Discerning

During the last 10 days of January, Renee and I will be on intensive grandparent duty caring for the three of our grandsons (ages 6, 4 & 1) while our daughter Nicole Lorelei and her husband Herb go on a survey trip to discern where God is sending them next.  The Brazilian team they left behind in Fortaleza continues to bear good fruit in the slums there, and to send out missionaries to the Middle East.  Now Herb oversees many mission bases around the world, and Herb and Nicole Lorelei feel led to personally establish a new one in Asia, so they are surveying Japan and Thailand. If you would like to support the Barbutti’s in prayer or in some other way, write to them at lorelei.lyons@comcast.net.   Please join me in praying Philippians 1:9-11 for them, especially that they will clearly discern God’s leading.  Please also pray for supernatural enabling grace for Renee and me as we care for our delightful and active grandsons. 
 
Prayer Update:  Back in December I asked you to pray for 20 secret believers who were coming together for the first time, from 5 cities scattered across the country where there are very few followers of Christ.  When I visited several of them a year ago, the former imam who leads them asked us to pray that they would grow enough in their faith to have the courage to overcome their fear of the secret police and actually meet another believer.  I’m delighted to report that 25 actually came together for a weekend of studying what it means to be disciples and laborers in the harvest!  This weekend one of my Arab colleagues will be traveling with the former imam to visit these believers in their 5 cities!  Praise the Lord!