[Congressional Record Volume 146, Number 54 (Thursday, May 4, 2000)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E654-E655]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




 TRIBUTE TO MRS. LIN STORY AND THE NATIONAL CHILDREN'S PRAYER CONGRESS

                                 ______
                                 

                      HON. JAMES A. TRAFICANT, JR.

                                of ohio

                    in the house of representatives

                         Thursday, May 4, 2000

  Mr. TRAFICANT. Mr. Speaker, today I pay tribute to a wonderful woman, 
Mrs. Lin Story, and the organization she has created and fostered over 
the past decade, the National Children's Prayer Congress.
  Last night, I had the privilege and the honor to speak to over one 
hundred delegates, including children of all ages, to close this year's 
National Prayer Congress. I was touched by all I heard and saw last 
night as children from all over the country came together to celebrate 
their fellowship and oneness under God. These children worked very hard 
to write their own words to live by and I am submitting several of them 
today for the record.
  Mrs. Lin Story and her husband, Reverend Roger Story, who are dear 
friends of mine, deserve to be commended for the effort they put forth 
to make this such a special week for these children. I am also 
submitting a beautiful passages that Lin wrote for this event. My 
congratulations go out to Lin on another successful National Children's 
Prayer Congress.
  I submit the following passages for the Record:

           National Children's Prayer Congress, May 1-3, 2000


       Speech By Ruth Branam, Prayer Service at St. John's Church

       Hi! My name is Ruth Branam and I am ten years old and in 
     5th Grade.
       The day I found out I was going to Washington, D.C., I was 
     filled with joy and excitement. The only thing I felt bad 
     about was those who weren't chosen. Two of them were my 
     sister, Sarah and my friend, Leilani. They ended up being two 
     of the most helpful people along with the Lord in preparing 
     me to go. I prayed a lot that our trip would be poured out 
     with God's blessings and so far, God has been incredible to 
     my team. He has provided the money and everything else we 
     needed. My family has been so great to me about this. I can't 
     say how much I'm thankful.
       At first the only ones I really knew were Autumn and some 
     of the grown-ups. Then I got to know everyone else. Through 
     our preparation meetings, we have grown together as a team. 
     We not only learned about God but also about history. We even 
     went on a field trip to the Ronald Reagan Library, which I 
     really enjoyed.
       I have the privilege of being home schooled by my mother 
     and every day, we take time to pray for our leaders. God has 
     prepared me to be able to come here and share God's love with 
     the leaders of our country. I hope I will accomplish the 
     mission that He sent me for.
       My favorite scripture is Psalm 96, verse 6. ``Splendor and 
     majesty are before Him. Strength and glory are in His 
     sanctuary.'' I can't tell you how many times God has been 
     graceful, because I lost count in the hundreds. If I could 
     count all of them, it would go up to millions.
       One of my heroes in American history would be Dr. Martin 
     Luther King. He stood up for Christian principles and fought 
     for his people so there would be peace between all people. We 
     as Christians should also try to share God's love with every 
     non-Christian and learn to be peacemakers.
       Don't give up on God because He will never give up on you. 
     He will always love you and be with you. God bless you.

