on some interactive worship events at Newbold and Cologne colleges.

I will be helping to host a Women's Retreat, Mission and Safari in Kenya in October - if you or others would like to attend this incredible opportunity in Masai Mara please contact me.

Then I have been invited to go to Malawi for a three week evangelistic event for prayer and sharing the love of God.

How do I know God is my guide? My little miracle story...

The day I was to book my ticket to Europe I asked God, “Do you really want me to go to Europe it feels so selfish... is this what you want me to do?” I have been wanting to go to a 24-7 prayer gathering for two years now to find encouragement with other people in full time faith ministry like me that build prayer rooms and change the culture of prayer all over the world. So I asked God to speak to me and give me a sign as a confirmation. I asked him to guide me as I opened my Bible. I asked him to make the first text I looked at an encouragement to book my ticket.

Here's where me eye fell to the instant I opened my Bible.

Paul's Plan to Visit Rome

²³But now that there is no more place for me to work in these regions, and since I have been longing for many years to see you, ²⁴I plan to do so when I go to Spain . I hope to visit you while passing through and to have you assist me on my journey there, after I have enjoyed your company for a while. ²⁵Now, however, I am on my way to Jerusalem in the service of the saints there. ²⁶For Macedonia and Achaia were pleased to make a contribution for the poor among the saints in Jerusalem . ²⁷They were pleased to do it, and indeed they owe it to them. For if the Gentiles have shared in the Jews' spiritual blessings, they owe it to the Jews to share with them their material blessings. ²⁸So after I have completed this task and have made sure that they have received this fruit, I will go to Spain and visit you on the way. ²⁹I know that when I come to you, I will come in the full measure of the blessing of Christ.

³⁰I urge you, brothers, by our Lord Jesus Christ and by the love of the Spirit, to join me in my struggle by praying to God for me. ³¹Pray that I may be rescued from the unbelievers in Judea and that my service in Jerusalem may be acceptable to the saints there, ³²so that by God's will I may come to you with joy and together with you be refreshed. ³³The God of peace be with you all. Amen. Romans 15.23-33

As the tears fell I realized that I had God’s blessing and that his desire was to travel with me and we would enjoy doing this ministry together. I always thought I was working for God. At the same time I also knew that my ministry was 100% God and 0% me. I knew that his Holy Spirit was the one that inspired and produced all the ideas and gave me the strength to do it. Now I was seeing it from a different angle ~ I was assisting God on his mission and he enjoyed my company! I love this revelation of God’s heart and hope that you are encouraged too by this. I know without a shadow of a doubt that I will be protected and guided and comforted, that all my needs will be supplied. I also look forward to some incredible times of ministry where I will be surprised by God. My faith has been increased as I know that it is all completely within God’s will. Great things happen with great faith and a Great God.

This is not the first time God has confirmed his will in such a razzle-dazzle way. Be encouraged to seek the heart and will of God. To hear his voice and confirm it so you are living and breathing the will of God.

Be blessed on the journey.

Nicola Carleton (Nicki Carleton - facebook)

i Believe!

Blissful Ministries

407-873-2809

If you would like to make a tax deductible donation in support of this ministry please email me!

PHOTOS: Different prayer rooms in Hawaii

Praise the LORD, all you servants of the LORD who minister by night in the house of the LORD.

Lift up your hands in the sanctuary and praise the LORD.

May the LORD, the Maker of heaven and earth, bless you from Zion.

A song of ascents. Psalm 134

New Mexico, New Years and Worship Art

It was my birthday and I had to go to work! I had only one day off in Tennessee (my home base) after creating the prayer room in Jamaica so I had just 24 hours to repack for the next job.

But I was actually excited for three reasons:
1. I was to fly on a plane to New Mexico. (My favorite state).
2. I was going to meet up with a bunch of people as crazy as me.
3. I was to help create and build more prayer rooms! (My favorite thing to do!)

