Today's Top 8 Prayer Needs

1)  Please pray for our internet, which again is not working properly.  With very unreliable and very expensive cell phone service to the states, having internet is VITAL for us to work with the outside world, communicate with family, communicate with Bryan as our director, post our blogs, for the guys to work on their master's, to make purchases for the Seminary, etc.   Some days it seems that smoke signals might be the most reliable form of communication!

2)  Please pray for our generator, which again is not working properly.  New engines are on the way, but until then, we can only run the generator for very short periods of time, meaning that we are doing without consistent power and water again.  Good things are on the way...trusting God to keep carrying us!

3)  Please pray for Matt.  While trying to teach and administer the Seminary, he is fixing inverters in between in his tie and dress clothes, working into the night on the internet, trying to secure the arrival of the generator engines, etc.  Matt's feeling really overwhelmed by all of these ongoing operational issues, all of which he is not trained or qualified to fix, nor does he have the time.  However, because EVERYONE on our compound is a pastor or Bible teacher, NO one knows how to do this stuff, and all of the manuals are in English....so, Matt.   Please pray that God would give him strength and wisdom for each day, encouragement in the midst of seemingly endless breakdowns, and joy unceasing.

4)  Please pray for the Administration as they work through a very difficult and discouraging issue with a student this week.  This specific morality issue is proving to be quite complicated, mulit-faceted and comes with a plethora of perspectives.  Please pray for wisdom, grace,  and righteousness to dominate their process and final decision regarding this young man.

5)  Please pray for Haiti this week as all schools began October 4th.  Every year, this is such a difficult time.  Haiti has so very little to offer it's children, and education is such an important thing to parents.  It is very expensive, and finding the money for school, or accepting that your children won't be going to school this year are both VERY difficult realities.

I caught our dear friend Micheline crying over the dishes yesterday, and was reminded all over again what a truly heartbreaking time of year this is for SO MANY parents...who love their children every bit as much as we love Lily, who want the very best for them just as we do for Lil, who who are simply INCAPABLE of finding the $52 dollars US per child to put them in school.  AND feed them.  AND clothe them.  AND buy uniforms.  AND buy textbooks.  AND take them to the doctor.

6)  Please pray for me.  An additional job assignment that I am covering this year is that of keeping track of the day to day finances at Emmaus.  While this has been a job I enjoy doing, I am beginning to really battle with worry.  Working with money makes you worry about money, doesn't it :)  While we all work daily to spend only in ways that bring Him glory and that comply with a much-prayed over budget, feeding 70 men and women every day is expensive.  Paying our staff a wage that we can feel good about is expensive.   Working on the generator.  Running it.  Internet (whether it works or not).

This is NOT a sneaky way of asking for money for the Seminary!  I strongly believe that there is no room in the life of a redeemed, Spirit-filled child of God for true worry.  Do I trust Him or don't I?  Is this HIS ministry or MINE?  Am I taking care of things, or is HE?

Pray that He would help me to trust Him fully, to constantly give Him my cares and our needs, and to not just SAY that I trust Him, but to live in my mind and heart and speech and walk as one DEFINED by the fact.

7)  Please pray for Civil and Matt, De Mange and Saccanville.  This Sunday, Matt will be preaching at Saccanville church and Civil will be preaching the first services (one in the morning and one in the afternoon) at De Manges.  Please be praying for these exciting opportunities, for everyone that will be there, and for the Lord to keep showing up in a powerful way!

8)  Please pray for Fall Break.  Due to Lucner and Paul needing to be in the States the next two weeks for their residency program, EBS's fall break has been scheduled at the same time!  As you know by now, "Break" for EBS means "Ministry".

Matt, FanFan and Junior will be leading an evangelism trip to Port-au-Prince, Nicole, Jean-Marie and Leandre are kick-starting a huge children's ministry on Saturday, and many of our students who have been too far from home to return will be traveling back to work in their churches.  Please pray for everyone's safe travel, for GOOD ministry, and for continued transformation in Haiti and glory to God to result.

We are so grateful for Who He Is in the midst of Haiti, Emmaus, our lives, the day-to-day, in our family.
Despite any burdens and struggles of the day, the song that's resounding with my soul today Kari Jobe's.

Here before Your altar,
I am letting go of all I've held...
of every motive, 
every burden, 
everything that's of myself.


And I just want to wait on You, my God.
I just want to dwell on who You are.


Beautiful, beautiful.
Oh, I am lost for more to say.
Beautiful, beautiful, O Lord.
You're beautiful to me.


Here in Your presence, 
I am not afraid of brokenness.
To wash Your feet with humble tears,
I would be poured out till nothing's left.


Holy, holy, holy.  You are.  You are. 


Counting on and rejoicing in your prayers, knowing that the God we serve is One who actively listens...and moves.