<!— /* Style Definitions */ p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal {mso-style-parent:”“; margin:0in; margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:12.0pt; font-family:”Times New Roman”; mso-fareast-font-family:”Times New Roman”;} a:link, span.MsoHyperlink {color:blue; text-decoration:underline; text-underline:single;} a:visited, span.MsoHyperlinkFollowed {color:purple; text-decoration:underline; text-underline:single;} @page Section1 {size:8.5in 11.0in; margin:1.0in 1.25in 1.0in 1.25in; mso-header-margin:.5in; mso-footer-margin:.5in; mso-paper-source:0;} div.Section1 {page:Section1;} —>
Merry Christmas!
It is hard for me to imagine Christmas being anything but a time of great joy and peace. For the guys at El Refugio and many other homeless and abandoned people around Alajuelita it is the loneliest, hardest time of the year. For the guys at the center this is going to be their first Christmas in a long time. Our little Charlie Brown tree that the Blalock’s got us has brought them so much joy. We also had some presents sent down from a group that visited like a month and a half ago. To see the pure stoke that a gift under the tree gives someone who has never had a Christmas tree,let alone a wrapped presents is absolutely insane. I flew back to California a few days ago to spend Christmas with my family and there is definitely a part of me that is bummed not to be able to spend Christmas with the guys.
In Costa Rica the month of December is directly associated with partying. The temptation for the guys in the center at this time is insane. I will walk through the park with them and we will get at least 2-3 offers of free drugs or alcohol. Many of the guys believe that if they can make it through this month they will be home free. Prayer is absolutely necessary for them right now. The battles they fight every day can only be won by the power of Jesus Christ. As I am in the states right now there is nobody sleeping in the center right now with them. I have been super worried about leaving them especially during this time. We all need to pray for a sense of accountability in the house and within each of the guys.
Payer Requests
Ariel: There is a situation at the skate park where he works that is in need of immediate on your face prayer. Check out the Blalocks blog to read about it. http://blalockmissionaries.wordpress.com/ He wants you to pray for continued strength and wisdom to fight temptations.
Wilbert: Pray against the nightmares that keep him up at night. This will be the first time in over a decade that he has celebrated Christmas in a house and not high or drunk. Pray for fertilizing strength as he faces temptations. Pray that God will give him guidance. Pray for his knee and his molars that have been bothering him a lot lately.
Jairo: Pray that God gives him more opportunities to serve in the church and in the community. Pay that God will be the center of his life and that he will take away his pride and arrogance. Pray for the strength to accept the will of God.
General prayer requests: There is a preliminary hearing for the case against the guys who robed the center this Monday. I will not be there so Ariel is going to have to go alone. With all that is happening right now in his life he definitely needs some prayer. They got a T.V. for Christmas. Pray that it won’t be a temptation for them. Pray for financial provision for the center as well.
