Does anyone follow that song reference? Likely not, but if you had the privilege of enjoying Amy Grant on the Songs from the Loft album, she sang “Hey Now” and it went something like this:
Hey now, I’m gonna pray for you/Hey now, you’re gonna pray for me/And it’s gonna be different, yeah/It’s gonna be better, yeah/It’s gonna be Jesus and all of us in this together/Hey! Hey! Hey! now…
All song lyrics aside, I just wanted to write and ask for prayer. Not that loads of people are reading our blog, but for those of you who are–please be praying! We are a mere two weeks–yes, 14 days!–away from our departure. God has been good! We are somewhere around 80% of our support and waiting for an update to arrive from Partners, hopefully with even higher numbers. We have gotten our visas approved and received our passports back in the mail. We’re tying up loose ends, enjoying time with family and friends, and beginning to consider packing a few bags.
Even so, there is so much ahead. I just wanted to list a few things you might be praying for and lifting up with us!
– Adjustments. We don’t even know what’s about to hit us, but this probably includes jet lag, living out of a suitcase for awhile, new culture, new languages, making a new place home, new work environment, new schedules, new fears, new friendships.
– Relationships. We’ve been praying recently over our relationships with Partners’ staff and our new community in Thailand. We’ve been praying for new relationships with the local Karen to arise; for them to see our love for the Karen and look past our white skin and all the assumptions that come with that. Also, we’re praying for the adjustment of family relationships and friendships and we switch to phone calls, Skype calls, etc. We’d also appreciate prayers that we would keep up with supporters well, letting them know what their generosity and sacrifices are doing for the kingdom.
– Our marriage. This is big, not only because we’ve been warned at the challenges ahead, but because we’re dealing with the challenges head on. We’re so new to marriage and figuring out so much anyway, we need all the prayers we can get. Some specifics would be for patience, trusting each other, respecting each other, loving well, taking time for date nights, making decisions together, working together, learning roles, keeping Christ at the center, and addressing spiritual warfare together. And there’s more, so whatever you think of–pray for that!
– Finances. We’re obviously praying for the rest of our support to come in, but also for God to give us wisdom as we begin to spend this support money. How can we be wise stewards while we are there? Begin to pray over the big decisions we’ll be making as we find a place to rent, purchase a car, determine what furniture is a necessity, etc. We want to pray that God will provide what we need, whether that’s the same as the budget or not.
– Our new home. We want our home to be a safe haven for us, but also in the community. Please pray over our home spiritually, that it would be a place of peace and rest where the Lord reigns. We also have lots of decisions to make about where to live in the city, how nice of a house, how safe of a street, how much space, etc. This sounds pretty overwhelming in a foreign culture amidst plenty of other changes. (Can you tell in all my posts that God is stretching me? Oh my. Changes, unknowns, and things out of my control in every direction. I’m thankful He is good!)
– Humility. Our prayer is just to go in humbly to a new culture, new workplace, new position, and new community. We want to admit freely that we know nothing, but our tendency is to pretend we do. Please pray for humble hearts and humble attitudes. I think this extends into recognizing God’s faithfulness every step of the way–may our eyes be opened to this, so that we’re joyfully giving him glory for everything that comes our way.
– Travel. Really just the basics here: safety, catching flights, getting things into bags that are easily checked or carried on.
– Time in England. We’re praying that the ten days in England that await us are full of wonderful conversation with my sister & brother-in-law and sweet, sweet rest.
And again, anything else God lays on your heart. I’m sure we need prayer for that, too.
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