¡Oración! (Prayer!)

Dear family and friends, brothers and sisters in Christ...

We are leaving in around 13 hours to fly to the Dominican Republic! We are all SO excited at the opportunity the Lord has provided us to serve the orphan children of the DR as we continue to construct a Sports Camp for the kids to enjoy themselves in their difficult lives. At this camp, which is modeled after Summer's Best Two Weeks in Pennsylvania (www.sb2w.org), the kids will be able to try out just about every kind of sport while hearing the Gospel! It's a fantastic ministry and it's been a privilege for me to be involved the last few Spring Breaks. We're still trying to raise money for construction costs (around $300), so if you feel led, please send a check made out to Summer's Best Two Weeks and put DR Trip in the subject line. You can send it to my school address:

Luke Sjogren
805 S High Street
Harrisonburg, VA 22801

Thanks for everyone who has already supported this trip! We're also going to need a great amount of prayer. Here are some prayer requests for the trip (in no particular order):

Team Unity- 6 of us from JMU are meeting 7 other college students from around the East Coast (including 4 from Penn State) and then Kent Biery, the SB2W representative (and a good friend of mine) and Ryan Koptish, a JMU Alum. So it's quite a mixture of guys, but we all have the same heart (passionate after Jesus Christ) and purpose (glorifying Him in all of our thoughts, words, and actions wherever we are- for the next week, in the DR!). I'm looking forward to building relationships with these new guys! Please pray that Jesus is at the center of everything we think, say, and do...

Health- I'm still suffering from *possible* bronchitis (suffering is a loose term- more coughing a bunch but feeling pretty well overall) and Evan B has a healing wrist (he broke it three weeks ago), so please pray that God's will be done with our health as we travel and while we're down there. May His will be done!

Encouragement- reflecting Christ is something I'd love to see happen not only from us to the natives, but from us to each other. I'm looking forward to seeing how Jesus grows us all closer to Him! Please pray for joyful hearts and for the inspiration to encourage each other! Hebrews 10:24- "and let us spur one another on towards love and good deeds"! Amen!

Dependence upon the Lord- I have a bad tendency of trying to do things on my own, especially when I *think* I can do it easily (why would God bother with something so small as this?). But that's not good- please pray that I'm fully dependent on the Lord for strength, joy, love and everything else.

Rest- physically, we'll be working in the sun (yes!) and getting a good amount of exercise, but more mentally and spiritually. At school, it's easy to get so caught up in all of the responsibilities of classes and ministry, so I, personally, am looking forward to resting in my Savior. Please pray that my soul will truly rest in Jesus this week and I'll be refreshed and ready to go at all the wonderful opportunities I have to serve here at JMU when I return! Praise Him!

And finally- just God's will to be done so that He is glorified to the max in everything. The last two years we've had problems with planes, but I'm confident that even if it happens again, it's all a part of God's perfect, timely plan. So pray for patience as we rest in Him!

Thanks for each and every one of your prayers... I can't WAIT to see and share with you all of the Amazing things God is going to do on this trip!

In His strength alone... by His grace... and for His greatest glory...

Luke

PS Names of the guys:

Luke Sjogren (that's me!)
Evan Balaber
Ben Blackmer
Andrew Elgert
Will McAuliffe
Luke Blackburn

PSU
Dan Saxton
JP Peno
Jeremy Buyer
Joe Buyer

Other schools
Ben McGeever
Jon Sabol
David St. Cyr

Kent Biery
Ryan Koptish

For the glory of God alone...