Dear Partners in the Isnag ministry,
My semester of teaching linguistics at Payap University in Chiangmai, Thailand officially ended on March 2. I had seven students and one teacher trainee. Of the seven students, two are Americans, one is a Canadian, two from Burma, one from China and one from Thailand. My American and Canadian students are already members of Wycliffe and SIL. I just learned that they are all assigned to some language groups around the Thailand area. Except for the student from Thailand, all the others have had some involvement in the translation of the Scriptures.
One highlight of my teaching was mentoring a former student of mine in Dallas who is now assigned in a country near Thailand. He will be teaching the course next year.
I now am back in the Philippines. I go to the village on March 12 to get things ready for a work team coming from the US to help the Isnag believers replace the wood post and wood walls of their church on March 16-April 1. Termites are destroying all the wood part of the church.
After the work team leaves on April 1, I will stay on in the village until after the Holy Week. We will have our Holy Week retreat from April 5-8, and then we will have our Youth Camp on April 17-22.
Please pray for:
· The safety of all the workers who will be working on the Church building. The rafters will need support while we replace the posts.
· The health, strength and physical stamina for both the expatriates and the Isnag workers. Two expats have special physical needs. Some men from our outreach Church in Tubongan village are planning to come help their brothers in Dibagat. So we are expecting a good number of local workers.
· Good working cooperation between the expats and the local believers.
· Our Holy Week celebration, which starts April 5 and concludes on the 8th. Please pray for the preparations: for our Church workers as they organize the activities, and for me as I prepare the messages.
· All the people who are coming to the Holy Week celebration; that the Lord will call those who haven’t yet given their lives to Him, and those who are not in close fellowship with Him will return to Him.
· The group Bible studies during Holy Week; for the Church leaders as they lead the Bible studies. Pray that the Spirit will give them extra sensitivity to the needs of the people.
· The people attending the Bible studies; that the Lord will soften their hearts and open their minds to the Word so that the Spirit can do His work of conviction.
· Our Youth Camp which is scheduled on April 17-22. Pray for the young people who will be coming. Pray that the Lord calls some of them to a full time Christian service.
· Pray for the safety of all young people attending the youth camp. We are planning to limit the number to 50 participants. We will give priority to the first time attendees.
· Pray for the Bible study leaders; that the Spirit will give them the sensitivity to the spiritual needs of the participants.
· My preparation for the Bible study lessons and my messages during the camp.
· Good interpersonal relationship among all campers.
These are all the specific items of prayer I can think of right now. I trust that as you pray for these items the Lord will lead you to other things He wants you to pray for.
Thank you so much for upholding us in your prayers. As always, let us expect great things from our Great God who is able to give more than we ask.
Joyfully serving the Lord Jesus Christ in partnership with you,
Rudy
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