Sunday, May 10, 2009

Travel and retreats/gatherings

There's a lot going on this week for our team, so I think I'll break it down by day:

Monday, May 11:
-Please Pray for Allison Jurecki as she is flying back into Valencia, arriving around 2:30pm.
-Also pray for her and Justin as they take an overnight bus to Maracaibo. Pray for safety and a restful journey, especially for Jurecki, considering that she was a relatively short turn around time between arriving on the plane and leaving on the bus.
-Please pray that Allison Pepple, Sarah Brown, Oscar Zapata, and I can schedule appointments well as we have a short week. Pray also for discernment in what to cover in those meetings and that students would be punctual and eager to receive.

Tuesday, May 12:
-Please pray for Jurecki and Justin along with all the other city directors from around Venezuela as they meet together in Maracaibo. Pray for wisdom for them as they consider how to determine the criteria for selecting a new national director and the vision for how to continue forward with the current national director, Keith Onishi, leaving in July of next year (2010).
-Please pray again for Pepple, Sarah, Oscar, and I in scheduling and having appointments (discernment in content, punctuality, and excitement)


Wednesday, May 13:
-For energy for Justin, Jurecki, and the city leaders as they meet for another day.
-For Pepple, Sarah, Oscar, and I in scheduling and having our last appointments of the week (discernment in content, punctuality, and excitement)
-For safety and a restful trip as Pepple, Sarah, Oscar, and I take a nightbus to meet up with our leaders in Maracaibo for a team retreat.

Thursday, May 14:
-For rest and attentiveness to God's voice for Jurecki, Justin, Sarah, Pepple, and I as we spend a day with the Lord.
-For Oscar as he has a meeting to talk about Venezuelan fund-raising policy within Campus Crusade for Christ

Friday, May 15:
-For our team to be encouraged, to be refreshed, and to have fun as we spend a day together in a team adventure outside of Maracaibo.

Saturday, May 16:
-For Justin, Jurecki, Pepple, Sarah, and I as we debrief about the year and begin considering questions/preparations to return home. Pray for insight in what to share for the staff member that will be leading that time (probably Elisha or Sherri) and that we would be able to identify things necessary for personal closure for each of us. (Just for memory's sake, Pepple will leave May 28th, Sarah around June 15th, and the rest toward the end of July)
-For Oscar as he spends the day with his family after having been away for a month and a half.

Sunday, May 17:
-For our team as we visit Oscar's church in Maracaibo
-For safe and restful travel for Jurecki, Pepple, Sarah, Justin, and I as we take another night bus back to Valencia.

Monday, May 18:
-For energy, endurance, and readiness to learn for Oscar and all the other Venezuelan staff as they start a three week intensive training conference about fund-raising.
-For Jurecki, Pepple, Sarah, Justin, and I as we get back to ministry in Valencia, as we plan appointments for the week, and make plans for a parents' meeting to present who we are as a ministry and explain what is coming with summer project.

Tuesday, May 5, 2009

Travel safety and finishing well

Congreso came and went, hopefully I'll get a chance to post my update letter about it one of these days to fill in some blanks about what happened. As for now, I have two specific prayer requests:
1. My teammate Allison Jurecki's grandmother passed away unexpectedly yesterday morning. It's a pretty substantial blow to the family as she had lived with them for quite some time and was really an integral part of their lives. Allison is flying home tomorrow evening(Wednesday) and will arrive Thursday afternoon to be with her family until Sunday. Please pray for her safe travel, and for God's comfort for her and her family in their grief.
2. We're approaching the end of our STINT year. Allison Pepple is leaving at the end of May to go home and raise funds for a second year, Sarah Brown leaves in mid-june to do the same, and the rest of us leave toward the end of July. Please pray for wisdom for us especially in our discipleship relationships, that we would know what is important to focus on and pass on to the students before our time with them ends.

Thursday, April 2, 2009

Bus

This is a slight modification to the last post:
Tomorrow (Friday, specifically at 9am) we're going to try to go talk to the director of the University to ask for a bus to transport students to Congreso. Please pray that we can get in to talk to her, that she would show us favor and give us a bus, and that we would have an opportunity to share the gospel with her.

