Loving LepersCarla Harding - 15 Feb 2011
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 shares with us 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.
How do you combine prayer and engagement? We’d love to hear from you. Tell us your story in the comments below.
Carla leads on the work and growth of 24-7 Prayer across Great Britain and she is part of the Lectio 365 team, helping people pray the Bible every day. Her life was hijacked by God in 1999 during a two hour stint in the first ever 24-7 Prayer Room. Carla loves prayer and worship, friends and food, a well told story and a challenge to get her teeth into. In her spare time, Carla is an active member of Revelation Family Church, a 24-7 Prayer Community. She lives in Chichester, UK with her husband Steve and their children Jackson and Eloise.
Meet Carla