This month Pastor Betsy has challenged us to continue praying Dangerous Prayers #1 and #2 and add the most difficult one of all, at least for me, Send Me. In our prayer vigil materials, Betsy divided up the world missions and gave us each a section. I received the Mesoamerican region. In every part of that region specific prayer requests were targeted for prayer. The ones that hit home to me were Dominica and the islands of St. Thomas and St. John. Dominica is getting ready to launch Family Camp which is a new missionary endeavor. Dominica is known as Nature Island so I can't think of a better place for a family to get close to God as they are fully immersed in nature. A friend of mine from high school has a very strong connection with Dominica. He lives there part of the year and actually imported these wonderful-smelling soaps. I bought the bars of patchoulli from him for over a decade. He also conducted JMU Alumni trips to Dominica many times. I've never been there but my senses certainly have.
The other group included the islands of St. Thomas and St. John. That was the most special trip I ever took with my sons! I literally decided to go there the day before we left. I got us a direct flight out of Charlotte and Zach agreed to drive all night. I had had a triple bypass just a few months before we went on this whirlwind excursion. It was very important to me that we do this together--it was a dream we all had talked of for years. I had just received my summer school and Northern Neck Regional Governor's School's stipends and I made the very uncharacteristic decision to spend it on this trip. We got a room at an all inclusive resort on St. Thomas. It was a beautiful place. The colors were hues I had never seen in nature before. I had heard how undeveloped St. John was and we wanted to see the coral reefs in the national park there. Our senses were alive with the beauty of these islands. We truly fell in love with St. Thomas and St. John. Yet, it was on my prayer list as having no Nazarene presence at all. Perhaps other denominations were actively doing God's work there but the Church of the Nazarene hadn't expanded there, at this time.
So, back to the Send Me prayer...My Ladies Bible study class is inbetween series and we decided to watch a Joyce Meyer video yesterday. Oh my goodness! Guess what her lesson was about? Yes, indeed, it was all about the excuses we make to God and ourselves about why He can't send us. We know better than to put limits on God. He told us in Philippians 4:13 I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. We're in good company, though, many of the folks the Lord chose to lead hesitated and even suggested Him sending someone else. The truth of my life right now is I am the caregiver for my husband. Unless he gets a whole lot better, the Send Me prayer may have to wait. I believe there are still things I can do to serve the Lord in these places He laid on my heart. I shall pray about it.