Prayer Requests 11/12/07
Remember this guy?
This is a recent conversation I had with our brother Sitha in Korea . . . Please remember to pray for him.
im doing ok. i visited another church today much closer than the other one
which was 1 hour and 40 min away. this was only like 15min. i liked it a lot.
smaller church, very welcoming and friendly and easy to get involved with.
the far church was really good, but it was big... no one really knew each other
i like this new one, but overall things are going ok
crazy things are still going on at work. my assisatnt boss now quit.
my one employee was fired. when i came, i took the place of a teacher who quit
the school is falling apart, but i managed to meet a guy today who really
wants me to work at his international school. its a christian school.
i told him i couldnt break contract
so he told me, if anything happens during the year with my job, to give him a call
pretty awesome.
ive been so busy, i basically have no free time.
Prayer Requests 10/9/07
It's October already . . .
Please post prayer requests and updates because I don't know what's going on with so many of you.
As for me, I have been working at the Great Impasta in Downtown Champaign (yes Champaign has a downtown now and it's boomin!). I got a second job at this place called SCORES, no not the strip bar but an actual grading center for District schools in the area.
God is good, but I am not. I have been struggling with bitterness lately, but He continually rebukes the crap out of me. I want answers, progress, maturity, direction, but He wants obedience, faithfulness, submission, purity. So I've been butting my head against a sovereign wall, but I'm changing slowly I think. Please pray that I'd grow!!! Please!!! I feel like I won't leave here until I grow to a certain level :) I know sounds stupid but I just want to grow too!
Post your pr's so I'll grow!!! I need to learn how to pray for others and you're the easiest to pray for . . .
~sugs
Prayer Requests 9/26/07
Hey guys,
I've been all over the place since I've been back in chambana, but i'm extremely thankful to be here!!! I don't know where i'm going to be next year so i want to use my time down here wisely and i desperately want to grow and build my faith as much as possible!!! so much has been happening that i don't know where to begin. God is really working on building my character and has been slowly breaking me apart. areas that i definitely need to work on:
- to fight: i feel like the parable? of the rich man... i'm asking jesus what i must do to obtain eternal life and he's telling me to sell all my possessions. i don't want to walk away sad, but i'm really tempted. i want to offer up everything that i have easily.
- building HEALTHY relationships: i've come to ther realization that though i really love my friends i have a tendency to bend and fold to their wills. I really desire to have frienships that teach and admonish in both ways, meaning i need to step up prayerfully and speak up lovingly.
- leading a prayerful life: i want to be faithful with my prayer life, i'm really thankful for all the resources that CFC provides where i can pray. i'm definitely taking advatage of them and i really want to keep taking advantage of these opportunities. I also want to build a firm foundation of prayer and dependence on God.
- loving my family: its been really difficult to understand them, my mom keeps disinviting me home and i just found out that she thinks that i don't care for our family. since i've been back in chambana i've been trying to maintain a consistent relationship with my family, calling them atleast once a week. the calls have been really difficult with my mom, they're very short and redundant. but they've been going really great with my sister and my dad...please pray for my faithfulness and consistency.
i feel really defeated these days, God's been really breaking me apart in so many ways... i really stink!!! But i'm really thankful and i'm learning to fight. YAY!!! thanks guys... i'm really grateful of all of you and i miss you guys!!! everytime i hear about a body of christ i always think of all of you. =)
Prayer Requests 9/06/07
IMPORTANT PRAYER UPDATE, SITHA IS LEAVING!!! READ ON . . .Hey Guys!
A lot has happened to me this pass year and I am in awe of how God has transformed me. I have been blessed in indescribable ways, and through countless experiences that i was priveledged to be a part of. But my journey with Him will have to continue in a new country. Uncertain at first, but I truly know now that God has called me with a purpose in Korea. I don't know (exactly) what that purpose is, but I do have a hint. it's ok though, I just gotta go and trust.
I know i'll be tempted in many ways in Korea, and I've made it seem to many of you that this was my biggest fear. But its not... my biggest fear in going to Korea is not the temptations that will exist for me there, but my biggest fear is my own heart. I never told anyone this, but when I was living alone at eastern last year, i struggled greatly in my spiritual life. Having no accountability or friends around, i missed church more than three-fourths of the year and i didn't spend any time or effort to meet with Him. I fell away in my weakness, but still, God has been soooo faithful to me.
I'll be living alone again for the next two years, but this time, more than ever, no one will be there for me. I fell away last year, and my biggest fear is that when i return, i'll have fallen away again. With that said, I hope you guys can pray for me once in a while, as I will be praying for you.
Please pray that i will never never NEVER stop loving and seeking our God. Pray that i'll NEVER stop fighting to know Him. Pray that i'll NEVER EVER stop living my life for His glory. And pray that I'll learn what it means to depend wholly and completely on Him. For this is what I feel God has been trying to teach me this entire year. That is: to know what it truly means to depend on Him for my everything. (and of course... please pray for a church and some good accountability.)
