Weekly Infused

 

I’m not sure what it is about tropical heat, lunch in the tummy and feeling sleepy in the early afternoon hour……but they all fit together in a nice sentence.  And they all are part of life here.  In fact, a few businesses shut down over the lunch hour.  Many people take a rest (national and foreigner).  If you want to drive when the roads are quiet, head out in the blazing heat around noon to 3 p.m. and traffic is usually at a lull.  The motivation drops during this time, as sweat drips down our backs and legs. 

It’s a hard time to commit to doing something weekly.  Yet 2:00 every Tuesday is the time that works.  Accountability helps.  Knowing that friends are waiting, helps also.  Most Tuesdays I have to push myself to go.  It’s a battle.  And yet I can’t slough it off, cross it off, ignore it, wish it away, or rest.  I and others have been called.  I don’t write to toot our horn, but to describe what has happened on this 3 year journey.  It has been one of my favorite experiences in Papua.  And every week, I stand (not sleep) AMAZED.

This calling is praying for our school each week.  We follow the Mom’s in Prayer Model (a very simple outline for praying for schools).  When we felt compelled to start this group here, I had no idea how much it would grow me, challenge me and bless me.  I mean, when you think of praying for an hour…..don’t you think of words like: sacrifice, boring, tiring, effort, a long time….?????   But we can never out give God and when He asks us to do something, it is just like Him to give back a 100 fold.

Thankfully, Tammy was feeling called to pray for our school too.  And others have joined us along the way.  Every now and then there is a week when I (or Tammy) are the only ones praying.  And that is an extra challenge to not flap around in despair.  Every week, we try hard to not chit chat, but focus as quick as we can.  Some weeks, like this last one, we all (5 of us) had to pause mid praying and have a really hard laugh as Cheryl ate her brownie in front of us. Often tears drip from our eyes.  We are women and experiencing all these emotions is:  Refreshing.  Most of the ladies in our group, I do not see or hang out with the rest of the week, but there is a bond with each one of them.  This bond transcends words or explanation. 

I’m not the only one who feels this way about praying for a school.  Read what one of my friends, State side, wrote me recently as she also is being called to pray:  “I cannot begin to tell you how God has blessed me through this ministry.  It is so true that you cannot out give Him.  I feed and am fed by the ladies as we share our faith each week following prayer.  My eyes are opening to the truth of the extreme needs that walk around each day cloaked behind the smiles of “typical” people.  I am being stretched to put aside my own prejudice and understand that His Body is made up of very different followers of Christ.  It’s a bigger responsibility, burden and blessing than I ever conceived as I thought about simply praying for teachers and students in a school.  I’m sure through all of your ministry experiences, you can grasp the depth of what I am trying to communicate……there just aren’t’ words to express it.  But, it is good!”

Her words echo my heart.

So not only do we feel called……but we also know that we are praying to a GOD who is EAGER to hear.  Longing to hear.  Begging for people to simply pray.  How cool is that?  AND we see the fruit: in our school, in the teachers, in the administration, in our national workers, in the dorm parents and dorm kids, in the students and in our own kids.

So as the tropical heat bears down and the fatigue presses in……it’s worth it to drive up to the school and grab that weekly infusion.  Because if I have learned nothing else in these last three years……it is this…..I have never ever, not one time, left as tired as I came.  Now that is a God thing!