I am now hours away from leaving for Uganda. And to be
completely honest it does not feel that real yet. I thought for sure that I
would be nervous or have some knot in my stomach, something that would make
this feel real, but there is nothing yet! The only feeling is disbelief that I
am going to Uganda. In this post I just
want to give everyone a few different topics of prayer that I will need for the
entirety of the summer. These are just a couple topics that I would love for
you guys to prayer for but please do not limit your prayers to these things.
1)
Walk In Love. Ephesians 5:2. “And walk in love, as Christ loved us and
gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice.” To do this all the
time anywhere is tough. I know personally to love people is tough, they make decisions
that I don’t agree with and I am supposed to love them? Love is so much more
than like! This is and will be one of
the toughest things that I feel I will have to do while I am there. I also am
going to be pouring out so much for the children and I will still have to love
the brothers and sisters I am serving with. Prayers that Ephesians 5:2 will be
evident and active in my life, and that I will be loving the people I am with
much like Christ loved us.
2)
Do not be
anxious/Do not fear. Matthew 10:16-23. Persecution is going to happen.
Jesus says here that he is sending you (disciples) out in the midst of wolves.
I am going to be in a part of the world where voodoo and devil worship is
something real. I will need prayers that I will know when this persecution is
coming and that I will be patient in my response and not anxious scrambling for
words because they will come. 19-20 “Do not be anxious how you will speak or
what you are to say for what you are to say will be given to you in that hour.
For it is now you speak but the Spirit of your father speaking through you”. I
want to be capable of allowing the Spirit to speak through me in the midst of
these persecutions. The second part of this is that I do not fear in these
moments of tribulation. Please pray that I will not have fear or anxiety during
times of tribulation while in Uganda.
3)
Patience. James
5:7-11. Anyone who knows me well knows how patient I am, and they also know how
sarcastic I can be. Patience is not something that comes naturally to me but it
is something that I know I have got to work on and it is something I know will
be tested this summer. And by Gods grace alone I think I have matured in the
amount of patience I have. So, I ask you guys to pray that I am patient with
people, kids, friends, family, and communication. All of these different things
are going to be difficult at times, but I have got to patient. “Do not grumble
against one another brothers, so that you may not be judged…” Being impatient
is just going to lead to judging and grumbling which will lead to an
opportunity for the devil to take hold in my life which I can not have while I
am there or anywhere for that matter.
4)
Be thankful. 2
Thessalonians 2:13-15. Going into a
place where worldly things are not abundant. Knowing that I am excited to see
the children and the abundance of Christ in them. I am excited for the
encouragement from that and the love that they show because of that. But with
everything I am going to be going through, thick and thin, I know that I need
to be thankful in all of it. “But we ought always to give thanks to God for
you, brothers beloved by the Lord, because God chose you as the firstfruits to
be saved.” We are chosen, God picked us to be saved I should be thankful for it
no matter where I am I should be thankful.
Again guys please do not limit your prayers to just these
couple of topics. If you feel I need prayers for other things while I am there
please do so. With the topics I have
listed I will do a post toward the end of the summer about how all these things
were addressed and answered throughout my summer.
