One evening during my recent trip to the Northwest Territories I was sharing a meal with a couple who had been working in one of the communities for some time teaching Bible and serving in many ways. They told me about the situation in their village. They spoke of the darkness they faced daily in that place. They told us about the substance abuse and the violence that was prevalent and how children walked the streets neglected and abused. I started to feel angry about the whole situation. We continued talking for a while and they told us about the opportunities that they have had to foster many, many children; how they have adopted three of their foster children and were planning to adopt three more of the ones that they are currently fostering…wow, what a heart they had for these people and especially for the children.

It had been a long day and as we were getting ready to leave I asked if I could pray for them and for their village. I began to pray: “Heavenly Father…” as I sat there praying with them, I started crying and was at a loss for words. I was in God’s presence and didn’t know what to say. I quickly recognized that as it says in the Book of Romans, “the groanings of the Spirit (the Spirit of The Living God living in me) were too deep for words”, mere words could not communicate what was going on; my tongue could not express what my heart was going through nor did I know what to ask for at that moment. So Romans 8:26-27 became my prayer. I knew how to verbalize those verses and as I did and in that moment my confidence was confirmed in Him, “the one who searches hearts and knows the mind of the Spirit”. I may not know in my weakness what to pray for but I know The One who intercedes for me.

As I recall my time in these remote villages I can’t help but be reminded that “the harvest is plentiful but the workers are few”. Please pray that God would be sending forth workers to join us here at FirstStory and that He would be raising up churches, men, women and children who would pray for and support those who step forward to go into the harvest fields.