In a spiritual sense, missionaries are sent by God. In a practical sense, they are sent by laypersons with a vision for missions. We have God, missionaries and laypersons. Remove any one of these three factors and effective missions work will no longer exist.
~ Jerry Burgess
It's not just about being actually supported (financially) by others who share our vision. Don't get me wrong, there is literally no way we could physically be here without that financial support. But I think so many people (including myself before I was the one being sent out) think that we add the request for prayer support as a way of softening the awkward silence that comes after you ask someone for money.
If you've kept up with our videos, you know that we have GREATLY seen the effects of your prayers. If you haven't watched our videos, this can be your proof.
Last Thursday night was just rough for me (Christine). After a long day of lots of little things going wrong, it's like everything collapsed at once and I could only see everything through a dark lens. (If you've ever experienced extreme culture shock or any type of depression, you know exactly what it was like.) Typically when this happens, I quickly shift into a dysfunctional withdrawal mode. It's not good, and I've been battling against it for over a year now.
Something about that night made me keep moving, keep going with the routine, keep walking to small group even though being around people was the last thing I wanted to do.
Then later that night, for the first time ever, God spoke to me in a dream. For those of you that know me well, you know that I dream elaborate, vivid dreams almost every night. While they are often comical, they NEVER mean anything significant. I have always prayed for God to use my dreams, and Thursday night He did in an unmistakeable way:
I was at some sort of camp with some good friends and family - we were supposed to leave, but we couldn't because there was this lion that was laying out in the yard, and it was like I knew I was supposed to leave and I knew that the lion couldn't actually do anything, but I was still too scared to do anything and too scared to enjoy anything in the cabin. (I was also real annoyed because whoever was with me, no one else was scared at all, and I kept being like "How can you not be scared of a LION?!?!?!?") 1 Peter 5:8-9
The next morning I get up and get an email from one of Renovatus' intercessory prayer team members. WIthin the same half hour that we were walking to small group the night before, they had met and were praying for us as a group. They prayed for our protection - emotional, spiritual, and physical. They also prayed against the schemes of the devil against us here.
Perhaps you need to know the extent of my battle with these withdrawal modes in order to appreciate the immensity of the victory.
I know the devil always wants me to see the world through dark lenses. I also know the devil is a liar. But I'm not always strong enough by myself to live like I believe that he is. And this is why I need you.
To those that have prayed for us in any way, shape, or form, we give our most sincere thanks for sharing in God's vision and always fighting alongside of us.
God is good.
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