Today, we all need to be praying for our men and women in service.  Most Americans know the price our soldiers have made in the past, but most Americans have not been soldiers and don’t really understand what is involved in the life of an American hero.

These young men and women leave home at young ages to take a fast track to maturity.  They experience life in a way that most don’t.  They are an asset to our country, thus, they live life knowing that they are expendable for the cause.  That is a heavy burden.

My prayer is that those who serve feel the love of our country today and realize what they are doing is an honorable thing.  I pray that those soldiers who are believers can embrace Christ’s yoke and live a life of integrity and obedience to His word.  I pray that our military’s Protestant and Catholic Chaplains can share Christ boldly to the soldiers who do not know our loving Christ.  Our prayers should also go out to those who have lost family and friends to our country’s various conflicts and wars.

May God bless all those who serve.

Watching this will give you lots of things to pray for:

[vimeo http://vimeo.com/27096230]

As many of you know, I just got back with one of our teams to Central Asia.  It is a very odd process evaluating my time in that country.  I am amazed at the beauty… but, on the other hand, I am broken hearted due to the lostness.

It is speculated that the country has less than a thousand believers.  In that country, if more than 3 evangelicals gather for prayer or worship, they are at risk of being arrested or worse.  You cannot pray for your meals. You cannot openly read your Bible.  You cannot be a Christian.  Today, I woke up and read my Bible.  I prayed for all my meals.  I had devotion with my children.  I even openly prayed in public.  We take so much for granted as American believers.

That being said, I would like you all to pray for Lilly (not her real name).  Lilly came from that country to ours as part of a student exchange program.  Her host family was Christian.  They asked her to church, and she went.  Soon, Lilly accepted Christ as her Lord and savior.  Christianity became a way of life.  Worship and prayer became normal and accepted.  Now she is back in her country, and by God’s sovereignty, our team got to meet her and have a meal with her.  At the beginning of our meal, we prayed…heads up and as a conversation to one another without using churchy words.  When the prayer was done.  With tear filled eyes, she said it was a blessing to hear someone pray to Jesus Christ.  She has no Christian community.  She cannot be open with her faith.  She is alone.  Pray that the Holy Spirit will fill her up. Pray that she is protected from harm.  Also, pray for ways in which she can share her faith boldly.

Please be in prayer for the Songhai Team this week.

Pray for the Phillips who will be traveling to the US for vacation for the month of November. We will be visiting 6 states in 30 days, so rest will be hard to come by. We will also be spending time with some of our partnering churches & also doing research in the States to try & locate the Songhai who live there. As many of you know, traveling with 2 small children is not for the faint of heart! Pray that the other passengers on the flights with us will have patience & grace with us as we also try to have patience & grace with our children!

Pray for the Saleebys as they work in Niamey & in villages to train our believers in discipleship & leadership. Pray for wisdom for Randy as he works with these believers. Pray for Susan as she works in Kids’ Clubs twice a week in Niamey and as she visits women in the capital city as well. Pray for understanding to hear & ability to speak the language. Pray for God to give both of them opportunities to share His love & His Word.

Pray for the Foxes who are finishing up their last month of language. They will be doing more class time this month (going from classes 4x/week to 5 days per week). It will be intense times of language & longer days but this will be the last push before they move to their village full-time. Pray that their minds will stay sharp during class, they will find times to use their language outside of class, & they will find times to rest amidst their new schedule. Pray also for their girls who are continuing to adjust to their new home & surroundings. Pray that they would also begin to understand & grasp the language & be able to make friends.

Thank you for being so committed to not only pray for the Songhai people but our team as we work among them!

The team from Central Asia is back, safe and sound.  It was a true blessing to be apart of the team.  There were four people who have never been apart of an international mission trip.  It was priceless to experience their reaction to another country and the spiritual darkness.

I will be writing about our experiences in the upcoming weeks and posting videos and pictures from our team.  But, I ask you know to begin praying for Central Asia.  Our church has more believers than the entire country we went to.  Amazing, right…a country completely hostile to the Gospel of Jesus Christ.  This area of the world needs you prayers.  Pray for those who believe there, for them to be encouraged.  Pray for their protection from those who are hostile to the Gospel.

The team has arrived in Washington and is currently going through customs. They have one more flight into Nashville and then will be home around midnight!

Received at text at 2:38 a.m. our time…the team was getting ready to board a plane and head to America! All are safe and healthy! They should arrive in Washington late afternoon today!

Mary Beth

Today we will be getting up at the crack of dawn to leave this country.  We will be on a plane for a long time.  Pray for mobility as we try to maneuver through security.  Pray that the military will not hinder us from leaving.  Also, pray for safe flights as we come back to America.  We look forward to seeing you all Sunday:)

Today we will be flying back to the capital city in the country we are in.  Please pray for our families today that the Lord will give them a peace concerning our trip.  At this point, we have been in the communication dark.  This team is working by itself in a country with no missionary or church presence.  The internet is a luxury that we don’t always have here.

Be in prayer for the team today as we visit many Islamic holy places.  Protect us from the evil one and give us the strength, and sensitivity to share when we are able.  Pray for this team to be a light in the darkness and that people will notice.