Praying for Your Missionary Families

"I exhort therefore, that, first of all, supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks, be made for all men..." I Timothy 2:1

Good morning, dear friends,

Photo: sheriyates pixabay

Several times a month, I am encouraged to receive a letter or email in my inbox, assuring me that folks have read our prayer letters and are praying for our needs.  I cannot tell you as a missionary how much of a blessing that is, to know that folks read our letters and care about the work and our needs to pray for us here!  Thank you so much for your faithful prayers!

This past week I had several letters asking for prayer requests and general questions about our field, which thrills my heart, because 1. Someone remembers we're here, and 2. Someone wants to take time out of their schedule to pray for us!  It doesn't get any better than that for us.

Here are some specific requests that almost always burden my heart here on the field:

1.  Our home.  I want my home to be the safe haven, the retreat, the peace in the battlefield, the fun place, the refuge from the world.  I want my home to be a place where everyone can be themselves, ask questions (especially the really important ones about God and His place in this world), trust the answers, and feel unquestionably loved.  There are so many ways that Satan tries to take over our home, that I feel sometimes like manning myself with a broom and shouting, "Out, out, out!" (OK, I sound like a lunatic here, but seriously, that's how much I want to fight for my home.) I'm sure you feel the same way about your homes as well.

2.  Our attitudes.  OK, we all have blah days, days when we are tired and selfish, days when we don't want to speak the language (or learn the language, or even hear the language), days when we want to retreat from the task that God has called us to, as well as days of victory and delight.  Our emotions, if we are not careful, will determine our attitudes towards the work here.  If I could ask personally for prayer in a specific area, it would be here: that God will always help me to have a Christlike attitude toward my family, toward the people around me, and to the million and one tasks that await me each day.

3.  Our kids.  I can't say enough about this one!  I have told many churches that God has called our family to France, but in reality, Carey and I are the reasons that we are here, and the kids have come along afterwards!  It is hard for them to be different:  different language, different customs, different manners, different outlooks, different God.  Our kids are not any different from kids anywhere:  they just want to be themselves without being constantly judged as "the Americans" or "the Christian weirdos."  As thankful as I am that our kids are learning amazing lessons about how to stand firm in their beliefs at a young age, it does tear at my mom-heart to know that as soon as they leave the house each day, they are in the battlefield as well, and even more so as they approach their teens. YIKES!  Please pray for our kids!

4.  Our work.  (Actually, not ours but the Lord's work through us, but you know what I mean.)  As much as it takes time to get to know about each missionary's field, it is worth the effort.  France is not the same as Africa or Nepal or Japan or the USA.  The desire to see people saved and churches planted is the same, but the people and needs are so different.  In many places of the world, God is openly at work and there are many decisions for the Lord, and churches begun and taken over by nationals, but that does not mean that these "open" countries do not have their share of battles as well.  For France like many "first world countries," the battle is less of a blitz and more of trench warfare.  It takes time to win folks' trust, and have them have a desire to hear about God.  They must trust us before they will listen to God.  It takes hard work and creativity and lots of time.  Knowing a little about the fields where your missionaries serve may help avoid some of those disheartening questions, like "How many churches have you started in France this year?"

(By the way, if you don't know about the field, just ask!  There are few things a missionary likes talking about more than the needs of his/her country!)

5.  Our lives.  Asking about the work is fine, but missionaries are people, too!  We have hobbies, preferences, favorite sports and sports teams, favorite foods and love to share in jokes and silliness as well. This is one of the reasons that this blog exists, because I wanted people to get to know a little more about us as a family, to see that missionaries have a lot in common with...the folks who read about our lives here!  Yes, God has placed a call upon our lives, just the same as He has called you to your area and to the ministry that you do for Him.  The main difference is that we are here and you are there!  If we ask for prayer for our lives here, it's that God will help us be at home here in our country, and that we will thrive personally and spiritually here.  Happy (and healthy--please pray for our health and safety as well!) missionaries make for productive missionaries!

Let me finish this blog just by assuring you all of our prayers for our churches and supporters!  We pray for you as we would like you to pray for us: personally and as specifically as possible.  Please let us know about your needs and blessings as well--we love to rejoice in what the Lord is doing for you!

Thank you so much for your faithful prayers for us!  We're all in this work together...