Weekly Prayer Update

Weekly prayer update sent by email yesterday:


"Many are asking, "Who can show us any good?" Let the light of your face shine upon us, O Lord. You have filled my heart with greater joy than when their grain and new wine abound." Psalms 4:6-7

Dear faithful family and friends,
Blessings to you this day!

Today we have quite a bit to praise Jesus for and be thankful for as well as many things that we seek your prayers for. Much has happened this past week and so today we write to you asking that we as the body of Christ come together in prayer for the following:

Please pray for our neighbors, Elvita and Dinora. They have been coming to Calvary Chapel church with our family on Sunday evenings and have also expressed interest in discipleship. We have asked for prayer for them many times, specifically in the relationship of Dinora and the father of her children. Last night Dinora asked Matt about her boyfriend (they have been together 12 years) Ronnie. Matt has been praying about strengthening his relationship with Ronnie, although at this time Ronnie wants nothing to do with things of the Lord. Praise God that last night both Dinora and Elvita committed to starting discipleship with Brooke. Pray for that to start this week. Pray also that God would work in the heart of Ronnie and he would be willing to meet with Matt. Pray that God would open his eyes to his sin and that he would desire that God heal him from alcoholism. Pray for him to rid his life of alcohol, become the head of his household and give his life to Jesus.

Please pray this week for the the purchase of our vehicle. Everything is ready on the states end, but we are waiting on the papers to be finished by the lawyer here. Today being a US holiday, we are praying that we might be able to get the paperwork here finished today so the wire transfer could be made tomorrow and we can get the vehicle in our possession in the next few days!

Praise God for a great week of homeschool last week. Pray for this to continue and for God to honor our decision to use His word as the foundation of our schooling and our teaching. Pray for our daily family devotions that we refer to throughout our school day. Also pray for wisdom for Brooke as she prays about different schooling options that have been offered, including the possibility of a central location for the schooling of at least two families and the sharing of the teaching responsibilities.

Pray for the FEPC mission team coming to serve with us at the end of March. Please pray for God to work miraculously in the lives of some interested in coming that difficult things may be worked out in order for them to make the trip, including finances. Pray for us as we continue to work on our end to make arrangements and work out details. Praise God for technology like Skype that make planning so much easier! :)

Praise God for continued interest in the ministry here. Pray for us for wisdom as God brings more people desiring to serve God to us in the form of mission teams. Pray that God would bless these new partnerships and He would bring teams that share our vision and passion and yet understand our commitment to our family and the daily ministry as well. Again we praise Him for technology that allows connections with others through the internet.

We ask for prayer for the church in Los Guido and for our teammates there. This week a young girl named Natali was brutally murdered in her home. Her younger sister, Thalia, found her body. Her youngest sister Michel serves on the Los Guido leadership team. Please pray as the church heals and tries to come to terms with the crime. Pray for peace in their hearts and for there to be no more violence in response to this crime from the gangs in the area. Pray for healing for the family as well. Praise God that Natali is now with the Lord.

If any of you read our family blog, you have read about the grandchild of our close friends, Tim and Sue Wolfe. Baby Emma is doing well, but she still needs your prayers. You can read her story at CaringBridge.org and type in 'wolfekids" or check out our blog at www.costaricamcclains.blogspot.com

Lastly, although we are sure that you have all been following the news and praying, we ask you to pray for Haiti. Pray for all who are without food, water, shelter and have literally lost everything to the earthquake. Our hearts have been burdened this week especially for the many children who have been left as orphans due to this disaster. Pray for the missionaries that have been working to further the Kingdom of Jesus Christ there. Our sending agency, Christian Light Foundation has missionaries there, as well as many people we have connections with. We have received many prayer updates this week from missionaries there and their stories break our hearts. Please pray for God's light to shine and the hope of Jesus Christ to be present in the midst of the great suffering. Pray that in the desperation, the words of Isaiah 61:1 would be a reality.

We love you all and pray for you, too. We realized this week how many of you there are praying for us and we are so grateful and full of joy when we think about you all! May you be blessed this week! :)

Serving Christ 'til He comes back,
Matt and Brooke :)

Check out our family blog:
www.costaricamcclains.blogspot.com