“Be not forgetful of prayer. Every time you pray, if your prayer is sincere, there will be new feeling and new meaning in it, which will give you fresh courage, and you will understand that prayer is an education.” ― Fyodor Dostoyevsky, The Brothers Karamazov
FROM THE DESK OF: the Director of Operations
All at once an angel touched him and said, "Get up and eat, for the journey is too much for you.” - 1 Kings 19:7
Last week I had the pleasure of meeting with ~100 missionaries, many of whom live and work in 'our' countries. They are my heroes. Hearing their stories puts many things into perspective - my "struggles", my "worries", my "fears" - while real to me, they are comically insignificant when viewed through the lens of others' realities. First World problems indeed.
Sitting among these heroes of mine also put into perspective the impossible task that remains. A few hundred missionaries cannot do it. A few thousand missionaries cannot do it. In fact, we can't raise a missionary force that can do it. As one of the speakers said, "I don't want to do what I can do; I want to do what only He can do through me." As we strategize about the most effective ways to reach the unreached with the Gospel, we are constantly reminded that only He can save a soul. The "journey" is too much for us.
What's our role then? To get up, eat, and go on the journey...to do hard stuff.
For the Win[dow],
Ward Evans, DOO
VERSE OF THE WEEK: Isaiah 48:8-17
"This is what the Lord says: "In the time of my favor I will answer you, and in the day of salvation I will help you; I will keep you and will make you to be a covenant for the people, to restore the land and to reassign its desolate inheritances, to say to the captives, 'Come out,' and to those in darkness, 'Be free!' They will feed beside the roads and find pasture on every barren hill. They will neither hunger nor thirst, nor will the desert heat or the sun beat upon them. He who has compassion on them will guide them and lead them beside springs of water. I will turn all my mountains into roads, and my highways will be raised up. See, they will come from afar -- some from the north, some from the west, some from the region of Aswan. Shout for joy, O heavens; rejoice, O earth; burst into song, O mountains! For the Lord comforts His people and will have compassion on His afflicted ones. But Zion said, "The Lord has forsaken me, the Lord has forgotten me." Can a mother forget the baby at her breast and have no compassion on the child she has borne? Though she may forget, I will not forget you! See, I have engraved you on the palms of my hands; your walls are ever before me." [Isaiah 48:8-17]
Sultan Omar Saifuddien Mosque in Bandar Seri Begawan, Brunei
COUNTRY OF THE WEEK: BRUNEI
The Nation of Brunei, the Abode of Peace, is located on the north coast of the Island of Borneo. Brunei is a sovereign state completely surrounded by the Malaysian state of Sarawak; in 1984, Brunei regained its independence from the United Kingdom. A Sunni Muslim majority means there is persecution of Christians in this small country of only 420,000; according to World Watch List, Brunei ranks 24th and "Christian pastors and workers are considered ‘enemies’ and their activities are monitored by government spies and police." The Joshua Project facts include 8 unreached people groups in Brunei. Pray for God to provide training for local Christian leaders and written materials to study. Pray also for Christian children who are forced to study Islam in school, that they may remain strong in their faith and spread the Gospel wherever they go. Pray for the 11% Christian adherent to flourish amidst persecution, and for Christians around the world to pray for their brothers and sisters in Brunei.
PRAYER REQUESTS:
- Ward is back from the conference with a long follow-up to-do list! Pray for new partnerships and opportunities as a result of this trip.
- We have a growing list of mobilization requests this winter, for implementation in Spring/Summer 2015.
- We continue to ask God to bring us a Director of Development and provide financially.
- Our President is in the US office this week; pray for time to connect with local supporters, as well as time to connect with important contacts overseas.