By Moriah Sharpe and Addie Southwick, 2018-2019 Fellows
Happy September and happy beginning of a new Fellows year! This is always an exciting time for our Fellows and everyone involved in the program, but it also a time that requires a lot of prayer. We want to cover every aspect of this program in prayer as it would not exist if not for God’s provision and grace. This year is all about starting well, so we pray that our Fellows would start well, starting at the very beginning of this year. Please pray for them as they transition into a new season of life in a new city. Pray that they would be open to what the Lord teaches them this year, however He chooses to teach them. Pray that their insecurities, unknowns, and uncertainties going into this new year would be washed over with immeasurable peace. Pray that they would learn to love this city and its people, each other and those surrounding them, and most of all our God truly and deeply.
We also ask that you join us in praying for every additional part of the Fellows. Please pray for our wonderful host families, both new and returning. We are so thankful for these families who are willing to open up their homes and lives to our Fellows, and we pray for them as they adjust to these new members of their families. Pray for comfort in the uncomfortable and depth in relationships as these families graciously invite our Fellows into their lives, and as the Fellows welcome them into theirs.
Please pray for our Fellows’ internship placements, that they would benefit from the experience and learn to integrate their faith and their work. Pray too for our Fellows’ employers, who have provided these internships, that they would benefit as well from this year. We ask God for growth in knowledge and grace for the Fellows and their coworkers during their time together in the workplace.
We lift up our three partner churches: Uptown Church, Christ Central Church, and Hope Community Church. They have been faithful supporters of our Fellows year in and year out, supplying all aspects of our program from host families to employers to mentors. Pray that they would greet our Fellows with open arms and provide a source of community. Pray that our Fellows would value their time worshipping at their churches and learn from the blessings and challenges that come with settling into a new church and making new community.
Please pray for our mentors, who commit to spending time walking through life with our Fellows. Pray that these mentor-mentee relationships would be fruitful and life-giving to both the Fellow and their mentor. Pray that these mentors would be ears that hear and lips that speak words of wisdom, and that they would guide our Fellows well on this part of their faith journeys.
Finally, please pray for our Fellows board. They are the architects behind the scenes making sure everything runs smoothly, or with as little turbulence as possible. They work hard each year to match our Fellows to host families, internships, and mentors, and we are grateful for everything they do. Pray for them as they continue to keep our program going, providing our Fellows with valuable resources to prepare them to start well. Pray that they would continue to follow God’s guidance with our program and that they would know that all their work truly does make a difference in our Fellows’ lives.
Nine months is both a very long time and altogether too short; pray that everyone involved with our program would treasure each moment and enjoy what God has given them in the Charlotte Fellows program.
“This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. And if we know that he hears us—whatever we ask—we know that we have what we asked of him.”
– 1 John 5:14-15