And there they were waiting to pick me up as I got off the plane. Two rather scary looking guys - Eddie and Skye. I soon found myself surrounded by a group of extremely passionate Christ followers who had huge hearts and great faith. These weren't the average Christians. Here was a group of six people who had sold out completely to be modern day disciples of Jesus. They were part of a group called Cultiv8ers who set up prayer rooms all over New Mexico and beyond at the request of churches or youth groups. They just pack up and go and create a prayer room at any church! What a blessing but what a lot of work! www.cultiv8ers.com

I met Eddie's wife Amy and remembered meeting her at a conference two years ago and selling her the book 'Red Moon Rising' by Pete Greig (which is the best book ever written on prayer and gets people so excited to start prayer rooms and change their perspective on prayer - I highly recommend this book). Funny how things turn in full circles! So why was I now in New Mexico? To help these guys build a prayer room for New Years Eve and to be encouraged and just to hang out in beautiful NM (which included a couple of visits to the Navajo).

The New Years Eve Party was incredible - we painted a huge community art project - everybody was guessing what it would turn out to be and had to wait until we put it together on the wall like a jigsaw to see that it was a huge lion. We had food and worship then I spoke about how we are each designed to respond to God in worship through our own unique creative ways. We were created and designed to bring him joy and we need to find out how we do that best. We then had a beautiful communion service at midnight and then lit candles to launch the first 24/7 prayer room for 2009 at Corrales Church.

For the next three weeks people faithfully attended the beautiful prayer room. During that time I took Bible Classes at the academy teaching them how to create 'worship art'. For one class I was inspired by a 24/7 artist to take the secular song from Saving Jane to analyze the lyrics and see how it was our own journey of struggling to listen to God.

You Say by Saving Jane

I've been calling and calling for you
But you answer and I shut my mouth
I've been searching and searching for you
But myself I don't want to be found

You say I am, You say let go
You say Believe... But it's not that easy for me
You say wait
You say right now
Don't you see you're already one foot in the ground
you say...

I've been wicked and wild and wrong and i've wondered
the price of my shame
I've been hiding my face for so long, it's a wonder that
you know my name..

You say come home
You say I'm here
You say there are some things you just can't control
You say let me
You say Believe
Why do you search for the answers you already know
You say...

I am the way and the light and the Truth
Don't be misled by the flight of your youth
Faith in the things you can't see to believe
What if you had faith in me...

You say rest here, this is your home
Don't you see that you knew I was here all along
You say...

It was a great experience taking the four wheelers out to the magnificent canyons, a road trip to Taos and Santa Fe, walking at the top of Sandia Peak and eating snow, seeing the tumbleweeds roll in the wind, enjoying green chili and honey on all my food, playing the Wii. I want to say thank you to Cultiv8ers for making me feel so 'at home' and to the Aruaz-James family for allowing me to use their home and car while they were away - at exactly the time I arrived there and they got back the day I left - small miracles. I hope to go back soon.

The reasons that I love New Mexico:
The people. The art. The chili.
The crystal clear blue skies.
The snow falling on Sandia Mountain.
The adobe houses.
The sunsets.
The work God is doing.

If you would like to see more photos of the prayer room and art we created in Albuquerque New Mexico please go to my facebook photos at New Mexico Prayer Rooms.

The time has come for me to ask for sponsorship to continue this ministry. After five years in full time ministry and three of those years earning less than $2000 per year (I have only had enough money to cover gas but have always been blessed to have a place to stay and enough food...) I realize now that I desperately need support from the Body of Christ, through your prayers and financial giving. I am seeking $2500 per month so that I can continue to teach and inspire people to pray by creating prayer rooms.

I'd like to send a special note of appreciation to those individual's who have felt led to support my ministry with a gift of $1 per day for the next year. Your generosity has been such an encouragement and blessing to me.

If you would like to support this ministry financially (either with a one-time gift or monthly support) please contact me (all donations are tax deductible in the USA). Checks can be made out to FLASH Ministries (the non-profit 501c3 that is sponsoring my ministry). Please include 'Prayer Ministries' on the subject line and send it PO Box 495 Ooltewah, TN, 37363 USA. Donations by credit card are also accepted. Those in Australia or overseas can email BlissfulMinistries@yahoo.com for further details.

Thank you for blessing this ministry and helping to change the culture of prayer in our churches and communities by making prayer fun and enjoyable and enabling people to spend time in the healing love and transforming presence of Jesus.

I hope to encourage and inspire you to find or create your own special sacred spaces in your life, home, church or community and would love for you to share your stories with me. I am on facebook under Nicki Carleton. If you would like me to come out to your church, school or retreat or if you would like more information about prayer rooms please contact me or www.24-7prayer.com. This is now the worlds largest prayer movement in history so I invite you to be a part of this incredible story.

