He came running, half stumbling and half sliding down the hill shouting wildly – “We hit it!” “We hit it!” He caught himself again as he slid down a short patch of gravel and exposed roots. His hands were more callous than skin with months of grime embedded in the cracks and cuticle. He steadied himself with his right hand and in his left he clutched a small rock. His hair was a tangled nest of mud and dust. Tributaries of sweat cut through the dust on his face - his eyes shimmered like diamonds. His mouth couldn’t be open wider with the smile that heralded the news they had all worked so hard to uncover.
They all looked up from what they were doing and knew immediately. The adrenalin instantly flowed collectively through their veins for they knew that their months of backbreaking work were at last going to pay off. They dropped what they were doing and clambered to meet him. Yes, it was gold in that rock he held. And yes, up the ravine where he had just been picking away, there appeared to be more – maybe even an entire vein! The only problem was that they would have to blast past the granite that they had been battling for months, to get to it. It was difficult to say how deep it ran but they knew that there were meters of hard rock that stood between them and the mother lode. They would need a significant and powerful force to be able to pry past the barrier that stood between them and
the payoff they had been laboring so hard to reach.They came to an agreement quickly. One of them would be sent back to the investors in town to secure what they needed. They needed more funding to pay the workers now that they knew they were on to something. But even if the money for the payroll was forthcoming it would be meaningless if they didn’t have what they needed most – dynamite. Without dynamite they could scrape at that hillside until their fingers bled and it would all be for naught. They would never achieve what they all wanted so badly. The dynamite was the key that would unlock the treasure chest. The dynamite was the element that would give their entire struggle and labor meaning. They needed to set a series of powerful blasts that would literally peel away that barrier of rock and expose the precious vein to be harvested.
And so it is with prayer and missions. Prayer has the power to unlock the treasure chest. Prayer is the element that gives meaning to the missionary effort. It can literally peel away the spiritual barriers that so often hinder us and expose the precious harvest that we so long for. When you think of your missionaries – please pray. Pray for God to powerfully move the mountains that stand in the way of seeing churches planted and people come to faith and experience for themselves what the power of prayer can be like in their own lives.
“And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints.” (Ephesians 6:18)
Dear Friends, please continue to pray for us and for the church planting projects we are coaching: Cologne-in-Motion, Hennef, Cologne and Monheim. Please pray for us as we continue to travel and present our ministry to people. We would like to return to Germany on December 28. Thank you for standing with us.
Your partners,
Jason and Sue
