Will you pray for our friend?

Will you pray for a friend of ours?
Jason met John Ray on a mission trip to Mexico in 2007.
He was the speaker.
He has worked for YWAM (Youth With A Mission) for 20+ years.
They hit it off and stayed connected.
Jason later had him come speak at the youth camp the next summer.
He's been a HUGE influence for Jason and a mentor for him in ministry ever since.
He's pasisonate and very BOLD about living a life for Christ.
He's been praying for us specifically as we were in the mist of making major decisions with church planting.
Jason has said before, "I want to be like John when I grow up."
We got news today that his youngest daughter (they have four girls) was hit and killed by a car.
This family has traveled the WORLD.
Yet the accident happened in their home town.
One of their duaghters is in Norway right now trying to get home.
Oliva Ray was nine.
Never met her but a beautiful girl. (this is the family blog)
We all know words can't express the pain they are going through.
Pray for them.
You can read a little more here. (this post is from a friend of the family)

I drove to Walmart tonight and just had tears flowing as I thought of their pain.
A song came on that is hard to hear without tears.
It's the EXACT song I think of when I think of someone loosing a child.
Our church in Utah sang it one morning to go with a message on suffering and their were not dry eyes in the room.
If you've experienced a close death you can relate.
They are on a new journey, one filled with a lot of pain.
This song is exactly what I pray for them.
These things don't make sense.
I don't know how you survive the pain without Christ.
We are not promised a pain free life.
But the death of a child seems like more than a person can handle.
The promise we do have is Christ is there to hold us.
Please pray for them.


SONG:  "Held" by Natalie Grant (first song on my play list right now; chorus lyrics below)
"This is what it means
to be held
how it feels
when the sacred is torn from your life
and you survive.
This is what it is
to be loved
and to know
that the promise was
when everything fell we'd be HELD!"

Oh God, I pray you would HOLD John, Jane,  and their girls. HOLD THEM!