Blessings,

Nicki Carleton
I believe!
Blissful Ministries

Stealing My Joy

This has happened before - it seems to be the devil's new style to try to bring me down. He tries something new every now and again and if it seems to frustrate and annoy me and put me off my game then he thinks he has succeeded. The ultimate aim is trying to get me to give up full time ministry - throw my hands up in the air and proclaim I am not strong enough to deal with this anymore. I am failing. I am unsuccessful and no one really cares anyway. That would be me feeling sorry for myself and running from my calling. Unfortunately God has embedded this calling like a tattoo in my spirit and I will not be truly happy unless I am following in his will - which he knows will fulfill all the desires of my heart. I look back and see the countless adventures and moments of pure wonder and astonishment at the kisses He has showered out for me along the way.

The funny thing is that I am learning the wiles of the evil one and am prepared in my mind for great trials and I have made a maxim for my life - "I will not get offended by what man or God may do to me - I will remain faithful to the end". Note to self: add "what the devil may do to me" in my little proverb. Preparing my heart is another story. This will require much prayer and emotional strength.

Let me tell you the story:
When I was leaving Jamaica I was soooo filled with joy seeing what God had accomplished in the hearts of those we ministered to with the prayer room and I was in awe to see how it worked out so amazingly well. I got dropped off at the airport by my wonderful new adopted family at 10.30am to fly out. The flight was delayed, finally we made it to Kingston only to wait there for hours and then go back to Montego Bay! So at 10.30pm I was sitting on the plane looking out to the gorgeous mountains wishing I had spent the last 12 hours at the beach! All up I was waiting over 15 hours to go on a one hour flight - I arrived at my destination at 2am. Other passengers were so upset!

I had ample time to think and read and pray while waiting for that long and it occured to me that the devil was trying to distract me from worshipping. He was trying to steal my joy. He was trying to steal the glory that God deserved - the joy in my heart rising like fragrant incence to him. I realised that if I got upset and frustrated I would have spent those 15 hours feeling sorry for myself and thinking about my own discomfort. It wasn't really that bad afterall! I was just sitting around. I intentionally focussed on praying and sending up joyful feelings, reminiscing about the children that had drawn their prayers all over the floor, the thousands of prayers that covered the room, the beautiful girl who spent so much time in the room that she came to me and said 'I want to build prayer rooms too', the young boy who loved helping me like a little Samuel and never wanted to leave the prayer room, the pastors that wanted to take this idea back to their churches to help other people spend hours praying and loving it. I kept the happy feelings going and I felt happier too.

Just recently I finished two childrens prayer rooms. The devil tried it again. By using some kids to trash the rooms. It was dark and they were unsupervised. It hurt me that someone would misuse such a sacred space but they were young and probably didn't realise that God spends time there too - maybe its like his holiday vacation house??? No one has ever done this before so it hurt my feelings - maybe its because these rooms are like my art - installation art - three dimensional story telling - and it takes us so long to put them together - they are unique original and never the same twice. Sometimes I think its like giving birth - but I don't really know that for sure.... so I treat the rooms with as much love as a baby with lots of nurture and care. But then they damaged some of my special art which was sad. But these things can all be fixed...

Then they stole the money that was my 'love' offering from the church. This is my only source of income. Maybe it wasn't very much anyway. But I have to live off that money. To make it worse this was the first 'love' offering I had ever asked for in a church (I had finally got up enough courage). So I didn't feel very 'loved'. Then I started to feel sad. I felt a bit like I was punched in the stomach - and I leave tomorrow so I felt like that was a terrible goodbye when I spent the last six weeks ministering in this community. Then I started to feel like giving up. Then I realised the devil was at it again so I cried out and begged God not to let the devil take my joy.

So I checked my email and this is what I read: (From Teenhopeline sent today)

Psalm 51. 14-17 Save me from bloodguilt, O God, the God who saves me, and my tongue will sing of your righteousness.
O Lord, open my lips, and my mouth will declare your praise.
You do not delight in sacrifice, or I would bring it; you do not take pleasure in burnt offerings.
The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise.

Then there was this poem that spoke to my heart......

