Intimacy with God, and involvement with those in need. Buzz phrases like this are easily said, but rarely have I heard of them more beautifully lived out than through the lives of Brian and Mirte Longridge. I first spoke with Brian via email when they hosted their first 24-7 Prayer Room last year. Their group name appeared in our diary, and I contacted this group in the Philippines to find out how it was going. The ensuing conversation moved me deeply. Brian shared how he and Mirte live out prayer fuelled lives amidst great need…
“Prayer is loving on Christ, but we feel part of prayer is not complete without a prayer lifestyle, which is also loving on Christ through loving the poor.” Writes Brian. The Longridges work at a Leprosy centre and have planted two churches among those who suffer with the disease on the island.
“His word says that what we do for the least of these we do for Him, and when we see those broken people, we often feel that He looks back at us through their eyes and makes us want to cry… We spent our honeymoon in a leprosy camp for two months on top of a mountain in Indonesia. I know, we're kinda crazy, but we felt Him so close when we were with the people there… Our spirits never feel so full of God (even to the point of crying), as when we come back from being with the people who have leprosy. To us that indicates how God feels about it. We feel personally that we CANNOT separate our prayer life from living out that very prayer we pray...”
Beautiful.
I posted this story on the 24-7 Blog yesterday and it's one of those email encounters that make me truly grateful to be involved in 24-7 Prayer. I find it constantly challenging and inspiring.