More updates and a different retreat

So I did go to the doctor Friday, but he wasn't available until 3 today (Monday). He looked at it and told me it was a ganglian (I think the technical name for a cyst, or pocket of fluid). Whatever word you use, it's not at all serious. He told me we could drain it or operate, but seeing as it's not causing me pain or inhibiting motion, we decided to leave it alone for now and see what happens.

The team meetings went well the last day or two, but you can be praying that God would be showing us how to better work as a team, seeing as we discussed at length today how everybody seems to feel like we are lacking.

Also, tomorrow Sarah, Ivan, and I will be going to talk to the adventure company that guided a trip for us after Christmas. Ivan got sick last second and wasn't able to go, and they seem to be constantly changing their story and not wanting to refund the portion of his money that they should. Pray for favor if you get a chance.

Finally, there's now another retreat this weekend for student leaders from the various cities in Venezuela that have Vida Estudiantil (Campus Crusade), and out team is tasked with the hosting duties of arranging lodging and food. Pray that we can make all the necessary arrangements and that the retreat goes well.

Ok, finally for real this time: another thing I forgot until just now is that Ivan and I need to buy plane tickets for our next visa renewal trip at the end of February. Pray that we find time to do that this week, and that we can find economic options.

"December" Prayer Letter

Dear friends,
The first two weeks of December flew by before students left for their three week break from classes. My parents visited the next week, and it was a lot of fun to show them around Merida and have family here to make it feel a little bit more like the holidays. They left the 23rd, and as my team celebrated Christmas and New Year’s together, we learned that both eves are fiercely celebrated with fireworks at midnight. Since the noise finally died down around 2am on the 1st, it’s been pretty peaceful around here, giving me a chance to reflect some on my time here and think about not so much New Year’s resolutions, but New Year’s hopes: things I desire to see from God this year. Whether they are somewhat vague notions without any idea of how he will accomplish them, or a little more concrete, I’d really appreciate you taking them to the Lord in prayer with me:

Vision Meeting: We had originally planned to meet with the students in the movement to see what vision God had set in their hearts and get them thinking bigger picture than simply maintaining what already exists. It never happened due to some miscommunication with the servant leaders. I would love to see it happen as we begin this semester and see where they want to strive after God, trusting Him for bigger things.

Men’s Ministry: I desire for the guys here to be instilled with an understanding of what it means to be men of God. I’m not entirely sure what that looks like, but I’m considering a series of guys’ nights that would lead up to a men’s retreat similar to CRUX (retreat back home incorporating shared adventure and talks). Ivan found a list of biblical masculinity topics, and I’d also like to look at the life of David, a man after God’s heart. Please pray for wisdom on how to proceed and how to make the adventure (CRUX is usually rafting) economically reasonable for the guys.

Initiative: Last semester I think I for some reason felt obligated to focus very heavily on evangelism or helping initiate others’ faith, and I somewhat neglected my greater passion to strengthen or deepen faith. Please pray that God would provide me with initiative to pursue individual time with involved students and wisdom of how to pour into their lives.

Returning: Coming in to this STINT year, I was considering it a one year commitment, after which I would enter law school and pursue a career in patent law. However, students began asking me in November if I’ll be returning, and I’m now wondering if God might be calling me back for a second year. My understanding is that the deadline for the decision is not until March 1, but it is definitely already on my mind. Your prayers for discernment are greatly appreciated.

Hoping your Christmas was merry, your New Year’s happy, and your 2008 blessed, ~Eben

Quick updates on last post

First off, we just postponed our team retreat until later this month when some additional staff will hopefully be able to come to provide some content and outside perspective. We'll still meet a couple times this weekend to spend some time as a team and get refocused to restart campus ministry.

Second, I didn't end up going to the doctor yesterday, but now have made more concrete plans to go tomorrow.

Thanks for your continued prayers.

Health, Housing, Retreat, and Returning

First off, I'm sorry for not keeping this better updated. It is not a difficult or time-consuming task to jot down a couple prayer requests, and it's simply too important to ignore. Call it a resolution if you will, I'll strive to keep better updated.

So the prayer needs:

HEALTH: The first couple months went by relatively healthily, and for that thank you for praying. However, a few health problems have cropped up. The most ongoing of these has been that Sarah has been having trouble sleeping. She's been to the doctor numerous times and is still in the process of finding a medication that works consistently to give her sufficient quantity and quality of sleep to function well. Amanda had a few dental issues that are pretty much resolved, and seems to be almost fully recovered from a sudden eye infection that popped up almost a week ago. Ivan was not able to go on a 4 day trip with the rest of us since he woke up shivering and vomiting. He's feeling recovered from that but is in still in the midst of another occasional bout with stomach/digestive issues. Chelsea was having some back pain earlier this month and now is dealing with a lot of coughing and sore throat. On a plus note, Claudia's broken toe is fully healed. Finally, for myself, I've been waking up congested the last day or two and feel about on the edge of a cold. Also, last week I noticed a strange raised lump about the size of a dime on my wrist. It hasn't hurt or itched or turned funny colors but it's still pretty visible. I'll probably head into the doctor tomorrow to have it looked at. Prayer for additional wisdom in how to proceed there and in all these cases, as well as just healing and protection from additional illness would be greatly appreciated.

HOUSING: We are still in need of a new apartment for Ivan and me. Please keep praying that we would find one near our current location, and would have wisdom in how best to search.

RETREAT: As a team we will be going up to a retreat center this weekend to spend a little time regrouping/refocusing to be prepared to restart ministry with the restart of classes next Monday. Please pray for a relaxing time of good team interaction and learning.

RETURNING: Pray for safety and energy for students returning from Christmas break and wisdom in what to change and continue in ministry as we too return to campuses next week.