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| The Burma ESL group reading from the gospel of Luke. |
But when Jesus saw the multitudes, He was moved with compassion for them, because they were weary and scattered, like sheep without a shepherd. Then He said to His disciples, "The harvest truly is plentiful, but the laborers are few. Therefore pray the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest."
Matthew 9:36-38
One thing the Lord has been teaching me through this full-time-support-raising-missions process is the necessity of prayer. It gives me the peace to trust in the One who is Lord of the harvest. As I pray for God to send workers, I can't help but catch His urgent compassion for those who are weary and scattered. The beautiful thing is that to answer our prayer, He often changes us sheep into the laborers He sends out. What a privilege to be called to prayer!
With the start of classes this week after Christmas break and staff training, our ESL classes were full with several new students and eager returners. While it was fun to re-connect with students, several of our key staff and volunteers were absent or sick, so things have been a little hectic. Quite literally, the harvest was plentiful and the laborers were few! But it has been so encouraging to see new "laborers" fill in the gaps, even several from my home church family. You guys know who you are… thank you for volunteering!
Another highlight from the week happened at our Thursday after-school Kids' Club. A young Iraqi girl (whom we thought had stopped coming because of the Gospel emphasis) came to Club and sat in the front during the Bible story. The best part was that she came because she was invited by Mona*(names changed for privacy), a refugee girl from Sudan who is a young believer and was recently baptized. Praise God for raising up Mona to send into His harvest!
- Pray for Mona's continued spiritual growth, and pray that her friend Jewel* will consistently attend Kids' Club this year and want to know Jesus.
- Pray for my ability to balance various roles: I am teaching an adult ESL level 4 class on Wednesdays, TA-ing for a level 2 class, and shadowing the children's director as I look toward eventually taking on more responsibilities with Kids' Clubs & outreaches. I am also still working part-time as my church's secretary and, of course, building connections for support-raising.
- Pray that prayer, not anxiety, will become my default response to everything God brings my way.
- Pray that God will give me wisdom as I raise support, that I will be teachable and trust God for provision, and that He will guide me to the right ministry partnerships in His timing.
*Names changed for privacy reasons. To respect the privacy of individuals mentioned in this post, please do not share this information in a public setting or on social media.*