                                  ____
                                  

           National Children's Prayer Congress, May 1-3, 2000


        Speech by Jillian Mc Cann, Capitol Hill Prayer Briefing

       Hello, my name is Jillian McCann and I am 11 years old. It 
     is a very big honor to be here in Washington, D.C.
       I would like to tell you how I came to know the Lord. When 
     I was eight years old, I started going to a Kid's Camp in San 
     Diego, California with my school. One day, I was at a church 
     service and heard the pastor talking about how wonderful our 
     Lord
       There are many leaders having to make all sorts of 
     decisions ranging from war and health care of seniors. They 
     need to know the Lord and ask for guidance throughout every 
     day. Also, we need to pray for our leaders and government, 
     and for their loved ones to give them 100 percent 
     encouragement.
       In preparing for Washington, D.C., I learned how many 
     people work for different committees and agencies in the U.S. 
     government. With all these people, it's impossible for us to 
     know all the things we need to pray for. But we have a great 
     hope in the Lord who knows each person by name. When we pray, 
     He meets every need no matter how big.
       There are some needs in America that we can pray for such 
     as feeding the hungry children and the organizations that 
     help to feed the children. There are also many homeless 
     people throughout our nation and even right here in our 
     nation's capital. Jesus said the greatest commandment is to 
     love the Lord your God with all your heart, and your neighbor 
     as yourself. We not only need to pray, but we need to love 
     others around us.
       While we are here in Washington, D.C., our greatest 
     accomplishment would be to bring a leader's heart to God. I 
     would like to take what I learned here and use it to impact 
     my family, friends, and community. Thank you for allowing me 
     to have this opportunity to share my faith and beliefs with 
     all of you today. God bless you.

                                  ____
                                  

           National Children's Prayer Congress, May 1-3, 2000


          Speech By Steven Knott, Capitol Hill Prayer Briefing

       Hello. My name is Steven Knott and I am eleven years old. I 
     am happy to be here in Washington, D.C. to pray for our 
     leaders. I feel the Lord has guided me to be here.
       I am blessed to live in a Christian home and attend a 
     Christian school. My mom told me about Jesus when I was a 
     little child. It's an unbelievable feeling that you'll never 
     forget. Once you accept Jesus, everything will change. He 
     will give you guidance in your life.
       Right now, our country's leaders need to know the power of 
     prayer. They need to make the right decisions to lead the 
     country. The power of prayer is very effective. All we need 
     to do is use it the right way. If you were a Congressman, a 
     Senator, or a Vice President, you would need comfort or peace 
     to make the right decisions. That's why I feel I am here, 
     right now, to be involved in the power of prayer.
       While I am here in Washington, D.C., I hope to be a good 
     example of my Christian faith. I also want to change our 
     nation's leaders by praying for them. I also would like to 
     see the Washington Monument because I have always felt George 
     Washington was a great leader and President in this country. 
     He has always stood out to me in the way that he acted, his 
     leadership, and his responsibility.
       I have learned in my preparation meetings for Washington, 
     D.C. that prayer can change other people's lives. I have also 
     learned that in other countries, some people don't live as 
     good as the life we have. Some live on the streets, some are 
     very poor, and some are barely surviving right now.
       I feel the Lord has blessed me to be here in Washington, 
     D.C., our nation's capital, to be here in this very important 
     event. Keep on praying. God bless you all.

                                  ____
                                  

           National Children's Prayer Congress, May 1-3, 2000


               Speech by Autumn Brim, Diplomatic Banquet

       Good evening. My name is Autumn Brim and I am twelve years 
     old. I am very pleased to be here in Washington, D.C. to pray 
     for the leaders of our nation in person. I am very glad to 
     have this opportunity to, in prayer, make a difference in our 
     nation and a difference in our leaders.
       I was born into a Christian family and since I can 
     remember, I have always known Jesus was there and that we 
     prayed to him and read the Bible. I began to take a step 
     forward in my walk with Christ. One night while I was in bed, 
     I felt peace and I know it was from God. It's much better to 
     have peace like one I felt than be caught up in what the 
     world does. As I'm getting older, I want more and more for 
     God to be the center of my life. He wants to be my best 
     friend and to help me through all my struggles. This is my 
     testimony and I hope it may encourage you in your own 
     Christian walk and even if you find

