2023 is a year dedicated to praying our way through the life cycle of a cross-cultural worker. It’s fitting that as we turn the corner into the second half of the year, we reach a turning point in the life cycle as well.

We are praying this month for productive work on the field. The journey to reach this place has been long. It has involved calling, assessment, training, developing partnerships with churches and coworkers, visas, painful goodbyes, awkward hellos, language and culture learning, and lots of prayer. But now they are here – the season of their life when they are effective disciple makers in their no-longer-new homes. Join me in praying into that season, friend.

Ask the Father for:

Endurance. The new has worn off, and, while it’s what they’ve been aiming at for years, discouragement can easily creep in.

Creativity. Like all of us, workers can get stuck in ruts, doing what they’ve always done. It also takes courage to try new things when you’ve actually got something to risk; pray for courageous creativity.

Team health. The enemy delights in attacking the relationships among cross-cultural workers; it’s something he’s really good at. Pray that the generation of workers on the field today would break the trend of teammates and coworkers in the Kingdom dividing.

Ever-deepening relationships. Discipleship, regardless of approach, boils down to relationship. Pray that the friendships workers have started would grow in depth.

Vision that the fruit is God’s. Particularly in places where multiplication is taking off and good things are visibly happening, it’s easy for workers to become confused about who did what. Pray that they would know in their hearts that the Father is the One who calls people to Himself.

Focus on fruit that lasts. Not all fruit is equal. Spend time praying for workers to understand more profoundly Jesus’ parable of the Sower from Mark 4. Pray that they would be able to focus on nurturing fruit that lasts and, in the long, bears more fruit.

Understanding of role and identity. As I serve workers through providing pastoral care, it seems as if cross-cultural workers often wind up confused about the role they are called to serve as outside catalysts. They also – like so many of us! – struggle with confusing what they do with who they are in the Kingdom. Pray for clarity and peace with who they are in Christ.

Thank you for praying, friend.

Are you interested in sharing Jesus with unreached people of the world? Or do you know someone who you think God is calling?

We can help!

Email startthejourney@mrnet.org to talk about it.