Sometimes it feels like there’s a never-ending list of prayer items, eh? Then I wonder how God has all that patience to listen to me rant and tell Him about every little thing in my life. I mean, how does He even put up with that?

Well, without further ado, here’s my list of people to pray for:

  • Yihua Lam – A very dedicated brother in my Bordeaux fellowship who is struggling both academically and financially. His PhD stipend is apparently ridiculously low and barely enough to support his wife and 3-year-old son. Also, he is forced condense his 3-year PhD into 2 years because of some administration and funding issues, and so he has to finish his thesis soon. I am doing my thesis too so I can understand how challenging this will be for him. May God guide him and remind him to never lose faith in God who provides everything he needs. Also, please pray that the Lord will remember all that Yihua has put into the fellowship (and trust me, he has done A LOT) and bless his family greatly. 
  • Isaac Wang – He is a 3-year-old child, son of a missionary in China who is a friend of a sister in the Bordeaux fellowship. Isaac is suffering from bone cancer and since he is allergic to antibiotics, he cannot undergo chemotherapy. The doctors said that there is basically no hope for him and they can only prolong his life for so long. We pray that God will send peace to Isaac’s family during this time of hardship and be with the parents of this child, curing their emotional wounds.
  • My parents – It’s really difficult to talk about the gospel with the ones you’re closest to, isn’t it? It’s even more ironic when the ones you’re closest to are so far away, and you can’t even communicate with them face-to-face. I place my parents in God’s hands because He’s the only one who can open up their hearts to His words. Words that come out of a human’s mouth can be a source of misunderstanding, and so I hold back and try to wait patiently as God works his miracles.
  • Sen – You know this one is coming. I’ve been praying for him ever since the last time I saw him and God knows how much I miss him. It wasn’t until I took on some of his tasks when he was away did I realize how much work it really was. I mean, you’d think sending out a few emails and keeping track of day-to-day activities of the fellowship would be easy, but it took more time and energy than I had anticipated. May God continue to keep Sen safe, be it in China or in Bordeaux when he returns, and give him sufficient rest when he needs it. Sen seems like the type of person who will never turn down a request and never say he’s tired, even though he may be really exhausted, so I pray that he will learn to take good care of himself.

There’s also a lot of things to be thankful of. When you look around yourself, everything happens through the grace of God. There’s just no reason to stop giving thanks.

  • I thank God for delivering me here safely and giving me these vast opportunities to see the world that I never dreamed of seeing. It makes me marvel at the true greatness of the Lord who has created, on one tiny Earth, so many different people, so many different cultures, so many different sights to see. 
  • I thank God that I am able to bond with you (yes, you Florence) through God, though ironically this is 5 years after we met and is clearly long overdue. However, it’s never too late to start sharing our experiences in God and it has become a motivation for me to eagerly seek God’s words.
  • I thank God for sometimes placing unpleasant people around me so I can appreciate my angels when they appear. It lets me learn the importance of cherishing the gifts of friendship and never taking it for granted.
  • I thank God for giving me feelings and emotions and will, so that I can exercise them freely and not be a puppet. It’s quite amazing how many different types of feelings we have, huh. And sometimes the wrong decisions will cause regret or disappointment, and the momentary impulses will cause heartbreak, but it’s all a process of growing up and in the end, looking back on the experiences is an enjoyment for me, and I am grateful for that.

Boy, I’m tired.