PRAY!

Prayer - the most important part of our mission.  One thing we have been talking about during our meetings is the aspect of spiritual warfare at work.  While we are on mission for the Lord, we can't forget that Satan is trying to stop us and block our path.  With this in mind, we fight with prayer.  And this is only possible with your help!  While we are on the field, we need all of you back at home to be praying. There are SO many aspects of our trip that need to be prayed for;  I'm going to throw out a few that I can think of, but know that there is an unlimited amount of topics! These are things to be praying about before the trip, and as the trip nears I will post more prayer requests for the specific work we will be doing.

• Pray for safety as we have long days of travel ahead of us
• Pray that we will be spiritually prepared and the Spirit would dwell in us before our trip
• Pray that our hearts and minds would be freed from distractions and we are fully focused on sharing His love to the people of Rwanda
• Pray that vaccines and financial support would not be a problem and that the Lord would provide
• Pray for our team to grow together and bond as brothers and sisters in Christ so that we can work together collaboratively during the mission
• Pray that the Lord would bless us with wisdom and knowledge of His Word so that we are able to effectively share the gospel
• Pray that the hearts of the Rwandan people would be softened and their minds opened before we arrive
• Pray that our training goes smoothly and we would feel fully prepared for our projects in Rwanda

Just a few things to keep in mind as we continue to pray as well.  What a beautiful journey the Lord has blessed us with, I am so grateful to be a part of it!

Let the countdown begin!

HELLO beautiful world!  I am writing on behalf of the lovely team at Saddleback Church that will be journeying to Rwanda on July 10th for a PEACE trip! Incase you didn't realize, this trip was pretty last minute.  We all felt the Lord's calling to serve in Rwanda, so we accepted His mission and will be leaving oh so soon.  We have three main purposes for this short term trip - soccer initiative, orphan care and vulnerable children, and sunday school outreach.  We will be split into teams based on our shape and where our interests and skills set fits best.  The soccer initiative is not only about having a fun time, it is about reaching out to the orphans and vulnerable children and creating a team, a family, for them to be a part of.  We will also be working with Saddleback's Rwanda sponsorship program, checking in with the homes and making sure they are safe havens for the children and orphans being cared for.  But, most importantly, we are going for ONE reason only - to share His love.  All of our efforts would be in vain without the strength of the Holy Spirit.  We want to show the people of Rwanda that the Lord's love is cross-cultural, and that we are all brothers and sisters in Christ.  This is what we will strive for through our daily actions, words, mannerisms, and even dress.  Please pray that His love visibly beams through our hearts!  Tomorrow, I will post a few ideas on how to pray for us if the Lord is calling you to be a part of our prayer team. You all are such BLESSINGS and we are eternal grateful for your love and support!