Leigh Family Prayer Bulletin - November 2006

Feedback...

• Worship - Our first monthly extended (7pm-11pm) worship gathering at church was fantastic. We didn't really have any "publicity" for it, but there were many not from our church (which we love to see). This is about the region and not one local body. We'll have to see where it's heading and follow the Lord on that. The remaining ones this (school) year will be published on the "France on Fire" web site so that those in the region who are connected will know about it. I'm looking for this to be an opportunity to spark more worship in this area...deeply on our heart.
  
  A wonderful development is that Olivia desires to sing with us when we lead worship. This is an answer to prayer as we know that she has a worship call on her life and until now, when we have a worship-leading responsibility, she has largely resented it. Olivia is growing in her walk with the Lord as well as in music so we're thrilled to see developments in these area.
  
  The worship times at school this year have been encouraging, yet remain challenging! ;c) Angela and I work with one of the grades each Friday to prepare for the chapel time on Monday. We want to focus with one part of the Junior High each week to enable them to participate with more intention in the worship times. This brings Angela and I together more for preparation (an essential for us we've learned over the years). It also helps the students learn to be active in their participation in worship instead of just spectators. It's a long-term view and the immediate results look mixed but we continue to work to see with eyes of faith!!
  
  
• Rachel - Our time with Rachel at home for a weekend was rich but short. We'll see her again for a part of this weekend. She's learning how to live with a more rigid schedule and how to make God a priority in a rigid and full schedule. This is such an important lesson and we're thrilled that she's learning it now instead of much later. She's being challenged to know what she believes and know how to express it. She being challenged to be relevant in the world. Her parents are quite proud of her! ;c)
  
  
• School Responsibilities - Both Angela and I are finding much joy in our tasks this year at school. Her teaching and creative input and hard work in cleaning and decorating are right up her ally. For me as well, the coordination of the computers at school has been something that I love to sink my teeth into. We both need real wisdom in how to best prioritize and organize our tasks and to integrate others as well (we're both introverts and enjoy individual projects).
  
  
• Establishing - I went to the government office that handles our immigration activities to ask what I needed to do to apply for the right to work so that my responsibilities with the computers at school could be transformed into a real job. Unfortunately (or fortunately) there apparently is no pat answer for our situation (how many times have I heard THAT!?). So now we need to petition for a change in our immigration status so that we can respond to an employer's (our school) "job" offer. At the moment, this "job" would be a "wash" financially. It really wouldn't change our financial position much, if at all. It would however allow us to have a more solid immigration status and improve our health-care options as we would be eligible for the French national health care system.
  
  With this responsibility of coordinating the computing environment at school, I'd also like to actively work at fund-raising for the technology environment at the school. If this were to result in monthly financial contributions to the school for the information technology, a part of that could go to actually pay a bit more in the salary department. So this responsibility at the school has the potential to return a blessing of provision for us as well as performing a needed function for the school.

Please Pray...

• Newsletters - Due to some changes in our web site hosting account and desire to streamline our website maintenance (for instance a new photo gallery) and communication efforts, we've been trying some new things with the newsletters. Unfortunately, that has resulted in some difficulties with people receiving the newsletters (not exactly the goal!). Anyway, I'd appreciate prayers for wisdom/discernment in resolving the issues and not letting that control our time. As I've mentioned before, we're interested in "taking dominion" in every sphere of creation...including technology! I have the impression that the enemy's attacks in the world of information technology (spam, viruses, internet filth, etc.) have really impacted the way Christians do and can use information technology for Kingdom purposes. I want to see that change and how we (the Leigh family) use it for our own regular communication is a microcosm of that battle in my view.
  
  
• Trip Home in April - For those of you who successfully received Angela's latest newsletter Only in France..., you'll know that we're planning a trip to the States in April, 2007. As Angela mentioned, we're looking at landing in the geographic center of the States to drink a bit at the well of worship and intercession at the International House of Prayer in Kansas City. The idea being that we could make a couple of trips from there to see some family and friends and/or they could come and visit at Kansas City during the same time. The logistics are a bit mind-boggling as are the various objectives/aims of a 3-week trip to the States with the whole family.
  
  We already have 1 person who has pledged 2 of the 5 tickets needed. I have a former co-worker who has some airline miles that could help us while we're in the States to get around a bit. We have someone looking at a housing option. We're thankful that some initial responses to our prayers are there already. Many needs still remain! Please pray for provision for tickets, lodging, and expenses while there. Pray for wisdom to know where to go and whom to visit while in the States...we need to walk in God's divine purposes for this time.
  
  
• Worship - Continue to pray for the monthly worship gatherings at Église Josué (our church), touching the hearts of the Junior High kids at Collège-Daniel (our school), and the participation of Noah and Olivia in worship. At church, we're trying to be more organized in the worship responsibilities, including sound, overheads, etc. Organization is not the primary gifting of this church! We can laugh at ourselves a bit about this, but there are times where that can wound those who need more exterior structure to move into maturity in their responsibilities. As those who are part of the team responsible for the worship we see some needs for discipling people in various role, but a a real lack on our parts of time and skills to do so. Please pray that we follow God's heart in discipling those who are coming into new roles in worship in the church. Pray for those with the time, desire and skill to disciple. Pray that we would know what we need to lay down in our own (often selfish) schedules to help in this process.
  
  
• The Kids - Continue to pray for Rachel's growth in responsibility and relationships while staying intimate with God. Please pray for Noah's class at school and his attitude towards his classmates...who can be quite difficult at times! Olivia has two friends in our neighborhood (Halima, and Lorelei) who really look up to Olivia. Neither are believers and one comes from a Muslim family. We all have the opportunity to speak into their lives, especially Olivia. Pray that we as a family would really demonstrate Jesus' love to them and that Olivia would have words and actions that inspire.
  
  
• School Responsibilities - Pray that Angela and I would really take dominion in our respective responsibilities at school for God's glory instead of being at the mercy of an urgent task list.
  
  
• Establishing - In a couple of weeks we turn in our request to stay another year in France. Last February we were refused a request to make our immigration situation more stable. At the moment we are on the cusp of asking France again if we can change our status so that I can "work" at Collège-Daniel. So there's the annual question as to whether we can stay compounded with these other factors. We really appreciate your prayers for favor and a breakthrough change in our immigration status here in France.