OBERG PRAISE N PRAY – November 12,   2007

PRAISE for a good trip to Samorogouan last Sunday.  We will be going again this Sunday—please continue to PRAY that this group of believers will grow in their faith, and that more will be added to their number as they share their faith with others.

PRAISE for a good survey trip for Kevin and the representative from “Friends In Action” the group who will be digging several wells in the Kenedougou region and surrounding Bobo.  They will be coming the first week in December to dig these wells, so there will be more info to come for prayer.

PRAY for Kevin, Toby Hull, and the pastors from the Kenedougou region (as well as 2 reps from the Bobo district) who will be meeting on Tuesday in Ndorola to plan for the coming months of evangelism.  PRAY for God’s wisdom and guidance, and that our plans will line up with His divine plan for this region. 

Please PRAY for Omar in the village of Katana.  You may remember praying for him in past months.  Last week, he and his wife lost their third infant child since he accepted Christ a year and a half ago.  His faith is still strong, but many of his family and friends are coming and telling him that these are the consequences of his decision to follow Christ, which is causing him to question why this is happening.  Please PRAY that Omar would cling to Christ, that his wife would place her hope and trust in Him, and that God would use them and bless them as a testimony in that village—many people are watching to see what will happen.  PRAY that God will be glorified!

For those of you who have lived overseas for any length of time, you will understand the cultural rollercoaster that we ride on.  At times, we feel right at home and how could we possibly be living anywhere else?  At other times, the frustrations we experience (poverty –which includes a whole gamut of issues, dust, food choice limitations, traffic, and cultural “pet peeves”) get to us.  Most of the time, the ups and the downs don’t last too long.  However, I’ve recently discovered something—being out here for 4 years at a time without a significant break leads to what I call the “third year slump”.  (At least for me—I can’t speak for every missionary in the world!  :o)  The “down” of that cultural rollercoaster lasts longer than a normal down, and the frustration level seems to keep building rather than tapering off.  Guess what year we are in during this term?  Yep, the third year!!   So, please PRAY that we’ll have an extra dose of patience and tolerance as we get through this “slump”.  PRAY that our joy and focus will be on eternal things—it really is exciting to be a part of what God is doing!  But, this is one annoying reality that we face, and we do ask for special prayer during these months when life just seems to be a bit more difficult to deal with than the rest of our four years here.