Hi praying friends!

We had a great time with our last Short Term Team! It was so nice to have them here. This week we have been continuing to onboard our new interns, prepare for our next STT, and get ready for a new art exhibit that opens tomorrow.

We are exhibiting the works of an artist friend of ours (see his work here: https://www.instagram.com/mayuncchigami/). He is an origami artist - and we are really excited by how unique his work is!

I also had the opportunity to spend last Saturday at a local Cloister - both learning more about and practicing solitude. This coming week (Sunday and Monday) we are also having a prayer retreat/focus as Envision Berlin before our next short term team arrives next week.

At a dinner this last week, as I was reflecting on close to 27 years of vocational ministry, someone asked me what the top 3 lessons I have learned in the last 20 years are.

My thoughts were certainly not things I thought were important 20 years ago and if I had time, I might come up with a different three - but they were:

1. Don't think "Change the World", think invest well where I am planted and let God take care of scale.
2. I have rarely gone wrong when I have brought someone on based on compatibility (and character), but competence has sometimes burned me.
3. Be patient with God's speed - he often works at a more slow-cooker than microwave tempo.

What would you list as the top 3 lessons from the last 2 decades of your life?

Here are some prayer requests for this week:

1. Pray for Joshua as he travels back home from his 3 weeks of schooling.
2. Pray for our Envision prayer focus days.
3. Pray for us as we receive a new team.
4. Pray for our new interns and resident to settle well!

Thanks for praying,

mike