Leigh Family Prayer Bulletin - December 2006

Feedback...

• Newsletters - Well, I think we're making progress here. Of course if you're reading this, I'm sure it's working fine for you! So, as we always liked to say in school, "if you're not 'here', raise your hand." I've seen a lot of problems with a lot of people around here with email. This is a rapidly changing landscape!
  
  
• Trip Home - Logistics and finances are beginning to take shape, though we've still a ways to go, and we're getting excited about the opportunities there will be to sow into relationships and connections and to soak in some good teaching.
  
  
• Worship - It feels like we're seeing some small changes in the worship atmosphere at school and that is encouraging. At the same time, it remains challenging, especially for Angela, to work with this age group (Jr. High) where their sense of who they are is just in its infancy and yet so fundamental for entering into worship. At church we feel like we're a bit on the opposite end of the spectrum. We're moving forward in such intensity and involvement that we're seeing many places where we need to disciple the worship environment and experience to facilitate the healthy growth that we want to see. A range of passionate challenges!
  
  
• The Kids - Noah and Olivia and I have begun to pray together on school nights for the next day at school, specifically concentrating on people that they struggle with or that they know are struggling (often the same people). A long-term project that can only pay good dividends in many different areas.
  
  
• School Responsibilities - Hard to put one's finger on it exactly, but I'd say that we're growing in our ability to govern our time and responsibilities. I'm pleased, in particular, with our growing relationships with the other staff and teachers at the school and how that helps us all accomplish our various tasks more effectively. It becomes more of a family every day. As Angela mentioned in her newsletter about the team that we're privileged to work with at church, the same can be said of the team at school (some of which are the same folks but not all).
  
  
• Establishing - Our friendly hosts, the French Government, have at this time in their possession, both our annual residence permit renewal request and our immigration status change request (to be able to work). In a couple of weeks we'll know at least about our annual renewal request. Still an area that needs prayer.

Please Pray...

• Health - For a while my digestive woes were subsiding considerably; feeling pretty good. At the moment however, they seemed to have re-surfaced, creating a chronic discomfort in the esophagus and the stomach...and generally draining me of energy. At the same time, Angela has seemed to have a bit more of a problem with headaches. Pray not only for healing, but for a growth in our perseverance in the midst of such challenges. These are really minor trials compared to those of many people we know. Having victory at this level of difficulty is essential for the future.
  
  
• Trip Home in April - Please continue to pray for the provision and for logistics for this trip.
  
  
• Worship - Pray specifically that at church for wisdom to disciple the growth of worship at this time. This is key for moving into the maturity and authority that the Lord is calling this church into in this season.
  
  
• Technology - I'm grouping a bunch of stuff together here under this heading as it's a bit too spread-out otherwise.
  
  First, I'm turning over the care and feeding of the http://www.intouchcamps.com/ website to some worship-leading friends of ours from Albertville (their site). This is a fun opportunity to watch different members of the Body of Christ work together using a particular technology tool to further Kingdom initiatives. Please pray for relationships to strengthen and for all of us to grow in our capacities to take Kingdom dominion in the area of technology.
  
  Secondly, we're changing our internet service provider and also changing our telephone provider to group them together and allow us to save money and have unlimited in calling in Europe and North America for one flat, monthly rate. The upside potential is quite promising. There will be a complete cut-off of our service for a time while the switch-over happens and there are probably some technological challenges to overcome. I especially want to see how this can reconnect us more with our State-side relationships. Please pray, again, that technology would be submitted to the Lordship of Jesus to foster relationships and His Kingdom and that the enemy would have no place in this changeover.
  
  Lastly, at school I'm continually on a technology discovery journey. For a geek like me, it's exciting and fun and I thank God for the opportunities that I have. By the same token, I don't want it to be a case of the tail wagging the dog. Technology is there as a tool to serve, and I'm not just interested in having a cool toolbox (though that is supremely cool!), but in developing into a skilled and effective workman in this environment, serving others and providing an environment where others can learn as well. Please pray for my ability not only to learn the technology before me, but to be able to leverage it to serve and to be able to teach others as well.
  
  
• Vacation Rest - Christmas break begins the 23rd. Rachel will be coming home the week before. Pray that we, as a family, would really all REST together during this break.
  
  
• Establishing - Please keep praying for favor with the French Government to allow us to stay in France.