It’s been a week and a half since I returned from Asia. As I shared with the team that was recruited to specifically pray for Asia, “life here is a lot slower and more orderly and there is so much space.” Except for the fact that we had a tornado (pray for friends who sustained damage) come fairly close to us the day after my return, it’s been relatively quiet. Even in that, God showed himself.  Imagine if I came a day later and I would have been stranded “somewhere else” because of the tornadoes.  Jet lag is also nearly gone right now.

Thinking back on second week of the trip, again, It is clear that God was there and orchestrated everything. Just about everyone I talked to said that our visit was timely because what we addressed was the answer to the “next question” they were about to address in their ministry and their lives. More on that later.

Also, while we were gone, God worked mightily through our local DFW ISI team. In the last month, the team 1) did the “work of prayer” in praying and fasting daily Aradhna Concerts, 2) Executed the three city, three state, multi campus Aradhna tour, 3) did a service project where students, volunteers and staff renovated a local house that will be used for ministry near the UTD campus and 4) closed out the Tejas Retreat and its loose ends. I praise the Lord daily for the team that God has allowed me to be a part of and lead.

Here are some quick things of praise and prayer.

Praise

• The Aradhna concerts went exceptionally well and did more than their intended goals. Praise the Lord for how it changed the team as much as the attendees. Praise also for some of the conversations that came out of these concerts. Pray for God to continue to bless the students and draw them to Jesus because of this event. Praise the Lord for the work Ron Bunyard did to pull this together and for the team who made it possible.
• Praise the Lord for providing just enough funds for a student project to renovate a house near UTD for ministry use by one of the new staff. Praise also for the students, staff and volunteers to put in the elbow grease to make this place livable and even desirable for international students to visit.
• The presentations in Hong Kong were very well received. God spoke to the people who came and each walked away with a plan on how they will do ministry better in light of what they learned about keeping the end (of students being difference makers for Jesus when they return) in mind in all ares of their ministry using the M28 tools to help. Praise the Lord also for some contacts Roy made there too.
• Praise God for God’s taking care of the family so well while he was gone. Praise God for his working on each of the boys
• Praise God for his resurrection from the dead which provides for us all hope in God’s involvement in the present life, but also in his involvement in the life to come.
• God maintained the unity of the team in Hong Kong.

Pray for

• The people that the people we trained in Hong Kong are ministering to. Pray that they will reveal themseles as people of peace and the teams have the boldness to move forward. Pray for Seth as he navigates through his assignment but also the next steps in his life.
• Pray for the Woods as they, new staff, move into the metroplex to minister at UTD. Pray for a smooth transition.
• Pray as our team hosts the annuah EQUIP training conference where for a week we work with staff from around the country to help to learn the basics and latest in International Student Ministry(ISM).
• Pray for Roy to catch up on home things as he is recovering from 5 solid weeks of work almost every day, all day.