Prayers for our Chicago trip

Hello friends,

I'm heading to Chicago on Sunday for a week long trip with 13 high school students and one other leader. I'm wondering if you wouldn't mind praying for us? Here are a few ways you can pray:

1. Our group is a WIDE mixture of ages (14 - 19) and maturities. Please pray for group unity and bonding, despite the obvious differences. We will be learning about Christian community, so pray we can experience a bit of that.

2. WIDE mixture of spiritual depth and even openness. Please pray for lives to be touched, for hearts to be open, for new experiences of God's power and presence.

3. We are staying in a Christian community (www.jpusa.org), so pray for us as we learn from those who live out their faith in very different ways. Pray that there will be translatable concepts, and we will see commonalities - not just differences.

4. We will be serving the poor. Pray for us to again have hearts that are open and ready to serve.

5. One thing I personally have a VERY difficult time with is when students complain about work when we're on a missions trip. Please pray that I have patience and wisdom to know how to handle any difficulties that arise.

6. I'm leaving my family behind. This isn't all that hard, believe it or not. I love my family, and will miss them, but I'm completely accustomed this part of my ministry. I do worry about the little details (will Isaac go to bed well for Miss Jeni? will Hope sleep through the night for Grandma?  etc), but more than anything, I'm a bit apprehensive about pumping for 8 days straight. Hope has been such a great eater, and I want to continue breastfeeding, and I'm hoping my supply does not diminish.

7.  We are depending on JPUSA for all our work sites and our morning devotions. It's hard for me to not have complete control. Pray that I am flexible, and that the students are as well.

Thank you so much. If I get a chance, I may try to post an update while we're there.