I'll miss you guys very much! And i'm starting to get real sad. But we'll keep in touch!
I know i haven't been around much, and some of the r&r members have grown apart, and now i'm going far away.... but you guys will always be my family.
so take care for now, and i'll see you guys in a little bit. =)
thankfully and always your brother,
Sitha
**NOTE: SITHA WILL BE LEAVING THIS SATURDAY OR MONDAY, BAH! PRAY FOR HIM!!!**
Prayer Requests 8/16/07
Wow, looks like this thing didn't survive long over the summer. Well I'm in desperate need of prayer and my life is starting to settle for once, sort of. This summer was full of lots of great experiences for me in Japan and I believe God was using that to prepare me for the year. Since I've been back it's been such a battle of faith, to trust Him first and not worry about my life's circumstances. SO I continued to serve at retreats and CFC VBS. That's over now and I'm glad God allowed me to go through those things but my faith is still being tested. I still have no job down here, there are some temp jobs awaiting interviews next week but they're slow coming, but I'm still busy with serving the church with HOw to Survive and Minio both coming up; including sm groups starting next week. This is a busy time for our church I know, but I'm on my last string here.
Yesterday I was working on stuff all day and on my way to another meeting I went threw a red light. I got pulled over and was told that I was driving on a suspended license. I had no idea. The officer told me she would normally take me to jail and impound my car but she said I could just park it at my friend's place and issued me a bond. So now I can't drive and have to go to court . . . if I have to file for an SR-22 (penalty insurance) again I dont think I'll be able to afford it. I'm also getting all my wisdom teeth pulled in two weeks. I just don't have money. My parents are helping me with the teeth, but I haven't told them about the car yet. THey're really frustrated with me about car stuff b/c I've had to do the SR-22 before and it cost a butt load of money. On top of that they really dont like that I'm down here.
I'm not trying to whine to you all or am asking for pity/empathy/whatever. This is really hard for me right now, I don't like getting help because I'm prideful but I have literally nothing for me right now and the Bible says share your burdens. So that's what I've been trying to do, is ask people to pray for me because I was seriously thinking about packing up and disappearing yesterday . . . yea i know that sounds stupid but it was just too much for me at the moment. Please please please pray for me, that I'd stop looking at myself and I'd look at Jesus, the author and perfecter of my faith, that I'd do my best for this How to Survive that I'd do my best for Minio and all the other ministries I'm serving in, I just want to praise Him still ......
1 Then Job replied to the LORD :
2 "I know that you can do all things;
no plan of yours can be thwarted.
3 You asked, 'Who is this that obscures my counsel without knowledge?'
Surely I spoke of things I did not understand,
things too wonderful for me to know.
Prayer Requests 6/25/07
Hey everyone~
It's been quite a while since I've seen/talked to a lot of you guys.
Hope everyone is doing well. Just a little update on what I've been up to/ happening :
1. I finished my second year of teaching middle school math here in California.
2. Going to Korea for the entire summer (2 months)
3. Moving up north in September- going to start my 1 year Masters program @ Stanford.
Well, I'll be going through another transition in my life this fall. I'm really excited yet scared.
I need prayers in these specific areas.
1. I need to find a good church where I can grow spiritually & serve. I want to find a church where I have
accountability and good sisters in Christ. Also, a church that will challenge me and make me come out
of my comfort zone.
2. Academics: I will be studying International Comparative Education. What is that? I don't know- but I'm focusing on
empowering Muslim women education. Why? Long story short- God has given me a heart for Muslim women..and
I believe that He has opened this amazing opportunity for me. I really want to make the most of this opportunity.
Please pray that I may be diligent and a good student. Also, pray that I may meet good friends in my program.
3. Spouse: My parents have been bugging me about this matter for a while- but I also feel the need to pray a lot for this.
Please pray that I may find a man of God and that also has the same heart as me.
Ok, thanks a lot guys- miss you all a lot. God bless :)
Prayer Requests 6/20/07
hello r&r,
there's just been a lot of ups and downs this year and that's translated to a lot of ups and downs in my relationship with God. i feel like i'm slowly crawling out of a down time, but i'm still really confused and know there are a lot of issues that i need to resolve with God. but i can honestly say that God has continued to remind me through all of this that he has me. and i cannot tell you how thankful i am for that. so as he reminds me of all that he's done for me so far and as he reminds me of how good it is to be right with God, he's slowly drawing me back into an active relationship with him. i REALLY need some quality alone time with God. i've been going to a lot of bible studies lately--one with my woman's group and one with my college group--and they've been so good for me, but each one only deepens my conviction that i need my personal time to reconnect with God. i know it's so simple, but so hard to do. so this week i've committed to waking up early so i can spend some time with God before i go to work. could you just pray that these times happen? i really just want to love God again, and for that to happen i need some quality time. so please pray for these times, that i would be open to hearing what he wants to say to me and that i would be willing to obey. you all know i'm rebellious, so please pray for this rebellious heart of mine--and that i would just fall in love with God all over again.
miss you all,
esther
Remember this guy?
