Category: Prayer Blog

We are friends with a very dear family (parents and four children) who are missionaries in the Northern part of Benin, this morning (August 25, 2011) we learned that their 10-year-old son just died of Malaria. At this point in time, we have limited details about what happened. Please for this family as they mourn the loss of their son and deal with details of an American dying aboard. We are a close missionary community and we are all very, very sad.

We are in Cotonou, the capital, as Donna and the kids fly out for Kenya later tonight. As you remember from the last prayer blog, the kids start school in Kenya next week and from Kenya Donna leaves for the states to spend concentrated time with her father whose is in poor health. Please pray for Donna and the kids as they are leaving Benin when their hearts are with their dear friends.

In addition, on Tuesday there were two critical failures at the Benin Transmitting Site (BTS). We praise God that these failures have yet to cause an off air situation. However, if the temporary solutions are not implemented quickly it could lead to BTS being off air. Pray for timely execution of temporary measures and reparation of the failures.

Three out of five in the Cox household have had malaria in the last few weeks and four out of five have had some type of viral infection. Miriam had the worst of it as she had malaria and the viral infection at the same time. While it has been no fun being sick, we are thankful that the malaria cases and viral infections have been relatively mild. Praise God with us that no one has been really sick and ask God for complete healing of those with lingering maladies.

In general, I perceive myself to have above average intelligence. However, in the past few weeks there was a noteworthy problem due to my very own management stupidity; no one else to blame but myself for inadequate procedures for an important process. God was very gracious to the work of TWR to keep this problem from being too damaging: Praise be to His name. Pray with us for wisdom in ensuring all our processes have simple but adequate procedures that are followed.

Nehemiah and Micah Joy have been home from boarding school so it has been great to have the whole family together and we praise God for the good times and memories. On Wednesday the Cox family leaves for Cotonou and onto various destinations. All the kids will be headed to Kenya and boarding school at Rift Valley Academy (RVA). This will be Miriam’s first semester at RVA so please keep her in your prayers as she adjusts to life in boarding school. Nehemiah will be starting high school and Micah Joy will be starting middle school so pray for them as they adjust to these changes. Donna will be traveling with the kids to RVA for the mandatory new parent/student orientation with Miriam. After which, she will head to the USA to be with her father, whose health is frail, for a few weeks where her time will be focused on her parents.

From time to time in this blog I write very honestly and bluntly about some of my struggles; this is one of those blogs. If reading blatant honesty from a missionary is not your cup of tea please feel free to skip this blog.

The past few weeks I have been pretty jaded and disillusioned with ministry, missionary life and the tasks before me. Life as a missionary is not always a bed of roses and even the best organizations have their moments when everything is not as it should be. So I have my seemingly well-justified reasons for my jadedness and disillusionment (as do all disenchanted people). However, all my well-justified reasons came under the scrutiny of one simple question: Whom do you serve?

This simple question of whom do you serve, shattered all my reasons and justifications for being jaded and disillusioned. If I serve myself when things are not rosy or something is not as it should be, then any unmet demands for change become justification for a jaundiced attitude. On the other hand, if I serve God in the midst of difficulty or less than ideal situations then these items are His responsibility and His command to me is to rejoice in all circumstances.

Please pray for my obedience to rejoice in all circumstances. Also a number of projects seem to be two steps forward then one step back and I am in the midst of negative progress. Pray for faithfulness to the Lord in the tasks at hand. Pray for the faith to trust God to provide the outcomes He desires.

The last three weeks have involved intensive travel. Major event one was helping New Covenant Church with an unreached people group survey. Major event two was numerous key meetings here in Benin.

Praise God that Dr Emmanuel Mbennah (TWR’s International Director for Africa), Rev. Abdoulaye Sangho (TWR’s Area Director for West Africa) and I had a good meeting last week concerning TWR’s shortwave license and Non-Governmental Organization (NGO) status. We are thankful that we were able to meet with key government officials and that they are still positive concerning the shortwave license. Pray for God to move powerfully in regards to the shortwave license.

A while back (15 February) I reported that the NGO status process had hit a problem. We praise God that a way forward is ahead of us and that all are in unity on this path. Pray for the many details of execution and new tasks required.

As usual I returned from my travels with many items with which to follow up on. In order to move the NGO status forward there are some new tasks that demand my attention. My next trip for Regional Management Team meetings in South Africa is in less than two weeks. Please pray that God would help me with the new tasks, the many items of follow up and connecting with my family.

In my last blog I told about two major events on the horizon: Bud and Chris’ visit to Benin to survey an unreached people group and Dr Mbennah’s trip to Benin to work on NGO status and shortwave. Since then, Bud, Chris, Donna, Miriam and I have driven over many roads, met with lots people and have surveyed one unreached people group in Benin. While all the travel was exhausting, it was good to meet new friends, see old ones, hear of some progress reaching this people group and dream about how God would glorify Himself among this people group. Thank you so much for your prayers. Please keep Bud and Chris in your prayers as they are still in West Africa surveying other unreached people groups. Please pray that God would speak clearly to New Covenant Church about their involvement with the unreached.

Major event two (Dr. Mbennah’s trip to Benin) is very rapidly approaching. We praise God that some critical meetings are actually on the calendar and another has been promised but not yet booked. Please pray for the logistics of booking this last meeting. Please pray for favor in the eyes of God and man, wisdom as Dr. Mbennah interfaces with people, and for endurance.

Needless to say with major events like this there are lots of logistics. As I write, my vehicle is in a parking lot not wanting to run. Please specifically pray that it can be fixed quickly and easily. In addition, there have been a number of schedule changes due to complications and problems. Please pray for God’s grace and providence to abound and that my confidence would rest in Him.