Friday, March 27, 2009

Here it comes...

Please continue to pray for Congreso details as it is quickly approaching. We're working on videos, still don't have many details about the sound equipment, and are still awaiting confirmation on the band members.

Additionally, please pray for buses for Congreso. So far we have only hit roadblocks in trying to get one from the school, but we're pursuing the permission we're missing from higher up the chain of authority. Please pray for favor and that we would speak with wisdom and clarity. Also, please pray for all cities since they have also been having similar trouble securing a free bus from their respective universities.

Thank God for the retreat and the details he's worked out this far. The stage is going to be a whole lot easier than I imagined, and the dramas have come together too. Retreat went really well; hopefully I'll have a chance to write more about that in an update in the coming days.

Also, thank God for his financial provision. Through a quick call to my monthly supporters he has already raised enough money for us to send 17 students to Congreso 100% free. Additionally, a letter that Gustavo (one of the guys I'm discipling) wrote has so far seen the fruit of bringing in enough money for him to pay his own registration, the registration of another, and halfway toward a third person (and he still has yet to receive from a few potential donors that have said they're planning to help him!).

Tuesday, March 10, 2009

Details

This week is one of details. Thursday I'll be going to look at a stage for Congreso and going out to the site to make some measurements so that we have a better idea of what we're working with. We also have a retreat this weekend, so there are lots of transportation, food, content, and logistic details to work out. Please pray that Congreso details like the band, the stage, the emcees, the skits, etc continue to be worked out. Please pray for our retreat, that the details all come together, and that it would be a time for students to grow together in community and be "transformed" (the theme of the retreat).

You can also thank God for our safe travel. We got to the airport in Quito only to find out that the second leg of our journey was canceled. However, the airline lined things up and took responsibility, so we got home a mere 7 hours later than anticipated. That let us be back with enough time to prepare for the finance meeting the next day which went really well. As I worked on preparing a little talk about the biblical basis for raising funds for ministry, I came across Acts 18:1-5 and was excited to see how both "tent-making" and partnership methods of providing for needs during ministry appeared in the same passage. Overall, I definitely think the meeting went well.

Tuesday, March 3, 2009

Fund raising meeting & Travel

Please pray for a fund-raising meeting we are going to have Thursday. The goal is to help students learn about how they can raise funds for Congreso. My part to prepare is the biblical basis both for the "tent-making" or part time work approach to raising funds for ministry as well as the partnership approach of asking people to be a partner in the ministry by giving/providing for the financial needs. Please pray for students to come, that they would get a good idea of what Congreso is, what the biblical basis for support raising is, and practical advice/pointers/starting points on how to do it.

Also prayers about our visa renewal trip would be appreciated too. Thank God for the time of rest we've had (I'm actually writing in Quito, Ecuador now), and pray for safe travel tomorrow (Wednesday) morning and rest to recover from the traveling tomorrow afternoon.

Wednesday, February 25, 2009

Visa Renewal

Please pray for our visa renewal trip. We leave Saturday for Quito, Ecuador, but several details are still up in the air. I have yet to receive details from the agent issuing our tickets, and I've had similarly little success securing transportation to the airport in Caracas. Pray that those details would come together quickly and without stress, and that we would have a safe trip with lots of opportunities to seek God and reflect as a team and as individuals.

Monday, February 16, 2009

One of those weeks...

Please pray for this week in general. There are LOTS of things happening, and it has potential to be pretty exhausting. I have at 3 different meetings with different teammates to work on a retreat we're planning for mid-March, finances for next year's STINT team, and looking at how we can start impacting more campuses besides the two on which we are already focused. On top of that, our sixth teammate Oscar arrives early tomorrow (Tuesday) morning (I was slightly misinformed in my prayer request last week), we have an outreach planned for Wednesday, I have my usual discipleship time Thursday, and a couple staff members from Maracaibo are visiting Thursday and Friday to scope out the Congreso site. Pray that we keep track of all the different things going on, engage in them all well, and have energy to get us through the week.

