Student Missions Fellowship

Today, I read prayer letters from Charles and Vivian Stoner in Brazil and Shirley and Eric Hassack in France. The Stoners are praising God that a man they started meeting with in September finally received Christ in November. They are asking for prayer that God will send 30 students and several part-time teachers to SCEN, the seminary where they minister. The Hassacks shared that they have many souls who need salvation. They have shared Christ with these people, but the people have not received Him. However, few refuse their offer of a spiritual reading for each day. (They give out Our Daily Bread, tracts and calendars.
I'm praying for these missionaries today.

This weekend I read newsletters from the following missionaries:

The Goodmans request prayer for salvation of the Jewish people they are working with. They praise God for the salvation of 7 people they had been witnessing to for a long time.

The DePuys request prayer for their soon to be realized ministry to Mexico. They praise God for raising 61 percent of their support in a shorter time than expected.

Marisue Lewis requests prayer for her support--she is running $500 behind each month. She serves with Baptist Mid-Missions in Brazil. She also requests prayer for teachers. Perhaps some of our Davis graduates could meet this need.

AMFI asks for prayer for its missionaries in Israel, France, the U.S., and Mexico. Yes, there are Israelies in Mexico.

Dick and Laura Paul who are moving from Italy where they have ministered for 44 years are requesting prayer for their move and readjustment to the US.

The Independent Board for Presbyterian Foreign Missions listed 28 prayer requests from all over the world.

Shirley Siegrist requested prayer for her family as she retires. I wonder who will take her place?

So many needs, so many lost, so many places to fill . . .

I'm sure each of us personally knows a missionary or a missionary family who is far away from their loved ones at Christmastime. From personal experience, I know how depressing it can be to have thousands of miles separating you from your children or from your own parents, siblings and various other family members. What was once a holiday filled with laughter and the joy of togetherness as a family becomes a long break void of family and friends. As we watch our church members in their houses filled with family and visitors, we are once again reminded of just how lonely the mission field can be. Sure, there's the internet and phone to connect with our loved ones, but it's not the same as having them personally with you, touching, hugging, eating together . . . Then on top of everything else, usually something in the ministry itself goes bad. It could be anything from church members falling to sin or a blatant lack of commitment to seekers deciding to stop seeking and walk away. Or it could be the frustration of constantly trying to reach souls who have absolutely no interest in your precious Jesus Christ, who ignore you at best. You watch all the work you have done for the Lord deteriorate, all your labor seem to be in vain, all your seeds snatched from the ground, Satan like a roaring lion devouring souls right before your eyes. And your own spirit is crushed, your hopes dashed on the rocks as the waves of despair keep crashing in upon you. And you really wish you could just quit, walk away, get on a plane and fly back home where you could hug your granddaughter every day, where you could surround yourself with people who love you. Or you long to go where you could hide in a back pew of a large church where no one knows you for the failure you consider yourself to be.

Yes, these are the musings of a church planter's wife today in the USA. I know I am not alone in my thoughts. Those on the front lines of spiritual warfare need your prayers. Don't forget to pray, especially at this time of year.

Here's an excerpt from Joe and Heidi DePuy's email that I read this morning:
The holiday season is quickly approaching and pre-field ministry and appointments often slow down a bit for many missionaries. At this time last year however, we noticed our greatest success in filling up our schedule for the coming months. This past January we were so filled up on the schedule, that we were traveling to a different church every week! Please pray that we might once again see increased opportunities to share our burden for the Gospel ministry with more churches!

We thank the Lord for the wonderful opportunity we had to share our burden with the pastoral staff at Central Baptist Church in Dunn, NC. We really enjoyed getting to know them and thank the Lord for another excellent church that showed great interest in what God is doing through us for the glory of God. We were very encouraged!

Please continue to pray for the many churches that we have already visited. That as they seek the will of God for their churches that they would recognize the need to increase their involvement in God’s global ministry! God is good and He is seeking to win the nations for His glory! That is our passion. We’d ask you to pray that we might be able to effectively communicate that passion and contagiously spread that passion to other churches that we visit.

May God bless the DePuys as they serve Him.

I just opened my email this morning to find a letter from a dear friend who is ministering in Asia. She's been there for a year and will be coming home to NY for Christmas. I'm praying for her as she will have to readjust to her home culture, and it can be difficult. She asked for prayer for the girls with whom she is sharing principles of God's word such as how to stay pure and how to look for the right kind of husband. She also mentioned 3 couples who had each suffered the loss of a baby. What sacrifice these young couples are making for the cause of Christ! I prayed for them and then thanked God for the blessing of my granddaughter, a healthy baby who just learned to roll herself over this week.