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Archive for the ‘Prayer Diary’ Category

Foxy Lady heads to Uganda!

Tuesday, May 23rd, 2006

One of my best friends, Catherine “Foxy Lady” Townsend is leaving the UK this week to Uganda, where she will be doing her Nursing Elective for 9 weeks. Having been to Uganda briefly myself, having friends who have lived there or are living there now, and after Joy’s 6-week Oasis team adventure to Uganda, I am convinced that Cath will love the country, the people and the Christians she meets there. And I know that the people she will meet will welcome, accept and love her there too.

So best wishes for your trip Cath and please add me to your newsletters! In fact, we could start a blog for you if you like…And we’ll certainly be praying for you.

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Prayer works

Monday, February 20th, 2006

I’ve said this over and over in this blog, so I though
t I’d write it again. Things we’ve prayed about that we are thankful for:

Safety in travelling- we covered more than 1600km without a scratch to the new hire car we were given! And Mum and Dad Gilmour had safe flights to Tenerife and back. And Kim, Rachel’s sister and her boyfriend, Chris, got to Buenos Aires safely, to start their trip round S.America

A good rest- on the return leg of the journey we were able to reflect on the difference 7 nights of camping in fresh air can made to our mental states! I don’t remember hearing the letters PhD once!

For new challenges- we discovered that swimming in anything except a swimming pool was a shared fear, but decided to conquer it, swimming in a plunge pool of a waterfall, in the sea, in a lake in the middle of the Andes. In fact, once in, you couldn’t really stop us!

For new friends in Santiago- we met a fun, feisty young American girl last week and enjoyed a particularly “western” night out with her- pizza, lager and stories of ignorance/stupidity/ineptitude or all three together.

For the marriage of our friends Richard and Emma! Congratulations! We hope they are now enjoying a well deserved honeymoon break after finishing two PhDs and wedding planning!

New prayer pointers:

For Rachel as she starts at Paranal for another 8 day shift

For guidance and wisdom regarding purchasing a car here in Chile, or importing one.

That our chilean bank account might finally be opened and that we will be able to use it! It has taken over 1 month so far.

For the exchange rate! It has just hit an all time low, making things more expensive for us without a Chilean bank account.

For our friends Mark and Karen, who were recently engaged to be married and are searching for translation/interpretation jobs in France. They have several interviews coming up.

We were disappointed to hear of the separation of two christian couples that are good friendsof ours: Tim and Sarah, and Steve and Ana. Pray that they would know God’s peace at this time, that they would not let anger and bitterness overcome clear communication. Pray that God would re-assure them of His love for them and His plans for their lives.

For Doug, as he makes two job applications, enrols on a spanish course for a month and meets with two lecturers at the Catholic University of Chile to discuss research into the economic evaluation of environmental impacts of transport in Chile.

“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” Jeremiah 29:11

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An arrival on the high seas…

Tuesday, January 24th, 2006

Yeh! Our sea freight arrived yesterday and have been delighted to finally open and use many of the gifts given to us at our wedding! Now we have no excuse for not writing to you all to thank you! So here is a big preliminary THANK YOU! You have no idea how appreciated a juice-ing machine, an ice-cream maker, dinner plates and cutlery are when you’re living in 32 degrees every day and have only plastic plates and cutlery to eat from!

So praise the Lord for the safe arrival of most things! We were dissappointed to find Rachel’s cello (ouch) has been irreversibly broken plus one lovely crystal glass (sorry, Lorraine!), but thank the Lord for insurance and for a generally trustworthy and professional moving experience with the relocation company.

It might also be strange to some of our readers that, in addition to thanking God for insurance (!) we also thank Him for helping us to live without our possessions for so long (9 weeks). We are, of course, taught to depend on Him alone for our contentment and satisfaction, and not upon worldy goods! So it has been a challenging and helpful time for us both while we’ve waited for our things to arrive.

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Prayer requests

Wednesday, January 11th, 2006

Some things for which we’d like your prayers!

My steps have held to your paths;
my feet have not slipped. I call on you, O God, for you will answer me;
give ear to me and hear my prayer. Show the wonder of your great love,
you who save by your right hand those who take refuge in you. Psalm 17:v5-7

Praise the Lord for his grace and for his assistance in all we’ve achieved so far here in Chile. For providing us with a flat, some furniture, the necessary communication skills, a cosmopolitan and caring church family, refreshment and fun adventures over the Christmas period, Christian mentors for Rachel within ESO, for granting Rachel an extension for her PhD corrections after computer failures, for protecting our sea-freight thus far (due next week) and for providing comfort and joy to the family following the death of Grandpa Gilmour.

Unemployment continues to frustrate and bore Doug! Please pray for guidance, for firm contacts and friends and for appropriate, challenging job opportunities

Rachel is extremely tired following her PhD, her PhD viva, our marriage, our moving, her PhD corrections and her new job. Pray for refreshment for her and for time to recover.

Pray for wisdom in decisions of major expenditures, e.g. buying a car, Rachel learning to drive, purchasing furniture. These are complicated by tax and diplomatic regulations granted to us by Rachel’s job.

Pray for guidance on taking holidays following Rachel’s PhD corrections.

Give thanks for God’s help with our spanish and opportunities to practice with people doing sports this week and in church (next week).

Pray for strength for Rachel who is working in Paranal this week and for encouragement for Doug.

Thanks for your prayers. We know many of you have been praying and thinking of us regularly. We really appreciate it and have had so many answers to prayer and examples of God’s help in difficult situations.

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What we’re praying for…

Wednesday, January 11th, 2006

Here is a list of some of our prayer concerns; for friends and family members. If you share a concern, please pray for them too!

Our friends Paul and Joyce Jeffers (Carrubers Church, Edinburgh) are coming to Chile in February, deo volente. Paul will be working at Cerro Paranal along with Rachel. Pray that they would be given strength for the moving process, clarity of purpose and mind for moving, that God would provide assistance in finding a house in Antofagasta, for Joyce’s spanish and for the recovery of sight to their son, Gabriel, after his recent operations.

Rachel’s sister Kim has an interview for a post-graduate course starting later this year on Friday 13th January (!). Please pray that she would have time to prepare this week, while working, that she would be given confidence and understanding during the interview.

For Dad, after Grandpa’s death on 30th December. Pray that he would be assured of God’s faithfulness to him and his presence at times of loneliness- God is our heavenly Father!

For a job for our friend Ian here in Santiago. He is applying for jobs in the UK starting later this year. Pray for guidance for him and his family, Karina his wife and two kids as they prepare to move home.

For a job for our friend Chris Reilly.

For safety and protection to the Presidential frontrunners here in Chile- the second round Presidential election is this sunday, 15th January.