On prayers and answers

Basiime Godfrey landed in Atlanta Saturday night, and today had a successful surgery on his best eye.  If his recovery goes well, he'll preserve the limited vision he has left, which is enough for him to function in Uganda but be declared legally blind in America.  He is overflowing with thankfulness for this opportunity, it is a bit like a benevolent millionaire offering someone time travel into the future to save their life with a procedure not yet developed in the present, there is the relief of getting taken care of, and then the over-the-top amazement of the vastly different world he has entered. The same things our kids notice when they come here, automatic garage doors and dishwashers and quiet empty streets and strangers who pray and give sacrificially.  America.

Pray for our Bundibugyo team's two days of prayer tomorrow and the next, a pause for breath as they come towards the end of this tumultuous transition-filled year.  Nothing is ever smooth, or simple, evil never rests, and when one problem is solved another one comes.  The Johnsons and Anna will be on a month of travel to the US for meetings, so Pat, Chrissy, and the Clarks need special prayer to "keep on holding on to the One  who's holding" them as our prayer video sings.  In Sudan Bethany is now the interim leader as the Massos begin a 7-month HMA too, so we have a team of hard-working and creative and caring very young people living at the edge of a national crisis as the vote on the referendum approaches.  The Kenya teams need prayer for wisdom in mentoring church leaders, working with Somali refugees and immigrants, and teaching Bible storying.  

And lastly, World Harvest Mission is about to enter a season of meetings.  Scott leaves Wednesday for the first phase, a prayer and fellowship and spiritual accountability retreat with the other overseas field directors. Next a week-long leadership meeting in Philadelphia, then another week-long team leader training in a small town outside the city.  I'll join him that third week.  Pray for our mission to collectively listen to God and each other, to love, to risk, to bring clarity of vision without eliminating the important things that Jesus himself would have us do and be.