Saturday, February 26, 2005
Half way there
Putting ones life in God's care is one thing. Putting one's Family in God's care is another. This mission has been like that. Last December our family was turned down for support from a Grant. It came as a bit of a blow but a necessary one. The reality was that we had not placed our mission in God's care. It had existed in ours yet we had not turned it over.
Around the time of the rejection I happened to fall in with a couple of seminarians and we formed a small prayer group. We meet weekly to join in centering prayer and to reflect on scripture. At present we're on the 8th chapter of Luke. We began meeting in the hopes of finding God's will for us amidst this strange land of "seminary". There is great irony because one would think that it would be easy to understand God's will at seminary. One might have images of the place where people ponder scripture all day long and pray together. What we found is that is a place like another. It is not a monastery so their is no imposed practice of faith. We have chapel yes but the primary purpose of seminary is a academic institution.
There was great richness in being with others in prayer. There still is because we are still meeting. Through them I began to discern that my wife and I should take our mission and put it in God's hands. I'm a bit of a control freak so this is easier said than done. Gingerly, I began asking my group to begin praying for our mission to find out if it was God's will and if it was if the money would show up ( I was to submit two large requests through some Episcopal grants- the same two that Post Whew mentions)
Prayer does change things.
Shortly after they began to pray there was a renewed vigor between my wife and I. She became very convinced that this was the next right step for our family. So convinced that she became willing to part with substantial monies she has saved for a rainy day. It was if a door had opened and the needed decision lay not with the Grant or even Our Little Roses but us!
I continued to ask my prayer group to pray that this was the correct next step and for the money to show up.
A few weeks after that I spoke to Diana Frade and explained again what we wanted to do. I happened to catch her hours before she was returning to Honduras. She very warmly encouraged our insistence this was to be a family mission and not simply one I would go on (We kept getting subtle hints that it would be much easier to raise funds if I (the seminarian) went alone. ) Prior to this conversation with Diana there was question if there would be anywhere we could even live in San Pedro Sula. The next day Diana had secured the on-site apartment and told us a place had been made for us.
I continued to ask my prayer group to pray that this was the correct next step and for the money to show up.
This week I found out that $1950 was being granted to me from the school. This is about half the money necessary for our mission. One of the grant requests was approved.
Prayer requests are powerful things. We continue to pray.
Around the time of the rejection I happened to fall in with a couple of seminarians and we formed a small prayer group. We meet weekly to join in centering prayer and to reflect on scripture. At present we're on the 8th chapter of Luke. We began meeting in the hopes of finding God's will for us amidst this strange land of "seminary". There is great irony because one would think that it would be easy to understand God's will at seminary. One might have images of the place where people ponder scripture all day long and pray together. What we found is that is a place like another. It is not a monastery so their is no imposed practice of faith. We have chapel yes but the primary purpose of seminary is a academic institution.
There was great richness in being with others in prayer. There still is because we are still meeting. Through them I began to discern that my wife and I should take our mission and put it in God's hands. I'm a bit of a control freak so this is easier said than done. Gingerly, I began asking my group to begin praying for our mission to find out if it was God's will and if it was if the money would show up ( I was to submit two large requests through some Episcopal grants- the same two that Post Whew mentions)
Prayer does change things.
Shortly after they began to pray there was a renewed vigor between my wife and I. She became very convinced that this was the next right step for our family. So convinced that she became willing to part with substantial monies she has saved for a rainy day. It was if a door had opened and the needed decision lay not with the Grant or even Our Little Roses but us!
I continued to ask my prayer group to pray that this was the correct next step and for the money to show up.
A few weeks after that I spoke to Diana Frade and explained again what we wanted to do. I happened to catch her hours before she was returning to Honduras. She very warmly encouraged our insistence this was to be a family mission and not simply one I would go on (We kept getting subtle hints that it would be much easier to raise funds if I (the seminarian) went alone. ) Prior to this conversation with Diana there was question if there would be anywhere we could even live in San Pedro Sula. The next day Diana had secured the on-site apartment and told us a place had been made for us.
I continued to ask my prayer group to pray that this was the correct next step and for the money to show up.
This week I found out that $1950 was being granted to me from the school. This is about half the money necessary for our mission. One of the grant requests was approved.
Prayer requests are powerful things. We continue to pray.
