Pray With Us

The holidays were great...but man, did they throw us off kilter. We enjoyed a trip to Ohio and seeing all the Asps. We took a break from school and the daily grind. And while that is nice, it has become difficult to fall back into routine.

As we have spent the past couple of weeks thinking and setting goals for this month- and even year- we want to share briefly where we are at now,and the things we hope you will pray with us and for us in the coming weeks.

I have returned to campus, tired and spread thin with coaching basketball and impending art competitions with my students. With so much on my plate, it is easy to get distracted and forget about what is truly important: loving others and sharing the love of Christ with them. I have the chance to do just that with three young men with whom I've been meeting this year. Unfortunately, we haven't really met since mid-December, and so I look forward to getting back to spending time with them again this week.

Heather is returning to school this semester, and hoping to find a job teaching in Fort Worth next year. She is also working with Born to Party, a sister ministry of Love Has Come (Heather's ministry to those harmed by sex trafficking and the sex industry), to build relationships with women, share God's love, and offer assistance to the women as they sense their need. To that end, several women have contacted Born to Party asking for help to leave the sex industry.

As a family we are spending time with neighbors and building relationships with them. Beginning last September, we started hosting a monthly game night at our house for the neighborhood as a way to get to know our neightbors better, and we will continue that gathering again in February.

Although this update lacks great detail, it gives you some insight into the ways we are seeking to follow God in the work he is doing. As the Spirit leads you, please considering praying with us for the following.

"No man comes to the Father unless he is drawn." (John 6:44)
- We need the Holy Spirit to pull people to himself.

"Pray to the Lord of the Harvest to send out workers into the harvest." (Luke 10:2)
- As we work in the Harvest Field, we ask for God to not only grant us a Harvest, but to pull workers from the Harvest to share his Gospel.

Pray for desire. "In Him was life, and the life was the light of men." John1:4
- It is simple, but we ask God to instill in the hearts of the people we love a desire to meet with us. Getting back "on schedule" can be tough, but certainly God is able to work within hearts.

Pray for hearts eager to change.
- As we grow in relationship with others, we are unable to change anyone. So we pray that God would move in the hearts of those we love and that they would desire wholeness, joy, peace, and restoration. We want those who feel the work of the Spirit to be excited to know God.

Pray for remembrance. (Colossians 1:13-29)
- First, we must remember the effect of the love of God on our own lives. In addition, we ask that we remain mindful that we are stewards of the Word of God for the benefit of those who have yet to hear of the glorious mystery of Christ in us, the hope of glory.

Pray for connections and resources. (Acts 2:45)
- As women seek to leave the sex industry, Heather and her friend Carole have to have places for them to live, classes and counseling to help them transition, job opportunities to take the place of their current employment, and so on. It is difficult to do this as a small movement of people, so we ask God to connect us with larger organizations and churches who are equally passionate about this ministry and may have resources to help in the effort.

Pray for partners (Luke 10:1-2)
- It is easy to feel lonely, isolated and misunderstood when trying to do something that is perceived as "different." We ask God to give us another couple with whom we can worship and pray, live and serve.

Pray for our neighbors.- We ask God to give us opportunities, apart from monthly large group gatherings, to talk and pray with the people around us.


Pray for our time and finances. (Acts 2:42-47)
- We don't want "busy" to equal "distracted." We ask God to help us prioritize, and balance work, family and study. And of course we've had car problems, appliance break-downs and stressful financial commitments. Ask God to keep us content, but also to help meet our needs.

Thank you for praying along with us. To God be the Glory!