“Well Pua, do you have any prayer requests?”
I’m sure I looked a bit confused. One of my students, a 12-year-old boy, had just come up and asked me if I wanted prayer about anything. True, we had been talking about prayer at Bible study, and true, I have a good relationship with this student… but having a 12 year old boy think to ask if he can pray for me about anything and then actually pray with me moments later is NOT a common occurrence. Ask any youth pastor that you know.
“Actually, I’d really appreciate any prayers about being homesick. Homesickness is starting to settle in my heart.”
This was true. Actually, this is still true.
Just this morning I walked into a Starbucks and almost started crying. My co-worker wanted to grab a cup of coffee and Starbucks is located just around the corner from our building. There are hundreds of little cafés around Wellington, so I had not been inside a Starbucks since arriving in New Zealand. As we stepped inside, my mind had to do a lot of calculating very quickly. My brain thought that I was back home. Literally.
The reason?
Starbucks in New Zealand looks exactly like Starbucks back home. It is THE most recognizable thing that my eyes have seen in 35 days: the sugar packets, the counters, the menu, the drink names-I recognized them all, and my brain immediately sent a message to my heart reporting that I was back home, back in familiarity, back in familiar relationships, back on familiar streets…
and at the delivery of the next (painfully obvious) message from my brain, you are not home, my heart stumbled. Or maybe that was just my knees buckling in the doorway of Starbucks.
Just this morning I walked into a Starbucks and almost started crying. My co-worker wanted to grab a cup of coffee and Starbucks is located just around the corner from our building. There are hundreds of little cafés around Wellington, so I had not been inside a Starbucks since arriving in New Zealand. As we stepped inside, my mind had to do a lot of calculating very quickly. My brain thought that I was back home. Literally.
The reason?
Starbucks in New Zealand looks exactly like Starbucks back home. It is THE most recognizable thing that my eyes have seen in 35 days: the sugar packets, the counters, the menu, the drink names-I recognized them all, and my brain immediately sent a message to my heart reporting that I was back home, back in familiarity, back in familiar relationships, back on familiar streets…
and at the delivery of the next (painfully obvious) message from my brain, you are not home, my heart stumbled. Or maybe that was just my knees buckling in the doorway of Starbucks.
“Dear Jesus, I just pray that Pua would start to feel at home in this youth group…that we could be like a home for her…” The student’s prayer ended about thirty seconds after it began, and it was one of the most beautiful prayers I’ve ever heard. And it was one of the sweetest moments I’ve had in New Zealand.
As this post demonstrates, God is taking care of me. Not only financially and tangibly, but He is listening to the small whimpers and sighs of my heart and answering them with profound insight and love. I’m praying that you all hear and see the ways God is speaking to the sighs and whimpers of your own heart. I am blessed to know you,
As this post demonstrates, God is taking care of me. Not only financially and tangibly, but He is listening to the small whimpers and sighs of my heart and answering them with profound insight and love. I’m praying that you all hear and see the ways God is speaking to the sighs and whimpers of your own heart. I am blessed to know you,
Puanani
Prayer requests:
1) In 9 hours I will be with Ignite doing a session on “Inner Fitness,” a part of our school program where we talk about Identity: how our identity is not based on what we do, but who we are. I am sharing part of my story, and I’d love your prayers as I talk about my faith to the students.
2) Ignite was offered an opportunity to conduct a sports day with refugee students from Somalia (!!!!) Please pray that everything lines up for this to happen. I would LOVE to spend any time with refugee students.
3) Please pray for continued health for me and the Pa’u family
4) I currently know 3 women who are pregnant: Ruth, Jo, and Marvie. (Marvie is my sister-in-law and I mentioned Jo in my previous post) Please pray for these women and the life growing inside of them!
1) In 9 hours I will be with Ignite doing a session on “Inner Fitness,” a part of our school program where we talk about Identity: how our identity is not based on what we do, but who we are. I am sharing part of my story, and I’d love your prayers as I talk about my faith to the students.
2) Ignite was offered an opportunity to conduct a sports day with refugee students from Somalia (!!!!) Please pray that everything lines up for this to happen. I would LOVE to spend any time with refugee students.
3) Please pray for continued health for me and the Pa’u family
4) I currently know 3 women who are pregnant: Ruth, Jo, and Marvie. (Marvie is my sister-in-law and I mentioned Jo in my previous post) Please pray for these women and the life growing inside of them!
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