Tuesday, February 1, 2011

Alone


This morning we got to talk to our niece, Katie Hayes.  Katie is a college student who is taking a semester off to volunteer in India.  Check out Katie's blog and you will be inspired.  For such a young person, she has a huge faith and is concerned about all the right things.  I can only imagine the ways that God will use her in her life - and already is doing so.

Like I said, Katie is in India.  One of the things she is doing there is helping with sports and P.E. classes at a school.  During practice last week, she broke her leg.  It was a flukey thing and she is going to be OK, but she has been in some pain and has had to spend her time in bed resting.  

One of the things she said to us this morning, is that she has been lonely. I immediately thought, "Yeah, just sitting around in bed with no one to visit her, etc."  What she meant is that she has no contact with any other Christians where she is.  Not one.  Once, during her visit, she has met another Christian who was also there visiting - but that was a passing thing.  Day to day it is just her.

Can you even imagine what that would be like?  Katie is staying with a very nice family who is Hindu.  They constantly burn incense and pray to their gods.  All the people she has met, while they have been nice to her, worship gods.  She has no one to share communion with or to fellowship with or just to understand why she would even give up a semester with her friends to go to India in the first place.

I bet you can't imagine what that is like.  I can't.  And I certainly couldn't have imagined it when I was in college (a few years ago...).  My kids experience a little of that in their Brazilian high school where many times they are the only ones who do or don't do certain things because of their faith.  But even then, they have a big family to come home to.

How do you think Satan likes Katie moving in on his territory?  He doesn't.  She has put herself out there, so to speak.  And now, she is hurt and in pain.  It's hard to always have faith and think positively when you are in pain.  Remember in James, "Are any of you sick? You should call for the elders of the church to come and pray over you, anointing you with oil in the name of the Lord. Such a prayer offered in faith will heal the sick, and the Lord will make you well."  Why does it say to call someone else to pray for you? I kind of think that part of it is that when you are sick and in pain, it is harder to pray in faith.  You are weak and vulnerable so you need the prayers and faith of others to help you along.  You can believe that this is a prime opportunity for our enemy to discourage, bother and attack Katie.

Will you please pray for Katie??  Will you ask your prayer group or your Bible class to pray for her?  Pray for protection, for healing, and for comfort from the Spirit. Go to her blog and leave her an encouraging comment.  ( you can do it - it's not that hard ).   She may be alone in India in one sense, but we can let her know that we are with her in Spirit.

Thank you.

Katie, we love you!!

1 comment:

  1. Our family will be praying and I will add her to our Sunday school prayer list as well. I left college after one semester and 2 years later went to do mission work in Russia/Siberia. I had a huge number of Russian Christians there though so it was a completely different situation. We are praying for her!

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