Current Prayer Requests

In an unexplainable way, prayer moves the hand of God. We'll appreciate anyone who is willing to stand beside us and ask God to carry us forward. We were recently given a copy of a great book on prayer. Highly recommended reading, and last we checked, used copies were available for pennies plus shipping!

October 16, 09 - Language Update - Praise the Lord!

This past weekend Jason and I were out in a village visiting some missionary friends. On Sunday morning one of our teammates (Wade) preached and Jason translated for him into Creole. It was Jason's first time to translate a sermon, so he was a little nervous, but God was definitely with him. The sermon lasted a good half an hour and Jase did such a great job. On Sunday night they asked me to preach and I preached for 25 minutes in Creole without stopping once because I didn't know how to say something and without forgetting anything that I wanted to say - is that God or what?!?!?! There were about 40 people in the morning service (2/3 kids) and about 25 people in the evening service (1/3 kids). It's so exciting for us to see God using the Creole that we have and we're working hard on adding more!

Praise God with us for the way that He's helping us get more comfortable in Creole. It's been so cool to be able to really share our hearts with people without worrying so much about how in the world to say the things that we want to. Pray that God would keep giving us the strength to improve so that we can love the people here well.

October 16, 09 - English Training Saturday

Once a month I (Emily) get together with the 8 English teachers for some continuing education. The next one is this Saturday afternoon. We're going to be doing a little bit of advanced English practice and we're going to talk about how to share stories about things that God has done in your life with your students.

Please pray that I would be able to communicate my heart to the teachers and that they would take the new things that they learn and use them as they teach.

October 6, 09 - An Exciting Arrival

Great news - the shipping container that we sent this summer has arrived in Bissau!!!!! It got here about two weeks ago and it's been in customs ever since then. There are a lot of things inside it that are making us anxious for it's release - little things like my sewing machine and sprouting seeds, but also big things like the block making machine, Jason's windmill, and all of the new machines and tools for the machine shop that we're going to be setting up here. I'm getting goose bumps just thinking about it :-)

It could be released as early as tomorrow or it could take another two months, there's not really a good way for us to know. So far it's on track to be in our hands by next week.

Praise God for the container getting this far and please continue to pray with us that the things in the container stay safe and that the process of getting it released from customs goes smoothly and quickly.

November 19, 08 - Direction

As the team of us returning to Guinea-Bissau has grown, we've begun to daydream a little about exactly what new projects we want to tackle when we're all back in Bissau and things get rolling. Some of the work will be continuing projects that have already begun and carrying them to a point where they are ready to hand over to national leadership permanantly, but with so many of us there we are also praying hard about what other projects should be tackled. There are some really exciting ideas being thrown around, and while we don't want to be unrealistic in our planning, we do want to have a God-sized vision for Guinea-Bissau. Whichever projects God leads us to, as a team we have a big hope for what's going to happen in West Africa in the coming years!

Please pray that God will give us wisdom and unity in our dreaming and discussing the direction where the team should focus its energies.

Update: We are in Bissau and our projects are coming into sharper focus. The McHargues are preparing land in Mansoa, Guinea-Bissau to start the agricultural and discipleship training center. We are here in Bissau continuing work with the school, Ajuda Bajuda, and the shop. The Wilsons are in Dakar, Senegal learning a new culture and looking for new opportunities as God leads them.

Previous Prayer Requests

June 21, 09 - Emily's Skin

Because we’ve always come at the end of the summer we’ve never been in Guinea-Bissau this time of year. It’s the start of the rainy season so it’s hot and humid. It’s also mango and cashew season right now too. I didn’t know this but mangoes and cashew fruit are both related to poison oak. I’m pretty allergic to poison oak and even though I’ve been careful I’ve developed a very itchy rash on most of my stomach and arms and my eyes and my lips are a little swollen too. I’m trying not to scratch it, but I’m not always succeeding...

Please pray that the rash would heal and that I would be able to figure out what exactly is causing it.

Update: Praise God, the rash healed! We think it may have been caused by the acid on mango skins. She's been staying away from them and is doing much better.

