Tomorrow!

Wow! I'm sitting here in awe (and slight panic!) because our team leaves for Pucallpa in the morning!  The Dowagiac contingent (Craig, Rick, Efrain, Marilyn) had a packing party last night.  My mom and I (Ellen and Alyssa) are packing today, in between last minute errands.  And Mike and Ian are probably currently sitting on top of the roof at CEMY, pounding or measuring.

A few prayer requests before tomorrow:

• Ian (already in Peru) has been sick for the last few days. He's doing better, but please keep praying for his full recovery.
• Mike (also already in Peru) had a bit of an accident with a hammer, and they had to remove his fingernail.  We hear that he is also doing better
• I (Alyssa) have been sick since Thursday. While my fever is gone, and I am mostly un-congested, I'm still having a lot of issues with my ears (pressure, popping, etc).  The doctor warned me that I could be in a lot of pain on the airplane.  I'm trying a candling procedure today, so please pray that this works, and that the Lord alleviates my pain during flying.
• Efrain has also been having some congestion issues, which are mostly better now! Please be praying for him as well.

Rather than asking you to pray for our safety, I'm going to close with this (thought provoking!) quote from Francis Chan's book, Crazy Love.

"Haven’t we all prayed the following prayer? Lord, we pray for safety as we travel. We ask that no one gets hurt on this trip. Please keep everyone safe until we return. And bring us back safely. In Jesus name we pray, amen.

The exact wording may vary a bit, but that is the standard prayer we recite before leaving on mission trips, retreats, vacations, and business trips.

We are consumed by safety. Obsessed with it, actually. Now I’m not saying it’s wrong to pray for God’s protection, but I am questioning how we’ve made safety our highest priority. We’ve elevated safety to the neglect of whatever God’s best is, whatever would bring God the most glory, or whatever would accomplish His purposes in our lives and in the world.

Would you be willing to pray this prayer? God bring me closer to you during this trip, whatever it takes…

People who are obsessed with Jesus aren’t consumed with their personal safety and comfort above all else. Obsessed people care more about God’s kingdom…than their own lives being shielded from pain or distress."

 Thank you for your prayers and support!
We love you.
-Alyssa