Winter Prayer Update

At this moment, I am home sitting in my parents’ house’s family room under a blanket, surrounded by Christmas lights, as I happily write this prayer update letter to you, my valued readers.


The past month has proved to be intensely busy for me as I completed five term papers (about 30 pages in total) and four final exams, in addition to taking a two-days road trip through four different states (about 970 miles one way) on my way home, spending a couple of days in Louisville, KY getting reacquainted with some of my ministry colleagues, and finishing some last-minute Christmas shopping for my family. I finally was able to relax over the past couple days sitting around with my family and reading some books for fun (for real!) while the snow falls. In fact, a roaring fire in our hearth is in order for tonight!

Christmas with my family was a wonderful one, and I am deeply grateful that I was able to spend my holidays (and my birthday too!) with my family! It can get quite difficult to find time to recover and rest during semester, and it is easy to become busy when you are not quite busy with studying! I love to come home because, among other things, it is a great opportunity for me to get away from life in Alabama, reflect on what has transpired over the past year in a new light, and give thanks to God for all the transformation that he has wrought in my heart as a result of my academic studies and personal spiritual walk with the Creator.

There are many things that I want to share with you, but time and space forbids me to do that. I will instead highlight three praises and prayer requests here for you. It is my prayer that you will be encouraged and motivated to devote more time and energy toward your “closet life” of prayer on my behalf.

Praises

1) For safe passage home from Alabama. I always enjoy taking road trips because I think America is full of fascinating places and cities to discover! However, the trip can be emotionally and mentally taxing for me since I travel alone. I am especially grateful for good weather during my trip to Louisville from Alabama and from Louisville to home. I had to take a detour somewhere in the mountains of West Virginia on the second leg of my trip because an utility crew decided to close the interstate on Sunday (since when did people started working on Sundays??) to complete some sort of wire work. That forced me to take the back roads through the countryside and it afforded me the opportunity to see a piece of this state that I would have never seen in my lifetime, and that was quite an adventure!

2) For a strong finish at Beeson this semester. I was able to finish five of my classes on a strong note, managing to get a 3.46 GPA for this semester. I was thrilled about that, but I must also admit that I was quite surprised how well I performed in some classes. Greek remains my “thorn in the flesh” because it is, quite frankly, still Greek to me. It was tough translating the whole letter of Ephesians and writing two Greek exegesis papers that consumed a lot of my time and energy. Next semester, I will be taking my last Greek exegesis class, and we will be studying the Book of Acts. I suspect that when my next Greek class is completed, it will be a bittersweet moment for me (and I don’t even want to start thinking about taking Hebrews yet…).

3) For Koinonia Deaf Fellowship – Birmingham group. A group of young Deaf adults continue to gather twice a month at Roly Poly Sandwiches to eat a meal together, share life together, pray for one another, and engage in Bible studies. I praise God that there are young Deaf men and women who long to deepen in their relationship with our personal Savior and God in addition to experience a community where spiritual transformation and renewal takes place. It is encouraging for me to see something like this happen, and I pray that this will serve as a catalyst for further ministerial activities to the Deaf and Hard of Hearing community in Birmingham and in the state of Alabama.

Prayers

1) Summer Internship. Several internship opportunities are in the works, but I have no idea what will happen at this point. I’m hoping to gain some experience doing pastoral ministry in a church-setting with Deaf ministry or a Deaf church with a strong leadership team. Before things are finalized, I might have to travel for a weekend to visit a potential placement to meet the church staff and Deaf ministry team. Please pray that the details will fall in place and that God’s name will be glorified throughout the entire process.

2) Koinonia Deaf Fellowship – Birmingham. Although a lot great things have happened so far with this group and several lives have been impacted, our Enemy remains busy at his work of trying to splinter our group and destroy the unity. He is always trying to divide and conquer us when we are alone or at our weakest point. Some believers are facing uncertain futures in face of present sufferings resulting from external life circumstances and the consequence of personal sins. A couple of people could not continue to participate in our groups due to financial difficulties and time constraints, and I am trying to work with other believers to establish a group where they live. Even among our active group members, we are faced with our daily struggles and constant temptations as we strive to maintain a godly and holy lifestyle. Finally, there are many more young adults in the Birmingham area who are not plugged in a local body; please pray that God will use our group to bring the Gospel message to those people who are ready to receive it. Much work remains to be done with this group, yet not enough seems to get done.

3) 2013 Spring Semester. I am just beginning to think about the upcoming semester, which will be no easier than the last one. There is a nice line-up of classes that I will be taking next semester: 1) Ecclesiology and Worship; 2) Family and Marriage Counseling; 3) Exegesis of Acts; 4) 20th Century History and Doctrine; and 5) Biblical/Theological Perspectives on Missions (14 credits total). On the top of that, I will continue with my part-time job working for the University Library at Samford University helping out with the Reference department, in addition to doing odd-jobs for several people around Birmingham when the temperature warms up a bit. There will be moments during the next semester when I will be pushed to the limits of my strength and stamina, but I know that God will carry me through it and help me to excel in whatever he has called me to do.

On a final note: I want to express my thanks once again to you, my faithful prayer warriors, for your constant intercessions on my behalf. You have no idea how encouraging (and comforting) it is for me whenever I receive a note of any kind – especially personal ones in mail – from you. I miss my family and friends often (yes, even while I’m crazy busy at Beeson), but it is your prayers and notes of encouragement, along with God’s continued provision of strength, that helps me remain faithful to the calling God had given me. Thank you for partnering with me in the Kingdom work through various ways, and I continue to keep you in my regular prayers as well.

Soli Deo Gloria!