“...If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me.” Luke 9:23

Following Jesus is summed up  in this verse. Many times we are called to do the opposite of what we’d prefer. And today is one of those times for us. We must again bid goodbye to our son, our beloved daughter in-law and grandchildren as they return to the Middle East tonight. But we choose to rejoice in launching them out into the battle again, joining Jesus in reaching an entire country.

The nation they are returning to has a population of 85 million but the known number of born again believers is just over 10,000. That a .00011% of the country. Just for comparison, I looked up the population of our county here in CT; it is 116,000, and the number of born again Christians as counted fly church attendance, is 10,260. That is, they make up 11%. The need for the gospel in that Middle Easter country is much much greater than the need here in CT. There are plenty of believers to share the gospel, but not so in this other country.

So we gladly let them go, gladly launch them off  into the great task God has given them. In this light, we can deny ourselves with joy, joining God in what He’s doing, letting them go, holding on to God’s love and rising above the necessity of letting go.

Please pray for a safe trip for them, an unproblematic entry and renewal of their residency in the near future. Also for resolution  to the significant challenges they face upon return. Thank you.