Please continue to pray for:
-My health. While for the most part the cold symptoms seem to have gone away, I'm still dealing with a lot of thick nasal junk (I promise I put that as least grossly as I could). Please pray that those little things that are keeping me away from normal/fully healthy would be resolved quickly.
-Odds and ends. I still many to do items including Congreso items and a prayer letter. I was able to take care of my taxes and fafsa. Thank God that I finished those, and continue to pray that I can get the rest done and enjoy the process.
-Election fallout. The amendment to abolish term limits for all Venezuelan politicians passed, and so far things have seemed pretty relaxed in its wake. Pray that the peace continues to hold, especially as tomorrow is the first day back to classes after the vote.

Monday, February 9, 2009

Oscar and elections and extraneous odds and ends

Please pray for:
*Oscar- We have a sixth member of our team joining us this coming weekend. He's from Maracaibo, and what is known as an MP4, a 4 month missionary intern. Please pray that he'll feel welcomed here (especially since he's never lived away from home) and learn a lot about God and evangelism during his 4 months in Valencia. Please pray for safe travel too.
*Elections- This weekend is a nationwide election on a proposition that if passed would allow President Chavez to stand for unlimited terms. Last December (2007) when a constitutional reform that included a similar article was up for vote, there was rioting leading up to it and once it was voted down, huge celebration. Pray that people would be safe regardless of the outcome of this election, and that any protests would remain peaceful.

Please continue praying for:
*Odds and ends- I still have lots of details to work on for Congreso, a prayer letter that needs writing, some taxes and fafsa paperwork to finish up, and several other things on my agenda. Pray that I can get them all done and enjoy the process.

Thank God for:
*Health-I think I'm pretty much over my cold, and I finally made it in to see the dermatologist today. She said it was definitely a scar, confirmed that there isn't any wart left in it, and gave me some cream to help the scar continue healing.
*Men's/women's time: The ladies had 5 girls over for a their sleepover, and almost a dozen guys came to the game day we had in the men's apartment. I think both activities went well, and both made for good environments to keep building on relationships.

Thursday, February 5, 2009

Mens'/Womens' Times and To Do Items

Please pray for the womens' time happening this Friday morning and Saturday morning and the mens' time happening Saturday. The hope is to spend some quality time together and build a little bit more community in which people can cultivate caring and encouraging each other in their faith.

Also please pray for me and the various "to do" type things that I really want to get done within the coming week. Among those are catching up on some correspondence, getting some Congreso details worked out, writing a prayer letter, and other things that aren't coming readily to mind.

Please continue to pray for my health as this cold has peskily been holding on and not going away.

Thursday, January 29, 2009

blech

Please pray for my health. On Monday evening, my throat was feeling a little sore or scratchy. It got a little worse Tuesday, and by yesterday, it was affecting how much I wanted to talk. Yesterday congestion started as well, so it seems to be a full blown cold. Pray that it won't progress any further and that I could get appropriate rest to get over it. Pray for a balance of relying on God's strength to power through to still meet with people and of recognizing and taking opportunities that he's giving me for rest and recovery. Pray that I'd be relying on him and seeking him in all cases.

Monday, January 26, 2009

Follow Up

Please Pray for:
Follow up: I'm finally just going to do it. I've got an appointment for tomorrow morning (Tuesday) with a student named Jorge who I was hoping to follow up with as Christmas break started. He felt sick that day and didn't make it, and I've finally managed to set up tomorrow to talk to him. I originally told him I'd like to hear about his church background and I pray for the opportunity to take the resulting conversation deeper to really talk about the character of God and knowing him. I texted another student, Rafa, to see if I could talk to him on Friday, but I have not heard back from him. Pray that God would be at work in both of their lives and hearts, and that he'd use my intentionality in seeking them out to bring about his transformation.