Let the water in my eyes, pierce my heart and pierce the skies
Let the glory of your light shine all around me
Cause I need your peace and glory now
Lord my heart has forgotten how
Let it be, let it be, Lord a vessel of honor to thee

Ignite a fire in my soul,
Set my world ablaze, take control
Let my heart beat only for thee
Cause I am tired and I'm poor
And I want to need you more
God make me what you want of me

Let the water in my eyes, pierce my heart and pierce the skies
Let the glory of your light shine all around me
Cause I need your peace and glory now
Lord my heart has forgotten how
Let it be, let it be, Lord a vessel of honor to thee

Take this humble offering
This is all that I can bring
To the altar, the table for you
My heart is weak and I am frail
And I know alone Iâll fail
God this is all that I can do

Let it rain, let it pour because I need to need you more
Let me cry, let me scream, yes I need more than it seems
You are rising in my dreams you are everything to me
Let it be, let it be, Lord let it be a vessel of honor

So God is teaching me gracefully and as I prayed asking him to give me the patience, and the ability to take the focus off my hurt - take my mourning and turn it into dancing. To take my sadness and turn it into joy. And then a smile started to creep back to tingle my cheeks just like it does when I drink a beautiful aromatic cup of my favorite hot tea.

I then reached for my Bible for a word of comfort and to listen to the voice of God and he spoke to me as I opened right to this passage.

Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal. 2 Cor 4

Momentary light afflictions. These will happen again. Maybe they will get worse. But at least I'm in training for the stuff.

Praise God for this adventure. I wouldn't trade it for anything else in the whole world.

The full passage of 2 Cor 4 is incredible - for a blessing read on...

2 Corinthians 4
Treasures in Jars of Clay 1 Therefore, since through God's mercy we have this ministry, we do not lose heart.
2 Rather, we have renounced secret and shameful ways; we do not use deception, nor do we distort the word of God. On the contrary, by setting forth the truth plainly we commend ourselves to every man's conscience in the sight of God.
3 And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing.
4 The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.
5 For we do not preach ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, and ourselves as your servants for Jesus' sake.
6 For God, who said, Let light shine out of darkness, made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ.
7 But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all- surpassing power is from God and not from us.
8 We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair;
9 persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed.
10 We always carry around in our body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our body.
11 For we who are alive are always being given over to death for Jesus' sake, so that his life may be revealed in our mortal body.
12 So then, death is at work in us, but life is at work in you.
13 It is written: I believed; therefore I have spoken. With that same spirit of faith we also believe and therefore speak,
14 because we know that the one who raised the Lord Jesus from the dead will also raise us with Jesus and present us with you in his presence.
15 All this is for your benefit, so that the grace that is reaching more and more people may cause thanksgiving to overflow to the glory of God.
16 Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day.
17 For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all.
18 So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.

Blessings to you on your adventures through this world - I like to call it the Matrix! Go ahead take the red pill.

The Jamaica Experience

Going to Jamaica was an unexpected surprise. Imagine travelling to a tropical paradise and getting the opportunity to set up a beautiful prayer room! Two of my favorite things to do! But I really had limited time to prepare so I didn’t even have time to get excited! I arrived from a cold Tennessee winter to beautiful hot sunshine, blue skies and fluffy clouds and while waiting at the airport for three hours to be picked up I set my internal clock to the relaxed ‘Island Time’. I was to stay with the family of Pr Robert Vassell which was delightful, his lovely wife Judith cooked the most exquisite Jamaican food – I fell in love with yams, breadfruit, boiled bananas, potato pudding, Akee, and Surrill.

I also had fun helping Julia set up for her sister Judeque’s sweet 16th birthday party. I went with the pastor to a church high up on a mountain and watched him preach for two hours, it was so much fun. He is an incredible preacher and the audience and choir (all wearing matching hats) was getting just as excited as he was. That is how to do church!

I wondered why I was locked inside so much and was told that Jamaica was too dangerous to go for a walk! Everyday I would longingly watch the cruise ships come into the beach until one day I had the opportunity to go with a mission group from the UK to Negril Beach where the water really did feel like liquid Sunshine. I got to see some local art, culture and Rastafarians and enjoy God’s beautiful creation.

Setting up the prayer room for the West Jamaican Conference Camp Meeting was rather challenging but soon it was transformed into a simple and beautiful oasis of tranquility and peace. It had air conditioning which helped the atmosphere quite a bit! When sister Patricia Cole – a Jamaican prayer warrior from Orlando first asked me to go with her she warned me ‘take everything you need for the prayer room’. She was not joking! It was miraculous that we had everything we needed and with a little creativity we designed a beautiful room where people felt comfortable to pray and where God felt at home.

