by Peter Swann
Our family is passionate about South Sudan. Much of that comes from the fact that Shauna and I used to live there, and our mud hut days have driven in us a deep love for the people there. Our kids naturally pick that up, to the point where Allison used to think that the country that she lived in was South Sudan. Unintentionally, she learned about South Sudan first, and then America.
This passion for the people has long dominated prayers for them. Allison has joined us in that for her six years on this planet, asking God to work in power to save lives and transform communities there. The purity of her passion has long impacted me.
The other day, Allison and I were talking about the hand-held radio she’s been raising money for. Each $20 radios enables people in mud huts to receive the gospel through the broadcasting of Every Village’s radio station network. Allison loves the blue solar-powered radios and the fact that people hear about Jesus through them.
Yet as we talked the other day, there was tension in her voice. She’d been voluntarily giving all her money away for radios, but she only had several dollars. Each October, Every Village facilitates a campaign to fund as many $20 radios as possible. But Allison’s money was far short of a $20 radio. Her heart was immensely calmed when I told her that we’d fill up the rest of her $20, enabling her to provide a radio to a family in South Sudan. Her response to it was striking. There was peace in her voice now, but no less passion. She was intent on getting the gospel to the people of South Sudan.
I’m struck by how all this passion has flowed from her years of prayer. We pray our priorities, and what we pray becomes reinforced as our priority. It’s all in what we want our priorities to be.
So may we be a passionate people, and a strategic people. It’s all reflected in our prayers.