Prayer Update from Don and Mary DeHart

(Don and Mary are our missionaries with NAIM, reaching Native American people with the Gospel.)

Thank y'all for covering our lives so well,

We've been working beyond our energy levels in the past few weeks. Mary and I did get away for two days to celebrate our 43 anniversary but were so weary, we just came home instead.

Operations Council and Recruiting planning meetings have kept us long hours at the table as we lean in to serious proactive recruiting of potential Native staff. Pleas pray for two recruiting teams currently traveling among 2nd and 3rd generation Native believers in New Mexico and Oklahoma where the gospel ahs long been present. We are asking Jesus for 10 Native ministry units(couples or individuals)

Summer is fast coming with Red Soul Rising camps and ministry teams...again long hours on the phone and e-mail putting details in place.

We leave for Chicago on Thursday with a Hul'qumi'num brother to engage a city-wide Native Awareness Conference involving nine large churches and four universities. A full week of recruiting and speaking into church lives. http://www.efccl.org/NativeMinistry.html

So prayer cover is a serious need as different denominations gather with invited Native people to address the issue of 45,000 Native people in Chicago and no visible church. Unity in our diversity is a key theme. Our old enemy would like nothing better than to undermine this work.

Please pray for one of our churches led by two Native men who have become divided over contextualization issues. An offense occurred when a pre-believing Chief brought a hand drum to express honor to a Christian ministry team which had just seen strong positive imprint in the village. I'm reading 1 Corinthians this week and clearly see the problem is not new at all.

For Mary and me, our energy is returning, but it is increasing clear we must monitor our strength and delegate some of our responsibilities. Please ask God to bring forward the people He would use to carry these. Learning curve here.

Funding has been low for the First Nations Partnership initiatives we have on the table this winter/spring. As well, we are feeling the bite of the Canadian dollar becoming par with the US dollar, the exchange rate has been for years around 20% to 25% as a buffer zone built into our support base when US funds are converted to Canadian. So, ultimately it looks like 20% pay cut until the dollar adjusts or we see an increase in our support team....another church or two and some individual donors to make up the difference. The hard facts of cross cultural ministry in the 21st century.

Please great the beloved there for us expressing our deep gratitude for their faithfulness,
don and mary.