Thursday, December 01, 2005

Peterson's Prayer Guide - December 2005

Luke 1:78-79 “Because of God’s tender mercy, the light from heaven is about to break upon us, to give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, and to guide us to the path of peace.”

Luke 2:14 “Glory to God in the highest heaven, and peace on earth to all whom God favors.”

* God, in His sovereignty arranged for several of the items we requested prayer for in November, to be cancelled or postponed. The weekend in Michigan went very well, however, and Gary sensed that God did some deep and exciting new work in the youth and their leaders. Thanks for your prayers for that event!

* The special chapel service at the Wycliffe office brought some encouraging responses from the rest of our team. Gary and his colleagues were trying to share the vision for the Total It Up (Taste of Translation and Literacy) courses which they run twice a year, and to get more folk to help with these. A number have volunteered to assist in different capacities, so it was a success.

* We had the chance to help with a “Meet & Greet” event in our neighborhood last Sunday. It was great to meet more folk and deepen our friendships with others. Please continue to pray that we’ll be sensitive to the opportunities to be a witness and blessing to these people from all walks of life that live near us. We take Christmas goodies to those we know, and pray that God’s love will shine through us in this act of friendship. We also give something to each of our kids’ teachers for Christmas.

* The couple of possibilities we’d thought of to help with hurricane clean up just didn’t work out. As we got closer to the Thanksgiving week, we decided to stay put and work on our own hurricane clean up. Our old fence has blown over 4 times in various storms, and we’ve not had time to rebuild it. We made a good start, but still have a lot more to do to get it finished. Pray for safety as we work, and good relationships with our neighbours who’ve offered their help.

* During December Gary will be mainly working on e-mail and preparation for the next Total It Up course (Jan. 2-6) and coordination of the Perspectives course that begins Jan. 10th. Pray that he’d accomplish a lot during this quieter month in the office.

* Dec. 8-12th we look forward to hosting Robyn’s pastor from Australia who will be coming to visit us and see the work we do here. Pray that it will be a time of blessing and encouragement for him and for us.

* We are planning a few days break and possibly a trip to visit some of our supporters in Georgia, Tennessee and Nth. Carolina the week before Christmas. Pray for wisdom as we work out the details for this.

* We’ve had some significant things happen in our small group lately. We’re excited and feeling inadequate all at once. Pray that God will grant us wisdom and strength to help this little flock to grow in their relationship and walk with Him.

* My mother just had her regular bladder cancer check up and a suspicious area was found to have spread. She’ll be having it biopsied soon. Pray for peace and for wisdom for the doctors who are treating her.

* Esther has been sponsored to attend a ski trip in West Virginia with our church youth group Dec. 27-31 Christmas. She’s never been skiing before, so is excited to have this opportunity! Pray that she’ll have a safe and wonderful experience, and that God will use her to minister to others going on this trip who don’t yet know Him like she does.

* Esther has to plan her college class schedule for the next semester soon. Pray for wisdom as she selects the subjects as well as the times for her classes.

Thanks so much for standing with us in this tangible way through your prayers. We can never thank you enough for this sacrifice of love!
Have a Christ-filled, happy Christmas!

Warmly in Him,
Robyn, Gary, Esther and Josiah Peterson