Prayer

Prayer...I couldn't count how many times I use the word in emails, facebook updates, tweets, blogs, and conversations.  There are times that I hesitate to even ask people to pray for certain things because I think "I just asked them to pray for something else".  But here's the truth - prayer works.  Why does it work?  Oh friends, it's because of the God we pray to.  He is...amazing.  He answers the prayers of His children and those who are seeking to become His children. 

He saves.

He provides.

He glorfies Himself.

We are told in very plain terms via 1 Thessalonians to "Pray without ceasing".  It really doesn't get much clearer.  There are some of you who have been praying since the very 1st time you met either me or Steve while we were growing up.  Some of you have become prayer warriors over us when we were teenagers.  Others of you have known us since we were married and knew our hearts were following Him to a foreign country - and you prayed.  There's even more of you who have heard about our journey and quite possibly have never met us face to face and yet you still pray.  I wanted to share with you some things that are going on because you HAVE been praying.

 

Currently, since moving to Tulear, Steve has been traveling out with Grant, Nathan, & Doug.  Thery are all 4 working among the Mahafaly people.  Steve has been learning and listening - knowing there would be a day when he would be going out to new places on his own.  The time has flown by and in October Grant (our supervisor) will be going on stateside assignment with his family.  Steve and I have been praying over where the Lord would have him work.  The "old" work in the 4 villages with believers is hardly "old"  it's actually quite new and the believers there need a firm foundation & discipleship.  Steve has felt burdened with how to teach them what church looks like and the importance of evangelisim in their area.  At the same time, we are aware of the numerous villages that are in the bush who have never heard.

 

What we have been praying through (and all of you who lift us up) is what direction to go.  Should it be one or the other?  Can he balance both?  His latest trip out produced some answers to all of the time spent before the Father asking for wisdom...

 

This is an exerpt from Nathan's blog...

Steve and I stayed in Kilimary reviewing and retelling many stories with them. But the night before that we had a conversation with a guy who began expressing his interest in taking the stories to another village. “We should go the villages in the forest,” he said. “They haven’t heard the stories yet. If they had the stories then they would know the right way to go.” We told him the next time we come out we can set a time when we can all go to the forest and share the stories. So . . . Steve felt like God was leading him to encourage evangelism. Check.

 

The next day we went to Tanantsoa. Many things ended up taking place there but the first thing we notice when we arrived is that everyone was already gathered (which never happens in Tantansoa) and meeting with someone else. It ended up being a kind of forest conservation training for the village. But it wasn’t just Tanantsoa there. Four other villages were represented there also. Four villages from the East. Oh yeah, the fokontany (president) asked us to come preach the gospel there too. So . . . Steve felt like God wanted him to head East. Check.

 

There are many times that we have no idea how prayers are answered.  Only the Lord knows the things that your interceding on our behalf protects us from or opens our eyes to - but there are also times He lets us see answers as if they were written on the wall.  So, thank you.  Thank you for being such a vital part of our daily life from thousands of miles away.  We love you.