Friday 5

1."Finally, brothers, pray for us that the message of the Lord may spread rapidly and be honored..." 2 Thessalonians 3:1  Learning to pray diligently for the rapid spread of the gospel among the Mahafaly - will you join us?
2.  I've done an entire post about people asking if Ryleigh is going with us - here is a quote that touched my heart from an adult who grew up as a missionary kid.
 "As an MK, if I learned nothing else, I learned to be flexible.  I learned that foreign is only a word.  Every culture in the world is foreign to someone.  At first, it's scary, then irritating, then maddening.  To survive, you have to grab it, fall in love with it, and make it yours.  God understands.  He did it too.  Kinship with Christ, is a special benefit of missionary life.  How must He have felt as He spoke to His own people who saw Him only as a misfit, not as an emissary from the throne of heaven?  Perhaps, this is the greatest benefit and gift of being an MK; the opportunity to gain a glimpse of God's world from His viewpoint."
3.  Something my accountability partner and I have been sharing with one another is the need to be bold for Christ.  Luke 10:16 stuck out this week in reference to that desire..."He who listens to you listens to me; he who rejects you rejects me..."  How refreshing to be reminded that it is not us that people need to accept but our Savior!!
4. Prayer, prayer, PRAYER...oh the things He is teaching us about our communication with Him!!!  "It is my strong conviction that prayer is the most critical component of (mission) strategy." - VP for Office of IMB Global Strategy - Just as the disciples asked Jesus - "How then should we pray?", this is what is on our hearts.  We are asking God to teach us how and what to pray.  We're asking to be shown what "praying continually" truly looks like in the life of one of His children.  We are seeking and standing in awe of what He's revealing.
5. "You will keep in perfect peace him whose mind is steadfast, because he trusts in you."  Isaiah 26:3  "In repentence and rest is your salvation, in quietness and trust is your strength." Isaiah 30:15  Notice a theme?  These have been 2 of the verses I'm asking the Lord to write upon my heart while I'm here at FPO.  I once looked at peace as something that occurs only when there is a crisis.  I am now learning that peace from the Lord is a way of life.  Also, I tend to talk...a lot :)  The Lord has used this verse to remind me to simply be quiet sometimes.  To just sit with Him and to just sit in some situations or around certain people - I can learn a lot from doing so!!  Now, I'm not saying I'm a master at this - but it's something I'm working on!