I'm Jared.

Tomorrow morning,  Heather Renee Stemen, the one I love, will be landing in  South Africa, where she will be a short term missionary for the next 6 1/2 months.

I will miss her greatly, so much that I can not begin to put into words the emotions in my heart.

But more than me missing her, I’m beaming with pride.  By embarking on this journey, she will be stepping out of everything familiar and experiencing a whole new world.  She has been to South Africa a couple of times already, but each trip was significantly shorter, never surpassing more than three weeks in duration.

This trip will be much different.

She will be stretched beyond imagination, but she will also be blessed beyond comprehension.

Please remember some of the following things in prayer for her:

• That her heart would be fully ready to experience the riches and wonders of Christ while away
• That her focus never deters from her mission, even when longing to be with her loved ones back home
• That the hearts of the people she will encounter will be ready for the harvest God will be sowing within them
• That she is safe at all times
• That when she is sick and lonely, the Lord will bring people into her life who can pour wisdom and encouragement upon her

There are a thousand requests I could give, but I think you’ve already gotten the picture.

To get a better idea of what she is doing, and how you can be praying, visit her blog: http://heatherstemeninafrica.blogspot.com

If you could, pray also for her family, friends, and myself as we give her our love and support from back home.  Pray that even though we will be missing her greatly, that we will be able continue diligently in the tasks God has set before us.  Pray that our communication with Heather be frequent, and when it is not frequent, that it is fruitful.  Pray that God will give us the wisdom and understanding to support and love Heather in the ways she will need it while away.  And above all us, pray that we will continually praise God and give Him the glory, for He has called Heather to a great and amazing task, and we are all privileged to testify to that fact.

Jar