Dear <<First Name>>,
If you are getting weary of praying for missionaries who aren't willing to hide their wounds to maintain their image, we will certainly understand if you prefer to unsubscribe from these mailings! I can recommend plenty of people doing wonderful work whose lives at least appear to be fairly free of scars. But the further I go on this journey, the more convinced I become that it is our pain, not our accomplishments, that qualify us for the ministry God has called us to. And that just maybe my pain is meant to be a source of healing for you, as yours is for me.
We have, out of respect for Hannah's privacy, not shared her recent struggles with you. But since she opened up about them on Facebook today and seems to be in the place of reaching out for help, I feel it is appropriate to ask our prayer team to support her in those efforts. For over a year now she has been dating a young man who struggles with heroin addiction, in the hopes of seeing him set free and following Jesus wholeheartedly. As so often happens with "missionary dating," the influence has gone the other way, and Hannah now finds herself trapped in the addiction as well. The implications of this for Michael's future are huge, and we are seeking God's wisdom and the advice of counselors and attorneys. My prayer for her, as I have told her repeatedly, is that she will cut off this relationship, run for her life and not look back.
Thank you for joining in Hannah's battle, which of course is ours as well. The story isn't over yet.
Love,
Barb |
