Longing
I'm pretty sure that everyone longs for something.
People here long for wealth.
They long for education.
They long to be free from fear.
They long for lasting change.
I long for my friends and neighbors here to know the One who has changed my life.
I long for them to be changed too.
I long for opportunities to share truth with them.
And sometimes opportunities create themselves.
We're quickly approaching the month of fasting here on the islands. Everyone's talking about it. During that month people try to dress more carefully and portray themselves more carefully. One of my language helpers told me that everyone stops listening to pop music and only listens to re1igious music. This is all a reflection of culture and tradition... but it's also a reflection of longing. By fasting and observing the special month very carefully they believe they'll get closer to their goal of escaping "the place of fire" (as it's termed in the local language). It's a product of longing. And every day as they long for food and water it's a reminder that they long for greater things too.
I long for greater things. And I've found the Greater One. The One who brought me from sin and self-centeredness into His glorious light.
As we enter this period of fasting (beginning around June 29th) let's seek together that their longing would result in good conversations and I'd be able to share more boldly about the One I've found.
Praise:
-- The power situation continues to improve! Thanks to the World Cup we now have power starting with the first game of the evening (6 or 7 PM) and running through the middle of the night. Most mornings we also have power. My fridge is COLD!
-- Continued language improvement. It's easy to get tired of the routine but I have been seeing my language skills get better.
-- English class details coming together.
Pray:
-- For open hearts during this upcoming month.
-- For more boldness in my own sharing.
-- For perseverance during the next 3 weeks before I get a break. The daily grind is really getting to me and there aren't a lot of options for changing things up here.
---------------
That moment when...
-- you spend a minute pondering why the power company shut off the electricity after only 22 minutes... then realize it was just your computer that was unplugged.
People here long for wealth.
They long for education.
They long to be free from fear.
They long for lasting change.
 |
| Women making flower/greenery necklaces |
I long for them to be changed too.
I long for opportunities to share truth with them.
And sometimes opportunities create themselves.
We're quickly approaching the month of fasting here on the islands. Everyone's talking about it. During that month people try to dress more carefully and portray themselves more carefully. One of my language helpers told me that everyone stops listening to pop music and only listens to re1igious music. This is all a reflection of culture and tradition... but it's also a reflection of longing. By fasting and observing the special month very carefully they believe they'll get closer to their goal of escaping "the place of fire" (as it's termed in the local language). It's a product of longing. And every day as they long for food and water it's a reminder that they long for greater things too.
I long for greater things. And I've found the Greater One. The One who brought me from sin and self-centeredness into His glorious light.
As we enter this period of fasting (beginning around June 29th) let's seek together that their longing would result in good conversations and I'd be able to share more boldly about the One I've found.
 |
| My handiwork |
-- The power situation continues to improve! Thanks to the World Cup we now have power starting with the first game of the evening (6 or 7 PM) and running through the middle of the night. Most mornings we also have power. My fridge is COLD!
-- Continued language improvement. It's easy to get tired of the routine but I have been seeing my language skills get better.
-- English class details coming together.
Pray:
-- For open hearts during this upcoming month.
-- For more boldness in my own sharing.
-- For perseverance during the next 3 weeks before I get a break. The daily grind is really getting to me and there aren't a lot of options for changing things up here.
---------------
That moment when...
-- you spend a minute pondering why the power company shut off the electricity after only 22 minutes... then realize it was just your computer that was unplugged.
Comments
Post a Comment