If you’d like to pray for the work of east to west then here are all our latest prayer requests and things we’re keen to thank God for.
Firstly, let me begin by wishing you all a very Happy New Year. 2019 will have begun with lots of promises, pledges and resolutions, and presumably in keeping with the long-held tradition of New Year’s resolutions these are already creaking around the edges!
2019 will also have begun with the natural sense of looking ahead to the year before us. Pondering what the new year might bring, the hopes, the fears, the excitement and the sadness. For one of our team, it’s the excitement of getting married in the Summer, for others it will be the sadness of leaving east to west to explore new roles and projects. We’ll revel in the joy of new life and mourn the sadness of friends and family passing. Melancholy aside, starting a new year always reminds me of one thing that never changes. God.
As I’ve reflected on 2018, I see the words of the ‘Footprints’ poem lived out:
"Lord, you said once I decided to follow you,
You'd walk with me all the way. But I noticed that during the saddest and most troublesome times of my life,
there was only one set of footprints. I don't understand why, when I needed You the most, You would leave me."
He whispered, "My precious child, I love you and will never leave you,
Never, ever, during your trials and testings. When you saw only one set of footprints,
It was then that I carried you."
I recognise these moments in the past 12 months, moments when my human endeavours haven’t been enough, and God as endured. Situations where my own strength has failed, and I’ve been lifted and carried. Times when I’ve had enough and can’t go further, and God has encouraged, emboldened and shown the way.
Looking back, these times are more often than I’d like! This shows my human failing and desire/need to hold control (the TV remote at home is a perfect illustration of this!), but thankfully God continues to give me opportunities to relinquish this to his Glory.
As I head into 2019, I haven’t made any outlandish, unachievable resolutions, I’ve simply chosen to try to give up more of myself and take on more of God… now who said that wasn’t unachievable?
TIME TO PRAY
We ask you to pray for a member of our team each month, and this month it’s Dan! I’ve been with east to west for over 8 years, starting as an RSW at Thomas Knyvett College before beginning a year’s secondment at school to help lead the school behaviour policy and internal reflection space. For the past 2½ years I’ve headed up fundraising and more recently the communications side of east to west’s work.
Work:
The Fundraising target! We’ve still got a long way to go to achieve this – please pray for the applications and work that is ongoing
Burns Night – this is on the 19th January and will hopefully be a successful fundraiser for east to west. Pray for the logistics and organisation of this alongside the team involved in delivering the night. Particularly pray for the guests in attendance, that they would have an enjoyable evening and want to continue to support the work of east to west.
The growing scope of my role, including the Communications side. This is a steep learning curve. Pray that I’d continue to learn, grow and develop
Personal:
Pray for my wife Tracey and our children Millie (7) and Joe (5). They are a huge blessing and help support and underpin the work I do. Please pray with thanks for them and for wisdom and guidance for me in my role of husband and dad.
We have several family members who are ill at present. Please pray for wisdom in supporting them and God’s peace to be on them and us.
I’m helping lead a Christianity Explored course on a Friday morning with a friend Rachel between now and Easter. Pray for the conversations that take place and that God would be present in the sessions and lives of those attending.