Date:  Wednesday, August 29, 2012

Day 49 of 180

Day 50.  Wow, almost two months.  Learning to live out my faith in such an utterly dependent way has been most beneficial to my maturity as a Christian.  More than this, I have found that your loving support both financially and prayerfully have been most helpful.  I could not have survived this long without your prayers and your financial support.  Surprisingly I find very little in the way of updates.  Though a question has been raised about my current ministerial role, which has led a number of pastors and me to begin a season of prayer to seek out what is really the best fit for me here in TLC.  The question involves my language capabilities or lack of them.  It has been no secret to the staff that I have been quite frustrated and a little discouraged by my lack of ability when it comes to trying to communicate in Mandarin certain points of view of faith in Mandarin.  This profound difficulty has led them to believe that perhaps my placement in the Youth Zone at TLC may not be a good permanent fit for me, and that maybe I might be better suited to a placement at the Foreigner Zone.  There are advantages to both but none seem to be the clear choice.  Please join me and the staff at TLC as we prayerfully consider, again, what God’s plans are for my time here.

Here are some texts to guide your prayers:

1.)    Psalm 16:7-11, “⁷ I will praise the Lord, who counsels me; even at night my heart instructs me.   ⁸ I keep my eyes always on the Lord.  With him at my right hand, I will not be shaken.  ⁹ Therefore my heart is glad and my tongue rejoices;  my body also will rest secure, ¹⁰ because you will not abandon me to the realm of the dead, nor will you let your faithful^[a] one see decay.  ¹¹ You make known to me the path of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand.”

2.)    Psalm 17:6-7, “⁶I call upon you, for you will answer me, O God; incline your ear to me; hear my words.  ⁷Wondrously show you steadfast love, O Savior of those who seek refuge from their adversaries at you right hand.”

3.)    Romans 8:28, “And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.”

4.)    1 Peter 1:6-7, “⁶In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials, ⁷So that the tested genuineness of your faith—more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire—may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ.”

Thank you again for your prayers, couldn’t do this without you all.

                                                                                                                                         Much Love,

                                                                                                                                                  David