“Do not have your concert first, and then tune your instrument afterwards. Begin the day with the Word of God and prayer, and get first of all into harmony with Him.” ― James Hudson Taylor
FROM THE DESK OF: the Director of Mobilization
So 2014 is winding down, but our mobilization efforts are already geared toward 2015 and the many projects we have in the works. On the one hand, we want to help long-term workers be prepared as "sports people" for the culture and climate awaiting them overseas. And on the other other hand, we want to help send sports professionals on short-term trips. If you think of mobilization as a thousand moving parts, you have the right idea! We have a database with hundreds of names representing dozens of sports, and we have similar numbers of requests every year we try to match with the right resources.
This job comes with daily reminders that the work is too big for me; truthfully, the work of Uttermost Sports is too big for our staff. Fortunately, God is the one behind it all, orchestrating a beautiful exchange of people and opportunities at just the right times and places. We trust that our mobilization 'successes' and 'failures' are part of a bigger picture, part of God's sovereign hand moving according to His eternal plan. So we pray. We send countless emails. We pray some more. We do our best to find and send the right resources. And we give thanks because we know that God is the one who makes it all happen.
Will you join us in prayer in 2015? Pray for the nations, pray for God to send more workers, and pray for Uttermost's small but significant part to play.
For the Wind[dow],
Erin Meek, DOM
VERSE OF THE WEEK: 1 Peter 1:3-9
Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade. This inheritance is kept in heaven for you, who through faith are shielded by God’s power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time. In all this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. These have come so that the proven genuineness of your faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed. Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy, for you are receiving the end result of your faith, the salvation of your souls.
Unlaanbaatar, capital city of Mongolia. (photo credit: Wikipedia)
COUNTRY OF THE WEEK: MONGOLIA
A large, land-locked country containing the Gobi Desert, Mongolia is bordered by Russia to the north and China to the south, east, and west. Mongolians are proud of Genghis Khan and the reputation of their people as strong, nomadic horsemen. Nearly 3 million Mongolians are scattered throughout 604,000 square miles, a more than 1 million live in the capital city of Ulaanbaatar. There are 24 unreached people groups in Mongolia, and only a small Christian population. Most Mongolians are non-religious, Shamanist, or Buddhist. Pray for the Gospel to be taken to the remote areas of Mongolia and to take root in the city of Ulaanbaatar. Pray for Christian leaders to receive accurate training, and be a strong witness in their communities. And pray for freedom from the occult that comes with so many traditional practices.
PRAYER REQUESTS:
- We have a small local event this week for David-Andrew Fox and family to share with longtime supporters!
- We are mailing an end-of-year letter with hopes to increase our support base for the next few months (and through 2015).
- A possible intern has surfaced to help a worker in North Africa during the Spring 2015 semester.
- We're discussing ways to best use social media to expand our audience and help bring more workers, givers, and pray-ers to join us in the work!