May 13, 09 - Off We Go, Into the Wild Blue Yonder!

We are beyond excited to tell you that we just bought our plane tickets and we are headed back to Guinea-Bissau on June 3rd! It's such a bittersweet time for us as we are leaving home and going back home at the same time. We are ready to jump back in to the ministries that we were part of last time and get involved in some new ones.

Please pray that God would keep us and our luggage safe as we travel (we are going by plane, boat, and car). Also pray that we would be able to dive right back in and get the most out of the month that we will have with Jack and Polly before they move to Senegal.

Update: We're in the Wild Blue Yonder with all of our luggage safe and sound, thank you for your prayers!

Fundraising

As we're preparing to return, one of the big tasks we have is to find people interested in financially supporting the work in West Africa. We know that God owns the cattle on a thousand hills and that He is the one who touches people's hearts to get involved. We are excited to watch what God will do through the church so we will be ready to go when the time comes!

Please pray that God will go ahead of us and speak to the people He will ask to be involved financially.

Update (May 12): It has been such a blessing for us to see God put His ministry in Guinea-Bissau on the hearts of people who have responded by partnering with us financially. We are happy to report that enough money and pledges have come in to fund us and our ministry for one year. We bought our tickets to Guinea-Bissau and we're looking forward to see the ways that God is working there firsthand! Thank you so much for your sacrifice.

April 1, 09 - Violence Continues

We heard very sad news this morning. The military in Bissau is continuing to do as it wishes. Francisco José Fadul is a dear brother in Christ. He is a Christian in a high government office and has been a great help to us in the work at the center and with the national church. He held a press conference in Bissau yesterday calling on the government to hold the military accountable and keep it in check. We received word that early this morning that military personnel came to his house and beat him, telling him he was talking too much. The story is in a newspaper from neighboring Sierra Leone and was later picked up by the BBC. He is currently in intensive care at the hospital.

Please pray with us, first for healing for our brother, and second for our beloved country. A revolution would be horrible, but prolonged military control of the country could be even worse. Please continue to pray with us for the upcoming elections, which will be vital to the future direction of the country.

Update (May 5th): Right now is definitely a time of violence and uncertainty in Guinea-Bissau, but it's also a time of hope. We've been praying that as people are searching for peace, hope, and answers that they would truly find them in Christ. We've been asking God to give Christians boldness to tell their friends and neighbors about the hope that they have. Over the past few days we've been talking to our friends in Bissau, and we are overjoyed to say that is happening. The churches are seeing new believers and last Sunday over 40 people were baptized in one church alone! Praise God! Sometimes people wait until they are at their wit's end to seek Him, and He is there waiting. Please continue to pray that people in Guinea-Bissau would be attracted to the truth and set free!

March 23, 2009 - Missions Conference at Davis College

Bright and early Tuesday morning we are headed to New York to speak at a missions conference at Davis college. We are doing two seminars on Thursday and the topic is how college kids can use their skills to help missionaries (besides praying and giving money). For example, most college kids have vast computer skills and would think it's fun to design a website or set up a blog or a facebook page for someone and teach them how to use it. If a missionary didn't have a sweet letter production department like YFC they could have the missionary email them text and pictures each month and lay out the newsletter for them (which they could print and mail or maybe the missionary has a church that wouldn't know how to set it up, but would want to print and mail it), stuff like that. We're also talking about ways that students can help missionaries stay connected to churches and little things they can do to help missionary English teachers - cut out the Sunday comics, little stories from Reader's Digest and mail them and other things like that. It should be tons of fun and we're looking forward to getting people excited about getting involved in missions.

Please pray that God would give us opportunities to get people excited about getting involved in what He's doing all over the world.

Update (Mar 26th): The two workshops this morning went really well. I think we were able to communicate lots of ideas! Please continue to pray for us as we are speaking at a small group tonight, at Hawleyton United Methodist at a missions dinner on Friday night and at First Baptist Church in Walton, NY on Sunday night.

