Heart-Felt Call for Prayer

Sue writes:

If you look back at the post called, "Great Day to be a Missionary" you will gather some background for this post. Jeff is working with a group of 70 or more young villagers who claim to have an interest in becoming Christians. About 30 of them have completed a workbook about the basics of the faith. They are memorizing Scripture from the lessons.

Someone comes from the group every day with some new idea the group wants to act on. The thing is, the idea usually involves us giving them something for them to use. We don't mind giving them things, but we sometimes wonder if some of them are just greedy and the claim to faith is just a way to "get things."

Jeff has asked God to give him contacts "outside the fence," so we want to follow God's leading. We are asking Melanesians and other missionaries for insight into this situation. Jeff is trying to orient the new IT manager, field constant requests for his time, serve on a curriculum review committee, update course notes for next term, and fulfill the other things his job entails. Still, he wants to follow God's leading. Please pray for Jeff to see what God wants.

Tonight we are scheduled to show the youth group the Jesus Film in Tok Pisin. It clearly presents who God is, His overtures of love toward people, who Jesus is and what He did to provide salvation for people.

The group came up with the idea of holding a ceremony of conversion before the film. Working with them in Tok Pisin, we are not absolutely clear what their motivation is for this ceremony. Please pray for Jeff to have wisdom as he deals with the youth.

He also asks for prayer that God's Spirit would be working in the lives of those who watch the film and that PNG Power would supply the power we need to show the film.

In 2 Corinthians 1:10-11 Paul wrote about his missionary quandaries. Though we are not experiencing the physical threats he was, we identify with the pressure he felt as he said:

On [God] we have set our hope that He will continue to deliver us, as you help us by your prayers. Then many will give thanks on our behalf for the gracious favor granted us in answer to the prayers of many.