Hello Partners,
This season back in the US has been beyond a blessing. I feel so refreshed in my spirit having had this time to reconnect with family, friends, and all of you. And I feel strengthened and motivated as I had many opportunities to be reminded of the vision God as I met and shared with you all that the Lord has been doing in North Africa and what we are hopeful for Him to continue doing as we return.
Speaking of returning, there is an official leave date now!!! My teammate Bea and I will be returning to our assignment in-country on February 13th, which is coming up in just two short weeks!
This season at home has been one of deep abiding in Christ and preparation for this next step, and I know He has great things for us ahead, and I cannot wait to be going with you all. One of my prayers as I think about all of you is that we can be mutually encouraged by one another, and that we can lead one another to align our hearts with Christ’s as we live missionally wherever the Lord has placed us. I have been able to hear story after story of what God has been doing in all of your lives, and I know there are countless more I have not heard yet. But you can know, I am genuinely encouraged and uplifted by you all, my brothers and sisters. You are essential to God’s work in North Africa, and I will be carrying you with me as we go back.
As I prepare to leave, would you please be praying for these things:
- For mine and Bea’s families/friends to be comforted and felt cared for by the Lord as they are sacrificing much with us in this separation. Pray for all of our hearts to be rooted in Christ and deeply aware of His presence with us as we walk through this transition.
- Pray for Bea and I to be unified in Spirit as we continue to take these next steps together and will have many decisions to make ahead. Pray for the logistics of travel and getting there to go smoothly. And pray especially for the logistics of getting there and finding an apartment again, we know God has a home prepared for us! Pray we can find that place that can be a place of peace for us to meet with the Lord.
- Pray for us to have a heightened awareness of the Holy Spirit’s voice and promptings, and that He would lead us to those whom He has prepared in advance for us to meet. Pray that we would be surrendered and available for powerful work and advancement of the gospel through His Holy Spirit.
- Pray for the gospel to go forth throughout this nation and that we will see exceedingly abundantly all that we could even imagine from the Lord!!! We want to surface where God has already been at work and be blown away! Jesus you are doing it!
Thank you for praying with me, I would love to be praying with you as well if there are any ways I could join you in praying. Again thank you so much for your partnership and support. I will finish this email with this familiar passage from Ephesians 3 that has blessed me immensely over the years as I pray it to be true in my life and in yours:
“For this reason I kneel before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth derives its name.”
I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith.
And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.
Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.” Ephesians 3:14-21
Blessings, Abby