Update #2 (Mar 31st): Our week in New York went really well. It's really amazing to see people getting excited about what God is doing in a country half-way around the world! We loved updating people on what been happening in Guinea-Bissau and it was really fun talking to some new people about the tiny country we love.

February 25, 09 - McHargues to Bissau

Very exciting news, teammates Wade & Katie McHargue, along with their three kids: Abigail, Caleb, and Josiah, are ready to head to the field! They'll be leaving in March for Bissau. We're excited for them!

Please pray that God would be with them in the process of wrapping up their involvement in an incredible ministry at Jackson Park in North Carolina, putting things into storage, traveling to Bissau, and settling in to a new house in a new city. It will be a very exciting but also difficult at times for them!

Update (Mar 31st): The McHargue family is in Bissau and doing well. They are diving into language learning and their kids are making new friends. Thank you so much for your thoughts and prayers during the crazy transition of their move. Please continue to pray that God will give them understanding of the people and situations around them.

January 21, 09 - MTI

Right now we are at MTI (Mission Training International) in Palmer Lake, Colorado. There are 40 different missionaries here with us going to 22 different countries, so it's been really fun meeting people and learning about the places they are headed. We will be here from January 19th to February 6th (3 weeks, 2 weekends) learning a lot about how to be successful long-term missionaries.

Please pray that God would open our eyes and ears while we are here so that we can absorb all of the things He wants to teach us through the sessions themselves and through the other missionaries. Also pray that we would have the energy to continue being vulnerable and emotionally available in our small group Bible studies.

Update (Feb 9th): We are finished with MTI!!!!! Thank you so much for your prayers. MTI was pretty intense and we are so blessed by the things that God taught us about ourselves and the way that He is preparing us more each day to live and work in a culture so different from our own.

September 23, 08 - Cholera

Right now there is an outbreak of Cholera in Guinea-Bissau. There are over 4000 people in the city of Bissau who have Cholera and over 100 people have died. Cholera spreads through contaminated water and it causes massive, highly liquid diarrhea, so it makes people really dehydrated. It is treatable if people who are infected can stay hydrated with clean water.

Please pray that people will hear how to prevent and treat the disease. Also, as you pray for healing from Cholera please pray that people in Guinea-Bissau who are sick would have the chance to hear about Jesus so that those who die would not die without Him and those who live can have true healing.

Update: The latest report as of the beginning of November says over 12,000 cases have been reported, and 211 deaths as a result. The country's medical infrastructure isn't equipped, unfortunately, to deal with so many, especially in the more rural sections.

Update #2 (Jan 21): Cholera spreads through contaminated water and during the rainy season there are always many puddles of standing water and lots of run off that can spread contaminated water from well to well. With the end of the rainy season in December the Cholera has been contained and hardly any new cases are being reported.

Preparation

We are both excited to get back to Bissau when the time comes. We're praying that God will help us take advantage of the time here. On one hand we miss Africa, but on the other we haven't even had time to settle down and see our friends yet, so our hearts are in both places.

Please pray that God will give us peace and rest to enjoy the time we have and be ready to serve again when it's time to go back.

Update: Life has begun to settle down and God's used the time to help me remember who's in charge of things ultimately. We're really looking forward to spending the holidays with family and friends!

July 28, 08 - Simpson Park Youth Camp

SPYC happens in Romeo, MI one week every summer. Emily and I have been involved in the program ever since we can remember, first as campers and then as counselors. Every year junior high and high schoolers come to set aside a week to see old friends and focus on their relationships with God. In the past God has really met with people, for a lot of the campers it's the biggest period of being fed each year.

Request: Please pray that God will continue to prepare the hearts of the young adults who are coming to camp. Many of them are hurting in ways that are hard to imagine. Also, please pray that God will fill the staff with a supernatural sense of discernment to be able to identify the needs of their campers.

Update: Camp was tiring but completely worth it! God met with lots of our campers and many of them made decisions to give up parts of their lives that they thought He was asking for. Several campers felt a call to full time service. Thank you for your prayers! Please pray that God will walk with campers as they go back to "the real world" and begin to make changes.