The room was set out as a journey through the Sanctuary. We had the laver where people washed their hands and asked God to give them clean hands and a pure heart, the candles where they invited the Holy Spirit and his fruit and gifts into their lives, and at the incense station watched the smoke of the incense rise to heaven and learned how God loves the fragrant prayers of his people. The Altar had special paper where they wrote down their prayers and placed them in the water and it disappeared to represent that God remembers our sins no more. There were some other stations that encouraged turning our Temple (churches) into Houses of Prayer. At the ‘Listening to God’ station you could take a moment to wait on God – I took little 8 year old Hakim through the prayer room and I asked him if we could spend a minute closing our eyes and listening to God and that just like Samuel God will speak to you. After a little while I asked Hakim if he had heard anything and he said “Yes, I saw God’s hand reaching down and he took mine.” Hakim spent a lot of time in the prayer room as did a lot of other children. There was a place on the ground where they could draw their prayers to Jesus. At the ‘Big Decisions’ station people could ask God the questions they had and ask for direction by tracing their footprint and writing their prayers inside it. The floor was covered in just a few days.

Another station was on ‘Identity’ and as they read Psalms 139 and looked in the mirror they could think about how God has a plan and destiny for them and how much he loves them in fact God is thinking about them every minute of every day even while they are sleeping! They could put their unique fingerprint in the journal and write a letter to God. This book was filled up very quickly.

There was a station on how Jesus was the Bread broken for us. The cross was filled with hearts as people nailed their hearts in love and commitment to Jesus. Their was a Bowl of Intercession which was filled to overflowing with hundreds of prayers reminding us that we hold each other up in prayer and how much our community needs prayer. Before you entered into the Most Holy Place there was a torn veil in the shape of a heart that you passed through – to show that the veil was not separating you from God any longer – that you now had free access to the heart of the Father. Inside was the Throne Room. Three beautiful colored glass lamps glowed to represent the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. Inside this room you could make a crown out of silver foil and leave it as a gift of worship to God to honor him as the angels do in Revelation crying out “Worthy, Worthy is the Lord God Almighty.” Rev 4.11 says “The four and twenty elders fall down before him that sat on the throne, and worship him that liveth for ever and ever, and cast their crowns before the throne, saying, “Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created.”

The prayer room was open all day and all night 24 hours a day – the beautiful music and the lighting made it a very special place in the midst of a busy Campmeeting. Often there were lines of people waiting to get into the room. It became very popular.

One day for my morning devotional God gave me a very strange text in Numbers that caused me to ponder. 35:33 " 'Do not pollute the land where you are. Bloodshed pollutes the land, and atonement cannot be made for the land on which blood has been shed… Do not defile the land where you live and where I dwell…

Later that day a man was shot a few hundred meters up the road from the prayer room. The blood covered the street. He was left there for quite a while and the traffic was diverted around him. I understood God to be telling me that because of this and other violent acts this land was tragically being cursed. There is a lot of darkness in this land.

So in the prayer room I put up these texts so people could cry out for God to heal their land so God would draw near. Satan can no longer hold this nation captive to evil.
2 Chron 7.13 "… if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land. Now my eyes will be open and my ears attentive to the prayers offered in this place. I have chosen and consecrated this temple so that my Name may be there forever. My eyes and my heart will always be there.” This text is so powerful and teaches us how we need to humble ourselves, turn and pray and God will be gracious to us with his blessings. What a generous and loving God.

Several people begged for the prayer room to remain that way all the time. I would love to see more permanent prayer rooms in churches and communities around the world so people could spend time in the presence of God whenever they needed.

Some comments left at the prayer room:

“It as change my life and I pray and hope to remain this way. God is good.”

“Keep up the good work this is indeed like taking a trip to the courts of heaven.”

“In order for one to be revived you must experience the presents of God, how to do that? Visit the prayer room.”

“I love it very much.”

‘It was a wonderful experience further taught how wonderful our God is and how often we fail him.”

“It was an amazing experience for which I am grateful.”

“It was wonderful. It has really changed my life.”

“It was a wonderful and great experience. May God bless you all continually.”