[[Page E655]]

     yourself struggling, just remember God will be there to help 
     you. He wants to help everyone, including the leaders of our 
     nation.
       It is important to pray for everyone, but it is especially 
     important to pray for our leaders because they make the 
     choices that affect all of us. Our prayer is that the leaders 
     will seek God's help and guidance. Our leaders need our 
     prayers because they have the pressure of running this nation 
     and may not always seek God's will. We need to pray that they 
     will see that if they humble themselves before God, they will 
     find guidance and the answers they need. They can have the 
     peace and happiness of knowing they can share their burden 
     with someone who will never betray them or hurt them. God 
     loves the leaders and we need to pray that they will love 
     God.
       Some things we need to pray for the leaders are protection, 
     health, and family. We need to pray that God will shelter 
     them from destruction and shield them from harm. We also need 
     to pray for their health. The leaders need to be strong and 
     healthy so that they might call on God and guide our nation 
     where it needs to go. Another thing to pray for is their 
     families. That God would keep them happy and strong and give 
     the leaders time to be with them and that their families 
     would support them as much as they can.
       The reason we came to Washington, DC is to show that we 
     believe that God will make a difference in our nation. I once 
     read a scripture in James that said that if we pray, we must 
     believe God will answer us. I encourage you to believe that 
     God will make a change in the leader's lives and in the lives 
     of others you pray for. Christian leaders in the past such as 
     George Washington and Abraham Lincoln who had Christian 
     values led our nation through some hard times successfully. 
     As we are here in Washington, DC, I encourage you to keep 
     praying that our leaders will answer to God, for that is why 
     we came here; to pray and listen for God's call. Listen to 
     God and He will lead you. Have a wonderful evening and God 
     bless you.

                                  ____
                                  

           National Children's Prayer Congress, May 1-3, 2000


         Speech by Amanda Stevens, ``America's Children Pray''

       Hi! Good evening everybody. My name is Amanda Stevens and I 
     am very happy to be here today. I am eleven years old and I 
     was born on July 20, 1988. I love the Lord with all my heart 
     and that is what I am here today to talk with you about. I 
     found the Lord at nine years old at Gateway Christian School, 
     but the school that I go to now has brought me closer and 
     closer to God. I told the Lord that I knew that He was there 
     and I wanted Him to be with me always. It's amazing the 
     different ways that people come to find Him. I have learned 
     that God knows every action, every thought, and every move I 
     make. He has done so much for me and I am very grateful for 
     that. I know in my heart that no matter where I go, He will 
     always be with me.
       I started attending Harbor Church Schools halfway through 
     the school year, just four months ago, and within the first 
     week of attending the school, I heard about this trip to 
     Washington, DC. I was really excited but most everyone I 
     talked to told me not to expect to be able to go because I 
     was new and other kids would be chosen. But I applied anyway 
     and as I was going through the process, a voice in my heart 
     told me ``You're going, so get ready!'' I really believe that 
     I have been called to this and God has something great in 
     store.
       I really hope to accomplish a lot while I'm here and that 
     people will learn from something I've done. I would be happy 
     if I could just minister to someone and tell them about the 
     Lord. I would like to show people that it doesn't matter if 
     you're just a kid when God calls you to do something. You 
     don't have to be an adult to go out and minister and make a 
     difference. If you simply live a life pleasing to the Lord 
     and shine His light wherever you go, people will listen to 
     you and their lives will be changed. We are all part of the 
     huge world wide family of God and hopefully, if we all work 
     together, we can make a difference. Just as a farmer plants 
     seed, we are all planting the seeds of salvation in everyone 
     we meet, and then someone else will come along and water the 
     seeds until it grows into something beautiful.
       Unfortunately, some of our leaders today are not Christians 
     and so we especially need to pray for them. But even 
     Christians need prayer. Sometimes, we fall short and feel 
     like we can't even pray for ourselves. We need to be there 
     for our leaders when they feel like that.
       I want to thank you for listening to me tonight. Each one 
     in our group was given the assignment of writing a speech. 
     However, I'm not here because I have to. I'm here because I 
     want to and God has called me. I pray that you will hear the 
     call that He is giving to you today also and that together, 
     He will use us to change our nation. Thank you.

