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A SELECTED "NORTHERN
LIGHTS" MAGAZINE ARTICLE
(from Issue #494)
Closer to the Heart
Through prayer ... closer to the heart ... of our
ministry.
by Rollie Hodgman, Northern Lights editor
We always welcome guests to our annual NCEM conferences
but, for the most part, they are geared for our staff. Last summer a
certain couple joined us for one of these gatherings. They told me how
they were impressed with the openness and honesty with which our
missionaries shared their reports. They said that, though they'd been
familiar with NCEM for many years, they were only now getting their eyes
opened to the challenges.
When I mentioned that I was editor of our Mission's news
magazine, they said something like, "I guess you just print the good
stuff"!
Thinking about their comment I recognized anew that we'd
be negligent if we didn't print the good stuff. If the Lord is
working (and He is), then we'd better acknowledge it! On the other hand,
if we are to get the prayer support we need, we should also be describing
the challenges. I believe we have been doing that, too, at least in a
general way -- some prayer requests should only be shared in confidence.
Still, if urgent and effective prayer depends on our
supporters being informed, I wondered, "Is there a way to bring our Northern
Lights readers a bit closer to the heart of our ministry?"
With that in mind, this past fall I asked our
missionaries: "What requests would you give if you knew that your
name would not be attached?" (I promised that I would tell absolutely
no one the source of their submissions.) Their responses form the basis of
this article.
"PRAY FOR ME"
I soon realized that a good number of the submitted
requests are not for our ministries, but for ourselves and
our families. I wondered at first, "Couldn't that seem
self-serving? After all, we're here for the sake of others."
Actually, it's biblical! Check out the Apostle Paul's
letters and you'll find that, along with his prayers for others, there
are also numerous requests for himself. Ours include the following:
"Pray for emotional, spiritual and physical strength
to always remain faithful to the Lord."
"Pray for unity -- the ability to see past/through
differences and find workable paths to walk together in ministry."
"Please pray for our son, with the negative ...
influence on our Reserve. Pray with us as we make a decision as to where
he should go to high school next year, and how we can pay for it."
"Pray for [my husband] as he travels, as this takes
him away from home quite a bit."
"Pray for the lack of other Christian singles my age
to fellowship with."
"Pray for our low financial support."
"Although we feel very definite that God called us to
... the Reserves in this area, that ministry has not materialized due to
declining health. I struggle with the fact that we are unable to minister
as we would like ... it is the feeling that we need to justify to
supporters that we are still in ministry."
"Pray for growing love, respect, and unity in our
marriage."
"Please pray for two of our [grown children] to walk
with God."
"Please pray for our beautiful grandchild and her
unwed, but caring mommy and daddy (unsaved)."
"Is it expected or right for a missionary to admit
that they are struggling in their walk with the Lord ... major or minor? I
know that we all do at some point because often that is how we grow in the
Lord. But as 'mature' Christians, with supporters who have certain
expectations of 'their' missionaries, are they willing to hear that
their missionary is going through a struggle? ... I don't know how to
even begin to express this to a supporter."
"Pray that we may grow old gracefully."
"Pray that God would still use us in our
imperfections."
"Pray that I would hear God's voice. There are so
many things I could do, but not sure which."
"Pray for [our son] as he goes to school in another
city ... pray that he will remember what he heard as a small child about
the Lord."
"Please pray for a spiritually, physically,
emotionally strong marriage."
"Pray for us as we often get so busy with ministry
that our personal walk with God, our marriages and family suffer ... then
we want to quit because we are falling apart."
"Pray concerning the pull of the world around us ...
of going back into the regular work force. We are bombarded with media and
materialism of all sorts."
"Pray for protection from Satan's attacks on our
unity with fellow workers and in our families. 'Divide and conquer' is
still one of his main weapons."
"Pray for a growing personal relationship with God
for us and for each of our children."
THROUGH OUR NEEDS ... & BEYOND
As you can see, we missionaries struggle with issues
common to others, plus some extra pressures that come with serving in
cross-cultural settings. We may see our own needs only as
setbacks ... until we realize that it may be through our weaknesses
and vulnerabilities that God may want to use us!
But we are here to reach Canada's First Peoples with the
Gospel. Beyond our own needs, our hearts go out to those who don't
yet know the Lord, and to those who, like us, need to be walking close
with Him. Our requests include the following:
"Pray for our situation. People say they want Bible
study but have no time available for it."
"Please pray for unity among believers, and wisdom in
dealing with unresolved issues ... humility and forgiveness to be
practiced by all."
"We would appreciate prayer for more workers and
specifically for the mobilization of the local churches. There are many
churches here [in our area] and none reach out to the Native
community!"
"About one-quarter of the Native children I have
contact with are being raised by single dads ... Pray that [we] will have
some ideas of how we can minister to this group."
"You need to pray for us ... when the whole Bible
study group is gone because there is a bingo going on in the
community."
"We need prayer to know how to reach the people on
one particular reserve who are steeped in alcoholism, drugs, gambling and
all that goes with these vices. It is difficult to get the people to
listen to the Gospel. The children are neglected and see their reserve as
hopeless. We have made a few friends there, but pray we will know how to
effectively reach these needy people. A good number of the kids have heard
the Gospel at camp and if we can reach them before their lives are
destroyed by sin, then we will consider that a victory. Satan has such a
grip on the reserves in this area."
"Pray for discernment to see the way God is leading,
when little seems to be happening."
"[We know a] professed Christian single mother who
has been involved in sexual immorality, which affects the life of her
teenage boy. Pray for her conviction of the Holy Spirit."
"Pray for the Spirit's guidance for a man-to-man
Bible study with a young potential leader in the community."
"There is such a desire for miracles, healing, and
prophecies in our community. Pray that we'd have wisdom in knowing how
to relate. Pray that people would go to God, not mainly looking for
healing and power, but in repentance and submission."
"I want to help' people, but sometimes it just
seems like I'm 'rescuing' them. It bothers me to think that my ‘help'
may actually enable them to continue in their destructive behavior."
"Pray for a real revival among the Native
churches."
"Pray that I would be able to trust the Lord to care
for the people we minister to. It breaks our hearts to see them make bad
choices."
A VALUED PARTNERSHIP
We appreciate very much the special partnership we in NCEM
have with our prayer supporters. It's because we value it so much that
one missionary added:
"I'm not sure how many missionaries hear from people who pray or
support them. It would be great if they would consider writing, phoning,
e-mailing or a visit (if that's convenient for them) once in a while ...
I guess I'm putting a little of the onus on them to help keep in touch
so that it's not only the missionary's responsibility."
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