Almost THERE!

First of all, thank you for your prayers both for me and for my friends in the Sudan. The status has not changed yet so please continue to pray for safety as she has been in captivity now for over 40 days. Please also continue to pray for her supervisor and my good friend who is still under the stress of negotiations and feeling like his hands are tied in this process.

This last week I journeyed to Minneapolis where I was commissioned as a missionary at our annual meeting. It was a very special time during which not only were we presented before those gathered but we were also surrounded and prayed for. It is such an incredible blessing to feel lifted up before the Lord and interceded for as so many of us prepare to head out to our various countries. If you are interested in seeing the service it can be found at http://vimeo.com/12618765. If you don't want to see the full worship service, I believe the commissioning begins at about minute 38.

At the annual meeting I was able to connect with a couple of the leaders of the denomination from Ecuador and it was very encouraging to spend time with them dreaming and visioning so many options for ministry when I return. They are very excited about my arrival and I too am anxious about my return.

PRAYER REQUESTS

1. Continue to pray as I seek support. It has been an incredible year during which I have met some amazing people and encountered incredible opportunities to share the Love of Christ with others. I have been blessed in so many ways by so many people this year but I am ready to be back in Ecuador. I am hoping that all of my support will be in by the end of July so that I can travel no later than the beginning of August.

2. Pray for Joey as he is only a week away from Suicide Greek. No, Suicide Greek is not the official title of the class, it is a term commonly used by seminary students who take a year long Greek course compressed into six weeks during the summer. Joey has been spending a lot of time studying the alphabet as well as memorizing around 80 words so far. Pray that he will have the energy and endurance to sit through the many hours of class as well as the discipline to put in the time he will need to invest in homework.

3. Pray for Pedro in Ecuador. He visited us here in Chicago a few weeks ago and I had the privilege of some very good conversations with him. We have agreed to do a comprehensive Bible survey when I arrive in Ecuador. Pedro is interested in continuing to get to know the Lord deeper so I told him I would love to read through the Bible with him from beginning to end.