                                  ____
                                  

           National Children's Prayer Congress, May 1-3, 2000


               Speech By Drake Munoz, Diplomatic Banquet

       Good evening ladies and gentlemen, I am Drake Munoz and I 
     am happy to be a part of the National Children's Prayer 
     Network. I am here to pray for the leaders of this country.
       When I was five years of age, I received the Lord. His Word 
     became my manual for life. If you have a question, God will 
     answer that question. He has also helped me through bad 
     times. For example, one of my pets died and I got very sad, 
     so I went to the Lord and He helped me with my problem. As 
     you can see, once you accept the Lord Jesus Christ, your 
     whole life will change. You will also want to go deeper into 
     His Word. I believe that if you receive the Lord Jesus 
     Christ, all of your sins that you have done will be washed 
     away by His blood. If you do not know the Lord, I would 
     encourage you today to accept Jesus as your personal Savior.
       I think we do not only need to pray for the leaders of our 
     country, but for other countries which have problems just 
     like ours. We need to pray that their country would stay 
     strong, and that they would keep their eyes on God. Tonight, 
     our prayer focus has been on the nation of India. There are 
     many differences between our two nations, yet we are a lot 
     alike. Our lifestyle and our food may be different, but we 
     also have something in common. We both have houses, but not 
     made of the same material. Most important, they want to have 
     a normal life just like us.
       Right now, I would like to give a message to our current 
     leaders in office. Remember that God gave you a great gift to 
     lead a country as big as the United States of America. I 
     believe that you should treat this responsibility carefully. 
     Also that you would listen to God's direction to lead such a 
     big country. If you have a question, ask God. He will direct 
     you what decision you need to make. The President has a big 
     job which a lot of people could not handle, so all us should 
     be praying for him. I think we should all pray for his health 
     and that his family would be okay. Also that he listens to 
     God to run this country because without God no one can run 
     this country or any other country.
       I would like to thank you for your time and patience. I 
     would like to end in a word of prayer.
       Dear Jesus, I would like to thank you for such a wonderful 
     day that you have given us. I would like to ask you Lord that 
     you would put your hand over the current leaders of this 
     country. We all know how hard they are working to run this 
     country. It is a tough job that people think is easy, but 
     they do not know what they have to do everyday. I would like 
     to ask you to put your hands over the families of these 
     leaders, that the job they are doing is not affecting their 
     family time. We ask that you would give them the strength to 
     continue to work hard. I ask that you put your hand over 
     India, that they would be a better country, that they would 
     keep strong in faith, and they would put their eyes on You. 
     In your Precious Son's name, Amen.

                                  ____
                                  

                          Write It On the Gate

                             (By Lin Story)

       The gate is a place of entry. It's the door through which 
     provision for the household enters. It is a gathering place 
     and at times a place where businesses transactions occur. In 
     Bible times it was a place where counsel was given and 
     disputes were judged. The gate is also a place of exit. What 
     happens at the gate makes a difference to those who are 
     inside. As you stand at the gate of the White House, remember 
     it is just like the gate of your own heart. What you allow to 
     enter and what you allow to exit will make a great difference 
     in the life you will lead. The Ten Commandments were given to 
     us as an act of God's mercy. He knew we needed to be told and 
     reminded of the way in which we were to relate to God and to 
     our fellow man. In his mercy, he told us the truth. The Ten 
     Commandments are not unreasonable laws given to hold us in 
     bondage. Jesus came as a fulfillment of God's law. That means 
     he gave the law a clear purpose. Because of Jesus our 
     salvation comes through faith and repentance but our quality 
     of life is found in obedience to God's law. If we will obey 
     His law with grateful hearts then we will rejoice in the 
     blessing of obedience. Today at the gate of this most 
     important house we celebrate the gift of God's law. And we 
     thank Him for the freedom that His law brings into our lives 
     and our nation.

     

                          ____________________