Please continue to pray for:
Follow up: Even as I feel like I'm finally at least making a start, there's part of me that still doesn't feel like I know what I'm doing and is a little afraid that I'll somehow screw it up and botch this person's chance at being drawn to a real life changing relationship with Christ. That's silly because it's the Holy Spirit that is at work in them and in me, and it's not my job to make any change happen, but I guess I sometimes get concerned that I'll get too caught up in trying to be systematic and will fail to care enough. Enough for what is a good question, the most obvious seeming answer being to cause the change, which gets me right back to needing to remember it's ultimately God at work and not me. I guess ultimately that's a request that I care for the people that I meet like Christ cares for them, and that I wouldn't see them as a bullet point on a to-do list, or simply another task as part of my job.
Wart remains: I still haven't gotten to the doctor to have the is-it-scar-tissue-or-is-it-wart-making-a-come-back spot on my knuckle looked at. Continued prayer for healing would be appreciated.
Congreso: Having worked on a few things in preparation for Congreso today, it has reentered my mind that prayer for God to provide our every need for Congreso is really important. Pray for him to provide so much that all students could go free of charge and experience 100% gracia 100% gratis (100% grace 100% free). Please also join me in consistently praying for over 60 students to go to this year's Congreso from Valencia.

Praise God:
Movement meeting: It went well, did not go too long, and we got some good feedback from students as well as getting a general idea of what events we'll be doing this semester. That was good for both us and the students to have.
Discipleship: Even though I didn't feel like I had really good direction going into my discipleship meetings last week, I came out of the week feeling like I all the meetings went really well. I felt like I had relevant things to speak into the guys' lives even though I hadn't necessarily planned them, and that all parties walked away edified.
Safe travel: Sarah's parents got here fine. It appears they are enjoying their time here. If you can pray for their safe travel home on Friday, that would be appreciated.

Monday, January 19, 2009

Thursday movement meeting and other details

Please pray for:

Movement meeting: Thursday we'll be getting together with the students to talk about a concept of "transformational community" and how we really want to see one develop this semester. We'll also be talking about some specific events we're hoping to see and how we hope they'll help toward that goal. Please pray for focus and clarity in communication. Meetings with students that focused on the movement as whole have in the past had a propensity for tangents that prolong meetings and distract from the original purpose. Pray that God's direction would really be presented and that students would be excited to get on board with it.

Discipleship: I've got meetings this week with my disciples, but I've been wondering a little bit about what exact ground I should be covering with them. Pray for continued guidance and discernment and attentiveness to areas where I can help foster growth.

Wart remains: I had a wart frozen off several times in the weeks leading up to Thanksgiving. On my last visit to the dermatologist, it seemed that the wart was dead and all that remained left to do was allow time for full healing. It's now been two months, and I'm beginning to wonder if the skin on the affected knuckle looks funny because it is scar tissue or because the wart is returning. I had hoped to finally return to the doctor today to have it looked at, but I didn't make it and probably won't have time until next Monday. Pray that it really is just scar tissue and that it continues healing and start looking less suspicious.

Safe travel: My teammmate Sarah's parents are coming down to visit for a week, arriving this Friday. Pray that they'd have safe travel, a quick recuperation from the time in transit, and an enjoyable stay.

Monday, January 12, 2009

Call it a new year's resolution

Please pray for:

Consistency in communication: Sometime in the last couple months, I sat down to think about goals I want to pursue, things that I want to be true in my life. One of those is being in better communication with people. That means taking the time to call friends at home, but it also means being more consistent to post prayer requests here. With the new schedule that we've set up, I think I can be consistent with posting on Mondays. Now I have a day to post regularly. Pray that I'd stick to it.

The schedule: we made several adjustments to our weekly schedule over the break, but I think it will be good for us. It reflects realities of Venezuela, and gives us a better flexibility in the afternoon, and much fewer evenings dominated by language lessons. It even factors in time to work on things ahead of time, so definitely pray that I utilize that well (old procrastinating habits from college die hard...). Also, this week is a little topsy turvy with our team leaders coming back midway through the week from a retreat, moving our staff meeting and rearranging a few schedule elements. Pray for their safe travel and for smooth schedule rearranging.

Praise God for:
Our internet: Having not posted in a while, I see the last post was about the internet. I think we got it about a week and a half later. I recall it being something like November 12th because I think I remember it still possible to consider it a gift to correspond to my birthday on the 11th.

I'll leave it at that for now. Hopefully more next Monday if not sooner.