To my family:
Lord I pray for my family during this time. This is a time of confusion for my family due to being away from each other for the first time during Christmas. I pray that this will be a continued time of peace and love and understanding for everything that is happening here in Ethiopia. Lord I pray for comfort. I know that there is no growth when things are comfortable, but during this time of being away from all that I know, I really just pray for peace. Maybe not comfortability because, as I said, there his no growth when things are comfortable, but peace.
Lord, I pray for my father.
He is a man of smiles and laughter. He loves being an encouragement to all, and wants to make anyones day better. He will sacrifice his time and energy to those around him to put a smile on their face. He is family-oriented and will do absolutely anything and sacrifice anything for his family. He will listen to his family’s needs to try to meet them above and beyond any expectations. He holds his family in such high respect and will help them to achieve their goals with complete support and love. My father is full of abundant love for his family and it spills out onto those around him. He finds joy in the little things that people do; giving him a high-five, a pat on the back, or a hug. He is a man of peace who will help others to find a sense of calm and love in times where those feel impossible. His patience is shown when there are so many things to be stressed about. He is the kindest man you will ever meet with a heart for those who are pushed to the side and forgotten; he picks them up, dusts them off, and does what he can to help them. He is a man of goodness and will encourage his family even in the darkest times that life throws at them. He is a faithful man to the Lord and his family. He will never abandon those he loves, even those he has been abandoned by in the past. He is a man with a gentle soul, who will never hurt anyone, with his words or his actions, and will encourage those who have never felt gentleness to find peace. He is a man who will find the use of self-control in the things he does; when feeling frustration, he will step back to calm down and continue things rationally, he will apologize if something gets out of hand, and will never make the same mistake twice.
Lord, I pray for my mother.
She is a family-oriented woman and will do anything to see that her family is well taken care for; even If that means sacrificing her own happiness. She is exhausted after work, yet still finds time to smile and listen to her family’s stories. My mother is full of love for her family. She finds joy when her family does the little things. She is a woman of peace even when she would like nothing more than to sleep. My mother continues to be full of patience when I get angry and act irrationally. She acts out of kindness to take care of us when we are upset and even if she is sick, to continuously help her family to be the best we can be. My mother is always showing goodness by being so generous to us in any situation; when we are struggling with finances, or just emotionally, she still finds a way to put a smile on our faces. She demonstrates faithfulness by not seeking her happiness outside of the Lord and her family. Her gentleness is shown when she takes a step back, even in the anger, just to have a reasonable head and an understanding of what every side might look like. My mother is a woman of self-control by being able to apologize if something does happen that she does not like, keeping her anger in check, and loving her family with every ounce of her being.
Lord, I pray for my brother.
He is a man of understanding and is stepping into the man you are showing him that he is. He will go out of is way to put a smile on any persons face, by even just saying a simple “good morning”. He is not afraid to stand out just to help someone. My brother is a selfless man with a heart full of love for others. The love he has extends to more than his family, but to those whom he doesn’t even know. He finds joy in the things that others would overlook; a smile on his cousin’s face, the laughter of his grandparents, the hug of his sister. He find peace so quickly, even in times of anger, and never holds a grudge. He exhibits patience even when he is upset about how something is going, by not acting rash. He has the kindest heart for everyone; looking for the best in the people he interacts with and not using their past to define what he thinks of them. Goodness radiates from him in everything that he does; encouraging, loving, smiling, cheering on, hugging. He is faithful to his friends that may have turned their back on him in the past, and he never forgets to continue to spread joy, especially on them. He is gentle to each child he passes and takes the time to listen to those who may not be heard. He exhibits so much self-control in all times; not letting his emotions get the best of him, and apologizing if something goes a different way than is his character.
Lord, please protect my family and remind them of your great love.
