January prayer update

 

It's been two months since we sent out a prayer update, and our monthly video got put on the blog late, but that's because we, like you, were enjoying the Christmas season!  One thing John and I have noticed over the years is how the lines have  become wonderfully blurred in our lives between what is our personal life and what is ministry related.......and some of our Christmas activities reflected that.  This year we hosted a Christmas cookie decorating party for  20-30 something's (the first two photos)......and we drove aways to visit with Emmanuel Addai's family, whose parents Willie and Cecilia  have been very influential in our work and ministry in Ghana.  (That cute baby I'm holding is Sarai Addai, one of Emma and Maisha's children).  And, like you, there was lots of time with family and friends...many of whom support us in prayers and finances.....so you see what I mean!  

So, now it's January, and the clock is ticking as we prepare for the DISCOVERY trips this summer.  Here are some of our prayer requests for the New Year:

• For the Ghana DISCOVERY trip this summer.  We knew before we left Ghana in August that our co-leader, Solo would not be able to help us lead the trip in 2007....then in December, we learned that Rhoda, who has been responsible to recruit participants and set up DISCOVERY on the Ghana end, was leaving her job to work with another organization.  So.....a lot of changes  are likely to happen that will affect our upcoming trip.  Please pray for the leadership in Ghana (did I mention that GILLBT has a new director as well?) who will be deciding what to do on their end, and for wisdom for us as well.  
•  We received the approval we'd been waiting for regarding the last of our discovery trips....but now we need wisdom as we are seriously re-considering whether to offer it at all, because it was going to be incorporated alongside our Ghana trip (ie, John and I would lead both of them) and in light of the prayer request above, this does not seem like a particularly good year to try something new like this.
• Please pray for wisdom for John and Norm as they sift through applications and interview potential discovery participants for this summer.  The application deadline is Feb 9
• We have a new team leader in Asia  who needs to be trained between now and March, and since John had already planned to go visit Jordan in South Korea for a weeks vacation in February, we had hoped he could add this trip on to that one (since it would be more or less in the neighborhood 8-).  The problem is he had already purchased his ticket with frequent flyer miles, and there are no open dates in the time frame he needs to change too.  Please pray for some sort of solution here, as I feel it is extremely important that our leaders be well trained.
• Please continue to pray for funding for nationals on our trips and more Discovery staff.
• Please continue to pray for George (SE Asia trip leader) and his medical situation.

Your Partners in Bible Translation:

John & Shevawn