prayer drive

Today Elliott and I went out for an adventure! 2 Saturdays each month we try to make time for a prayer drive to villages on the outskirts of Mekhe. Today was a day for that.

Our drive today took us into the wilderness! I've always enjoyed exploring new places, and seeing new places was fun today. I'm constantly amazed when exploring new places that a) the agricultural fields rarely change much, and b) there are some people living in villages that are really in the middle of nowhere.

Today we didn't stop and greet anyone. However, we did pray for each village we drove through. I am not sure if we would even be able to find the villages again, but God did speak to me today through this prayer drive. For me, I'm eager to get out and greet the people as I see a new village. I have to remember, though, that our strategy in doing these prayer drives is to first let God do the work before us in preparing these villages for our visits. So we first pray without contact. After prayer and encouraging churches to pray with us for these villages and the people, we will begin to contact the people. We'll introduce ourselves, probably beginning next month, and then over the next several months we will begin meeting with the men of the village and ask permission to share stories with them from God's Word.

I mentioned that God spoke to me today. What I felt convicted of was to have patience in reaching the people here. God is an infinite God. He knows these people, knows all about them. He knows where they live when we might not be able to find them again! And he knows their hearts. When I would like to jump out of the truck, introduce myself, and share a story from God's Word, I have to remember that I am a minister of God. God will work in his time. When God appoints it, the Wolof will come to know him. It won't happen before his Spirit endwells in their hearts and there's nothing I can do to expediate that. So I pray that in God's time-whether it be myself, Elliott, or missionaries that come behind us-these people in these villages will come to receive Christ as their Savior. Thank you for praying with me.