Dear Friends and Family,
I write to you with a heart full of praises and prayer requests concerning where I feel the Lord is leading me. Once again, I strongly believe that God has called me to serve Him overseas, however this time he has led me to be better prepared to be in His fields by attending Calvary Chapels’ Mission Training School in Hungary. For several months now God has burdened me to be on my knees for the Middle East; this part of the world has been heavy on my heart during this time of devastation and conflict.
Although I believe that God is calling me serve Him in a possible long term position in this area of the world, He has clearly made it obvious that He is leading me to go to Hungary to be in His word and seeking Him and His direction on my life for the next several months. On February 2nd I will be leaving for Hungary, where I will be taking classes at the Calvary Chapel Bible College on the Europe campus. While my program is separate from the college, I will be living with the students, attending chapel with them, and ministering to them as the focus is on developing our leadership skills as we prepare to be on the mission field. During my time there we will be doing outreaches on the weekends and after four months of classes, we will be doing a month of outreach in another country. I am extremely excited about using these next few months to dig deep into His word and seek His direction. And while I look forward with anticipation of sharing the love of Christ with those living in this spiritually dark area of the world, I am feeling very inadequate to be used in such amazing ways by our Savior, Jesus Christ. Thankfully, though, I take to heart the words of an Indonesian missionary, Darlene Rose, when she writes, “God has called me, and he will equip me for the ministry.”
While I am still unsure as to what my classmates and I will encounter during our training and the harvest of our outreaches, I have confidence that my “soul finds rest in God alone. My salvation comes from Him…I will never be shaken.”(Psalm 62:1-2) As I prepare both physically and mentally for this test and strengthening of my faith, I would ask that you would lift several things to the throne of God in prayer. “The prayer of a righteous man is effective and powerful.” (James 5:16) Please join me in praying for…
Our Witness: Pray that we would be spiritually prepared to answer the questions of those we speak with on the outreachs, and that the Holy Spirit would speak through us, giving us the words that they need to hear (1 Peter 3:15). In essence, that we would simply be His mouthpiece.
“Pray also for me that whenever I open my mouth words may be given unto me so that I will fearlessly make known the mystery of the gospel. Pray that I will declare it fearlessly, as I should.” (Ephesians 6:19)
The Team of Students: Pray that we will encourage each other during our time together and, that if it is the Lord’s desire, that He would break everyone’s heart on this trip and mold us closer to His image (Proverbs 2:3-5). Ask that the Lord would allow us to use this time to prepare for the ministry He is calling us to. Also, ask that we would have the time we need as a team to prepare prior to our departure on outreach at the end of the program.
Pray that as we interact with each other, the people we will minister to will notice the difference that Christ has made in our lives by simply viewing our actions (1 Timothy 4:12). Also lift up our time spent with the other students. Pray that we would be able to encourage them and serve them in a way that would bring glory to Christ.
The Conditions: Pray that the Lord will protect us from illness due to disease, unsanitary lavatories, insects and parasites, and unclean water while attending classes and on outreach. Also ask for safety in travel, traveling into Hungary and during our times of outreach.
“He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty…Surely He will save you from the fowler’s snare and from the deadly pestilence, He will cover you with His feathers, and under his wings will you find refuge…For He will command His angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways.” (Psalm 91: 1, 3, 4, & 11)
The People: We would ask that you would lift up the hearts of the people we will be interacting with in both Hungary and wherever we will be traveling to. Please ask that the Lord would go before us and prepare their hearts for the message we have been called to share. Also, that the Lord would continually open doors for us and give us plenty of opportunities to serve these people and just love on them. Pray that the Lord would renew the burden He has given us for these lost souls (Jude 22&23).
For our Finances: Pray that the Lord would supply the funds that are needed in time. I am in need of raising a thousand dollars for our month of outreach. I have confidence that the Lord will meet my needs if it is His will for me to join this trip. For that reason I would also ask that you would thank God that He provides for His children.
Lastly, I would like to thank you, my brothers and sisters in Christ, for laboring with me in the ministry of the gospel. “We stand true to the Lord whether others honor or despise us, whether they criticize or commend us. We are honest, but they call us liars. The world ignores us, but we are known to God.” (2 Corinthians 6:8-9a)
Walking in His grace,
Patricia
