Thursday, January 7, 2010

Prayer Request




Today my husband and daughter left for Liberia. They will be gone for nine days, serving with a team from the Harvest Bible Chapel Fellowship. There are eight members on the team. Dave will be preaching and working on elder training and yearly budgets for the church and school. Katherine will be the official photographer, work with a soccer camp and serve on the praise teams for the 5 church services that they will be holding.

Please join me in prayer for the travel safety of the team and for the various responsibilities they have. Stomach ailments are a common problem, and prayer that they would stay healthy would be greatly appreciated. Also, if you would, pray that Jesus Christ would be first and foremost on their minds and hearts as they minister to these dear people. Three of Dave's messages are specifically gospel centered and will be used by the churches to introduce the lost to the Lord. So, this is an exciting week for my daughter and husband, as well as the whole team, and I appreciate your partnering with them in prayer.

Now as for the pictures I have posted, these are from Dave's first visit to Liberia. I thought initially that Dave loved to go there (this is his third trip) because he loved the ministry and the people. But I was a bit off. There is a more specific reason. He loves Jeremy. That is the little boy in the top picture. You can see him on the far right, behind the little boy with the beige buttoned shirt in the second picture. I think that Jeremy is the reason Dave keeps going back.

I might get the details wrong, but I think Jeremy is the son of one of the pastors. He attached to Dave on the first trip, because he found out that Dave was the American with an endless supply of candy in his pocket. He would sit beside Dave at church and out of the corner of his mouth he would say, "Candy." Dave would reach in his pocket, grab a round sour and pop it in his mouth. It was all on the sly, because there were about 200 kids there and Jeremy had no intentions of sharing Dave or his candy.

Recently a group from church returned from Liberia and Todd Hostetter asked Dave if he remembered Jeremy. He also asked if Jeremy talked much when Dave was there. Dave said, "I think he only said one word to me and that was candy." Todd said that when he got off the plane in Monrovia, Jeremy was there and he ran to him and said, "Where's David?" The little boy apparently has a great memory.

So in the next 24 hours Jeremy and Dave are going to reunite and spend the week together. I sent him with a five pound bag of Jolly Ranchers. That should hold their relationship in good stead until we visit again in April. Dave is taking the twins, Christopher and a couple of boys from the youth group, as well as myself, back there for spring break. Or at least that's the plan. And I am sure we'll be bringing more candy when we go.

So now you are caught up with what's new around here. Thank you for your prayers. I am sure there will be stories when they return.

And most likely more pictures of Jeremy.

Have a great weekend!

Kristen

10 comments:

  1. I'm imagining the reunion right now...big smile on my face. Praying for them. How exciting to think that you might get to meet Jeremy in just a few months. With a smile like that, you just might want to pack him home with you!

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  2. Oh dear, that's happened before...maybe I should stay home! Then again, it worked out just fine, so...

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  3. Just heard from Dave and Katherine. The team has landed safely and are in vans heading to Paynesville. Katherine said that Jeremy ran up to Dave when they first arrived - he was the first to reach him - waving a flag that read "We Love You Dave!" and he said, "Do you see what my flag says?" Dave has been carrying him around ever since!

    Thank you for your prayers of safe travel...now on to the next phase...good health and fruitful ministry (not necessarily in that order).

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  4. So sweet! Thanks for the update. Keep them coming and I will keep them in my prayers. (Hmm...I wonder if Dave will end up packing him home?!)

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  5. I should have said "bottled water"...

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  6. The team is doing well - Katherine says that at any given time she has 5 little children holding each of her hands...Dave preached at a small evangelistic service on Saturday night and a young man, twenty-something, gave his life to Christ. I'd say it was a good day...

    Tomorrow is more preaching and more working with the children. Dave and Katherine are singing with the gospel choir in the morning...they should stick out like sore thumbs! Katherine says that they sweat so much that she never has to go to the bathroom...I think that's a good thing but still told her to drink more water.

    Thanks for your prayers...

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  7. Sunday after church at the bush plant (in Dorzain), Moses' brother (Moses is the pastor of Harvest in Paynesville) became sick. Some men were carrying him to Buchanan for help and he died. He was one year older than Moses and very close to him. Please pray for Moses and Philip's family. On Thursday Dave's team will attend (and probably perform) the funeral at Dorzain. It is a two hour drive and a two hour walk into the bush. Pray for the team.

    Other than that, the team is healthy and working hard. Children everywhere! Dave seems a bit tired, but their days are so long and they are working hard, so it is a good tired. On Monday, after lunch the team voted for a nap time!

    Dave has really enjoyed the people on the team. It is amazing how you can spend a week with complete strangers and it only takes a day, or maybe just hours, to feel like family because of your common bond in Christ.

    They fly home on Friday - will arrive in Chicago on Saturday afternoon.

    Thanks for your continued prayers...

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  8. How wonderful and kind that the Lord planned and directed the steps of Dave and the team to be there for Moses during this time of grieving and loss.

    Thanks for the update...

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  9. Dave called today - they are in Buchanan and he is preaching tonight. He put an 8 year old boy on the phone to say hello (apparently the boy was rather curious) and he and I had a fun little conversation. Bottom line...I don't think he understood a word I was saying, let alone realized I was on the other side of the world from him! Dave loves when he's working with the people and the children are just the cherry on the sundae! Tomorrow the team heads to Dorzain for the funeral. It's a four hour trip out there - I think 2 hours in the car and two on foot. Then the same routine back...keep them in your prayers. Friday they leave at 10 p.m. to come home...

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  10. Praying for tomorrow...for safety as they travel. Someone else probably already told you this but Dave put on his FB status...melting in Liberia, but very happy. Sounds like he really is loving his time there. I'm sure you'll be glad to have them home soon. I'm sure Austin is missing a certain someone...

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