Tomorrow morning I leave to meet up with Bud and Chris who are pastors from New Covenant Church (NCC) in Albuquerque, New Mexico; Donna and I helped start this church and it is near and dear to our hearts. NCC is praying about engaging with an unreached people group in West Africa and will survey four unreached people groups in West Africa to see where God might lead. Next week Donna and Miriam will join Bud, Chris and I to help survey one of these people groups in Northern Benin.

Everyone is pretty excited about this trip. Both Donna and I are passionate about unreached people groups so it will be exciting to help with this survey and have fellowship with Bud and Chris at the same time. In addition, Donna, Miriam and I will get to see some dear missionary friends who are living and working among one of these people groups in Northern Benin. Please pray that God would clearly speak to NCC about where, when and how they should engage the unreached. Pray for all the travel and logistics involved with this trip.

The next major event on the horizon is Dr Mbennah’s visit to Benin. He arrives a few days after Bud and Chris leave. As you know from previous blogs he is coming to work on the TWR’s NGO status and a shortwave license for Benin.  The preparation for his trip has already begun. Please pray for the continued preparation of Dr Mbennah’s visit. Pray that God would start even now to move in the hearts of government officials. Pray for all the logistics of the travel and meetings.

Lastly, on a personal note, I would covet your prayers as I have a tendency to lose focus on the beauty of the Savior during busy times like the next three weeks. Pray that God would be all to me.

This morning during my quiet time I read Psalms 62. The first verse struck me as I read it: “My soul finds rest in God alone; my salvation comes from him.” Last night I did not sleep well with my task list and all of its uncompleted tasks racing through my mind. Yet as I read this verse I was confronted with the question of whether my soul really finds rest in God alone or if I find some rest in completing a task? Oh Lord, as with the psalmist, may I claim to find rest in You alone.

Many thanks to those who prayed for the advance work that is being done for Dr Mbennah’s trip to Benin. My trip to Cotonou went well and so far by God’s grace the advance planning is going well. Please continue to keep the advance planning and Dr. Mbennah’s trip during the second week of June in your prayers. Two the key items for which many of you fasted and prayed (NGO status and shortwave license) will be the focus of Dr. Mbennah’s trip.

Within a few days of the arrival of Dr. Mbennah our colleagues will return from furlough and two summer interns will arrive. Needless to say it will be a busy time. Pray that everything goes well with all these people arriving.

Later today I travel to Cotonou for meetings on a couple of the issues for which many of you fasted and prayed: NGO status and short wave license. There has already been some fruit from the fasting and praying in these areas. However, much still needs to be done.

To this end and in an effort to move these things forward, Dr Mbennah (the International Director for TWR in Africa) is planning on coming to Benin the second week in June to work on these things.

Pray that while I am in Cotonou the needed advance work for Dr. Mbennah’s trip will be successful and that God would move in the hearts of many for favorable responses to the NGO status and short wave license. As always when I travel please pray for those keeping the home fires burning and for safety on the road.

On another front, I recently had the opportunity for some tele-coaching. One of the things that was surfaced was the need to cut deep into my tasks list and decide which things I should just drop and which tasks need to be done at some other point in time. As I have worked on this I have come to the deeper realization of the need to trust God with His work. He will get done what He desires when He desires it. My job is not to accomplish the tasks but to be faithful. Pray that I would be faithful and have wisdom to cut deep into my tasks list.

As a Christian, I know that God sovereignly allows difficulties and trials to come into our lives. However, there are times when it feels like Murphy’s Law of Benin number one (the likelihood of getting malaria is directly proportional to the enormity and volume of tasks at hand) is at play. And yes it seems like I have many enormous tasks at hand and yes I had malaria again.

Last week during the Bible study at site the passage included Romans 5:3 “But we also rejoice in our sufferings.” The same night during our family devotion we read James 1:2 “Consider it pure joy when you face trails.” And yes it was clear that God was communicating to me the need to find joy in the midst of difficulties and trails. Pray that I would be obedient to God’s Word.

So far, the elections in Benin have been relatively peaceful. Please continue to pray that peace would reign in Benin as the elections for the Benin parliament take place in mid April.

There are a number of tasks that require the presence of Dr Mbennah (the International Director for TWR for Africa) in Benin. Please pray that all the details of his trip can be arranged in a timely way.

Donna and I have done many fasts over the years and this one has been the hardest both physically and spiritually. There were days when we were ready to not just quit fasting but ready to leave Benin (we are over both the fast and wanting to leave Benin). Both Donna and I praise God for two things: His sustaining grace which was an invisible hand supporting us and for all the other people fasting, praying, and encouraging us. Praise be to God for His grace. Many thanks to all of you who joined with us in prayer and fasting.

There have been no changes since my last update on the things for which we requested fasting and prayer. Please know we will update as soon as we hear something in any of these areas. Once again we trust that God’s invisible hand is working to His glory.

On Friday (March 11) I start a trip to South Africa for Regional Management Team meetings. I will be traveling in the midst of the Benin presidential elections due to their second delay. Pray that God would give the team wisdom and we would hear and obey His voice. Pray for God’s peace and security to rest on Donna and Miriam as they stay and for my safety in travels.

Once again thank you to all who have joined us in fasting and prayer. It is greatly appreciated. Do not forget to be nice to your stomach as you start eating again. Once again I reference the Campus Crusade for Christ article as it has some practical suggestions for ending a fast in a healthy manner. www.ccci.org/training-and-growth/devotional-life/7-steps-to-fasting/01-personal-guide.htm