Praise and Prayer for May 15, 2010

Today Jonathan is teaching an all-day Church Music workshop to a number of men including church leaders. Thank you for praying for him as he prepared for this workshop and worked to put together a PowerPoint presentation and notes, working both with his iMac and slightly outdated IBM laptop computers! We are praying for a good reception to what is taught and that these men will come away with tools to use in their preparation of Worship services.

God has been using Jessica Leslie in so many ways during her time here with us. On Tuesday night while Jonathan and I were at prayer meeting, Caleb asked Jessica to pray with him as he asked Jesus to open his heart and wash away his naughty things. We were thrilled the next day to hear him explain to us what Jesus had done for him both in words and in a picture he drew. Another way the Lord has used Jessica has been to encourage the young adults in our church. Last Saturday she attended their Bible study, and on Thursday she had afternoon tea with three other girls. Most of the young people have some knowledge of English, and enjoy the occasions to use it. Jessica is picking up some French as well. It is such a joy to see the love of God and the connection we have in Christ break down barriers such as different languages and cultures. How we praise God for how He is using Jessica.

Yesterday we took the day for an outing to take Jessica and an Australian student here for a semester to visit a French Castle, something we’ve been wanting to do before Jessica leaves us in a couple of weeks. We visited Pierrefonds, an impressive medieval castle as well as Compiegne, a palace used by French monarchs from Louis XV to Napoleon III and furnished with period furnishings depicting the royal splendor. It was a long and tiring day, but the Lord gave us protection and lots of fun together as a family. Palaces can be pretty impressive, and after what we saw, it’s pretty amazing to think that none of it comes close to what the Lord has in store for those who love Him!

Praise for:
- an encouraging time together last Sunday with a family from church.
- the opportunities Jessica has had to encourage the young people in our church.
- the opportunities Jonathan had on Tuesday to talk about the Lord to a neighbor and another student’s mother.
- an excellent Dr.’s report for Caleb. The doctor could not detect any wheezing for the first time in three years! It has been over two months now since his last asthma attack.

Pray for:
- good reception of the Church Music workshop with church leaders today and that principles and practices will be applied.
- Jessica as the Lord continues to use her during these last days with us, and for His continued leading in her life.
- continued growth in our Sango ministry outreach.
- guidance as to our future ministry.