a personal note

We really want this blog to be most focused on prayer requests for this unreached Muslim people group in the far NW of China that w are going to serve. Over 10 million of them and so few have ever heard the Gospel... But tonight I'll share a bit more of my own heart too.

We're jumping on a plane and heading back tomorrow. As we've been preparing to leave,

several people have tried to encourage us, "you are so strong to be able to do this," or "you are such examples." Not True. We are not going to this place or this people because we are strong but because God is worthy. I'm trembling pretty hard and heavy this evening... and honestly I have been for days. I am no superwoman. I'm not even half her. My man, incredible in so many ways, is sinful and weak too.

Heading home to this place that is so foreign (and yet feels more like home than America does now) is downright scary to me. The things that scare me most: I really struggled with culture difficulties during our first term there. It's also a microscopic-thin tightrope to walk- to find a "balance" between bold BOLD evangelism and getting kicked out of the country.

But are we or are we not doing this whole thing (you too, all of our lives, Christians, are for him) because the kingdom of God is all that is worth living for? We deeply desire to be bold: wisely bold, Spirit-filled, loosened tongue, bold in proclaiming the Good News of salvation in Christ. Sometimes though, honestly, I feel like I don't even know how to do that- and the grace to do that in the local languages is another thing as well. But it is what we are going there to do and at the same time I don't want to get kicked out for doing it.

I think those would be some of our top two prayer requests tonight: 1) humility to handle culture difficulties graciously and lovingly, and 2) being bold and loving and wise to proclaim the gospel of Christ clearly and convincingly, (although, praise God, ultimately the convincing is his job) and for grace to trust him to keep us there as long as he wills.

Of course, more than anything, if you think to pray for us, would you please pray that we would walk humbly with our God? Pray that we would love him dearly- with all of our hearts, souls, minds, strength- and be near to him in relationship, and in our own character. Pray that He would be our strength, our fuel, our highest delight, our greatest ambition and consuming motivation.

Check our family blog soon for updates on our landing and hopefully our new home too!

Thanks for standing with us friends!

For His Glory-

the prayerfuel folks